***
***
What followed after that was something Adelaide could not remember.
Because she lost all rational thought, there were things that did not remain in her memory, and there were things that were completely forgotten due to the emotional shock of killing her friend.
But now that her consciousness had reached the most remote point, for the very first time, she was confronted with the records of her past that were engraved within her body.
Adelaide, who lost her sanity due to an empty stomach, was left with only her instinct to consume human energy.
Absorption of energy was usually achieved through simple contact, but there was another way to be more certain, and that was ingestion. Literally, the intake of nutrients through eating.
The first person she aimed for was the wizard.
Adelaide, whose thread of reason had been severed, rushed to the wizard closest to her at full force, and bit him on the shoulder. Because she was not stable, she no longer thought he was dirty. The energy gradually absorbed into her body was rather pleasant.
Adelaide smiled, curling her eyebrows like a fox as she bit the wizard’s limbs. The warriors swung their swords and attacked her, but she didn’t react as if she couldn’t feel pain.
She just kept eating like crazy for a long time. She was like a hungry beast.
“Monster…!” Someone shouted.
Her self that day was no different from a monster even in her own eyes. The sight of her smiling brightly in a form that no longer looked like a person was beyond cruel and bizarre.
Having eaten all of the wizard’s energy, Adelaide went straight to her next prey.
It was the warrior who came with the wizard. The warrior tried to escape, but it was for naught. After he suffered from excruciating pain, he was finally able to find rest with his death.
So, in the cabin, only Adelaide, Lupinus, and his father remained. Adelaide, who had quickly cleared her second prey, turned her head towards the bedroom.
She saw a man crouching on the floor.
“S-Spare…!”
The middle-aged warrior’s body was pitifully shaking. Unlike the other warriors who could resurrect, he did not have another soul piece, so this was his last life. He did not want to end his life in such a painful and terrible way. So he squeezed his last strength and climbed onto the bed.
“If you attack me, I’m going to hurt him too!”
He couldn’t do anything to save his life, so he used his son as a shield. The relationship between the two seemed to be close enough that she covered him during the dragon attack, therefore he thought that maybe that monster might stop if he did this.
But there was no hesitation on Adelaide’s face.
With her lips painted red with the blood of the other warriors, she smiled brightly again, and approached him one step at a time.
Perhaps because of having absorbed a lot of energy, her gait was more relaxed than before. Her stomach that had a hole in it was filling up with new flesh.
She looked at them and licked her lips. She had eyes that only saw them as prey, even Lupinus, whom she loved so dearly.
“Uh, Ahh! Save me, save…!”
The warrior cried out in tears as he realized that what he was holding onto was a rotten rope. Adelaide casually walked up to him, smiling, as if she couldn’t hear anything.
As their distance narrowed, the terrified warrior reflexively pushed what was in front of him, throwing the thing at her. The thing was his son.
Tap.
A small head touched Adelaide’s abdomen. She slowly lowered her head and looked down at him. A shiny blonde color came into view.
Tak. Drops of blood fell on his hair and dripped onto the boy’s eyelashes.
Adelaide smiled and reached out her hand to Lupinus. Whether she ate the boy or the warrior first, the order didn’t matter. She was going to eat them all anyway.
Her long fingernails gripped his delicate skin. She could only see blood, but the energy that permeated her skin was unusual. The concentration was much thicker than that of the other warriors. Adelaide enjoyed the energy with a happy face.
“Ugh.”
In the stinging pain, a small groan escaped from between Lupinus’ lips. The boy, who still hadn’t woken up, mumbled a familiar word like a habit.
“Adela…”
At that moment, the smile that appeared on Adelaide’s face disappeared like it had been washed away.
Thump.
Her heart was beating loudly.
The pink pupils that looked closer to the color of blood quivered, and the red color gradually faded. Slowly, her focus began to return.
“I like you.”
The face of a child who spoke in a youthful voice and smiled with a shy face. Touching the soft and fine blonde hair and his warm, soft skin. She remembered those happy moments that tickled her heart.
“Lu..pin…?”
Adelaide, who mumbled blankly, wrinkled her face.
Her head was dizzy because her empty stomach had not been completely satisfied yet. Her reason and her instincts clashed fiercely for dominance over her body. In her blurred vision, Lupinus, her dearest and most precious friend, looked so delicious. To the point where she wanted to savor his tender flesh right away.
‘No, no!’
Adelaide bit her lips hard. Sharp teeth pierced the soft flesh. Thanks to that pain, her consciousness returned for a while.
Pok!
A slender hand gently pushed the boy’s body away. Lupinus, who had not yet come to his senses due to the effects of the dr*g, collapsed on the bed helplessly. The warrior reflexively grabbed the body of his son who had returned.
“…Go.”
Adelaide murmured as she glared at the warrior with murderous intent. The warrior did not understand the meaning of her words and his body could only tremble in response.
“Go and take him now!”
Adelaide wheezed as she raised her voice. She didn’t want to entrust Lupinus to that trash, but there was no other way. The most dangerous thing for Lupinus right now was her. She was barely maintaining her sanity, but it looked like she was about to lose it again. Before that, she had to somehow get Lupinus to leave.
“Yes, yes!”
At that moment, the warrior who finally understood Adelaide’s words, rejoiced and raised his body. With his only remaining arm, he hurriedly carried Lupinus and moved forward. His movements were swift, as if his a** was set on fire, fearing that she might change her mind.
Shortly after he left the log cabin, the empty stomach came raging once again. Her wounded body demanded more vitality.
Adelaide clasped her hands to hold on as much as she could. It was to buy time while Lupinus escaped.
But soon, her eyes darkened. She didn’t know exactly when she lost her mind. Once again, she succumbed to her instincts, and when she couldn’t see any useful prey around, she devoured the leftovers.
How much time had passed?
When she came to, Adelaide was standing in the middle of the cabin. She lost all her memories after being trapped by the warriors.
She slowly turned her head and looked around her. The log cabin was stained with blood and torn flesh, and its former appearance could no longer be found.
“Lupin…?”
Adelaide whispered, with trembling lips. But no answer came. In the first place, no one survived in the cabin except her.
“No. It can’t be.” She muttered desperately.
But as she looked down, she saw her hands covered in blood. Flesh whom she didn’t know who it belonged to was underneath her long fingernails. Her mouth was also full of blood.
Definitely, strange energies were flowing through her body. One of them belonged to someone Adelaide knew very well.
It was Lupinus’ energy. They had been so close, she couldn’t not know even if she didn’t want to.
I ate a friend.
With that sentence, Adelaide collapsed on the floor and cried.
She couldn’t breathe. It was like something hard was blocking her throat. Her vision went round and round like she was drunk and her ears kept ringing. The pain that ripped her heart to pieces engulfed her whole body.
“Lu-Lupin…”
When she called his name, the energy of Lupinus within her body moved more actively. At the same time, bile rose up her throat. She was terribly disgusted with herself. It was the very first time she hated being a succubus.
Adelaide sobbed as she plopped down in the blood-stained log cabin. She knew that crying wouldn’t change anything, but there was nothing she could do about it, so she just wept like an id*ot.
“Adela, stop sleeping, get up and eat. I made your favorite pancakes.”
“Wow, thank you, my baby. Come here, a kiss in return!”
“Ugh! A-Adela! Really…! Don’t treat me like a kid!”
“Pu ha ha! If it’s embarrassing, then grow up and become an adult! If you are taller than me, you can do whatever you want.”
Memories of Lupinus came up one by one and filled the cabin that was painted with blood. As his voice with conviction said that he would soon become an adult and take revenge rang in her ears, an indescribable sadness welled up in her heart.
That child would never become an adult.
He won’t ever grow taller than her, and he won’t be able to get back at her.
The countless dreams that shone like stars in Lupin’s heart.
The vague anxiety and worry about his future.
And the love he had secretly cherished.
Gone.
Because Adelaide swallowed them all.
I will never eat anything again.
She cried and vowed.
For the crime of killing her precious friend, she would never eat human energy again. Even if she were to starve, she was determined to do so.
“Never…”
As the sad voice ended, the memories gradually faded away.
Then it was dark again.
*
Lick.
Something damp tickled her cheeks and around her eyes.
Taktak.
Something soft hit her arm with a steady beat.
“Uhh…”
Adelaide furrowed her eyebrows and she lifted her heavy eyelids. The dim vision gradually brightened, and a familiar ceiling appeared. It was the ceiling of her room in the Greenville Dungeon that she was much more accustomed to than the Association dormitory.
Soon after, the face of someone who had been tickling her while she was asleep suddenly appeared.
Fluffy black hair and piercing ruby eyes. It was Bell, the Cerberus. His pointy ears looked cute.
“Bell…?”
“Woof!”
Bell in the shape of a small puppy barked excitedly. Bell twirled around the bed, barking, happy that Adelaide had woken up. But as he turned around, he forgot why he was spinning, so he became absorbed in grabbing his tail and spinned faster. Adelaide, who had not yet been able to judge the situation, stared blankly at the dizzying sight.
Then, someone slammed the door open and entered.
“Bell, you must not disturb her rest! What would you do if the manager finds out…!”
“Pia…?”
Pia, who had a stern expression on her face, heard Adelaide’s voice and stopped. Soon a bright smile spread across her face.
“Oh my! Adelaide, you’re awake!”
Her soft voice echoed through the room. Then, suddenly, there was a commotion outside. Someone who had amazing hearing heard her speak and was approaching quickly.