The Hero Became a Succubus, and the Only Way to Level is to… What?! Chapter 540 – Teana, the Champion!

Teana Toyomi had been crowned champion of the first tournant. A massive celebration was underway in the very stadium where Knights' Academy students fought. Mages terraford the arena flat, and rows of tables were brought out furnished from end to end with a feast of mouthwatering food. Beer flowed so plentiful that even the soil beneath their feet was fed so. Roaring bonfires lit up the early evening, with peers, faculty, and more dancing around them amid jubilant music.

A special table had been set up dubbed Champion's Seat for the tournant's winner, Teana, and whoever she wanted to invite. It contained the juiciest fruits, most flavorful and savory cuts of at, and finest beverages. Teana, surrounded by friends and family, was having the ti of her life. Especially as fellow students ca over in groups to congratulate her win. Sentints were a little awkward, because while she was the favorite to win, it felt like a hollow victory handed to her as a result of Runald's forfeit.

Still, even with that hanging over everyone's heads, it didn't put a damper on Teana's mood. Nelly was by her side, as well as her younger sisters. The only ones missing were Revah and Pan, whom Kanae was disappointed over for not coming to offer congratulations.

"Teana was so cool out there! Cooler than even Nelly. Your punches were like— pow! Your kicks were like— wham! It sounded like they hurt a lot. I can't believe that big gaur lady isn't dead. I wanna grow strong like you one day!" Suvee gushed over her big half-sister.

"You're already strong, Suvee! I don't think many kids your age have muscles like these." Teana tickled the dark elven girl into a fit of laughter.

Kanae smiled at their bond. If only Revah and Pan could show the sa humility.

So among the table suddenly rose from their seats.

"No, please be seated." Archbishop Patrice motioned them back down. "I'm here to extend my congratulations to Radevic's champion. Teana Toyomi, yours was an impressive showing! Perhaps one day, you will don your mother's mantle?"

"You think so?" Teana bead.

"Hey, I'm right here, you know? I still have many years left before putting that mantle down." Kanae rolled her eyes.

The high elf grinned. "And as much as I would be glad to have you, Teana, I do rather enjoy your mother's companionship. But I'm not here to talk about her or myself." She beckoned a servant forward, who presented a beautifully-crafted spear. "This is your prize. The head is made of adamantine, and the shaft carefully carved from Kh'shanti wood and enchanted."

Teana's jaw dropped.

"What? No way!" Teana gasped as the servant handed her the spear. The softest shade of blue colored the tal tip. Its shaft was the real looker, every inch of the wood carved in intricate designs.

"May you claim many strong beasts with this spear, Champion of Aidenhall. Now, if you will excuse , I shall leave you to your celebrations." Archbishop Patrice bowed.

"Thank you, Archbishop! I'll cherish this and serve Radevic well!" The girl bowed, too.

"Oh, and Athyst. Your match will kick off the upper tournant. You face the Knight of Azure, William Bellevue. Best of luck." She smiled.

Will, huh? Better than facing Petyr or Edina right off the bat. As soon as Archbishop Patrice left, peers and friends of Teana took her place. Chatter across the table picked up again.

"Boy!" Moira elbowed Nelly hard in the side. "When are you going to start putting a baby in Teana? I want to see great grandchildren before I pass."

"No, don't give Teana any more motivation. We're still in school, too!" Nelly groaned.

Their friends ooh'd and ahh'd them.

Soone tapped Kanae on the shoulder. She turned around to find Mitty.

"Do you sense Revah and Pan anywhere right now?" Mitty asked.

"I looked for them earlier, but… I'll try again." Kanae focused on Broodmother to search for her wayward daughters.

Earlier, after the tournant had ended and Archbishop Patrice announced a celebratory feast, Kanae and Mikki had gone around the palace to find them. Neither were anywhere to be seen. This ti, however, she sensed the two nearby. She glanced up at the rafters above the stadium seating areas where canopies were pulled over to shade spectators.

"Okay, they aren't escaping this ti." Kanae got up.

"You're not going without . Those are my kids, too," Mitty said, grabbing her arm.

Kanae picked him up and was about to take off until she felt a tug on her wing.

"Who is it now?" Kanae sighed.

"You're going to see Revah and Pan, right? I'm coming with you," Mikki insisted.

"The whole family's coming along! Suit yourself." She lifted off with Mitty and her daughter close behind.

Thankfully, the others didn't notice them leaving, too busy talking with friends. As they approached the rafters, Kanae's two rebellious daughters panicked.

"Stay right where you are!" Kanae exclaid.

"Pan, Revah. Listen to your mom," Mitty said, and they plopped back down obediently.

They had plates of food around them. Their mouths were sared in sauce and oil. It seed they didn't really miss out on the party after all.

"Your big sister just had a big day. Don't you two have sothing to tell her?" Kanae asked.

"What? That she's mom's favorite?" Revah huffed.

"No, that's not…"

"That's not true," Mitty answered in her place. "Do you two know how many children your mom has now?"

"Well, there's us… Feraline, Suvee, Kanade, Dawn… is there more?" Pan gasped.

"That's not important. What matters is that it's a lot. Do you honestly think she loves you any less than the rest?" he asked.

Both girls hesitated to answer.

"Your mom has a lot going on. It's hard for her to shower you all with attention equally. I admit, I haven't been the best dad either. As a Pathfinder, adventurers across multiple kingdoms ask for my help constantly. But I'm always thinking about the four of you," Mitty explained.

Mikki nudged Kanae from behind.

"Say sothing, Mom!" Mikki whispered.

"If… If I've been unfair to you two, I'm sorry. I really do love you both. If there's anything I can do to make it up, tell ," Kanae said.

Revah and Pan exchanged glances.

"We were just going to leave tomorrow without telling anyone. But if it really matters… I guess it won't hurt to ask. Can we? We wanna explore the world, see the world you saw like Artaggon and Savir, not stay cooped up in this city," Pan said.

"But it's not safe out there," Kanae reasoned.

"It wasn't safe when you guys were adventurers either. Mom, I'm tired of being the Knight of Athyst's daughter and Teana's little sister. I just wanna be… Pan," she pleaded.

"And you feel the sa way, Revah?"

"I do." The hooded daughter nodded.

The hatchlings were always going to fly from the nest eventually. Sotis, sooner than a mother would hope.

"Okay," Kanae said at last, much to their surprise. "If you're really intent on leaving, make sure you're packed up with plenty of potions and rations. And at least go down there and talk to Teana first. Your Aunt Aisha and Grandma Moira, too. Grandma might not have many years left, and she can't know when you're coming back next."

"We will!" Revah and Pan shouted.

"We're going to miss your tournant, but Revah and I are rooting for you!" Pan exclaid.

Kanae drew close to wrap them in her arms and wings. Mitty and Mikki joined, too. Her two daughters were about to fly down when Revah hung back.

"Mikki… I'm sorry… about, you know… hurting you." Revah held her head in sha.

"Hehe. I know you didn't an to. You'll always be my favorite big sister, but don't tell Teana or Pan that." Mikki winked.

Sniffling, Revah threw her arms around Mikki. When they parted, she let her dad Mitty climb onto her back and descended to the surface first. Kanae and Mikki remained on the rafters for a little while longer.

"You don't feel the sa as them?" Kanae asked.

"I used to think I wanted to. After spending ti in school and the labs, I realized I definitely like where I'm at more. Also, with Revah and Pan gone, that's less competition for Nelly." Mikki grinned.

"Sly girl." She ruffled her daughter's bright orange hair.

Down below, the goblin and hobgoblin family reunited. Teana tearfully bear-hugged her sisters. She always wore her emotions on her sleeves.

"Say, have you seen Runald since?" Kanae asked.

"I haven't. But if I were him, I can't imagine showing my face so soon after dropping out of the tournant. I don't get it though. Runald had a decent shot against Teana. The forr Knight of Gold trained him, right?" Mikki recalled.

Petyr stord out of the booth after the tournant ended. She hadn't been seen around the celebrations. The blanket of night was pulling over the horizon. Looking for them in the dark wasn't feasible. Kanae and Mikki eventually flew down to rejoin the others, but the evening was already winding down.

Back in Athyst Hall, the gentle murmurs of activity from night owls and insomniacs continued to buzz across Aidenhall Palace. Kanae carried Dawn into the Vice-Captain's quarters and had idina look after the baby. However, as she was about to turn in and sleep, soone knocked loudly on her door. She opened the door to Petyr standing there, looming over her.

"Do you know how late it is?" Kanae rubbed her own eyes.

"I found Runald," Petyr said.

"What? Where?!" she asked.

Petyr beckoned Kanae to follow. In the main chamber of Athyst Hall, Runald was seated at a table and surrounded by Edina, Alicia, Claudia, and Hilde.

"You're all back?" Kanae gasped.

"We found Runald skulking around the Bonelands. Well, one of my skele-minions did. Take a look at him. Tell if you notice anything off," Edina suggested.

Kanae drew closer and cupped Runald by the face. She had plenty of words to say to him, but after looking into his glazed-over eyes, the scolding could wait.

"This explains why he uncharacteristically gave up the match. Runald's been chard," Kanae growled.

"Not by us, I assure you." Alicia folded her arms.

"In other words, it's the work of our fucking Queen-Mother again. They just can't leave us alone!" Claudia threw her arms up, pacing around the hall.

Kanae lifted Runald's gaze to her own and exerted Charm to overpower the other, then released him. He blinked a few tis, slowly coming back to his senses— and promptly squeezed his eyes shut.

"Argggghhhh! I'm never going to forgive myself!" Runald buried his face into both hands. "I need to apologize to Teana. Holy shit. Lady Petyr, too… I'm so sorry!"

"Runald, tell us what happened to you." Kanae shook his shoulders.

"I was in the tunnel getting ready to co out when soone whispered to from behind. Then my body started moving on its own. I went to tell the stadium staff that I wanted to concede. I swear, I wasn't planning to!" he explained.

"Could it… have been Revah or Pan?" She hesitated to bla her own daughters, but they did seem the likely suspects.

The high elf shook his head. "Couldn't be. The voice I heard was older and more mature. Never got a good look at their face though. Whoever they were left the second I fell under their control… Gods, I can't believe I threw the match…"

"It's not your fault. For what it's worth, Runald, you impressed plenty in the matches you did win. If the mantle of the Knight of Gold is your aspiration, I'd be honored by it," Petyr complinted him.

Runald looked like so of the weight had lifted from his shoulders.

Petyr turned to Kanae and continued, "What do we do? I say we hunt down the infiltrators. Lest you want sothing like what happened in Ehmvier to happen again. I can recall Vesh and Motta from the city to help."

"The situation is a little different. For one, I'm not the king, archbishop, or Grand Eye. I'm going to go talk to Archbishop Patrice about this. Everyone, stay on your guard. There's no telling what this Queen-Mother succubus plans to do," Kanae said.

Everyone groaned. If it was up to them, they would scour the city like a swarm of locusts to try and find the infiltrator. Fortunately, they respected her enough to listen.

Kanae flew out to the Basilica of Saint Rue. In the dead of night, only the barest number of clerics stayed up to tend to the candles and welco the restless. She passed by them and made for the archbishop's office.

"Archbishop? It's ." Kanae knocked on the heavy door.

"Enter," Patrice said from the other side.

Kanae opened the door, coming face to face with Saint Priests Delayn and Camilla. Both of them had their hands on their weapons, but withdrew upon seeing her.

"Aren't you guys normally stationed to guard outside the room?" Kanae asked.

"Circumstances have demanded otherwise." Delayn turned her nose up at her.

"Athyst, I expected you to be laying with your lovers at this ti of the night. Has your bed gone so cold that you seek my company?" Archbishop Patrice was standing by the shut window, peering past the drapes.

"M-My bedside escapades are none of your business! Runald didn't concede the match of his own volition. Athyst Hall found him and brought him in. He was chard, and not by any of my succubi," she explained.

A big smile flashed on the archbishop's face.

"Our enemies have taken the bait," Patrice said.

"Bait? What is going on?" Kanae asked.

"Delayn, Camilla. Give us the room," she ordered.

Both Saint Priests hesitated, but they ultimately obeyed. Camilla shut the door on the way out. Archbishop Patrice planted both hands on Kanae's shoulders.

"Forgive , Athyst. I needed to keep it between as few ears as possible, especially from you. Not because I do not trust you, but because your rapport with them makes you vulnerable. In my correspondence with the Empire of Ortesia about the prisoner exchange, I let slip that the basilica appears to have an access that leads to an underground chamber. Why? To lead them into believing that a Cult of Lust and Depravity ziggurat lies below. This is a lie. But they have no reason not to suspect it, given their devoted Saint Ruedegard Ducante's sinful secret. Should this rumor travel up to Guillau Pyrelle, then the Queen-Mother of Temptation will surely hear of it as well and take action to seize the temple. We shall be waiting to capture them."

"W-What? All this just to lure them here… on a lie?"

"Did you forget? I told you before, I wish to bear witness to your ascension. A succubus deified. Two empires, waged in war. At the very end, it will be either you or Ambrosia, who ascends," the archbishop explained.

"Does King Turren and Grand Eye Analise know about your insane plan?" Kanae asked.

"Here is the part where even fewer ears know. They do not. Turren and Analise still believe this is a simple prisoner exchange. They seek to rule an era of peace, but peace is always so boring. As long as I am Archbishop…" Her grip on Kanae's shoulders tightened. "We will make history."