I Stole the Heroines’ Tragedy Flags

Succubus Queen.
She was one of the closest subordinates to the Demon King, commanding her own faction of succubi.
As a high-ranking demon, she was undeniably powerful.
Of course, this was information only I knew.
The Empire’s citizens did not hold succubi in high regard.
Their perception of succubi as a species was entirely different.
Succubi were simply known to manipulate men’s dreams to drain their energy.
Sometimes, they directly seduced men through their bodies, threatening their chastity.
They were considered a race that would spread their legs for others and pretend to be prostitutes to harvest life energy, with no truth behind the rumors that spread among the Empire’s citizens.

The reason was simple.
They had no knowledge of demons whatsoever.
The war with the Demon King was always a task for the heroes, so the Empire was only concerned with fending off the small fry that came their way.
The rumors and misconceptions about succubi were a result of this ignorance.
I learned this truth through Lilith.
I also discovered the true nature of the succubi race.
They, too, valued virginity.
They cherished the emotion of love.
Even though they craved energy, they would not take it directly unless from someone they loved.
They would take a little through dreams, but only in a way that did no harm to the person.

...Above all, the succubi were very strong.
Their abilities were not limited to just charm.
And when it came to the Succubus Queen?
[You're nothing but a beast. You’re too powerful for someone like you.]
Lilith commented as she looked down at the Death Knight bound by chains.
Then, she stretched her arm and snapped her fingers.
Immediately, a large surge of magic was detected.

—Crack!
Under her control, the magic rushed toward the Death Knight, and one of its armor's shoulders crumpled as its arm vanished.
Succubi, whose specialty was dream manipulation, were the most skilled in controlling magic among the demons.
By compressing pure magic dozens of times before releasing it, Lilith's attacks were extremely deadly.

—@#%@^&#――!!
The Death Knight roared in pain and struggled.
Soon, the chains that bound it began to break one by one.
Crack!

‘...Tch. Seems like it’s hard to take more than this.’
This much was enough.
Her incarnation was now complete.
[...Hmm.]

Lilith quietly observed the one who approached her aggressively.
The creature, having reached her, immediately swung a large sword with its remaining arm.
—Clang!
With just one finger, she easily blocked the massive sword strike with her index nail.
Then, she stroked her chin with her other hand and scoffed.
[For someone shouting and charging at me... this man seems to be quite weak.]

Succubi were skilled in magic manipulation and spellcasting, but surprisingly, many of them preferred close combat.
Lilith was no exception.
[How boring. Let’s end this.]
Bang―!

She flicked the finger holding the sword.
With that small gesture, the sword flew out of the creature’s hands and disappeared into the trees far away.
The creature, now weaponless, ignored it and threw a punch toward her.
However, the punch never reached her.
With her pink hair fluttering like silk, Lilith easily dodged the attack.
Then, she lifted her leg.
And―

Crash――!!
In the blink of an eye, her leg smashed the creature’s head into the ground.
In that split second, its body was driven into the floor.
But she didn’t stop there, and her foot pressed down hard, crushing its head again.
Crash!
Crack!
Splat!

As her foot continued to stomp, the Death Knight’s head was completely crushed, turning to dust, just like other monsters at the end of their life.
[This should be enough.]
‘...That's terrifying.’

Despite the chilling confirmation of the kill, her figure in a beautiful black dress made even such an act seem graceful and dignified.
"Good work."
[Hmph~ It’s been a while since I moved my body like this, and it feels so good.]
Perhaps the stress of being sealed in the book had finally been released.
She smiled gently, and her beauty and alluring figure, characteristic of the succubi race, drew even more attention.
Any man with weak resistance to magic might have lost control right there.

"How much magic do you have left?"
[...Hmm. It seems almost used up. The incarnation will probably end soon.]
"Seems like it wasn’t enough after all."
[Is the child okay? The curse seems to be worsening lately.]
"Oh, it’s fine... something like that won’t—"
Wobble.
Suddenly, dizziness hit, and my body swayed.
The pounding of my heart grew louder as dark magic surged toward me.

Was it because of the relief after putting out the urgent fire?
As my tense body loosened, sleepiness began to hit me.
I felt like I could fall asleep immediately if I collapsed right there.
"I’m not... fine."
[…Child.]
She looked at me with a pitiful gaze.
Seeing that look, I knew I couldn’t stay like this.
There was still work left to do.

"Let’s go to Hella now."
[Let me take you. That’ll be faster.]
With that, she spread her wings and supported me.
Then, with a gust of wind, we swiftly flew through the air.
...

[We have arrived]
Boom!
As we were moving, Lilith must have exhausted all her magic, and her incarnation was broken.
Her voice echoed in my head.
"Ugh!"
[...Sorry. I used up all my magic.]
"It’s okay..."

Suddenly, I was dropped from the air and tumbled a few times on the ground.
Luckily, we were almost at our destination, so I dusted myself off and got up.
When I went behind a rock, I saw Hella, unconscious and gasping for breath.
I approached her again to check her condition.
'This is serious.'
Healing magic alone wasn’t enough.
Fortunately, with Lilith’s incarnation broken, I was able to use divine power.
I placed my hand on her forehead and closed my eyes.

Saaa―
A bright light encased her as I invoked the divine power.
I then recited a prayer.
『I wish.』

The strength of a divine spell increases with the number of phrases in the incantation.
As the voice of prayer layered upon each other, the divine power responded with a miracle.
『I wish for my power to dwell within this child.』
My prayer was quite unique.
Unlike prayers from other religions that praised their gods and asked for miracles,
I was the one to invoke the miracle myself.

『Therefore, I pray that this child’s pain may be alleviated.』
—Wooom!
I took my hand off her forehead and opened my eyes.
The divine power responded to my prayer and enveloped Hella’s body.
The visible wounds began to heal right before my eyes.

'...Thankfully, just using a prayer incantation seems enough.'
Generally, divine spells are classified into three categories.
A "Prayer" where you earnestly hope for a miracle to happen.
A "Blessing" that directly brings a miracle to the target.
A "Divine Protection" that continues to perform miracles for the target over an extended period.
Additionally, there's "Incarnation"—where saints or holy beings connect with gods to perform miracles.

Usually, prayer incantations are more combat-oriented since paladins use them often.
For healing, it’s better to use blessing spells.
But—
'I can only use prayer incantations for now.'
Since I didn’t have a god to worship at the moment,
the miracles I could perform on my own were quite limited.

'...Ah, I miss the old days. Back then, I could use blessings and divine protection freely.'
I sighed and glanced at Hella.
Her complexion was much better now, and she had fallen into a peaceful sleep.
Though it had been exhausting, seeing her like this brought a small smile to my face.
I absentmindedly reached out and gently patted her head.
"Yeah, just keep smiling like that."

I had seen her cry too many times.
She had suffered so much in the palace.
Now, I just wanted her to enjoy her time at the academy with a smile.
—Thump!
'...Ah, damn. I really can’t hold on any longer.'

I had already pushed my body to its limits and used divine magic.
As a result, my eyelids felt heavy, and it became hard to keep them open.
The beating of my heart grew louder.
[Child, this is really dangerous.]
Lilith’s voice echoed in my ears.
But I had no energy left to respond.
I eventually collapsed next to Hella and drifted into unconsciousness, almost immediately.

***
[What should I do about this...]
Lilith sighed as she looked at her contracted master, who had collapsed.
This child always pushed himself so hard whenever she saw him.

[I wish he’d take better care of himself.]
She looked at him with a worried gaze as her thoughts shifted to his heart, which carried the curse.
[...It seems like he can’t handle this on his own anymore.]

The curse had grown far too strong.
In less than a week, he had faced multiple nightmares, one after another.
His mental state was on the verge of collapse.
There was a real possibility that this time, he might actually be consumed by his dreams.
She made a decision and turned her gaze toward the girl who was beside him.

[...I’m ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) sorry, but I need you to help just a little.]
It would be far better to endure the nightmare together than for him to face it alone.