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

Leaving Kandis wasn't an issue. Getting on the boat was another matter. Desperate, Vizier Duran had come to the docks on the day Kanae and her companions were about to leave, begging for them to reconsider in giving him the Sceptre of Want. Of course, there was no way in hell Kanae would surrender an artifact containing a piece of the devil of envy.

Fortunately, even the vizier knew he was powerless. There was little he could do to stop them, and even less he could when it came to using force.

Together on the Songstress, they sailed back to Port Kandis and began their journey home to Radevic. The Imperial Span made for a smooth travel there by carriage. During the ride, Kanae and Arenade tried to germinate the Kh'shanti seed by potting it up, watering it, and using the priest's Plant Growth spell.

Nothing worked. After all, none of them were botanists or gardeners. The extent of their green thumbs had been toiling in the fields as farmers during the Commonwealth's infancy, then cheating with Arenade's signature Plant Growth.

"What if I try bonding with you?" Kanae suggested.

"Don't Bond me! It's not going to work, and you'll just make me horny for no reason," Arenade said.

"I fail to see any downsides to this," she replied promptly.

A sharp glare shut down any more attempts on the matter. The big seed rested within a ceramic pot, filled with incredibly fertile soil purchased from a village during one of their pit stops. Arenade had been casting Plant Growth non-stop, but the only thing growing within were grasses and weed that hitched a ride in their pot.

They were missing something. What, neither of them were sure.

Kanae had thought they could restore the Kh'shanti to Talahurah, but that might have been too ambitious. At this rate, Aunt Yelma was right. No one alive today or in the next several generations would see the tree mature.

"Wait!" Arenade exclaimed. "We are missing something. Very important actually. The Kh'shanti in Talahurah sat on top of a large mana flow and acted like a sponge cap. Obviously, I alone won't have enough magic to feed the seed. We'll probably need to bring it there first."

"That makes sense… You think Plant Growth will be able to speed up the process when we plant it in Talahurah?" Kanae asked.

"Won't know until we try. Priests aren't the only crowned classes with Plant Growth, you know? Wild mystics like Shamans, Soothsayers, Sages, and the likes share the skill, too. It's not going to happen overnight, but maybe in a few years… who knows." The high elf shrugged.

It was worth a try then.

Both of them leaned back in their cushiony seats of the Rown carriage and sighed. Not long now before they reach Radevic. Like magnets, their hands eventually found each other and locked tightly.

The honeymoon might not have turned out the way they wanted, but it sure ended up being a memorable one.

Since there was a lot to bring back, they chartered multiple carriages for the journey. Renya was in the frontmost vehicle, containing all of their souvenirs. Thored occupied the open-back wagon that had Kanae and Arenade's statue. He wanted to see the surface world with his own eyes rather than being cooped up within a carriage. That left the two of them alone in the third carriage along with their belongings.

"You know… We still have another day before arriving at Radevic," Kanae said, turning to her wife with a seductive look.

"Geh. D-Didn't we have enough sex in Kandis?" Arenade stammered.

Without giving Arenade a chance to protest further, Kanae pinned her down on the seat and kissed her. Very quickly, the elf's resistance waned.

"There's no way I can get enough of your divine body," Kanae whispered coyly.

"Fine…" Arenade avoided looking Kanae in the eyes and was covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

Their carriage rocked the rest of the way to Radevic. Thankfully, Rown Company was ahead of its time with their vehicles having developed suspensions. They were originally designed to make it easier to travel through the rough, undeveloped terrains of the Commonwealth, but their effectiveness led to Renya rolling them out to their fleet of vehicles. Those same suspensions saved the carriage as Kanae and Arenade fucked the entire way home.

When they reached Radevic at last, parked in front of the gates to Aidenhall, a very disheveled Arenade stumbled out first. The right strap of her robe was slipping down her shoulder, the normally straight, flowing locks of golden hair were a tangled mess, and she had bags under her eyes.

On the other hand, Kanae emerged from the carriage absolutely glowing. Stretching her arms to the warm early sun, she was brimming with energy first thing in the morning.

"I hate you," Arenade grumbled.

"I love you." Kanae pressed their lips together, causing her high elven lover to turn bright red and pout.

Renya and Thored hopped off from their carriages next. The tall, adamantine-reinforced walls that surrounded Aidenhall towered before them. Guards stationed at the gate saluted Kanae.

"So, where do you want your statue?" Renya asked, thumbing to the silly sculpture of Kanae and Arenade in the middle of fighting themselves.

"I think we want it in Ehmvier after all. Can we count on you?" Kanae asked.

"Can you count on me? Count on Rown! Hah! I should start using that tagline from now on. Yeah, I'll get my crew to ship it in a jiffy. I gotta be up north to oversee the northwestern arm of the Imperial Span anyway. You need anything, just let Thedia over at HQ know." Renya slapped Kanae hard on the back before jumping onto the wagon with the statue.

The Rown drivers of the remaining two vehicles headed through the opening gates into Aidenhall. Kanae, Arenade, and Thored followed suit. A commotion and crowd drew their attention to the courtyard though.

Saint Priest Vestrid and a platoon of knights stood around, looking very troubled at someone kneeling in the dirt. Whoever they were, the drakeling seemed reluctant to stop them. Kanae drew closer to investigate, only to find that that someone was Lord Charron.

The dreaded Demon Lord of Artaggon was on his knees, garden spade in hand, and humming to himself as he planted flowers on a barren plot of soil. Instead of his regal garb, he had on overalls and a sunhat nestled between two horns.

"What… is going on here?" Kanae asked.

"Oh, Amethyst? Welcome back from your vacation with Queen-regent Arenade. Maybe you can talk some sense into Lord Charron. For the past few weeks since you were gone, he's been planting wildflowers native to Artaggon. We keep trying to tell him that doing so risks introducing invasive species to Radevicm but he refuses to listen," Vestrid explained.

"Your concerns are unfounded!" Lord Charron exclaimed. "There's nothing invasive about Artaggon's flora. Behold, the agar serpent plant! It is renowned for its beauty and captivating stems that look and move like snakes. Gorgeous, isn't it?"

The flower Charron had just planted sported long and wide green leaves. Its stems seemed to behave strangely, like snakes searching for prey on the ground. A fragrant smell emitted from it, even though the flower buds had yet to bloom.

Suddenly, a little groundhog poked its head out of the earth. The tiny critter went to check out the new plant, only for agar serpent plant to snatch it up. Everyone gasped in terror. The plant reeled the groundhog into its foliage, where a short squeak cried out before going silent.

They turned their glares at the gardener.

"It, uhh… makes for great pest control?" Charron laughed nervously.

"For the last time, Lord Charron, please keep non-native plants potted indoors. If you do not remove the agar serpent by next morning, we will have a landscaper come to cut it down." Vestrid sighed and rallied the Aidenhall knights towards the palace. The drakeling paused in front of Kanae before leaving. "And Amethyst, since you're back, you should report to the Grand Eye in the cathedral once you get the chance."

Good idea, given what Kanae had brought back and what might be transpiring over in Savir.

"My Lord Charron! I've returned to the surface to serve at your side!" Thored kneeled.

"Thored, is that you? Should you be at…" Charron counted off his fingers until he reached three. "Necro Lord's Tomb #3? What are you doing here, and what happened to the dungeon?"

"About that…" The former Necro Lord turned his attention to Kanae.

"We brought the Sceptre of Want to the surface!" Kanae took the morningstar out of the container to show him.

"YOU DID WHAT?!" He backed away in fright.

It took a lot of explaining to convince Lord Charron that Saffronesse, the devil of envy, was not currently awake or active after defeating her vessel. He certainly gave them a scolding about pulling the Sceptre of Want from the tomb though.

"If anything, you should be thanking us!" Arenade jabbed a finger into her brother's chest. "There were people after this thing. Had we not been there, they might have succeeded! Better in our hands than the Empire of Ortesia or some idiot in Savir."

"The problem, dear Arenade… is that it is in our hands now! You have opened up the possibility of more people possibly wanting to steal it. Think! Did all your brain matter fall into your tits?" Charron sassed back.

Offended, Arenade recoiled and gasped. She cast Plant Growth on the agar serpent flower, aging it into a much larger specimen. Snake-like stems fired out and seized hold of Charron, who started panicking at being restrained.

"My lord! What are you two doing?" Thored went to try and free Charron, but the grasping stems grabbed hold of him, too.

"Look, we're going to take this thing up to the Silver Hall to have it vaulted. In the meantime, you should probably get this agar plant out of here before anyone else gets hurt," Kanae said.

"Heh. You're looking a little tied up, brother! Maybe you should try calling for help." Arenade sneered as they left.

Charron furrowed his brows, and his muffled complaints grew increasingly frustrated. Kanae and Arenade flew up to the Silver Hall in search of the Knight of Silver, but Estaline wasn't there.

Instead, they found Runald directing several mages down into the vaults underneath the hall. They were carrying a small, ornate box that likely contained a dangerous magical item from the previous vault. He waved to Kanae as soon as their eyes met.

"Kanae— er… Knight-Commander Amethyst, you're back from your honeymoon! I hope you two enjoyed yourselves, because the last week has been very busy for us," Runald explained.

"Fun for someone." Arenade eyed Kanae with a steely gaze.

Runald didn't seem to catch on, and he cocked his head in confusion.

"Ignore Arenade. She's just mad we spent most of our honeymoon roped up in something. Anyway, where's Esta? I was hoping to see her," Kanae said.

"There was an incident south of Lograin involving someone misusing a dangerous spell book. Grand Eye Analise sent Knight-Commander Silver to apprehend the miscreant and retrieve the tome, then determine if it needs to be vaulted. What do you have there? A new staff?" Runald pointed to the Sceptre of Want in her hand.

"Oh, this? It's a devil's artifact that I was hoping the Silver Hall can put away," she answered as a matter of factly.

The three of them exchanged uneasy glances until Runald took a step back.

"Why is it that trouble always seems to find its way to you?" Runald squinted suspiciously.

"Yeah, Runald! You tell her. This bitch got us jumping into a Necro Lord's Tomb and getting into some political BS with another country!" Arenade spared no punches.

"Get off my back, guys! Can this be put in the vault or not?" Kanae groaned.

"Yes, we can." He sighed, then walked over to a brass speaker that traveled up and out of sight into the ceiling. "Code red, code red. Silver Hall, please fall into formation for the vaulting process of a level 5 dangerous magical item. I repeat: a level 5 dangerous magical item."

All at once, the Silver Hall rumbled with activity. Esta's troops descended from the stairs in full armor and armed to the teeth. The magically-inclined readied spells and wielded anti-magic instruments.

"Uh. What's going on?" Arenade tensed up as a hazmat-suited man unburdened the Sceptre of Want from her.

"Level 5 is the highest priority for things like an artifact belonging to a devil. It's all hands on deck. We're going to go into lockdown now, so you two might want to leave unless you want to be stuck here for a whole day," Runald explained.

"A whole day? Doing what?" Kanae gasped.

"Vaulting the artifact. What else? We can never be too careful. Every precaution needs to be taken. I'll see you tomorrow, maybe. If you see Silver returning early, can you send her our way? Thanks!" He shooed the two of them out.

The portcullis dropped, the giant steel doors slammed shut, and the bridge lifted to separate Silver Hall from the rest of the palace. All of this happening with Kanae and Arenade's jaws on the ground.

"Delivery for— huh? Oh, gods damn it. If someone steals your package, I ain't responsible!" An exasperated delivery man tossed a small box to the floor and turned around.

"You can handle the rest, right?" Arenade granted herself wings with Holy Armament.

"Huh? Where are you going?" Kanae asked.

"I'm all sticky and sweaty, so a bath is in order. Besides, you meeting with the Grand Eye is Order of Colors business. The kids are probably waiting for one of us at home!" she exclaimed.

Kanae sulked. When Arenade saw, she expelled a heavy sigh and landed back on the ground. The two of them embraced, but it was Arenade who initiated a kiss this time.

"Figure out what you want to do with the seed, then come get me. I'll be at the mansion!" Arenade smiled and took off into the air.

Kanae recalled Vestrid telling her that the Grand Eye was at the Basilica of Saint Rue. She hurried there to find the holy leader of Radevic praying with groups of people at a time. Occasionally, someone injured or ailing asked her for healing, and she was more than eager to provide restorative magic.

Two Saint Priests were doing the same. Delayn was playing with a little girl by giving her a shoulder ride. Camilla read a story to two children while their parents were with the Grand Eye.

"Camilla, you have a minute?" Kanae asked.

"Awww. Looks like we're going to need to pick this story up another time, kids! Run along now. The Grand Eye seems just about done with your parents." Camilla ushered them away and put the book down.

The children groaned in unison, but they ultimately listened and skittered off.

"You're surprisingly good with kids for someone who smokes like a chimney," Kanae joked.

"Excuse me! This and that have nothing to do with each other. I'll have you know, I used to be a teacher before I became a knight in service to Aidenhall!" Camilla grinned.

"I'm not sure how to broach the subject, but… I met your sister Kara in Kandis. She and her friends are traveling into Savir as adventurers. Kara wanted me to let you know that she's doing just fine over there."

Camilla was speechless. It didn't look like she expected the news, but a second later, her lips softened into a content smile.

"Is that so? I'm glad! Man, what a load off my shoulders… When I left Savir to become an adventurer up here, it was so that I could send income back to my family. Hehe. I get it. Kara's following in her big sister's footsteps! Atta girl! Huuu~ This calls for a celebratory smoke, and you're joining me, Amethyst!" Camilla was about to pull out her pipe until Delayn whacked her hand.

"No! You're in the Basilica of Saint Rue. Be mindful of the sick, Camilla. As for you, Amethyst, the Grand Eye is expecting you. Go on before the sight of you makes me want to self-flagellate," Delayn said.

"Good to see you, too." Kanae rolled her eyes.

Grand Eye Analise was just now saying goodbye to a few congregants. They bid their thanks and farewell to her with sincere gratitude.

"Sometimes I forget you have duties other than being a political leader," Kanae remarked playfully and took a seat beside her.

"Ha! You and me, both. The glow on your face tells me it was a good honeymoon, Amethyst. I should be glad you aren't after my William, though a certain persistent hobgoblin you brought here has her claws around him…" Grand Eye Analise growled.

"F-Forget about Aisha. I have a report to make!" She quickly shifted the conversation to avoid her wrath.

Kanae spent the better part of an hour recounting everything that happened during her honeymoon in Kandis. From the meeting with Vizier Duran, the Ortesian cell, Saffronesse and her artifact, the Necro Lord's Tomb and Thored, the Knight of Red's potential whereabouts, and finally the potential ramifications of butting into Savir's civil war.

Through it all, Analise didn't seem very concerned. She was more amused than anything. The only element that worried her was the Empire of Ortesia's involvement.

"Of course, Ortesia has to stick their gold-dusted fingers into everything. What happened with the tomb and its Necro Lord is a boon for us, seeing as Lord Charron is an ally to us now. Also, good on you for taking Saffronesse's artifact directly to the Silver Hall. It is working as intended. As for Savir, I've known about their civil war for years now. It's all very self-contained though. However, if the empire is involved, then it's good that you stumbled into their mess. Thank you for your thorough report, Amethyst. I have a lot to think about." Analise offered a nod to dismiss Kanae, but she stayed put.

"I also have the matter of the Kh'shanti seed. Would it be alright if I make use of the Illuminant Repository to find a way to germinate it? I want to bring the seed to Talahurah and grow them a new tree," Kanae said.

"By all means. Consider the library at your disposal. Find Lanil Hammerthorn, too. Chappy should be a great help. Until then, though… I suggest you check in at the Amethyst Hall. It has been rather… chaotic as of late." It sounded like Analise had to pick her words carefully.

Somehow, that made Kanae even more worried. After bowing to the Grand Eye, she spread her wings and flew out a window from the cathedral. The Amethyst Hall wasn't much farther from there.

From the outside, everything looked normal. The gate was in one piece. The hall wasn't falling apart. There weren't any dead or unconscious bodies leading up to the garrison either. So far, so good—

Until Kanae entered the main floor of the Amethyst Hall.

"Edina! If I find one more skeleton hiding in my closet, I'm going to stick their bones up your ass!" Petyr roared.

Claudia and Hilde were doing their best, holding the insane strength of the high elven paladin back. If they let go, Petyr might actually rip Edina's throat out. Meanwhile, the squirreling necromancer stood behind the safety of two death knights. She wasn't at all hiding her taunting smirk.

"You were an enemy up until a few months ago! You really think I wouldn't keep an eye on ya? Come on, pally! Put them hands up. Just because I'm a necromancer, doesn't mean I go down to holy magic!" Edina cackled from atop a death knight's shoulder.

"What the… Where's Vice-Captain Alicia to take charge?!" Kanae exclaimed.

"Worry not, Knight-Commander." A light breeze followed the quiet voice.

Without warning, Petyr Stormcloud fell face first into the ground. Edina also hit the ground with a thud. Each of them had a small knife in their backs, the blade dripping with purplish venom.

"Not… again…" Petyr winced.

"Vice-Cap… you bitch… Wait until… I'm undead and immune to toxins…" Edina croaked and foamed at the mouth.

"Took you long enough, sis!" Claudia sighed.

Alicia was sitting on a chair when her invisibility subsided. She flipped a dagger from one hand to the next and nodded.

"Knight-Commander Amethyst has returned. Is this not cause for celebration?" Alicia flashed her once in a blue moon smile.

"Glad to see nothing's changed…" Kanae chuckled.