Chapter 24 : Welcome, My Husband

The reason I didn’t wake Caspar was the fear of neglecting the search for Enhen.

However… if Enhen wasn’t in a situation worth worrying about now, then conversely, the reason not to wake Caspar disappears.

‘…Still, I need to confirm.’

I forced myself to calm down and asked Saradoryeong for information about Hell.

“So. Is there no need to worry about Hell? Since it’s completely separated now.”

But he shook his head.

“Not so. A war against Hell is already a globally agreed-upon matter. Even if we have no interest in Hell, Hell is interested in us. If you want peace, you have no choice but to prepare for war.”

“Didn’t you just say raiding Hell was difficult…?”
It’s practically a whole world. How on earth can it be raided?

That’s what I thought, but the Association President, leader of the Hunter Association, seemed to think differently.

“It is difficult. But it must be done. For us, and for our descendants.”

For descendants.

Those words resonated deeply within my heart.

If I build a family with Caspar, we will surely create a large family.
I can no longer treat Earth’s safety as someone else’s problem.

“…Saradoryeong. I have something to ask. If, we were to enter Hell. Are you planning to annihilate everything there?”

“That is impossible, so we cannot. Furthermore, the information we have on Hell is extremely fragmented; we don’t even know what Hell’s ecosystem is like.”

That answer brought slight relief.
At least the possibility of facing Enhen as an enemy decreased.

…Still. I decided to keep quiet about Enhen for now.

It seemed I could only decide after reuniting with my sister and talking things over.

Leaving the Association President’s room, I continued to ponder.

***

Back in my home.

Having cross-verified through Saradoryeong, I judged that I could trust this succubus a little more.

She seemed a bit dimwitted, but perhaps because of that, she could be trusted.

“Lilith. Do you know how to return to Hell? Do you know how you came here?”

“…Well. I don’t really know either. I think there might be some kind of seal on my memory. As for why I came… yes, I vaguely remember. I think I was trying to go deep into a dream and accidentally got swept into a dimensional rift.”

Right. If there’s currently a war against demons, the route to the enemy’s stronghold would be an extremely valuable resource.

It was reasonable not to allow a low-level demon such memories.

“When I opened my eyes, I was here. Earth is quite famous in Hell too, so I instinctively knew the situation. Though I don’t have much common knowledge about Hell besides my personal memories…”

“…Hmm.”

Looking at Lilith staring at me with a blank expression, I felt a slight sense of pity.
Suddenly separated from her homeland, dropped into a world familiar yet entirely different.

I experienced that too, and Enhen must have gone through it as well.
So I couldn’t help but feel a kind of empathy for her.

Well. She did lust after Caspar, but. That’s a natural phenomenon for a woman. It’s a bit much for me to be jealous.

The only thing she did wrong was showing Caspar nightmares…

“I, I follow the Mongma rules well! Ah, um, what that is? They are rules set by the Queen for Mongma, a law that you must never harm the person you’re obtaining vitality from. So I had no intention of harming your husband. Your husband is just too handsome, I couldn’t bring myself to do it anyway.”

Ha. Flattery.

Perhaps because she’s a succubus, she’s incredibly good at finding words I’d like.
Seeing that, maybe her claim of being elite is true.
At least she’d be good at surviving anywhere by sucking up to people.

Still, it feels nice.

Praise for my appearance is sufficient only from Caspar.
Hearing it from others is mostly unpleasant.

But praise for Caspar… is a bit different.
It validates my love, and effectively praises me as the lover of such a great person.

“So. Lilith, what will you do from now on?”

At my slightly softened tone, Lilith smiled awkwardly, fiddling with her hands.

“Um… By any chance, do you accept concubines…?”

“No. Absolutely not.”

If Caspar strongly desired it, I couldn’t help it, but even for me, who accepted the old-fashioned patriarchy, that was an absolutely unacceptable fact.

It’s. A little. Wrong, isn’t it?
The man you love holding another woman.

“Um, actually, then I don’t really have anywhere to go… I don’t know how to return home… And meeting just any man is a bit much. I have my standards too.”

“…A succubus wanting so much. Then why did you approach Caspar?”

“Well! Um, because he’s not just any man…? The moment I saw him, wow, I thought this person couldn’t possibly not have a woman, but I didn’t know he was actually taken…
S-So. If concubine is not okay, is being a maid alright…?”

Hmm. A maid.

“Being a maid is fine. Normally, a maid attending someone of noble status should be of higher rank, but it can’t be helped.”

I haven’t had anyone serving under me for a while.

Living alone for the past few years made me used to it, but normally, someone of my status has many maids and servants. Caspar too.

Besides. I was a ruler, wasn’t I?
Though without subjects, and I’d pass the throne to Caspar when he woke up, still, a ruler is a ruler.

…Though I’ll be the one directly attending to Caspar, so there won’t be much for a maid to do, and I can’t assign important tasks to a low-level demon I haven’t built trust with yet, but dignity must be maintained even when unnecessary.

“Gasp. D-Did I finally get a job…! Thank you, Boss. Ah, no, Master…? Anyway, I’ll work hard!”

Seeing Lilith with sparkling eyes and an impressed expression, I added one more thing.

“Ah. And if you take Caspar’s vitality or hit on him, I’ll kill you. Same goes for other men. I looked it up, apparently, you don’t need vitality to survive?”

“Ah, yes! I’ll keep that in mind. As long as you feed me, I’ll work hard. Hehe. Is there anything you need done right now?”

Now… Something to do.

There was.

“We need to welcome my husband.”

I need to prepare to welcome Caspar in the most perfect state.

***

Let’s think from Caspar’s perspective.

He died suddenly after being shot by my gun during an argument, and after closing his eyes once, he wakes up in an unfamiliar world.

I’m already at a loss on how to explain the situation.
He might find it hard to adapt.

Therefore, what I need to do is minimize the shock Caspar will receive as much as possible.

“Got it? Your status now is an ordinary human maid, not a succubus. You’ll find out later anyway, but for now, don’t show any demonic traits. Don’t pretend to know anything about Enhen either.”

Lilith, changed into a maid outfit, hid her succubus horns and tail, standing before the mirror as if human.

For reference, I had to tell her about Enhen.
Even if I kept quiet, Caspar would eventually talk about it.

When I told her I was her Queen’s older sister, she looked like she would faint from shock.
Seeing her tremble at the mention of Enhen’s name was impressive.

“Yes! Yeees… And, are there any particular points to be careful about or etiquette?”

Ah. That. There was.

“…It’s not really my place to teach this directly.”

Well. Can’t be helped.
The etiquette book I self-studied back then was already used as a catalyst for dark magic experiments.
I thought it wouldn’t matter since I memorized all the contents.

“Um. Master Agathe. I-Is this right? What era is this etiquette from…? Even succubi aspiring to be maids or servants wouldn’t learn this…”

Hmm.

That’s also something to consider.

The old me was quite rude.
Of course, my status was always higher than Caspar’s, so it didn’t violate etiquette, but…

Still. I swore I’d change now, so I planned to act demurely like a wife… Caspar will definitely feel the incongruity.

“Lilith. What do you think? From a man’s perspective, imagine waking up after sleeping and suddenly years have passed, and the girl who used to snap at you all the time is using polite language and watching your reactions. Would he think it’s very strange?”

How should I know what men think?
Though I was once a man myself.

“…It’s hot.”

“What?”

Lilith blushed slightly and stammered.

“Wow, totally amazing. This is… the Succubus Queen’s older sister? Ah, I know. This is like enemies to lovers, right? I read it in a novel!”

What’s that?

“T-To think fully embodying such old-fashioned, patriarchal etiquette held this kind of meaning…!”

Old-fashioned?
Though it was centuries old, I learned the most recent version possible.

Right. What’s important is whether Caspar will like it.

“…So. Will Caspar like it?”

Lilith nodded vigorously in affirmation.

“Of course! It’s a man’s romance! A kind and gentle wife who uses polite language to her husband! Plus, she used to have the blunt older sister attribute! Whoa. You’re worthy of being a role model for succubi…! What a naturally born female…!”

Lilith looked at me with sparkling eyes full of admiration.

“Being called a role model for succubi doesn’t feel very good. And strictly speaking, it’s not accurate either. Because there’s only one person I put this much effort and sincerity into.”

Still though…

Since Caspar seems like he’ll like it, maybe it’s fine?