Succubi Chapter 140. A Win is Still A Win
The scent of Evelyn's gym-approved cologne still clung to my shirt like a blessing from the gods of citrus and clean laundry. Which was nice. Stabilizing. The classroom didn't feel like a death trap anymore.
I could breathe again. Exist again. Take actual notes without feeling like I was about to start rotting from the inside out.
The professor had started strong. A voice like dried paper and disappointment. But he knew his stuff. Mana layering, elemental weaving, damage control in team-based duels, this guy lectured like we were all expected to become generals next month.
He didn't even look up once. Just walked in circles and monologued with the intensity of someone who definitely lost a bet and became a teacher by accident.
Still, I took notes like a decent student. My pen moved steadily across the page while my brain filtered out anything that sounded like "do not try this at home."
Evelyn sat beside me, posture perfect, handwriting so neat it could pass as a font. She'd already color-coded her notes. Red for Valor techs. Blue for Arcana reactions. Green for healing team combos. I peeked once and hated how organized it was.
Leon? He was taking notes too. But with one hand. The other was subtly drawing a dumb cartoon of Ares with steam coming out of his ears.
He saw me looking. Grinned.
Class ended just as I was starting to wonder if the word "arcane phasing" was real or just something from a card game.
Brunch break.
We had thirty minutes before switching to house specific training.
We walked to the cafeteria, a.k.a. the battlefield of tray juggling and stolen muffins. I didn't really need more food. But Leon?
Leon needed to vent.
"Move," he grunted as he elbowed his way toward the food line like it was a survival scenario. "I need protein before I end up chewing on my own rage."
Evelyn and I found a table near the window, a little tucked away from the crowd. It was quiet enough to not get swarmed, but visible enough for dramatic flair if needed. You know, in case someone wanted to see how cool I looked while eating.
I opened my lunch container.
Lilith's cooking.
Glorious.
A full portion of grilled mana-salted meat, rice with floating golden sparkles, and a side of pickled roots that smelled like a goddess personally fermented them.
Evelyn opened hers too. Different arrangement. Still Lilith's. I saw glazed lotus pieces in there. Why did she get lotus?
I leaned in dramatically. "Lilith gave you lotus?"
She shrugged innocently. "She said it matched my aura."
"That's not fair."
"She gave you extra meat."
"…fair."
Leon arrived five minutes later.
And when I say arrived, I mean he slammed his tray down like he was challenging it to a duel.
There was so much food on it I couldn't tell if it was a balanced meal or a cry for help.
Yeah, his usual.
He dug in immediately.
Didn't speak for the first minute.
He was eating like each bite was vengeance. I watched him devour his eggs with so much passion it looked personal.
I raised an eyebrow. "You good?"
He chewed.
Swallowed.
Then glared at his toast like it had betrayed him.
"Ares," he said simply.
"Ah."
"Smug. Silent. Freaking Ares."
I nodded solemnly. "Yeah. He does look… upgraded."
Leon growled into his juice. "Like someone injected him with a potion made of common sense and gym membership."
I chuckled. "Yeah. His vibe is off. Like he read a motivational book and actually understood it."
Leon stabbed his omelet. "I want to throw him into a lake."
"Noted."
I returned to my lunch, took a bite of meat, and groaned quietly. Okay. Yeah. Lilith was amazing. This tasted like victory and something slightly sinful.
"So," Evelyn said between bites, looking at me, "you won last night?"
I blinked, still chewing.
"Yup." I swallowed. "My first win in the underground duels."
She raised an eyebrow. "Impressive."
I smirked. "It was clean."
Leon snorted.
I continued. "I wore a mask, though. So they couldn't really see my face," I deadpanned. "It made me look like a minion."
She almost choked on her rice.
"I hate him," I muttered. "But I guess a win is still a win."
Leon lifted a piece of sausage like a toast. "To your first shady win."
We clinked our food. Like real men.
But then Evelyn leaned in a little, lowering her voice. "I heard something else too. From Lilith this morning."
I paused mid-chew. "Oh?"
"She said Callahan… dueled you?"
I exhaled slowly, chewing slower. "Yeah… yeah, he did."
"Why?"
"He wanted to inspect me."
She frowned. "Inspect?"
I looked around. No one too close. Then I said it softly.
"Because of—" I stopped mid-sentence.
Yeah… that barrier.
I still didn't understand why it showed up. One second I was panicking, trying to save Adrian, and the next? Boom. Full-layered mana shield. Ancient structure. Symmetrical glyphs. Perfect formation.
It wasn't something I learned. Wasn't something I'd practiced. It just… appeared. Like instinct. Or a reflex. Or something deeper finally snapping awake.
But even now, I hadn't asked Lilith about it.
And not because I didn't want to.
No.
Because right after it happened, right after the dome broke and she stepped into that moonlight in her nightgown, her voice soft and teasing, and pulled me into that boob hug...
Yeah.
My brain went error.
Full critical shutdown.
No thoughts. Just boob.
One part of me wanted to be responsible, ask serious questions, maybe try to understand what the hell just awakened inside me.
The other part?
Was still stuck on a loop.
Not of the barrier.
Not of the duel.
But of Callahan's face as he watched Lilith hug me.
That broken expression.
Like he'd been hit with an arrow made of betrayal and curves.
It was kind of beautiful.
Ten percent of me wanted answers.
The other ninety?
Was busy replaying Callahan crying in my imagination.
Still worth it.
>Read the original on web*novel.com
>Read 10 chapter ahead of this story.
My Pat*reo*n-page: pat*reon.*com/nanakawaichan
(erase the *)
My ko-fi page: ko-fi.*com/nanakawaichan
My Discord: discord.g/mSRHyMVhnG