The Hero Became a Succubus, and the Only Way to Level is to… What?!

In the morning, Kanae and Arenade saw her new friends off at the docks. Theena, Seven, and Kara had their belongings packed and ready to leave. The passenger ship bound for Savir had a line of people shuffling on board, and the three Rookies would soon follow.

It was a cute sight to see Arenade suffocating Seven with a bear hug. Each of them took turns giving one another a goodbye. When it finally came time for Kanae and Theena to bid farewell, the Arkesian girl seemed too shy and ashamed of herself to initiate.

"Come here, Theena." Kanae wrapped both arms and wings around her.

Theena settled into the hug. She sniffled a few times. As the two parted away, she offered a bright smile.

"I'm not going to waste the second chance you've given me, Kanae. I didn't expect to find a friend in a succubus. I'll never forget what you did for me. All of us," Theena said.

"Will you be fine in Savir? Considering all that's going on." Kanae recalled the civil war that was brewing up.

She nodded. "We'll be careful. The Harpy King won't do anything as long as I can continue pretending to monitor Seven. Sultana Dudula hasn't made any move on us, and we should be okay just steering clear of Cerberus' territory."

"You'll visit us, right?" Seven slammed into Kanae with a big hug, making her wish she had an adorable son to dote on. "Next time we see each other, we're going to blow your mind at how much stronger we get! I'll beat you in the next race, too! Stupid kraken interrupted us…"

"We'll try and find time to, but you need to promise not to get into any trouble. Can't visit you if a monster gets you first," she teased.

The harpy boy pouted at being underestimated. Each of them might have a new enchanted piece of equipment now, but Kanae knew first hand that it alone wouldn't be enough. They needed to rely on each other, just like how she, Arenade, and Edina had relied on each other before.

A loud, bellowing horn sounded from the ship. Its captain, a dark elven man with a pipe between his teeth, conjured a magical megaphone to speak into.

"We'll be 'parting in five minutes! Say yer goodbyes and climb aboard a'fore I leave ya behind!" he shouted.

Kara stood in place as Seven and Theena approached the ship. Her companions turned around. Eventually, she scampered over to Kanae and glanced up with her timid, big green eyes.

"Uhm… Y-You said you were from up north, didn't you? Do you happen to know a feline beastman named Camilla? I think she's called a Saint Priest, which is something important up north," Kara said.

"Camilla Rudeux? Yeah, she— Wait a minute… you two share orange hair… I haven't seen her eyes, but don't tell me…?" Kanae pieced the puzzle together right away.

"My full name is Kara Rudeux, and Camilla's my big sister. I-I just want you to give her a message. Can you tell her that…" She glanced back to Theen and Seven, who were waiting by the boarding plank to the ship. "That I'm doing just fine, and, and… that I made two really good friends?"

Kanae was beginning to see the resemblances, at least in physical appearance only. Camilla was much taller though. Their personalities also couldn't be more different. To think, she had been with the feline Saint Priest's little sister this whole time.

"Of course. I'll let Camilla know," Kanae promised her.

It didn't happen often, but Kara flashed a smile. She caught up with the rest of her friends and boarded the ship at last. The three of them stayed by the edge and waved. Seven started tearing up, and he nearly flew back to Kanae and Arenade if it wasn't for Theena holding him.

"Hic… I'm going miss those three, especially that harpy idiot…" Arenade put on a stoic face as the ship pulled away from the docks.

"I didn't think you were going to get this emotional." Kanae grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"If the Grand Eye thinks about sending you to Savir, you're taking me with you. Ahhh! But the heat and sand… Kuh!" She fought a mental battle over the pros and cons of going to Savir.

When the ship had disappeared from sight for its voyage, the two strolled over to Renya's Songstress to check on their stuff. Rown crewmen readily let them on board, and a kind sailor brought them downstairs to the cargo area.

The statue that Kanae and Arenade had commissioned from a sculptor on their first day was accounted for. A large number of ropes secured it from toppling over. A ton of souvenirs they had purchased for friends and family were strewn all about the floor, too. As for the Sceptre of Want, it was guarded by several well-armed crewmen inside the captain's quarters.

To absolutely no surprise, the guards had apparently stopped an attempted break-in the other night. They easily foiled it and tossed the intruders overboard. Chances were, Vizier Duran sent them. No one else knew where they had stowed the artifact anyway. Good to know Renya's crew were more than capable of handling a robbery attempt.

Nothing from the Praijya and the harpies though, so it was safe to assume they still believe the Sceptre of Want was in their talons.

Satisfied that everything was in place, they returned to the deck just as Renya and Thored were coming aboard.

"Yo-ho, mateys! We aren't due to sail for another day. Were you checking the goods?" Renya asked.

"Yeah, and everything is in order. Did you two actually…" Kanae squinted at the pairing.

Nothing about them suggested they had a good fuck, yet Renya shot Thored a taunting smirk. When Kanae got a good look at him, he looked absolutely terrible.

"I, uh… I ended up having indigestion from all the kraken I ate and passed out in the toilet…" Thored confessed.

Arenade turned away and stifled a laugh.

"We didn't know until one of the locals told us!" Renya shrugged. "Apparently, all kraken species have a little bit of poison in 'em. Cooking won't get rid of it either. Eat a few, and you won't notice. Eat a whole bucket full, and that adds up. I didn't get laid, but I sure had a good laugh!"

"Your surface world is terrifying… There is danger at every turn…" Thored shuddered with clear signs of PTSD.

Renya had a crewman take Thored down into the ship's infirmary to be looked after. She had healers, who could begin administering magic to soothe his stomach, but there was nothing they could do about someone having the runs.

"Anyway, what's the plan? We can set sail for Port Kandis if you wanna leave early," Renya offered.

"No, Arenade and I aren't leaving until we spend up to the last minute of this honeymoon. I think she likes this place too much to leave earlier." Kanae eyed the high elf in question.

"What? This place is the best! Minus the few hiccups, obviously. Hm… Many hiccups. Oh, gods… It just occurred to me we hadn't really experienced an actual honeymoon… The only real time we had a chance to relax was the first day and yesterday!" Arenade fell to her knees in despair.

Meanwhile, Kanae and Renya exchanged geye-rolling glances with each other. Arenade was clearly overreacting. Without a word, she shot to her feet and took them both by surprise.

"You!" Arenade clamped a vise on Kanae's wrist. "We got one day left on our honeymoon to enjoy and nothing's going to come between us!"

"Arenade, maybe we should just take it easy and— ahhh!" Kanae had no chance to protest with Arenade yanking her along.

"Have fun! I'll be here if ya need me!" Renya hollered from the ship.

The first place Arenade dragged Kanae to was a jewelry shop. It was a high end parlor with merchandise behind enchanted and reinforced glass display cases. Other wealthy patrons browsed the stock with an aura of superiority around themselves. Prospective customers inspected trinkets faceted in shapes never before seen.

At the center of the room, the jewelry store displayed its most expensive and exotic product— a gaudy longsword with a diamond-encrusted hilt and pommel. There was nothing magical about this weapon, at least not that Kanae could sense. The only special thing about it was the amount of glistening diamonds.

But Arenade wasn't drawn to that. Instead, a large golden necklace with an emerald, opal, and garnet gem glistened back in her eyes.

"I would look so divine with that on…" Arenade breathed heavily like she was in heat.

"Oh, god. That's right. I married a high elf." Kanae groaned into her hand.

"The gentle ladies have good tastes. Would you like to behold the glory of this piece with your very own hands?" An older canine woman appeared behind the display case.

Judging by the fine embroidery of her tunic, Kanae almost mistook her for a fellow customer in the store. She was actually the proprietor, whose wagging tail was eager to serve. Or… bait them into paying an exorbitant amount of money for pretty stones.

"Would I! Let me try it on, too!" Arenade insisted.

The proprietor gladly brought the necklace out. While she helped Arenade try it on, Kanae grew increasingly nervous about the price of everything in here. 150,000 gold for a platinum ring. 500,000 gold for a chain necklace. Two-million for a pair of diamond earrings. Hell, the diamond-encrusted sword didn't have a price tag. There might have been too many numbers to fit on a tag.

As for the necklace Arenade was trying on… Kanae searched the glass case for a price. The number made her jaw drop, because it was listed at a whopping fifteen-million gold. It didn't even look like it was worth that much to begin with! Did Arenade even bring that much currency with them? Because Kanae sure didn't.

"Uhm… Arenade? I-I'm pretty sure these are out of our price range," Kanae said.

"Nonsense. We have the wealth of an entire nation at our back. If I want this, then I'm getting it," Arenade declared.

"We won't have the wealth of an entire nation at our backs if you hand it all over for some colorful rocks!" she cried desperately.

"But, madame! Surely, you can see how beautiful it is on your companion. Look how it shines like her eyes," the proprietor said.

Kanae took a good look at Arenade, and she was more attracted to her boobs than the necklace. Something twinkled in her eyes, like the brief and light flash of magic.

"Heh. See, my beauty left you speechless. Alright, we're buying this! Write me the check and bill it to the Commonwealth of Sin!" Arenade brushed her hair and stuck out her chest.

"Hold on…" Kanae snatched Arenade's wrist, fetched the wand with her tail, and cast Dispel.

"What the?" She blinked a few times in confusion.

The beastman woman choked on her spit. She tried to sneak off until Kanae cast Magic Hand, which grabbed her by the back collar of her tunic.

"That's a very underhanded way of convincing people to buy your overpriced merchandise," Kanae said, walking in front of the woman to confront her.

"Hey, what did you just cast on me?!" Arenade growled.

When the woman refused to answer, Kanae placed a charm on her.

"Command, it's a paladin skill to coerce someone to follow orders. I use it on folks to seal the deal on a sale," she admitted.

Kanae ended the effects of Charm, and the proprietor fell into panic as her mind became her own again.

"P-Please, don't hurt me! I won't do anything like that again, I promise!" the woman pleaded.

"Hmm. Sure," Kanae said.

"Wait, you're just going to let this bitch go?" Arenade asked.

"Yeah. We'll go. We'll also keep quiet about your sneaky business, if you let us take this necklace for free. Fifteen-million gold is a small price to pay for crossing a succubus, right?" She stared the proprietor in the eyes.

The beastman woman wanted so badly to decline, but she had no choice and relented. They walked out with the ludicrously expensive necklace still worn around Arenade's neck.

"Look at you. If I didn't know better, you were actually a Queen-Mother's Mistress daughter for pulling something like that," Arenade joked.

"Well, it did look like you really wanted it despite being under the effect of Command. I think it does look nice on you, too." Kanae's compliment left her wife a little bashful and red.

"Hmph! I'm glad you're finally coming around and realizing what I deserve!" She whirled around, but even from here, Kanae could tell there was a big smile on her face.

Next on Arenade's to-do list before they leave Kandis was to find souvenirs for themselves. When they first arrived, they had spent all that time buying things for everyone else. While on the lookout for fun things to purchase, Kanae noticed a severe lack of adult toys. Sexy Slime Goods might need to think about expanding operations into Kandis and Savir.

A garden nursery caught their attention. The small orchard was tucked away on a section of the city that bordered the wall, leading to the forest. From trees that were fully mature to young saplings in pots with their first few sets of leaves, they stretched from front to back. Some didn't even look like they belonged here. Others were so exotic, neither Kanae nor Arenade could believe they were real.

One tree, whose trunk grew in a spiral, had melon-like yellow fruits hanging from its branches. Smaller, red fruits bulged out from the soft surface that emitted a fragrant smell.

"Oh? Hello, dearies!" An old, dark elven woman rose to meet them. Her knees were stained with soil. A woven sun hat provided her kind, wizened face a little shade. She held a spade in one hand, and a bag of fertilizer or compost in the other.

"Sorry about wandering in. We saw your orchard and wanted to check it out," Kanae said.

"In that case, you're more than welcome! They call me Aunt Yelma. This is in fact my orchard that I tend to. I grow species of trees from all over the world, using magic to create the perfect climate that matches their native home," Aunt Yelma said.

"Did you grow all this by yourself?" Arenade asked.

"No, I couldn't! I have help come by every once in a while. Family, too. What you see is decades of hard work. Come, come! Look around. I can tell you're not from Kandis or Savir. Ortesia, maybe? But they wouldn't welcome succubus-kind there. At any rate, perhaps you would like to buy one of my saplings to bring back home!" she insisted, beckoning them into the orchard.

Aunt Yelma took them on a tour around the entire orchard. The beautiful trees were also home to numerous wildlife like birds, ground critters, and insects. Though, Arenade didn't care much for the insects and even screamed when a spider landed on her shoulder.

They even considered buying a foreign sapling to bring back home. Once grown, it would probably look nice in Ehmvier or Amethyst Hall. Wait…

"Aunt Yelma? You wouldn't happen to be growing Kh'shanti, would you?" Kanae asked.

"Those massive things?" Aunt Yelma turned on her like she was crazy. "You know what? I actually do have a seed. Never considered growing it on the count of them taking forever to mature. No one alive today is going to see it in their lifetime. Hells, neither will their great, great, great, great, great grandchildren either."

The grove tender entered a little glass greenhouse and returned with a seed the size of their head. Oval in shape and chestnut brown in color, it had ridges all along the side. An opening at each focal point gave them a glimpse into a lighter, smoother seed within.

"Never thought I'd actually see a Kh'shanti seed, but here we are. This thing has to be worth a fortune. How did you even get your hands on it?" Arenade asked.

"Used to be a Kh'shanti in Savir thousands of years ago. My guess is that's where this seed came from. Some traveling merchant came by here say a decade ago and asked if I'd buy it off him. I told him I wasn't going to buy a seed I can't grow, so he left it here!" Yelma explained.

Arenade slapped a hand to her face. That merchant just dropped a goldmine in the form of a seed.

"We'll buy this. How much do you want for it?" Kanae was ready to pull out a fortune until the elf shook her head.

"I didn't pay a single gold piece for it. You can just take the seed off my hands if you promise to make it sprout. That's the greatest payment I can possibly receive," Aunt Yelma insisted.

"Thank you!" She bowed graciously.

They ended up buying some young fruit trees and exotic trees to be planted back home. Arenade wanted the prettier ones to grow in front of the castle at Ehmvier. Aunt Yelma arranged for a wagon to deliver them down to the docks. On their way out, Kanae cradled the Kh'shanti seed. Talahurah might just get its second wind because of this.