Rohan and Ichinose wandered through the foggy forest.
They diligently pressed onward, aiming to confront the anomaly within the nest of the dream demon.
While they were moving, Rohan let out a dry laugh as he spotted mushrooms swaying side to side as if dancing.
They looked like serious trouble if eaten.
“Baby-nose. I’m not exactly a plant expert, but these plants don’t look normal, right?”
“I wouldn’t say I know much about plants either… but yeah, those mushrooms and everything else here. I’ve never seen anything like them.”
“The most common thing around here has to be those black roses.”
“Black roses do exist, but they’re more of a dark red. They don’t look like they’ve been dipped in ink like these, and they definitely don’t snap this easily.”
“Ah, here they come again.”
Rohan ended the conversation and readied his sword.
– Uuugh…
– Gehh, grrrgh!
More husks discarded by the dream demon were closing in.
Once again, it was a group of men without exception.
“You handled it last time, right? Let me take care of it this time.”
Ichinose gripped the hilt of the sword she had been carrying and stepped forward.
The moment a metallic click rang out, the husk group was cleanly sliced to pieces.
[+2P]
[+2P]
[+2P]
Rohan who was seeing the points coming in set aside his food worries for the moment.
He scanned the surroundings once again.
Before we meet a named succubus, I’d like to at least face a regular one first.
He wanted to gauge how powerful the charm status effect known to ensnare men really was.
If even a normal succubus’s charm was too much to resist, they could be in serious trouble.
“Baby-nose.”
“What is it?”
“If we happen to run into a succubus, let me go first. I want to be the one to take her on.”
Though the remark was absurd, Ichinose didn’t rush to argue.
There had to be a reason Rohan brought something like that up.
After a brief moment of thought, she found her answer.
“You’re not… trying to experience the charm effect firsthand, are you?”
“That’s right. Succubi are monsters with huge variances between individuals.”
Ichinose trusted Rohan’s strong mental strength.
She couldn’t even imagine him succumbing like an ordinary person and turning into a husk or pleasure doll.
But even so—
The very idea of a succubus, practically the embodiment of seduction, attempting to charm Rohan didn’t sit well with her.
She couldn’t bring herself to approve without feeling like something sharp was stuck in her throat.
“As Rohan said… among the succubi that appear through dimensional rifts, some can communicate while others can’t.”
“Right. The stats back it up.”
“If they can talk, they’re definitely higher-ranked, and if they can’t, then assuming the charm effect doesn’t work, we should be able to handle them without much trouble.”
“So, if it’s a non-communicative one, you’ll allow it?”
“Haah… let’s go with… that.”
After Ichinose gave her complicated consent, a brief silence followed.
Rohan, wondering if he had pushed too far with such a risky suggestion, began to read her expression.
A few steps later, as they passed plants they had never seen before in their lives—
Ichinose was the first to speak.
“Rohan.”
“Hmm?”
“…If I allow something this dangerous and you end up falling under the charm, I’m seriously going to be mad.”
“If that happens, don’t hold back. Just hit me until I snap out of it. Stabbing is fine too, but save the cutting for last.”
“Hmph! I’ll punch you.”
Ichinose clenched her slender fingers into a fist and held up her fair hand in a threatening gesture.
··
··
While slicing through dozens of husks, Rohan and Ichinose made an important discovery.
There was a husk wearing clothes that prominently displayed a certain brand, and according to Ichinose, it was from a famous Tigrova label.
What’s more, it was a recently released model.
That alone allowed them to make a reasonable assumption.
It led to a near certainty that some of the many monoliths that had recently appeared might have pulled people into this world.
“I heard that monoliths have swallowed people in different countries. Maybe these husks are…”
“It’s possible. There might even be people from entirely different worlds mixed in.”
“Do you believe there are people in other dimensions, Rohan?”
“I do. There’s a kind of romance to it.”
“Romance…?”
With a confused expression, Ichinose moved her lips as if trying to understand and followed Rohan.
For the first time, the two of them encountered an anomaly in the forest.
“Shh.”
Something appeared faintly through the mist.
They kept as quiet as possible, closed the distance a little more, and cleared their line of sight.
A shabby shack made from trees and plant vines.
A succubus lay sleeping inside. She was practically naked with her private parts barely covered by shadow-like shapes.
The exposure was explicit.
Wanting to observe the succubus she’d never seen before, Ichinose widened her eyes.
With each movement of her thighs and twist of her body, seductive curves radiated a vivid sensuality.
“..…”
At the sight of the succubus’s striking figure, Ichinose instinctively raised her hand to cover Rohan’s eyes.
Rohan who was surprised by the sudden hand blocking his view whispered quietly,
“Why?”
“B-Because that’s… way t-too…”
“She’s a monster. And I’m an adult.”
“……”
Though it clumsily took on a human form, it was a completely different species from humans.
Its tail, reminiscent of a demon’s, swayed gently, and bat-like wings extended from its back.
“Let’s go check it out.”
“Do we really have to?”
“We need to be prepared. If it looks like communication won’t work, we attack right away.”
“…Got it.”
One careless moment could ruin everything.
Just because it lived in a place like this didn’t necessarily mean that succubus was of a low rank.
It might even be a hidden master among succubi.
Ichinose backed off slightly at Rohan’s request.
Rohan approached the succubus without hesitation.
“Hey.”
– ■,■■?!
The succubus jolted awake in surprise.
The whites of her eyes were blackened, and her teeth were sharp.
“Start by telling me your name. Your name.”
– ■■… ■■■■?
The dream demon responded in an incomprehensible language.
Still, the arrogant smirk on her face was enough to reveal her intentions.
Perhaps, having laid eyes on a man like Rohan, she thought she’d lucked out.
Doesn’t look like we can communicate.
Rohan gripped his sword tightly, ready to strike at any moment.
Despite living in such a shabby place, a heavy scent of flesh clung thick in the air.
She was definitely a dream demon. A succubus through and through. Her very nature made that clear.
– ■■!
Tssssss—
Pink magic leaked from the succubus’s body like steam and began to gather.
Taking shape like a cloud, it surged toward Rohan who stood with his sword drawn.
No doubt about it. That’s charm magic.
It had a wide range and a fluid form, but its speed was slow enough to dodge.
Yet Rohan didn’t dodge. He took the hit head-on without hesitation.
The pink magic controlled by the succubus wrapped around him.
“Rohan…”
From behind, Ichinose watched him while nervously biting her nail.
– ■■■! ■!
The succubus flashed a victorious smile and gently swayed her tail.
This man had an unusually delicious scent. Her mouth was already watering at the thought of draining his life force.
In that state—
Rohan came to understand what it felt like to be charmed.
Interesting.
It was strange. His hostility toward the succubus was starting to fade.
Lewd thoughts surfaced, and a heavy sensation settled in his lower body as if he’d seen something arousing.
The magic made him feel certain that if he went to the succubus this desire would be fulfilled.
Even so—
I can handle this.
It was true he felt the urge to release his desires.
But to Rohan, the charm felt more like an unbearably itchy spot he couldn’t quite scratch.
It was something he could endure.
Step. Step.
Rohan simply walked out of the swirling pink magic.
– ■■! ■■···!?
The succubus, seeing Rohan still standing, grew flustered and babbled something in confusion.
Thanks to that, Rohan was able to make a rough guess.
Did I overcome it?
When he opened his status window, he saw that the section which used to list conditions like bleeding or confusion after every battle was now empty.
There were no status ailments afflicting him.
That meant there was only one thing left to do.
He kicked off the ground and closed the distance to the succubus.
– ■, ■■!
The succubus grew flustered and raised her hands in alarm.
She had no means of defense besides charm. Rohan was certain; she didn’t know how to fight.
[First Sword — Blazing Slash]
A radiant arc flashed as he swung, and light sparked at the succubus’s neck.
A clean cut.
[+10P]
Even though she hadn’t seemed particularly strong, he still received a generous amount of points.
Leaving the collapsing succubus behind, Rohan turned to look at Ichinose.
“I endured it. You saw, right?”
“This is seriously amazing…”
Ichinose exhaled a breath of relief. Though she was clearly impressed.
Her golden eyes looked toward Rohan, trying to take in the fact that he was completely fine.
But she wasn’t able to keep her eyes open for long.
“!!!”
Ichinose flinched and quickly shut her eyes.
Rohan raised a brow in confusion as he watched her face flush red and her body whip around.
“What’s wrong?”
“P-Please calm down first…”
“Calm down? I told you, I didn’t fall for the charm.”
“Down there! I-I mean, down below…!”
“Down?”
Rohan looked down at his own body.
And only then did he feel it.
An unconscious change caused by the charm.
The natural reaction that had occurred in his lower half hadn’t faded yet.
It stood upright, practically threatening to tear through his uniform pants.
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