Chapter 1
Episode 1♡
Three goblins pushed through the soggy brush, baring their yellowed teeth with guttural growls.
The target of the grotesque monsters’ gaze, brandishing crude stone axes, was...
a girl whose appearance was far too exotic, too alluring, to belong in the middle of a battlefield.
She was Erica, a first-class magician known by everyone in the area—and my childhood friend.
Her hair shone even in the darkness of the forest, golden as spun silk.
Through those strands, her pale face was lit by red eyes that seemed to burn with clear, blood-wet brightness.
She was so small she might barely have reached my chest, her body slender as a doll’s, as though one outstretched hand could snap her in two; and yet the atmosphere she gave off was anything but ordinary.
“Haaah...”
Erica stood at a slant, regarding the goblins with an annoyed expression.
Even standing still, she had a strange, ripe, fruit-like charm—but...
her clothing was so outrageous it made it hard to breathe.
A black see-through top, designed to emphasize the ample curves that defied her small frame, plunged so daringly at the cleavage that every breath she took sent those lush contours swaying in a way that was downright dizzying.
A micro-miniskirt that barely covered her hips left her smooth thighs exposed; it clung so tightly that the slightest movement seemed as if it might reveal more than it should.
It was as if she were saying,
“If you can rape me, then go ahead and try...♡”
—an arrogant, provocative outfit that practically invited trouble.
“Aaah... what a pain.”
Erica lowered her heavy eyelids a little and let out a deep sigh.
Pursing her red lips, she turned her head toward me.
Even though she had to lift her chin high because she was so much shorter than I was, her red eyes still carried a haughty gleam, as though she were looking down on me with utter contempt.
“Hey, scrub...♡ Getting winded because a bunch of low-tier monsters like that chased you? And you call yourself my childhood friend. Honestly, you’re impossible to look at.”
“Ha! Says the magician who’s never even held a sword. You think you understand the hardships of the front line?”
“The front line? Please. You’re just bad at this. Why don’t you quit being a swordsman and become my porter instead? Heehee...♡”
“Dream on. More importantly, Erica, this is no time for stupid talk! Look behind you!”
The instant I shouted in alarm and tightened my grip on my sword, a goblin behind her raised its axe and leaped at her exposed back.
But Erica didn’t even look.
She only let a mocking smile linger at the corners of her mouth.
“A scrub swordsman like you thinks this is a crisis too? How pathetic...♡”
She snapped her fingers lightly.
With a crack like thunder—
In an instant, a crimson magic circle unfolded in the air, and a terrifying fireball of blistering heat burst forth from it.
The goblin didn’t even have time to scream before it turned to ash and scattered in all directions.
It was the kind of formidable, chantless high-level magic that made you wonder where such devastating power could possibly come from in that small, fragile body.
The fierce backlash of the spell sent a rushing wind whipping the hem of Erica’s short skirt.
She twisted her hips with a languid elegance, set one hand on her small waist, and came walking toward me with light, delicate steps. The faint tap of her shoes made my heart pound for reasons I didn’t care to examine.
“Heehee, goblins... and our scrub childhood friend... they’re all the same to me, ♡”
“...Hey, quit playing around and let go.”
When I slightly pulled my head back, Erica withdrew her finger as though the whole thing had amused her and took a step away.
Then, deliberately turning her back to me, she began strolling along the forest path.
I had to drag my eyes away from the skirt that only barely covered the curve of her hips.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming? Or are you planning to stay there and get covered in goblin ash?”
“...We’re going already, we’re going.”
I hurried my steps and fell into place beside her.
As we walked through the woods, the short hem of Erica’s outfit swayed dangerously close to my thigh, brushing it almost—almost—every step of the way.
“But seriously, what is that outfit? I know you have a magical barrier, but if you’re an adventurer, you should at least wear some kind of armor.”
At my complaint, Erica stopped and stared up at me.
Her red lips curved into a smile.
“Why? Is it bothering you? Don’t know where to put your eyes? That’s rough, trying so hard to look solemn, scrub...♡”
“Of course it’s bothering me! Your clothes are way too... thin and short.”
“This is the composure of a first-class magician. Why should I care when no monster can even touch the hem of my clothes? It’s thrilling, don’t you think? Though, of course...”
Erica slipped her soft arm through mine.
The sweet scent of her body, faint but unmistakable, stabbed at my nose.
She leaned in and whispered low in my ear.
“Not just monsters, either. I’m wide open for my scrub childhood friend, too... but you don’t have the guts to pounce, do you? Heehee♡”
“Ugh...”
“Look at your face turning red. You’re adorable when you’re innocent.”
Apparently satisfied with my reaction, Erica let go of my arm and strode forward again.
Her infuriatingly prim, yet wanton attitude left me no choice but to swallow a cough.
After we finally made it out of the forest, still bickering all the way, a small village came into view at last, its scattered torchlight glowing in the dark.
Unlike me, who had spent the whole day rolling around with monsters and getting caked in dirt, Erica still looked immaculate in that outrageous outfit, her skin smooth and unmarked by even a speck of dust.
As expected, a first-class magician’s barrier was obnoxiously unfair.
The moment we stepped into the inn room, closed the door, and latched it, Erica threw herself onto the bed as if she’d been waiting for it.
Thunk—
Despite the lightness of her movements, as she rolled onto her side, the white leg draped over the bedpost remained indecently tantalizing.
Her short skirt rode up, exposing the line of her garter belt, but Erica seemed not to care in the slightest as her red eyes flashed at me.
“Hey, scrub...♡ How long are you going to stand there dumbly? Don’t tell me you were trying to sneak a look at my body?”
“Hah? What’s there to look at? I’m not interested in a kid’s body.”
“A kid...?”
In an instant, Erica’s pretty brows drew tight.
She jerked herself upright on the bed.
Pointing at the area beneath her chest with a small, delicate hand, she puckered her red lips in offense.
The tight top clearly strained against the pressure, her curves shifting in plain view.
“What part of me is a kid? Do you have your eyes on for decoration? Our scrub childhood friend only knows how to stare at my magic power, and not at the real allure right in front of him? Pathetic... so pathetic...♡”
“Yes, yes. Truly impressive, First-Class Magician Erica.”
I snorted and dropped down on the edge of the bed near the headboard.
The damp scent of wood and the sweet floral fragrance rising from Erica’s body mingled together, filling the cramped room.
Erica crawled to the end of the bed with graceful little steps and pressed herself against my back. The soft touch against me made my shoulders stiffen before I could stop it.
“But... doesn’t this make you think of the old days?”
Erica rested her chin on my shoulder and whispered into my ear.
Her moist red eyes curved with mischief.
“The old days? What old days?”
“Don’t act like you don’t remember...♡ You used to trail after me all the time while I was training magic, and the moment even one slime showed up, you’d cry and grab the hem of my skirt because you were scared, remember? Heehee. Back then and now, you’re still the same scrub who needs protecting.”
“Hey! That was because I was way too young! And I never cried. I was just watching because magic was fascinating!”
“Oh? Really? Then who was it last autumn when we went to investigate that cave and hid behind me the moment a flock of bats came rushing out? Were you still a kid then? Hm? Scrub?♡”
Erica giggled as she poked my back with a fingertip.
She looked infuriatingly smug, but the way the lamplight caught her gold hair and red lips made it impossible to truly get angry.
“I just got startled because they came out of nowhere. I can handle monsters on my own now, too.”
“If I hadn’t helped just now, your head would’ve been split open by a goblin axe. Honestly, your mouth’s the only thing that’s grown up...”
With a prim little snort, Erica silently crossed one slender leg over mine.
The faint touch of the garter belt sent a shiver up my spine.
She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes slightly, as though trying to tempt me.
“Well, if you’re that confident, then prove it.”
“Prove what?”
“Kuhuhu♡ Right now, there aren’t any monsters in this room—just you and me, that’s all, right?”
Erica wrapped her thin arms around my neck and pressed her body against mine.
The sweet, sultry warmth radiating from her small frame came through clearly, straight to my skin.
Her red lips moved teasingly close to the point of my chin.
“Go on, then. If you’re going to pounce, pounce on me♡ Even with the perfect opening right in front of you... you still can’t lay a finger on me, can you? My cowardly scrub childhood friend...♡”
Her indecent taunt tickled my ear.