Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 46

—–CROW—– 

After watching a movie and having a simple brunch with Dan Unnie, I finally parted ways with her.

‘Hehehe, she came all this way because of me and probably didn’t sleep well last night. I hope it was a good mood changer for her.’

By the way, we had naengmyeon.

Some might question having naengmyeon in winter, but with the cold weather and the lack of customers in the morning, it was definitely convenient for me.

As soon as I got home… I saw a bunch of human liquor, undoubtedly sent by Mikkelsen.

“Hehehe, Mikkelsen.  That’s quite a lot this time, isn’t it?”

To be completely honest, alcohol didn’t taste good.

It was awful!

How could anyone enjoy this?!

When I was human, I had the opportunity to try not just beer and soju, but even supposedly high-class wine and expensive liquor. But the moment I took a sip, I thought, ‘How can anyone drink this? It tastes like chemicals.  Ugh.’

But after becoming the Succubus Empress…  I don’t know if my taste changed over time, or if the Succubus Empress’s body and nature enjoyed alcohol, but I started to appreciate it.

It was probably because, ‘“Me, drinking alcohol with flushed cheeks.  Totally beautiful. Perfectly cute,”’ or something like that.

A ridiculous reason, but not impossible for the Succubus Empress.

If it looked beautiful, the Succubus Empress could instantly alter her physical tendencies.

Of course, I also thought the culture surrounding alcohol, whiskey, bartenders, and all that was quite sophisticated and elegant, as long as it was enjoyed in moderation.

Anyway, the human liquor Mikkelsen sent came in fancy bottles and decorations, looking quite expensive at first glance.

Human liquor…

Not liquor made ‘by’ humans, but liquor made ‘from’ humans.

Some bottles had fingers submerged in them.

Others had hearts.

And still others had spines, who-knows-whose, floating in the liquor like ingredients in seolleongtang.

“Oh my, this one features eyeballs.”

Liquor with eyeballs was quite high-class.

There were only two in a human body, and they had the most unique and exquisite flavor.

Now, should I start with this one today?

Did it seem disgusting and terrifying, like I was a cannibal?

Of course, it would appear that way to normal, ordinary people.

But I was the Succubus Empress.

Not just an ordinary demon, but a high-ranking demon. And demons, by nature, enjoyed devouring or sacrificing sentient beings, including humans.

Besides… there were quite a lot of humans these days who deserved to die.

I, surprisingly, believed in the inherent goodness of human nature.

That humans were inherently good, born good.

Did that sound too naive?

If you were born human, seeing something pitiful would naturally evoke feelings of sympathy and compassion. Seeing a child fall into a well would evoke feelings of pity, regardless of personal gain or reputation, and if possible, you would want to save the child.

That was only natural for a human.

In other words, if you lacked this basic human goodness, you weren’t human.

And these days, there were a lot of “not humans.”

So many beings without even the most basic, minimal goodness.

Especially in the Gray Zones and Red Zones, 90% of the population fell into this category.

Of course, some were forced out of the Green Zones and had no choice but to settle there, but it was a place where countless incidents occurred, like a 10-year-old wanting a snack, using the gun their mother gave them to shoot a convenience store clerk in the head.

The Gray Zones were teeming with people who weren’t just ordinary criminals, but those who carried guns and thought, ‘Oh, I don’t like the way that clothing store clerk is smiling. Bang!’

A world that looked normal on the surface, but was filled with festering pus.

People who deserved to die, from the perspective of ordinary civilians.

The government couldn’t openly massacre them, but they used Hunters and public official Hunters to periodically eliminate them under the guise of maintaining order.

And those “not humans” were now a unique delicacy on my dining table, in the form of human liquor.

“They say when a person dies, it’s like a lamp going out.  But you should rejoice.  You have burned the flames of your life, leaving behind color and aroma, distilled into liquor.”

They were unlucky enough to be caught by Mikkelsen and turned into alcohol, but wasn’t it better than living meaningless lives as robbers, addicted to drugs?  Shouldn’t they be happy to be consumed by me?

Right?

That seemed more fitting, didn’t it?

Being consumed by the beautiful Succubus Empress was surely better than a meaningless life.

“Hehehe.”

—Fizzle…

As I looked at the liquor with these thoughts, the aroma intensified, and bubbles fizzed to the surface.

Perhaps I had unconsciously charmed the liquor.

The liquor, charmed by me, willingly offered itself to be consumed, triggering a reality alteration, as if eager to mature further.

‘Ta-da~  Liquor that was only made a day? ago is now like decades-old vintage.’

“It’s a shame I can’t share this with Dan Unnie.”

Dan Unnie, with her delicate sensibilities, would probably faint if she saw this.

Of course, I wasn’t particularly interested in how this liquor was made.

It was probably similar to snake wine.

All the hair, skin, and fur removed.

The impurities and unusable internal organs discarded, and the rest steeped in alcohol.

Now, let’s set the stage.

I usually preferred beer and chicken, but since this was liquor made from humans, it had a richer flavor than ordinary alcohol.

With its savory and rich base, it needed a simple, salty snack rather than chicken.

Something like simple snacks, chips, for example.

I should go to the convenience store… Ah, that convenience store clerk had a nosebleed last time, right?

I wonder if I have anything at home… Ah!  I had a feeling, and as expected.

There was a large bag of onion-flavored potato chips, presumably stocked by Dan Unnie while cleaning.

Yes, this would do!

“Dan Unnie, Mikkelsen! Thank you~”

Though I doubted they could hear me.

I clinked my glass against the air and gulped down the essence of someone who might have been human just a short while ago.

“Haaaa…”

Ah, I see.

This was the one with the eyeballs…

What that person saw in life.

The traces of the past captured in their eyes were clearly visible.

Something unfolded in my hazy vision.

Someone else’s life and memories, not mine.

Like the movie I watched with Dan Unnie today.

Vivid yet hazy images flashed across my pupils, like a panorama or a film reel.

“Hehehe, this liquor… belonged to someone who lived in the Gray Zone.”

A spectacular visual journey of someone unlucky enough to end up in the Gray Zone, assaulting people, extorting money, and running from the police.

Entering a makeshift hideout in a drum can with a fire burning inside, inhaling drugs, lying there like a corpse, then waking up when it was time to rob again.

Riding bicycles in a group, raiding stores in the Gray Zone, threatening a clerk with a knife, then slashing their arm.

All those memories and scenes were captured in the eyes and now visible to me, having consumed the liquor.

The lives of raiders.

Fleeting lives, or perhaps long lives.

Lives they might have been forced into, or perhaps they chose to live corrupt lives.

Even though the world seemed peaceful, festering sores like this still remained.

“Thank you for the meal.”

Drinking in the afternoon might not be a good look, but I was beautiful, so it was okay.

‘Me, drinking in the afternoon.’

‘Totally beautiful.’

‘Kyaha.’

In conclusion, the human liquor that arrived this time also tasted excellent.

Based on a blend of wine and scotch, with a sharp, tangy sweetness like snake wine, and a rich, deep flavor, as it was made from humans.

So rich that it became cloying if you drank too much.

Since the liquor itself was so rich, it needed a light snack to balance it out.

If I had to describe it, it was like eating pork.

The sweet and savory flavor of the fat, combined with the smooth texture of the liquor, made it feel even heavier.

Perhaps because it was made from humans, it had a complex flavor that contrasted with the sharp taste of alcohol.

But this was liquor made for me, so I couldn’t leave any of it.

And it was making me drunk.

Ordinary alcohol,

no matter how strong, didn’t affect me much due to my regenerative abilities and recovery rate. But human liquor, filled with essence and life force, easily intoxicated me.

“I have to finish it all~”

The liquor was concentrated with a tremendous amount of life force and essence, which could attract other succubi and monsters…

Yes, I had to finish it all.

‘Hehe, ah, this feels good.’

★

★

Civil Servant Dan Ah-yeon was busy again today.

Not just with her work at the Public Official Hunter Agency, but her real job was the mental and physical care of [Specially Managed Returnee Lee Jae-hee], including managing her surroundings.

Since her responsibility was literally “everything,” Dan Ah-yeon knew a lot of things Jae-hee didn’t know, and things Jae-hee ‘shouldn’t’ know.

And one of those things was…

“It’s been a while, Mikkelsen.”

“You’ve grown a lot, little girl.”

Mikkelsen’s existence.

Dan Ah-yeon was currently inside Mikkelsen’s bar in Mapo District.

Of course, Jae-hee had never told her about Mikkelsen or the location of his bar.

“I confirmed you made a delivery this morning. Aren’t you sending it too often?”

“I was just being nosy, seeing as someone tried to mess with my valued customer and audience’s car.  Are you going to arrest me for this minor act of nosiness?”

“Of course not, so put the knife away.  And don’t turn me into human liquor either.”

“…”

Mikkelsen’s dark-circled eyes briefly glanced at Dan Ah-yeon.

It was just a plain, indifferent look, but in that brief moment, Mikkelsen calculated the distance between them,

and the timing required to pierce through Dan Ah-yeon’s protective spells and sever her carotid artery.

Well, it was just a calculation.

He wouldn’t actually do it.

“To get straight to the point, Jae-hee-nim’s vital signs and mental stability chart are stable this month as well.”

“Is that so.”

Mikkelsen, wiping a glass, glanced at the chart Dan Ah-yeon handed him, then shook his head dismissively.

“Mikkelsen, are ‘you’ okay?”

“I’m always okay.”

“That means you’re not always okay.”

“I don’t intend to have a long conversation with you, so please leave.  You have a lot to do, don’t you?”

“…You’re cold. Jae-hee-nim even offered you a drink.”

“Should I show you what real coldness is?”

“Yes, yes, I understand.  I’ll leave, okay?”

Actually, Mikkelsen held no personal grudge against Dan Ah-yeon.

Rather, he felt a bit sorry for her, struggling and suffering at such a young age.

However, Mikkelsen couldn’t stand humans, especially those affiliated with the government.

Things were better now.

In the past, just seeing someone in a government suit would make him twist their neck, sever their carotid artery, and use their blood to make liquor.

“By the way, Jae-hee-nim enjoyed the liquor.”

“…Is… that so.”

At those words, Mikkelsen’s lips twitched slightly, a fleeting upturn.

But Dan Ah-yeon, a High-ranking Awakened, didn’t miss it.

‘How ironic.’

Dan Ah-yeon gave Mikkelsen a look of something akin to pity before closing the bar door behind her.

“He can’t even hate the one who devoured his wife and daughter.  What a… tragic fate.”

‘But I’ll always be on Jae-hee-nim’s side.’

Dan Ah-yeon pictured Jae-hee’s smiling face, slightly tipsy from the alcohol.

‘Now, let’s do our best today.’

★

★

★

—Ding-dong~

Jae-hee, who had been drinking, suddenly opened her eyes with a grin at the sound of the doorbell.

‘Hmm, who could that be?’

‘Dan Unnie should be busy working~’

With a glass of liquor in one hand,

she swayed towards the door…

“Who is it~?”

“Ah, hello. I am a Hero from Hoyeon Guild…”

‘Hmm, a new face.’

‘Who is this?’

‘Ahaha, a Hero.’

‘How funny.’

‘Wait, what’s in my hand…?’

‘Ah.’

‘Eyeball liquor.’

“…”

‘The Hero’s face is turning sour.’

‘Oh dear.’

‘Ahahahaha!’

—–CROW—– 

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