The Hero Became a Succubus! - Chapter 173

Alt link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bbmxMrboPoMRD7SBB__P6_7b28wru_44GO0RaCEK6bE/edit?usp=share_link

*Don't worry, this is the last diff-perspective chapter for a while. We're back to Kanae in the next chapter.

Chapter 173

Within the vast libraries of the Illuminant Repository laid a trove of history and knowledge that dated back thousands of years. It was believed the high elves of old had built it alongside the basilica, lending to how important the stored texts here were. When they departed from Radevic, much of it had been left behind. Aidenhall scholars and historians spent centuries decoding, translating, and transcribing what rested upon these bookshelves… and had only made a dent in all of it.

"Which is why one of these texts must contain knowledge of what lies in northern Artaggon! If only I had more time on this plane… Well, it will have to be up to Elizabeth when I'm gone— Are you listening?" Marwin stopped behind Edina to ask.

"For the past six hours! Geez. You can just keep droning on and on, can't you?" Edina groaned. She had a handprint on her cheek from resting on it for so long. Her ass was sore, and the texts were beginning to blend together now.

"Well, I have been alive for centuries!" He grinned like it was something to be proud of.

As for Edina, she would rather not be alive for a second longer if it meant staying here.

An undead returned with another stack of books. It let the heavy texts fall to the desk with a thud.

"Careful! Those are very, very delicate. Many of them are older than me!" Marwin yelled at the poor skeleton.

"Yeah, that's hard to believe…" Edina tapped the topmost skull of her staff, the Pillar of the Damned and the source of her headache. "Heeeyyy. Wakey-wakey! Any of these books look familiar to you?"

All four skulls and the brazier ignited. They heaved a sigh in unison.

"We've told you a hundred times… How are we supposed to know?" Cyrus asked impatiently.

Everytime an undead came back with a new stack of books, Edina performed this same ritual to annoy the resident skulls of her staff. Each of them were former wielders of the Pillar of the Damned.

Beginning at the top was Cyrus, who wielded it last and the one that duked it out with Marwin… and lost. Below him was Matilda. She laid siege to Radevic when the hoity-toity elves were at their height of power before hightailing it to the next continent. Those two liked to bicker a lot. Samhill was the third skull down, a hobgoblin who didn't really do much with it during his time. The last skull was Haxgorah. He didn't talk much. If only the others took a page out of his book. Marwin said that, judging by the shape of his skull, he was from a race of demons that wasn't around anymore.

"Speak for yourself. You may not know anything, but I am the most intelligent one among us," Matilda seized the opportunity to insult him.

"Here we go. Again with the know-it-all act. Fine! If you're so smart, then you answer the squirreling!" Cyrus fired back.

"Okay, pipe down!" Edina smashed the staff against the desk, stifling the flames and shutting the skulls up. "Ahhh! I want a break. I can't do this anymore!"

"A break? We've only just started!" Marwin exclaimed.

"Maybe I'll start liking books when I'm at least a hundred years old. Right now? Fuck this. I'm gonna go grab Kanae and Arenade to get some drinks," she said.

"About… that… They aren't in Aidenhall at the moment…"

Edina whipped around and squinted at him, as did the dozen other skeletons who were in the middle of sorting through books.

"What? Are they doing a quest outside the city or something?" Edina raised a brow.

"Outside the city? Hah! Try across the continent in Suvius," Marwin said.

"Wait, they… they went without me? Why didn't they come to me for help?"

"And bring you closer north? Of course, they didn't take you. Worry not though. Silver and Elizabeth are with them!" he explained with a smile.

Again, it felt like Edina was drifting farther and farther away from the others. She gripped her staff. Because of this damn thing…

Edina commanded a returning skeleton to purposefully trip. It sent a stack of books scattering across the floor. Marwin saw it right away and panicked.

"What are you doing, fool?! Be careful with those!" Marwin stormed up to the blameless skeleton with unrestrained fury.

Meanwhile, Edina seized this chance to escape. She hurried out of the Illuminant Repository. By the time she reached the door, Marwin erupted in fright. Something about her going missing and plenty of cursing that echoed through the library's halls.

Freed from boredom, the troublemaker of a necromancer skipped down Aidenhall's dormitories and hummed a merry tune. First, a drink. Then some gambling. Renya might be chairwoman of Rown Company now, but she wasn't one to shut down lucrative businesses just because she went legit.

But…

"I'm fucking lost. Why the hells is this place so big to begin with? Alright, well… When in doubt, jump out a window." Edina found an open balcony to crawl out of. She emerged only to find someone sitting on the ledge.

Not just anyone. A goblin succubus.

"Pan?" Edina called out.

"Auntie?" Pan lifted her gaze and gaped. "Shouldn't you be in the Luminant Suppository?"

"More like shouldn't you be in class? Whatcha doing out here all by your lonesome?" she asked in return.

A shadow fell across Pan's face. The answer came in the form of a frown and twiddling thumbs. Guess the casinos could wait.

"Spit it out, and don't water down the details like bartenders do with their beer." Edina shut the balcony window behind her and sat next to Pan.

"You know how Mom enrolled us to Knight's Academy? It's already been a week, and the teachers are always praising Mikki and Revah for their intellect. Teana's excelling at every physical test they throw at her. As for me… I got yelled at for being slow this morning," Pan mumbled the last part, but it didn't fall on deaf ears.

"Huh? Who called you slow? I'll summon a whole death knight on top of the bastard," she said.

"Haha! I know you would, Auntie. But let's not this time. It's only going to make things worse! Besides, it's my fault. I've always been average in school. I'm used to that, but… falling behind my sisters suck."

Boy, did Edina know it. However, in her case, it was falling behind Kanae and Arenade. Despite becoming a succubus and obtaining the Pillar, she didn't feel any closer to them. More distant if anything.

"You know what I do when I'm down in the dumps? I gamble as much money as possible and hope to The Many that I lose it all. It's about time Aunt Edina introduces you to the casinos. How about it, kiddo?" Edina pushed off the ledge and beckoned Pan to follow her into the city.

They flew across Radevic and landed in a filth-ridden alley, teeming with rats. The little vermin didn't so much as scurry away. At the very end was a manhole cover. Edina summoned an undead to lift the heavy metal slab, revealing a ladder leading deep underground. Pan was about to pinch her nose shut until a surprisingly fragrant aroma wafted up.

"What the… Are there flowers growing inside or something?" Pan asked.

"Heh. Something like that." Edina smirked, then took a leap of faith.

The two descended into the darkness until they reached the light of underground torches in the sewer system. Tall vegetation and flowers, the source of the fragrant smell, grew from the wastewater below the walkway. It was like a subterranean jungle down here.

Edina stopped in front of an alcove, then pulled a curtain of vines aside to uncover a rusty iron door. She rapped her knuckles a few times and waited. A barrel-chested man opened the door. He was blind in the right eye, but his left peered down at her with the intensity of two. That one eye flicked to Pan, who flinched and clutched Edina's tail.

"Edina! Heard ya were in town. Took ya long enough to pay us a visit." The large human, big enough to block the entire doorway, clasped hands with Edina like old pals.

"Got caught up with a few things. I have a plus one with me if that's alright?" Edina thumbed over her shoulder to Pan.

"Any friend of Edina is a friend of ours! In ya go, little missies." He stepped aside for them.

They entered an underground casino, one of many owned by Renya and her tri-dagger crew. With the Outriders practically eradicated, the shady part of Renya's business came and swooped everything up. People sat on old beer casks and played on rotting wooden tables.

"Mmmm!" Edina breathed deeply of the mixed sewage, beer, and flowers. "This place has nothing on Dead Man's Gamble, but hells does it feel good to be here."

"Ehhhh? But everyone looks so scary… are you sure we should be down here?" Pan stammered, still clutching Edina's fluffy tail.

"Relax! These are all Renya's goons, and we're pretty chummy. Besides, even if things go tits up, I'm here. Look, there's an open seat at the roulette table!" She led Pan along with her tail and sat the goblin succubus down.

The players here were your regular city folks, hoping to strike a few good rounds with their hard-earned money. A far-cry from Dead Man's Gamble which catered to the wealthy. Edina liked it here the best. It reminded her of when she was just a little kit, hanging onto her dad's back while he gambled away what was supposed to be their evening food money. Before… they sold her off.

"Auntie? Auntie! You're not seriously going to make me play, are you? I don't know how to. I-I don't even have money!" Pan exclaimed, snapping Edina back to her senses.

"Of course, you do!" Edina twirled her finger, and the undead who she ordered to exchange gold for chips came running back. It dumped a mountain of chips and tiles worth a quarter of a million gold onto the table.

The players and the dealer's jaws dropped.

She continued, "Roulette's simple. You see those numbers, squares, and words on the table? Just toss any amount of chips onto any combination of them. Whichever the marble lands on the wheel, you win all that you have chips on and lose everything else."

"Awawawa… I'm always up for hookie and having fun, but not like this! What if I lose all your money?" Pan asked.

What if I lose all your money?

Those words struck a nostalgic chord with Edina, because she had also uttered them when her old man made her play. But back then, Lady Luck hadn't looked her way yet. However, the difference between then and now—

"Who do you think you're talking to? Your aunt's got more money than she knows what to do with. I guarantee this is gonna make you feel better," Edina assured her.

"Guuuuh… I somehow doubt that, but fine. Watch me, Auntie! I'm going to turn this into a fortune for you!" Pan passionately vowed.

But Pan did not turn the pile of chips into a fortune. In fact, she lost four-fifths of the quarter million to the house in the first few rounds. Edina sat back and watched amusedly as Pan grew more panicked with each loss.

"Ahahaha! You're terrible at this!" Edina wiped the tears from her eyes, keeling over from laughter.

"Why is this funny to you?! It's not funny to me! It's not my money, but it's like a little bit of my soul is leaving every time I lose!" Pan clutched her head and stared at the paltry sum of chips.

"Ahhh… huu… I probably have abs now thanks to you… Alright, alright. Put five of the one-thousand chips onto double zeros. Trust me. Things'll work out this time," she insisted to her.

"You better be prepared to say goodbye to another five grand…"

Pan placed five chips onto the 00 slot. They had drawn a crowd, so even more people were watching now. The dealer tossed the marble onto the spinning wheel. Everyone watched intensely, but no one more so than the uneasy goblin girl. As the marble began to clatter noisily across the wheel, the table held their breath.

It landed on 00.

They erupted into cheers. Pan was too shocked to say anything. The payout on the 00 tile was 35-1, and on a five-thousand bet, that came out to 175,000. Taking the past rounds into account, Edina was still at a loss. Just not too big of one.

"How did you do that?" Pan gaped.

"Hehe~ The lesson here is that it's never too late to get back where you started. You'll need to claw and hack your way through, and sometimes luck might even lend a helping hand. What would've happened if we stepped away from the table?" Edina asked.

"No, no, no, no, no. Anyone other than you would've gone flat broke!" she fired back.

Well, that much was true. Still, Edina couldn't help but laugh. It was like sitting at the casino with Kanae again. Pan really was her kid to play the straight man like that.

"I think Lady Luck's closed her eyes early today" Edina stretched her arms. "Why don't we get outta this shithole and grab some grub?"

"Auntie Edina… we could've just done that from the start." Pan sighed.

"Edina? As in… Edina Hackett?" someone muttered from behind.

They turned around to find an older squirreling man, dressed in a tattered tunic and pants with holes in it. His fur was coarse, and an uneven patchwork carpet of gray smattered the dark brown coat. Edina recognized the cut on his fuzzy ear split half-way down.

"Pops?" Edina choked out.

"Hm? That's your dad?" Pan asked.

"It's me, your old man! You look so different, but I knew you had to be my little girl!" When he tried to get closer, Edina ordered a skeletal warrior to draw his sword and keep him at arm's length.

Why now? Edina stood there, stunned beyond belief. Cymbal Hackett. Her dad. The years didn't do him well, but she couldn't mistake him for anyone else.

"A-Auntie, people are staring!" Pan whispered.

Edina clicked her tongue and de-summoned the undead.

"Come on, Pan. We're leaving. Dealer, keep my chips for next time!" Edina exclaimed on her way out.

"Edina, wait!" Pops chased after them.

Dragging Pan along, Edina launched out of the sewer. However, Pops wasn't giving him. He managed to scale the ladder by the time they flew up to the building rooftops.

"Please, Edina! Your mom and I are sorry for what we did to you all those years ago! At least… at least hear us out!" he shouted.

Edina stopped and chewed on her lower lip. It was Pan who entered her field of vision and snapped her out of it again.

"That's your dad, right? I don't know what happened to you guys, but you can at least see what he has to say," Pan urged.

"You just had to go and open your mouth… Fine!" Edina returned to the surface where Pops was waiting.

"Since it's been so long, I guess the right thing to say is… Nice to meet you." Pops flashed a smile that was missing two front teeth from a fight that Edina remembered all too clearly.

Edina stayed quiet. On the other hand…

"I'm Pan! Nice to meet you, too!" Pan, as excitable as always even around strangers, shook Pops' hand.

"I heard you calling my daughter Auntie earlier. Are you…?" Pops trailed off to let them answer.

"O-Oh, no! We're not related at all. I call her Auntie because she's friends with my mom and took care of me a lot as a kid," she explained.

"Ahh. You must have found great friends now, haven't you, Edina? I'm glad… Honestly… Uhm…" He realized that Edina wasn't very interested in talking and switched up the approach. Would you two like to come back to my place? It's not far. I can offer you some tea! And, Edina, your mom would really like to see you!"

Pan nudged Edina forward.

"Sure, whatever. Lead the way," Edina groaned.

Pops brightened up. He guided them through the dirty streets, occasionally throwing glances over his shoulder to make sure they were still following.

As for Edina, her thoughts were in shambles. Pops hardly sounded like Pops anymore. That was the most glaring difference. He used to have a rough way of speaking. Now? It was all soft and airy, like someone talking in a way to avoid trouble and look meek.

They arrived at a decrepit abode among many other ramshackled and poorly-put together buildings. This was probably one of the few places the Eminence of Sin hadn't gotten around to helping yet.

Pops opened the door to a modest and cozy home with few furniture. A squirreling woman, dressed in a fraying apron and wearing tarnished glasses, was cooking by the earthenware kitchen. She rose to her feet to greet them.

"Cym, who is… Edina!" Etna Hackett gasped and looked to be on the verge of fainting.

"Dear, can you fix them up with some tea? Dear?" Pops shook his wife by the shoulder until she became animated again.

Pops. Mom. Edina never expected to taste those words on her tongue again, nor did she expect to ever meet them again in this lifetime. Here they were, together, under the roof of a house she didn't recognize.

They sat together around the table on small wooden boxes. It was extremely awkward. Edina could tell they had a million questions, but she didn't want to be here.

"Uhm… The two is great, Mrs. Hackett! Thank you!" Pan smiled.

No one else reacted. They just sat there and nursed the teacup.

"Edina… How are you?" Mom asked suddenly.

"I guess I'm doing better than you guys, but it looks like you moved up in the world. From the streets to a shack, huh? Nice place," Edina said, intending for it to hurt but was surprised to find them proud.

"Oh, I think so too! That's because your dad has been doing a lot to put his past behind him. Isn't that right?" She turned to Pops.

"Mm. Every day. It's tough sometimes, but we'll pull through. A few more months at that underground casino, and we might even have enough to move into an actual house!" Pops grabbed Mom's hand and returned a brimming smile.

Edina flinched. A few more months at the casino? So, Pops hadn't changed after all. She trembled with fury that he could still be gambling even while living like this. Why? Why? Why? Were they not even going to acknowledge what they did to her?

"You—" Edina infused her hands with necromantic energies until a door in the back squeaked open.

A tiny squirreling boy emerged from the room, groggily rubbing his eyes. He trotted over to Mom and tried to climb onto her lap. She responded by lifting him up to her.

"I'm hungry… Can we eat today?" he asked quietly.

"Eddy, sweetheart. Look. We have guests. This is your big sister, Edina! She came home to see us!" Mom pointed across the table.

"Big sister…?" Edina swallowed the urge to scream and muttered instead.

"E… dina?" Eddy struggled to say.

"Awww! He's so cute!" Pan squealed, clamoring over to wag a tail in his face. "How old is he?"

"Only four," Pops answered. "After… our mistake in letting Edina go, the two of us despaired. We lost our girl for a few coins, only enough to eat for one week. Everything just seemed to bleak… until Eddy came into our lives. I knew then that I had to change. I couldn't keep doing what I did before. By the bar master's kindness, I've been working as a janitor in that underground casino to earn a living for us. It… isn't always enough, but thanks to that church run by a succubus, we're able to put some food in our bellies while saving up to move. What were they called again, Etna?"

"I believe… Eminence of Sin," she said thoughtfully while bouncing Eddy on her lap.

"That's it! Maybe this is fate that we're meeting like this. Edina, I know we've messed up, but what do you think about coming by every once in a—"

"Bullshit." Edina growled.

Everyone, even Eddy, looked up at her.

"Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit is what I think. You don't deserve to call me family or your daughter. I only agreed to come here so I can see how pathetic you two are living, but then you had to tell me you popped another kid? What kind of sick twist of fate is that? I bet he doesn't even know exactly why I was missing all this time. I'll do you guys a favor so you don't have to. I'm no one. I'm not your big sister. I'm just a nobody with a gambling complex that your shitty old man brought home!" Edina shouted.

The room was stunned until Eddy began to cry into Mom's chest. Edina grinded her teeth together and stormed out.

"Auntie, wait!" Pan hurried after, snatching her hand outside the shack. "You're just going to leave like this?"

"It's fine." Pops emerged from the tiny home.

"Tch. Must be nice to start over with no consequences," Edina growled.

"I didn't invite you here to ask for your forgiveness. It wasn't my intention to ambush you with Eddy. He was supposed to be asleep. When I saw you at the gambling den, I was just so overwashed with relief that you were okay. All I wanted to show you was that we were too," he said.

For years, Edina had come up with plenty of things to say to her parents if they ever met again. She forgot it all at this moment. Instead, she untethered her coin pouch and tossed it to Pops. He barely caught the hefty bag, and his eyes glinted upon opening it.

"Th-This is…"

"There's five-hundred thousand gold worth of chip tiles in there. I was planning on going on a spending spree, but fuck it." Edina shrugged.

"I can't possibly accept this!" Pops exclaimed.

"Huh? Yes, you fucking can." She stormed right up to his face with the wrath of a necromancer lord. "If you think I'm going to let my little brother live like a rat, then you have another thing coming. Don't mess up a second time. Got it?"

"I won't… I won't make the same mistake twice… I'm sorry for losing you the first time, Edina!" He dropped to his knees, holding the bag to his chest and fighting back tears.

Edina blinked back tears herself and spun around before Pops saw. She gestured for Pan to get going. After another glance into the house, where Mom was consoling Eddy, she faced forward and didn't look back.

"Was that really okay? I get it. They were bad parents to you, but it really sounds like they have changed! Eddy was soooo cute, too! I just think… family should always stick together," Pan said.

"If they really did change, then they'll be fine with the money I gave them. And yeah. Family should always stick together. Why do you think I love you twerps so much?" Edina whipped around to squish Pan's cheeks together like when she was a baby.

The two spent the rest of the day in the city until the sun began to set, at which point they figured heading back to Aidenhall was for the best. As they approached the gates, Edina stopped and breathed deeply.

"That kind of thinking isn't good," Edina said.

"Huh?" Pan looked at her, confused.

"About how falling behind sucks. Thinking like that won't do you any good. Hells, you might end up making stupid decisions that you'll regret later, and for what? To catch up in an imaginary race. Don't race, Pan. It's a waste of energy!"

"Eh? Ah… Th-Then what am I supposed to do instead?"

"It's still not obvious? Hahhh… You still got a long ways to go, kiddo. We just need to hit up some more casinos. Maybe not the one we went to today. Gotta find another one for some high stakes shit, and we won't stop until we make it or break it!" Edina exclaimed.

"I still don't get it, but count me in!" Pan pumped her fists into the air.