Chapter 6: why no one summons succubi in the Army? (02)

  It wasn't feasible to leave a succubus standing where the night patrol might pass, so I brought her inside.

  "Excuse me for a moment."

  Normally, if the door opened and someoered, the others would se and wake up. But tonight, they were sleeping like they were unscious.

  "I put them to sleep ahead of time sihey’d get in the way of what we're about to do."

  "That's possible?"

  "It’s difficult if they resist, but they were already trying to sleep, so it was quick."

  As she spoke, she removed the hood c her body, and her appearance was nothing like the succubus I had imagined.

  'Wow... she’s so pin...'

  Her face was freckled, giving her a human touch, and her skin wasn’t like fine por but rather showed signs of real life. Slightly tanned by the sun, it was even a bit cracked in pces from exposure.

  Her hair wasn’t ly styled either; it was roughly cut, making it look messy. Holy, if I hadn’t seen her wings and tail earlier, I might have mistaken her for a maid pying a prank.

  "You’re disappointed because I’m not what you expected, aren’t you?"

  "H-How did you...? you read minds too?"

  "It’s written all over your face."

  Was I too eager about summoning a succubus? Holy, I couldn’t deny the hint of disappoi.

  Of course, from my perspective, as long as she was a woman, even if she looked like Dane...

  No, not Dahat’s too much.

  "Shall we begin?"

  "Uh, I... o mentally prepare myself..."

  I had mocked Dane for fumbling nervously in this situatio here I was, saying the same thing.

  But unlike Dane, who would dither endlessly, I could take a deep breath, yself, and steel my resolve.

  "So, how should we... should I undress?"

  "Just lie down."

  'Ah, is she going to undress me herself?'

  I y down, my heart pounding, and waited. She approached my bed and pced her hand over my eyes.

  "...Um...?"

  "When you fall asleep, we’ll begin."

  "I ’t stay awake for this?"

  "That would defeat the purpose."

  Somethi off.

  "Wait a minute. So we’re not actually doing it?"

  "Doing it? Are you seriously asking for my body?"

  "Well, isn’t that the whole point of summoning a succubus...?"

  Her expression turned icy as she stared down at me with disdain.

  'What... what’s going on?'

  "Succubi don’t do that."

  "What?"

  "Do you even know what 'incubus' means?"

  "So then..."

  "I’ll give you a dream. Just tell me your preferences, and I’ll tailor it for you."

  Hearing that, all the excitement drained out of me.

  'So, we’re not actually doing it?'

  Of course, it made sense. Summoning a succubus requires a virgin’s essence. If a succubus actually had sex with someohey wouldn’t be a virgin anymore, and summoning them again would be impossible.

  It’s ineffit but logical. I had assumed they’d make it work somehow, given all the desperate virgins out there. Turns out, that’s not the system.

  "Just tell me your preferences, and I’ll make it happen."

  "..."

  I couldn’t think of anything.

  Despite beiually aroused and indulging in my fantasies often, my tastes were broad. I simply enjoyed whatever was in front of me at the time.

  "Hmm..."

  Even though she seemed pin, I figured with some effort, she could be alluring.

  There was a subtle musk emanating from her, which wasn’t unpleasant. And her ordinary, real-life appearance had its charm—perhaps undressing her would reveal something uedly appealing?

  "Just so you know, even in a dream, you ’t use my appearance."

  "Why not?"

  "Because it would gross me out."

  What a finicky succubus!

  But with nothing specifi mind and ne to sleep, the session stalled.

  "Sigh."

  Eventually, she sighed and removed her hand from over my eyes.

  "We’re out of time. It’s almost wake-up hour, isn’t it?"

  Snapping out of it, I realized it was nearly 5 a.m.

  In just 30 minutes, everyone would have to get up.

  "If you fall asleep now, the dream will end before it reaches its climax. I’ll e baother time."

  "Aime...?"

  "I’ll e at the right moment. Think about what you want by then."

  Should I find a portrait of a beautiful woman?

  "You just o think about it. I’ll hahe rest. I’ll see you wheime’s right."

  "And how will you know?"

  "I’ve already left a trace. Wheime es, I’ll know."

  With that, the succubus opehe door a. Astonishingly, despite the night patrol being nearby, she mao sneak in and out of the training grounds without causing any otion.

  "...Damn it."

  And so, I spent the night wide awake, filled with unfulfilled anticipation.

  ---

  "Starting tomorrow, we ehe five-day Holy Week."

  Holy Week orates the time when humanity was saved from demons and monsters by the divine powers spread through a chosen saint. It’s basically a temple holiday.

  Last year, during Holy Week, everyone was thrilled about visiting the temple for free food, blessings, and healing.

  But as the phrasing suggests, people 'were' thrilled. For knights, Holy Week isn’t so pleasant.

  'Damn it.'

  Senior knights say the temple gives plenty of food during Holy Week.

  However, the ascetic lifestyle of the temple means the food is bnd: pin whole-grain bread, meat boiled until it’s tough and tasteless, and soup cooked until it’s mushy.

  It’s worse than the meals we get at the training camp.

  And receiving blessings means spending aire day with the preachy temple priests. Knights are expected to set an example, so you ’t even rex—you’re on duty the whole time.

  "Let’s start with volunteers. Who wants to go to the temple?"

  Naturally, no one raised their hand.

  Even Wade, from the 7th barracks, who once aimed to be a holy knight due to his devout faith, avoided making eye tact.

  "Orainee knight must represent us. Any takers?"

  Everyone silently hoped someone else would voluhrowing furtive gnces around. I, too, hoped someone like Wade, with his deep faith, would step up.

  "Sed barracks trainee knight, Ban. Yoing."

  Why me?

  Of all 150 trainee knights, why did it have to be me?

  Was this a one-in-150 stroke of bad luck? Or had I been marked by the senior knight?

  "Me? Why?"

  "Let’s take a vote. Who thinks Ban should represent us?"

  Everyone except me raised their hands.

  Holy, if someone else had been picked, I would have raised my hand too. But being the victim felt terrible.

  "Sir, I’m not feeling well... Cough, cough! Maybe it’s a cold?"

  "Perfect. You get blessed and recover quickly."

  There was no way out.

  "Pack your things a ready to depart immediately. Dress in formal attire, and I'll prepare a ceremonial sword for you."

  Uhe mana saber, which felt weightless save for its hahe ceremonial sword was absurdly heavy, made entirely of solid metal. Just having it strapped to my waist made it hard to breathe.

  Sold off to the temple by unanimous vote from everyo me, I grumbled as I set off on the jouro the temple alongside the senior knight.

  Though, to be fair, it was only a 30-minute walk.

  "Hmm?"

  As I approached the temple’s grarance, a sharp, prig sensation suddenly ran through my body, almost like static electricity.

  "Is something wrong?"

  "It’s nothing."

  Ihe temple, right o the entraood a statue of the goddess of love, adorned with tless flowers in celebration of the holy week.

  The Goddess of Love and Marriage, Medeira.

  The statue depicted a benevolent aiful goddess, ah it riestess who bore a striking resembo the statue, handing out sweets to children.

  "I'll go notify the saintess of our arrival. Wait here."

  "Yes, sir."

  "...And don’t you dare talk about slimes or, heaven forbid, anythied to self-pleasure."

  I wasn’t stupid enough to spout vulgar jokes in a pce like this, but clearly, my senior knight didn’t trust my discretion.

  'The young saintess, huh?'

  The current saintess was older, so they’d chosen a successor through a rigorous sele process five years ago. This year, they’d unveiled her to the public.

  'She’s beautiful.'

  The young saintess was arguably the most stunning girl I’d ever seen, a picture of youthful charm unmatched even by the statue of the goddess standing nearby.

  'Of course, they probably picked her for her looks.'

  The sele process for a saintess supposedly involved divine blessings and other such criteria, but rumor had it that it boiled down to how much she resembled the goddess—essentially, how beautiful she was.

  The temple officially cimed it was all guided by diviions, but it seemed a little too vehat a new saintess was always chosen without any gaps whehe previous one grew too old.

  Whatever the case, the important thing was that this young saintess was a breathtakiy.

  'If only she were a little older.'

  Not that it mattered. Even if she were older, she was still a saintess—a woman pletely out of reach.

  Uhe other priests who worshipped different gods, those who served the Goddess of Love and Marriage were allowed to date and marry. But the saintess was the sole exception, forbidden from marrying.

  The reasoning seemed tradictiven the goddess they served, but it arently to prevent any political influehrough a husband.

  "Knight! Hey, knight!"

  Ohe children had taken their sweets and dispersed, the young saintess gestured to me with a pyful wave.

  "Me?"

  "Would you like a sweet?"

  She offered me oh a wink, as if sneaking me something she wasn’t supposed to.

  I smiled and stepped forward to accept the sweet.

  Zap!

  "Ugh!"

  Suddenly, a jolt of electricity surged through me as I reached out my hand.

  'What the...?'

  The young saintess looked startled by my rea, and as she extended her hand toward me again, I felt that crag statisation run along my back, leavierly bewildered.

  "Could it be...?"

  "What’s going on?"

  Hearing my groan, the senior knight and the nosy tempr knights approached, armed by the otion.

  "Ah, it’s nothing. Just some static electricity..."

  "Yes, just a little shock," the young saintess quickly chimed in, hiding the sweet behind her back.

  Luckily, the senior knight and the others seemed too busy with holy week preparations to pry further, so they soo us alone.

  "Knight."

  "Yes?"

  Her youthful face still carried a hint of baby fat, but her expression was surprisingly solemn, leaving no room for me to dismiss her lightly.

  "You’ve been marked by a demon."

  "Marked? Huh?"

  Was this because of the succubus from before?

  "You must have secretly fought off a demon and been cursed in the process, right?"

  'No, I secretly summoned a demon to fool around and even scheduled a seeeting...'

  "I’ll help you. Follow me."

  Whispering in a spiratorial tohe young saintess led me to a secluded spot away fr eyes, apparently i on sing the "curse."

  We ended up behind the temple, where it was quiet. That’s when I remembered—having the saintess remove this mark might not be the best idea.

  'Wait, if she ses it, the succubus won’t be able to find me anymore!'

  But before I could stop her, she grabbed my hands.

  "Oh, Goddess of Love, please drive away this demoniergy!"

  Zzzzzzt!

  "Ahhhh!"

  It hurt—a lot.