“I’m hungry..” Reese groaned.

‘Blood homunculus.’

Sequencee clicked his tongue and sliced his wrist and let his blood flow.

Sticky red liquid entangled themselves with one another, Reese’s blood, as if possessing a life of it’s own, stretched out towards Sequencee’s blood. Like a desperate slime in need of water, it fed on the elixir of life.

Sequencee didn’t know how long it took, nor how much blood he lost.

“Wheewh! Thank you for the food, I could’ve actually died there if I lost even more mass,” facing him straight, Reese caressed his hair.

Sequencee limp on the ground, Reese squatting beside him. She looked like a wife pampering her child.

“You’re really messed up, you know that.. right?” Sequencee said weakly, applying some light healing magic to his wrist.

“I get that a lot.”

‘What the hell I’m I even doing..’

Killing Reese just because she was related to the person who killed his mother– what if she actually died there? Could he have stomached the reality he caused? She wasn’t even the perpetrator, she was the victim.

‘Ah, could this be her way of manipulating me again?’

A little voice in his mind spoke.

The twisted way to gain trust was to act vulnerable. Wasn’t this how cults worked? First they get you invested in the relationship, then they have you invest in the practice.

He didn’t know how to think of it– her very existence distorted conventional thinking.

‘She’s dangerous.’

Like poison, she wears away at you.

‘But also inseparable.’

She was now one of the pillars in the heroes’ team. With her abilities, it was inconceivable to discard her.

‘And it’s not like she’s doing it intentionally..’

Everyone one of her actions, gestures– those contradictions, paradoxes– it is part of her being.

“Now that I’m somewhat satiated, you are free to ask me anything you want. I’m sure there are some thoughts swirling about in your mind, especially in regards to your past.”

Reese knew that Sequencee needed time to process her words. Being suddenly told that you had a part of yourself locked up inside you when one had been living without realizing it would be a huge revelation.

Sequencee merely look away with an expression of remorse.

“Later,” he whispered.

“Sure,” Reese had no problems with that, “By the way, Sequencee, don’t tell them about this.”

“What, why?”

“I don’t want to die young, so keep what you learnt today to yourself,” Reese smiled.

===

“There?”

“I saw it happen in that direction though?”

‘Just how far did she bring him in such a short time?’

The kind of things that go through her mind was something Schwii could never come to comprehend. Even Iona’s evaluation of someone like her wasn’t conclusive.

Leticia and Evelyn turned a corner, they almost went headbutting against a gangster of sorts. It was an odd gathering of brawny guys with bulky weapons in their arms.

Schwii forced her way through, Leticia followed her.

“Ladies, ladies. Let’s spare a moment to talk shall we?” The ring leader reached out to her, Leticia titled her body to the side, swiftly having him miss her by a great margin.

“Come on ladies, we’re playing nice here, Should I send my people after you? Why are you out so late at this sort of time?”

Schwii hadn’t the mind to care, and since Schwii said nothing, she mimicked.

The ringleader raised his hand and pointed it at the back of their leaving figures.

[Activated Skill: Pin Down]

Both Leticia and Schwii were suddenly weighed down by some unknown force. They felt like their bodies were stuck in thick goo.

“Go bring them to our home. We’ll have some fun with them,” he announced with a sadistic grin.

His henchmen approached the two girls with bold strides. Reaching arms length, they grabbed hold of Schwii’s arm.

‘I can’t move?’

Neither she nor Leticia could move on their own, yet when they were pulled along, their body acted on its own.

Inching ever closer to the leader, Schwii thought of using her pheromones but..

‘Leticia, what are you doing now..?’

It might affect the wrong person.

‘In that case..’

A clump of red flames manifested at the snap of a finger and fired off.

Their reaction speed of these thugs was commendable, successfully protecting themselves by taking it head on after layering themselves with a magic barrier.

Of course, that was their biggest mistake.

For a normal flame, or even a strong one for the matter, the most it would do was leave a battle scar. But Schwii’s flame was nothing but normal.

The hell flames coiled around each person, eating through the magic barrier like oil.

They began panicking. A gap was created, Schwii tore the vice-like grip away. She fell on the ground, feeling the air pressing on her.

“.. Off me!” Leticia too tried to pull away, but they didn’t let go.

Forced to act, she scattered a few seeds on the ground and they blossomed into sharp spiky vine that stabbed and entangled them.

“AHH?! BOSS?!”

“It’s not working what the hell?!”

“Get rid of it, AH!? AHH!!!”

[Unique Magic: Negative Field]

The flames died out as if oxygen disappeared.

“Did you think an A-rank party would go down so easily? You’re mistaken, young lady,” he said, tearing off the vines.

Still on the ground, Schwii generated a dozen or so magic circles. Red burning chains shot towards them.

The men brandished their weapons and knocked the chains down.

In this mana-negative field, magic attacks were much weaker. Schwii was surrounded and could barely move, Leticia who was still being restrained had been pulled to the side.

Even in the darkness, Schwii could see that Leticia’s face was pale.

The ringleader bowed.

“Let me introduce ourselves if you still haven’t understood the position you’re in. I am Michek, team leader of Catarasis, an A-rank party operating in Estia.”

‘The impression of bandits to me.’

One leader, 6 other followers that all look just as bulky. Despite not knowing much about the world of mercenaries, Schwii could tell that this was an unusual party.

“It’s been a while since we last visited one of those red light districts, it’s unfortunate the one here is still underdeveloped. So just be obedient and listen to us just for one night young lady, we promise that we’ll let you go tomorrow morning.”

“You must be desperate.”

Schwii’s eyes glowed in a murky red light, her lips curled into a smile.

“Haha. I love naughty girls. It’s as you say, we are quite desperate, aren’t we boys?”

A cacophony of guffaws rose into the air. Schwii caught Leticia desperately struggling still. She had to make a decision here.

‘Sorry Leticia..’

“Fine, then promise me one thing.”

Schwii tried her best to stand. She placed her hands on his chest, gently stroking.

Stumped by the sudden change in her attitude, a grin appeared on Michek’s face. He didn’t think he’d actually hit a jackpot. This girl here without a doubt, knew her thing when it comes to seduction.

His vision blurred, she became the center of his world.

Gazing amorously at each other, her lips parted.

“Go fuck yourself,” she pushed him backwards.

He tilted back and dropped to the ground with a blissful expression on his face.

The spell broke and she was free from the restraining effects of the gift.

Beginning from Michek, the rest of the people in her surroundings soon fell to the ground unconscious.

Schwii quickly ran towards Leticia and pulled her away from the man’s hand who still held onto her.

“Wake up, wake up!” Schwii shook Leticia awake.

“Ng..”

“Leticia! Wake up.”

Gradually, the green haired half elf opened her hazy eyes. With a blush on her face, she giggled like a mental patient.

“It’s Schwii, it’s Schwii.. I want it..”

Leticia wrapped her arms around her neck and tried to pull her in for a kiss. Schwii obviously held Leticia back from doing something so obscene.

Their expressions contorted, both for different reasons.

“Leticia, wake up. You’re not in a dream anymore..”

“Dream..?”

If Schwii couldn’t she would’ve avoided using her racial trait as a succubus to deal with these people. Emitting pheromones to give them a lewd dream. And as nature would have it.. she would be the star of these dreams.

The half elf looked around, her hazy eyes regained colour.

She covered her mouth with both her arms, her entire body trembled.

‘I was too late..’

“No.. that can’t be I..” Leticia couldn’t believe what she had just gone through.

“Let’s go back.. you’re in no condition to move.”

“A-Ah.. Schwii, you just.. the dream? You..”

“Leticia too had a ‘sweet’ dream. A short performance in her mind where she was just getting to the good part with the Schwii inside her head..

“Can you stand?”

“I-I think I can..”

‘Should I kill them..?’

Scwhii looked at the men sprawled on the ground. It won’t be long before they’d literally wet their pants.

Thinking that, a grimace appeared on her face.

‘It’s all your fault Sequencee. Why the hell can’t you be back already!’

Choosing between chasing after Sequencee and returning home with the unstable Leticia, it was obvious which she had to prioritize here.