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

{Melisa}

Getting these terrorists interested in the cute nim girl act had been embarrassingly easy. Melisa had barely needed to flutter her eyelashes before they were falling over themselves to tell her about their "noble cause."

[If noble causes usually involve burning people alive,] she thought, maintaining her expression of wide-eyed fascination.

Given that, at least in her opinion, Melisa was no master seductress or something, it was probably her pheromones doing a lot of heavy lifting in this closed room. Whatever the case, it seemed this was going to be easier than she anticipated.

"So, Melanie," Koros leaned forward, his intensity almost palpable. "You're interested in joining, eh?"

"That's right!"

"Well... What can you bring to our organization?"

[Well, I could bring your sorry ass to justice,] she thought. [But let's start smaller.]

"I..." she hesitated, playing shy. "I can do a little magic."

The room's atmosphere shifted instantly.

"Show us," one of Koros's companions demanded.

[Okay, think basic. Nothing fancy. Something a self-taught nim might actually know.]

She wanted to make sure she did something rare enough to be notable, but common enough not to immediately scream ' hi, I'm Melisa Blackflame in disguise.'

So, she raised her hand, carefully tracing a simple spellsign in the air. The kind first-year students learned before anything else.

"Illumina, car ei."

A small orb of light materialized above her palm. Basic illumination magic – practically a party trick compared to what she could really do. But their reactions...

[Holy shit, you'd think I'd just invented fire.]

"Impressive," Koros breathed, eyes fixed on the light. "Very impressive. Self-taught?"

"Had to be," Melisa let the light fade, ducking her head. "Not like humans would teach someone like me, right?"

That earned appreciative nods from around the table. Nothing united nim, it seemed, quite like bitching about humans.

[If they knew how many humans had actually helped me master magic, their brains might blow a fuse.]

"I want to help," she added, letting eagerness creep into her voice. "To really make a difference. When can I start?"

Koros exchanged looks with his companions. She could practically see them salivating over the possibility of having a magic-user in their ranks.

[That's right,] she thought. [Take the bait. Let the pretty nim girl join your little murder club.]

"Welcome to the resistance," Koros said finally, extending his hand. "We meet here every third night. Don't be late."

Melisa took his hand, fighting down the urge to break his fingers.

"I won't let you down," she promised, and for once she wasn't even lying.

She definitely wasn't going to let him down.

She was going to bring him down instead.

---

The night air felt good against Melisa's skin as she left the bar, her head swimming with targets and timetables. Three warehouses, a merchant's home, and – because apparently these fuckers were going for some kind of achievement in awful – an orphanage. An actual orphanage.

[At least now I know where they're planning to strike,] she thought, letting her feet carry her through Syux's darkened streets. [I guess I'll let Aria know, and she can handle it herself. Surely she won't need me to show up to all this, right?]

Behind her, she could hear Vira saying goodnight to her brother. The woman had spent the rest of the meeting alternating between sulking at the bar and shooting heated looks through the doorway.

[Sorry about that,] Melisa thought, remembering those looks. [Though maybe getting jealous of your terrorist brother, who you also have sex with daily, isn't the healthiest relationship dynamic anyway. Though, well, who am I to talk?]

But despite all the intelligence she'd gathered, despite how easily they'd welcomed their newest recruit into their fucked-up family, she still didn't have what she really needed.

Confirmation.

She knew in her gut these were the ones who'd tried to burn down Javir's house. Rax's confession, the way they talked about targeting specific buildings, about sending messages – it all fit into the puzzle nicely.

But...

[If I'm going to murder these people,] she thought grimly, [I want to hear them brag about it first.]

Because she was going to murder them, obviously. The moment she had proof, the moment one of them slipped up and mentioned that night, mentioned her family...

Well. She hadn't spent all that time perfecting her combat spells just to look pretty.

[Though speaking of looking pretty,] she mused, hearing Vira's footsteps hurrying to catch up, [might as well maintain my cover thoroughly.]

After all, what better way to get someone to brag about their crimes than in the afterglow?

"Melanie!" Vira called out. "Wait up!"

[Time to go be very, very thorough about my investigation,] Melisa thought, turning with a smile. [For queen and country! Obviously.]

"So," Vira caught up to her, trying way too hard to sound casual. "Will you be coming back tomorrow?"

[... Oh honey,] Melisa thought. Vira was speaking in a very particular tone. One that all but screamed 'please don't trade me for my terrorist brother.'

She turned to face Vira, taking in the way the other woman was searching her eyes for answers.

[Guess this is something that's happened before, huh?]

"Of course I'm coming back tomorrow," Melisa said, stepping closer. Close enough to smell whatever cheap perfume Vira had thrown on before work. "For the resistance stuff, sure, but..."

She let her hand trail up Vira's arm, feeling the muscle tension there.

"But?" Vira's voice dropped.

"But mostly because I haven't finished exploring that thing you do with your tongue." Melisa grinned. "You know, the one that made me scream so loud last night your neighbor complained?"

The relief on Vira's face was almost cute. For someone involved with terrorists, she wore her heart on her sleeve.

[Which is going to make it really awkward when I eventually have to murder her brother,] Melisa thought. [But that's a problem for future me.]

"So you're not..." Vira hesitated. "I mean, Koros can be pretty convincing when he wants to be."

"Your brother's cute and all," Melisa shrugged, "but I've got other priorities right now."

Like gathering evidence. And preventing mass murder. And hopefully getting laid.