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

As soon as Kanae returned home to the comforts of the Amethyst Hall, she threw herself into bed and shut her eyes. The journey turned out longer than expected due to their impromptu adventure into Faerealm. Alicia had wanted to give her a report of what happened while they were away, but she was too tired to hear it. Tomorrow. She would get a handle on things tomorrow instead. For now, she just wanted to sleep the whole day away.

The soft, cool pillow Kanae rested her head on was slowly luring her to slumber. If only she could cast Sleep on herself. Or maybe she needed to go to Suvius and catch a bavarii.

Kanae was beginning to drift off until someone knocked on the door.

"Knight-Commander," Alicia began from the other side, "I know you asked not to be bothered, but your daughter, Teana, has come to see you. Shall I tell her to return at a later time?"

"Teana? I'm up!" Kanae leaped off the bed right away.

Work could wait. But family was another matter entirely. Together with Alicia, they headed down to the main floor of Amethyst Hall. Teana waited patiently while seated at a dining table. Quartermaster Meidina had just gotten done serving her tea, bowed, and then departed back to her duties.

The adorable girl picked up the hot teacup in hand and nervously took a sip. It proved too hot, and she recoiled a little before pouting at her own mistake.

"Teana!" Kanae made herself known, both arms outstretched to her daughter.

"Mama! It feels like forever since I saw you!" Teana hugged back and locked horns together.

"After coming back from the honeymoon with Arenade, we suddenly needed to go to Talahurah. It's been so busy. I'm sure the Grand Eye has work for me to do soon, too. So, what are you doing here? Did you want to join Amethyst Hall to be with me?" she asked.

"Wait, can I? Er…" Her daughter pressed her fingers together anxiously. "I just wanted to ask you for help about something… C-Can you… t-teach me how to make Nelly like me!"

The sudden outburst caught Kanae by surprise.

As it turned out, Teana was having a young love crisis. Kanae tried to give Alicia the boot, but she refused to leave and also wanted to hear what Teana had to say. Unable to even command the Vice-Captain back to her duties, Kanae relented.

They sat together and listened to Teana's troubles. Apparently, Revah and Pan had ramped up their attempts in pursuing Nelly romantically. It had gotten to the point where their antics were affecting their studies. According to Teana, Revah laid a trap where Nelly usually sat in World History class. The second he took his seat, a net dropped down and entangled him, and she kidnapped him for half the day.

Recently, Pan had started asking Nelly's help during sparring lessons, so the two were spending a lot more time together. As for Mikki, having found a relationship with Daya, she had since backed off in her pursuits but was still somewhat interested in him for a male mate.

Just yesterday, which was what led Teana to this juncture, Nelly declared to them that he intended to trial for the Azure Hall. A big step that was going to take a lot of work. From what Kanae remembered in a passing meeting with other Colored Knights, William Bellevue conducted recruitment based on several criterias: conviction, strength, and intellect. Nelly was sure to make it, and Arenade should be proud of him. But for Teana who was in love with him, it meant they would start seeing each other less and less. She didn't want to dissuade Nelly from his dreams. Her coming to Kanae today was a last ditch effort for her to find a way to get her feelings through to him.

"At this rate, I'm going to become a grandmother before 30." Kanae sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye.

"This is serious!" Teana pouted and turned red. "Revah and Pan are being so proactive, but I can't help but feel like I should be giving him space. At the same time, I'm wondering if I need to be just as proactive instead?"

"Have you considered shackling him to your room?" Alicia suggested.

Kanae glared at her Vice-Captain.

"What? It's what my mother did to my father. It's also what I intend to do when I find a suitable mate," she added like it was a fact of life.

"Don't listen to her, Teana. Their family dynamic resulted in her being trapped inside an underwater temple for years," Kanae said.

"Hey…"

"What should I do then?" Teana asked.

"Sit Nelly down like what we're doing now and talk to him. Tell him how you really feel. But just using words isn't always enough. You have to show him. Your actions matter as much as what you say. Don't forget, you're a succubus. Just do what you do best and use your natural charm," she explained.

It was probably the only advice Kanae knew to give. Nelly was a straight-forward boy. Ever since they met in No Man's Land, his maturity and diligence had only improved. If Teana spoke to him in a genuine manner, he would know to do the same.

"Okay. Talk to him. Show him. Use my natural charm. Thanks, Mama! Thanks, Miss Alicia!" Teana flew off in a hurry.

"Aside from you slighting my circumstances, I always find your relationship with your daughters refreshing. You urge that they do better rather than demand it. Tell me, does it often work?" Alicia asked curiously.

"Well… sometimes. I just have to hope it does." Kanae sighed.

Over the next few days getting back into the swing of things, Kanae occasionally thought of how her daughters were doing. Teana, Revah, and Pan had a bad habit of going overboard. Being young and naive was their excuse. If it wasn't for Arenade pushing them to go to school, they could have been much more rambunctious.

As a Knight of Color, fighting monsters and defending the city states of the eastern continent wasn't their only duty. Instructors sometimes asked Kanae to step in to provide lessons to students of Knights' Academy. Scholars who needed assistance with experiments or a particular reagent from the field came to her for help, too.

Today was one such day. Kanae provided a hands-on lesson in facing succubus magic. Students eagerly lined up so they could experience the effects first hand. As a request from an old instructor when Kanae was still a student, she found it difficult to refuse.

"I can't believe Teana's mom is about to cast magic on me— eeeeiiii!" A male student dropped to his knees, and a wet spot formed around the crotch area while he shuddered intensely.

"That was Turn Horny. If a succubus finds that they can't easily charm you, they might use this spell to weaken you first. It's actually a spell that you can dodge as long as you're quick. Next, I'll show you how Drain works." Kanae pulled up a chair and beckoned another male student to take a seat.

Fortunately, he was already erect. She pulled his pants down, and a penis sprung out in full mast. He and some other students covered their faces out of embarrassment.

"Contrary to popular belief, a succubus doesn't need to be having sex with you to drain you. It's actually any sexual encounter. Meaning… a simple handjob is enough." Kanae wrapped her fingers around his member to jerk him off.

Every young man in the room popped a boner if they hadn't already. The instructor watching from the side included.

She continued, "Stamina, health, and mana will be drained if you let this happen. By then, it's usually a guarantee that you've lost. As tempted as you might be, try not to let a succubus put you in this position."

The squirming student couldn't take it any longer and fired strings of ejaculate into the air. Kanae cleaned him up with Prestidigitation. When asked who was next, the instructor interjected that class was over.

"Awww!" Everyone erupted with disappointed groans.

"I wish you were that disappointed whenever I end my lessons. Get going! Amethyst is surely very busy!" He shooed the students out of class.

On the way out, the instructor grabbed Kanae by the hand.

"How about some supplementary lessons? For old times' sake?" he suggested lecherously.

"Well… I guess a refresher couldn't hurt." Kanae bit her lower lip and was about to reenter the classroom with her former teacher until a few students called for her.

"Amethyst, do you have a moment?" a human female student asked.

"Oh, sure. Sorry, Instructor. Feel free to find me if your classes need another lesson." She smiled and waved goodbye.

The man cursed under his breath and slinked into the classroom dejectedly.

"We were wondering if you've seen Nelly. He hasn't been coming to class, and when we tried to ask Teana, she kind of brushed us off. We're just a little worried, because we have a group project on magical armaments due at the end of this week," she explained.

"Why would Teana… hmm." Kanae had a bad feeling about this and wondered if it involved Teana asking for advice the other day. "Don't worry. I'll go find Nelly for you."

First, Kanae checked Nelly's room in the dormitory. She knocked on the door and announced herself. The door swung open, and it was Arenade's adopted dark elven son who answered.

"Kanae? What is it?" Nelly tilted his head.

"Huh… Have you seen Teana?" Kanae asked, realizing full well by the soft glow of his eyes that he had been charmed.

"Teana went to the cafeteria to pick up some food for me. Said she'll be back later. Anyway, I better get back to studying—"

When Nelly tried to close the door, Kanae wedged a foot in. She retrieved her wand and cast Dispel on him. The Charm spell dissipated. He stood there and blinked for a few seconds, then locked eyes with her.

"AHHHHH! Damn it, Teana! She's been keeping me charmed for days! You've got to help me. When she comes back and realizes the effect is gone, she's just going to put it on me again!" Nelly cried.

"Calm down and drink this." Kanae plugged an anti-succubus magic potion into his mouth. "You're lucky I keep some around in case I run into the Queen-Mother's succubi. Why is Teana suddenly putting a charm on you?"

"As if I know… One day, she asked to talk. We talked. We, uh… ehm… just cuddled a little while talking about school, and then she charmed me. It just came out of nowhere!" he groaned.

Kanae sweated bullets. Teana did the talking and showing right. Her daughter clearly mistook what she meant by 'natural charm'. 

"What about Revah and Pan? Are they in on this?" Kanae asked.

"I haven't seen them since I've been stuck in my room!" Nelly retorted.

"Mama? What are you doing outside of Nelly's ro… oh." Teana shrunk under both of their fiery stares.

Kanae had Teana sit on her knees inside Nelly's room. The two of them loomed over her, arms folded and thoroughly disappointed. A bowl of stew Teana had brought from the mess hall for Nelly rested on the nightstand, slowly getting cold.

"When you mentioned 'natural charm' I thought you meant it literally! At least I didn't put a chain on Nelly like Miss Alicia suggested," Teana said in defense of herself.

"That's no excuse! Didn't we go through this before? That you can't compel someone to love you back?" Kanae sighed.

"Love? Is that what this is about? I thought you charmed me because you were jealous of Revah and Pan!" Nelly exclaimed.

"W-Well… that's part of it…" She went redder than a tomato. "Sometimes, I feel like you don't like me! You group up with girls from other classes. You're almost always with Revah and Pan lately. Now, you're planning to join the Azure Hall. When will we ever get to see each other?"

"Same way you came to visit me! Obviously, minus the whole charming part. And Teana, of course I like you. I've liked you for… a long… time…" He became red, too, and it was getting stifling in here.

It sounded like they were finally getting a heart to heart. Kanae made herself scarce and slipped out, quietly shutting the door behind her. With any luck, Teana wasn't going to rely on charming Nelly again. If only Revah would stop using her skills to trap him next…

Kanae informed Nelly's classmates that things should be fine now, and he would be attending classes again. They were relieved to hear it. Some were even giddy, so Teana might have a lot more competition than she expected.

Back at the Amethyst Hall, Kanae ventured to the forge to check on Rog and Lina's progress of her commissions. The couple were still hard at work. A stifling heat cooked the entire room, neither the orc nor elf were bothered. Lina, who normally worked the counter back in Orturic, was getting her hands dirty judging by the soot smudges on her face and apron.

"Come to see if anything is done yet?" Lina glanced up and wiped the sweat from her brows.

"I'm not here to rush you, and I'm not in a hurry! Just wanted to come over and see how much you two have done already," Kanae said.

"Hehe. I think you will be very impressed. Rog is too absorbed in work right now, so I'll show you. Follow me!" She beckoned her to the other side of the chamber, where a lot of in-progress works awaited their turn to be finished.

Two wooden head stands wore a golden crown each. They were smooth gold bands with recesses in them for jewelry to be inlaid. Since it wasn't made of real gold metal and instead by dragon scale, the pieces were incredibly tough. Ambient light from the forge's flames caused the surface of the crowns to emit a soft, golden glow.

"Rog still wants to add a few more ornaments before we send them to a jeweler to fit some gemstones," Lina explained.

"It's already so beautiful! I can see Arenade drooling over wearing these. What about the shield for Kanade?" Kanae asked.

Lina needed to grab a step ladder. She brought it down from an upper shelf. The shield was actually a buckler, with a convex protrusion at the center. Floral designs had been meticulously etched into the surface to give it a regal appearance. It weighed all but maybe three pounds. Still a little heavy for the young Kanade to hold for prolonged periods of time, but in a few years…

Finally, there was Petyr Stormcloud's armor. Rog and Lina had to buy a custom-made mannequin to accommodate her height. The most striking thing about it were the shoulderplates, an upward-facing lion head on the right and downward-facing dragon head on the left. For the moment, only the cuirass and pauldrons had been forged. To Kanae's surprise, it wasn't made entirely of gold. Soft purple accents blended in like the lightest of brush strokes. A dark lavender cloak clipped underneath the pauldrons, and a similarly-colored skirt flared out from inside the tassets. Tacky and obviously clashing in colors, she quickly realized that it might be Petyr's way of demonstrating her allegiance to Amethyst Hall.

"Petyr certainly has to be loud about what she wears, too. I'm guessing that took up the rest of the scale?" Kanae asked.

"Yes." Lina nodded. "Should we not have?"

"I kind of expected you to. Be sure to let Rog know I dropped in, and that I think you two are doing an incredible job." She grabbed and squeezed the elven woman's hands.

Lina promised to let Kanae know when each piece was finished. She left the forge eager to retire to bed after a long day of guest lecturing. Tomorrow, it might do her some good to drain a lucky fellow or two before bed.

Unfortunately, Alicia caught Kanae again as she was headed up to her room.

"Knight-Commander, two of your daughters have come to see you. Shall I bring them in?" Alicia offered.

"My daughters? Which ones…" Kanae asked reluctantly.

Alicia led Kanae downstairs to the main floor of the hall where Revah and Pan were waiting. Oh, no. She had a feeling what they were about to ask.

"Mom!" Pan rushed over and almost slammed into her. "So, uhmm… Revah and I have a favor to ask."

"Can you teach us how to capture a mate? More specifically, Nelly?" Revah asked.

"Perhaps I should be coming to you for love advice as well, Knight-Commander." Alicia giggled into the back of her hand.

"Maybe I'm not cut out for motherhood… Alright, girls. I'll give you advice. But we need to be very, very clear about what's and what's not okay. Got it?" She sighed heavily.