I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 125



124 – The Incommunicable Succubus

Rohan and Ichinose wandered through a fog-laden forest.

They diligently stretched their legs in order to face the singularity within the dream demon’s nest.

While moving.

Rohan, seeing mushrooms swaying from side to side as if dancing, let out a dry laugh.

Eating them would be a disaster, it seemed.

“Ungaenose. I don’t know much about plants, but these ones aren’t normal, right?”

“It’s not like I have expertise in plants either… but those mushrooms and all these others, I’ve never seen any of them before.”

“I guess the most common thing here is jet-black roses.”

“Black roses exist in reality, but they’re a dark crimson color. They’re not as pitch-black as if they’ve been dipped in ink, and they don’t snap so easily either.”

“Ah, here they come again.”

Rohan ended the conversation, adjusting his sword.

─ Ughhh…

─ Ggh, Guhhh!

Husk remnants, devoured and discarded by the nightmare, shamble forth again.

Men again, without fail.

“Rohan did it last time. It’s my turn.”

Ichinose gripped the hilt of the sword he carried and stepped forward.

The instant a metallic click echoed, the husk horde was cleanly dismembered.

[+2P]

[+2P]

[+2P]

Rohan, momentarily forgetting about food concerns as points accrued,

double-checked their surroundings.

‘I wish I could at least encounter a common succubus before running into a named one.’

He wanted to gauge just how potent that “seduction that enslaves men” status ailment was.

If even a regular succubus’ charm was irresistible, things could become troublesome.

“Ichino-crybaby.”

“What is it?”

“If we happen upon a succubus, concede her to me for a moment. I’ll engage first.”

Ichinose was taken aback, but didn’t rush to argue.

There had to be a reason Rohan was bringing this up.

After a moment’s consideration, the answer came to him.

“Could it be… you intend to experience the seduction firsthand?”

“Exactly. Succubi vary wildly in strength, right?”

Ichinose trusted Rohan’s robust mental fortitude.

He couldn’t imagine him falling to depravity like the husks or pleasure golems did, like commoners.

But, that was besides the point.

The very image of a succubus, practically synonymous with lasciviousness, attempting to seduce Rohan was displeasing.

A thorny sensation lingered in his throat, preventing him from readily agreeing.

“As Rohan said… among the succubi appearing from the dimensional rift, some are capable of communication while others are entirely feral.”

“Right. The statistics are available.”

“If we can converse with them, that’s high-grade for sure, and assuming those non-communicative types don’t have the allure effect, we should be able to handle them okay.”

“So you’re saying the non-communicative ones are allowed?”

“Ugh, I suppose…we’ll go with that.”

A moment of silence followed Ichinose’s complicated acquiescence.

Rohan couldn’t help but wonder if he was pushing his luck with such a risky move.

They passed a few steps further, past plants unlike anything they’d ever seen.

Ichinose spoke first.

“Rohan.”

“Yeah?”

“…Since I’m letting you do something this dangerous, if you fall for the allure, I’m seriously going to be mad.”

“If I do get allured, don’t hold back. Hit me until I wake up. Stabbing is fine, but hold off on the slicing until the very end.”

“Hmph! I’ll punch you good.”

Ichinose clenched her slender fingers into a tight fist, showing off her fair hand in a threatening manner.

··

··

Rohan and Ichinose discovered something while hacking through dozens of Husks.

One of the Husks was wearing clothes with a specific logo, which Ichinose identified as a well-known brand from Tigrova.

And it was a recent model, too.

Which made it possible to deduce.

Some of the numerous monoliths that had appeared recently, had dragged people into this world. It was a deduction approaching certainty.

“I heard monoliths in various countries swallowed people whole. Maybe these Husks are…”

“It’s possible. There might even be people mixed in here who came from completely different worlds.”

“Are you one of those who believes people exist in other dimensions, Rohan?”

“Yeah. It’s got that romantic appeal, you know?”

“Romantic appeal…?”

Ichinose pursed her lips, wearing a face that said she didn’t understand, and followed Rohan.

The two encountered their first anomaly in the forest.

“Shhh.”

Something was faintly visible through the fog.

They minimized their sounds, closing the distance just a bit more, to gain a better view.

From noble mtl dot com

A shanty, hastily built from wood and plant stalks.

A succubus, practically nude, lies asleep. Only her most private parts are obscured by something like black shadows.

The exposure is stark.

Ichinose, also seeing a succubus for the first time, opened his eyes to get a good, solid look.

Each movement of her thighs, each toss of her body, sent waves of vivid allure rippling from her voluptuous curves.

“… “

Ichinose, seeing the succubus’s extraordinary figure, reflexively reached out and covered Rohan’s eyes.

Rohan, suddenly finding his vision blocked by a hand, whispered, confused.

“Why?”

“Th-that’s just too, too suggestive…”

“It’s a monster. And I’m an adult.”

“… “

It clumsily apes the form of a human, but its kind is fundamentally different.

A tail, reminiscent of a demon, flicked back and forth, and wings, like those of a bat, sprouted from her back.

“Should we just go for it?”

“Do we really have to?”

“We have to be prepared. If it looks like we can communicate, attack immediately.”

“…Understood.”

A single moment of carelessness could ruin everything.

Just because it lives in a place like this doesn’t guarantee this succubus is low-level.

It might be something like a hidden master of the succubus world.

Ichinose, at Rohan’s request, stepped back a little.

Rohan strode fearlessly towards the succubus.

“Hey.”

─ ■,■■?!

The succubus startled awake.

The whites of her eyes were stained black, and her teeth were sharp and pointed.

“Tell me your name. Your name.”

─ ■■··· ■■■■?

The nightmare spoke something in an incomprehensible tongue.

Even so, I understand the meaning behind that arrogant smile, at least.

Now that she’s seen Rohan, a *man*, she probably thinks she’s hit the jackpot.

“Looks like communication is off the table.”

Rohan gripped his sword, ready to strike at any moment.

Even living in a place as rundown as this, her carnal scent is powerfully intoxicating.

A succubus indeed. Her very essence reveals the nature of her kind.

─ ■■!

*Tssshhh*───.

Pink magic billowed like steam from the succubus’s body, coalescing into a tangible form.

Taking the shape of a cloud, it surged towards Rohan, who held his sword at the ready.

“That’s definitely allure.”

Wide in scope and possessing a fluid flexibility, but the speed is manageable enough to dodge.

But Rohan didn’t dodge. He took the hit head-on.

The pink magic, controlled by the succubus, enveloped Rohan completely.

“Rohan…”

From behind, Ichinose watched him, biting her nails.

─ ■■■! ■!

The succubus wore a smile of victory, her tail swaying languidly.

This man had an unusually delicious scent. Saliva already dripped at the thought of taking his essence.

And in that state…

Rohan understood what this allure felt like.

“I see.”

Curious. His animosity towards the succubus was beginning to fade.

Lascivious thoughts surfaced, and, as if he had witnessed something explicit, his lower body grew heavy.

He felt the certainty that this desire would be sated if he went to the succubus, the source of this magic.

Still.

“I can withstand this, perhaps?”

He certainly felt the urge to release this desire.

But in Rohan’s perception, this allure was akin to being unable to scratch an extremely itchy spot.

He could endure it.

*Thud. Thud.*

From the swirling vortex of pink magic, Rohan simply walked out.

— ■■! ■■···!?

The succubus, seeing Rohan standing motionless, stammered something in confusion.

Enough for Rohan to roughly guess.

‘It overcame it?’

Opening his status window, the status column where Bleeding and Confusion used to be listed after every fight was empty.

No status ailments were applied.

Then, there’s only one thing to do now.

He kicks off the ground, closing the distance to the succubus.

— ■, ■■!

The succubus panics, raising a hand.

This one has no other options besides charm. The conviction that it doesn’t know how to fight.

[One Sword – Flame Severance]

Radiance flashed as it swept, a fiery light briefly illuminating the succubus’s neck.

Cleanly severed.

[+10P]

Ample points despite not feeling particularly strong.

Rohan, leaving the succubus’s falling body behind, looked towards Ichinose.

“I endured it. You saw?”

“That’s truly amazing…”

Ichinose sighed in relief, impressed.

Golden eyes revealed, trying to imprint the unharmed Rohan into her memory.

However, the girl couldn’t keep her eyes open for long.

“!!!”

Ichinose startled, quickly shutting her eyes.

Seeing Ichinose, face flushed, even turning her body away, Rohan looked puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

“P-please just calm down first…”

“Calm down about what? I told you, I’m not affected by the charm?”

“Down there! Ah, down there…!”

“Down there?”

Rohan lowered his gaze to his own body.

Only then did he notice.

An unconscious change wrought by allure.

The natural alteration in Rohan’s lower body had yet to subside.

Standing erect, it asserted its presence, threatening to tear his uniform trousers.