"What do you want, mortal?"
The succubus spoke to me, crossing her legs. It was clear she had no interest in me, the moment it was revealed I wasn't Beelzebub.
But... a succubus was a succubus, I could probably make a deal with it.
[Demon Prince (Partial)]
"Aghh..."
The succubus winced slightly. At first, she thought it was a misunderstanding, but now, seeing me having the presence of a demon prince firsthand.
It now looked like she wasn't crazy after all.
"Beelzebub's authority... why do you have it?"
"I'd rather not tell a succubus about any sensitive information," I replied. Remaining as calm as possible was my only defence; demons loved prey who feared them.
The only way to make them less interested was to make yourself as uninteresting as possible.
"You..."
The succubus tried to reach out to me, but the moment she was inches away from my skin, she felt a sharp prickling sensation vibrate throughout her entire body.
It was my partial demonic authority... instinctually preventing me from being touched by any demonic entity lower than me.
"What do you want from me..." She looked me up and down, still confused about what I am. "Half-breed..."
"Abandon your current vessel."
"For what? You can't just say that without expecting me to ask nothing in return..."
While she couldn't harm me, I couldn't harm her either; we were trapped in a perfect stalemate.
She looked at me again, tilting her head and uncrossing her legs. "Actually... you might have something that I'm interested in..."
She purred.
Is she... is she proposing what I'm thinking she's proposing?
"I might... accept your offer, if only you allow me to turn you into my host..."
A host, a succubus's special magic that allows it to parasitise on a willing vessel, gaining power and experience in tandem with the host.
It was the reason why most succubi were as powerful as they were in the novel; they had a ton of willing men that they could just leech off of.
"So... what do you say?"
But that isn't a deal I'm willing to make. The moment she makes contact with my chaos energy, she would likely evolve into a succubi queen... still lower than me in demonic rank, but still dangerous.
And I'd rather not willingly create a high-tier demon just for an amulet to literally counter demons.
It's like giving away a dollar and being handed another dollar.
"Declined..."
"Not so gullible, are you?"
The succubi crossed their arms, looking at me expectantly. "Well? Give me your own terms already."
"Make a contract with me..." I offered that, while being a host was a one-sided deal, a contract benefited both if it was written correctly.
And god knows I've had my fair share of reading contracts in the past.
"A contract?" The succubi laughed at my shamelessness. She was already in a losing deal here, and yet I dared ask for more?
"You're kidding, right?"
She narrowed her eyes, starting to get irritated.
But I doubled down.
"Think about it... If I already have a demon prince's authority as a mortal, imagine my potential when I eventually die and get sent to hell... imagine the fame you get for creating a contract with me while I was still... fresh."
I tried to make it as tempting as possible, and this time, I wasn't even lying; I wasn't just content to borrow a demon prince's power. I was planning to obtain it fully without needing the ring.
And for any demons who had sided with me when I eventually achieved that goal... they would gain power beyond imagination.
And this time, I didn't even need to worry about her turning into a succubus queen; instead, I'd actually prefer it if she did, because a contract would make her work with me.
Not against me.
So her evolving would just also make me stronger.
"Big words... but other than that, you didn't really show me anything impressive that would warrant your boasting."
[Chaos Serpent]
I cast immediately the moment she doubted me, already having it in the chamber, just waiting for it to be useful.
"N-Nevermind..." The succubi's eyes widened, chuckling. "Fine~"
She stood up from the bed, looking at me eye to eye. "You know... You have quite a nice figure... I guess that's a bonus."
There it is... the classic Succubi personality trait.
But I didn't mind... if it wasn't Evelina, I wasn't interested.
And speaking of Evelina... could giving her a succubi servant work as a good gift?
Might be worth a try.
"Here..."
I opened my palm, and from it appeared a demonic contract, laying out my terms.
And to her surprise, I was fairly... well... fair, she had her own fair share of power, and I had mine, not only that, but it even said that she could even get a better vessel if I found one.
It wasn't a bad contract at all.
"Wow~ You really know how to make a girl's day."
She bit on her finger, using the blood that came out of it as ink to sign the contract.
And the moment she did, she blew a kiss at me, right before turning into a red fabric that wrapped around my neck, which could easily be mistaken as a choker.
"Guess... that's that."
It went smoother than I expected, honestly.
With my only gripe being the fact that I looked stupid with the fabric on... but I'd be an idiot arguing over a succubus on what proper attire should look like.