Although I was still positioned to stab my spear into her, the Succubus Queen let her defenses down. Then, she grabbed my spear and pushed it away.

She whined, “Can you take this crude thing away? I only want to be stabbed by Dear Husband’s spear in bed…Kyak!?”

I smacked her head. It should have hurt.

I said seriously, “Don’t make such crude jokes. If you want to talk, let’s talk. I’ll listen.”

She pouted. “Whew, you’d be perfect if you weren’t so violent. Really, humans… Fine. Let’s go have a nice talk.”

She rubbed the place I hit then snapped her fingers. The succubus that led me here entered through the door with the other succubi and began to tidy up the place quickly. Soon, a table and two chairs had been set up with wine and two glasses. I couldn’t understand what they wanted from me.

Regardless, it was clear that they didn’t want to fight me. Besides Ruyue, I sent the other elementals back. With Ruyue’s power, I cleaned myself up and put her on standby in case anything happened. Seeing me clean myself in an instant, the Succubus Queen looked at me with interest.

“Oh? Surprisingly, you’re a man of culture! That magic, no…elemental?”

I replied succinctly, “Yeah.”

I sat down across from her. She pushed a glass of wine toward me, but I wasn’t stupid enough to drink alcohol in the middle of an enemy’s territory. When I snorted, she said in a slightly depressed tone, “At least say a toast.”

“Sure, sure.” I decided to play along.

She sipped at the wine. “Mm, good. So, what were we talking about…? Our wedding date?”

“Want to die?” I retorted.

She rolled her eyes. “It’s a part of it… Fine, I’ll start from the beginning. From the moment I lost against them.”

My ears perked up. I didn’t expect to hear anything important, but who lost to who?

“Have you heard of Elesia?” she asked after a moment.

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that someone’s name?”

She shook her head. “It’s the name of a world. The world we were trying to invade and the world we lost against.”

“Can you be more detailed? Who’s ‘we?’”

I pulled the chair I was sitting on closer to the table. Her Evil Eyes flashed with joy.

She continued, “Obviously, I’m talking about the Mare Alliance. The demon continent Enesis’ rulers, the Mares.”

“And what’s Enesis?” I asked.

She explained, “A continent where the world’s power disappeared. To be precise, it was stolen by Elesia.”

I frowned. Something didn’t make sense. “What? Stolen by Elesia? Didn’t you say you were trying to steal it from Elesia?”

She blinked and then asked, “Eh? You didn’t know about this? …Do you not know why your world is being invaded?”

I froze. In my head, I struggled to make sense of what she said. First, I organized what I knew about the enemies invading my world.

There was one that became greedy for more world’s powers even after obtaining one, but I set that one aside for now. Normally, worlds that lost their ‘world’s power’, which allowed them to continue to exist, invaded other worlds to steal their worlds’ powers. Worlds that were being invaded usually had races similar to humans, while the invading side were always demons or monsters.

Until now, I hadn’t really thought about how the invading forces had lost their worlds’ powers. Perhaps, I was avoiding thinking about it as I had never even asked Loretta.

However, the Succubus Queen had broken my assumptions, similar to how a rock thrown into a still pond made waves and ripples. Why was Earth being invaded? The forces of Enesis should have tried to steal Elesia’s power, but Elesia stole Enesis’ power first?

“Your troubled face is so cute. I was wrong. You must be popular with women,” she commented cutely.

I took a deep breath. “Please, explain.”

She smiled. “Of course, I’ll tell you everything.”

With that, she emptied her glass. I poured more wine in her glass, then picked up my own and gulped it down. No matter what poison was inside it, I felt like I needed to drink it. Of course, the wine had a heavenly taste.

She paused for a moment and then began, “Do you know how a world is born?”

I shook my head. “No.”

The Succubus Queen chuckled. “Huhu, I don’t either. But I know this. There is a definite limit to the number of worlds that can exist. At a certain point in the past, the infinitely growing number of worlds reached that limit.”

“The number of worlds reached…a limit?” I questioned.

She nodded and continued, “I’ll give you an example. Let’s say you have a bookshelf that can hold up to three hundred books. At first, you bought all the books you could because you wanted to fill up the bookshelf, and before you noticed, it did. But, without realizing that was the case, you bought even more books. What would you do?”

“Buy a new bookshelf?” I suggested.

She shook her head. “Only one bookshelf can fit in your room.”

I replied, “Then I’d sell or throw away the books I don’t read.”

She smiled. “Exactly. That’s what’s happening to us.”

She clapped as if I’d answered a difficult question.

“The number of worlds has become too high, so it needed to be lowered. There weren't enough worlds’ powers for all worlds to have one. I don’t know who, but the Lofty One came up with a solution.”

To pair up all worlds.

With that, the Succubus Queen filled up my glass. I immediately grabbed it, and as she wanted, I clinked glasses with her.

“Gulp…whew. Pair up worlds?”

She nodded. “Yep. It was an excellent way to halve the number of worlds. Just like that, a countless number of worlds became paired. Enesis and Elesia were one such pair. Between these two worlds, the one with less mana, or in other words, the weaker world became the focus of the world’s power. In a way, it was a way of balancing them out. Everyone knows that defense is easier than offense.”

I frowned at the implication. “You mean…the current system of invaders and defenders was created by someone?”

She gave me an approving look. “Right. Without the world’s power, no world can continue to exist. As a result, one world was left with no choice but to invade and steal the other world’s power. Regardless of whether the defender succeeds or fails, two worlds would decrease to one. With this, the number of worlds would successfully be halved.”

“The hell…” I muttered.

Didn’t that mean neither side was at fault? After all, the invaders were forced into their positions.

I was dumbfounded. What we were doing until now wasn’t a heroic tale of defeating evil monsters nor an adventurous tale of exploring mysterious dungeons. Rather, it was a simple competition for survival.

She shrugged. “Don’t be too shaken. It’s not like what you have to do changed. You just have to protect what you need to protect. A thief may have needed to steal to survive, but that doesn’t change the fact that a thief is a thief.”

I stuttered, “T-Thanks.”

Why was she comforting me? Though I was thankful, I was also a bit confused. Now that I thought about it, wasn’t she the one in the invaders’ position? Why was she telling me all this?

She seemed to have realized what I was thinking as she continued her explanation, “Right, so Enesis invaded Elesia. But, we lost. The war lasted hundreds of years. Lord led everyone and all Mares participated. But I fought half-heartedly so that I could protect my clan members. That’s why so many of us are still alive.”

I asked, “If you lost, how are you still alive?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh? You don’t know this either? Isn’t it obvious? Look where we are, and you’ll know your answer.”

“The dungeon,” I answered promptly.

“Right, the dungeon.”

A full smile bloomed on her face.

“In wars, it’s rare that the victors completely wipe out the losing side. Of course, Lord and other powerful members had to die, but my clan wasn’t strong enough to catch their attention…That’s when the dungeon stepped in. To give us life.”

“Life?”

She asked, “Where do you think all the monsters in the dungeon came from?”

“…Ah.”

I remembered the Lizard Knight and Dullahan I first met. I remembered their voices of despair that I did my best to ignore. The Succubus Queen grinned as she looked at me.

I said in a dazed tone, “They were feeling stifled…and crying in despair.”

She nodded. “Yep. It’s like what those losers said. Monsters, Mares, Demons, and other invaders that didn’t have the courage to die with their worlds joined hands with the dungeon. Eternally dying, yet being unable to die. The cursed immortality.”

“…”

I couldn’t say anything, especially because I had somewhat expected it. The dungeon helped us, the defenders. In that case, it was clear how the invaders viewed the dungeon. They undoubtedly hated it to their bones, so much so that they’d give their lives to get back at it. Even so, they joined the dungeon for a chance at life.

The Succubus Queen continued blithely, “When you succeed in defending your world, the ones that failed will probably join the dungeon. Of course, with their leaders killed. They will then help grow other worlds’ defenders. Easy, right?”

“…What about you?” I asked.

She said arrogantly, “Obviously, I’m different. Do I look like the Mares that attacked you in the dungeon? Those Succubi that fell to being mere Floor Masters?”

I shook my head. “No. I haven’t seen the Floor Master yet anyways.”

She continued, “I refused. To be more precise, I set a condition. I didn’t want to live a cruel life where my clan members and I died repeatedly.”

She spread out her arms. The entire castle seemed to be breathing like a living creature.

“I will cooperate. I will help the defenders grow. But, I will only give myself to the one who has the qualification.”

“…” What did she mean by ‘give herself?’

She smirked. “Of course, I set a very strict condition. This person had to be a man who was extremely strong, extremely fast, extremely charming, and extremely elegant. Oh, and he had to have extreme resistance against charming. Simply put, it’s you!”

“I’m speechless,” I replied, dumbfounded. I gulped down the wine in the glass for the third time. The Succubus Queen pouted.

“What do you mean ‘speechless?’ It makes sense! I was born as a Succubus Queen, but I had to devote my life to battle without ever knowing men. Do you know how depressing that is? I didn’t want to die without finding a husband, but I didn’t want to become a battle machine for the dungeon. Since I was planning on accepting a husband, wouldn’t it be better if he’s fabulous? Most of all, I wanted someone who would love me as I was without falling for my charm! Of course, I didn’t really believe a man could resist my charm, but…huhu, I was so surprised when my charm didn’t work even after I amplified it with magic! That’s when I felt fate!”

I said sardonically, “You call that fate?”

She shrugged chicly. “It’s the reward I got for waiting for countless years. One time, I got frightened, thinking I’d die of age in this boring castle. But look, I met you!”

“Who said I’d accept you?” I asked with a wicked look in my eyes.

She immediately retorted, “Then are you going to kill me? A pitiful, beautiful girl like me? You’re going to kill someone connected to you by fate? Hmmm? Are you going to massacre me and my clan members who faced extinction just by being born in Enesis?”

“Eek…!” I shrunk back involuntarily.

This girl, she revealed everything on purpose! Just in case I killed everyone! She clasped her hands on her chest, and with tear filled eyes, she pushed her face up against mine. Her charming face was as youthful like a teen’s, yet somewhat erotic…First, I flicked her forehead.

“Ow! You hit me again!” she complained shrilly.

“I’ll take you in,” I said shortly.

Her expression brightened as she squealed, “Really!? I love you!”

I rolled my eyes. “The first thing we did was fight, love my ass! I just didn’t want to kill someone who has no hostility against me, especially when I have a way to let you survive.”

She cooed, “Oh, looks like Dear Husband is rather inexperienced with love. Love isn’t something anyone can explain and comprehend. The moment someone tries to explain love, its value drops.”

Then what, you know what love is!? I wanted to throw the question back to her, but upon thinking about it, she was the Succubus Queen. She’d at least know more about love than me, so I stayed silent.

She got up from her seat, pushed the table aside, then approached me and grabbed my hand. As it was unlikely that she’d try to do something now, I let her be. She happily kissed the back of my hand and looked up to me. Her eyes shone with sparkling pink.

“Dear Husband, vest me with a name that connects us together.”

“…Licorice.”

At that moment…

[You have made an achievement of taming the SSS+ rank boss monster, ‘Succubus Queen.’ You have obtained 3 skill points. Current skill points: 5]

[Taming has reached level 5. Even without taming, all neutral targets will see you favorably and easily listen to your commands.]

[Spirit of the Tamer has reached level 5. Your charm stat’s degree of amplification has increased, while your tamed monsters’ loyalty and affection have increased greatly. Current tamable targets: 3/3]

[Event Dungeon cleared! You were acknowledged by the Succubus Queen and made an achievement of successfully clearing an Event Dungeon without killing her. You have obtained 10 bonus stats!]

[You have reached level 66! You have obtained the qualification to challenge Beyond’s 15th floor!]

Wait, what? Did I hear wrong?

Licorice said sweetly, “Then, Dear Husband, please take good care of us. My clan of 214 succubi will forever serve you as our husband.”

“What!?” I shrieked.

I had instantly gotten 214 more mouths to feed.