Episode 9. Labyrinth City (2)
I took a closer look at the woman who'd suddenly proposed teaming up with me, the one sporting that eye-obscuring fashion. Not to check out her figure or anything—just to get a read on her class.
From her build... thief? Nah, more like a warrior? But what's with that oversized cloak?
Her outfit was a bit unusual, to say the least. The cloak was way too big for a typical thief or warrior. You might think, "What's so weird about a cloak?" But honestly, cloaks are terribly inefficient for adventurers. In combat, monsters could grab it, it could catch fire, or if it's too long, you could trip over the damn thing. With all those downsides, no adventurer in their right mind—who could die from a moment's carelessness—would wear one unless they had a damn good reason.
And did her cloak even deliver on its one redeeming quality—looking cool? Not even close. So yeah, it struck me as odd that she'd be wandering around in something like that.
"Um, was that too rude of me?"
While I was lost in thought, the woman in front of me fidgeted, clearly worried I might turn her down. I shook my head to reassure her.
"Nah, not at all. I was looking for a pair myself."
(For the record, a "pair" just means a companion to explore the labyrinth with.)
"Phew, what a relief!"
She visibly relaxed at my words, but I wasn't ready to commit just yet.
"That said, jumping straight into a pair feels a bit hasty, don't you think?"
"Eh?"
"I mean, I don't even know your class or rank. We haven't even introduced ourselves."
"R-right, of course..."
"So why exactly should I trust some stranger and team up?"
"Ugh..."
I realized I'd gone too far when she visibly deflated. Whoops, did I come off too harsh?
The caravan leader had treated me with respect on the way to Labyrinth City, but not everyone under him did. A few tried to jump me with intentions of... well, you know. I taught them a lesson with a capsaicin-laced potion, so my chastity (nonexistent as it is) hasn't been threatened since. That experience taught me not to let my guard down.
To that end, I'd been tweaking my speech on the journey here, but it kept coming out oddly aggressive. Seeing her wilt like that softened me up, though, so channeling that classic Korean "hear her out to the end" vibe, I extended my hand.
"So, let's start with introductions. I'm Rike. No family name."
"Ah! I'm Lilia. My family name is Lirit."
Lirit Lilia? Huh. Sounds familiar from somewhere...
I had a fleeting sense I'd heard the name before, but shrugged it off. Probably just from some novel I read before possessing this body.
Anyway, with intros done, I probed for more details.
"Alright, Lilia. Before we decide on teaming up, mind sharing your class and rank?"
"Y-yes! I'm a tanker, C-rank."
"Oh."
I was genuinely impressed. A C-rank in Labyrinth City meant she'd delved into the labyrinth multiple times and lived to tell the tale—a seasoned vet, and one specialized in tanking, no less. Sure, I still wondered why a tanker would wear such an impractical cloak into battle, but I chalked it up to everyday wear.
My fondness for her shot up. That said, I couldn't shake the suspicion: Why would someone like her want to pair with a total newbie like me?
Guess I'll have to talk it out first.
"Mind if we chat for a bit?"
"Y-yes! Of course!"
And so, Lilia and I headed to a tavern. Why a tavern in broad daylight? Medieval gender-reversed world—taverns outnumber cafes, duh.
Or so I thought.
"You prefer cafes, right, Rike? I know a great one—let's go there."
Surprisingly thoughtful of her. +10 consideration points.
No, beyond thoughtful.
"They've got these amazing drinks and pastries here."
"Uh-huh."
"I'll cover it all!"
"Pardon?"
She was spoiling me. My wariness ticked up at this over-the-top generosity. In this medieval era, anyone giving stuff away for free was either a sucker... or had an agenda.
Suddenly, I was in this weird state of liking her and suspecting her at the same time. Without the extravagance, it'd just be mild fondness—but this? Suspicious as hell.
Of course, I didn't show it. Even I wouldn't blurt out, "What's your angle?" right off the bat.
We kept chatting like that until...
"Eek?!"
Lilia knocked over her drink, spilling it all over her cloak. I could only stare, dumbfounded.
And for good reason.
Whoa, aren't those bigger than even Master?
The wet cloak clung to her body, outlining her voluptuous curves in stark detail. And her breasts? Massive—enough to rival Aisoret's, the biggest I'd seen in my life so far.
Master held the top spot till today.
I suggested she take off the cloak to dry. Not gonna lie, there was some ulterior motive—I wanted a proper look at that chest.
"N-no, I can't!"
Oddly, she refused. For a split second, I worried she'd seen through my lechery, but her expression said otherwise.
"Th-the stares... too many. Can we step out?"
Fair enough—the stares were intense. Half the women glared at Lilia like she was the enemy; the other half eyed me like fresh meat. I'd built tolerance hanging with Master, but Lilia clearly hadn't.
I nodded, paid up, and we slipped into a quiet alley. Figured she'd change there.
But then...
"I'm sorry!"
Her sudden apology threw me. Before I could recover...
"Th-the truth is... I'm a succubus!"
"A succubus?"
"Y-yes!"
I pondered how to react to her coming out.
"Uh... tough break?"
"P-pardon?"
"Wait, not that. Um..."
My deadpan response left her stammering in confusion.
"Y-you're not... upset?"
"Nah, not really?"
Honestly, species didn't faze me. Hell, I was one myself. It was like a Korean seeing a white guy or African—no big deal. Whoa, they come in that variety? Cool. Curiosity, sure, but no hate.
Maybe because I'd only read about them in books till now. Or nah—more likely, since I loathed orcs with a passion. If I'm biased against orcs without thinking, that tracks.
Anyway, barring orcs, other races were just "huh, neat."
And succubi? Intriguing, especially in this gender-flipped world—did they feed on essence too? But beyond that? Meh. No disgust.
"R-really? For real?"
She looked on the verge of tears, which flustered me more. Come on, now I look like the asshole!
To onlookers, it'd seem like Rike dumped her, and she was begging not to break up. Anyway, I had to calm her down.
"Sniff... sniff... Sorry. You're the first to react like this..."
"Uh, sure..."
Mission accomplished, barely. That was exhausting. Even soothing my niece back home wasn't this tough. Women all like this?
As I pondered how calming a sobbing woman could be so hard...
"L-let me introduce myself properly. I'm Lirit Lilia, succubus."
She swept aside the wet cloak, revealing herself—and I couldn't process it.
-Swish.
"S-see? I'm a tanker~..."
A tanker? In that? The joke was too much.