Chapter 42

ELIGOR.

An elderly woman sat at the side of the alleyway, and I had been keeping an eye on her and following her every move for several days. Every morning, she would be in front of the gate of a public school, selling her goods there. In the afternoon, she would move to the side of the grocery store in front of the parking lot.

I approached her cautiously, and she didn't notice my presence, so I sat down in front of her.

"Hello," I greeted, raising my hand in greeting, and she immediately became alert and moved away from me.

"Hahaha, how are you?" I asked her, and she looked at me with disdain.

"What are you doing here, huh? Leave my sight or my merchandise might suffer losses," she said, pretending to be innocent, so I just smiled at her.

"I will leave, but you shouldn't show up in this place, old lady," I replied, while she stared at me seriously.

"Why? Because of the girl you victimized? Why haven't you left this place yet? Are you planning to kill her?" My smile vanished as she seemed to know too much.

"Well, I don't want to move on to a new victim yet," I retorted, annoyed, and she laughed while I maintained a serious expression.

"I guess you're the one who got victimized by her, and you can't stay away from her, am I right? Cambion?" she asked me, and I averted my gaze and scratched my head.

"What do you want? How much? Tell me, and I'll give it to you, just don't show up in front of her, and throw away those charms you're selling," I replied in annoyance, because if not for her interference, I would have claimed Katelyn long ago.

"Hmmm... one billion. Manipulating money is easy for you, right? Send it to my bank account," she replied, handing me her account number. My eyes gleamed; she was really prepared for this opportunity. Maybe she intentionally meddled to make a profit from me?

"Tsk," I clicked my tongue, feeling a bit frustrated while she continued to smile.

"Weren't you a succubus yourself once?" I asked her while sending the money to her bank.

"Yes, I was."

"Don't you regret it? You gave up your powers and immortality, and now you're just selling on the streets," I asked her, as she risked everything for love.

"I was foolish, I was abandoned by the person I loved, and now I'm struggling, hahaha," she replied, happily looking at her bank account on her phone.

Is this person really struggling?

"But why are you still alive if the person you loved, a mortal, left you? Shouldn't a succubus die when they're abandoned by their beloved?" I asked as it was the first time I saw a former succubus who was abandoned by their loved one and was still alive.

"Because we had a child, and my child continues to love me, so I'm still here," she answered, surprising me with her unexpected response.

It must be so wonderful to have a love like that.

"What about you? Do you plan to become mortal?" she asked, and I wasn't sure about the answer. I wasn't at the stage where I could risk everything I had for a mortal. I hadn't thought about that yet.

"Tsk, I don't want to be a beggar," I replied, standing up. "Pack up your things and never show up here again, got it, old lady?"

"Yes, yes, I'll buy a nice house for my child, hahaha. Thanks for the money!" She waved at me and pulled her cart away from where I stood.

As I watched her old figure, I pondered. How great must it be to love someone enough to sacrifice their immortality?

If she hadn't become mortal, her skin wouldn't be wrinkled, her back would still be straight, and she wouldn't struggle with aging.

"Seems like you're lost in thought, Eligor." I turned around and saw Loraine, one of the succubi I knew.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, and she handed me a black envelope.

"A warning from the higher-ups. They say your energy collection has been weakening lately, and they're curious, so they sent me to check on you," she explained, giving me a reason to scratch my head.

"Ah, I guess I got too carried away with my teaching role, hahaha." I just made an excuse, but I knew this woman wouldn't leave me alone.

Loraine was known for being one of the highest-ranking succubi, she gathered the most energy from the mortals she slept with.

I used to compete with her, but I lay low after meeting Katelyn.

"You should be collecting more life energy in that place. Your students are young and virginal, so why are you still lagging behind?" she asked me. I needed to change the topic, or else they might find out about Kate and my plan to stay in this place.

"I'm not interested in young ones, they're not my taste, anyway. Alright, I should go now," I replied, waving at her with the envelope she gave me.

"I will visit your work for a month! Bye!" I was startled when I heard that, and when I looked in her direction, she had disappeared like a bubble.

"Tsk, that woman is such a headache." I'm sure she would interfere with everyone's memories at the school, including Kate.

***

But it turns out, my prediction was wrong. It was surprising that she wasn't affected by Loraine's hypnosis, and even my powers didn't work on her anymore.

A week had passed since Loraine and I talked, and now she visited me at my apartment to inform me about what happened at school earlier.

"Kate is quite something, no wonder you can't leave this place." She sat on the sofa, holding a list of her victims.

Loraine was right. I had tried to control Kate several times, but my hypnosis simply didn't work on her, which puzzled me.

"It worked on her earlier, but I struggled with it. Luckily, I managed to alter her memory," Loraine explained. I let out a sigh and sat down in the chair.

"But it didn't work on me. I wonder why," I pondered.

"Maybe your energy is weakening? How many days have you gone without sex?" she asked, and I suddenly became nervous. How would I tell her that it had been not just days but months?

Especially now, I felt like a fool for not realizing the reason behind it. Every time Kate approached me, my heart would beat faster, just like earlier. I couldn't sit still when she was next to me on the sofa.

Her mere presence drove me crazy.

My heart felt like it would burst with excitement, and I felt like if I couldn't control it, I wouldn't be able to control my body either.

I might hurt her, or worse, I might drive her insane if I claimed her completely.

That's why I often distanced myself from her when I felt my heart acting up.

"Hey, I'm asking you! How many days has it been? Don't tell me it's been weeks?" she asked, and I couldn't answer.

What would Loraine's reaction be if she found out that it had been months?

"Don't ask me, maybe I'm just tired," I replied to her, and we suddenly heard a knock on the door.

I jolted upright as I saw Loraine stand up and open the door.

Both Kate and I were surprised when we saw each other. She looked at Loraine, then back at me.

"Ah, Loraine?" she asked, and Loraine smiled at her.

"Hi, Kate!" I was flustered and immediately approached both of them. I didn't know why I felt so nervous, and I wanted to explain everything to her right away.

"What is Loraine doing in your apartment? Is there a meeting that I don't know about?" she asked, and even though Kate tried to hide her anger, I could see it clearly in the way she looked at Loraine.

"No, no, you misunderstood, hahaha!" How could I explain this to her?

"Is that why you rushed to leave? Is that why you ran out of my apartment because she's here in yours?" Kate looked at Loraine seriously, and it seemed like Loraine didn't expect those glances.

"W-Well, you see, it's just a sudden thing. I borrowed him a flash drive for tomorrow's lessons. I forgot to take it at school earlier, and I just arrived here, hahaha," Loraine explained.

Kate then looked at me, and I nodded at her. "She's telling the truth. So, what are you going to do about it? Are you too jealous?" I teased her, but I saw the sadness in her eyes, and here I was, feeling a pain in my chest again.

"Is that so? I was wondering why you always avoid me and run away. I thought something was going on between you and Loraine," she said, surprising me with her unexpected response.

She had misunderstood my actions, thinking that I was avoiding her because of something with Loraine.

But how could I explain the real reason to her? Would she believe me if I told her that I was going crazy whenever she was close to me and we were alone together?

"Oh my gosh, I don't want love drama right in front of me! I'll just go home. See you tomorrow, Kate! And thanks for the lesson guide, Eligor!" Loraine left my apartment and waved at both of us before entering the elevator.

I was glad that Loraine didn't decide to tease me. Maybe she had noticed my strange behavior when it came to Kate.

Because I wasn't like this before. I wasn't easily affected by the emotions of any mortal.

"Sorry," she apologized, keeping her head down and not looking at me.

"I'm sorry too if you felt that way. It wasn't intentional," I explained once again, why did I want to give her assurance when I wasn't even a hundred percent sure of my own feelings?

"No, maybe you're just being cautious because of what I went through in the past. But, Eli—" she looked up at me, catching me off guard.

"I still want to get to know you, I still want to be with you, and I feel comfortable around you. So please, don't distance yourself from me." I didn't expect those words from Katelyn.

I could sense her frustration and her desire to be with me.

What am I doing? Why am I the one going around in circles in this situation and afraid of my own ghost?

"I'm sorry, I just don't know what to do around you, you're too tempting," damn it, that's so lame!

I'm being corny, but I'm getting all giddy about myself! I feel like a fool! I want to shower her with sweet words, I want to rain her with compliments so she knows how beautiful she is in my eyes!

"I-I feel the same way! Sometimes, I just want to hug and k-kiss you," she stuttered in front of me, leaving me completely mesmerized.

I feel like a statue, but there's a volcano brewing inside me, ready to erupt.

"Eli, it's okay with me if you hug me." When I heard those words coming from her small, red lips, the volcano inside me erupted completely.

I immediately grabbed her and surprised her with a kiss. I pulled her into my apartment and locked the door, never breaking the kiss we were sharing.