Previously: The fact that Zenos was not a Ruler but a Healer was revealed, and Liz was shocked.
“What’s wrong, Liz-nee?”
“Are you okay, Liz-san?”
“N-No, it’s nothing.”
Peered at worriedly by Zenos and the elf girl, Liz slowly shook her head.
A fact that had been unexpectedly revealed while strolling through the slums. Zenos wasn’t a Ruler, but a mere Healer.
She finally realized that was why the demi-humans adored him.
What was all my trouble for…?
The sheer sense of futility almost made her drop to her knees.
And to think she had thrown herself into the lion’s den with do-or-die determination, been surrounded by a group of intense women, and even pulled all-nighters that were bad for her skin, trying every trick in the book.
“Liz-nee, did you remember something bad?”
Zenos said, looking troubled.
“Hey, sorry for dragging you along like this. Maybe I was a bit too hasty.”
“N-No, don’t worry about it, Zenos-chan. Thank you.”
She cried inwardly while smiling on the outside.
She had tried to injure Zenos in his sleep, but his so-called protective magic had prevented her from leaving a single scratch. She had also tried making him drink her blood in the past, but it would get diluted and didn’t work very well.
She had been looking for an opening, but if Zenos wasn’t the Ruler, it was all meaningless.
In fact, the very existence of a Ruler was becoming questionable.
Huh? But wait a minute.
Liz suddenly looked up.
“Hey, Zenos-chan, you use protective magic, right?”
“Yeah, I do.”
“So how can you be a Healer, then?”
“Hm? I just use both protective magic and healing magic.”
“Really? Is that even possible?”
“Someone else told me that before, but they’re both the same in the sense that they strengthen the body’s functions.”
“Hmm…”
Come to think of it, she had heard that during the festival, Zenos had caught a magic stone bomb thrown by her subordinate, Gaion, with his bare hands. His protective magic must be at a considerably high level. Perhaps protective magic was his main skill, and his healing magic was only at a beginner’s level.
“Well, let’s head back for now, Liz-nee.”
“Um… I’m going to stay here a little longer and try to remember, so you go on ahead.”
“I see. Will you be okay on your own?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I just want to think alone for a bit.”
“Alright. But don’t push yourself too hard.”
Zenos led the elf girl away and disappeared deeper into the street. Liz remained standing there, as if drained of all her strength.
Now that things had come to this, there was no longer any point in accompanying him. She had to rethink her next move, including what to do with herself from now on.
“I really wanted to score a major achievement here…”
Liz groaned and bit her nails.
“Lady Liz.”
Her name was suddenly called from behind a crumbling brick wall. Peeking through a gap was her subordinate, Gaion.
Liz checked her surroundings and slipped behind the wall.
“Were you following us?”
“Y-Yes. Just to check on the situation…”
“Wait, what happened to your face?”
Looking closely, his face and body were covered in bruises.
“W-Well, the higher-ups did this.”
“…”
Liz fell silent. Gaion, his lips cut in several places, opened his mouth with a slightly frightened look on his face.
“Lady Liz, the higher-ups are getting impatient. They’re asking when we’re going to take over the slums.”
“Even if you tell me that…”
She had intended to proceed as quickly and cautiously as possible.
“Besides, he wasn’t the Ruler in the first place.”
“What?! Is that true?”
“So, it’s not that easy to—”
As she was about to finish, Gaion shook his head slightly.
“Lady Liz. The higher-ups’ orders haven’t changed.”
“…”
That’s right. They weren’t the kind of people who would listen to excuses.
What on earth should I do…
Just then, alarming shouts echoed from down the street.
“Someone’s been stabbed!”
“It’s a slasher!”
Liz glared at Gaion.
“Did you do something?”
“I-It wasn’t me. But, perhaps…”
Liz dashed off and headed toward the commotion. A lizardman was lying on his back, clutching his side.
“Hey, are you alright?!”
“Where did the attacker go?”
“I-I don’t know!”
“Looks like he was stabbed from behind all of a sudden.”
In the chaotic scene, Liz noticed a piece of paper lying next to the fallen lizardman. Picking it up, she saw a single word written in the Underground’s code: “Hurry.”
“…”
It was a message from the higher-ups, telling her to use force if it was taking too long. This was the way of the Underground Guild.
However, Liz thought it was still too early for an all-out war. She could use her blood to control some low-ranking demi-humans and cause some chaos, but she could only control them until the blood was metabolized, which wasn’t for very long. Moreover, to maintain control, she needed to inject her blood frequently, limiting her to controlling only a few people at a time. The demi-humans were numerous. To make a move, she needed careful preparation.
As she thought, taking control of the top was the best option, but all the demi-human leaders were women.
Now that the existence of a Ruler was doubtful, how on earth was she supposed to break down the slums?
As she was feeling impatient, the man in the black cloak arrived, leading the elf girl.
“Where’s the injured person?”
“Doctor Zenos, over here.”
Liz tucked the paper she was holding into her clothes.
“Zenos-chan.”
“Oh, Liz-nee, you were here too?”
“Y-Yes, there was a commotion over here, so…”
Zenos knelt beside the injured man.
The fallen lizardman’s complexion was pale. The blade must have hit a major blood vessel, as blood was gushing from his side.
She knew from her experience with all kinds of death in the Underground Guild. This man couldn’t be saved.
However—
“Man, we’re lucky. The Doctor just happened to be walking down the street.”
“You’re right, that was a close call.”
Even though their companion was about to die, the onlookers exuded a strangely relaxed atmosphere. No, even the dying man himself had a somewhat relieved expression on his face.
Zenos himself didn’t even bat an eye, placing a hand on the injured man’s side.
“It’s pretty deep. Repair the blood vessel walls, heal the organ walls, regenerate the peritoneum, muscle tissue, and skin.”
Muttering to himself, he held out his hand, and a brilliant white light danced around them.
And when the sparkling, scale-like light faded, the injured man’s wound was completely closed.
“Huh…?”
“Alright, you’re all good now. But don’t forget my fee.”
“Of course. You saved me, Doctor. Thank you.”
Watching the lizardman stand up as if nothing had happened, Liz muttered in a daze.
“No… way…”
The man who had seemed beyond saving was revived in an instant. Faced with a sight she had never seen before, Liz blinked over and over.
What welled up within her, along with awe, was a dark excitement.
Zenos, her companion from the orphanage. He wasn’t the Ruler of the slums, just a simple healer.
But…
His power was extraordinary, enough to unite all the demi-humans.
It wasn’t over yet. If she could control this person, her long-cherished wish might come true.
Liz slipped into the crowd, left the scene, and spoke to Gaion, who was waiting at a street corner.
“Tell the higher-ups to wait just a little longer.”
“Y-Yes, I understand. Are you alright, Lady Liz?”
Liz nodded slowly.
Her attempt to injure him had failed because of his protective magic. Even if she had succeeded by some miracle, his incredible healing magic might have repaired the wound before she could pour her blood in. In other words, infusing Zenos with her blood was no longer a realistic option.
However, there was one other way.
“If I can’t wound him, then I’ll captivate him with my charms as a woman.”
Using her blood was just a substitute measure. A succubus’s true power is unleashed when she joins her body with a man.
Her trump card was to take his virginity.
If she did that, neither his protective nor healing magic would matter. She could pour her succubus magic directly into him and turn him into her puppet.
As she murmured that, Gaion’s face showed surprise.
“H-His virginity? What’s so good about a guy like him?”
It seemed he was talking about Zenos.
“Why do you care about something like that?”
“N-No, it’s nothing…”
“Listen, Gaion. No matter what, I have to get results here.”
It seemed there were plenty of women around Zenos, but they were all crazy eccentrics. She was confident she could definitely win when it came to womanly charms.
Until now, her primary objective had been to infiltrate and get close to the Ruler, but from here on, she would change her policy. She would use every trick in the book to captivate Zenos.
Liz put her index finger in her mouth and smiled.
“Just you wait, Zenos-chan. I’m going to make you fall for me, for real.”
A/N: Lady Liz gets serious…