Succubus World - Start with Incubus System

Thank you [MonsterGirlHarem] for your super gift - Magic castle (^_^)

Wow! Wow! Wow!

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Meira’s name still glowed on the last line of the notification.

Erik glanced at the bedroom door one more time but didn’t call out again. Elowen still lay limp in his arms. The System had confirmed she was safe, yet he still placed two fingers against her neck to check. Her heartbeat was steady, her breathing deep, and there was no sign of pain on her face.

He pulled the blanket up to cover her body, then brushed the silver strands away from her cheek. Only then did his gaze return to the name displayed on the notification panel.

Erik looked toward the door. Meira was very close, most likely right outside in the hallway.

He didn’t call her out immediately. Compared to how much she might have heard, the changes happening inside Elowen’s body were more important.

A new line of text appeared before his eyes.

[Elowen has been detected in a suitable state to receive the Primordial Blessing]

[The Blessing can guide and perfect the process of bloodline awakening]

[Do you wish to activate it?]

[Yes/No]

Erik looked at Elowen for a while.

He had been putting off this ability since before entering the Trial Space. Back then, he hadn’t opened his Heaven Gate yet. If Elowen had suddenly awakened a high-tier power, a change that drastic would certainly have raised suspicions from Meira and everyone around them.

The situation now was different.

He had just opened an SS rank Heaven Gate, and Elowen was awakening her bloodline on her own under the effect of their resonance. Even if changes appeared in her later, everyone would simply assume it was the result of the bond between two Partners with 96% compatibility.

Erik made his selection with a thought.

[Yes]

[Primordial Blessing activated]

[Analyzing target’s potential...]

[Elven bloodline detected]

[Extremely high affinity with the Wind element detected]

[Selecting a suitable awakening path...]

A gentle breeze stirred inside the sealed room.

Erik immediately looked down. The silver hair spread across Elowen’s pillow slowly lifted into the air. The curtain by the window swayed even though the glass doors remained shut. Streams of pale blue air formed around the bed, spiraling along the length of her body.

At first they were thin as ribbons of silk. After a few breaths, the blue light grew more distinct. Small points of light appeared on Elowen’s skin, running from her neck down her arms before sinking into her body.

Erik observed every change. Her breathing wasn’t the least bit erratic, and her complexion was even better than before. The eyebrows that had been slightly furrowed gradually smoothed out.

The winds in the room picked up quickly, tossing Erik’s hair and rippling the blanket on the bed. When it all converged toward Elowen’s chest, the blue light flared once and then vanished.

[Primordial Blessing successful]

[Congratulations, Elowen has awakened a new talent]

[Spirit of the Wind]

[Rank: Epic]

Erik raised an eyebrow slightly.

From a D rank record, Elowen had directly awakened an Epic rank talent. Even though he already knew the Primordial Blessing was no ordinary thing, this result still far exceeded his expectations.

The information panel continued to expand.

[Spirit of the Wind - Epic Rank]

[Greatly enhances the ability to sense, control, and absorb Wind attribute energy]

[The Wind energy carries the Life attribute of the Elven bloodline]

[Can develop along two paths: Offense and Healing]

[The talent will continue to mature alongside the target’s bloodline]

Erik’s gaze settled on the words Offense and Healing.

Both development paths suited Elowen. She already used a bow and wind arrows, and she carried an Elven bloodline with healing capabilities. If she fully developed this talent, her weakness in combat power would be completely made up for.

Erik closed the System panel before the last of the wind dissipated. Then he turned toward the door.

There was still no sound outside. However, with his current physique, Erik could hear breathing that was being deliberately suppressed.

"You’ve stood out there long enough."

A small noise came from the hallway. The person outside seemed startled and unconsciously touched the door handle.

The room was silent for a few seconds. Finally, the handle slowly turned downward.

Meira stepped inside.

Her golden hair, usually neatly styled, now hung completely loose, falling nearly to her waist. She wore no leaf circlet or jewelry, and only the faintest trace of makeup remained on her face. An ivory-white silk nightgown hugged her full figure, its thin shoulder straps leaving her shoulders and collarbones exposed.

Stripped of her usual air of authority, Meira right now looked like a grown woman who had just left her bed after hearing something in her daughter’s room.

Erik looked at her.

"How long have you been standing out there?"

Meira didn’t answer. Her gaze had already fixed on Elowen. Seeing her daughter lying motionless, she immediately walked to the bedside.

"What happened to her?"

"Her bloodline is awakening. Her condition is safe."

Meira was startled, then tried to compose herself, though she still wasn’t entirely at ease. She sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on Elowen’s forehead. A layer of pale green light spread from her palm, slowly sweeping over her daughter’s body.

A few seconds later, Meira let out a breath of relief.

"Her heartbeat and mana are both stable. There’s also an extremely powerful stream of Wind energy inside her body."

"She’ll probably have a surprise waiting for her when she wakes up."

Meira looked at him as though she wanted to ask more. Erik simply adjusted the blanket over Elowen with perfect composure, showing no intention of explaining the source of the change. She studied him for a few seconds, then chose not to press the matter.

Only then did Meira realize Erik hadn’t had a chance to put his clothes back on. The blanket covered him only from the hips down, leaving his upper body exposed along with the faint red scratch marks across his shoulders and back.

Her gaze unconsciously drifted lower. Her footsteps halted at once, and a faint flush quickly spread from her neck up to her cheeks.

Erik pulled the blanket higher.

"Seen enough?"

Meira flinched and turned her face away.

"Sorry."

Her voice came out slightly hoarse. Erik looked at the reddening profile of her face, then remembered the Emotional Energy notification from earlier.

"Can you answer now? How long were you standing outside the door?"

Meira stayed silent for a moment before speaking.

"Not long."

"Specifically?"

"Long enough to know Elowen had fallen asleep."

Erik looked at her without a word. Meira clearly understood why he was silent, and the tips of her ears grew even redder.

"I sensed the energy fluctuations in the room, so I came to check."

"And then stood outside the door?"

"I didn’t want to interrupt the two of you."

The reason sounded plausible enough, but the extremely high Emotional Energy coming off Meira showed things weren’t nearly that simple.

She looked at Elowen again. After confirming her daughter truly wasn’t in danger, her gaze slowly shifted to Erik.

"Elowen... still hasn’t fully satisfied you?"

Erik froze.

Meira knew the question was far too direct. Her hands clasped together on her lap, but her green eyes didn’t look away.

"I just want to know."

Erik was quiet for a few seconds, then said her name:

"Meira."

"Hm?"

"You’re Elowen’s mother."

Something wavered in Meira’s gaze.

Erik sat up straight, his voice turning serious.

"I’ll admit you’re very beautiful, and I understand what you want. But that’s exactly why I don’t want to act on nothing more than a passing impulse."

Meira looked at him.

"I don’t want to destroy someone else’s family. Doesn’t doing this make you feel guilty toward Elowen’s father?"

The expression on Meira’s face changed. Her embarrassment vanished quickly, replaced by a faint smile carrying a trace of bitterness.

"Elowen’s father?"

Erik picked up on the unusual reaction.

"Is there a problem?"

Meira pulled the chair beside the bed over and sat down. She was quiet for a while, as if weighing where to begin.

"You know that after the Otherworld Gates appeared, humanity and the Succubi carried out a great many projects to stabilize the population, right?"

Erik nodded.

"I know the general idea."

"I belong to the first generation of one of those projects. It was called Gen.0."

Erik frowned slightly. He had never heard that name before, but he didn’t show much reaction and simply waited for her to explain.

"The goal of Gen.0 was to test the compatibility between human men and Succubi, while observing how much of both sides’ bloodlines the next generation could inherit. My Elven bloodline was fairly pure and my healing talent was high, so I was selected."

"And the man?"

Meira lowered her eyes.

"He came from a high-status family, but he had no interest in dealing with Succubi. The person he loved was a human woman. He only joined the project because his family and the people in charge pressured him."

The hands resting on her lap slowly tightened.

"In the end, he agreed to provide his seed on the condition that the entire process be carried out through artificial means."

Erik understood.

"Elowen was born through artificial insemination?"

Meira nodded.

"I never slept with him. He never once came to see Elowen either. After she was born, his part in the project was over. I raised Elowen, and he went back to his own life. We never met again."

The room fell quiet. Erik hadn’t expected Meira’s past to be like this. Before now, he had assumed Elowen’s father simply never appeared for some reason or another. In reality, there had never been any romantic relationship or Contract between the two of them.

Even so, that didn’t mean he would immediately accept what Meira was implying.

"Even so, you and I still aren’t Partners."

Meira looked at him, waiting for what came next.

"If you’re only curious, or if you’re being swayed by a passing emotion, I’ll refuse. I don’t want to turn someone living beside me into a relationship that only lasts one night."

Erik looked straight into those green eyes.

"If you truly want to step into my life, you need to think it through clearly. Once I accept, I’ll treat you as family, respect you, and take care of you. In return, I demand the same loyalty."

His voice was calm but serious.

"Later on, if you meet another man who’s better, you can’t just walk away and switch Partners like nothing ever happened. I won’t accept that kind of relationship."

Meira heard him out and needed almost no time to think.

"I accept."

Erik frowned slightly.

"You should think it over carefully."

"I’ve been thinking about it for a very long time."

Meira stepped to the edge of the bed and slowly knelt down. Her hands rested on the blanket. The composure of a matriarch who managed an entire hospital and four shopping centers had vanished. All that remained in those green eyes was seriousness and a trace of pleading.

"Erik, maybe from the very first time I saw how you treated Elowen, a very selfish thought took root in me. I used to think that if there were one man in this life willing to look at me the way you look at her, then all those years of waiting wouldn’t have been completely meaningless."

The corners of Meira’s eyes gradually reddened.

"Then I saw how you treated Felyn, how you treated Sarna, and even how you treated me. You remembered what I’d done. You gave me a gift and told me I was family."

Her hand gripped the edge of the blanket lightly.

"If I have to choose one man, I don’t want anyone else. If it isn’t Erik, then I don’t need a second man in this lifetime."

Erik looked at her in silence, then shifted his gaze to Elowen sleeping beside him.

A long while passed before he slowly exhaled.

"Alright."

Meira’s eyes lit up instantly. She was about to move closer when Erik raised a hand to stop her.

"Tomorrow."

Meira paused.

"Tomorrow?"

"Wait until Elowen wakes up. I want to talk to her about this first."

Meira was completely stunned.

Erik straightened the blanket over Elowen again.

"You’re her mother, and I’m her fiancé. Plenty of people might think a man who wants to take in another Succubus doesn’t need to ask anyone’s opinion, but I don’t want Elowen finding out after everything has already happened."

He looked up at Meira.

"I want to hear how she really feels about it."

Meira looked at him for a very long moment. Her already reddened green eyes gradually filmed over with a thin layer of tears.

Erik felt a slight headache coming on.

"Don’t tell me you’re about to cry too."

Meira pressed her lips together, then actually laughed.

"I understand more and more why she loves you that much."

"So now..." Erik glanced toward the door. "Can you go back to your own bedroom?"

The smile on Meira’s face instantly froze.