The Villain has Perished

Succubi, that was the code name of the holder of the [Word Magic] in the future.

She was said to be the most beautiful woman in existence. A glance at her would bewitch anyone and they would happily become her slave.

However, that beauty was not natural. It was granted to her by [Word Magic] during her childhood, when she carelessly wished to be the most beautiful person to exist.

She was overjoyed and enthralled when her wish was granted. It was a dream come true. People would flock to her, treat her like a princess, move to her command without a single hesitation.

Her joy, however, was cut short when the people and their endearment became obsessive. Her wish became a curse for her and she was, at the end, forsaken by her homeland, by the few people who hadn't lost their sanity yet.

Being thrown away, she had no choice but to enter human society. At first, she was hopeful, maybe, just maybe, humans would be different, her charm wouldn't affect them.

But her hopes were cut short and shattered beyond repair. Humans were worse. Her appearance wrecked a never seen havoc in history as princes and kings fought each other for her.

Presently, she was still bound by her moral values, not using her charm to her advantage or for devious means. But a specific event after Coalescence will become the straw that breaks the camel's back, and she'll embrace her calling with open arms.

From there, she becomes a cunning and insidious enchantress who would use others for her advantage. Later, earning the code name: Succubi.

In the novel, she was the first 'Dev' whom Jae-sung fought against, and she was one of the reasons his humanity was restored after the betrayal he suffered in the 1st timeline.

She wasn't a villain by any means. Her only fault was that fate had dealt her the wrong cards.

Lumine, the light that illuminates the darkness, that was her name. But, alas, her name was completely opposite to the life she lived.

'She is the central piece that holds all of my plans, revolving around the Coalescence's preparations, together. I have to bring her to my side today itself, or my schedule will risk being ruined.'

With those thoughts in mind, I entered the 'Slave Trade & Co' shop.

–

In the World of Swords & Magic, slaves were an official commodity that were sanctioned by kingdoms and the empire.

That is not to say, buying and selling slaves was socially acceptable, though. Majority of the population frowned upon slavery and their ownership.

Looking around, I saw various slaves put on display. All were standing naked for the customers to appraise them.

Some of the slaves had bulky figures and scars running through their body, some were weak and feeble, a few had clean and bountiful physique. There were slaves for every job present, be it guarding, fighting, menial tasks, or pleasure.

With the bag resting on my shoulder, I walked up to the counter and stood in front of the receptionist.

She took a brief look at my appearance before speaking, "Is there anything I can help you with? If it's about a specific type of product, you can tell me the specifications, or you can look around and see if something catches your eye."

|rags…must be a tramp…looking around and buying nothi–|

Before she could complete her thoughts, I placed a heavy pouch on the reception.

Thud—!

"Show me the special products."

She opened the pouch with furrowed brows and peeked inside. Instantly her eyes widened and her behavior took a complete 180-degree turn.

"Sir, please come this way."

The receptionist swiftly guided me to a separate room and asked me to wait for the owner. In her own words, the owner of the shop was the one who presents the special products of their shop.

'Money is the same in every world, huh. It can change how others interact with us in a heartbeat.'

The pouch had a portion of money I took out of my savings before leaving the Lionel House. Although it wasn't much for me, it was a hefty amount for average citizens.

Hehe, you heard it right. I was bragging! I will repeat, I was filthy rich!

I had to wait for a few minutes for the owner to come. In the meantime, I took a look at the room.

It was a grand and impressive space, designed to impress and awe those who entered it. The furniture was made of wood and adorned with gold.

On the other side of the room, there was a large fireplace. The room itself was adorned with large, intricately woven tapestries depicting scenes of Ragnarok from history.

Cluck—!

The door opened and a round-bellied young man with beady eyes, sporting luxurious clothes, entered.

|hiding…face….must be noble…trying to mask his fetishes|

"Good day to you, Sir. I must apologize for my tardiness before we begin."

Exchanging a few pleasantries, he led me to a different section of the store.

This area had barely 2 digit customers looking through it. The slaves were also different.

"Our shop has one of the best collections in the empire, I believe Sir would find a product matching his tastes here." He muttered while wiping his forehead.

I scanned the lobby.

For one, every slave was female and, secondly, they were all non-humans. A small fairy with wings, a tall woman with a strong body and wolf-like ears, a petite girl with scales over her body. The diversity was never-ending.

Taking a short stroll through the lobby, I returned to the owner, "Is this all?"

"No, of course not, Sir. We have plenty of products."

Another lobby, another customers, another slaves, and another stroll, "They are good but I was wondering if you had something different."

"Do not worry, Sir. If anything, special products are the only thing we don't lack. There are plenty where they came from."

Like that, I continued to reject all the slaves that were shown to me a few more times.

In between our continuous trips from one section to another, I caught the owner thinking…

|Does…he swing…that way?|

Cough, cough, I almost spat and told him that he was wrong. However, I had no choice but to continue in order to meet Lumine. She was in a completely different section of the shop, after all.

'This humiliation, I'll remember it!'

I could only grit my teeth in frustration and anger, when the owner took me to sections with male non-human slaves, before taking a stroll and rejecting again.

Finally, the mental torture ended — yes, it was a torture. Before it was good, but later I was made to watch bulky naked men!

'My eyes! I need holy water!'

At the end, we went back to the room where we started. Seated across from each other, I initiated the conversation.

"The choices were good, but something felt missing. Don't have slaves that are…. in unfortunate condition."

"I see! Sir wanted to see those types of products."

He smiled while rubbing his palms together. His thoughts, on the other hand….

|H-he…his fetishes… are beyond me|

'Should I just beat him before meeting Lumine?' I seriously considered those thoughts for a moment. This guy had too many carefree thoughts! And they were too insulting!

He nodded to me and pushed the table at the center of the room away.

Crouching, he swept his hand over the floor, until something clicked and a section of floor shifted upwards. He placed his fingers in the gap and pulled the lid open.

Immediately, a pungent odor of egest and rotten flesh spread into the room.

"I apologize for the smell, Sir. But it is even worse down there. Does Sir want to continue?"

Holding back the urge to gag, I nodded. "Lead the way."

The rancid odor grew stronger as he walked down the hidden stairways to the basement. Honestly, it was commendable that I didn't double over to retch.

The atmosphere inside the basement was second to only a few horrors from my old life. The air was sticky and pungent.

What seemed to be corpses were thrown inside cellars without a regard. A few were groaning, but inside this little-hell, not a soul was present that was both: alive and well.

Most were dead, a few were alive with half rotting bodies, while a rare minority managed to stay alive with fatal injuries gnawing at their lives.

The owner had his mouth covered with a cloth and spoke in a heavy voice. "These are the failed products that are returned by their owners. Although they are second-hand products, Sir might find someone to his tastes here. As for their lives… I cannot guarantee they'll live more than a few days."

His words were cruel, but his thoughts were strangely silent. He seemed to be loathing this scene himself.

I nodded and walked around.

Walking in front of every cellar, I continued to count their numbers until I was standing in front of the 7th cellar from the east side.

"Open this cellar."

Inside the dark cellar, one could faintly make out the visage of a young woman. She was covered in dirt and litter.

From where I was standing, it was difficult to make out her other features, but from the small movements of her breathing, she was certainly alive.

"T-that, Sir, you shouldn't waste your time on her. S..she has contractible health diseases."

He continued to dish out excuses, but when he saw that I wasn't moving, he sighed.

|Don't say… I didn't… warn you.|

"Wait a minute, Sir. I'll bring her out."

I shook my head in response. "I want to check the product here. You should leave and give me some time alone."

Taking out another pouch, I threw it at him.

"As you wish." His face morphed into that of pure disgust at my words. Taking the pouch, he gave one last glance at the woman inside the cellar before leaving.

|He wants…. to do it here?… Good thing a trash… like him…will leave the world…today|

I could only shake my head. My image had fallen to rock-bottom in his eyes.

And honestly, I didn't care about what he thought of me. There were more pressing matters to attend that required my immediate attention.

Pushing the metal door open, I entered the cellar.