The Reason for the Extinction of Incubi.
The Reason for the Extinction of Incubi.
"Alright! Before you brats head off on your journey, I, myself, shall give you a check-up!"
"A check-up?"
We all tilted our heads, not understanding what she meant, and just stood there.
The old hag, looking frustrated, thumped her non-existent chest and said.
"You need to know your allies just as well as your enemies! Well... I won't deny that I have some personal curiosity, too.
Still, it'll be a good opportunity to make your journey smoother and fill in each other's shortcomings! So, I'd appreciate your cooperation."
She's definitely an educated person; her speech is logical. Unlike someone else who just rationalizes things and forces them through...
"....Why are you looking at me, Raul?"
"It's nothing. Just stay healthy."
"Hehe... Claire and Raul look like close friends!"
"We're not."
"We are not, Saintess-nim."
I noticed her gaze and blocked her before she could say anything.
Seraphina saw that, laughed like an idiot, and said we looked like we got along well, but seeing me and Claire immediately deny it, she pouted and went to Noel to complain.
"Anyway, the cute kid over there first. Come in when I call, since I have to see you one by one!"
"Ah, yes!"
The old hag, watching with a wide grin, pointed at Noel and called her into the room, and Noel peeled Seraphina off and followed the old hag inside.
"...I don't want to get checked."
"Would you like to go out somewhere?"
If she's a Great Mage, she'll definitely know what race I'm mixed with... and the reaction the old hag will show...
"....I'm going out for a bit."
"Go quickly. Saintess-nim, for a moment, with me to that study over there..."
I whispered, roughly left Seraphina in Claire's care, and tried to turn the doorknob to leave immediately, but...
Click. Click, click!
"What the fuck, why won't this open?"
"Hoho. This is quite..."
"......"
Gulp.
A voice came from right behind me.
"I finished the check-up... and heard some noise, so I came to see... where were you trying to go?"
"....The bathroom."
"Hmm. I have one in my room, too. It seems you should be next."
The old hag's expression was already full of interest. At least she didn't seem to have the intention to kill me...
"Uh... I'm really sensitive about my body, so I don't want to..."
"Don't worry. I'll erase the memory of having seen it."
"No, that's not the problem...!"
"Right, is it because of the incubus blood?"
At that exact moment, my breath hitched.
The old hag in front of me still wasn't taking any particular stance, just eyeing me with interest. Even so, I was intimidated by this tiny old hag.
"Don't be too scared. If I'd seen you in the wild... I would've caught you. But I don't want to be on bad terms with that hero..."
Saying that, she looked at Noel, who was talking with the kids behind us.
"I could suppress you, but... ha... how does such a wet-behind-the-ears brat have so much mana..."
"Phew...."
It feels like I've been benefiting a lot from Noel lately. Just seeing her catch that black thing at the monastery in one go, or seeing this old hag be wary of her...
Ah, fuck, but if she hadn't brought me, wouldn't this not have happened?
"It's just a procedure to check your body, so follow me quietly. As a bonus, I might even be able to solve your problem?"
"....You really don't have anything else, right?"
"Hehe... You've become obedient. I don't dislike a kid who knows their place. I swear it. There won't be any of those scary things you're imagining."
Only then did I follow the old hag into the room.
Claire was watching, stuttering and malfunctioning, but she nodded when I pointed at Noel, so she seemed to understand.
The old hag's room was filled with all sorts of books, and strange liquids were bubbling and boiling in glass apparatuses on the desk.
"Ah. Don't touch anything recklessly, and don't drink anything either."
"...Do you see me as some kind of beast?"
"Ugh... there... Kids like you are usually curious, that's why. And just speak informally; it doesn't suit you."
"Alright."
Anyway, she must have finished tidying up, as she tapped a chair with her palm, telling me to sit, so I sat down as told.
Something ominous-looking purple threads started to emerge from her hands.
"...Is that safe?"
"What do you take me for? Of course there's no problem."
"I think I need to prepare myself mentally..."
"I'll give you 5 seconds."
I took the deepest breath I could and exhaled, thinking about how it would feel when it touched me. Thinking about it made it feel even more fucked up.
"Sorry, old hag, I'm not getting..... Gaaaaah?!"
"5 seconds are up."
"You... you damn old hag....."
"Ah, you're unique, so I'll be looking for a while."
"Fu, fuck off.....!"
"There's no such thing."
While I was thinking for a moment, purple tentacles crawled all over my body.
It's really fucked up. Wet, slimy, and the feeling of it sticking stickily every time it brushes against my skin...!
"St, stop...!"
"Tsk, a big guy like you, what's with this..."
"Damn it... the old hag doesn't have to go through this...!"
"I wear them all the time. Here."
On the old hag's arm, which she rolled up her sleeve to show, tentacles were indeed woven around it as she said.
"You crazy, senile, perverted old hag...!"
"I don't want to hear that from you, who was receiving a handjob outside with a female knight."
"Huh...?"
"Stupid kids. Up to a certain point outside the city is under our jurisdiction. It means our vision reaches there."
"......"
"Hmm, good. It's easy to see when you're staying still."
The sensations I was feeling now felt distant. Noel wanted it in the first place, so it's not like I have anything to feel guilty about... but I didn't want to get caught by this old hag... Besides, doesn't this old hag have anything to do at the Magic Tower? Why is she doing this to the kids...
"Well, the check-up took a while. You're healthy, as expected."
"....You're not planning on talking, right?"
"Of course. I can check various specimens up close. I have no intention of wasting such an opportunity. And above all, I'm very interested in your bloodline."
"What on earth did the incubi do for everyone to make such a fuss?"
"Well... you see..."
The old hag dragged out her words for a moment while retracting the tentacles, and only after she had retracted them all did she speak.
"Because they were hated by all races, even by the demons who are lumped into the same category, and were driven to extinction. It's amazing that there's a living descendant."
"Wait, what...?"
All races, even demons? What does that mean....
"Ah, among the demons, the Demon King himself even sought cooperation from other races first."
"What on earth did the incubi do...?"
What kind of crime did they commit? Did they sacrifice people by the country? Or slaughter?
"They seduced women. According to the traits attached to their race."
"Huh?"
"But that seduction... it became the root of the problem because it was the wives of other races' kings... or the Demon King's wife..."
"....They deserved to die."
I, who had been nervous thinking about this and that, realized the reason for their destruction, relaxed, and understood it clearly. It was just natural causes.
And a very understandable natural death at that. To be driven to extinction by all races after messing with other people's wives, the incubus race must have been much stupider than I thought. No, they're stupid. Just plain stupid.
"What's with that face?"
"No. It's just that the reason my ancestors went extinct is so logical."
"Hmm. I can't deny that."
Rieselotte nodded, and I nodded along with her. Even thinking about it again, they were destroyed so logically. It was, quite literally, a natural death with nothing to feel aggrieved about.
"However, don't misunderstand. They weren't driven to extinction simply because they seduced women."
"You just said that."
"On the surface, yes. But to be precise, it's because they shook the very order of each race. If a queen is shaken, the royal family is shaken, and if a general's wife is shaken, the army is shaken. If the Demon King's wife is shaken?"
"The Demon King would get pissed off."
"The country is shaken. And I personally saw and experienced the chaos of those shaking countries. It was truly chaotic, and surprisingly, at that time, not a single bit of discord between the races could be found."
Rieselotte tapped the floor with the tip of her staff. Then, purple lines floated thinly in the air.
"Your blood is not pure. So you wouldn't be able to topple a whole race like the old incubi. However, you are dangerous enough to those close to you."
"I've heard that a lot already... and I've experienced it a little too..."
"Hearing it and understanding it are different."
"Why are old hags all so long-winded?"
"When you get old, you get long-winded. If you don't like it, don't live long yourself."
"That's very logical."
Rieselotte chuckled. Then she looked at the mark on the back of my hand.
"Hero party mark. Goddess's blessing. Incubus's lingering scent. And the reactions of the women already entangled around you."
"......."
"If you leave this alone, it'll become troublesome."
"How do I make it not troublesome?"
"You have to bind it."
With those words, the purple lines in the air wrapped around my wrists. This time, there was no pain or strange sensation. It was just the feeling of cold, firm threads wrapping around slightly.
"Binding magic doesn't just bind the body. It can also limit the flow of mana, emotional reactions, and the diffusion of scent to some extent."
I was a bit happy at the old hag's words. But after hearing what she said next, I felt bad again.
"That's good."
"Of course, you can't do it alone."
"Then?"
"You need someone to manage it."
"......."
For a moment, one person popped into my head. Silver armor. A bright red face. A crazy knight who made strange resolutions about protecting the Saintess. I slowly shook my head.
"I don't want to."
"It seems you already have someone."
"Old hag, don't pretend to be quick-witted."
"It's not pretending, it's just being quick."
Rieselotte giggled and withdrew the purple lines.
"Call her in."
"Who?"
"That kid who's managing you."
"I said I don't want to."
"If you don't want to, I'll call her myself."
At that moment, a familiar voice was heard from outside the door.
"Excuse me for a moment. Rieselotte-nim. I came because I have something to say to Raul."
I closed my eyes and covered them with both hands.
"Fuck."
Rieselotte laughed as if she were having fun and called Claire in.
"Hehehe... So it's that child, is it? Come in!"
Creeeak...
"Ah... excuse me...?"
"Yes, come on in. If you have something to say, say it first; I'll wait."
"Ah! Thank you. Rieselotte-nim. Raul, wait outside when the check-up is done. The Hero and the Saintess are in a very good mood right now. But why are you acting like that?"
I couldn't answer Claire's question, which was mixed with confusion. No, I just didn't want to answer.
"Now, stay still..."
"Rieselotte-nim? This is..."
Saying that, the old hag wrapped the purple lines around Claire as well.
"This is...."
"From now on, you make sure to manage that incubus over there properly. Don't let him slip away, okay?"
As soon as Rieselotte's words ended, she... had a very bright smile. No, it was a fucked-up smile.
"Yes! I will manage Raul well!"
"Hehe, yes, yes... You're a spirited child."
"Motherfucker, seriously..."
I rarely ever wanted to hit a woman. No, I have, but... Today was the first time I really wanted to hit an old lady.