Living as an Incubus in This World (3)
The crackling sounds of a campfire rising bright and illuminating the darkness.
Killing monsters had only been thrilling at the start.
Even after a good amount of time had passed, I was still not used to it.
That was on a completely different level from the clacking of a keyboard or mouse.
The feeling of slicing through flesh with a blade.
This was not a game.
It was reality, where one careless moment could end you.
Only now did Yu Inna seriously consider what her role was.
Why she had been worrying about me.
More so, about this world itself.
If she had not received the Goddess's Protection, her mental state would have collapsed long ago.
To have to defeat the Demon King as well, a sigh escaped her involuntarily.
“Hey. Hero, are you okay?”
“……”
While I sat there sitting blankly, Sienna walked over and spoke to me.
She was a normal brown-haired girl who handed me warm soup.
“Pull yourself together. Oh, is camping out for the first time?”
“……”
“There are no decent inns nearby.
So camping might be better.
Still, how about staying at a good place next time?”
Sienna kept chatting even without saying much.
As an imperial mage, she was quite kind and sociable.
“Most importantly, there is a royal here.
Are you seriously going to keep camping?
Frankly, I wonder why you followed, but you are definitely not a burden.”
Sienna whispered in my ear and gave a satisfied smile.
Following her, Yu Inna smiled faintly too.
“Hero.”
The one who called me was Elina Arita, the princess of the empire.
I could not understand why the future emperor would follow here after hearing Sienna’s words.
Unlike me, she was born with both wealth and honor, a diamond-class socialite.
No matter how good modern civilization was, she had somehow felt inferior to me, who had lived miserably alone in Korea.
It would be better to be in the luxurious palace.
I would have done so without hesitation.
“I never expected the hero who received your special traits to be this weak.
It is questionable whether proper achievements can be made like this.”
Elina mocked me.
Because I was the one who made the mistake in today’s battle against the monster, I could not answer.
“Eh, Your Highness, it is my first time.”
“It has already been over two weeks.”
Sienna answered in my place with a carefree tone.
But seeing Elina’s displeased expression, she spoke again.
“But originally you were a commoner.
For the hero, that is incredible.
Your strength is increasing rapidly.”
I looked up at Elina and met her gaze.
That woman had always stared at me with such arrogant eyes since she was in the palace.
A princess? Hmph.
If she were the crown princess, I would gag.
“Well, everyone, let’s stop fighting.
It would be good to have a meal.”
Lyla held her fork tightly with a disgusted expression.
Her long silver hair flowing to her waist made her even more dignified.
At that moment, the elf Eili, who had been silent, clicked her tongue with a longing look.
“Haa.
I am already missing that more.
No matter what, why is there only women in the hero party.
Ah, there should be men in places like this….”
“Shut up.”
“Putting on airs of being pure…”
Lyla, who heard Eili’s sarcastic tone, pushed aside the hair by her ear and asked back.
Her slanted mouth held an undercurrent of anger.
“What did you say?”
“I already heard everything.”
“I, as one who worships the gods, have never once had such impious thoughts.
I swear to the gods.”
“Yes~. Yes~. Understood.
Then, live as a virgin for the rest of your life.”
Lyla, angry, set her bowl down and walked toward the sleeping bag as if there was nothing left to say.
Sienna alone forced a smile and tried to lighten the mood.
Elves, a race that only appeared in fantasies, felt very mysterious to me.
Now I wondered if elves were originally this open about things.
“Hero, how is it?”
“Oh.
This soup is actually good.
But elves are usually quite lustful, right?”
My sudden question from Eili made me answer without realizing it and ask back.
Only after finishing did I think if it was too rude.
“No.
I was asking if you are a virgin.”
“……”
“Hmm?
It is not really like that.
It differs per elf.
In my case now, it is the marriageable age, so maybe that is why.
Ah, I want to have sex~.”
Sienna shook her head side to side.
Elina’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed, so she probably had a similar feeling at this moment.
“But Your Highness, why exactly did you come here?”
“…”
“Hmph.
If I can’t go there, that means I came anyway?”
“But aren’t we comrades?
You can tell us this much at least.
The imperial family’s will is important.”
“The imperial power does not simply come into being.
Hero, you do not know anything.”
Elina answered vaguely to my question and set down the bowl she was holding.
She also picked up a handkerchief and wiped her mouth.
“…”
“Honestly, I can’t sleep without a man around.”
“Understood.
Eili, once we all finish eating, let’s go sleep.”
Sienna accepted Eili’s nonsense.
It was even reasonable to guess the other way around with the saint.
“Eh.
What do you do if there are no men in the women~.
Really, you guys are no fun.
I will bring you something fun later, sister.
Ah! I will serve the future emperor in full course too.”
Eili laughed loudly as she said that.
It was only natural that the other members all stared at her in contempt.
“We came here to save humanity beyond the empire.
If you want to do whatever you want or say whatever you want, leave right now.
More than anything, you are not here to represent your race.”
“Oh my, I get it.”
Eili, who had been talking energetically, finally fell silent with a dejected look.
Her sharp ears also drooped sadly.
After that, everyone finished their evening meal and went into the sleeping bag.
What I could hear was the sound of the campfire and insects crying.
It felt like listening to real-time sleep ASMR.
Now it was time for everyone to go to dreamland.
While I was on night duty, Yu Inna stared at the Milky Way in the night sky.
Different from modern times, I wanted to see many stars with someone.
“Haa.
I came here for nothing.”
I was worried about Seonghyun being fine.
He would not skip meals just because I was gone, right?
Koreans rely on rice.
I was worried he might get framed again.
Maybe I should have brought him anyway.
Thinking about the monsters I fought today, it was too dangerous.
“Maybe I should have run away together.”
Throwing off the weight of being a hero and the crown, just run away together and continue living.
Perhaps that could be the great happiness of choosing.
Yu Inna pulled out the crumpled letter hidden in her bosom.
It was written in small gaps whenever she had time.
“…”
“I have to send a letter.”
The one I sent last time has not received a reply yet.
Of course, it would take time because of the distance.
Although it was unlikely, if Seonghyun hated me, he would still send a reply.
He needed me to go back to modern times.
Even if it was selfish, there was no choice.
Yu Inna slowly pressed each Korean character.
The Hangul that only Koreans could read felt like a code and stirred.
⁕⁕⁕
My consciousness, which had felt hazy, was gradually returning.
Did I faint for a moment?
The feeling of relief that I was alive from the returning sensations.
“…”
I wanted to say something, but only a groan came out.
Tinnitus rang in my ears.
Nausea came with a severe headache.
“Miss Jane, you seem to have woken up.”
A heavy woman’s voice was heard.
It sounded like a voice I had heard somewhere.
I slowly opened my eyes and lifted my head.
What I saw was an unexpected face.
A feeling that something was wrong instinctively came.
The fiery red hair was burning vividly.
Wearing a thin dress that showed her figure, she was sitting on a small chair.
“…”
“Jane?”
Even though I barely opened my mouth to say one word, my throat hurt as if I had swallowed a needle.
A small laugh was heard.
The situation was serious, but my heart fluttered a little at the soft voice.
“What.
You remember me?
Oh.
It is touching.
My young master.”
My mouth was not gagged, and my body was not tied with rope.
The room was dark and narrow, but I could not give up.
As long as there was even a tiny bit of hope.
“What happened.
Why are you here?”
“Huu.
They said the handsome one is a late riser.
I was worried you did not wake up for a long time.
I almost got those guys who brought you buried forever, you know?”
Is she joking right now?
“Tell me what happened!!”
“Shut up.
My young master.”
“……”
“It is what it is.
I am a disgusting pimp, and my young master is now an incu-bu.”
Jane’s expression was apathetic to the extreme.
I could tell from the way she pronounced ‘disgusting’ strongly.
“That thing, you heard it?”
“…”
“It is ruined.”
“……”
“Incubus?”
I muttered again in disbelief.
With a trembling hand, I clenched and opened my fist repeatedly.
“Hey.
Shit, are you crazy?
Why would I do something like that.
I, I will go.”
“Hey, is our young master’s head a flower garden?”
“What?”
A strong smoke was in my nose.
Jane, sitting on the chair smoking a cigar, looked down at me with contempt.
“You still do not understand the situation?”
“What are you talking about.”
“My young master is a slave.
A sex slave.
You have to pay at least five hundred million gold to get out of this place.
If you resist, there is no use, so accept it.”
Five hundred million gold?
Is she a gangster?
“Wait a minute.
The man I bought from you before was five million gold, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.
Why?”
Jane scratched her ear with her finger.
After blowing out the earwax stuck on her finger, she smiled satisfiedly.
“Is that not a scam?”
“Don’t hit the face.”
Thud.
The moment Jane finished speaking, I felt a footstep.
Lucky, it did not hurt much on my shoulder.
“Hmm.
Scam?
Is that important?
If you do not want to sell your body, think about how to pay that debt with that precious head of yours.”
“No.
I did not owe any debt.”
It was starting to feel more and more real.
Automatically, I started using honorific speech because of the dangerous atmosphere I instinctively felt.
“What if I die and cannot do that?”
“Haa.
Does that mean you will not pay?”
Jane burst into a lascivious laugh and exhaled smoke while crossing her legs.
The words that followed were shocking.
“Then, huu.
By the way, we do not lose anything.
Cases like you are used as good material for human experiments rather than games for nobles.
An in-human from another world.
Isn’t it an object that all researchers would covet?”
“……”
“Hey.”
With that word, the big women on both sides grabbed my arms.
Naturally, I became an awkward posture and shouted.
“What.
What?! Where are you touching?!”
“Quiet down.
Is it not the owner’s job to check the merchandise of our store?”
I twisted my body, but in the state where both arms and legs were held, it was hard to struggle more.
In the end, the clothes were stripped off.
The woman’s palm grabbing between my legs.
“Huu.”
My face turned red with shame.
Looking at me like an object as if I were a child, I wanted to cry right away.
“Don’t.
How can I do something like that?
I am just a student.
Rather, I will work somehow to pay the debt.
In the first place, this is me being framed.
I know the hero and the future emperor too.”
Calm down.
First, buy time.
Somehow bring Yu Inna.
Even if it is only contact with Elina.
I could get out of this hell.”
“Who do you trust?
That is as far as the tantrums go.”
“Wait a minute.
Please.”
I had to beg even on my knees.
The moment I thought that, Jane’s voice, which had been coercive, suddenly became kind.
“Don’t worry too much.
You seem like you will pay the debt quickly.”
“……”
“It is true.
Not a joke?
Our young master, his backbone is quite sturdy.
Our brothel has many ladies and rich young ladies coming.
Of course, knights also come a bit.”
I could not understand what Jane was saying at all.
It was hard to breathe with overwhelming emotions.
“My young master also cannot use that attitude.
Be charming like a man and respond?”
At that moment, the door creaked open.
The people who entered were men dressed in thin clothes.
They were practically naked.
I looked at Jane in confusion.
But she still had a blank expression.
“The new one is the youngest.
Huu.
He will debut today.
Make him up nicely.
Ah.
First, bathe him.”
The men looking at me with displeased expressions urged me to sit up.
“Busy, so come quickly.”
“Don’t drag your feet.
You think there is no man here without a story?”
I had no choice.
Just before leaving the door, I turned slightly back.
Jane with sticky, tenacious eyes.
A woman like a red jaguar rising, a beast.