The Holy Knight Embraces the Imprinted Succubus - Chapter 6

On the day of the eclipse, it’s not only demonic beasts that can pass through dimensional rifts.

Unlike the high-ranking demons who can open rifts on their own, lower-class demons are drawn into the human world through those portals.

The demons who crossed over were always a nuisance.

Because they bore little difference in appearance from humans, they easily blended into society and preyed on the weak-hearted.

Murder, arson, fraud, fornication—countless cases of harm occurred every year. The imperial family and the temple constantly worked to root them out, but it was never easy.

“N-no… I didn’t enter the forest with any intention. I just… when I opened my eyes, I was already—”

A small voice, as if submerged in water, slipped out.

Raphael gazed indifferently at the crimson irises rippling with panic.

“I’m not… a demon. Please believe me…!”

Rosanna clutched at his sleeve and desperately met his deep blue gaze.

Her lips trembled so badly she didn’t even know what she was saying, but the lie rolled off her tongue with shocking ease.

So shamelessly…

Those eyes, deep and unreadable, filled her with dread. Rosanna couldn’t even guess what the man was thinking.

“Can you prove you’re not a demon?”

The man, who had been silently staring at her, finally spoke. The pressure on her wrist eased, and his hand slid up her skin.

The hand that brushed past her elbow soon reached her collarbone and neck.

“Do you know what the traits of demons are?”

The woman, her ragged appearance exposed by her disheveled clothing, shook her head.

Raphael had seen countless beautiful women in high society and the imperial court adorned in dazzling jewels, yet a dry gulp passed down his throat.

He had judged her too quickly at first sight.

Demons seduced humans with sweet words and beautiful faces.

This woman looked just like those demons.

Soaked in blood and tears, he had thought so upon first seeing her.

Her gem-like eyes, still wet, stirred strange impulses within him.

Staring at those eyes as though he might devour her, Raphael opened his mouth. “They’re cold. Demons don’t have skin like yours.”

He applied a slight pressure to her slender neck, just enough to feel the soft flutter of her pulse.

“And their heart doesn’t race like this.”

Beneath his palm, her body was undeniably warm.

Nothing like the cold, reptilian skin of demons.

That was the critical difference between this woman and a demon.

“So I’ve put some doubts about you to rest.”

“……”

“But that doesn’t mean everything’s resolved. You still haven’t explained why you were there.”

A brief silence followed. Rosanna clenched her fists so tightly her palms turned white.

“I believe this explains the reason for my actions. Do you find it unjust?”

Being suspected of being a demon, or a demon worshipper.

Either was fatal to her.

Lowering her head, Rosanna shook it roughly.

He still suspected her. Even with empty hands, he seemed to hold a blade to her throat.

And at any moment, he could run her through.

If she had to choose between the two…

‘Then…’

The latter was preferable. At least it meant he still considered her human.

Pressure bore down on her left chest.

Her heart still throbbed desperately, as if begging to be spared.

“Then I’ll continue observing you.”

***

Though he had ordered for a stable environment for the women, it was inevitable that attention would focus on them—nearly the only women in a male-dominated group.

The victims, who had nearly been sacrificed to heresy, were now the hottest topic among soldiers and knights alike.

And among them, the one mentioned most often…

“Haa.”

A low sigh leaked from a sealed room. Raphael slowly stroked his glistening shaft from bottom to top.

When he reached the flushed tip, a sticky fluid clung to his palm.

He lazily rubbed the slick head, using the liquid as lubrication to repeat the motion.

In truth, their meeting had been a stroke of fate.

Raphael had gone to the lake to cool off after hunting demonic beasts in the Black Forest. That’s when he saw a woman carrying a basket larger than herself.

She looked around nervously, as if being chased.

Raphael gripped his stiffened shaft tightly.

“Haa…”

He recalled her small body trembling beneath him. The feel of her slippery tongue clumsily licking at his lips.

Her moist, purple eyes.

Her small hands grasping the ground as they trembled.

As the thought of those hands surfaced, veins bulged across the back of Raphael’s hand.

Finally, thick liquid spilled from his clenched palm, coating it in sticky release.

“Haa—haa… huh…”

Despite the unpleasant stickiness, Raphael’s expression remained unchanged.

Having finished, he calmly composed himself.

It was nothing more than a physiological reaction.

If he ignored the bothersome arousal that rose up to his navel, it would only grow more irritating. It was better to relieve it first.

Still, a faint sense of absurd discontent lingered in his chest.

‘Did she do it on purpose?’

The woman who had first gasped and panted to provoke him ended up pleading through tears for him to stop. And now he was left alone, cleaning up after himself.

A cold sneer curled on Raphael’s lips.

The woman who no longer had use for him now looked at him as if he were a demonic beast threatening her life.

Even so, he had stopped not because of her pleas but because he had no interest in forcing a crying woman.

A thick scent, like blooming night flowers, lingered bitterly at the tip of his nose.

“Lord Raphael.”

Just then, Alix entered the tent and spotted Raphael.

Raphael faced his subordinate with an unreadably composed expression.

His face remained as smooth and sculpted as ever, but Alix sensed something different.

“Uh… I mean…”

Alix, who had rushed in to deliver a report, hesitated and blushed all the way to his ears.

It seemed he had entered at a less-than-ideal moment…

Not that it was particularly surprising. Even during wartime, a man’s body, driven by desire, wouldn’t change overnight.

Most men took care of their needs discreetly behind tents or summoned prostitutes from nearby villages. As long as it wasn’t excessive, no one took issue with it.

‘But the issue was… the other party.’

There was no trace of lust in his superior’s expression.

Still as elegant and sacred as ever—the face of the most noble Holy Knight.

“What is it?” Raphael asked.

Alix swallowed his dry throat and finally carried out his duty. “I have a report on the state of the forest.”

***

Women huddled together in the barracks, whispering quietly.

“They say we’ll be going to the huge port in Luperne. I heard there are ships there as big as houses.”

Just before bed, a woman wrapped head to toe in her blanket spoke with excitement.

Luperne was the largest port city in the Empire. Countless goods and people passed through, and countless ships sailed from there.

The fastest route from the southeastern region to the capital in the northwest was via a sailing ship from Luperne.

At that, the woman next to her couldn’t hide her curiosity.

“If it’s Luperne, does that mean we’ll also take a ship to the capital?”

“Probably. It’s just crossing the Moltis Strait instead of taking the long land route.”

“Oh no. What should I do? I’ve never been on a ship before. I’m worried I’ll get seasick…”

At first, they had been too cautious to even exchange names, but after several days under the protection of the Holy Knights, they had begun to regain a bit of liveliness.

And after Dahlia hinted during mealtime today that they might return home soon, the women were eagerly awaiting the day they’d leave the Black Forest.

Though their whispering was muffled beneath heavy blankets, Rosanna heard every word.

She pretended not to notice, forcing her eyes shut.

Their situation was completely different from hers.

‘How can I return to the Demon Realm…?’

At first, all she thought about was escaping the military camp, but in hindsight, it had been reckless.

When she first arrived in the human realm, the black lake that had swallowed her was nowhere to be found in the forest.

All she found after wandering for hours were barren, lead-colored trees.

It meant she couldn’t return the same way she came.

“They’re going to Luperne and then to the capital?”

Suddenly, she recalled a conversation between military cooks she had overheard during meal prep.

“Well, it should be fine. Nothing much happens on the ship anyway.”

“That’s not true. I’ve heard there’s been an increase in heretic cultists in Luperne lately.”

“That town’s always been like that.”

“You think it’s just heretics? Lately, the number of demon-related incidents reported to the temple has skyrocketed…”

At that point, the soldier’s voice had lowered, perhaps aware of the women helping in the kitchen nearby.

“Also, this is just between us, but there’s a rumor going around lately…”

She couldn’t catch what came after, but what she’d heard was enough.

The key point was that there were demons in the human world like her.

Right now, that was the most crucial information for Rosanna.

‘If only I could find a way to contact Father in the Demon Realm…’

If she could just let her father know she was here, maybe he’d find a way to bring her back.

Rosanna organized her thoughts.

‘Once I reach this Luperne place, I’ll look for demons who might help me.’

For now, that was her best option.

It was just then—

“Rosanna, are you asleep?”