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Chapter 346

Even when the dwarves unveiled their finest gear from their ancestral homeland, chaos swept across the continent.

Nations waged wars under countless pretexts to monopolize dwarven craftsmanship, wars that stained the land with blood.

So what happens when artifacts far surpassing the existing system appear?

These new creations, clear superior versions of all known artifacts, drew the eyes of the world.

They boasted overwhelming durability, exceptional performance, great variety, and, above all, almost no strain on their users.

Magitechnicians had long known that powerful artifacts existed, yet none possessed the knowledge or skill to mass-produce such wonders.

And in practice, the greatest consumers of combat artifacts were knight orders, mage battalions, or the guilds and mercenary bands of labyrinth cities.

For those whose lives depended on battle, artifacts were a literal extension of life itself.

Even those who failed to win an auction flocked to Cascadia, hoping to buy these items directly.

Their later exploits became living advertisements in themselves.

“What happened to you? You’re suddenly much stronger!”

“Bought a new artifact, it suits me perfectly. Worth every coin.”

“Never seen that one before. Where’d you get it?”

“Went all the way to Cascadia. Took effort, crowded place!”

“Let me take a look.”

“Go ahead.”

“Incredible… I have to get one too! Even with the price, it’s far better value than the old junk!”

“I hear the White Heron Knights are already moving in. Competition’ll be fierce.”

“Competition be damned!”

Succubus-made artifacts were not only powerful but aesthetically beautiful, few could dislike them.

“This freezing artifact’s perfect. Makes storing goods easy.”

“But milord, the cost—”

“Considering maintenance, lifespan, and efficiency, it’s a solid investment. Send men to Cascadia. Secure supply.”

The sudden flood of succubus artifacts disrupted the market ecosystem, stirring outrage.

“Damn it! No business ethics left?!”

“What’s the meaning of this!”

Though artifact-making wasn’t the rarest craft, many regions tightly monopolized their own techniques.

One small kingdom’s Mage Association was shocked when the royal court abruptly suspended its artifact contracts,

“Why use yours when better, cheaper ones exist?”

Succubus products, while expensive, were still more affordable and effective than the cartel’s offerings.

Those monopolists had long inflated prices tenfold after crushing competition through price dumping and artificial scarcity.

Now, with the succubi’s mass-produced domestic-use artifacts flooding the market, hoarding was impossible.

To profiteers who once enjoyed obscene margins, these newcomers were an intolerable threat.

But scheming was not confined to merchants.

Beside the teleportation gate linked to the elves’ Great Forest, another gate had appeared, one leading straight into the realm of the succubi.

Information brokers soon caught wind of it.

“Capture the succubi! Steal their technology and we’ll be rich!”

Rumors spread of beautiful, lightly dressed women basking in moonlight near Cascadia’s outskirts.

Even if catching many was difficult, surely abducting one or two would be easy.

Thus, alongside legitimate buyers, others began to move with darker intent.

“Someone tried to contact us recently.”

“I’ve heard.”

If they couldn’t steal the tech, they meant to kidnap the artisans.

But they were mistaken about one thing, the succubi no longer trusted humans.

“To be honest, humans still scare us.”

“Don’t worry. The wraiths guard you unseen. You won’t need to fight, they’ll give up.”

Until the succubi could defend themselves, the wraiths would protect them.

“Some even tried to sneak into the succubus town. One bald fool threw a fit when we barred him entry.”

“That bald one?”

“Yes, that one.”

Apparently Melissa and Luna had already kicked out a troublemaker while he was away.

“What did he say?”

“Claimed he’d file a national protest. Ignore it, he can’t do a thing.”

And even if he could, Cascadia would not blink.

“Hard to believe Cascadia’s become this powerful.”

“Public opinion’s good. Quality’s high, prices fair. Costlier than the old junk, sure, but the market’s healthy.”

Only those who once fixed prices were furious.

“I’ll visit the royal court, need to report anyway.”

“Take some of the special-grade goods. Bring Muyeong with you.”

“You’re overprotective.”

“Wrong, I’m protecting others from you.”

“Look who’s talking, fish-mouthed man.”

Annoyed yet unsurprised, his dreams had been ominous lately, Leon simply prepared.

Cascadia owed loyalty to the Bata royal family; proper courtesy was due.

Melissa packed several top-grade succubus artifacts into a jeweled case and departed for Bata’s capital.

Afterward, Leon met with Aurora to finalize wedding preparations.

“How’s the construction?”

“Beautifully done! And guess what, Saint Nadia herself wants to officiate. What do you think, Lord Leon?”

“Isn’t the Holy Kingdom busy?”

“You’re their savior, remember?”

Even Triana Bel Trigard, the World Tree’s Emissary, wished to attend.

Though Luna wanted a small ceremony, even that modest guest list was dazzling.

“You’ll love Luna’s dress, it’s exquisite.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Schedule stays the same? A week from now?”

“Yes.”

“Congratulations, truly. This is my personal gift.”

Aurora handed him elegant shoes.

“Made by the best tanner and cobbler I could find.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

“Oh, but I should. You’ve no idea how much profit you’ve brought me. As long as I keep the straw stuck in you, I’ll stay fed.”

She laughed, shaking his hand.

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* * *

Despite his wedding preparations, Leon’s world refused to slow down.

Many envied or coveted the succubi’s artifacts; some sought to storm their settlements, others sent formal diplomatic requests to negotiate trade.

The artifacts’ worth was undeniable.

When such moves failed, enemies turned to slander.

Rumors spread through Cascadia like wildfire,

“Succubi steal men’s vitality and kill them!”

“They’ll destroy your homes, seducing your sons and husbands!”

If Cascadia turned on the succubi, they’d be forced to leave, making them easy prey.

The stupidest culprits tried to kidnap any woman they thought looked like one.

Marian Desibilt, royal-blooded succubus, strolled through Cascadia’s central plaza in a dark robe.

She gazed around.

‘A beautiful city… unlike any human one I’ve seen.’

In past travels, even wealthy towns reeked of filth and decay.

Cascadia was spotless, clean streets, orderly drains, bright faces.

Truly, a marvel.

‘Our people once hid out of fear… but how many died because of it? Maybe facing the world is the right path.’

Then she overheard,

“I’m telling you, a family was ruined because of a succubus.”

“What?”

“Don’t you know what they are? Monsters that invade dreams, seduce people, and drain their life!”

Around the speaker gathered dwarves, beastfolk, and elves, Cascadia had many races now, especially since the Great Forest opened its borders.

“My cousin’s in-law’s friend told me, newlywed husband dreamed of a succubus, fell for her, abandoned his bride, and went searching for that demon!”

Marian froze.

The words of that old sealing priest echoed in her mind:

‘You witches seduced my daughter’s husband, she hanged herself! I’ll kill you all!’

It was a lie then, and it was a lie now.

Succubi did not seduce; they gave dreamers the dreams they desired and fed on the joy produced within.

Why did humans twist that into sin?

Her hands trembled as she turned to leave, humans still frightened her.

But then,

“What a load of crap,”

Someone said.

A tall elf stepped forward.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Clearly someone who’s read more than fairytales. You said you heard it, so you didn’t even see it yourself.”

“I-I did see it!”

“Sure you did.”

The elf’s calm voice cut through the crowd.

“I’ve met succubi myself. Helped them craft artifacts as a spirit-user.”

“And?”

“They’re no different from us, just mostly female.”

“But what about draining life?”

“Fool. They don’t feed randomly. Only by agreement, giving people the dreams they want, after fair exchange. I know, because I experienced it.”

The mob fell silent as the elf went on.

“The dream I asked for was to climb the World Tree and taste its fruit. That’s what they gave me. No seduction, just peace.”

Now no one believed the agitator.

“If a family collapsed, blame the man, not the succubus. And you, pretending to be from Cascadia? I’ve heard of outsiders spreading lies to divide us.”

“Tch, damn it!”

The agitator fled under the crowd’s laughter.

Marian watched in stunned silence as the elf approached her.

“You all right?”

“Oh… uh?”

“Ignore fools. We had problems too, but the young duke solved them.”

“You know what I am?”

“Who else do spirits gaze at so fondly?”

With a polite nod, the elf departed.

Marian stood thoughtful for a long moment.

Then she returned to the succubus city and gathered everyone.

“We’ll protect our own image. No more hiding.”

“But what if they attack us?”

“That’s why we signed the contract, with the Cascadia house.”

Thus, the succubi moved to defend themselves openly,

and the schemes meant to drive them from Cascadia crumbled overnight.

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