I am Succubus!
Chapter 261

Layla and I tweaked the memories of the succubus I'd charmed. It had sounded like she was beginning to notice my aura. The last thing any of us needed was to screw up the timeline. Now that we had a good grasp on what was going on in this world, the next step was to figure out the temporal anomaly.

However, I couldn't take my mind off Saeko and Hatsumi of this timeline. They should be caring about each other, not fighting. Even my Hatsumi didn't bring herself to really hurt me back then. To think though… Beatrice ended up siding with Saeko? What an interesting timeline this turned out to be. That complicated things. If Beatrice was on Saeko's side, that was a powerful and cunning greater succubus in her faction.

We might not be safe. If Beatrice ended up finding us, it might be game over.

For the time being, I rallied my group to fly to Fukuo Shrine— where it all started. Most of Tsukiji and the surrounding cities had been destroyed. Judging by how fresh the messes were, somewhat recently. We were able to scavenge some food from vending machines and stores. Since they were already looted, all we had to show for were instant ramen and some bags of chips.

We arrived at the deserted shrine. A quick survey of the surroundings and we were confident no one was around. The destruction was familiar to me. All of the magical burns on the temple grounds, holes in the worship building, and broken stone lanterns… exactly the same as the state Beatrice, Hatsumi, and I had left after our battle. So, the city never got around to repairing it.

"Man, this timeline sucks!" Hana plopped down inside the worship hall floor and opened a bag of chips. "I thought it was going to be a breeze. Maybe a little hiccup here and there, then we fix things up, leave, and have a nice dinner to celebrate. But nooooo. Saeko and Hatsumi had to have a fight."

"What do you think, Saeko? Did questioning that succubus yield any ideas to what the anomaly might be?" Shayle asked.

I shook my head and sighed. "Nope. Maybe I was better off not knowing… Now I can't stop thinking about them. I… I want to help them. Talk to one of them, or something! Just the idea that a Saeko and Hatsumi in any timeline are fighting makes me nauseous."

It hadn't escaped me to consider their fissure as the temporal anomaly. But when I applied Gerdell's method of relying on instincts to put us on the right track, my brain, heart, and soul told me that wasn't it. Because Hatsumi, due to her being so obsessively in love with me, was entirely capable of all this. She just needed the power, and Beatrice transforming her into a greater succubus enabled that.

"I don't mean to alarm anyone," Layla began, "but there's a good chance Hatsumi possesses the Blade of the First Temptress. Most succubi wouldn't consider someone their queen without it."

"Ya think Saeko wants to hear that right now?" Hana tossed a chip at Layla, striking her square in the forehead.

"B-B-But it's the truth!" she countered.

"I need some air." I sighed, grabbing a bag of chips for myself and flying out of the temple.

Before I realized it, I was sitting at the stone steps beyond the torii gate. A family of deer were feeding on the vegetation just past the fences. One of the younger deers took notice of me. I waved at them. But when I opened the bag of shrimp-flavored tempura chips, the plastic crinkling scared them away.

I wanted to fly off. Fly to my house in this timeline and confront Hatsumi. Obviously, it would be a terrible idea. She had to know this was hurting her Saeko. It hurt me, too…

Someone suddenly sat down beside me. Hana. Surprisingly, she didn't have anything to say. The two of us just quietly ate chips. Even the deers had come back.

"You were thinking about leaving just now, weren't ya?" Hana asked out of nowhere.

"I was actually thinking you can be quiet," I teased.

"Uwahaha! I can be quiet if I want to! But cereal, cereal though. Don't ya dare fly off. At least not without us. You helped me with my dryad shit, remember? It's my turn to help you back. That's what best pals do!" She gave me a hard pat on the back, knocking a couple of chips out of my hand.

"This would've been a lot more touching if the whole point of us being here wasn't to get me a timeless orgy."

"Meeeh. Other succubi have done weirder things" She shrugged.

I was beginning to feel a lot better about myself. Never thought it would be thanks to Hana. Fortunately, the desire to go off alone was gone. It really was nice to have friends around when I needed them. We were about to head back to Shayle and Layla until a dreadful, familiar aura scraped against mine like coarse sandpaper. It gave me something worse than goosebumps. Pins and needles formed all over my neck.

Hana and I exchanged glances. Her eyes were wide. We knew exactly who it was without even turning around.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? If it isn't my old friend and not-so-old nemesis. But how strange. Didn't I see Saeko a little while ago? So, why would she be here, I wonder? Perhaps you can answer that. Unless, succubus got your tongue? Kahaha!"

The two of us spun around to the sight of Beatrice on top of the torii gate.

"Queen B!" Hana gasped.

"Hana, that's not the Beatrice we—"

Beatrice torpedoed into Hana, cratering the pink-haired trickster into the ground. A roundhouse kick almost knocked my lights out. I was faster. I lifted an arm up to block her blow. But she threw a right straight for my face.

A dozen dryad tentacles sprung out to bind Beatrice. Hana dragged her backwards, and the fist coming only within an inch of me. The commotion drew Shayle and Layla out of the temple. They screeched to a halt. Layla realized it first with her aura.

"Q-Q-Q-Queen Beatrice!" Layla stammered.

"Layla! And Shayle, too! Not the faces I was expecting, but this is turning out to be much more fun. Now, does someone want to tell me what's going on? Before I blow you all away to smithereens?" Beatrice conjured a tiny black orb into the palm of her hand, swirling with immense magical energy.

"Wait! It's me, Saeko! We're on the same side against Hatsumi, remember?" I exclaimed with my best bluff.

"Pffft. I was with Saeko half an hour ago. Don't fuck with me. I don't know how you came here, but hand over your Blade of the First Temptress. I'm going to reclaim my crown and have an army of demons run train on Hatsumi until she breaks!" the former succubus queen growled.

Each of us traded uneasy looks. The other three turned to me to take the lead. The Beatrice of this timeline had discovered us. We weren't going to trick her. She was too smart.

Maybe Beatrice could be of help. We didn't screw up the other timeline by letting that Kana in the know. The same might be true here, too. But this Beatrice never died and ended up having a change of heart within me. She was the same old bitch queen who tried to overthrow me. Only in this timeline, temporarily dethroned.

"I… I destroyed the Blade of the First Temptress. I don't have it," I said earnestly.

"You— what?! You… aren't lying. Holy fucking shit. Hm. Hmmm. Let me see if I've put this all together. The four of you are not the same ones I know. Without the sword, you can't travel between Earth and Elza. But you can with the help of Shayle's mirror artifact. You went to Elza and found… the chronomancer and entered this world, didn't you?" Beatrice flashed a sly grin.

Shit. Beatrice really was too smart for her own good. Same taunting smile, too. However, to our surprise, Beatrice snuffed out the spell in her hand. She turned her palms facing up to mean no harm.

"You think we're going to just trust you?" Shayle, on the other hand, didn't put out her spell.

"You? No. Saeko? Yes. Just the way she looks at me says we've got history. Well, not me me. Her me. After all, the Saeko I know still hates my guts! Kahahaha! We're here for a reason. Let's help each other," Beatrice insisted.

"Don't do it, Saeko! Queen B's a big biiiiaatch. There ain't no trusting her!" Hana yelled.

Layla opened her mouth intending to voice agreement, but one cold glare from Beatrice made her shudder with pleasure.

"Hana, if you don't let me go, I'm going to slice up your dryad arms and shove them all up Layla's ass," Beatrice threatened.

"M-My ass… D-Don't let go, Hana!" Layla pleaded desperately.

"Gee. I wonder what you really want?" I rolled my eyes. "Hana, release Beatrice. We'll try diplomacy. Beatrice, one wrong move, and you're a pulp on the ground."

Beatrice lifted both arms with what little wiggle room was afforded to her in a show of surrender. As soon as Hana let go, Beatrice slugged her in the gut.

"Uwwuagghh… I… knew it…" Hana collapsed to the ground.

A shot a stink-eye to Beatrice for that cheapshot, but she shrugged. So far, so good. Gerdell hadn't intervened, which meant that I didn't screw up the timeline by talking to Beatrice. The four of us returned to the worship hall, keeping a close eye on our new guest. She made herself at home, taking a seat on a cushion and snatching a bag of chips for herself.

Not wanting to let our guard down, we didn't bother sitting. Instead, we stared at her as Beatrice tossed a chip one by one into her mouth. Occasionally, she moaned out loud. After finishing the bag, she smacked her lips obnoxiously and licked her fingers.

"I tell ya, human food is really good. I might be able to put on some weight and get a little chunky!" Beatrice cackled.

"Why play nice with us?" I asked.

"Getting right to the point isn't fun. Oh, fine. Because as much as I'd hate to admit it, we're losing. Mio… she's in a coma. Hatsumi wanted to send a message to Saeko that no one could love her more. I won't rest until I grind that bitch into bone dust for hurting my little sister." She clenched both fists, and I knew that anger was genuine.

Having Beatrice help figure out the temporal anomaly might be the best lead we get. At the same time, I'd rather not owe Beatrice, who wants to hurt Hatsumi, even if she was from a different timeline.

"Not to mention, the biggest obstacle is that dumb bitch, Selene. She swore fealty to Hatsumi for scraps of affection." Beatrice groaned in disgust.

Of course, Selene ended up taking Hatsumi's side…

"Just to be clear, we're not helping you fight Hatsumi in any way. We shouldn't even be talking to you to begin with!" I explained.

"Come on. You must be able to spare something. Mio's hurt! I know you love her, because the Saeko here does, too. Something? Anything?" Beatrice asked.

"Nope. We're firm on this." I folded my arms, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Beatrice wanted to protest, but her head snapped westward towards the city. I sensed it a second later. Layla did, too. We immediately hid our auras, but for whatever reason, Beatrice was exerting hers at full blast.

"W-What are you doing?" Layla asked nervously.

"I may or may not have lured some lovely ladies into joining us for tea." Beatrice smirked.

"What's going on? We about to— oh." Hana finally sensed it, too, now that their auras were closer.

The swarm was getting closer, and even Shayle could see them coming. Without giving us a moment to react, Beatrice launched into the sky while cackling like a maniac. A single, explosive punch sent three succubi plummeting as a smoking mess.

"For fuck's sake! Saeko, what do we do?" Shayle panicked as she watched the battle unfold.

"Yo, yo, yo! This ain't good! If Queen B keeps making a ruckus like that, won't she draw Hatsumi's attention?" Hana asked worriedly.

"Same plan. Layla and I will stay invisible. You two join Beatrice in battle. If she gets out of hand, we're fighting her, too!" I ordered.

We flew up into the sky, and it was like witnessing a dragonfly slaughtering a swarm of fruit flies. Beatrice was much too fast, much too powerful in the magic department for them. But it wasn't as though the succubi were disorganized.

A few of them fell back while the others fought to buy time. They cast a volley of spells that homed in on Beatrice, forcing her on the defensive. Just barely, she managed to catch a succubus in time to use as a body shield, but several more bolts pummeled her from behind. She didn't see a succubus casting another spell directly above her.

I bodied the succubus, interrupting her spellcasting. Her surprise was palpable. She glanced left and right, then angrily fired a barrage in all directions. Beatrice launched up, grabbed her face, and threw her down. The two of us traded nods before she went back into a maniacal battle frenzy.

With Shayle, Hana, and Layla's help, we dispatched the succubi and forced them to retreat.

"Tch. Pick up the injured and pull back! Beatrice clearly has help. We'll inform Queen Hatsumi!" a succubus exclaimed.

"You want to escape? Not so fast!" Beatrice flew after them, but I got in her way.

"They're leaving. We're not chasing them," I said.

Beatrice cocked her head at me and cracked a peeved smile.

"Do I look like I even take orders from the Saeko of this world? What makes you think I'll listen to you? Move," Beatrice demanded.

I remained steadfast. Behind Beatrice, my companions had worry written all over their faces. Before I knew it, a fist buried into my gut. Beatrice grabbed me by my horns and crashed us both into the Earth. Every fiber of my body screamed in agony. When I opened my eyes, I was lying inside a small crater with her on top of me.

"Do you think you're the succubus queen or something? We're in this mess because of you! I bet you fucked up wherever you came from, too. Just like the Saeko I know. What the fuck does Mio see in you anyway? Ahh, I'm so pissed off! Maybe I'll just do your world a favor and off you here." Beatrice conjured a swirling black orb into the palm of her hand.

The other three landed, and they were about to pounce on Beatrice until I lifted my hand up to stop them.

"In my world, you died…" I croaked.

"Pft. You killed me?" Beatrice snorted and sounded unconvinced.

"Mio and I did."

The spell snuffed out immediately. She scoffed. She chortled. She clicked her tongue. She knew I was telling the truth.

"That wasn't all. You didn't truly die. Your soul started inhabiting my body through the Blade of the First Temptress. Eventually, you were going to take over me entirely. Believe it or not, we… became friends. You helped me fight renegade succubi and dryads. You encouraged me in your bitchy way whenever I was down. You and Mio made amends, sort of. And… when I destroyed the sword, and your soul finally moved on, she cried over losing you. Whether you believe it or not is up to you, but I know it did happen," I explained.

"Mio cried over me?" Beatrice asked and dropped to her butt. "What a stupid bitch, that Beatrice."

This Beatrice might not have gone through what the one I knew did to become a better person, but they were all entirely capable of it. At the end of the day, her love for Mio mattered as much as Hatsumi's love for me. Love was a powerful motivator.

Without saying anything, Beatrice picked me up by the collar of my shirt and hoisted me out of the crater. She flew out right after.

"If you're not here to put a stop to Hatsumi, then what are you here for? If it's to take the Blade of the First Temptress because you destroyed yours, just know I'll be first in line to stop you. Won't end pretty either," Beatrice said.

"Lucky for you, we aren't here for the sword. We just want information. Maybe you can fill in some missing blanks for us?" I asked.

"Hm. Last time I made a deal with Saeko, it went south. You look a little older and more mature, though not by much. I want something first. Don't worry. It's relatively small and insignificant. Help me, and I'll help you. Whaddya say?" She extended a hand to me.

This could very well turn out terribly. But I had to find and fix the temporal anomaly somehow. To that end, I swallowed my reluctance and shook Beatrice's hand.