Chapter 71: Chapter 55 – Succubus & Politics

Influence an election? This went far beyond keeping a low profile. It would only make things worse than what happened in Orturic.

Kanae was about to protest when Mallory gaped in terror, backing up into the wall farthest from him.

"A s-s… A succubus?! Renya, I knew you were eccentric, but do you have any idea the trouble we can get into? Forget just losing the election. If the succubus doesn't mind control us, then the city guards will ensure our heads roll! I… I have to get out of here!" Mallory clamored for the door, but the bunny suit-dressed Thedia was there to block his way.

"You're overexaggerating, Mal!" Renya picked up a bottle of wine from the table in front of her to refill Mallory's empty glass. "Take a couple of gulps to clear your head so we can finish discussing how to put you in the mayor's seat."

"There's a fine line between a sound plan and an insane one, and this is clearly the latter—"

"Sit down," she ordered more strongly, causing Edina and Kanae to shudder.

The shift in Renya's tone straightened Mallory up, making him appear much taller when he wasn't hunched over. He took one look at Thedia who wasn't budging, cleared his throat, and quietly returned to his seat. Though he didn't touch the glass of wine that had been filled to the brim.

"If you wish to leave, I won't show you the same browbeating I just gave Mal over here, but it would really mean a lot to me if you considered it." Renya grinned at Kanae as if the earlier intimidation was meant to impress him.

"I'm beginning to understand why Bardell hated every time your name was brought up," Edina said, her back pressed deep enough in the seat to sink in.

"Hah! Hearsay and exaggeration, I'm sure! I understand the squirreling used to run with the Outriders. That's not something I need to be mindful of, do I?" she asked, wine glass to her lips and eyes glued to the dancing harpy in front of them.

"N-Not anymore! Cut ties with them after Kanae saved me, so no need to worry about me… aha… ha…" The squirreling clammed up and began to sweat bullets.

When Kanae glanced over his seat, Thedia was no longer at the door. Instead, she stood off to the side quietly listening in. Maybe Renya was being true to her words that he and Edina were allowed to leave. Helping her, on the other hand…

"How come you need my help? Don't you have an entire crew of loyal people at your disposal? Why trust us who might not even get whatever job you need done?" Kanae asked.

"For the simple reason that none of them are succubi. You can do what none of us can. More importantly, no one can know I'm here. You and your companions have no connection with which my rivals can trace back to me. If I or any of my crew are seen moving about Lograin, it would spell trouble for our… political endeavors," Renya cautiously explained.

Kanae had no bone to throw into this fight. However, making friends with someone high in office and staying on Renya's good side would only continue to benefit him.

"What do you think, Edina?"

"Personally? I'd take the deal if Miss Pirate here sweetens the pot. So far, she's offered nothing to the table," Edina said.

"Oh, well what would you like?" Renya asked, crossing one leg over the other and flashing an eager-to-please smile.

Kanae and Edina traded glances.

"Anything?"

"Within reason, of course, and If it is in my power to do so." Renya nodded.

"What if I say Bardell's head on a gold platter?" Edina asked with no hint of sarcasm in her voice.

The dark elf howled. "Ha! If I could do it in a heartbeat! Unfortunately, that is no longer within my power. Even if, it wouldn't be in my best financial and survival interests to do so."

Renya actively did business with Bardell and his Outriders after all. Not to mention, with him becoming a Knight of Colors, attacking him would be suicide.

"Fine." Edina sighed. "I'll think of something else. What about you, Kanae?"

What would be in Renya's powers to do, and what did he want right now? Several things came to mind.

"There's… a village of goblins some ways off of Bisk and the Imperial Span. Is it possible for you to send some people to keep an eye on two goblins named Mitty and Teana?" Kanae asked.

"I have eyes and arms to spare, yes. Who are these goblins to you?" Renya questioned back.

"T-Teana is my daughter… I had sex with a goblin and gave birth to her," he answered, turning bright red.

Renya went bug-eyed and burst out laughing. She threw a look to Thedia for an explanation, who nodded to confirm it.

"We encountered Outriders who were enslaving goblins. After freeing them, Kanae became particularly friendly with a male goblin named Mitty. They copulated and produced a rare female goblin baby. She is a rather adorable and precious little thing, I must say," Thedia remarked fondly of Teana.

"A daughter! Ahaha! Very well. It sounds like circumstances have put distance between you two, and I'm a sucker for strange familial bonds. I shall send five of my best to ensure their safety. Anything else?" Renya asked, wiping a tear from her eyes after laughing so much.

"I want to make use of your shipping company legitimately. I started a business in Orturic, but I'm the only one who can produce merchandise and don't really have a way to transport goods across cities. Even better if you have another abandoned store I can use here— that's not on the verge of collapsing and infested with rats," Kanae said.

"Ah! I'm actually aware of your entrepreneurial undertaking. My crew is rather taken by your goods, particularly the busty elf in your party— which I noticed isn't with you?" 

"Arenade is a little… We have some things to work out…"

Renya didn't ask any more questions. She agreed to Kanae's stipulations in exchange for help to steer the election in Mallory's favor. Although granting him another store wasn't possible— she didn't own any in Lograin, which was hard to believe— she was able to offer her shipping services at a nominal fee, but those business negotiations needed another meeting.

Now, all Kanae needed to do was find a supplier of slime corpses to mold. Adventurers collected materials from dead monsters all the time. Maybe he could solicit the adventurer's hall. There was no rule that adventurers couldn't put up quests themselves.

"Thedia, my dear! Will you be so kind as to find suitable members to guard Kanae's goblin child and goblin lover?" Renya asked the maid.

"I'll see it done, my lady." Thedia bowed, then exited the room.

Kanae sighed, hoping that Teana was doing alright. This whole mess and awkwardness with Arenade started with him being irresponsible to begin with. 

"Right then." Renya left her seat to sit on the stage to face them. "With that matter settled, let's move on to how you may help us. It has grown increasingly obvious that Bishop Rudo isn't just receiving help from the other churches and incumbent mayor. He is most likely receiving help from an unknown benefactor. I need you to first uncover who this person or they may be."

"Unknown benefactor, huh? Kinda like what you are to Mallory?" Kanae asked, casting a curious look to the still scared beastman.

"Precisely. Uncover their identity. Work that succubus magic to persuade them away from helping Rudo," she said.

It sounded easy enough. If Kanae remembered correctly, Bishop Rudo worshiped the Supreme One. He could be running one of the churches in the city.

"Alright, leave it to me. We just come back here to report to you after, right?" Kanae asked.

"That's right, but you can come back anytime you want. It doesn't have to be business-related." Renya winked.

"Wait, before we leave…" Edina reluctantly began. "I know what I want now. You helped Bardell move stuff in the past, which means you should also know the location of the Outriders headquarters, don't you? I want to know its location."

Surprised, Renya flashed a smirk. She returned to her seat to lean back on and clasped her hands together, falling into thought. 

"I may know, and I may not know. How about a little wager for this information? From what I heard, you came here with the intention to gamble, did you not?" Renya asked the squirreling.

"I'll have you know that if a luck stat existed, mine would be triple S-tier. Name your game," Edina said.

The pirate captain gestured to the show in front of them.

"This isn't a strip show. The owners of the Red Harpy designed one of my favorite games. This is how it works: A harpy will have hidden on one of her breasts a card symbol. You simply hazard a guess. It is a game of absolute pure chance. One player chooses a card to imprint on the harpy, and the other makes the guess. Your payout depends on how specific you guess correctly. You gain twice your chips for correctly determining which breast the symbol is on: left or right. Four times the payout for the correct side and color: red or black. And finally, eight times the payout for the correct side, color, and symbol: heart, diamond, club, or spade. Guess any of the combinations incorrectly and lose the value you lose the equivalent value."

The red harpy, who had been dancing this entire time, waved to them with a smile. Her hair swayed as she moved lithely up and down the pole, coiling her legs, making acrobatic movements. She had clearly done this many times before.

In a way, these were the best odds Edina could ask for. Choosing to bet on left or right was a 50-50, but the probability becomes exponentially stacked when guessing color and symbol on top of that.

Edina suddenly put forth five platinum poker chips on her table.

"Eh? When did you withdraw those chips?" Kanae asked.

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"Did it when you weren't looking earlier. I got quick hands, ya know?" Edina wrinkled her nose.

"A wager of 100,000, is it? Very well. I like playing high stakes!" Renya snapped her fingers.

"Wait— 100,000?!" Kanae gasped so hard he choked.

Each platinum chip was worth 20,000. If Edina lost the bet, then they would be down 200,000.

On the stage, the harpy shuffles a deck of cards, then leans down to fan them out face-down for Renya to choose. She plucks one from the stack which immediately vanishes into a string of blue magic tendrils that sinks into the harpy's body.

"I have chosen a card. Now it is your turn to make a guess," Renya said, brimming with eagerness to see the outcome.

"Edina, you're just going to choose a side, right?" Kanae asked.

"What kind of pansy talk is that? We're rolling high stakes here, so obviously I have to choose black diamond on the right titty!" Edina confidently declared, pointing to the harpy woman's chest.

Kanae went slack-jawed. If Edina lost this bet, they would be down 800,000 gold.

However, Renya started giggling which didn't sound like a good sign for them.

"The guess has been cast. Now let it be revealed!" Renya gestured to the stage.

The harpy climbed onto the pole and balanced herself with just her legs wrapped around it, then leaned her body forward towards them. The pair of breasts, held back by a tight bunny suit, looked close to bursting. She hooked her thumbs underneath the suit and peeled it off. Her breasts spilled out, and it was finally the moment of truth.

Imprinted like a tattoo on the right mound of fat just above the nipple was… a black diamond.

Kanae sank into his seat, overcome with relief. Edina had guessed correctly. The celebrating squirreling jumped in her seat, whooping and cheering.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Edina shouted.

"Whew. I'm shivering, that was so intense. As a Rown, it is my duty to hold my end of the bargain. I believe this belongs to you." Renya placed down a stack of platinum chips totalling 800,000 gold, then walked over to Edina's side of the seat to whisper into her ears, presumably the location of the Outrider's headquarters.

Whatever Edina heard, the hardened look on her face was more interested in the information than her winnings.

Renya sprung to her feet, feeling lighter than before. "This concludes our meeting! It goes without saying, you didn't hear it from me. Enjoy the rest of your evening with your newfound wealth. I expect when next we meet that you will have learned something about Rudo. Come now, Mal. Thank our dear guests. We're all working together now."

"I… look forward to our fruitful partnership." Mal sighed.

Kanae and Edina walked with a spring in her step on their way back. Their account was 800,000 gold richer than before the evening. However, that money could have just as easily been a net loss.

"I still can't believe you did that. What if you guessed wrong?" Kanae asked.

"My motto is keep betting until you win. Besides, no sense in mulling over what didn't happen, right? Instead, think about how we can go on a spending spree tomorrow!" Edina said, tugging on his arm.

The sound of laughing thugs drew their attention to a cloaked, homeless man under a street lamp. Outnumbering him four to one, they harassed him with no repercussions. Other passerbys walking down the road did an about face or wide berth around them. One of the adventurers, a human man with a scar down his right eye, kicked the guy hard, knocking him to the ground.

"Some people have nothing better to do." Edina growled.

"Maybe we should teach them a lesson— Hey! Where do you guys get off picking on someone who can't fight back?" Kanae called out of them.

The man who was doing the kicking craned his neck toward them. "Huh? Is this broad talking to me? Screw off, bitch. This lowlife here owes us money we so kindly lent to him."

"It's been weeks and he's still got nothing to show for." A bulkier elf in a leather vest reached for his sword.

"I told you to stop," Kanae ordered, charming the group of four.

They shuddered as a look of fear flashed across their faces. All they could move was their eyes, which flicked frantically about.

"H-How are you doing that?"

"What are you… a succubus?"

"I could be a succubus. I could be a powerful hypnotist. Either way, get lost or I'll make you get lost for good," Kanae threatened.

They changed their tune real quick.

"W-We'll get out of your way, okay?"

As soon as Kanae released his hold, they ran for their lives.

"Damn. You're getting a lot better at this intimidation thing," Edina remarked, amused at how fast they were running.

"Kanae… Edina…? Is that really you two?" When the man looked up and peeled back the hood, they recoiled in surprise.

"Will?!" they exclaimed.

If someone said this was Will, the paladin from Orturic, Kanae would have thought they were lying. His face was smeared with dirt. The chainmail armor was replaced with a ripped up tunic and flea-ridden cloak. Even the short sword was missing.

"Three hells, what happened?" Edina asked.

"It's a… long story, but I'm out of money and haven't been able to do quests in weeks. I got caught up with some bad people who promised to loan me money, and… as you can see, that pitiful encounter was the result." Will slumped down against the lamp post and sighed.

Somewhere deep inside, Kanae wondered if this was his fault.

"Don't tell me. You went broke spending all your money at brothels?" Kanae asked.

The paladin nodded shamefully, and Kanae pressed a hand to his face. This was definitely his fault.

"I feel kinda bad for him," Edina said. "The guy did help us a lot back in Orturic."

"You're right. It'd be wrong to leave him here. Come on, Will. We're staying at the adventurer's hall. Let's get you cleaned up, and you can tell us what happened," Kanae suggested, extending a hand to him.

"R-Really? C-Can we… have sex again like old times?" he asked tearfully.

Kanae made a face. Seeing Will in a pathetic state like that was looking at a spoiled and rotten meal left out in the sun. It didn't trigger his hunger at all.

They returned to the adventurer's hall together and were met with another surprise. Bishop Rudo was visiting the hall, preaching the gospel of the Supreme One and pitching his mayoral campaign promises to those that would listen in the lobby. He was accompanied by several robed priests, passing out flyers and pins. But among the priests was—

"Arenade?" Kanae and Edina gasped.

With a stack of her own flyers, Arenade came running up to them.

"Guys, I've finally found my calling again! No more shall I be swayed by mortal vices. What I really needed was to seek the Supreme One's forgiveness. By his strength, I finally have it in me to give up booze and carnal pleasures. All thanks to Bishop Rudo who helped show me the way. Check it out. He really wants to help the city become a better place!" Arenade shoved a flyer with Rudo's smug face on it, with a list of everything he intended to do upon taking office.

Although Kanae heard every word that Arenade said, he had a hard time processing them.

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