Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
"All right, let's go again," Lord Phenex said, massaging his temple. I grabbed a chocolate snack and tossed it into my mouth. Really, all the people I had meetings with seemed to have a stash of chocolate snacks to place in front of me. I won't complain just because they know my tastes; chocolate is chocolate, and it tastes even better if it's free.
"It's the third time, but it's fine." I said simply as I swallowed. I looked around. We were all sitting around a small tea table. Ravel and I were sitting together on a sofa, Lord Phenex, Lady Phenex, and Riser in front of us. Yubelluna was behind them, and the rest of Riser's peerage was standing nearby.
I looked over at Riser's Peerage and saw them looking slightly tired as they grimaced. I waved my hand and conjured seats for them and Yubelluna. They should still be slightly battered from the rating game, and all the chatter really isn't helping.
Riser's Peerage almost sighed in relief, but to my surprise, none of them moved. They looked at Riser first. Riser saw them and grimaced guiltily as he nodded. Neither of the girls showed any decorum as they plopped down in place with a sigh of relief. Yubelluna adjusted her chair so she was next to Riser and sat down, staring at me.
Ignoring everyone, I took out my phone and began manipulating it. I showed it to Ravel lightly, and she looked at it before nodding. Truly, TheCompany'smanipulationwas excellent. Ravel and I had decided to temporarily remove Shinra's features and his demonic smile.
If this ended exactly like it did, everything would really go to hell if Ravel started smiling broadly in the middle of the apology and explanation for being nervous. Luckily, that level of stuff could be turned off and on again. And Ravel had given the green light to turn it back on now.
Which I did, Ravel made a quick movement to hide her growing smile with her fan.
"So… succubi are a kind of… gene pool, where if a succubus has the necessary genes, she's capable of having children with pillar traits." Lord Phenex said it as a statement and not a question, ignoring us both, but I nodded as I put my phone away once more.
"Yes, that's what I said." I replied. I could see Lord Phenex's eye twitch slightly.
"How... how did it go unnoticed? Thousands of years and no one noticed." Lord Phenex muttered, almost horrified.
"Nobody cares about succubi." I spoke the universal truth of the underworld. The Phenex grimaced guiltily. "Power is the most important thing, and that was even more true back in old Lucifer's time. Nobody ever bothered to study them... well, yes, there are books about us, but they're about the first generation of succubi. It would make sense that everyone hasn't discovered anything about them."
"It would take several generations for recessive genes to become obvious, but by then, succubi were already firmly at the bottom of the ladder, and no one cared beyond the fact that we're excellent at sex. So yeah. Ajuka and I only discovered it when I was getting a physical." I said simply, casually. Though I could see the Phenex clenching their fists.
"And why Riser? Why was he chosen first? " Lord Phenex asked tensely.
"Actually, I'm curious too." Ravel said as she looked at me, intrigued, that I had been keeping my thoughts to myself on this subject; it was a surprise, even to her.
"Wait, you don't know? I thought you knew everything about each other." Riser said accusingly as he looked at me. I just laughed lightly and puffed out my chest.
"It was a surprise," I said playfully. "I knew you would definitely find out that Ravel and I were involved in the Rating Game, and well... exactly what happened would happen. So... compensation," I said simply.
"Compensation? Being part of an experiment?" Riser said dryly, not at all impressed. I shook my head.
"Experiment? Yes, in part. There are still many who don't know how it will happen. But this... this is an opportunity, your children will be the first children in a new generation of devils." I said seriously. I could see the Phenex shudder and straighten at that. "Or well, if it works," I said simply and smiled amusedly when they frowned.
"And Lord Beelzebub was in favor of my brother being a part of this?" Ravel asked, confused.
"Of course he is." I said simply. "I blackmailed him." I said with a smile. The four Phenex and all of Riser's Peerage blinked in unison.
"Excuse me… I think I heard wrong. You said you… blackmailed Lord Beelzebub?" Lord Phenex asked with a tense expression. I just smiled amusedly.
"That's exactly what I did." I said with a wide grin. I could see everyone paling slightly. I rolled my eyes. "Nothing as abrupt as what you're thinking, I just made him feel guilty that Sirzechs kept pressuring me to help Rias and all." I finally let the memories and thoughts flow to Ravel. She saw everything quickly and snorted amusedly.
"That... I think I'll ignore that," Lord Phenex said, massaging the bridge of his nose. I shrugged in amusement.
"So… what would this entail? That I had children with all the succubi until one of them inherited the Phenex trait? " Riser asked with a frown. I snorted.
"Nothing that crude. It's not your lucky day to have a free pass with my succubi." I rolled my eyes, and Riser clicked his tongue. "Ajuka and I can see the recessive genes they carry by scanning and comparing their DNA, easily enough. So we have a list of succubi who carry the Phenex gene." I said simply as I pulled out a small folder.
"A list? How many succubi are there? " Lady Phenex asked while blinking.
" Hmm, around 100 are compatible." I said honestly. That froze the Phenex in front of me. They had the same reaction as Ravel when she found out, after conducting a checkup and census of all the succubi in the city.
It was reasonably easy to get everyone to come forward and get a physical checkup. All the information was classified at least five times, safeguarded ten times, and even encrypted. Only Ajuka and I (and the rest of my group, because I can't hide anything from them with the mental link) knew precisely how many succubi there were and which ones carried which specific gene.
"100 succubi… are you saying that in one generation, a pillar clan's numbers could increase by 100 devils?" Lord Phenex said in disbelief. I immediately frowned and narrowed my eyes at him.
"Yes," I said bluntly, clenching the folder between my fingers. "And that's why this is all top secret. If any pillar clan found out, they'd do crazy things to acquire the succubi they were compatible with and start breeding them relentlessly. Not only that, the other races would attempt a genocide against the succubi to prevent it. This could lead to a war."
"And the succubi are my priority," I said seriously. The Phenex paled, understanding the implications of it all.
"So... why tell us everything?" Lord Phenex asked through gritted teeth. I grimaced.
"Like I said… If Riser accepts, it will be the 'first generation '; there are still many unknowns. A lot we don't know. There's a lot to monitor and consider. We can't increase the numbers so suddenly, so it will be slow, starting with one for now. The chosen succubus and her children will be constantly under a magnifying glass as we monitor and note everything we find."
"And to achieve that, it's best to have your help and know what's really going on. You, besides us, will be the only ones who know what's happening," I said simply. The Phenex fell silent.
"And… the others?" Lady Phenex asked, frowning. I tilted my head. "You said we'll be the only ones who know. What excuse will you use for the rest of the world?" she asked again. I smiled slightly.
"Potions," I said simply. "I'm excellent at potions. No one has any doubt about that. The idea is to say, I create a potion. A special potion that only works on succubi. A potion that only I can create, that uses my blood to create it. A potion that allows the succubus's child to inherit the parent's pillar trait while retaining their increased fertility." I spread my hands at the revelation.
"You plan on stealing all the attention," Lord Phenex said, noticing. I nodded, laughing lightly.
"Yes, I will become such a bright sun that everyone else will ignore the succubi. They will think they are simply incubators of almost no importance. Nothing more, nothing less. While everyone else is aiming for me." I said firmly. The Phenex fell silent and stared at me in amazement.
"You... you really are impressive," Lord Phenex said, shaking his head. "You will become, in everyone else's eyes, as important as Lord Beelzebub was when he created the Evil Piece system, maybe more so. You're promising the devil community pillar devils." Lord Phenex said. I shrugged.
"I couldn't care less. The succubi's safety comes first," I said casually. The Phenex sighed, almost sounding impressed. I frowned and looked at all the devils. "And the cursed contract you signed will protect you. But if for some reason, somehow any of you break the trust I'm placing in all of you, I won't hesitate to kill you." You saw what Harpe and Gae Buidhe can do to your regeneration." I threatened all the Phenex. The three of them bristled slightly.
"Threatening us?" Riser hissed. "Your fiancée's family?" Riser mocked.
"I'm with her." Ravel said as she hid half of her face with her fan. I could see her toothy grin grow on her face as she looked away to avoid her family's surprised gaze.
"Are you... with her?" Riser asked incredulously.
"Sera… Sera is my family, my home. Pentagram City is my home, my responsibility as Sera's fiancée. The succubi are my responsibility. They deserve to be protected. Not because they are essential to the devils. But because of who they are." Ravel said firmly. The three Phenex looked at her in surprise, and to our disbelief, Lord Phenex let out a small laugh.
"You've… grown, Ravel," Lord Phenex said fondly as he looked at his daughter. Ravel blushed slightly and looked away. "Don't worry, no one in this room will speak of this, and we won't take advantage of the trust placed in us," Lord Phenex said seriously.
"Yes, Lord Phenex." All the girls of Riser's Peerage said.
"Don't worry, we won't do anything to break your trust, we're on your side," Lady Phenex said with a smile. Riser finally clicked his tongue.
"Of course I won't do anything. Especially since I'll be at the center of everything," Riser said arrogantly. Ravel sighed and closed her fan, then smiled genuinely.
"Thank you." Ravel said simply. The Phenex smiled slightly.
"So, how do we continue with all this? " Riser asked simply. I just threw the folder on the small table in Riser's direction.
"There's a list of the succubi, each one has a picture, a short description, likes, dislikes, and a bit of personal information. Choose the ones you like the most. Between 5 and 10, I'd say to start. Then I'll talk to those succubi and give them the edited version of the plan to use my potion. If any of the succubi you chose accept, then you'll get to know them more personally."
"You'll have to choose one of them, who will move to Phenex Castle if there are no problems. Then... well. You're expected to have a child within the first few years." I said simply, Ravel's eyes widening slightly.
"So soon?!" Riser asked in surprise. I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Where did you think I was going with this conversation?" I asked dryly. Riser blushed slightly. "If you're not ready to be a father, we'll choose another devil." I said simply. Riser wrinkled his nose and looked at his father, who didn't even look at him. Riser got the message. It was entirely his decision. Riser frowned.
"Fuck! Fine, I'll do it! " Riser finally growled. Ravel and Lady Phenex, who had been holding their breath, squealed loudly.
"I'll have a nephew!" "I'll have a grandson!" they exclaimed joyfully at the same time.
"Young master, he'll have a son!" said one of the girls at his side. Riser blushed deeply.
"Shut up, you guys!" Riser shouted, embarrassed. Riser's gaze fell on his father, who had a pleased smile on his face. Riser looked at him with a betrayed expression. It seemed his father was also excited by the idea. I just laughed lightly. "Shut up, witch, and continue!" Riser growled, blushing.
"Good, good, good. As I was saying, the succubus will be coming to live with you. I hope the succubus is treated well. I have no illusions that you'll marry her or treat her as your wife, but I do hope that she'll be treated decently and that you'll help out throughout the pregnancy. If she wants it, she will be a part of your son's life as his mother, and there is no arguing about that."
"I will not separate mothers from their children for any reason. If there is an argument or a problem about it that cannot be resolved, I will take the succubus and her child with me." I said firmly. The three of them straightened.
"You have nothing to worry about, Sera. She'll be treated like any other Phenex daughter," Lady Phenex promised resolutely. I nodded.
"Obviously, I don't expect you to fulfill all their whims. I'm not so stupid as to think that succubi aren't selfish or don't want part of the Phenex wealth, everything within limits, obviously. And I could even try to find out if any of the options you chose prefer the option of being a surrogate mother. We'll see what happens." I said while wrinkling my nose.
"Anything else?" Riser asked as he opened the folder and began to browse through the succubi. His mother stuck close to him as she also looked through the cards and started to point things out. Yubelluna leaned in as far as she could and began to do the same. Riser blushed slightly and tried to move away from his mother and queen, but Lady Phenex had a firm grip on Riser, preventing him from moving away.
"Yeah… I'd give the first three a try." I said without hesitation. Riser raised an eyebrow and looked at them.
"What's so special about them? Do you know them? " Riser asked. I shook my head.
"No, not in the least," I said bluntly. Riser looked up, as did the others. "But those three, besides having the Phenex genes, have the genes of your family, Elise." I said bluntly, looking at Lady Phenex. Everyone froze in place.
"You mean... the succubus's child with both genes... will be able to inherit both traits?" Lord Phenex asked, his eyes wide open. I shrugged.
"I have no idea," I said honestly. "Ajuka and I are sure that pairing a succubus with a recessive gene with a dominant or even recessive gene will awaken him. Riser definitely has Phenex genes. But he should have his mother's trait in his blood, even if he's not awakened."
"Pairing him with a succubus who has both genes? We don't know what will happen. The baby may choose one of the two genes, or both. It'll definitely have a clan trait, but we won't know which one." I said honestly. Lord Phenex frowned slightly.
"Yes… two recessive genes are enough to awaken a trait, couldn't succubi reproduce with each other and have children with clan traits?" Lord Phenex asked seriously, and I smiled slightly while nodding.
"It can be done, and in fact… we will if we can. After all, there are traits of extinct clans among the succubi." Everyone's eyes widened.
"Can they resurrect extinct clans?!" Lord Phenex exclaimed, his expression was the most shocked I'd ever seen him. Which made sense; after all, there were almost 40 families left due to the wars. If we could revive those families, it would be incredible.
"We'll try," I said honestly. "As you know, succubi can change their bodies to have... extra equipment that allows them to impregnate other women. Normally, female devils who make that kind of change aren't fertile, but succubi are special and can maintain their fertility during that transformation."
"But... succubi don't mate with each other. They repel each other. Our sexual appetite is strongly tied to our ability to absorb sexual energy and all that. We can't feed off each other, so we're not always attracted to another succubus. But there are some exceptions."
"But we hope that by offering big profits, I can overcome that initial discomfort." I said with a grimace.
"That... that's incredible." Lord Phenex murmured, and I nodded.
"That's a much longer-term project. We'll start with the children of the pillars first. Then, over time, I'll 'create' another potion with Ajuka's help. We'll say he has a DNA bank of the extinct clans he has been collecting over time. We'll make the potion allow the child to inherit an extinct clan trait. Then we'll go from there." I explained the idea.
"They really have it all planned," Riser said, wrinkling his nose. I shrugged.
"It was something important, Ajuka and Sirzechs are really involved in it so most of the plan is already mapped out. The only thing is, we can't do it all at once. If pillar devils start appearing in droves, it would be as bad socially as politically among the devils themselves. Not to mention the other supernatural races." I said with a grimace, something everyone imitated.
"And about… feeding?" Lord Phenex asked, frowning. I hummed.
"In fact, I'm working on a supplement for the succubi that should be able to feed them without having to absorb the life energy of their mates. Even so, they'll need to satisfy their sexual appetite. I'm sure it will be a great sacrifice for Riser." I said mockingly. Riser just grunted.
And I meant it. It turns out I had the solution in the palm of my hand all along. Or at least part of it. Succubi absorbed life energy through lust.
Lust was the means by which they absorbed life energy. It's like having a drink in a bottle and hundreds of plastic straws surrounding you, but you can only drink through one of them. Others could use other straws; vampires, for example, drank through blood. It could be seen as a different straw, but it was drinking from the same bottle. I had the life energy part covered. I had philosopher's stones, which, in fact, served to create elixirs of life, life energy distilled directly from the souls within the stone.
I just had to test if the succubi could absorb that energy without any problem or if I had to add something extra.
Creating the elixir was like giving them a drink straight from the bottle. It might work. The only thing missing was lust, like direct feeling, it would still require absorbing from a person. I don't think I could create a distilled lust potion, but I'd try. But in the meantime, if they could get both the potion and lots of sex, it should be enough to keep her completely healthy and satisfied without feeding off others.
It would be a significant and beneficial change, greatly helping the succubi enormously.
"Any other questions?" I asked, and yes, they did have questions. I spent the next hour answering question after question.