[The Succubus Cafe: Mio 20, 3728]

Sometimes, the difference between a hero and a villain comes down to perspective.

Mason had learned this concept after spending just over a week in Kilaqen.

Despite not leaving Lord Ogis' Fortress much, he became familiar with how the Kilaqen Empire operated.

Today, however, was different.

To celebrate his recent achievements and progress, Thelsea finally accepted Mason's invitation to a date.

A cute succubus maid placed their drinks on the table as they sat in the VIP section of The Succubus Cafe. Mason sat across from Thelsea in their booth.

"I can't believe you own this place. Is it always so crowded in the evening?" Mason asked.

Thelsea joked, "You should see it at night."

Though its name suggested otherwise, The Succubus Cafe served more than just meals.

An extremely popular establishment, it combined aspects of a cafe, casino, and guild-hall. The impressive size of the building seemed to match its ambitions.

It employed a variety of races, including Incubis and Succubis as butlers/maids, Dark Elves as cooks, members of the Dragon Race as security, and even vampires as managers of the casino.

The Kilaqen Empire has only 5 such locations. Regardless, since this cafe exists in the capital of Kilaqen, it is considered the headquarters for the franchise.

It serves as a popular eatery and guildhall during the day. The large bulletin board in the center of the building advertised Bounties, Quests, Expeditions, etc. This was largely due to Thelsea's connections as Demon Lord Secretary.

Alternatively, you can enjoy a fantastic (albeit pricey) meal served by handsome Incubi or beautiful Succubi. To ensure the Cafe's success, Incubi butlers came in as a way of accommodating women.

However, it was The Succubus Cafe's Nightlife that kept customers coming back. Gambling, Underground fighting arenas, Sexual 'dreams', and more nightlife activities appealed to the morality of the citizens.

In particular, the Sexual 'dreams' are a popular service where men or women could pay a large fee to detail the sexual experience they would like. In exchange for accepting the request, the succubi/incubi takes a moderate amount of your vitality. In the extremely rare cases that they don't meet their revenue or vitality quotas, they will hold discounts to fulfill them. It functioned similar to a 'Create Your Own Adventure' experience, where the only limits were your creativity.

Naturally, the franchise made Thelsea very, very rich.

"You know, I'm still surprised you wanted to date me," Thelsea said as she took a sip of her drink. "It caught me off-guard. Especially since this is the first time that I've entertained something like this."

Mason took a sip of his drink.

"Well, you did call yourself a 'picky eater' when it came to men," Mason said.

"Well, yeah. But...I wouldn't call myself an appealing person. Especially considering how I was like before you reincarnated...," Thelsea said.

"What? You mean an arrogant, self-conceited woman who takes a sadistic pleasure in murdering opponents?" Mason joked. "Doesn't ring a bell."

"I'm being serious, Mason. Whether it's Kedro, Ogis, Broggon, Verrona, or even me; it's important to realize that we're the villains in this world. We've done horrible things. Things that you probably don't want to learn about," Thelsea said.

"Well, considering I'm expected to become a Tentacle Lord, it probably won't be long before I turn into a proper villain myself," Mason said confidently. "Plus, I've always wanted an Evil Waifu."

Thelsea laughed as she slapped the table. She seemed to be in a good mood.

"Hahaha! You're a weird one. Luckily, the good type of weird," Thelsea joked.

Suddenly, the cute succubus maid from before placed their food on the table.

Mason had ordered Rabbit Stew and Griffin Steak, while Thelsea had ordered Grilled Snake and Magic-infused tarts.

The succubus bowed as she walked away from their booth.

Thelsea and Mason began to eat.

"So, tell me Mason. Are you ready to meet members of the Tenacious Enforcers?" Thelsea said.

Mason began taking the first few sips of his stew.

"I dunno. Can you tell me what they're like?" Mason said.

Thelsea punctured a piece of Mason's Griffin Steak as she ate it.

"Well, you've already met 5 of them so far," Thelsea said. "Ogis, Broggon, Kedro, Verrona, and I make up half. The other 5 are...interesting personalities. Given today is a gambling night, Verrona and Kedro won't be there. You'll probably meet Representative Athena and Vampire Lord Vorigan though. They're always gambling with Broggon."

"So it's possible that I won't be able to see the others yet?" Mason said.

Mason punctured a piece of Thelsea's Grilled Snake as he ate it.

"It's almost guaranteed. But it's also important to note that there are still powerful leaders who aren't on the Tenacious Enforcers," Thelsea said.

"Super Villains?" Mason asked.

"Super Villains," Thelsea confirmed.

Thelsea punctured another piece of Mason's Griffin Steak as she ate it. She seemed to love every bite.

"The steak never fails to amaze me! My Dark Elf chefs are irreplaceable!" Thelsea said proudly.

"What the hell. You know that this is my steak, right?" Mason said.

"This is our steak. Every dish on this table belongs to both of us. Here, I'll even give you some of my Grilled Snake," Thelsea said.

Thelsea punctured a piece of her Grilled Snake, as she held it in front of Mason's mouth.

"You should be grateful that the Succubus Queen is going to feed you. Now open your mouth," Thelsea said.

"Don't you think you could say that a bit more—," Mason said.

Before Mason could continue, Thelsea shoved her fork in his mouth. He bit the Grilled Snake as Thelsea took the fork out.

He began chewing as his eyes lit up.

"Interesting. This is the same exact food, but it tastes better for some reason," Mason said jokingly as he stared at Thelsea.

"That must mean that if you feed me your steak, my food will taste worse!" Thelsea laughed. "The horror!"

"Wow, that's hilarious," Mason said in a sarcastic tone. "I accidentally forgot to laugh."

"C'mon! That was a funny joke! You know it!" Thelsea said confidently.

"If I act like it was funny, will you stop eating my steak?" Mason asked.

"Nothing will stop me from eating your steak. Just like nothing will stop you from eating my grilled snake," Thelsea said.

"You own this establishment," Mason asked with a raised eyebrow, "Why not just have them bring us more food?"

Thelsea smiled as she placed the fork in her mouth.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" Thelsea smiled.

----------------------

[20 minutes later]

Mason and Thelsea left the booth, as Thelsea called one of her incubi to clean up.

"You know, this was kinda nice. I was skeptical at first, but I think I'll be looking forward to the next date," Thelsea said.

"That's good to hear. But what are we going to do until the gambling session starts?" Mason said.

Thelsea thought for a few moments as she rubbed her chin.

"Hmm. I'm not sure. We only have a few hours so it has to be something relatively short...," Thelsea said.

"Couldn't you just give her a massage?" a dark, villainous voice said.

"What the hell? Who is that?" Mason said.

"Now is not the time for such questions! But you may call me 'Tentacle Sage' for now," Tentacle Sage said.

"Are you ok, Mason?" Thelsea said.

"Uh...yeah. I...I think. I must be hearing things," Mason said, "But I was thinking that I could give you a massage. Maybe even a sensual one?" Mason said.

"You know what?" Thelsea said with a sly smile. "That's not the worst idea I've heard all day."