Succubi Chapter 92. Let Me Marry This Meat
The food was warm. The room smelled like garlic butter, grilled meat, and fresh bread. Lilith's kitchen staff had gone full demon-Michelin mode tonight, and I was not about to let that effort go to waste.
Sera finally released me, but she didn't exactly… detach. She kept clinging to my side like a lazy tentacle-laden cat, humming beside me with her chin resting on my shoulder. She was in full koala-mode now, drooling a little from the corner of her lip as she reached over to steal another roasted potato off my plate.
And me?
I was still embarrassed.
But food was food.
So yeah, I ate like a glutton.
Fork in one hand. Rib in the other. Bite, chew, moan a little, repeat. My stomach was a black hole, and my pride had clocked out two bites ago. I was starving. Maybe it was the aftermath of the mock battle test I just cleared. Or maybe—
Oh right.
Maybe because Sera had sucked me dry.
Like, literally.
After a battle.
Right before dinner.
Yeah.
That was probably it.
Energy: gone.
Ego: melted.
Body: drained like a demonic Capri-Sun.
I shoveled a mouthful of mashed potato into my mouth and hummed like a blissed-out idiot. "Mmmmhm."
Sera hummed back, like an off-key duet partner. Still on my shoulder. Still chewing like the world was ending tomorrow.
We probably looked like a pair of sugar-high kids who just raided a cursed buffet.
And then I noticed it.
The vibe.
The silence.
I blinked.
The rest of the table… was staring at me.
Not hard.
But definitely staring.
Still eating, yes. Still chewing, stabbing food, sipping bloodwine—but also glancing my way with those oddly knowing eyes.
Eyes that said 'we're watching you, kid.'
I paused mid-bite, rib halfway to my mouth.
I frowned. "Why are you all looking at me?"
Rivy didn't say anything. She just blinked and stabbed a cherry tomato with suspicious intensity.
Val shrugged and kept eating like nothing was weird. She had her usual detached vibe going, slowly chewing her garlic-glazed fish, licking her fingers, unfazed.
I looked at them one by one. "What?"
No answer.
Awkward.
I went back to eating. "Whatever," I mumbled, voice muffled around a chunk of brisket. "Let me marry this meat."
Then Gladia, across the table, piped up. Her voice soft, but firm. "Evan."
I glanced up, cheeks stuffed like a squirrel. "Hm?"
She tilted her head. "We heard what happened."
I chewed a bit slower. Swallowed. "Oh. The test?"
"The battle," Val said.
"You almost died," Gladia added.
I nodded, grabbing a cup of berry juice. "Yeah, kinda. I did almost die."
Rivy finally spoke. "But why are you acting like it didn't matter?"
I paused again.
Cup halfway to my lips.
"…What do you mean?"
Gladia leaned in, her expression weirdly sincere. "You look so… relaxed now. You almost died, Evan. Like—died died. Not fainted. Not failed a quiz. You were inches from losing your soul."
I frowned. "So I'm supposed to panic now?"
Val tapped her spoon against her plate. "Not panic. But maybe act like it affected you? I don't know—be mad?"
"Mad?" I echoed, genuinely confused.
"Yeah," she said, a bit sharper now. "Mad that a siren tried to kill you. Mad that the King has you on a hit list. Mad that you're not safe even inside the academy. Something."
I blinked. Set my fork down slowly.
Evelyn made a sharp 'tsk' sound beside Gladia. "See? Hopeless."
I looked around the table, suddenly feeling like I'd missed some group assignment. "Okay, wait—what's going on?"
Lilith didn't even raise her voice. She just kept stirring her sauce bowl and said calmly, "You're acting like nothing happened. Like this isn't a big deal."
I inhaled.
Exhaled.
Then I nodded.
"This is a big deal," I said. "I know it is."
My voice wasn't defensive. It was quiet. Honest.
"But the problem is—what can I do about it?"
They looked at me.
I picked up my cup again and took a sip.
"Let's be honest," I continued, voice steady now. "I'm still weak. I'm growing, yeah—but not fast enough. And out there? Some demons eat other demons like it's gourmet. I'm royal-blooded. That probably makes me extra tasty."
Sera made a small sound beside me, as if agreeing with that last bit. I ignored it.
"And the King?" I added. "Wants me dead. Or worse—wants to use me. So what's my move? Try to claim the throne now? Go out with a flag and a declaration and die five minutes later? That's not bravery. That's suicide with drama. And stupidity."
The table was quiet again.
"So," I said, grabbing another potato, "what I can do is push myself to get stronger. That's the plan. The only plan. The academy? Sure, it's helpful. But it feeds me holograms. Not blood. Not XP. I can't level up fighting light projections."
I looked up. "That's why the test was important to me. The mission. That siren? She was real. Her claws were real. Her death? Real. I felt it. I earned it. And I got stronger from it."
Then I leaned forward, elbows on the table, voice low but focused.
"Unless one of you has a faster way to level me up… that's what I've got."
Silence.
No one moved.
Not even a spoon clinked.
They just looked at me.
Like I'd grown horns.
Or sprouted wings.
Or finally evolved from dumb-ass to strategic threat.
Then—
A wet pat landed on my head.
I flinched.
One of Sera's tentacles had reached up and patted me. Repeatedly.
Like I was a toddler who just learned to use the potty.
She nodded proudly. "Good boy."
I stared at her with full deadpan.
"Sera," I said slowly, "I swear to the abyss…"
She nodded again. "You actually said something logical and smart," Sera mused, genuinely surprised. "I'm shocked."
I squinted at her. "Hey, did you think I'm dumb or something?"
She shook her head slowly. "Nooo. Not dumb. But I am shocked that, despite your whole nonchalant attitude, you're actually thinking ahead."
I opened my mouth to clap back, but she added—
"Though… your calmness is kind of concerning."
That one hit a little different.
I didn't have a comeback for that.
Not really.
Because yeah… maybe that was what people thought about me.
Too calm.
Too casual.
Like I was pretending nothing mattered.
When the truth was—I just didn't know how to show it did.
The girls were still staring. Not judging now. Not confused.
Just quiet.
Respectful.
Val broke the silence. "He's not wrong."
Evelyn tilted her head. "Still hopeless."
Gladia smiled. "Maybe just a little less hopeless now."
Lilith's lips curved. "You've finally said something that made sense."
That felt weirdly like a compliment.
I leaned back, chewing again. "Thanks… I think."
Sera wrapped her arm around me again and sighed dramatically. "My Evan is growing teeth. Soon he'll be a real demon. With goals and edge."
"I've always had edge."
"No, you had horny panic. That's different."
I groaned. "No—no, I don't."
I gave her that look. That desperate, pleading gaze that said 'please don't embarrass me more. Have mercy.'
Of all the sins in the dorm, I never thought Sloth would be the one who could reduce me to this.
Sera smirked, clearly enjoying herself.
"Fine," she said with faux innocence, like she wasn't already plotting her next attack on my dignity.
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