The Last Drop of Hope, Chapter 34 (Patreon)

aAfter the day he’d had, Kazuma was exhausted. They hadn’t done any actual fighting, but the sheer tension of walking through a deserted city and wondering when the monsters were going to jump out and tear him apart had him jittery the whole time, and now he felt completely wiped. 

The only other problem he had was that he was starving, so he started boiling some water to make instant noodles to go with his ration bars. Wiz had plenty of the premium stuff that was made with real wheat noodles instead of the fake stuff, so Kazuma was looking forward to his meal. He even made an extra one for Lolisa, then went over to where she was bedding down for the night, looking as tired as he felt. 

“Hey, you like instant noodles?” Kazuma said, holding out the bowls. “I got Spicy Shrimp and Spicy Beef. Which do you like?”

“What if I don’t like spicy?” Lolisa asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Then you have no taste, and I can’t help you,” Kazuma deadpanned. 

That made Lolisa laugh. “I’ll take the beef, thanks.” 

Kazuma handed her the bowl, and they sat in peace for a few moments, loudly slurping the noodles. It was a decadent luxury, and Kazuma was here for it. Forget those healthy fruits and vegetables: Give him monosodium glutamate, or give him death. 

“Ah, that really hit the spot,” Kazuma said, patting his belly after he’d drained his broth. He grinned over at Lolisa, then frowned. She was just toying with the last bit of noodles in her bowl, looking haggard and unsatisfied. “You still hungry? I got some more, or some ration bars if you need something more filling.”

“More filling,” Lolisa sighed wistfully, setting her bowl aside. “No, not a ration bar. Sorry, this was great, but it’s not what I’m hungry for.”

“What, you miss the fresh produce Aqua makes?” Kazuma asked. “It is pretty tasty I suppose.”

“That would have more mana, but, no, it’s not that,” Lolisa said, fidgeting. “I’m just…never mind. I’ll be fine.”

Something finally clicked in Kazuma’s mind, and he flushed. “Ooh. You, uh…you want to feed. Like the other succubi did.”

“I can manage, I went a long time without mana. I just…didn’t expect the Hunger to ever come back,” Lolisa admitted. She coughed, then stood. “I should…sleep somewhere else. I wouldn’t want to, uh, make any mistakes.”

“Wait, hold on! I mean, you could feed a little,” Kazuma said, scrambling to his feet as well. He took Lolisa’s hand, and she blushed, looking away from him. “I mean, those other succubi fed on those other guys without hurting them, right?”

Lolisa opened and closed her mouth, then tilted her head to the side. “I mean…yes? I suppose it’s theoretically possible, I just…the last time I fed on you…”

“Well, we’ve got to keep you from getting that hungry again,” Kazuma said as casually as he could, though he felt like his face was on fire, and not from the spicy ramen. 

“I…I guess…” Lolisa swallowed. “Um, let…let me ask Becky how they did it real quick…”

After a few frantic gestures and hisses in the direction of the pink-haired succubus, she flitted over to them, glancing back and forth between the two of them. “What is it? No, we weren’t going to play with your food, Lolisa.”

“Hands off Kazuma!” Lolisa snapped, then she flushed. “He’s not my food! I just…um…I needed to know…how did you, uh, feed on those men without, you know…draining them too much.”

“Right,” Becky said with a knowing smile. “Well, it’s fairly simple: you know how to take without killing, right?”

Lolisa nodded reluctantly, looking terribly guilty, and Becky smirked. 

“Not very satisfying, is it? And there’s always the risk of going too far and draining them dry. And it’s oh so hard to find new snacks.”

“Kazuma’s not just food! I just…I’m running a bit low on mana,” Lolisa admitted. 

“Sure you are, sweetheart. Well, the good news for you is Komekko is feeding me more than I need. You really should form a contract with her,” Becky advised. 

“No! I’m not becoming a slave again!” Lolisa snarled, hand straying halfway up to her neck and twitching slightly. 

“Whatever you say. Look, it’s simple. You need a buffer, right? So here’s what you do: you put your snack to sleep, then you use Dream Magic. You come to them in a dream, and you fulfill their every fantasy while you feed as much as you want. In the dream, it’s plenty satisfying, and it does fill you up. There’s also basically no risk you kill them, as the Dream Magic can only suck so much life essence so fast. Usually, the snacks are fine by the time they wake up and just feel like they had a wonderful dream.”

“It’s that simple?” Lolisa asked, looking flabbergasted. 

“Sure, have you ever done it before?” Becky asked. “It was useful if you had a limited number of snacks on hand, or if you needed to extract information or turn them traitor.”

“I…I was a rogue. A…a lonely mage summoned me. He was my master for thirty years, until…until he died,” Lolisa said quietly.

Becky gave her a pitying look. “You poor dear. You’re one of those who falls in love with the snacks, aren’t you? They rescue you out of hell, show you the pleasures of the mortal world, and you hang on their every word, treat them like they’re more than food, don’t you?”

“Keele was a good man! He, he was just lonely! I stayed with him until the Devil King’s army killed him!” Lolisa snarled, tears filling her eyes. “I just…if I’d had more mana, I could have saved him! B-but he forced me to go away, died to save me! So what if I loved him!? He loved me too!” 

“Sure. Just don’t make that mistake again. Don’t play with your food,” Becky said, then turned around and sauntered off. 

Kazuma swallowed, then turned to Lolisa. “I thought you said-”

“I lied,” she said bitterly, turning away from him. “I don’t…I didn’t…” she sighed, her wings drooping. “I don’t want to hurt you, Kazuma. You remind me so much of Keele. But I can’t fall in love with you. And you can’t fall in love with me. I’m a demon, and you’re a mortal.”

“Right, so, we’re just friends,” Kazuma said, though he knew he was lying to himself.

“Of course. Friends,” Lolisa agreed, forcing a smile. 

“Who, uh, feed one another,” Kazuma said, blushing. “So, like, after this, you owe me a pork cutlet bowl.”

That made Lolisa burst out laughing. “Pork cutlets? When was the last time you saw a pig?”

“Look, it always sounds so good! And hell, maybe Aqua can make a pig! She makes all kinds of other stuff,” Kazuma pointed out.

“Maybe she can,” Lolisa agreed, then stepped close to Kazuma, taking his hands in hers. “Are…are you sure about this? If I feed on you…it can be dangerous.”

“It also sounds like the best VR sex ever, so, you know, maybe I want to try it,” Kazuma pointed out.

“Oh honey,” Lolisa gave Kazuma a smoldering look, and he suddenly realized she was a succubus, and he was a desperately horny 20-year-old virgin. “I can make the best VR sex in the world seem like a cheap fleshlight.”

“That, uh, that sounds pretty good. Are you trying to convince me this isn’t the best idea ever? Because it’s not working,” Kazuma said, his voice husky. 

Biting her lip, Lolisa looked away. “I…I might be trying to talk myself into this. I…I really am hungry…”

“Then let’s do it now, before you get so starved you actually do something dangerous,” Kazuma told her. 

After that, they hurried to a side room down the hall, where Lolisa found a couple of cheap couches. After dragging them close to one another, Kazuma lay down on one, while Lolisa did on the other. 

“You, uh, may want to take off your pants, or at least, put a rag in them,” Lolisa told him. 

“What? Why?” Kazuma asked, frowning. 

“Well, er, you’ll have an…emission,” Lolisa admitted, blushing mightily.

“Oh! Uh, you mean like, a wet dream?” Kazuma asked, trying to conceal his own embarrassment. “I’ll, uh, get a towel…”

Lolisa even looked away while Kazuma situated himself, which was a bit ridiculous considering what they were planning. Still, he got his modesty towel on, then lay back, staring at the ceiling tiles. “So…now what?”

Lolisa sat up, then leaned over her face above Kazuma’s, smiling nervously. “Now…just relax. And dream a peaceful dream,” Lolisa told him. Then she kissed him on the lips, and Kazuma floated away on a cloud of ecstasy. 

Kazuma sat up, looking around himself in surprise. Where was he? His mind was all fuzzy, but this didn’t seem right. He was sitting on…grass? That was the word, right? Grass, and a few wildflowers and weeds, with trees not far away, a gurgling stream with rocks and reeds not far off. He looked up at the sky, which was a weird color. Darkish blue, with part of it red, orange, and purple.

He stared in astonishment, his heart in his throat. It was so beautiful. He didn’t think he’d ever seen anything so glorious before. 

“The whole world used to be like this.”

Kazuma half started, then turned to find a dark-haired woman in a low-cut dress next to him. She had the body of a supermodel, with breasts nearly as big as Kazuma’s head, an impossible hourglass figure, and a face that looked like it had been carved by a master sculptor. 

“Uh, sorry, who are you?” Kazuma said, his mind spinning slightly. 

“The woman of your dreams,” she said, and leaned over to kiss Kazuma. 

Something felt off to Kazuma, and he pushed back. “Uh, sorry, but there's this girl, and I think I really like her. I don’t know who you are, and something about this doesn’t feel right…I think I’m supposed to wait here for her? Sorry, I don’t really know where I am.”

The woman jerked back, then suddenly laughed. There was a puff of pink smoke, and then Lolisa was sitting there. “That’s sweet, Kazuma. Looking for me?”

“Yeah!” Kazuma said, suddenly grinning like an idiot. Why had he been worried? It was Lolisa, after all. He could trust her. She was the one he wanted. “You look good. Different, though. Did you cut your hair?”

Smiling shyly, Lolisa smoothed back her hair. “This is…this is what I’d look like, if I were human.”

That just confused Kazuma further. “Aren’t you? What else would you be?”

“Since this is a dream…yes,” Lolisa said, smiling. 

Kazuma stared at Lolisa, drinking the sight of her in. She was wearing a modest green and white dress that looked homespun, her pink hair kept short in a practical cut. “We grew up together, we were childhood friends, right?”

She started at that, then blushed and looked down. “...yes. I suppose we did. Here in the village. We…we were playmates and went to school together, and now…now we’ve grown up.”

Village? Kazuma vaguely remembered a crowded highrise, but that didn’t seem right. He pushed it aside, his mind deciding that detail wasn’t important in the dream logic of his current situation. “I’ve had a crush on you since I met you, you know.”

“I think I’ve had a crush on you too, Kazuma,” Lolisa said, smiling at him. 

“Really? Then…then you like me?” Kazuma asked, his heart fluttering. 

To his horror, she giggled. “This is rather more wholesome than what I thought you would be into, you know. But yes, Kazuma. I like you. I might…might even…” She swallowed her words, looking half horrified. 

“Yeah?” Kazuma asked eagerly, leaning towards her. 

“Just…just kiss me now,” she whispered, clinging to him. 

He did, holding her close and tenderly, savoring the taste of her lips. It was sweet and fruity, reminding him of summer days spent together picking strawberries.

“I love you, Lolisa,” Kazuma gasped, holding her close. 

She smiled at him, then put a hand to his chest. “Call…call me Kirayama. Please.” 

“Kirayama,” Kazuma repeated, grinning stupidly. She groaned and shuddered under him. “I love you, Kirayama.”

“I…I love you too, Kazuma Sato,” she whispered into his ear, then moaned softly.

All of a sudden, they didn’t have any clothes on, and Kazuma didn’t question why or why not. 

Lolisa, or Kirayama, lay back on the grass, and Kazuma positioned himself over her, grinning stupidly down at her. “I love you.”

“This is a mistake,” she whispered, and he felt horrified, suddenly backing away, his clothes on again. 

“Sorry! I thought, I mean, maybe we should wait, it might be too soon, we could ruin what we have, you’ll find out what a coward I am, and-”

“No. It’s…it’s just the fantasy,” Kirayama said, crawling over to Kazuma and grabbing him. “Please. Say…say you love me.”

“I love you,” Kazuma told her, and kissed her again.

 She kissed him back, and when they came up for air, she cried out, “I love you too!”

What happened next wasn’t some mind-blowing VR sex dream. It was actually rather awkward and messy, with more than a few embarrassments and mistakes made along the way. Kirayama seemed flustered and unsure of herself, letting Kazuma take the lead, though part of him knew she should be a lot better at this. Still, it was wonderful, and at the end, they lay together on the grass, holding one another tight. 

“I wish this wasn’t just a dream,” Kirayama said, clinging to Kazuma like he was going to slip away from her. 

“It isn’t,” Kazuma said, even though he knew this was wrong, that it was all just a fantasy. “I’m here, with you.”

“Yes,” Kirayama agreed. “Yes. That’s all that matters. What we have, right now.”

They kissed again, then Kazuma drifted off to blissful slumber, languid and content. 

He didn’t stir when Lolisa awoke and sat up in the real world, crying into her palms. He passed the rest of the night in a dreamless sleep, a happy smile on his lips, while Lolisa got up and stumbled in pain away from him, retching into a trash can. 

After all, while Lust was food and drink to a succubus, Love was a poison. 

As always, Megumin awoke instantly and early, ready to fight. Of course, there was nothing but the sound of her sisters snoring, and the soft breathing of the succubi in the corner. 

Getting up, she grabbed Gram, a canteen, and a ration bar, then trotted out of the building and found an open place to practice in. She had just assumed a fighting stance when she sensed movement, and flashstepped to the door she’d just exited out of, putting Gram at the throat of the person who stepped through it.

“S-stop!” Bukkororii stammered, his Adam's Apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed in terror. “I just, I just-”

“Spying on me?” Megumin demanded. Then she hesitated. He was supposed to be a Crimson Demon. That meant he was part of the Clan. She withdrew the sword and gave him a tight smile. “Just kidding.”

“You’re…you’re really good with that, huh?” Bukkororii asked, sweating and giving Megumin a nervous grin as he peered down at her, rubbing the back of his neck.

Megumin glared right back, resting Gram on her shoulder. She hated that nearly everyone was taller than her, and while Bukkororii wasn’t a giraffe like a lot of outsiders, he still had several centimeters on her. “It’s a weapon, and I’m a Crimson Demon. So are you. We’re supposed to be masters of every weapon.”

“Yeah, I’m kinda…not,” Bukkororii admitted sheepishly. “I-I can fight, a little! And I know Intermediate Magic, but… well, the way you move…it’s really cool. Can you teach me? I think using a sword would be flashier and more impressive than just slinging spells.”

A part of Megumin was irritated that this idiot was more interested in being cool. However, a deeper, more primal part of her psyche was absolutely thrilled that someone thought her style was flashy and impressive. A part of her people’s heritage that had been long suppressed, to the relief of the world at large. 

But with the return of magic, it was time for the Edge to Rise.

“Well, we can start with some basic weapons training,” Megumin agreed casually. She looked around, then walked over to a pile of rubbish, and using Gram cut two pieces of rebar about a meter and a half long. “Here, catch.”

Despite his chubbiness, Bukkororii had good reflexes and snatched the rebar out of the air easily. He held it in a one-handed grip, frowning at it. “So, how do I like-”

“EN GARDE!” Megumin snarled and swung her bit of metal at him in a lazy arc. Bukkororii let out a yelp, then parried her hit, making the metal rods clang and vibrate. He swore, dropping his to the ground with a clatter. 

“Ow! That hurt!” he complained, shaking his reddened hands. 

“It’s weapons training. It’s supposed to. Now are you going to pick it up and fight, or give up like a soft outsider?” Megumin demanded. 

Flushing with anger, Bukkororii picked up his rebar and swung viciously but artlessly at Megumin. She parried with just one hand, making the metal ring again. This time, Bukkororii grimaced, but didn’t drop his improvised weapon. 

“Better, but your grip is all wrong.” Megumin stepped up to him, and showed Bukkororii how to properly hold on to the rebar. “This doesn’t have a proper grip, but you won’t always have a luxury. Here, hold your hand like this. Good. Now, lift it like this. No, your feet are all wrong. Like this.”

Fortunately, Bukkororii wasn’t Megumin’s first pupil. That had been Komekko, though it was a bit odd teaching someone who was bigger than she was. Still, Bukkororii listened and copied her exactly, and he had all the reflexes and strength of a Crimson Demon, albeit a pampered one. After half an hour of basic katas, Megumin was satisfied that her student had promise, even if he was hopelessly inept at the moment. 

“We’ll see about getting you a real weapon,” she promised him. “Save up your skill points, and I’ll teach you some advanced sword techniques. I got a lot of the melee skills for free, but I think you’ll have to train your butt off to get them yourself.”

“I will, I promise. I want to protect the others, like you do Yunyun and Komeko,” Bukkororii panting, wiping sweat from his brow. “They’re like my brothers and sister, you know?” 

“I do. I’m the oldest,” Megumin said, puffing out her chest. “It’s my job as the big sister to protect Yunyun and Komekko.”

“Yeah. So I’ll study the sword, and become a real Crimson Demon, like you!” Bukkororii agreed eagerly. 

That made Megumin feel about three meters tall, and she led Bukkororii back inside, where the others were already awake and eating breakfast. 

“Morning,” Kazuma said groggily, looking bedraggled and scruffy as he stumbled in. He sat down next to Lolisa, who had puffy red eyes. Had they been fighting? “You, uh, feeling full?”

Lolisa nodded mutely. What was that about? She hadn’t touched the porridge that Nerimaki had made. It was actually pretty good, with bits of fake sausage and egg in it. 

“Well, uh, good. It was, er, pretty great,” Kazuma said, looking very embarrassed. 

Megumin’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Kazuma, did you let her feed on you last night?”

As both of the idiots spluttered, Becky spoke up. “It’s fine, I taught Lolisa a safe way to do it. She won’t hurt him. And her mana is all topped off, though she looks sick. Not used to dream magic, dearie?”

“Chip’s interfering, I’ll be fine,” Lolisa mumbled. “But my mana reserves are full.”

That was disgusting, but Megumin supposed that having a fully functional succubus was better than a starving one that could go into a crazed fit or pass out. 

“I had a good dream last night too!” Yunyun said happily, and Megumin nearly choked on her porridge. Which of the boys did she have to kill!?! “I dreamed about Ms. Wolbach! She promised to teach me the Explosion Spell, the one that nearly killed Seresdina! With it, I think we have a way to take out the Revengers.”

“Oh.” Megumin considered that and shrugged her acceptance, while Arnes fell to her knees before the cat on Yunyun’s lap. 

“Mistress, you spoke!? You’re still in there?! Please, tell me, how can we free you!” 

“Mrrow,” Chomusuke said, then snuggled up to Yunyun. 

“She, um, can’t talk now. She’s only lucid for short periods,” Yunyun said half apologetically. “We had to use the time productively.”

“Oh, well, I…I guess…I guess I’m just not important enough to my mistress,” Arens sniveled, crawling back to her seat and hunching dejectedly over her food. 

“You…you could pet her, if you like,” Yunyun offered, holding the cat out to Arnes.

“Oh yes, please!” the demoness agreed, happily taking Chomusuke and feeding the cat tidbits from her spoon. Chomusuke seemed to mostly be tolerating it, but Arnes looked thrilled. 

“So, do we know anything about where we’re going?” Kazuma asked once breakfast was finished. 

Megumin pulled out a map, then pointed. “We’re here, but it seems likely that they headed for revenger territory on trains. That puts their most likely destination here. Brindle City. We’re supposed to meet Tina and her team on the outskirts. Brindle is an aerospace hub, with a major space elevator attached. Though if that’s still working with the great big space cluster fuck is anyone’s guess.”

“Intel says it's intact, but not working at the moment,” Arnes reported. “No one can hold the orbitals at the moment, though ChimeraTech is slowly gaining the upper hand. It’ll be a long time before it all settles down.”

“Good news for us I guess. Well, our initial plan seems simple enough. The question is, what the hell do we do when we get there?” Kazuma demanded. 

“Destroy anything and anyone that gets in our way,” Megumin growled. 

Yunyun shot her an exasperated look, and shook her head. “G-gather information first. Where are the hostages? How m-many are there? And what’s the enemy’s p-plan?”

“I’ll pull maps of Brindle, but we should get moving,” Arnes said, standing. “Rail isn’t the way to go. We have a private aircraft we’ll be taking.”

“Not worried about air defenses?” Megumin asked, frowning at the thought. 

“No way, our ship has the latest stealth tech!” Pekonyan bragged. “We could fly right under their noses and they’d never see us!” 

“Plus it’s got all sorts of weapons, lasers, missiles, even a gauss rifle!” Chekeria added excitedly. “We haven’t even gotten to test them out yet!” 

“Who flies it?” Megumin asked, her eyes narrowing. 

Pekonyan puffed his chest out. “I do! I’m a crack pilot, you’ll see! Not just in the simulator either, I’ve got 200 stick hours!” 

That wasn’t a lot, but at the same time, Megumin doubted they had anyone better. “Fine. Komekko and I will man the weapons.”

“What?! That’s my job!” Chekeria protested. 

“Then you can show us how to use them, but how many times have you used weapons in anger, huh?” Megumin demanded.

“Well, I, uh, I…” the boy spluttered. 

“It’s OK, I’ll show ya how to splat people! It’s easy! ‘Specially with big guns!” Komekko said cheerily.

“Fine,” Chekeria said, deflating.

“Hey, don’t underestimate my kiddos. I trained them properly, and they’re good,” Arnes said, frowning at Megumin. 

She shrugged. “When they’re properly blooded, maybe I'll change my mind, but they’re green for now. Let’s get moving. I want to link up with Tina and Claire and find out more about how their operation went.”

They traveled about two kilometers to the airport, where they found a sleek black stealth craft that looked suited for atmo or space operations. It was indeed armed to the teeth, and with plenty of pods and that glossy look that spoke of top-notch comms and stealth tech. 

“Looks cool, doesn’t it?!” Pekonyan said, pointing to the and grinning boyishly. 

“I guess,” Megumin said at the same time as Komekko cried, “It’s the coolest!” 

They all climbed aboard, though it was a bit cramped with 14 people (and a cat) aboard. The ship hadn’t been meant for quite that many passengers, but they managed. 

“It’ll be just over an hour to Brindle,” Pekonyan reported as he began the startup sequence. “We’re fueled up and ready to go. Everyone buckle up, she’s fast!” 

Megumin sat at the weapons panel, familiarizing herself with the controls. It wasn’t too complicated, and she was certain she could bullseye any targets she needed to after just a couple of practice shots. 

“Pilot, set your course, and begin takeoff,” Yunyun ordered. 

“Aye, Chief!” Pekonyan agreed, and the engines roared to life. 

Megumin grinned, looking around. She’d thought they could take an army with three Crimson Demons. What couldn’t they do with seven?