The Hero Became a Succubus! - Chapter 85 (Patreon)

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Chapter 85

Mornings in no man's land always began with heavy helping of fog rolling down the mountains. They stretched across the forests until noon, bringing with it a cool breeze and dampening the ground in moisture. It made irrigating the crops a lot easier.

Outside her cabin, Kanae knelt down and pinched the leaf of a flower, dampened with glistening teardrops of dew. They slid off from being disturbed, but fresh dots of water were quick to form again.

A pair of elven men greeted Kanae as they made their way to the fields. Entering from the eastern gate of the village were two yawning goblins, leading in a gorag which pulled two carts of ore from the mines. Over by the stables, Tess and another gaur were chopping wood. They handed a stack to a group of lycanbolds, who would bring back to their tents to use as firewood.

What began as a tiny dark elven village out in the sticks had now grown to a large settlement, inhabited by all manner of races.

Kanae sighed, expelling a visible white breath mist that quickly dissipated.

In spite of this accomplishment, it couldn't fill the hole left in Kanae's chest while Edina was gone. She was sure the great necromancer would have been overjoyed to raise Barkskin from the dead. Or any number of monsters out here for that matter.

"Hey!" Arenade jogged up to Kanae at a hurried pace, then keeled over and clutched her stomach. "Have… Have you seen Nelly? He wasn't home when I went by to check."

"I haven't, why? And you should be more careful about yourself!" Kanae scolded, giving Arenade purchase on her shoulder to lean on.

After all, Arenade was showing a baby bump now. The slight protrusion in her stomach served as proof that they really were going to have a child together. Soon, she would have to sit out fighting and working.

"A high elf I may be, but I'm hardier than I look! Anyway, I'm worried about Nelly. He was looking sad last night, so I figured something must be up," Arenade said.

"Last I remember, Mitty was carrying Teana to Nelly's place. You didn't see them there?" Kanae asked.

"Oh, yeah. I think I saw them heading to the mines though."

"Huh… the mines?"

They traded uneasy glances and flew straight to the mine as fast as possible. It was chaos when they arrived.

"HELP! I'M GOING TO BE SICK!"

"TELL THIS STUPID THING TO PUT US DOWN!"

A gorag was juggling eight goblin miners in four of its hands. Another was pulling a wagon, but the back wasn't filled with ore or tools. A cheering and giggling Teana was inside, and Mitty had both hands over his head as they raced around the camp.

"Stop!' Kanae commanded.

Both gorags did as they were told. The goblins being juggled fell into a pile on top of each other, and Teana and Mitty lurched from their wagon's abrupt stop.

"Mama! Auntie Arenade!" Teana flew out of the wagon and into Kanae's arms.

When Mitty tried to hop out of the wagon, he fell flat to the ground and was too dazed to get up.

"What in the three hells happened here?" Arenade asked.

"That demonic baby is what happened!" The goblin in the bottommost pile pointed accusingly at Teana.

"She mind-voodoo'd the gorags!" another exclaimed.

"Teana, is this true?" Kanae turned her eyes to the infant goblin.

"I wanted to play with papa! Did I… do bad?" her daughter asked, ears drooping after noting the tension in the atmosphere.

"No, mama's proud of you!" She grinded their horns together and drew cute laughter from Teana. "Being able to take control of gorags means you're growing up really strong. But it's dangerous out here. Let's not wander away from the village to play next time, okay?"

"Hehe. Okay, mama!" Teana beamed.

"Where's our concern, toots?" a goblin asked, rubbing his sore rump from the harsh fall.

Some of them were eyeing Kanae and Arenade, hoping to gain something out of their misfortune.

"You get enough of it at the end of every week. Now get back to work before you lose that privilege," Kanae warned.

"S-Sorry…" Mitty hung his head while staggering up to them. "When Teana wants something, telling her no makes things worse."

"No one said being a parent was easy." She affectionately pinched her goblin lover's ear.

"Ah, great. I just realized that we're about to all be one big happy family because you can't keep your legs shut. Who else are we missing?" Arenade groaned.

Kanae shot a look at the gorags.

"W-Well… Some of the gorags are half-siblings to Teana, and she might already be a grandparent to one—"

"Stop!" Arenade threw a hand up and pressed the other to her face. "I regret asking! Let's just find Nelly and go home."

"I know where Nelly is!" Teana exclaimed.

They followed Teana back to the village, but as soon as the palisade wall was within sight, veered along the barricade until a thicket kept them from going any further. A tangle of dried and dead vines served a natural wall, keeping anyone from passing through. Teana landed on her feet and trotted up to an opening only large enough to be crawled through.

Arenade compelled the vegetation back to life with the Plant Growth skill, widening the entrance for them to walk through.

Inside the thicket, Nelly sat cross legged in front of two cairns upon slightly elevated mounds.

"H-Huh? How did you guys find me?" Nelly cleared his throat and rubbed his red eyes.

"Teana showed us," Kanae said, letting go of Teana's hand to let her run up to Nelly and cling onto his back.

"Damn it, Teana. You were supposed to keep a secret." He clicked his tongue.

Whatever this place was, it had been well-tended. The grass around the area was neatly trimmed. A small patch of flowers grew in front of each mound. The natural barrier kept all but the most fickle debris away, and a thick canopy prevented little other than thin beams of sunlight through.

"Those are your parents, aren't they?" Arenade moved closer and asked.

"My mom and dad." Nelly nodded. "I was just telling them how big the village got. Wish they were around to see it."

Arenade, in thinking to comfort him, bent down to put an arm around Nelly, but he knocked her hand away.

"Stop! I'm not a baby like Teana, okay?" Nelly's outburst left them speechless.

"N-No, I'm not trying to treat you like a baby. I just thought—"

"I know what you're trying to do. I don't need you to replace my parents, so stop trying to act like one to me!" He broke away from Teana's grasp, then took off running back to the village.

"Wait, Nelly! That's not… " Arenade decided against chasing after him and sighed.

"Go on, Teana." Kanae knelt down and gave her a little nudge forward. "Make sure your big brother Nelly's isn't lonely. Give him lots of hugs for us, alright?"

"Okay, mama!" Teana pecked Kanae on the cheek, then flew to catch up to Nelly.

"Mitty, watch over them. If you let Teana go to the mines again, you can forget having sexy time with me every night," she added.

"Y-Yes, honey!" Mitty ran after them, fearful of losing his privilege.

Left alone in the quiet grave with only the chirping birds and skittering critters on the high branches, Arenade let her gaze drop to the two cairns of Nelly's parents.

"Should I just stop?" Arenade asked, voice shaky with uncertainty.

"Trying to act like his mom?" Kanae couldn't get a good read on Arenade from just her back alone.

"No, I mean… Every time I try to help, everything just goes south. My past, Teana, the school in Lograin, and now with Nelly… sometimes I get scared I'll somehow mess it up with our kid."

Kanae grabbed Arenade's hands and made them face each other. "Thinking like that is how you will end up messing up. Nelly's going through a rough patch. His village grew massively in the span of a few months, he makes it an obligation to look after Teana, and you're dropping by his house every morning and night. It's a lot to take in for a ten year old kid. It's okay to give him some space. If he needs attention, he'll come get it like Teana does."

"Ugh… I'm an ancient demigoddess. Feels weird being lectured by a succubus." Arenade rolled her eyes, then pulled Kanae by the hand out of the clearing.

"What are you doing?" Kanae asked as the priest commanded the vegetative barrier again.

"Nelly said this place is a secret, right? I feel bad for barging in, so I'm sewing it shut again." She incanted the Plant Growth skill again, shrinking the opening back to the original size.

They returned to the village just as newcomers were being let in. It was an odd-looking gypsy wagon, painted red and purple, as large as a small cabin, and sported a hanging lantern at the front with glowing flies buzzing around the light. The vehicle creaked to a stop, jostling whatever and whoever was inside. There sounded to be a few people within, but the lack of windows offered little.

"Who let the circus into town?" Arenade asked.

"There was a woman's voice inside that said they weren't a threat." Will shrugged, walking to the side of the wagon to knock.

Something like a wooden latch made a dull click. The entire side of the wagon fell open and struck Will on the head. As he staggered away, a series of cabinets and drawers uncollapsed themselves, revealing a lamia woman inside.

"Hello, hello! My brand new atelier is now open!"

"R-Rosaline?" Kanae stammered.

"You're that weird alchemist from Orturic!" Arenade exclaimed.

"We're here, too…"

Stumbling out from the back door were Takumi, Manabe, and Ichi. Ingrid hopped out last, sniffed the air once, and gagged. She lit a cigarette right away, hoping to mask the stench.

"If you guys are here, does that mean—"

"Sorry… Wish we could've done more." Takumi nodded. "Some high and mighty guards calling themselves Protectorate raided the place. We had nowhere else to go, so we decided to come here. Thedia found us on the ground and pointed us here."

It had only been a matter of time anyway. Whatever the case, Sexy Slime Goods didn't just die with the shop. It could continue here with their help.

"What about you?" Kanae asked the alchemist extraordinaire.

"Oh, nothing serious. The mayor found my mana-vamp starfish. It was either jail or get chased out of town. I chose the latter!" Rosaline explained.

Arenade slapped a hand to her face. "Why am I not surprised?"

Kanae expected her friends to come here at some point. Rosaline, however, was a surprise, but not an unwanted one. Having an alchemist in town was a boon.

"It's no Orturic, but this is better than no walls and a dragon. You got a place for us? Or work you want us to do?" Takumi asked, already raring to lend a hand.

"I'll get you guys a place to live. In the meantime, Will? Can you escort Takumi and Ingrid to the mines? You two will serve as the new foremans. The goblins like to slack off, and we can't have that," Kanae said.

"Sure… I'll bring them there…" Will groaned, clutching the side of his head.

That left Manabe and Ichi.

Kanae caught some of the gaurs at the stables throwing glances their way, specifically at the minotaur. Their stares hatched an idea in her head. She led them to the stables where Ichi was immediately smitten by a scent that made the meat behind his leather loincloth twitch.

"Why, hello. Who's this stud?" Tess asked as they came in.

"Meet Ichi, he's a good friend of mine. Ichi, meet Tess, Brenda, Loretta, Wendy, and Mirabelle. They're gaurs. Kind of like a distant cousin to the minotaur race," Kanae said, happily introducing the two bovine races.

"B-big… uh… er… I mean, i-it's n-nice to meet you!" Ichi stammered.

"Oh, he's real cute!"

"Bet this big hunk of steak is packing a lot of meat."

The gaur ladies were taken by him already, sidling up close to get a better look. It must be lonely and frustrating without any male counterparts around to mingle with, and Kanae hadn't gotten any vibes that they were interested in anyone else in the village.

"K-Kanae!" Ichi pulled her aside and away from the gaurs. "You know I don't do well around girls!"

"That's rich coming from you. Especially after you guys triple-teamed me and had an easy time talking to Edina," Kanae said.

"It's different! We knew you as a guy, and Edina's like that bully friend that takes our lunch money!"

"Look, I'm making you the village stablemaster. One of them is pregnant and needs to be milked daily. Have you any idea how much a pregnant gaur produces? It's by the bucket loads! What I really want you to do though is to knock them up," she whispered.

Ichi blinked absentmindedly.

"What…?"

"The gaurs are nomads. I need them pregnant, so they have a reason to stay in the village longer. As the closest to their race, you're the only one who's compatible. Can you do that for me?" Kanae asked.

"Kanae… I've never been more happy to be your friend… Thank you! I won't disappoint you!" Ichi exclaimed in tears.

She gave Ichi a slap on the ass with her tail, sending him forth to hopefully mate and impregnate the gaurs.

"W-What about me?" Manabe pointed eagerly to himself. "Is there going to be a harem for me, too?"

Kanae led Manabe back outside to the village gates, where the lycanbold leader, Alpha, awaited them. The humanoid reptilian beasts stood vigil on the palisade ramparts, keeping their eyes on any who would dare come too close or threaten the village.

"You're going to take over Alpha's position as the guard captain. Mainly because I have a hard time communicating with Alpha. Lycanbolds don't really have a language."

The orc sulked. "This is not the harem I was expecting…"

"What's with your guys' fixation on harems? Come on. You used to get picked on all the time for being weak. You're an orc now. Make use of that strength. Be the protector of our village. I even have an enchanted sword to give you." Kanae whistled for a lycanbold to retrieve the fiery sword from the barracks' armory.

When Manabe wielded it with both hands, his eyes lit up as brightly as the flames.

"W-Where did you get this from?" Manabe asked.

"I, uh… stole it from a group of adventurers," Kanae hesitantly admitted.

"Are we… the bad guys here?"

"Only if we have to be. There are factions out there that would sooner see our village destroyed. The Protectorate is also looking for demons, and it's only a matter of time before they find us. We have to be prepared. Besides, you always took the role of leading the charge whenever we played games together. I trust you."

It wasn't until Kanae brushed up against Manabe did he find the conviction to accept the position.

"I'll do it!" Manabe declared.

"That was easy." Arenade scoffed.

"I'm a man starved of female affection, and I'm not afraid to admit it!" he shouted with unabashed resolve to the world.

Kanae giggled off to the side. A woman's feminine charm was a powerful weapon indeed.

Finding a place for everyone to work shored up the weakest foundations of the village. Now Kanae had a lot more free time to worry about other things. Namely, a meeting with Grell and his people.

"Figure out who you're taking with you tomorrow?" Arenade asked on their way home.

"I'm going for sure. I'm also thinking of Parn, since he's originally the village elder, and Lilith as a show of force," Kanae said.

"I didn't hear my name in there. You're not seriously going to leave me behind, are you?"

"You're pregnant! I'm not going to risk that. I want you to be safe."

"You don't think I want you to be safe?" Arenade walked ahead to confront Kanae face to face.

Kanae couldn't help but smile like a fool.

"Alright. What's so funny, buster?"

"You used to want to sacrifice me to save yourself," Kanae reminded her.

"Hah! If we're digging up old memories, you fed me a potion of slumber and tossed me into a chest to test if it was a mimic!" Arenade fired back.

"Yeah… If you weren't pregnant, I probably still would," she teased, drawing both of them into laughter. "I'll be fine, really. For both our sakes, stay here and take care of Teana and Nelly— only when he wants it of course."

"Okay, okay. I'll stay. Just make sure you come back. I know I mess up a lot, but one thing's stayed true. When you're around, you somehow make things right for me. So don't go biting the dust yet."

Relieved, Kanae threw her arms around Arenade's neck and sealed the promise with a kiss.