The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 213 What I Want is a Succubus (4k)

Erza rarely met someone whose words were as eloquent as their intellect.

Although it's unclear where this guy got his basis, he did manage to deduce the general course of events without her saying anything.

This made her feel as if her last dress had been removed without her knowledge, leaving her completely exposed.

"I admit that I started targeting you because of that coin, but my original intention was to liberate the soul within you, not to drain it."

If you weren't as unyielding as a stone, I would never have wanted to do anything to you.

Regardless, she needs to prove that she is harmless.

After all, she was already confined to this place. If she were killed in her dream, although it wouldn't affect her physical body in reality, it would still be a heavy blow to her mind.

When you're in prison, nobody will care whether you live or die, and the emotional damage will take a long time to heal, making it even more painful than death.

She had experienced that feeling before and didn't want to go through it again.

"Release the soul inside...why?"

Tang Qi, however, found it difficult to understand the logic behind it.

"At that time, her soul will inevitably fall into the Nine Hells."

His answer, however, puzzled Erza:
"How do you know so much about hell?"

Most of the world's history has been forgotten, including, of course, the gods and the Nine Hells—

People know of the existence of the Nine Hells, but few understand the characteristics of artifacts from Hell.

But Tang Qi's answer completely dispelled her idea of ​​continuing to lie:

"I need its soul to fall into the nine hells."

"Why don't you just corrupt her soul? When the time is right, give her a kiss and drag her straight into the River Styx, wouldn't that be easier?"

"Since you know so much about this, have you encountered many succubi?"

"You are the first one I have ever met."

"A man's mouth never tells the truth."

"Because if you tell the truth, you'll end up like you now, nobody will believe you."

"Well, I can't argue with you."

Language was Erza's forte, but she was utterly defeated by the bard.

“Tell me the answer.”

Tang Qi didn't want to waste any more words, so he pulled hard and grabbed her by the throat.

He must remain constantly vigilant to avoid unknowingly falling into the succubus's trap.

Although they can bring pleasure, their evil nature is often accompanied by great risks.

Erza could not resist, and could only chuckle provocatively:

"So you enjoy suffocating people?"

"I like having people answer questions."

Erza could only say in a hoarse voice:
"Because there is no way to send a soul down through normal means."

"why?"

"The passages to the Nine Hells are sealed off. All souls in this world will vanish into nothingness after death—unless you have a way to preserve your soul."

Erza's cheeks turned bluish, and she quickly patted Tang Qi's hand, which made him withdraw his strength.
"You know so much about the Nine Hells, yet you don't understand this most important point?"

"You mean all of them?"

Tang Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"And what about kind souls?"

"Who knows? They're not going to ask me for favors."

"Whose orders do you take?"

"I can't tell you."

Seeing that Tang Qi was losing patience, Erza quickly explained.

"The contract stipulates that I cannot reveal your name!"

"Then you can at least tell me what you made Barbaya do."

"What else can she do? Barbaya craved power, so someone promised her that as long as she corrupted as many souls as possible and caused them to fall into the River Styx, she would gain more power..."

But that person couldn't contact her directly; they could only do so through me, someone in the same dimension, as a bridge for communication and giving—this was a three-way agreement, and I was merely acting as an agent, providing services to the devil.

Do you think you can distance yourself from this?

Tang Qi didn't think the succubus was a forced and innocent girl who hadn't gained any benefit from the process.

"No, I wanted to tell you that you are not the target, and I have no reason to hurt you—if I had to say, it's because I'm attracted to your firmness, is that alright?"

Erza was not lying.

She has squeezed a lot of juice, but few people can last more than three days under such high-intensity work.

Tang Qi was the only person who made her feel exhausted.

But he didn't seem proud of it. Instead, he asked with a puzzled look, "So, who sealed off the passage to the Nine Hells?"

Strictly speaking, there is no upper limit to the lifespan of a succubus.

They draw nourishment from the soul, which also replenishes their own vitality. As long as there are people willing to submit to them, it is difficult for them to reach true death.

In other words, the succubus before us may be one of the few beings in the world who has witnessed true history.

"If I had known, I wouldn't be standing here alive."

Erza realized that Don Qi was exceptionally curious about this period of history.

"I happened to be working on this continent at the time and didn't have time to go back, so I became one of the few survivors who are still in the Prime Plane."

"Then you should at least know the timeline and what happened back then?"

"I know some bits and pieces of information."

"for example?"

"For example, about 1,500 years ago? And what were the reasons the demons did this?"

"tell me."

No matter how many years ago the events occurred, even the slightest bit of true history was enough to move Tang Qi.

Under the tripartite agreement, the devil began to stir.

This is clearly a story not to be missed.

Erza gave a sly smile:

"But my head hurts a lot, and I can't remember anything for a moment."

Seeing Tang Qi clench his fists, she hurriedly and laboriously said...
"Even if you kill me, I won't die, and you'll lose a source of information—is it worth it?"

Tang Qi understood what she meant:
What do you want me to give in exchange?

"free."

Erza grasped at a straw, as if it were a lifeline.
"I'll tell you if you can get me out of this cage."

"That's easy, see you tomorrow."

Why doesn't he just refuse Arthur's prayers then?

"I'm talking about reality! Who cares about things in dreams? I can leave on my own once you wake up."

"Are you trapped?"

Tang Qi asked in surprise,
"No wonder they came to our door with coins."

"I can tell from the coin's symbol that you're heading south, right?"

Erza pondered for a moment, seemingly planning something.
"Come to the Southern Great Wall, stand before me, and I will tell you everything I know."

"So you were confined to the Great Wall for military service?"

Tang Qi looked him up and down.
"To help the mercenaries of the Great Wall relieve their needs?"

“I would like to, but they will not allow a succubus to communicate with a human.”

"Tell me your story? Why were you taken to prison?"

"I'll tell you once you arrive."

Seeing that Tang Qi was about to say something, Erza simply said,

"Don't pretend you're not interested. These are my conditions. If you don't agree, the worst that can happen is you kill me in your dreams—but what good will that do you?"

"But I'm not going to rescue you."

Tang Qi shook his head.

"I have no intention of going against the Lords' Alliance."

Those who could be imprisoned in the Southern Wall were mostly serious criminals as determined by the Alliance.

Moreover, she was a seductive succubus, which meant Tang Qi would never promise her anything. "It's alright, I don't think you can do it either."

Erza breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, you understand that I have no reason to hurt you, right?"

As long as she doesn't die in her dream, she doesn't care.

Since she could rely on this man to fill her stomach, her only worry about her life was also alleviated.

Tang Qi shook his head:
"Your very existence is a form of harm."

Now, a chain of stories about the Nine Hells has been unearthed from Barbaya.

This prevented him from making deals with succubi, but also prevented him from going too far.

Therefore, they wouldn't actually grant her wish and release the old goblin's soul—

This means she can continue to invade her dreams through the coin connection, making it difficult for her to have any peace in the future.

Although upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem so bad.

After all, with his [superhuman stamina], he wasn't afraid of being drained dry.

But he wants to have the freedom to choose, rather than being forced to choose.

So he decided to nip the succubus in the bud in his dream—

“Wait, wait!”

Erza realized his intention and tried to pry his fingers apart.

"Then I can restrain myself a bit, and we can each get what we want, right?"

Tang Qi shook his head: "I don't need you."

She ultimately failed to break free of the restraints. Realizing her lack of strength, she simply raised her slender toes and slid them toward Tang Qi's ankle.

Forcing a smile that made his face appear ashen, he forced a mocking expression:

"Are you really not necessary? Haven't you felt happy during this time?"

"But I don't need to live in a fantasy."

What's wrong with fantasizing?

In the blink of an eye, her face suddenly transformed into Catherine's, causing Tang Qi to instinctively withdraw his strength.

"I can transform into anything you want; your preferred body type, face, and race can all be customized."

Tang Qi narrowed his eyes slightly:

I still prefer authenticity.

Is your body really telling you this?

Erza's toes rubbed together, and taking advantage of Tang Qi's hesitation, she skillfully clung to his arm, breathing softly near his ear, her skin gradually turning red, becoming a Typhoon.

“Your energy is inexhaustible, and I will only take some from you, ensuring that it will not harm you while satisfying the needs of both of us. There is nothing more balanced than this.”

Her appearance changed again to Shyvana, and then to a holy angel—with long, shimmering golden hair.

Although her illusion did not last long, she eventually reverted to her succubus form under the chanting of holy music.

"But once the night is over, I don't remember what I dreamed about. Who knows if you took more than you wanted?"

Don Qi didn't understand Arthur, nor did he believe that he would keep praying forever; they would eventually separate.

"Please, I get tired too."

If she could, Erza would love to recount the diary entries in her mind to Don Qi.

"Besides, you already know of my existence, so any further hints won't affect you, nor will they make you forget the dream—so how about you control the rhythm and pace?"

Having confirmed that he held absolute control, Tang Qi released her neck:
"It seems that if I insist any further, it would be impolite of me."

This time, it was Erza who took the initiative to take his hand, placing it on her delicate neck, and tilting her eyes upwards:
"So who do you need? That redhead, or the grown-up little girl?"

"No, what I want is a succubus."

……

When Tang Qi opened his eyes, he felt all the fatigue of the past vanish.

Arthur woke up from his sleep sometime earlier than him, though he must have.

Now he holds the holy emblem in his hand, softly reciting prayers and making his daily prayers.

"People outside can sleep a lot."

Fide also woke up early.

Tang Qi understood that these beastmen had long been accustomed to the four-hour alternation of day and night, and their daily routines seemed to have changed as well:

"So why can't you sleep? Because you don't want to?"

Fied regretted initiating the conversation, but he just spat coldly and remained silent.

Tang Qi then looked at Arthur, who had finished his prayer:

"I'm a little curious, when you pastors pray to God, can you really hear His voice?"

A loving father's response is sometimes not in words. Did you sleep well last night?

Arthur didn't explain further, so Tang Qi didn't ask any more questions and nodded sincerely.

"I rarely have such wonderful dreams."

"Welcome to the loving father's family, where sweet dreams will always accompany you."

Tang Qi felt that he must have misunderstood him:
"Definitely next time."

"Then I'll ask you again next time."

"..."

Tang Qi realized he was destined to be incompatible with the other person, so he started waking up the snoring Kulu and stuffing the sleeping Iu into his hood.
"Let's set off as soon as possible."

As he rode the black horse of dawn, Tang Qi recalled the events of the previous night while writing the words "[The Nine Hells Passage is Blocked]" on the last page of his log.

He then remembered that this seemed to have happened 1,500 years ago, and asked the dawn behind him:
Do you remember anything about the Nine Hells?

"Is there a problem with simply knowing that it's the devil's territory?"

"No, nothing."

Tang Qi sighed.

It seems this matter has nothing to do with Chenxi.

The current Holy Knights only remember the challenges she overcame, such as the legendary events of sealing off the Nine Hells Passage. If these events were related to her, they shouldn't have selectively forgotten them.

"Anyway, my destination was the Southern Great Wall anyway, so I'll see what happens when the time comes."

Tang Qi abandoned his desire to get to the bottom of things and began to continue writing in his diary.

Blue cheese can also sell well if you use the right methods.

What I mean is that trouble doesn't necessarily lead to bad things.

For example, the four-hour variation of day and night always helps me better distinguish how much time has passed.

Kane, a hunter who has lived in the forest for a long time, has an incredibly precise sense of distance.

On the third day of my journey, I could clearly sense that the fog was gradually becoming thicker.

The previous fog could guarantee visibility of at least twenty meters.

Now, even at a distance of ten meters, I can no longer make out the outlines of things.

The hazy white mist vaguely revealed its shape, like the sharp claws of a wild beast, tearing at each other as it churned.

The humidity became even heavier, and I felt that if I wrung out my cloak, I might be able to squeeze out water droplets.

The tall, towering fir trees all around gradually lost their proud and majestic appearance as we moved forward.

They were visibly decaying, their once straight spines bent low, leaves scattered on the ground, bare branches turned black and twisted, and the trunks showed signs of decay, resembling weeping faces...

All sorts of ominous signs seemed to be urging me to leave this land.

When I realized this, I drew my scimitar almost without hesitation—

"what are you up to?"

Fide looked at the curved blade pressed against his neck, fiery red and crystalline, as if flowing with the flames of purgatory, and questioned Tang Qi.

"Only the Green Witch has ever used illusions to deceive innocent victims. But those illusions always represent something beautiful, in order to lower their guard."

But it has never been like this, where it seems like someone is being driven away.

Tang Qi answered coldly.

"So there are no witches here."

You deceived the Realm of Honesty and brought us here.

Is there some kind of ambush, or are they plotting something else?

(End of this chapter)