Chapter 114: Three arrows and five bullets
They moved to the rear of the building and crept into a deserted area.
After confirming that they were in a blind spot from the main street, Ran signalled Sayaka.
“Watch this, Kirishima-kun.”
“……Aaa”
Ran gave Sayaka a hug from behind, while keeping an eye on his surroundings.
This was because Sayaka asked him to do so while she was using the 『Barrier Removal : Wall Cancelation』
Sayaka’s small frame writhed in his arms.
When Ran looked down, he saw her ears, which were slightly reddish.
Sayaka said, ‘Alright’, and thrust her arms out in front of her with gusto.
The back alley was narrow. Before she could fully extend them, Sayaka’s hands touched the wall of the shop.
“『Barrier Removal : Wall Cancelation』…!”
A vortex-like darkness spread across the wall, centred on Sayaka’s hand.
Like ink dissolved in water, the darkness crawling around in fantastic movements wriggled vigorously and eventually converged as it was sucked in.
Zuzuzuz.……and Sayaka’s hand sank into the black vortex. ‘Skill success’. The stone walls all around had been partially eaten away by the darkness, leaving a bobbing hole in the ground.
“Once again, it’s an amazing skill……You’re not going to let this wall come down or anything like that, are you?”
Aya, who witnessed the process right next to Ran, exhaled in amazement at the reality that Sayaka had caused.
“The wall itself has not been removed. We’ve just removed its effectiveness as a barrier, preventing or stopping it ……For now, get in while it’s open.”
Aya, Kanami and Ryuzaki, in that order, walked through the wall in the darkness. Ran also left Sayaka and followed the three.
After confirming that all four had passed through the wall, Sayaka followed. The other side of the wall was apparently a corridor.
In a dark corridor lit only by candlelight, the five looked around breathlessly.
“…… 『Black Mist』.”
Black smoke billowed out from Aya’s fingertips.
It was like a thin smokescreen with a thin density that enveloped the bodies of the five people as if with a will, causing them to dissolve into the darkness of the night.
“I don’t know how well it works, but it’s better than nothing.”
“Amazing, Mikoshiba-san.”
“It is nothing compared to Sadogashima’s skills. It’s a basic magic that I don’t even need to chant.”
It seemed very unusual for Sayaka, a member of the sober otaku girls’ group, and Aya, a lone, ethereal delinquent girl, to be conversing like this.
“Anyway, it looks like we managed to sneak in safely.”
“But it’s surprising how little security there is, just by going through one wall.”
Despite Ran’s relief, Kanami stroked her chin suspiciously.
“I found out when I touched the wall that it was also well equipped to prevent magic. It seems that even if it was attacked from the outside, it couldn’t be easily broken……but not from the inside, of course.”
Konkon, Sayaka tapping on the wall.
A complete barrier was laid from the inside as well, to prevent trapped ‘food’ from escaping. Ran shuddered at the thought of the horror.
“Still, in front of me, they are as good as paper.”
Sayaka beat her modest chest, as if saying that those small tricks were meaningless.
She was happy to be active for the first time in a long time.
“Thanks, Sayaka. You helped me a lot.”
“I’m glad I could be of help to you, Kirishima-kun.”
They then snuggled as Ran pampered Sayaka… When Ram stroked her hair to comb it, her eyes narrowed like a cat’s through her glasses.
“……fufu.”
While touching Ran’s breastplate with a floppy hand, Sayaka let out a hearty, glamorous voice.
A nasal, sighing, colourful voice. When she was squealing at the enchanting tone that tickled men’s hearts, Kanami suddenly looked back at her with a surprised look on her face.
“……Did you just now hear what sounded like a moan?’”
“…………”
The other four members of the group each had a bizarre look on their faces at the tongues of suspicion.
Ran looked puzzled. Aya smiled bitterly. Ryuzaki was half-smiling. Sayaka, her cheeks stained and her mouth agape.
After looking around at the four people with a distracted look on their faces - a reaction that was probably unexpected - Kanami raised her eyebrows in wonder.
“W-what’s that look on your face ……”
“I’d like to say something to the two of you who’ve come all this way and are just minding your own business, but I think it’s rude to moan.”
Aya looked at Ran and Sayaka with an expression somewhere between a half-smile and a wry smile.
Sayaka, who had been sulking, was frightened by the look in her eyes, and turned her head down and shunned.
Kanami looked as if she didn’t quite get it. Ryuzaki and Aya only looked at each other with subtle expressions on their faces and showed no sign of taking on the responsibility of explaining the situation.
The dejected Sayaka was quieted down and Ran took over the role of commentator.
“The voice you just heard is Sayaka’s. It’s not a moan, it’s more like a voice that spoiled me and she couldn’t help but let it out.”
“I could hear Sadogashima’s voice. Apart from that, I also heard someone else’s voice.”
Kanami let out a sniffle and crossed her arms. Aya and Ryuzaki, who had been cowering, instantly turned serious in response.
“You weren’t making fun of Sadogashima’s pampered voice, were you?’”
“’There is no way I would do something so stupid in these circumstances.”
Kanami shook her ponytail with a sigh, saying that it was not the case at all.
Kanami put her index finger on the tip of her mouth, telling them to be quiet and listen carefully.
-Silence. Then they heard a voice, ‘Is it the one of a prostitute in a pavilion?’ Far away, a high-pitched laugh reverberated in the distance.
“…………!”
But in the middle of it, a faint sound could be heard.
Clearly a man’s voice. A strained voice came from the darkness, mixed with a scraping sound and shallow, weak breaths.
“……is it Megane?”
“It might be worth checking anyway.”
Covering themselves with the blinding black mist, all five crept towards the voice.
Aya was gathering a vortex of magic at the tip of her left hand, perhaps concerned that it was a succubus trap.
Sayaka also clung to Ran, anxiously paying attention to the dimly lit destination.
Kanami and Ryuzaki occasionally looked back, preparing for a surprise attack from behind.
Proceeding along the wall, they eventually emerged into a light-hearted area.
The moonlight leaking through the high windows and the candles lined up against the wall created a fantastic atmosphere.
The wall opposite the side with the window was lined with copper-coloured doors.
Rugged and slightly shiny, they were recognisably made of iron or similar metal.
The doors were so tall that they looked like coffins arranged in a row.
“Look, it looks like that door over there is open.”
Sayaka pointed to the neighbouring door, which was squeaking and swinging.
She paced, breathless. A damp smell similar to mould hit her nose, and Kanami, who was more sensitive to smells than most people, contorted her face uncomfortably.
“Uwa. What the hell is this, it’s freaky.”
Aya, who was walking in the lead, stopped and gasped.
The open door had a mark as if something had crawled through it.
Sticky material was also adhered in places, and the scrape-like marks continued into the next room.
“It’s not a big caterpillar or anything like that…”
The four of them all shuddered at Aya’s mutterings. It was unclear whether Aya’s expressions were real or metaphorical, but either way they were extremely unpleasant.
‘When I woke up, I was a worm. Or, I lost a limb in the war and became a monk.’ Ran had read such novels in the original world.
Ran sincerely wished he could have avoided seeing such things in the real world.
“Sorry. I don’t want to get any closer to this one……”
Kanami, who had retreated a couple of steps, held a handkerchief to her nose and shook her head in a huff.
The other four people didn’t seem that bothered, but Kanami looked pained and had tears in the corners of her eyes.
“Are you alright, Kanami? If you feel like you’re going to get sick, you can ask Sayaka to open the wall and take off-”
“It’s not that bad. I’ll stay here and keep an eye out to see if anyone comes.”
Having said this, Kanami rested her back against the wall.
This was the serious Kanami. She had said that she would protect Ran and Sayaka, so it would be unforgivable for her to give up in the middle of a rescue.
“I’m worried about leaving Kanami alone, someone else should stay behind.”
The three who had gone ahead nodded silently at Ran’s suggestion.
“We don’t know what’s up ahead, and given the dangers, wouldn’t Sadogashima be the right place for it?”
“I think it would be better for Kirishima-kun and Ryuzaki-kun to stay behind than me. If there is a succubus ahead, Mikoshiba-san might have to fight it alone.”
“That is also true. If you want……, Kirishima, stay here. Me and Ryuzaki will protect Sadogashima at all costs.”
As if in response to Aya’s summation, Ryuzaki bashed his muscular wings out from his back.
Robust scales sprouted on his arms and legs, and the exposed parts were covered by a reptilian outer shell.
The three of them proceed quietly, trying not to step in the path of the monster that connected the rooms.
When the half-open door was opened, the air was sweltering. The Saints coughed involuntarily.
Ran wondered if Kanami was alright. Thinking so, they tried to turn around…
“Be quiet.”
Kanami whispered in his ear and Ran stopped moving.
“What’s wrong?”
“I feel a presence. I don’t sense any killing intent or hostility, but it seems like someone is - watching us.”
Because of the black mist surrounding them, it was probably not possible to clearly identify the figures from a distance.
However, just as Kanami, who had trained at the royal palace, was able to detect the presence of the other party, it seemed that whoever it was was also on the lookout for someone here.
“Could it be that, Kanami, you stayed because of that?”
“It would be dangerous if we were attacked from the outside when we entered the room. If it was a trap, we could be surrounded as soon as we entered.”
“Besides -.” Kanami put the tip of her mouth to Ran’s ear.
“There’s only one presence. It seems that thanks to the Black Mist, ‘we’ the intruder has not been confirmed, and if it comes down to it, we can use Sadogashima’s 『Barrier Elimination』 skill to get through the wall…”
When Ran was thrilled by Kanami’s whispering voice tickling his ear -.
“Hy-hyu――U”
A high-pitched voice cracked the tranquil night -
“ky,Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—”
Sayaka’s screams echoed from within the room.
“—What?”
The feeling of blame and the feeling of anxiety about what happened erupted in an instant, both at once.
Next, “What’s wrong, Sadogashima!” Aya’s shouts, which sounded like angry shouts, roared - and then.
“Dowaaaaa!? Wha,wait…hyawaaaaaa!!!” freewebnovel.(c)om
Aya screamed, in an equally well-defined voice.
“What are they doing? Those idiots!”
Gritting her teeth, Kanami jumped out and went inside.
Ran ran after her.
If Kanami was right and someone was watching them, the two exclamations just now would have completely exposed them as the intruders.
There was no point in hiding. They had to get out of here as soon as possible.
“Oi, Mikoshiba and Sadogashima! What in the world are you two, supposed to,……”
Kanami’s angry voice, which jumped in ahead of the others, soon lost momentum and fizzled out.
Ran, who came in late, pushed Kanami out of the way and ran into the room.
“Are you both okay, or ……?”
What Ran saw was a literal inferno.
Something like a caterpillar trail that seemed to be crawled on was seen… A skin-coloured mass lying beyond it. And beside it, two more similar lumps were there.
If he looked closely, he could see that it was humanoid and had a vaguely familiar shape.
“Megane, Mitagawa and Kawasaki, right??”
The three were lying on the floor on their backs, entirely naked as they had just been born.
Ryuzaki rushed over and covered the three bodies with dirty sheets he had brought from somewhere.
Seeing this, Ran realised that the premonition he had been secretly recalling had come true.
“Are they dead?”
“No, they aren’t. Must have fainted, but still alive. I’m glad.”
When Ran tried to join hands with him, Ryuzaki grimly clicked his tongue at Megane for his bad luck.
Apparently, the caterpillar trail leading from the next room was the trail that Megane crawled on.
In other words, the viscous substance that remained in places and stuck to the floor was apparently saliva or semen that had been rubbed into the floor, dried and hardened.
It wasn’t a very pleasant situation, but it was a lot better than being inhabited by a deformed monster.
It turned out that the worst possible outcome didn’t happen after all, making Ran feel his tense spirit at ease.
“Well, I’m glad everything’s okay.”
“Not good!…Not good, not good at all, so!”
Sayaka, who had been crouched down, stood up and strode over with a bright red face.
Her mouth was crooked and her eyes were flashing with tears.
Ran thought she was crying over her deceased classmate, but from what Ryuzaki told me, it seemed he was wrong.
“Disgusting……the lowest……I had only seen Kirishima-kun’s. But this… Impossible… This is really the worst.”
Sayaka buried her face in Ran’s chest, mumbled and talked fast.
When Ran looked at Aya, she was also red to the ears and biting her thumb with her front teeth.
“I-I didn’t see it, …… I didn’t see anything, because I didn’t see……!”
“Aya.”
“Ugh……… It’s a complicated feeling, a conflict between seeing something disgusting and feeling superior for having seen an embarrassing sight of a male friend. ……!”
Aya held her head in repentance as she performed grant magic on the otaku boys through the sheets.
There seemed to be a slight, mindless interest, but it was probably instinctive intellectual curiosity rather than sexual curiosity.
It was natural that even infants, before they became sexually awakened, to develop a curiosity about the bodies of the opposite sex. If Aya had developed an amorous desire, it would undoubtedly be directed towards Ran.
Ran thought of a future where he would curse at them for showing Aya disgusting things to her, but he didn’t want to say that because he would feel defeated in this situation.
She was an adolescent girl, and Ran didn’t think it was right to say that she was completely unaware and unresponsive.
Just be thankful for a tolerant Ran. He decided to take it in stride.
“Unless you’re a masochist, it’s just a loss of dignity for the boys.”
“It’s kind of pathetic that no one else gets it.”
Ran replied to Ryuzaki’s mutterings with a sigh, as if he were someone else.
Sayaka was still flushed to the ears and groaning in his chest. Ran thought again that Sayaka was seriously single-minded, since she reacted like this even after Ran released her from the underling training.
“But it’s all very clear now.”
Kanami, who was less shocked than the other two, let out a snort as if to reassure herself.
“I don’t know what kind of brothels are like, but I do know that this place is unusual. No shop should lock up a dying customer and leave him there.”
“Aaa, and this lock is normally impossible to open from the inside. It’s not an accident or coincidence. They obviously locked them up deliberately.”
It was then that Ran finally realised the nature of the initial feeling of discomfort he had.
He thought it looked like a coffin because all the doors were locked from the outside.
The cold, towering cluster of doors created the image of a prison.
In reality, however, they were places of execution where, if you entered, you would never get out alive.
“I’m guessing that he used ‘the appraisal’ to analyse the shape of the key and somehow managed to open it from the inside.”
In order to save Mitagawa and the others sleeping in the next room, Megane ‘appraised’ the keyhole of the door while crawling on his body and used earth magic to refine a key that matched it.
He did not try to escape on his own, but risked his life to make a breakthrough for his friends.
“I don’t know…”
Even though that resulted in them being found safe and sound, Ran could not understand how they could have fallen into such a situation.
Looking at the wall opposite the room from which Megane crawled out, the wall was unnaturally twisted and bobbed.
It was clear from the scene that this was due to Mitagawa’s 『Spatial Disconnection:Imperial Disaster』.
“They were going to break down the wall, drag Kawasaki back and escape through the open door of Mitagawa’s room.”
“Unfortunately, it seems that when the three of them got together, they ran out of steam.”
Ryuzaki’s hunch was right.
They might have been squeezed by the succubus and be in a life-or-death situation.
If they had made a mistake, there was a possibility that they would have already died.
“I’ve been playing detective to distract myself, but I’m at my wits’ end. Mikoshiba, is it done yet?”
It was not because Kanami, Ryuzaki and Ran had time to spare that they were working on the scene.
This was because they could not depart until Aya had reinvigorated the otaku group.
“I know! But they’ve passed out, so they won’t wake up that easily! More importantly, they’ve been squeezed until they’re completely empty, so their body has been drained of energy.”
“Is it still going to take a long time?”
“We can’t afford to wait for full recovery! Once you’ve recovered them to a certain extent, Ryuzaki will carry them back to the inn and then-.”
Aya’s eyes widened. At the sudden change in her expression, Ran and Kanami turned themselves around and took up a fighting stance.
Ran should say it was as expected. A woman with pink hair stood blocking the entrance to the room.
“Araa. There are more of you than I thought…… Where did such a large group of people come from?”
A pink-haired woman with fluffy hair that swung softly and smiled smugly.
However, there was obvious hostility lurking in that smile. Fortunately, she was just observing them calmly for now. But they were sure if they gave her the wrong response, the situation might turn ugly.
“I thought there was something wrong with her. A beautiful swordsman like you would be very popular. You’ve come all the way to a place like this.”
“That’s why I’m not a customer!”
Kanami said in a dignified tone of voice, with her hand on the seriousness at her waist.
Perhaps concerned about Kanami’s sword, the pink-haired woman did not show any intention to attack.
Kanami, being Kanami, seemedto think that it was not reasonable to attack her.
There was no doubt that she was holding thedying otaku boys captive, but there was no clear evidence anywhere that she was a succubus.
If it were to be explained that they were just normal human beings - a painful excuse - who were just resting the otaku boys who had passed out from trying too hard, Kanami’s position would be incredibly disadvantageous.
“However, we can’t just keep on having blind dates for nothing!” (woman)
This location was the enemy territory. They had no information on the security system or the structure of the building.
If the stalemate continued, it would only be disadvantageous for Ran and his team. If one of the victim otaku boys regained consciousness, they could be an important witness - but…
“Don’t move- Kirishima, Inugami!”
As soon as Aya’s voice reached them, something passed between them with great force.
Before they could understand what had happened, the woman who had blocked the entrance said, “Fugee gyuah!” and fell backwards head first.
Ran was speechless at the sight that greeted him. It seemed that Aya had used magic to throw a stone.
A stone as big as her head rolled to the floor with a thud.
“…A-aya?”
Blood curdling. No matter how spontaneous the action, just imagining what would happen if a stone of this size were to hit him in the face chilled his spine.
“Oi, Mikoshiba, what a-”
“If we have time to dilly-dally, let’s get the hell out of here. Either way, we’re trespassing. There’s nothing to be gained by staying. Is she a succubus or not? When they wake up, we’ll ask them, and then everything will be clear.”
Aya said something plausible to kick off the innocent Kanami’s opinion.
If they had struck down and trampled every last good and evil and made a complete profit-loss calculation from it, they might also come to the same conclusion.
But that would be a bold move. If Ran had thought the same thing, he would not have had the guts to throw such a heavy stone into the face of a woman whose face was the capital of such a shop.
Even in a world with healing magic, it was unforgiving. But when she was considered as an enemy, though, it was a very reliable move.
“…… Heh. You are naive if you try to stall me with that level of magic.”
The woman, who should have collapsed after receiving a fatal wound, got up with a start, opened her mouth like a crescent moon and gave a fearless smile.
However, the five intruders were all surprised when they saw her face.
The woman’s face was cracked in the upper half and her forehead was buckled. There was no bleeding and the inside of the cracked epidermis was covered with darkened crust.
The once expressive, beautiful face had become as cold as a will-less mask, and the peeling parts were caught on the borders of the cheeks and ears, and were wobbling like broken branches.
“I’ve gone through a lot of trouble to make it, and you just messed it up terribly. I’ve been beaten up all over my face as part of a play, but that was ok, since the guys were much nicer to me than you were.”
Pieces of dark flesh crawl out of the wounds, undulated around and covered the ‘human face’.
Eventually, the face was restored and the woman ruffled her hair and giggled as if nothing had happened.
“……now that’s a dark magic.”
“I was wary when the lady knight arrived, you were adventurers after all. But I didn’t expect you to sneak in. I thought we didn’t have any lousy wards that could be broken by mere mortals?”
A woman who observed each intruder with a price-gouging look.
Stunning self-healing. Unseen and bizarre magic. And above all, in view of the fact that she described Ran and the others as “mere mortals” -.
“A demon that speaks human language.”
It would be natural to assume so.
“Aaa, by the way, there was a request posted in the guild. It’s for female adventurers only, and they want you to gather information about the shops around here, or something like that.”
Kanami whispered in a hushed whisper so that only Ran could hear her.
There were also requests to gather information. Ran remembered that Yuri, who knew a lot about guilds, told him something like that.
As Ran recalled, the sale of information could only be undertaken by those who had achieved distinction and trust in the guild.
“This means that the adventurers who go out to gather information are almost certainly skilled warriors.”
After finishing her whispering, Kanami smiled and arched her mouth.
Her ponytail bobbing, Kanami’s chest heaving with an imposing look on her face.
“-That’s right. I am an adventurer from the guild. I’ve been informed that this area is infested with succubus, an evil demon that eats men. I’ve come here to destroy them.”
Kanami was resolute and bluffed her way through.
Perhaps because of her straight eyes and innocent appearance, even Ran, who knew the situation, felt that her statement was persuasive.
Confident beauty was what he got in these situations.
“I knew it.”
The pink-haired woman - a succubus - tightened her expression in plain sight.
She seemed to have sensed that Kanami was no ordinary person, with her stature as a swordsman and her steadfast heart trained in the royal palace.
“There is no chance …I can see you’re quite skilled. To have a female swordsman of this calibre sent to you means the jig is already up.”
It seemed the succubus conveniently misunderstood them.
‘Alright, If we just go and ask them to give these guys back to us, instead of just not inquiring about them this time - we can do that.’
“If you’ve found out about the succubus, I have no choice. For now, I will contain you here at least!”
But such pacifist thinking did not work.
Fear that the opponent might be several steps ahead in terms of strength did not seem to occur to her to give up on the intruder.
Even at the risk of her life, she would hold them back. With a fierce, spirit-filled, battle-ready attitude, the succubus carved a ferocious smile on her neat face.
“I don’t know how you managed to break through the many layers of protective barriers of the 『Succubus Warding』. -You’ll be sorry that only three of you… attacked us!”
“Three people?”
“And what’s more, you brought down two tasty-looking baits. Oh no, what is it, a souvenir? Tonight’s celebration shall be raised with the cum of two young boys!……ah. I’m honoured to have five such lovely boys in one night. It seems like the guild’s notice hasn’t spread at all.”
The succubus’s eyes twinkled sweetly.
She ran her long tongue over her wrist and mused with a troubled exhale.
Kanami raised her sword and tried to fight back against the succubus, but -.
“I don’t know your name, but in the meantime, I’m going to ask you to become my slave.”
The moment when the Ran was treated as bait and removed from being the target. And when the succubus jumped in front of Kanami to attack her. -It was within Ran’s reach and he touched the succubus’s body and activated his skill.
The succubus bounced on her limbs and slumped down. Her breath was shallow, bouncing with elation.
She put her fingers in her mouth in frustration and looked up at Ran.
Her eyes were moist and her cheeks were flushed, as if she had been carried away by a fever.
“Hafuu…hafuaaa…Aa,aaan…”
The succubus gazed at Ran with feverish eyes and wiggled her body.
It seemed that the incarnation of sexual desire was so intoxicated by the 『Sexual Lunatic』 that she had no choice but to give in.
Ran should have done this from the beginning.
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