I Don’t Want to Be a Heroic Spirit

Samiri would never forget the golden-haired girl in the red dress who had appeared with such a dazzling entrance that she seemed to bring her own special effects.

It was because of that girl that Samiri had suffered a double loss—not only failing her mission and earning no money, but also losing the vast majority of her strength.

In the end, she had been picked up by this shop's owner.

"Damn it… That woman! She'd better hope I never meet her again, or I'll make her pay!"

Samiri clenched her fists, making a silent vow.

"If you're done ranting, you can leave now. Or did you come here just to annoy me?"

"Of course not. I came because I have something for you," the succubus shopkeeper replied with a pleasant smile, unfazed by Samiri's tone. She reached into the deep valley of her cleavage and pulled out a request form.

Samiri's face immediately twisted in obvious disgust.

"A few male adventurers came in earlier—they were first-timers. Their requests are all pretty simple, so I thought you could handle one of them to get used to the job."

"…Isn't Lolisa available?"

Samiri's voice dripped with reluctance, her distaste plain as she glanced at the form. She couldn't believe she was being asked to cater to some novice adventurers.

"I've already assigned Lolisa some tasks," the shopkeeper replied patiently. "Look, I don't know much about your past, but as a succubus, you can't survive without men's essence. This job lets you collect it legally and safely without being ostracized or hunted. Isn't that worth appreciating?"

"Guh…"

Samiri's jaw tightened, her resentment flaring up again.

It was all her fault—that woman's fault.

No matter how much pride one had, whether human or succubus, reality would eventually force them to bow their heads.

Unwillingly, Samiri snatched the form from the shopkeeper's hand, her expression one of pure revulsion.

"Ugh, it's still warm! Gross!"

Muttering her complaints, Samiri's gaze drifted to the shopkeeper's impossibly voluptuous chest. The shopkeeper noticed her stare and smugly lifted her ample assets with her arms.

"Tch!"

I'm not jealous at all, Samiri thought bitterly.

It's just a mass of flesh. Once I regain my strength, I can craft a body even more alluring than hers.

Definitely not jealous!

Turning her attention to the form in her hand, Samiri vented her frustrations at the unknown adventurer who had filled it out.

"Pathetic. Can't get a date in real life, so you drown your excessive desires in fantasies and dreams. Typical losers."

"Now, now," the shopkeeper interjected with a helpless sigh. "Thanks to them, we can keep our business running. Remember, treat the customers well—they're everything to us. Satisfying them is our job."

"Hah! All I have to do is slip into their dreams, control their fantasies, and leave. They won't even see me. Why should I care about my attitude?"

Succubi were generally weak demons with little combat ability, their only innate talent being the power to manipulate dreams. In hell, they were at the bottom of the hierarchy, constantly bullied by stronger demons. To survive, many succubi fled to other worlds, though even there, they were often hunted as evil beings.

Samiri was an exception among succubi—her peak strength was on par with a Demon King Army general. But even so, she was still a succubus, her expertise lying in dream manipulation.

Faced with her current reality—needing both sustenance and strength to create a new physical vessel—Samiri reluctantly accepted the task.

The shopkeeper nodded in satisfaction.

The shopkeeper harbored a dream: a world where no succubus would starve, where they wouldn't be ostracized or live in fear of being hunted down as evil demons.

This dream had driven her to establish this shop, striking deals with certain individuals in the town and offering sanctuary to succubi who couldn't yet fend for themselves.

When she'd first found Samiri—weak, injured, and seemingly on the verge of being hunted—she had assumed the girl was just another powerless succubus in need of protection.

The shopkeeper cared deeply for all the succubi under her roof, teaching them how to serve customers and earn a livelihood.

Incidentally, she idolized Vanir, one of the archdukes of hell, because his domain was the only place where succubi could live without fear of being bullied by other demons.

"Hm? It's getting noisy outside," Samiri said, her brow furrowing as she listened to the commotion.

Curious, she and the shopkeeper headed toward the main hall.

Before they even arrived, a lively voice echoed through the corridor.

"Hm! Who would've thought that such a remote place would be home to so many beautiful maidens? Why didn't I discover this sooner?"

The shopkeeper froze in her tracks.

It was a woman's voice—unfamiliar and confident.

This was unsettling. The shop was supposed to be frequented only by male adventurers or the succubi working there. If this voice belonged to a woman, then…

"A female outsider found this place?!"

A cold sweat broke out on the shopkeeper's forehead.

What she didn't notice was how Samiri, trailing behind her, had gone even paler than she was.

"Oh my, oh my! So many beauties! Is this heaven? It must be heaven!"

Inside the shop, Nero was delighted.

From the outside, the establishment appeared to be an ordinary eatery. But as soon as she stepped inside and was greeted by a chorus of "Welcome!" from a lineup of stunning women, Nero's eyes lit up with excitement.

The succubi standing near the entrance had instinctively greeted the new arrival, only to freeze in shock upon realizing the customer was a beautiful woman whose looks rivaled their own.

Nero, on the other hand, was unperturbed as she scanned the room, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

"Hm… Even if they're dressed so revealingly that it's practically indecent, I suppose it's fitting for succubi. There's a certain charm to it—some people probably love this sort of style. But I still think beautiful maidens should wear beautiful clothes. Clothes designed by me would be perfect."