“Darling, where have you been wandering off to all this time?”
“I was summoned to a strange dungeon. It was quite interesting, so don’t worry.”
Standing before me, asking where I had been, was none other than Lilith, Queen of the Succubi—and at the same time, my mother.
Let me introduce myself: my name is Lilim Curios, the future bearer of the Lilith title among the Succubi.
As for my father, he is a Greater Demon named Satan Curios.
Although Succubi have a natural talent for manipulating human hearts, not every Succubus indulges in her desires as the legends say.
At least, neither I nor Lilith are that kind of Succubi.
Well, okay, mother might have been a bit more indulgent in her youth, but she reined herself in a lot after meeting father.
“Huh? Lilim, you seem to have grown much stronger, and…”
Lilith spoke as she leaned close to me, her nose twitching as if trying to sniff something out.
“Such pure Magic, and the scent of a girl… Where did you find such a high-quality ‘prey’? Wait a minute…”
“Umm~”
How rude! Who just reaches out to grab a Succubus’s tail like that? Doesn’t she know it’s a sensitive spot?
“Lilim, what’s going on here?”
She roughly grabbed my tail and twisted it in front of her.
Beneath the ‘heart-shaped’ leaf, there was a beautiful pink ring on the black tail—this is the mark that appears when a Succubus enters a certain Contract.
“Who did you sign a ‘Subordination Contract’ with? You fool!”
No wonder Lilith was so anxious. Generally, demons aren’t allowed to sign such Contracts casually.
For demons, Contracts must be taken seriously.
Once a ‘Subordination Contract’ is signed, it means this demon has entrusted everything to the other party.
For the demon clan, which knows no loyalty, this type of Contract is typically a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
In nearly ten thousand years of history, fewer than a hundred demons have signed such a Contract.
Except in one circumstance: “I have found a master worthy of a lifetime’s devotion, and I am willing to give everything to her!”
“You’ve only been gone a short while! How do you know how ‘your master’ will treat you? What kind of person is she? You don’t know any of this…”
Though I expected a lecture, I’d never heard her speak so passionately before.
Our relationship had always been more like friends than mother and daughter.
Of course, today she was playing the part of a proper mother perfectly.
Still, Lilith was right. Succubi are a demon race that humans often persecute.
Not just humans—even among demons, Succubi have relatively low status.
This situation persisted for nearly ten thousand years until a thousand years ago, when Queen Lilith was born and shattered the status quo.
She not only inherited the Succubi’s innate skill—Mental Magic—but she herself was a Legendary Rank user of Dark Magic.
To explain, common knowledge says there are ten ranks of Magic, and the Legendary Rank transcends these ten levels.
In short, the Night Demon Queen title she earned marks her as a being comparable to the most powerful Greater Demons.
As for me, it’s different. Aside from natural beauty and a body brimming with charm, all I have left is Mental Magic.
If a cleric simply casts some basic support spells on me, I’m no different from a frail human girl.
She’s probably worried that I’m still young and might be tricked into becoming a toy for humans or other demons.
But she underestimated me. I don’t pick Contract partners lightly.
My master not only has pure Magic but a powerful soul unlike any I’ve ever seen.
She’s recognized by the Elemental Spirits and is a beauty, though still maturing.
Such a perfect existence, once missed, will never be found again.
“Please don’t say any more. I’ve already made up my mind. My master is recognized by the Elemental Spirits and possesses a powerful, pure soul.”
That’s right. Demons love souls like that—whether to tempt them into corruption or to keep them close and toy with them.
This is why most demons prefer to sign Soul Contracts, but I’m not such a vile demon.
“Even so, Lilim, as the Succubus destined to inherit the Lilith title, don’t you understand what that means?”
Well, she had a point. I might have been impulsive. Inheriting the Lilith name means being responsible for the entire Succubi clan.
What a headache. I think I’m my mother’s only daughter, but I’m nowhere near as strong as she is.
Exactly—that’s why I need to Contract with a master.
Beyond her Magic boosting my abilities, her kindness means she won’t just leave me to fend for myself. As my master said, I’m her sweet little beet!
As for Lilith, well, I’ll just have to stall her for now.
“It’s fine. With Lilith around, the Succubi clan is safe. Besides, you know humans don’t live long, so it’s not a big problem.”
I told a small lie—my master is not a short-lived human. But when elders start nagging, it’s torture for demons.
“Alright, I’ve been too busy lately. Otherwise, I would have insisted on seeing your chosen partner. But be careful, and if anything happens, have a Messenger Demon notify me immediately!”
“No problem!”
Her attitude softened instantly. Looks like she accepted it—thank goodness.
Oh, right, I almost forgot the real reason.
“Lilith, could you help me call father over? I have something I want to ask him.”
“What is it?”
“Nothing major. I just want to create some necessary ‘Demon Contracts.’”
Creating ‘Demon Contracts’ is easy for the Lord of Hell.
And no one can break father’s Contracts.
Unlike other demons, who must appear in person to punish ‘breach of Contract,’ when Satan’s Contract is violated, the offender’s soul is instantly consumed by Hellfire. This is true for both parties.
But demons don’t break Contracts—and of course, neither will my master!
It’s perfect to use them for the “employment contracts” my master mentioned…
“Lilim! I heard you wanted to see daddy! I dropped everything and came right away!”
So fast! There’s no other demon in Hell who would cancel all business and use Space Magic to see their daughter this quickly.
Other demons say father is a temperamental, terrifying demon. That’s definitely a rumor.
“Ugh, so annoying, don’t rub your beard on my face!”
This guy’s just a silly, doting father. Every time we meet, I can’t escape his combo of Space Magic and beard rub attacks.
“Lilim, you’ve grown stronger? I heard you want ‘Demon Contracts’? How many do you need? I’ll make them right now.”
“Thank you, father. Start with two hundred Contracts, please.”
“Call me daddy!”
“Father.”
……
That was close—I almost got caught with the ‘Contract proof’ on my tail.
But I managed to complete the task without incident. Now I can go back and report.
What reward should I ask for?