It felt like I'd been jolted awake from sleep out of nowhere.
Startled—that's probably the word for it.
My consciousness had clearly cut out for an instant.
When I looked to the side,
"We teleported, didn't we?"
"Looks like it."
I scanned our surroundings.
Stone ruins, just like before.
They didn't seem all that different.
Well, there was a bit more sand piled up in the corners.
No vines creeping along the walls.
Overall, everything had taken on a browner hue.
We were somewhere else.
I cautiously stepped off the magic circle, one foot at a time.
My body felt fine.
Our luggage was intact.
Elinalise and I hadn't swapped places or anything like that.
Once we stepped off, the magic circle seemed to activate again, beginning to emit a pale bluish light.
How convenient.
As far as I could tell, there weren't any magic crystals installed, so how was it working?
Were there crystals buried deep underground?
If it was absorbing ambient mana from the surroundings, I'd definitely want to know the method—but still.
"Oh right. Let me confirm we can get back first."
"Yes, good idea."
It was a bidirectional teleportation circle, but that didn't guarantee we could return unconditionally.
If it was one-way, we'd be walking home.
Not that I hadn't come this far already, but there was no way I could get back in six months.
"Then I'll—"
"No, I'll go. If I don't come back after a bit, go on ahead."
With that, Elinalise shooed me back.
"In the worst case, I really don't want to be the one reporting to
"Fair enough. Leave it to you then."
Honestly, it didn't matter who went first.
We might have teleported, but that didn't necessarily mean this was Begaritt.
"Well then, here I go."
Elinalise hopped onto the magic circle.
The next instant, as if being swallowed by the circle, she vanished.
This was my first time seeing someone teleport.
So it's like being absorbed into the ground.
Is she traveling through the earth itself?
"..."
I'll just wait patiently, I suppose.
I trusted what
There was a possibility some kind of magical device was needed, but at least the first teleportation had succeeded.
So I wanted to believe the return trip would work too.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Fifteen minutes.
"Taking her long... oh?"
Around the fifteen-minute mark, Elinalise returned.
Her appearance was like a reverse playback of her disappearance.
She rose from the ground, drawn upward as if being pulled out.
Elinalise looked around, spotted me, and gave a firm nod.
"I made it back safely."
"You were, however, a little on the slow side."
"Were I? I thought I came back right away."
Maybe there was a time lag.
Even so, it was only a few minutes at most.
Seven minutes one way, give or take.
Maybe there was some time dilation involved?
Oh, come to think of it, I vaguely recalled hearing something about a slight discrepancy between the disappearance of the Fittoa Region and the appearance of the refugees.
Was that
Maybe teleportation wasn't instantaneous travel but rather high-speed travel.
Or maybe it was more like a quantum jump.
"Well, as long as we can get back, there shouldn't be a problem."
"Quite right."
If it were dangerous, Orsted wouldn't use it either.
With our ability to return confirmed, that was good enough for me.
"Shall we go then?"
Once we'd verified the magic circle's usability, we headed up the stairs.
--- The moment we reached the first floor, I felt the temperature rise sharply.
A muggy, oppressive heat.
But the humidity was low, so it didn't feel particularly sticky.
I'd heard the ruins were surrounded by desert.
This heat certainly made sense then.
The first floor was also stone-built, much like the forest ruins.
The differences: no vines crawling along the walls and ceiling, and sand piled up in the corridors.
The floor was so covered in sand you could barely see the stone beneath.
Wait—there were several footprints.
These probably weren't Orsted's, right?
If I ran into him, I'd better surrender immediately.
There were four rooms.
The ruins must have been designed the same way throughout.
In one of the rooms, a thick white cloak and a water canteen were stored.
So those really were Orsted's personal belongings.
"What should we do about the footprints? Want me to erase them?"
"Is that from the usual Orsted? I think it'll be fine, though..."
Still, it was scary.
Maybe I should leave a note.
"Introduced through Nanahoshi's referral, using this place briefly for personal reasons. I'll maintain confidentiality, so please don't be angry." Something like that.
...There was no telling when he might come, and realistically he probably wouldn't even find out.
And the note itself could backfire.
I'll pass for now.
After that, I gave the ruins a thorough once-over and, as expected, didn't run into Orsted.
After checking the rooms, I went outside.
Outside was hot.
Not warm—hot.
The wind hitting my face stung.
Before me stretched a desert dune landscape I'd seen in photographs many times in my previous life.
A desert.
However, the sun was beginning to set.
Night would fall soon.
Wasn't it better to walk through the desert at night?
Or was it too cold at night—below freezing—and therefore unwise to travel?
Could I apply that kind of common sense in this world too?
...Come to think of it, desert monsters were mostly nocturnal, weren't they?
Moving through the dark and getting ambushed by monsters would be dangerous.
"What do you think, Elinalise?"
"Even if we start walking now, we won't cover much ground. It's a bit early, but let's rest somewhere with a roof."
So we would spend the night in these ruins.
--- Night was bitterly cold.
People said the temperature swing between day and night in the desert was brutal, and that was no exaggeration.
We were inside the ruins, so it was fine for now, but I needed to think about when we'd be camping outdoors.
Building a shelter with earth magic and staying there would be the way to go, probably.
The earth magic spell "Earthen Fort" was convenient, but it collapsed the moment you stopped supplying it with mana.
However, with a little tinkering, you could maintain its shape like an igloo.
I'd build a fire inside and keep warm.
Yeah, that's the plan.
For tonight, I'd lay out my sleeping bag in one of the ruin's rooms.
Before sleeping, I should supply mana to Elinalise's magical device.
I pressed my hand against the diaper and poured mana in.
What a ridiculous sight.
Elinalise murmured quietly.
"...
"But if I stop the mana supply, won't you start having trouble holding it in?"
"In combat, your magic is absolutely essential. Prioritize that."
The Begaritt Continent didn't have monsters as strong as the Demon Continent.
That said, there would still be monsters of comparable threat.
I couldn't let my guard down.
"No, at this level, I'm not going to run out of mana."
"Really? You really are bottomless..."
"Not as much as your libido, Elinalise."
"Oh my, it's not that bad."
At any rate, if I slacked off on supplying mana and Elinalise turned into some kind of lust beast, I'd be in real trouble.
If she attacked me, I definitely wouldn't be able to resist either.
"Just once, it's a secret between us two."
"I tried to fight her off but she overpowered me."
I could come up with plenty of excuses like that.
If we couldn't hold back, we'd both end up miserable.
Elinalise could get pregnant.
Yeah, if Elinalise made a move on me, the future looked nothing but grim.
If it really came to that, at least I'd ask her to use her mouth instead.
Wait, I need to stop.
The fact that these thoughts were surfacing in the first place meant I was pent up too.
She'd been clinging to me nonstop for the past week.
We hadn't done anything explicit, but I was young. It couldn't be helped.
Tonight, I'd take care of it during my watch.
"Well, let's get some sleep. It seems this desert will continue for a while, so we need to conserve our stamina."
"Right."
Here I was needing to conserve stamina, yet also needing to relieve myself first.
Being a man was tough.
--- That night.
I was resting in one of the ruin's rooms when I caught a whiff of something sweet.
At the same time, my heart started pounding.
My chest was racing.
I opened my eyes, and there was Elinalise, lying asleep.
She was clutching her sword, sleeping fitfully.
Her neck was white.
Her hands were white and supple.
Her face resembled Sylphie's, but she looked more mature.
Her build was taller and more slender than Sylphie's too.
Especially the line from her waist to her hips—it traced a more perfect curve than any woman I'd seen before.
Come to think of it, Elinalise was insanely good in bed...
"Haa... haa..."
Before I knew it, my log had grown into a full-blown tree.
My head felt foggy.
"Mm..."
Elinalise shifted.
Her blanket slipped away, revealing her thighs wrapped in tight leather pants.
Great ass.
I wanted to grab it and squeeze.
Without realizing it, I was reaching for her inner thigh.
I wanted to touch her.
I wanted to touch her.
Led by desire, my hand made contact with her inner thigh.
Her legs were slender, like a mountain goat's.
When I touched her, Elinalise let out a small "Mm" and spread her legs a little wider.
Was she... inviting me?
Before I knew it, my lower body had reached a point of no return.
Fine, it's okay. Just once. Just once.
Elinalise wouldn't refuse.
She'd keep quiet.
No problem, right?
"Cliff..."
Her sleep murmur snapped me back to my senses.
I scrambled out of the room on all fours.
I fled the ruins entirely, as though running from something.
I'd thought I was fine, but apparently I'd been more pent up than I realized.
No good, no good.
I couldn't let fleeting emotions carry me away.
This kind of bad buildup was best dealt with by letting it out.
With that thought, I sat down in the sand.
And just as I was about to pull my pants down...
I felt a presence.
"Hm?"
Was it Elinalise?
I turned toward the presence, and standing there was a woman of stunning allure.
Despite the cold, she was dressed like a dancer.
Her outfit was so thin that in bright light, it would have been nearly see-through.
Her hair was short, black maybe, with slightly curled tips.
Her skin tone was hard to make out in the darkness.
But she glowed faintly white against the dark.
Even so, what a body.
So captivating you'd want to cling to it—that was exactly what she was.
A dynamite figure.
Compared to her, Elinalise was a twig.
The woman pressed a finger to her lips.
She licked her fingertip with a quick flick.
That bewitching gesture completely captured my attention.
I couldn't look away from her lips.
She walked slowly toward me.
Then she crouched down in front of me and slowly spread her legs.
At that moment, the same sweet scent I'd smelled earlier flooded my nostrils—overwhelmingly more intense this time.
"Gulp."
I swallowed hard.
I felt something dripping from my chin.
Wiping it, my hand came away stained red.
I'd been having a nosebleed.
"Hee hee..."
She extended her hand as if beckoning me.
I grabbed her hand and fell toward her— "Rudeus!"
The next instant, a shout echoed through the ruins.
Simultaneously, the woman leaped back.
Elinalise had launched herself into the space where the woman had been, sword in hand.
She planted herself between the woman and me.
"Snap out of it!"
"Huh?"
I was bewildered.
Elinalise raised her shield and charged at the woman.
"KYAAAAA!"
The woman let out a piercing scream and extended unnaturally long claws.
Her skeleton shifted before my very eyes, and wings sprouted from her back.
She spread those wings, attempting to take flight.
Elinalise lunged at her.
WHAM!
She smashed her with the shield, and with a dull metallic crash, the woman went tumbling across the ground.
Elinalise swiftly pinned the woman's body down with her foot.
Then she drove her sword into the thrashing woman's torso.
"Gyaaa..."
The woman let out a ghastly sound.
Elinalise didn't hesitate, thrusting her sword into the woman's body several more times.
Then she backed away, putting some distance between them.
The woman twitched for a while, but eventually stopped moving.
She was dead.
"What...?"
I stared blankly at the scene.
I had no idea what had just happened.
My lower half was still rock hard, as always.
Wait.
Why?
What was going on?
While I was reeling, Elinalise slapped my cheek.
"Pull yourself together! She was a succubus!"
"A succubus? That was a succubus?"
The dead woman.
She looked like an ordinary woman in every way.
She had bat-like wings on her back and unnaturally elongated claws, but— Oh, looking closer, her skin was bluish.
Her facial features were slightly different from a human's, now that I looked carefully.
But what a body.
Too bad she was dead.
Now that she was dead, it'd be fine to touch her, right?
Even corpses have holes...
"I've never seen one myself, but they say the stench that fills your nostrils is unmistakable. This is definitely it."
"Stench?"
I thought she smelled nice.
She had me incredibly worked up.
Even so, just look at Elinalise's body.
Flat-chested, sure, but with a beautiful face and long, slender legs.
That gorgeous curve around her waist and hips.
"Elinalise, you really have a great body, don't you?"
"What? Rudeus, focus."
It's fine. This woman is a pervert.
Flatter her and I'm in.
She's easy. A sure thing.
"I was always thinking I'd love to be held gently by someone like you, Elinalise..."
"I'm telling Sylphie."
"If you don't tell, she won't know..."
I stood up and moved toward Elinalise.
Elinalise raised her shield and backed away.
"Oh, right—I heard succubuses seduce men."
"Come on, Elinalise... let's do it..."
Elinalise narrowed her eyes and let out a sigh.
"Hmph!"
WHAM!
She hit me with the shield.
I was slammed into the sand.
My vision swam.
No, forget that—Elinalise was right there.
I had to take the woman standing in front of me.
"Haa... haa... Just once. Just one time is fine. I promise I'll satisfy you..."
"Oh, honestly... Rudeus. Cast a detoxification spell within the next ten seconds."
"Detoxification spell? Will you do it with me if I do?"
"...Hurry up and cast it."
Not bothering to hide my ragged breathing, I began chanting a detoxification spell.
Starting from the elementary tier, I chanted one intermediate-tier spell after another.
Gradually, my body felt lighter.
"...Huh?"
My mind had cleared all of a sudden.
My lower half was still a little heavy, but the unbearable arousal was gone.
I looked at Elinalise.
Well, her figure was still sexy.
Definitely sexy.
But that was it.
"I'd heard the scent a succubus produces has the effect of luring men, and I must say—it's remarkably potent."
Elinalise sighed and sheathed her sword.
Then she crossed her arms and let out a breath.
"...Good grief."
"..."
What was I... doing just now?
The words I'd just said.
...This is bad.
"Now then, let's get some sleep. Do be more careful next time."
With that, Elinalise turned to head back inside.
Fidgeting with my hands, I called out to her.
"Um, Elinalise. I'm... I'm sorry about earlier."
Hearing that, Elinalise turned around with a puzzled expression, then broke into a grin.
"I said I'd love to be held gently by someone like you, Elinalise..."
I could feel my face burning.
The succubus had forced those words out of me!
"Let's do it~!"
"Grrgh..."
What was this?
Why was I so mortified?
Elinalise walked over to me with a smug smile and patted me on the head.
"I know, I know. Succubuses are that kind of monster. It can't be helped. Of course, I won't tell Sylphie or Paul about any of this."
"Elinalise!"
She looked like a goddess.
"But don't get too cocky, all right? I'm managing for now, but the curse will only get stronger with time. Eventually, I won't be able to hold back either."
"Got it. I'll count on you when that happens."
"That's not what I mean—you'll be the one who has to hold back!"
"Aye aye."
At that, Elinalise smiled softly.
"Well then, I'm going to sleep. Please keep standing watch."
"...Oh, and burn the body as well, will you?"
"Will do."
Elinalise disappeared into the ruins.
I'd done something terrible.
I burned the succubus's body and buried her bones.
Up close, the succubus was not cute at all.
She looked like a bat.
Why had I been aroused by something like this?
I could've sworn she had a human face earlier.
Maybe once they revealed their true nature, their real face showed.
Like a vampire in a Western movie.
Her body though—this body was the problem.
What a body.
An absolute bombshell.
It was like someone had given Elinalise breasts as an optional upgrade.
Wait, no, no good.
Even so, that was too close.
If Elinalise hadn't jumped in when she did, what would have happened?
If I'd taken that hand...
I could have been drained of my life force and killed.
Ugh, and my lower half still felt heavy.
All of this was the succubus's fault.
If this continued, I might really end up attacking Elinalise.
Better take care of things before going into the ruins.
In any case, I needed to stay wary of succubus encounters from now on.
And so, the first night on the Begaritt Continent came to a close.