Volume 1, Chapter 16 – This Question— I Don’t Know How to Answer

During the first hour after putting up the sign, Stella sat in the consultation corner she had arranged herself, feeling as though every second lasted a century.

Normally, she should have been excited to return to her old line of work, but she could not help wondering whether any succubus would really be willing to pay her outrageous fee and come to her for consultation.

Stella repeatedly checked the hourglass, quill, and purely decorative copy of Primordial Doctrine on the table, rehearsing every possible situation she might encounter eight hundred times in her head.

‘Lord, this is even more nerve-racking than presiding over Mass for the first time.’

If this approach did not work, she was really screwed.

Stella waited in torment for a while. Just as she began wondering whether this idea had been far too fanciful, a gentle knock came from the door.

‘Business—!’

‘Oh, no, a lost lamb!’

Stella immediately brightened and locked onto her target. A silhouette suddenly entered her view.

“Excuse me, is what the sign outside says true?”

The way she pushed open the door and poked her head inside in bewilderment was exceedingly elegant. Describing her that way was no exaggeration whatsoever. Her emerald hair swayed with every slow movement, tempting Stella like a treasure vault whose doors had just swung open.

“Will an SSS+ genius really provide consultation for problems I encounter?”

“Yes, of course. Please, have a seat.”

The girl picked up the black tea Stella had poured for her, then introduced herself with a radiant, flower-like smile.

“My name is Patolize Werner. I’m a fifth-year student and the Prefect of the House of Domination.”

With the same practiced ease she had relied on countless times before, Stella put on the mask she had prepared.

“You seem to have something weighing heavily on you. Meeting like this could also be considered a kind of fate. If you don’t mind, may I help you?”

That was what Stella said aloud, but really, what kind of serious problem could a student like this possibly have?

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It was bound to be something she could solve with ease.

“You’re really saving me. I’ve been agonizing over what I should do. The professors definitely wouldn’t be willing to help me solve this problem, but I never expected I’d actually be able to consult someone famous like you. An SSS+ genius will definitely be able to help me.” Patolize said.

The reputation of being a genius is even more useful than I imagined.

Stella thought to herself.

“I… I want to ask you about an emotional problem. It concerns my lovers.”

“Mm, mm.”

Stella secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

‘I know how to answer this one!’

Back at the convent, she had mediated plenty of little disputes between women.

“I should confess that I’m skilled in Herbology, so when it comes to relationships, I like using little tricks.” She said after a pause. “I like giving love potions to my lovers and making them utterly infatuated with me. I’ve always done that in the past, and I became deeply obsessed with the feeling of dominating and toying with others this way. It makes me feel… excited.”

“???”

Stella was dumbfounded.

‘Lord, this isn’t an emotional problem at all. This is a crime!’

She forcibly suppressed her instinctive shock and moral condemnation. After thinking about it, she decided she would rather not ask about the details.

‘Better not pry too deeply into her past. That would be very rude. More importantly, if that long story of hers wasn’t made up…’

Even though Stella badly wanted to know more, she also felt that as the Lord’s Saintess, she probably should not be asking about such things. In the end, she decided to forget about it.

As Patolize spoke about her past, her cheeks seemed to redden slightly.

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“It wasn’t until recently that I realized something was wrong.”

Stella secretly began feeling smug.

‘Hmph, so you finally realized potions can’t bring you true love, and now you regret it after the fact, huh?’

“I realized they’ve developed resistance to the drugs. I don’t know what I should do anymore,” Patolize continued.

“…”

Stella was speechless.

‘It wasn’t regret. It was drug resistance?!’

‘Lord, this succubus is even worse than I imagined!’

She should never have held any sort of expectations toward succubi.

Stella quickly picked up her tea and took a sip, using the opportunity to organize her thoughts and calm herself down.

She paused, remembering the passage in the Book of Holy Words about how “sincerity surpasses ten thousand words,” along with the line in Vice Principal Mara’s textbook that said “the greatest succubus is one who can guess what another person is thinking.”

She knew how to answer this one now. At last, she understood exactly what Patolize truly wanted.

Patolize wanted to cast aside the false affection created by potions, reveal her true self, and embrace her lovers. She longed for something more real, for an inevitable coincidence to extend a helping hand and soothe the regrets born from impulsiveness.

Then all Stella needed to do was respond to her expectations and perform the version of reality she wanted to believe in.

“Then, I’ve heard all of your troubles.”

Stella set down her teacup, leaned forward, and shortened the distance between them.

“Listen to me. I’m actually very worried about you. The real reason you chose to use potions to obtain love is because you’re afraid your lovers will leave you, isn’t it?”

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As she spoke, Stella naturally reached out and covered the girl’s unpainted hands, which were resting on the tabletop, with her own.

“T-That’s… you mean…”

Patolize’s eyes openly revealed every emotion she was feeling, but beneath it all, Stella could almost hear the sound of an invisible coin ringing out.

‘This really is easy as pie.’

‘Oh… no, what a lost lamb.’

“You’re afraid that your true self isn’t enough to attract them. You’re afraid that once you lose the guarantee provided by the drugs, you’ll be left with nothing. What you’re obsessed with isn’t domination. It’s the sense of security that comes from knowing you’ll never lose them.” Stella’s voice was as gentle as if she were delivering a sermon.

“That… really is true.”

“Then, are you willing to follow my guidance, Patolize?”

“Stella… please tell me what I should do.”

“It’s simple.” Stella tightened her grip slightly, her gaze resolute. “Return to your true heart and abandon those unnecessary external forces. Approach her the way you did in the very beginning.”

“My true heart… the way I was in the beginning…”

Patolize repeated those words softly. Her emerald pupils suddenly contracted.

‘The way I was in the beginning?’

That was before she had learned how to concoct potions.

Back then, what had she relied on?

A succubus’s instincts.

This body flowing with the bloodline of the Demon Realm, and the seduction arts originating from the deepest reaches of her soul.

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Patolize suddenly understood.

‘That’s right!’

‘I am a succubus! Why had I always gone out of my way to depend on roots and bark that people could develop resistance to?’

Stella was reminding her that she should use her own magical power to conquer them instead of relying on external objects!

Before Stella could even say the words “move her with your sincerity,” Patolize had already jumped to her feet.

“You’re right! I finally understand what I should do!”

The confusion in Patolize’s eyes vanished completely, replaced by eager excitement. She grasped Stella’s hand in return, bowed slightly, and kissed the back of it, her eyes filling with fervor.

“Praise you, Mentor Stella.”

“Thank you for your guidance! I never should have forgotten a succubus’ instincts. Since the drugs have stopped working, then I’ll use the most primal seduction to completely take over her soul!”

Stella: “???”

‘Wait, isn’t something wrong here?’

Translator Note

HAHAHAH XD