Is It Strange For A Succubus To Be Wearing Clothes?

Chapter 16

—–CROW—– 

Citra, the succubus, was dressed like a mafia boss, sporting sunglasses, a fedora, and a trench coat. 

The problem was, that’s all she was wearing.  

The trench coat seemed to be open, revealing glimpses of her skin underneath. 

The subtle flashes of flesh, her armpits, shoulders, and collarbone, were perfectly calculated to ignite human desire and lust.  

Or perhaps she was only wearing the kind of clinging, indecent lingerie typical of succubi.  

But succubus attire was inherently like that; it was I who was the strange one.

A subtle allure and sensuality that couldn’t be concealed by clothing.  

And she wasn’t just an ordinary succubus, but a Queen, so it was only natural.  

Even if she were originally human, her instincts and subconscious would have led her to dress this way.  

Isn’t this modest enough? 

I’ve covered everything that needs to be covered, wouldn’t she think?

“You’re a Queen…”

“Oh my, how did you know? I thought I hid it well.”

“Your clothes.”

“Aha, I tried to wear something… well, it can’t be helped.”

She bowed to me like a gentleman.

“I am Citra, the Succubus Queen.  The current owner of the Clacklashton Auction House.”

“I’m Lee Jae-hee.  I apologize for causing such an unpleasant incident.”

“I heard it wasn’t intentional, so it’s alright.  It’s a minor issue compared to terrorists or the Hyenas.”

Citra shrugged and greeted me with a warm smile.  

Considering the auction house itself was a major power within the Clacklashton Nest, she was likely a significant figure in the underworld.  

Perhaps even a ruler or leader of some sort.

By the way, she didn’t recognize me?

Well, the human Lee Jae-hee was currently at the forefront, not the Succubus Empress.  And this veil wasn’t just for show.  

While my charm still leaked through to ordinary humans even with the veil, it served as a filter for Awakened and non-human beings of a certain level.

“…Hmm, by the way, I keep getting chills. Are you alright, Jae-hee-ssi?”

Well, it seemed it couldn’t completely block it.  Actually, I did have a slight… urge.

She’s a Queen?

And I’m an Empress?

She should… listen to me, right?

Ah, no.

Stop it.

I’m a person.

Still human.

I had already caused enough trouble at the auction house and angered Officer Dan. I couldn’t cause another incident.

Control yourself.

Control yourself.

Me, controlling myself. Beautiful. Perfectly.  Perfectly.

On the other hand, Citra was a bit puzzled by Jae-hee’s calm and indifferent reaction to seeing her.

What’s with this woman? Why isn’t she reacting to me?  Usually, when a Succubus Queen smiles, they’re practically offering their liver and gallbladder, begging for attention.

Is that veil an artifact that blocks mental manipulation?

‘No, I don’t sense such power…’

I must be out of sorts today.

“Anyway, back to business, the highest bid for the violin was $101.18 million.  That’s a new record, excluding the Romatard Almond from two years ago.”

“I see.”

Jae-hee responded nonchalantly, but inwardly, she started calculating how much $101.18 million was in Korean won.

Uh, it was over 100 billion won, right…?  Considering the current exchange rate, it was probably more…

‘…Gulp.  This is really bad, isn’t it?’

They wouldn’t ask me to pay 100 billion won… right?

This wouldn’t do.

I had to resolve this before Officer Dan arrived.

“It might sound like an excuse, but I didn’t intend for this to happen. I didn’t know the violin would choose its owner like an Ego Sword.”

“Neither did we.  This is actually the first time an auction item has chosen its owner before ownership was even determined.”

“Is that so?”

“Honestly, the price is more inflated than we anticipated.  $100 million?  Even the Romatard Almond, a seed capable of creating an artificial sky island, didn’t reach that price.”

At those words, I immediately took a sip of the coffee in front of me.

That was a relief.  Judging by the nuance of her words, it didn’t seem like she was going to demand the full amount.

And it was Arabica coffee.

The aroma was lovely.

“Looking at the auction participants… there’s Hoyeon Guild, other large guilds, even influential figures like former presidents and assemblymen.  Association officials are here too.  Oh my, even the Hero Party is here?”

“I see.”

“With so many influential figures gathered, it’s only natural for the auction atmosphere to become heated.”

The situation wasn’t so bad.

Citra shrugged and continued, reading the documents in front of her.

“And if it’s a cursed tool… it would have been difficult to get its proper value anyway.”

“You’re right.  The price probably escalated due to the atmosphere and misunderstandings between the competing influential figures… so we won’t hold you responsible for the final bid, Jae-hee-ssi.”

“That’s unexpected. I honestly thought you’d yell at me to pay the $100 million right away.”

“This violin isn’t worth that much.”

Objectively, it was a cursed tool filled with resentful spirits.  It was useless to Awakened or Hunters, except perhaps for those dabbling in necromancy or black magic, using the violin as a medium for their spells.

“Besides, since the so-called cursed tool, David’s Violin, has chosen you as its owner, there’s no need to stir up trouble.  And it wasn’t intentional on your part, was it?”

“….”

Instead of answering, I sipped my coffee.

It was something I both intended and didn’t intend…

And to remove ownership of a cursed tool, one had to either kill the owner or use various purification techniques.  It seemed Citra didn’t think this violin was worth the effort.

“In conclusion, this violin is a troublesome item. It’s a cursed tool, so we can’t just throw it away, and we can’t give it to just anyone.  If we kept it here for a long time, the Clacklashton Auction House might turn into a haunted house, so… it’s not a bad thing for you to be its owner, is it, Citra-ssi?”

“That’s right.”

Citra readily agreed.

Good.

I saw a solution.

“Actually, what I’m most curious about is how the violin recognized you as its owner… but I suppose you can’t explain something you don’t know yourself, can you?”

“….”

I sipped my coffee again.

I apologize.

My instincts…

The instincts of the Succubus Empress wanted that violin, wanted to give it to me, and that’s why this happened.

But I couldn’t bring myself to be honest.

“…Then, is there anything I can do?  Regardless of the violin’s value, the bid exceeded $100 million, so I don’t think I can receive it for free.”

“Would you offer $100 million?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of money.  But if there’s anything else you desire, I’d like to offer that instead.”

“Aha, so instead of money, you’re offering a valuable and precious favor?”

Citra chuckled at my words.

“It’s something you often see in movies and novels, how a connection with an influential person, a favor, is more valuable than gold… but I don’t trust anything other than the numbers on paper.  This isn’t about offering you a favor, Jae-hee-ssi, but simply a calculation based on facts.”

“Then should we draw up a contract?”

“I wouldn’t mind.  It means a voluntary increase in manpower.”

“Ah, I live above ground, so I can’t stay here and act as a guard.”

“I understand.  Don’t worry too much; I’ll ask for something reasonable.”

Judging by her presence here, she was an Awakened.  And Awakened were useful everywhere.

Moreover…

‘She’s wearing a veil and a suit, covered from head to toe, but she’s quite… no, she’s more than just ‘quite’…  Isn’t she incredibly beautiful?  Someone like her would make a good customer…’

A Succubus Queen’s lust and affection weren’t limited by gender.  They became fixated on whoever caught their eye.  Citra had more than enough money from running the Clacklashton Auction House, so she was drawn to things other than money.

And so, Citra drafted a simple contract.  It wasn’t a dramatic contract like a mana oath, where breaking it would result in death.  It was simply a contract specifying the terms of agreement.  Of course, it was imbued with various techniques and contract magic.

The inflated auction price due to the heated atmosphere was nullified.

In exchange for ownership of the cursed violin, Lee Jae-hee would grant Citra a favor. [Within reasonable and common sense boundaries.]

‘…She’s my type.’

Citra was quite taken with Lee Jae-hee.  Simply put, she found Jae-hee incredibly beautiful, and Jae-hee was her type.  Forming a good relationship over a violin was a bonus.

‘I’ll gradually close the distance through favors and obligations, and once she becomes dependent on me, I’ll peel away those tightly wrapped clothes like tearing off wrapping paper…’

And then Citra saw the name signed on the contract.

Huh?

It wasn’t Lee Jae-hee?

She had a different real name…

[Agnes Emporia]

The moment she saw that name, Citra’s mind went cold.

That name…

Where had she seen it before?

No, I’ve never seen that name before.

But her succubus queen soul…

Her instincts and subconscious were screaming at her.

Run away now.

Tear up this contract and nullify it immediately.

Forget the violin, just give it to her, no, even pay her and send her away peacefully.

No, it wasn’t a warning.

‘Is this… a scream?  A shriek?’

A strange and eerie sense of déjà vu.  And the chills and nausea she had been feeling since earlier intensified.

A nausea far worse than encountering a Saintess.

However, the human Mi-yeon only felt confusion and bewilderment at her condition.

“Citra, are we done?”

“…Ah, y-yes. Yes…”

Citra nodded awkwardly at Jae-hee’s words.

‘Just why did I feel like that?’

She couldn’t understand why she had felt such a strange and unsettling feeling.

“Huhu, thank you.”

Citra decided to simply be content with Jae-hee’s smile from behind the veil.  Even with the veil, Jae-hee’s face was her type.

‘Whatever.  A succubus just needs to live according to her instincts and desires.’

★

★

★

“Ta-da, I’m back~”

“Haa, haa, haa, haa, haa…”

The moment Jae-hee emerged above ground, violin in hand…

“Haa, haa, haa… Are you… alright?”

Dan Ah-yeon, who had rushed over without even taking a breath, worried that something terrible might have happened to Jae-hee, arrived completely out of breath, her eyes even glistening with worry.

She must have been really worried.

Her eyes were even teary.

“A-are you alright?  Are you really alright?  You didn’t do anything reckless, did you!?”

Reckless.

Just what constituted reckless for a succubus?

However, Officer Dan had even imagined Jae-hee selling her body.

That’s why she rushed over here so quickly, a high-ranking Awakened, panting for breath.

“Of course.  This wasn’t a big deal.”

“Jae-hee-nim, please, please don’t do that again.  If something happens, call me. I’m really sorry for getting angry earlier, it was my fault.  So please, rely on me if anything happens.  This time, things worked out because you were lucky, but…”

“Huhu, it’s alright, Officer Dan.”

Jae-hee’s posture exuded confidence, as if the words “A-hem!” were floating behind her.

“More importantly…”

“More importantly?”

“I’m pretty, aren’t I?”

“….”

“So this wasn’t even a big fuss~”

Relieved that Jae-hee was alright, Dan Ah-yeon simultaneously felt a surge of frustration.

Are big breasts all that matters?

Is a pretty face everything?

Is a model-like figure the answer to everything?!

And what if she’s beautiful, with a beautiful voice on top of it all?!

It’s all… all… all true…

It’s all true, dammit!

—–CROW—–