Succubus Kim Rina

"Ahem, you haven't forgotten what I said earlier, right?"

"Yes."

Elena nodded with a tense expression at my question.

There was no real need for her to be that nervous, and I worried it might backfire.

Today was the day we would enter the Gate together—Keira, Elena, Garam, and Soyeon.

I had asked the others to keep my relationship with Elena hidden from Soyeon. The goal was for Elena and me to look like nothing more than a summoner and an otherworlder, just office colleagues.

Why?

Because if she found out, Soyeon would probably throw herself at me all over again. I didn't want the girl who had finally managed to set her feelings aside to start fretting once more.

"You sure live a tiring life."

"Hyung, you have to help too."

Garam nodded. He had already figured out the relationship between the three of us—and heard the details. He just envied us and left it at that.

"Do we really have to go this far? I'm fine with it. Elena's fine too, right?"

"(...I'm fine with it as well, Jungmin-nim.)"

"Whoa... you little bastard. You deserve to die."

The man who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had just been nodding calmly was gone; Garam's eyes blazed.

"Hey, what did I do?"

"Ask any guy walking down the street whether you've done something wrong or not."

Yeah, honestly, every last one of them would say it was my fault. Keira, Elena—and both of them saying it would be fine to add Soyeon into the mix. A hundred out of a hundred men would try to kill me on the spot.

"...I guess this is the crime of being too damn good."

I shrugged, and the reaction came instantly.

"...No, Keira, Elena—what the hell do you even see in this guy..."

"I'm sorry. Please understand, Garam. I've been using my head so much lately I think I've gone a little weird."

"True, you have been wringing your brain dry lately. Fine. I'll let it slide just this once."

Hyung sounded half-serious. If Keira hadn't been there, I might have actually gotten punched.

Ahem. Maybe I had gone a bit overboard. Lately I'd been pushing my brain to the absolute limit using divinity during mana training. Maybe that had made me just a tiny bit strange. I never used to be this much of a narcissist.

"Even if the two of you are fine with it, Soyeon isn't. She's only just twenty. That's an age that still needs protecting."

Elena nodded as if she agreed, but Keira raised an objection.

"...I'm only twenty-one myself, you know?"

"No, you were more of a force majeure kind of—"

"Ah, I see. Force majeure, was it? Then Elena must have been force majeure too, right?"

"...That's not what I—"

I was about to offer some excuse to Keira when a bomb went off beside us.

Elena.

"(...So... that was... what it was...?)"

...I was screwed.

Keira sometimes pretended to sulk like that. She seemed to enjoy watching me scramble, so I usually played along. It was basically our little private skit.

But Elena—looking at her face—was completely serious. Keira's expression froze for a second too, as if she realized she'd gone too far.

I dropped to my knees right in front of Elena.

"No, Elena. It's not like that. I like you—no, I love you. I swore it to Ru, didn't I? That I would love you and protect you with everything I have. That was real, I swear."

"(But... you said it was force majeure. That you had no choice but to feel that way?)"

"No, Elena. Absolutely not. How could it be force majeure? You can still go back right now if you want. I just didn't want to send you away. I wanted to stay with you because I love you. The real force majeure was Keira. Back then I... hup."

I clamped my mouth shut, but the words were already out. A murderous aura prickled at the back of my neck. I was too scared to turn around—and it wasn't the right timing anyway.

Gulp.

So murderous intent could even come through message magic. Still, I was grateful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she was letting it slide for now. I could always make it up to Keira somehow later in bed.

The real problem was Elena.

"...You'll understand how much I truly love you if you just listen to this."

I slowly stood and pulled Elena into my arms. Thankfully she didn't push me away. I whispered right against her ear.

"You can hear my heartbeat, right?"

Thump-thump-thump.

"It races like this the moment I'm in front of you. Because you're just that adorable."

It wasn't a hundred percent a lie. About eighty percent of the racing was pure fear of getting punched by Elena. Her fists hurt like hell. Another ten percent was fear of catching a spell from Keira.

"(...Really?)"

"Yes. I love you."

I held her tight. If Garam and Keira hadn't been there, I would have kissed her too.

About five seconds passed. Elena pushed against my chest. Her face had gone completely red. From the direction her eyes darted, she had only just remembered Garam and Keira were watching.

"(Ahem. I've made a spectacle of myself. Forgive me. I'll just... catch my breath for a moment.)"

With that, Elena vanished in a whirl. From the feel of it, she had fled into the bathroom. When she came back she would probably have transformed back into the holy knight of pure dignity.

Tap-tap.

Garam clapped my shoulder.

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"At least I'll testify that you weren't entirely at fault."

"Thanks, Hyung."

Garam shook his head and stepped back. Keira's face was as blank as ever, but her eyes felt sharper than usual. I would have to be careful today. Still, that sharp look softened almost immediately.

"Unnie!"

Soyeon had finally arrived at the crew house. She scampered over like a baby squirrel and threw herself into Keira's arms. Keira's gaze turned gentle at once.

"Have you been well?"

"Yes, I've been fine. What about you, Unnie? I heard you went through a lot. You didn't get hurt, right?"

"I'm healthy. All thanks to you, Soyeon."

"Hehe."

They were only a year apart—why did it feel like a ten-year gap? The height difference was maybe ten centimeters at most, so why did Keira look twice as big?

"Soyeon, long time no see."

"You too, Senior. I heard the news. You really went through a lot."

She already knew about the terrorist attack and about catching the culprit. There was only one thing she didn't know.

"It wasn't that bad. I had this person with me. You asked me to introduce her last time, right? This is our new otherworlder."

I introduced Elena, who had already returned, to Soyeon. The existence of a new otherworlder was news even to her.

"(Greetings. I am Elena Ru, the Thirteenth Sword who serves Ru of compassion and love.)"

A formal greeting with shield and sword raised. The refined armor and blade, the outstanding beauty—every time I saw her I could only think she looked like she had stepped out of a movie.

"Uh, um... that's not a language I know. How am I supposed to answer..."

"Just speak comfortably, Soyeon. I'm using magic."

"Ah, then... ahem. I'm Park Soyeon. I just got rid of the apprentice tag, F-class Keeper, GGC crew intern... and, ah! I'm Senior Lee Jungmin's junior at school..."

Soyeon's voice grew smaller and smaller. She seemed a little embarrassed. I would have felt the same. Unlike Elena, who looked imposing with just a single sword, she didn't have much to boast about. Apprentice, F-class, intern... and the only thing left to say was that she was my junior.

Hang in there, Soyeon. Someday you'll be someone big too.

"(A school junior? A summoner's school life sounds fascinating. What are schools like here? Strict teachers, I imagine?)"

Elena latched onto the awkward scrap of information Soyeon had forced out. She seemed curious about "my school," but luckily Soyeon didn't notice the undercurrent.

"Yes! Exactly. Schools are the same everywhere, I guess. Teachers are rigid, students just want to play."

"(I was the same when I was a student. I miss those days.)"

"A student? I'd believe it if you said you still were one."

"(What? No. How many years have passed...)"

"If it's not rude, may I ask how old you are?"

"(Ah, I'm... thirty...)"

"What?! Really? No way. How can you be thirty..."

Soyeon's mouth had come unglued; girl-talk flooded out. Elena really did look extremely young, but calling her a student was pushing it.

"What's your secret? I want to learn it too."

Soyeon had been roughly the same when she first met Keira—hesitant at first, then nonstop questions. And then, right on cue:

"Elena Unnie! I'm going to call you Unnie after all."

She called her Unnie just like that. Elena looked a little flustered, but not displeased.

"(W-well then. I'm happy to have such a pretty little sister too.)"

"Hehe, getting praised feels nice. But Unnie is still prettier than me. And that armor you're wearing, and the sword... ah, could you tell me about this sword? What's its name?"

Suddenly the sword? I couldn't quite follow the flow, but since the questioner was Soyeon it made sense. She had done the exact same thing last time—peppering Keira with questions about the robe she wore and the staff she carried.

"(This sword? Its name is...)"

Shiiing.

Elena drew the blade from its scabbard. Even sheathed it had been beautiful, but the naked blade was even more so.

"(Trau Palga. In this world's tongue it means 'thirteen.' It is the thirteenth sword forged by Ru. There are only thirteen of them in existence.)"

"Whoa... a masterpiece!"

Not just any masterpiece—one touched by the hand of a god.

"Then what about the armor? This armor must have a name too, right?"

"(This is Ribena Ru. It means 'Ru's Love.' Ru did not forge it personally, but it was made a hundred years ago by Salvador, the greatest dwarf craftsman of his age.)"

"D-dwarf...!"

Soyeon's eyes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠went round. I already knew that fact—I had heard it when Nayeon was trying to make a stand for it last time. Back then I hadn't thought much of it; continuous mana use had left my head pounding. Hearing it now, though, desire surged up hard. I wanted proper personal gear of my own—not the suit the crew supplied, but something that was mine.

"Alright, alright, let's head into the Gate already. Hyung, do you have a combat suit that fits Soyeon?"

"Yeah. Soyeon's one of our crew members now."

"Yes!"

Soyeon cheered at the words "crew member." Feeling a little mischievous, I laid out the facts.

"You know you're not official yet, right? Just an intern."

"Yes! I know! I'm definitely going to become official!"

It didn't faze her in the slightest.

...Her brightness was nice.

"Alright, there they are. Who wants to go first?"

Garam pointed at three goblins beyond the underbrush—one with a bow and two with daggers. Tricky opponents. Garam could wipe them out in a heartbeat, but for me or Soyeon...

"I'll go first."

I stepped forward. We were inside Garam's Gate. The purpose of this expedition was training—to raise the combat power of Soyeon, who claimed she had grown quite a bit, and of me, who had only just managed to scrape together D-class stats.

I clasped my hands and called the runes to mind. Push mana out with Distance, gather more with Gather, ignite it with Burn.

Whoosh.

A fist-sized fireball formed in front of my chest almost at once. I launched it forward. Launching it just meant stacking four Distance runes. I hadn't been able to do that before, but the rise in my mana and magic stats made it possible now.

Fwoooom.

The fireball tore through the air, burning as it flew. The goblins spotted it and tried to dodge, but it was already too late. The fireball slammed into one of them and exploded on impact.

BOOM!

The blast erased two goblins outright. Fire clung to the remaining one as well. It thrashed, trying to put itself out, and finally burned to death.

Whoosh.

The flames were strong enough that the forest started catching too, but Keira snuffed them out with magic.

Hiss.

I turned to her.

"How ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was that?"

"Pass."

"Yes!"

I clenched both fists and cheered. This hadn't been magic borrowed from Keira's power. It was my own magic, cast by me.

And as if to celebrate that fact, a message appeared.

I was a real mage now.