Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 

—–CROW—–

“$3 million…”

“$4 million…!”

“$5 million!”

“$10 million!”

“$11 million…!”

“N-now, now! Please calm down!  The auction atmosphere is getting too heated, so we’ll take a short break!”

Even the auctioneer, who had witnessed all sorts of scenes in the [Beetle Nest], couldn’t hide his bewildered expression at the current situation.

The auction house managers and staff exchanged glances, trying to make sense of the situation.

‘Just what is this…?’

‘There’s no reason for this violin to be so popular…?’

‘Is there some kind of mental contamination enchantment on it?’

‘No, we’re not affected at all.  Besides, the mental protection techniques in this building cost us 3 billion won a month.’

Their confusion was understandable.  Unlike the other auction items, “David’s Violin” was difficult to classify as a high-quality, powerful artifact.  Its only distinguishing feature was that it was made from 187 children.

The other auction items were genuinely useful to Hunters and Awakened: a dragon’s heart that boosted innate energy and mana, a spear of the abyss that provided significant bonuses in water-related domains, and a flame-enchanted shotgun with infinite ammo.

Compared to those, David’s Violin offered no practical benefits to an ordinary Awakened. It couldn’t be used in combat; at best, it could be hung on a wall as a collector’s item, like a piece of modern art.

Of course, considering it was made by the infamous villain, terrorist, and murderer David, it possessed a certain rarity and a cursed aspect, making it a top-tier auction item in that sense. But it was by no means worth over $10 million.

Meanwhile, in the other VIP rooms of the auction house, various discussions were taking place.

“…Master, what should we do?”

“It can’t be Hoyeon Guild’s doing, can it?”

“Even Hoyeon Guild wouldn’t know the auction items in advance.”

The heads of large guilds, high-ranking Awakened frequently featured in the news, and promising rookies.

“The higher-ups are obsessed with that thing. There must be a reason.”

“Honestly, there’s no reason to pour that much money into a single violin, but if it means screwing that bastard over, it’s nothing.”

And the children of chaebol families.

Successful underworld entrepreneurs and heads of organizations.

The sudden surge in the auction’s fervor stimulated the desires of many.

“Actually, what we need to acquire this time is the wyvern egg…”

“We were planning to distribute one wyvern to each guild member…”

“But Hoyeon Guild and the others are fixated on that thing.  They’re not incompetent when it comes to business, and they don’t waste money, so…”

“That violin must have some value or reason, right?”

“Should we use everything then?”

“Let’s use everything we can.”

And Jae-hee, observing everything from the best seat, wasn’t in a hurry.

All she had done was ignite their desires.

Most of the people here were influential figures with their own factions, regardless of whether they operated in the shadows or the light.  Such individuals were naturally consumed by all sorts of desires, and this auction house was, in other words, a place where everyone but herself was a competitor, someone to eventually surpass and overcome.

Overlooking the mesmerizing spectacle of dancing desires, Jae-hee took the brandy offered by the attendant serving the VIP guests.

“La~”

A light hum, laced with subtle charm, settled over the auction house.  Like the lingering notes of a violin, the atmosphere gradually shifted.

“Then, let’s resume the auction!”

“David’s Violin, a cursed masterpiece made from 187 children!”

“The techniques and effects imbued within are unknown!”

“As you are all aware, please bid with careful consideration!  The Clacklashton Auction accepts all transactions in cash, and those without invitations or deemed incapable of payment will be permanently banned!”

“The starting bid is $10 million!”

…”$11 million!”

“$11.5 million!”

As the auction resumed, the atmosphere shifted again.  Though invisible to the naked eye, a subtle change, like a ripple spreading through the crowd, began to take shape.

The shapes of humans, consumed by desire.

Some suddenly became aware of their own loud breathing. Others felt uncomfortable with the presence of those beside them.

This small discomfort would become the seed of great chaos.

“$30 million!”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You don’t have that kind of money!”

“Shut up! What do you know!?”

As the auction progressed, the situation worsened.  It was only natural.  The charm the Empress had unleashed was like a slow-acting poison.  Those who didn’t notice the initial strangeness became addicted, losing their reason without realizing it.

“$100 million! $100 million!  Give it to me now!”

“No, that’s mine!”

“You wanna fight!?”

“Hoyeon Guild! Come down here, I’ll…!”

“You crazy bastard…!”

Finally, the auction house descended into complete chaos. The auctioneer’s voice was drowned out, and people, driven by their desires, lost all reason. They pushed and shoved, caught in a whirlpool of greed.  Some fought by raising their bids, while others resorted to fists to claim what they wanted.

‘Ahah, it’s begun, hasn’t it?’

Desire was primal.

And when something primal was obstructed, violence naturally erupted.

I moved quietly, like the protagonist on a stage.

Amidst the chaos, I gracefully walked through the crowd, approaching the violin.  Those rendered insensible by desire and charm were barely visible among them, and those caught in the pandemonium were completely oblivious to my intentions.  I finally reached the violin at the heart of the chaos, and at that moment, the pandemonium reached its peak.

To me, all this chaos felt like a work of art I had created.  The spectacle of confusion, a mixture of desire, rage, anxiety, and greed, gave me the thrill of complete victory.

An unpleasant pleasure.

The vulgar and dark desires of humanity.

It was truly disgusting, but I didn’t deny it.  Such negative desires also served as fertilizer for beauty.

However, that wasn’t what I was pursuing now.

“Come here.”

At my gesture, the violin floated into the air.

As if it had a will of its own.

It whispered as it approached me.

-….

-….

They whispered to me.

In small voices.

The voices of children, boys and girls.

They reached me like faint echoes.

“It hurts…”

It hurt.

My mind was being contaminated, eroded…  A powerful curse resided within.

If it weren’t for me…

If another human had touched it, they would have slowly gone mad from the children’s grief and curses.  Perhaps the auction house would profit by reclaiming the violin and the ruined owner’s assets after their descent into madness.

Of course, that might not have been the case.

“What grieves you so?”

The sound of resentment.

The sound of curses.

Grief and sorrow.

Screams and cries of pain.

Ah, but only after hearing them did I realize.

“Ah, even after death… you haven’t found peace…”

That the children who became the materials of this violin were still vividly alive.  Trapped within the violin, screaming in grief and misery, their cries unheard, turning into wails of curses.

Poor children.

Unfortunate and sorrowful children, captured and murdered by some cruel being, a beast who had discarded all humanity.

The children still couldn’t sleep.

This violin was their prison, their bars, their dark basement, the smelly leather bag they were carried in when they were abducted.

“Now, tell me.”

I listened to the children’s desires.

No one could hear them, even if they screamed until their throats bled, no one would have listened…

“But I can hear you.”

So, tell me.

Come here.

-Where… are we?

-Mommy… where are you?

-It hurts…

-I’m… scared.

-It’s… dark.

-I… hate… this.

-I… want… to live.

-It’s… suffocating.

-I… can’t… breathe.

-Kill… you! Kill… you!

Countless voices echoed in my head.

The voices of the auction house, filled with desire and chaos, were no longer audible.

Because this was more important.

“How pitiful.”

Their voices.

Their souls.

Their faint, remaining life force and energy gathered in my hand.

It would be beautiful even if I left them as they were.

A sorrowful beauty.

There was beauty in despair.

“But that’s not my style.”

My style…

The beauty I envisioned was something more lovely, something more pleasing to the eye.

While it was beautiful to see the pitiful children sinking into a pile of rotten earth, it was even more beautiful to see beautiful flowers blooming from those children, to see their tarnished brilliance restored.

That was what I considered most beautiful.

“And I call those flowers and brilliance… the children’s smiles.”

The children’s smiles.

The most trivial, yet most precious thing in the world.

And also the rarest thing to see in this world.

“I want to see the children’s smiles today.”

So, I picked up the violin.

I knew nothing about violins.

Not after becoming a succubus, not before.

I never lived a life related to music or violins.

However, the Succubus Empress had a certain affinity for “all things beautiful in this world.”  She could handle anything that was, or appeared to be, beautiful, even without knowledge or experience.

“This is my first time holding one.”

How do I look right now?

Holding a violin and bow for the first time in my life.

It was light and somewhat flexible.

How beautiful must I look right now?

Ah, it would have been nice to have a mirror…

But it was alright.

I was surely beautiful.

Amidst the chaos, no one paid attention to me.

But it was okay.

Because this wasn’t for them, but for the poor children trapped within this violin.

It felt like I was standing in the middle of a quiet, dark forest.  The chandelier’s light descended around me like a silver veil bathed in moonlight, and a gentle breeze from somewhere caressed my hair.  Amidst the chaos, I stood with the violin, as if in a separate dimension, detached from the world.

I gently stroked the surface of the violin.  Its dark and strange gloss held an unfathomable darkness, like a deep well.

As my hand guided me…

As the beauty I desired whispered to me, I held the violin close and moved my hand.  Even though it was my first time, it fit perfectly in my hands and against my body.

First time with music.

First time playing.

First time with a violin.

But my hands moved naturally.

As if this was how it was meant to be.

The melody was calm.

And clear.

Like a flower blooming at dawn amidst chaos.

Like a spell calling to lost souls, I called out to the children’s souls, one by one.

Ah, if I had to give it a name…

“[The Forgotten Lullaby]”

Since you have been forgotten, I will remember you.

I whispered as I played.

Then, the auction house, consumed by chaos and desire, fell silent.

All eyes…

Gazes filled with questions, curiosity, and confusion, turned towards me.

Did my clumsy melody somehow move their hearts?

I hoped so.

Today was the day the children would sleep.

The day the children, cursing in their sorrow, would close their eyes.

So, I would be grateful if everyone here, not just me, could join in this quiet requiem.

Ah, of course, no one would know.

‘Child who suffocated in a box, child who hid in fear of their parents’ quarrel, child who fled from Satan, plague, wrath, disease, and hunger, come to me.’

Forget the pain.

Forget the loneliness.

Forget the sorrow.

You shall only smile.

For you are children meant to smile.

My melody is but a simple comfort, but I promise you this one thing.

You will bloom in my hands and remain beautiful.

—–CROW—–