Draven held his head high, a smug grin on his face as he led Viola and the others out of the lord's manor. This time, they truly scored big.

  Not only did he discover how to advance to lordship, but he also successfully won back Valeria. The influence of the Black Flag Territory in Selene City was rapidly expanding.

  Without a proper leader stationed there, relying solely on Rurik and a few others was not enough to hold the territory.

  Draven glanced back at the succubus Valeria, who followed closely behind him like a little wife. A trace of pride appeared on his face, but suddenly he felt a sharp pinch in his waist.

  Viola hooked her arm around his and with a sly smile, suddenly gave a hard pinch on the soft flesh of his side.

  Draven quickly withdrew his gaze and softened his tone.

  He didn't care about Valeria, but if Viola got upset because of her, life would be difficult going forward.

  Valeria was lost in her own thoughts, while Draven didn't pay her any mind.

  Selene sat alone in the pavilion, the two thick beast-skin books lying open before her. She had been eager about cultivation and animal husbandry before, but now she just couldn't summon any interest.

  This concerned her promotion, as well as the future achievements of both the Demon Lord and herself—she certainly wouldn't try to deceive over this.

  But that only made her feel worse, as if she had pushed herself right into his hands, an unbearable feeling she couldn't shake.

  Selene felt lost. It was the first time she deeply doubted whether the decision to change the fate of the succubi was right. Even if her people could break free from their destiny, what about herself?

  Who could help Selene escape her own fate?

  Lydia, having heard the news, arrived at the garden gate. Seeing Anne standing guard, she asked a few questions before entering. The scene before her tightened her heart.

  Once a lush garden filled with blooming flowers, it was now dug up messily, like it had been gnawed on by dogs. Selene sat there alone, looking exceptionally lonely.

  Lydia walked over and sat down in front of Selene. She flipped through the beast-skin books and sighed.

  "Selene..." Aunt's voice was comforting.

  "Some things are destined to be hard to change. The Succubi's Binding has already tied you and Draven together. Since you have to face it sooner or later, why not take the initiative now and fight for a higher status?"

  "To become a high-ranking leader in such a short time, especially with such a powerful backing, the number of women around him will only grow."

  Aunt's words echoed repeatedly in Selene's mind, leaving her dazed. At that moment, she suddenly felt helpless. Did she really have to follow countless succubus predecessors and use seduction and submission to gain status?

  No matter how outstanding he is, he won't get me to come willingly! Selene's confused eyes gradually hardened with resolve. At worst, she'd let him never catch up to her! Thinking this, she seemed to regain her confidence.

  A mere leader-level existence wanting to surpass a mid-tier lord like herself?

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Selene felt much lighter emotionally. After snapping back to reality, she looked at the messy garden and felt her teeth itch to grit."Just you wait!"

  In the empty garden, faint sounds of whipping seemed to echo. Anne, standing at the gate, peeked inside but found it empty.

  Draven and the others headed straight back to the Tauren Public House. From now on, it might as well be called Black Flag Public House.

  The place was a mess, so naturally, there were no customers. Rurik, Aureon, and the others waited there. When the leader returned, Rurik excitedly handed over a rolled beast-skin document.

  No need to look—it was clear the paperwork was done. Upon opening it, sure enough, the ownership of the Public House had been transferred to Rurik's name.

  Liliana was very unhappy about this, insisting that half of the Public House belonged to her and her name should be on the title too.

  Draven pulled out a token from the storage space. With this token, Rurik could claim a shop on the second floor of the Succubus Trading Hall.

  With the Public House and the shop both secured, Rurik was practically overwhelmed with happiness today.

  Not even the ratman slave beside him was introduced to the leader. Draven glanced at him; the ratman was so thin he was just skin and bones, his eyes dull and lifeless, showing almost no vitality.

  Looking closer, Draven recognized him as Pick. Obviously, Pick had suffered a lot under Tauren's control, his entire appearance changed—no different from an ordinary slave now.

  Aureon stood nearby, his eyes tense as he watched Draven, the black werewolf, scrutinize Pick.

  If he hadn't heard from Rurik, he wouldn't have known Tauren even had such a slave. It was all trouble caused by his two younger brothers, yet he was the one left to take the blame.

  The youngest brother, Bronan, was already dead; the second brother, Torvald, had fled. Aureon knew well these two incidents were tied to Draven, but he had no plans for revenge. After all, Draven the black werewolf wasn't someone he could afford to provoke.

  He stayed here partly because the matter hadn't been resolved yet, and partly because the dozen or so of their people were still trapped inside the Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent's belly.

  Draven had a certain admiration for Aureon, especially his defensive skills. Watching Aureon cast a spherical shield, Draven felt an inexplicable sense of closeness. Although he didn't understand where the feeling came from, it made him want to interact with Aureon more.

  Draven took Pick's slave contract without much comment and ordered the Eyebrow-Patterned King Serpent to vomit out all those Tauren slaves. The condition was that Aureon and his people would be responsible for repairing the Public House.

  Aureon agreed immediately, and as soon as his people woke up, he eagerly led them away.

  Draven wanted to build a closer relationship, but Aureon dared not. After all, he never had any ambitions; otherwise, he wouldn't have been overtaken by his brothers. Still, many things were simply beyond his control.

  Watching Aureon leave with his people, Draven said a few words to Rurik, telling him to keep in touch with Aureon more often. This Tauren guy was quite interesting.

  Rurik nodded and took note, then glanced at the messy Public House before him, unsure where to even begin repairs.

  Draven didn't bother with it further. He left the Public House to Rurik and a group of rabbit girls to manage, kept Valeria to help out, and took Viola and the others to rest at Gregor's residence.

  The serpent-man's duplicate stayed in the city residence, which was much better than the previous broken stone house.

  Liliana, relying on her achievements, skillfully climbed onto the werewolf leader's back. With a shout, they set off on horseback.

  Viola followed behind, watching their playful antics with a smiling face. Draven leaving behind the succubus Valeria delighted Viola greatly; she decided to reward him handsomely tonight.

  Upon arriving at Gregor's place, Liliana struck a commanding pose and ordered the werewolf leader to fetch water to serve everyone.

  Liliana's body was covered with spilled wine from the Public House, plus mud from earlier in the lord's manor garden—she was quite dirty all over.

  Draven, Viola, and Liliana all soaked themselves in the water. Viola carried a portable bath tub, which was indeed very useful. The sound of water splashing echoed.

  At some unknown moment, a faint shadow appeared on the roof. Through the gap in the skylight, Selene's pupils suddenly contracted sharply, as if struck by some shock.

  Selene exhaled softly, a flush spreading across her face, and slightly turned her head to adjust her posture.

  For the succubus clan, such things were neither unfamiliar nor unwelcome.

  She had only studied a little from those beast-skin scrolls, originally thinking the secret technique she mastered would be simple, but the actual practice proved much more difficult.

  Especially seeing Viola's uneasy expression, as if she might suffocate at any moment, made Selene involuntarily tighten her legs, feeling a bit scared inside.