Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!

{Isabella}

Isabella hunched over her workbench in the Alchemist's Tower, her brow furrowed in concentration, her whiskers twitching every now and then, as she poured over her latest attempt at creating the perfect, unspendable rune.

[Come on, come on!]

She closed her eyes to pour in her Essence.

[This has to be it. It's got to work this time!]

For a moment, she felt a flicker of hope, a surge of power that made her heart skip a beat.

But just as quickly as it had come, the sensation faded.

This was, in fact, not it. It did not work this time.

Isabella stared at the inert rune, her excitement crumbling into bitter disappointment.

[Another failure,] she thought, her shoulders slumping. [Years of work, and I'm still no closer to cracking this puzzle... If it can even be cracked.]

She set the rune down with a heavy sigh, leaning back in her chair and running a hand through her fluffy pink hair.

[Maybe... maybe it's time to try something else,] a small voice whispered in the back of her mind. [Maybe this whole thing is just a pipe dream.]

For a moment, Isabella entertained the thought.

It would be so easy to just give up, to move on to something more immediately gratifying. She could focus on her classes, on honing her Wind magic, on spending more time with Melisa…

[No!] Isabella shook her head vehemently. [I can't give up now. It's been far too long! I-I'm probably on the cusp of figuring it out. I can taste it. I just need to keep pushing, keep experimenting until I find the solution.]

She glanced at the clock, realizing with a start that she was going to be late for class if she didn't hurry.

[I'll come back to this later,] she decided, gathering up her things. [For now, I'll put the project on pause. But I'm not giving up. Not now, not ever.]

With renewed determination, Isabella strode out of the Alchemist's Tower, ready to face the day.

As she entered the classroom, her eyes immediately fell on Melisa, sitting in her usual spot near the back.

A mischievous grin spreading across her face, Isabella skipped on over, plopping herself down on the nim girl's lap without preamble.

"Gooood morning, my darling cousin!" she chirped, nuzzling into Melisa's neck. "Ready for another day of magical learning and scholarly pursuits?"

Melisa stiffened, her cheeks flushing a deep purple.

But before she could say anything, the professor strode into the room, his face unusually grave.

"Good morning, everyone. Students, I have an announcement to make," he said, his voice ringing out over the sudden hush.

"By royal decree," the professor continued, "the Academy will be holding a grand tournament in three months' time. This event will be open to all students in the Prestige Class, and will test your skills in magic, combat, and tactical thinking."

Some excited murmurs rippled through the classroom. Students exchanged glances, some eager, others nervous.

"The tournament will consist of a series of one-on-one duels," the professor explained, his voice grave. "Each match will be fought until one competitor yields or is unable to continue. The use of magic will be permitted, but lethal force is strictly forbidden. The winner of each duel will advance to the next round, until a champion is crowned."

Isabella's ears perked up, her tail swishing with interest.

"We hope this will be a good opportunity for everyone to show how skilled and talented they are!"

[A tournament, huh?] she thought, a slow grin spreading across her face. [Now that sounds like my kind of party. A chance to show off my skills, to prove that I'm the best of the best...]

Beside her, Melisa shifted uncomfortably, her brow furrowed in thought.

"I wonder why they're holding this tournament," she whispered, her voice low enough that only Isabella could hear. "It seems a bit sudden, don't you think?"

Isabella shrugged, too excited by the prospect of the competition to care about the reasoning behind it.

"Who cares?" she asked, nuzzling deeper into Melisa's neck. "All that matters is that I- we are going to dominate this thing!"

Melisa sighed.

"You look kind of silly, with such a serious expression on your face while you're draped all over me like this."

Isabella grinned.

"You know you love it," she purred, giving Melisa a quick peck on the cheek.

The professor cleared his throat, drawing their attention back to the front of the room.

"In addition to your regular classes," he said, "you will all be required to attend a new course, beginning this afternoon. This class will focus on advanced combat techniques and battle strategy, to help prepare you for the tournament. Attendance is mandatory."

Isabella's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

[Advanced combat techniques? Battle strategy? Oh, this just keeps getting better and better!]

---

{Raven}

As the professor's words sank in, Raven felt a flicker of unease in her chest.

A tournament? In just three months' time? This was an unexpected development, one that could potentially complicate her mission.

[What does this mean for my assignment?] she wondered. [If Melisa were to participate and perform well, it would only draw more attention to her. And if she were to disappear shortly after...]

Raven shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She needed more information.

Slipping out of the classroom between courses, Raven made her way through the busy halls of the academy, her destination clear in her mind.

She needed to speak with her master.

Raven navigated the labyrinthine corridors with ease, her steps swift and silent. To anyone watching, she was just another student, hurrying to her next class.

Finally, she reached the office door, the nameplate reading "Professor Miria Linner" in elegant script.

Raven glanced around, ensuring the hallway was empty, before slipping inside.

"Master," she said, bowing her head. "Forgive the intrusion, but there's been a development."

Miria looked up from her desk, her eyes narrowing at the sight of her subordinate.

"Raven!" she hissed, her voice low and sharp. "What are you doing here? You know better than to seek me out like this! If someone were to see us together, it could expose our entire operation!"

Raven dropped to one knee in apology.

"I beg your pardon, Master. It was not my intention to put our mission at risk. But I felt this information was too critical to wait."

Miria sighed, rubbing her temple.

"Very well. What is it?"

Raven straightened, her stormy grey eyes meeting Miria's own.

"The academy is holding a tournament, Master. In three months' time. All students in the Prestige Class are expected to participate."

Miria sighed.

"Yes, I am aware, obviously. It's being done by the royal family," Miria replied. "Their hope is to gain some new knights out of it to help with the war against the darians."

Raven nodded, processing this new information.

"Then, what would you have me do, Master? If Melisa Blackflame were to participate and perform well, it would only increase the scrutiny on her. And her mysterious disappearance afterward would become far more conspicuous. If the reason I haven't been allowed to eliminate her yet is that it would attract too many eyes, wouldn't allowing her to participate in that make things even worse?"

A heavy silence fell between them.

Finally, Miria spoke, her voice grim.

"You're right, Raven. We cannot allow the nim girl to make it to the tournament. It's too great a risk."

Miria stood, pacing behind her desk.

"I'll need to reach out to our allies. See how they wish to proceed. This tournament... It complicates things. We'll need to be even more cautious moving forward. Our roots are too entwined with the Academy, Raven.

Just one of us being exposed could mean we must officially declare war on the world as a whole."

She turned back to Raven, her expression hardening.

"Continue your surveillance for now. Watch the girl, but do not engage until I hear back from our friends. We cannot afford any missteps."

Raven nodded, rising to her feet.

"As you command, Master. I will not fail you."

"And, one more thing," Miria said, walking forward. She handed Raven an envelope. "You haven't forgotten the protocol, have you?"

"Read and burn immediately after," Raven replied.

"Good. Now, go," she smirked.

---

Later that day, Raven followed the rest of the Prestige Class to their new course, her mind still whirling with the implications of the upcoming tournament.

As they filed into the training grounds, Raven's eyes drifted to Melisa, who still had Isabella wrapped around her like the kitsune was trying to merge with her and become one entity.

[Don't they ever get tired of that?] Raven thought. [I can't imagine that sort of thing being comfortable.]

The classroom they went into had no seats in it.

As the students gathered in a loose semicircle, their new instructor stepped forward, and Raven felt a jolt of recognition.

[Javir?]

The fiery-haired mage surveyed the class with a critical eye.

Raven found herself stiffening involuntarily, a sense of unease crawling up her spine.

[There's something about her,] Raven thought, her brow furrowing. [The way she looks at me... It's like she can look right through me.]

She forced herself to take a deep breath. To relax her muscles and adopt a neutral expression.

[Calm down,] she told herself sternly. [You're just being paranoid.]

"Alright, students," Javir called out, her voice ringing across the training grounds. "Today, we're going to start with a basic assessment of your combat skills. I want to see how you handle yourselves with weapons."

A murmur of excitement and trepidation rippled through the class.

"You may choose any weapon you like from the racks," Javir continued, gesturing to the array of blades, spears, and maces lining the walls. "Then, one by one, you will come at me with everything you've got. Don't hold back - I assure you, I can take it."

Raven watched as her classmates scrambled to select their weapons, their faces a mix of eagerness and nervousness.

[Pure mages, all of them.] She held back the urge to shake her head. [They have no idea what they're doing.]

And it showed.

Isabella was first, bounding forward with a pair of daggers in hand. But her grip was all wrong, her stance unbalanced, and Javir disarmed her with almost laughable ease.

"I...!" For the first time since Raven had first laid eyes on the woman, she looked embarrassed.

"Good try," Javir said. "Next."

Melisa fared no better, fumbling with a sword that seemed comically oversized for her small frame. She managed a few clumsy swings before Javir sent the blade flying from her grasp.

Student after student stepped up, only to be swiftly and decisively defeated in the same manner.

Then came Armia's turn.

The darian girl eyed a hefty warhammer, but then took a regular sword from the racks.

As she got started, Raven watched closely, her eyes narrowing.

[She's holding back,] she realized. [She's trying to pretend she doesn't know what she's doing, but her experience shows in how she's swinging her blade. Why? What could she want to hide?]

Finally, it was Raven's turn.

She stepped forward, a simple shortsword in hand, and fell into a ready stance.

[Just do what Armia did,] she told herself. [Make it look believable, but don't show your full strength. The last thing you need is to draw attention to your true skills.]

They got started.

Raven tried to make her attacks clumsy, swinging from random angles and putting either too little strength or too much strength into each blow.

Javir's voice cut through the air like a whip.

"Stop."

Raven froze, her heart pounding in her chest.

[Huh?]

Javir stalked forward, her green eyes blazing with intensity.

"You're holding back," she said casually and quietly. "Don't even try to deny it. I can see it in every line of your body, in the way you hold your blade."

Raven swallowed hard, forcing her face to remain expressionless.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Professor. I'm just following the instructions, like everyone else."

But Javir wasn't buying it.

"Is that so?" she asked, a hint of a challenge in her tone. "Well, I guess-"

She dashed.

Her blade was aimed at Raven's throat.

Raven reacted on pure instinct, her body moving before her mind could even process the attack.

She parried the blow with lightning speed, her own blade meeting Javir's with a resounding clang.

Raven's eyes widened.

"Good instincts," Javir said.

For a moment, Raven considered lunging at Melisa then and there, fearing that her cover had been fully blown.

But, Javir said:

"Alright, I think I have a good estimate of your skills. Next."