The Incubus Hides His Kindness #2

Michelle stared at me in disbelief as I casually wrapped an arm around Rebecca's shoulder.

"Are you really an incubus? Those horns on your head aren't fake, are they?"

"Then what do I look like if I'm not an incubus?"

"A lunatic who wears decorative horns, maybe?"

"My horns are not decorations. If you don't believe me, touch them yourself."

Michelle rose from the sofa, reached out, and touched my horns. She even gave one a firm tug, and it seemed she finally realized they were real. With a hollow laugh, she flopped back onto the sofa.

"Ha... I've never met such a peculiar incubus in my life. You seem to be in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠relationship with the red-haired lady beside you. I think I can guess the secret to dating such a beauty."

Michelle nodded knowingly and spoke.

"I understand your situation, adventurers. Then please start working tomorrow. That masked stalker bastard doesn't seem like he'll pull anything drastic right away. Tomorrow is a holiday when the theater is closed, but I'll be on stage preparing for a performance. The stalker will probably be hiding somewhere in the theater, waiting to pounce on me."

"We just need to keep an eye on the stage, then?"

"He might appear near the stage, or he might show up in the costume room to steal my personal belongings. From the looks of it, you two work well together. You could split up to stand watch."

"That works out fine."

From what Michelle said, the masked stalker seemed like a fairly elusive bastard. It would be better if Rebecca and I split up to keep watch.

"I'll let the theater staff know in advance. They're already aware of the stalker who's been harassing me, after all."

"Other people know about it too? Then why haven't you reported it to the guards?"

"The guards, you say?"

Michelle snorted and spoke.

"You know how sloppy Yoen-su's guards are. Besides, if those bastards start snooping around, the theater's reputation will definitely go down the drain. It's better to handle this as quietly as possible."

"...I see."

Distrust in public authority!

Even in this otherworld, distrust of public officials was a universal constant. Yoen-su's city guard in particular was notorious for its negligence, so much so that there were creepy rumors about them taking bribes from back-alley criminal organizations.

"So please take good care of this, adventurers. The citizens of Yoen-su count on adventurers the most. After all, I hear that dealing with giants is adventurers' work too."

"Dealing with giants is indeed one of the jobs adventurers handle."

"Then what in the world do the guards actually do? Makes me feel like my monthly taxes are a waste. Anyway, since you're off today, come early tomorrow morning. Come to this theater and squash that disgusting stalker bastard for me."

"Just leave it to us."

And so, Rebecca and I took on the job of protecting the actress Michelle.

Before leaving the lounge, I asked Michelle to delay reporting the quest to the Adventurer's Guild. I didn't explain the full situation in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠detail, but she seemed to catch my drift.

Since the Silver Tier promotion match wouldn't suddenly start out of nowhere, I could now handle the quest without any issues.

After leaving the theater building,

as I'd promised, I spent the rest of the day devoted to my date with Rebecca. Just having lunch together and strolling the streets made it a pretty enjoyable day.

We chatted away as we walked, and before we knew it, the sun was setting.

Rebecca and I decided to end the date around there and part ways.

'Such a shame.'

I couldn't help but feel regret as the date came to an end. Seeing Rebecca in her casual clothes was a truly precious experience. The flutter of her skirt kept catching my eye. I wanted to ask her to wear a skirt even when doing adventurer work, but that wouldn't be possible. Her usual leather pants were better for moving freely, after all.

"Hey."

Sensing my gaze, Rebecca offered a faint smile.

"Thanks for earlier. You thought of me instead of jumping straight into the quest. We might've been able to catch the stalker in a single day today."

"You think I'd suddenly start working while we're out on a date? I'm not a fan of grinding away like that either."

"I see. Luke, you might actually be pretty popular with women."

"What? How could I be popular? I'm a horned incubus."

"Setting aside the incubus part, you're a good guy. Your face is decent, your body's decent. The tanned skin might even be an attractive feature to some women."

Rebecca wore an ambiguous expression, somewhere between happy and not.

"...Some citizens already consider you a kind incubus, you know. If you keep doing adventurer work, your reputation will naturally rise. Maybe one day people won't even care that you're an incubus."

"Wouldn't that be great? I'm sick and tired of being treated like a rapist. If I became popular with the citizens, I'd be truly happy."

As I imagined myself being treated as a normal person in the future, a happy smile naturally spread across my face.

A future where I alone escape the widespread incubus hate across the continent.

A world where stacked beautiful adventurers invite me to raid parties.

- Luke! Would you like to go on a raid together?

- Yesssssssssssss!!

"Whoa."

I was so excited I could barely breathe.

Imagining going on quests with beautiful women adventurers, I clenched my fist tightly.

Fortunately, Rebecca happened to be looking away just then, so she didn't seem to notice my vulgar expression.

"Luke, I'll be really happy too if you become popular."

"Right?"

But contrary to her words, Rebecca wore a tense expression. For some reason, her hand reached for her waist.

That was where she usually wore her curved blade.

Was she imagining slicing someone up?

"Still, from a girlfriend's perspective, I feel like I need to step up my game."

"S-Step up? What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I might need to prepare for competitors to show up."

Did she mean she'd slice them up with her sword if any competitors appeared?

Watching Rebecca, I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. Of course, her tense expression was only momentary. She soon looked at me and waved her hand with a bright expression.

"Let's meet in front of the theater tomorrow morning! I've memorized the way, so you don't need to pick me up again!"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

I waved back and parted from Rebecca.

It was our first date, but it was a pretty enjoyable day. Though when I think back, all I remember is that fluttering skirt. The play's miserable ending had long since been forgotten.

*

The next morning, I gathered my gear and headed out in front of the theater in Yoen-su. Since it was a quest within the city, there was no need to go overboard with weaponry. I only brought my leather armor and a longsword.

Last night, I'd skimmed through the Mage Hand spellbook I'd left lying around, but there was nothing in particular to watch out for.

'A hand made of magic has its weight limits, so you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can't have it pick up a sword and make it dance through the air.'

Mage Hand magic had more restrictions than I'd thought. In fact, my Liquid Magic was more useful for lifting objects. Aside from sharing tactile sensation with the caster, there was practically no advantage over Liquid Magic.

Still, that didn't mean I could let my guard down around the stalker. He might know other basic spells besides Mage Hand. If we ran into him, it would be best to immediately thrash him with my Water Whip.

"Rebecca! Over here!"

As I waited, Rebecca appeared in front of the theater building.

She was wearing a red top with string ties and tight leather pants — her usual outfit — with her curved blade at her waist. The Tower Shield I'd given her was nowhere in sight. A shield would just get in the way when moving around the city. Coming armed with only a sword wasn't a bad choice.

"The theater's really closed today, huh?"

"Yeah. There's a sign saying 'Holiday' and everything. No crowds to deal with."

Unlike yesterday when it was open, the theater building was deserted. A few staff moved about inside, but it was practically empty.

Rebecca glanced at the entrance and trailed off.

"Will the stalker even show up on a day like this? Aren't we just wasting time?"

"Still, the client asked us to. We should at least pretend to keep watch."

Honestly, I also doubted the stalker would appear on a holiday like this. The building was so empty that anyone moving around would be spotted immediately. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I didn't expect we'd be able to squash him today. Wouldn't we just end up killing time and going back?

"Let's head inside. We should at least greet Michelle and let her know we're here."

"Yeah."

I led Rebecca into the theater. An old guard at the entrance briefly blocked my way, but soon let us through.

"Blonde hair, tanned skin, horns — an incubus? You're the adventurer Miss Michelle mentioned. You may enter."

"Yup."

"Don't cause too much commotion. The theater staff might be frightened seeing an incubus like you."

After that light scolding,

Rebecca and I proceeded straight into the spacious auditorium.

The three-tiered seating was completely empty.

On the wide stage, the actors were rehearsing.

I saw the young man playing the lead Siegfried from yesterday, and the woman playing the heroine Brünnhilde.

"That old geezer's not here, huh?"

"Who?"

"The old assassin who stabbed the dragon slayer to death with one blow. I really wanted to meet him and get his autograph."

Rebecca looked around the stage and clicked her tongue in disappointment.

"What would you even talk about if you met him?"

"Couldn't I get some advice on swordsmanship?"

"Are you serious?"

I was startled by how serious her expression was, but then Rebecca immediately started giggling.

"Of course it's a joke! Dummy!"

I breathed a sigh of relief as I watched Rebecca laugh. Thankfully, she wasn't some delusional fan who thought the play was real. If she'd been serious, I might have had to drag her to a clinic.

Of course, that didn't mean I wasn't annoyed.

With a stiff smile, I said to Rebecca,

"...Calling your boyfriend a dummy? I feel like I should correct my cute girlfriend's bad habit. With a knuckle rap."

"Eek. V-Violence is not allowed."

The moment I raised my fist in the air,

Rebecca quickly darted forward and called out to Michelle on stage.

She was a girl with a real talent for running away.

Did she really think I'd hit her?

I was so dumbfounded that I let out a hollow laugh.

"Miss Michelle! We're here!"

"Ah, you're the adventurer I met yesterday. Where's the horned adventurer?"

"Over there!"

Rebecca pointed her finger at me in the audience. And just like that, the situation was resolved. That cunning girl had pulled in the client to dodge my righteous discipline. Her skill at teasing and dashing off was so impressive it left me speechless.

"Hoo."

I decided to let it go for now.

The moment I stepped down to the stage floor, Rebecca leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"...Are you mad?"

"You think I'd be mad? You really think I'd get all petty and angry over a little joke?"

"B-But it still looks like you're gonna give me a knuckle rap."

"Don't worry."

I opened my fist and patted Rebecca's head with my palm.

I exercised superhuman patience and held back the urge to give her a knuckle rap.

"Eep."

Rebecca trembled as she endured my touch.

She seemed worried I'd grab her by the hair.

But had the people around us interpreted the scene differently?

Up on stage, Michelle spoke with a surprised expression.

"P-PDA in such an open space? You truly are a pure-hearted incubus."

For some reason, the other actors started chiming in one by one.

"I've never seen an incubus treat a woman so tenderly before."

"His lover is trembling, though? Does that mean she's utterly ecstatic?"

It was completely unexpected,

but it seemed my reputation among the actors had improved.