Benny took a deep breath and, with a clear pronunciation, teared up.
âYou infiltrated to break up my party! You vile succubus!â
â?â
Good grief. What nonsense is this.
There are succubi in this world, but most succumb to the curse of madness and become monsters.
The few who resist the curse are either lucky to be in places beyond its reach or possess extraordinary power.
The tiny number of succubi who survive⊠end up mostly as prostitutes.
However, itâs obvious that Iâm not an incubus based on the shape of my wings, tail, and ears.
In other words, Benny doesnât genuinely suspect me of being an incubus.
Sheâs calling me a âbitchâ who flirts with people around her.
âWell, Iâll be damned.â
I was so dumbfounded that I pounded my chest and yelled out.
âI let it slide because youâre Lydiaâs colleague, but isnât that too harsh?!â
âYou must be the harsh one! Not only did you enchant the noble Lydia, but now even our mentor EllieâŠ!â
Benny, with tears like chicken droppings, points a finger at me. With her movement, a materialized shadow presents a ghastly figure to me.
âI-I have heard of it! A party breaker⊠infiltrates existing adventurer parties, bewitches the members, and extracts all kinds of help and material support⊠then eventually causes a love quarrel to dissolve the party, pretending to be a pitiful man caught in the fight, and sneaks into another partyâŠ!â
âNo. Whatâs that supposed to be?â
Iâve never heard of it.
Is that it? Like the queen bee of an otaku club? Since itâs a gender-reversed world, a king bee? No, thatâs not right since the ecology is different. If I had to compare, it would be a male lion.
As I nodded my head, thinking that to myself, Benny spat out a more primitive expression.
âYou rattlesnake! You might have fooled women by shaking your hips all this time, but it wonât work on meâŠâ
âBenny! There are things you should and shouldnât say. What are you talking about to a kid!â
It was too vulgar, and Ellie smacked her in the head mid-sentence.
Thwack!
âOuch!â
The sound was too loud to be just a light smack. Worried it might have been too much, I nervously checked, but luckily, Bennyâs crown wasnât dented.
Instead, the shadow monster that had covered her head was just a shadow monster once again.
Black liquid spilled on the floor. Rolling eyeballs. Broken horn. Shark teeth scattered everywhereâŠ.
It was a grotesque scene that could haunt dreams, but as Benny shook her head, it vanished in an instant as if it had never been there.
Then, the monstrous figure rose from Bennyâs shadow again. Seeing this, Ellie raised her remaining fist.
âDamn it. Arenât you going to clean this up?â
âUgh⊠Ellie, youâre being deceived right now!â
âItâs not what you think, so put that shadow away! You bitch.â
âNo, Ellie. Just listen to me for a moment.â
âYou listen to me. Jonah is actuallyâŠâŠ.â
Ellie, who had spoken up to that point, suddenly turned this way and quietly asked with just her lips moving.
âCan I talk about the saint stuff?â
I walked up to Ellie with small steps and waved my hand at her. Ellie bent down for me, tilting her head slightly.
I took a big bite of her beautiful wolf ear with my lips, not my teeth, so it wouldnât hurt.
âMwang.â
âHuh?!â
Ellie flinched and straightened her tail, then soon relaxed and wrapped her tail around my arm.
I whispered softly into her ear.
âItâs a secret, but since sheâs Ellieâs junior and Miss Lydiaâs colleague, Iâll give you special permission. Just make sure she doesnât tell anyone.â
âAh, alright. I got it, so just let go of my earâŠ!â
The cool and cynical ex-adventurer bartender was gone, and Ellie became an ordinary female.
Finding it amusing, I licked the inside of her ear before letting go.
âHaahâŠ.â
Ellie, whose face was flushed, glared at me, then sighed deeply and placed her arm on Bennyâs shoulder.
âCome here for a moment.â
âIs that important right now, Ellie? What was that just now! You succubus! Did you use hypnosis or something?!â
âItâs really not like that, so just come here, you idiot.â
Since I had slept all day, it was now evening. In other words, it was the busiest time for the tavern.
Ellie couldnât use a holy barrier for soundproofing like Karen, nor could she use a magical tool infused with aura for noise cancellation like Lydia.
Holy power, aura, magic⊠because her body wasnât imbued with any of them.
So, she dragged the grumbling Benny to the storeroom by force. And a moment later.
For a different reason than before, Benny, with tears welling up, patted my shoulder.
âItâs okay.â
âHuh?â
âI may not know about others, but I understand you.â
âPardon?â
âYou said your name was Jonah, right? Iâm the same as you. I didnât get this shadow by choice. Just like how I donât age anymore.â
âOh, um. Yes!â
Though I didnât quite understand, I energetically pretended to, and only then did Bennyâs furrowed brow relax.
âSorry about earlier. I didnât know it was a power granted by the Goddess of Love.â
âOh, itâs alright. You couldnât have known.â
I shrugged my shoulders and quickly tried to think about what might have happened in the storage room.
No matter how I looked at it, it didnât seem like Ellie would beat up Benny and tell her to get along with meâŠ
She must have said something about how I am favored by the Goddess of Love, just like she mouthed earlier.
Of course, itâs obvious, but the Goddess of Love is literally the Goddess of Love, not the Goddess of Wisdom or the Goddess of Adventure.
Her favorite person is not someone smart or strong. Itâs someone charming.
Being cherished by the Goddess of Love means being that charming. Not a succubus that deceives people, as Benny misunderstands.
There was something else said, and thanks to that, Benny seems to feel a sense of camaraderie with meâŠ
I donât know about that part. The important thing is that Bennyâs wariness has subsided again.
Letâs take this opportunity to get closer. Since Iâm already deeply involved with Ellie and Lydia, it seems I should also get along with Benny.
âBy the way, Benny. Thereâs something Iâd like to ask, is that okay?â
âHuh? What is it? Go ahead and ask.â
âBennyâs shadow. Is that why youâre called the Creepy Witch?â
ââŠWell. Yes. Isnât it kind of gross?â
Benny pursed her lips. Unlike the usually cool Elina and the expressionless Lydia, her reaction was honest and straightforward.
A rare sight among the women of the Pan Continent.
Thinking it was refreshing, I smiled and pointed at the quiet shadow.
âCan you show it to me again, just once?â
âItâs not impossible⊠but are you sure? Itâs a kind of curse, so no matter how tough you are, itâll feel unpleasant.â
âThat makes me even more curious.â
As I pressed on without retreating, Benny, who was momentarily troubled, nodded cautiously.
âAlright. Iâll show you, but donât look too deeply, okay?â
Benny, who had asked so, snapped her fingers. Simultaneously, the shadow stretched long, then began to blend with parts of various creatures.
Eyes too large to be human. Bloodshot eyes glared this way, and the irregularly grown shark teeth were extremely menacing.
A form that seemed to melt all kinds of beasts into a single lump. Without taking his eyes off it, he continued speaking.
âBenny. Is it okay if I touch it for a moment?â
âWhat? No. Thatâs too dangerous. Itâs true that the shadow follows my commands, but that doesnât mean I can control it perfectly. If you touch it recklesslyâŠâ
âYap!â
I reached out and touched the shadow monster.
The oddly sticky body, eyes rolling around to inspect the surroundings, small tentacles hidden like little bumps, and a shark tooth mouth that smacks its lips even though it canât be hungry.
Those parts that look so fierce become docile as a lamb the moment my fingers touch them, making it easy to handle.
âKyaaa!â
Benny, seemingly startled, screamed half a beat late.
âAre you crazy?! I told you itâs dangerous! If youâre not careful, it might think your hand is food and just swallow⊠swallow it⊠huh?â
All the parts on the surface of the shadow quivered, as if regretting the loss of my touch.
Benny turned to look at me blankly, as if the shadow was begging to be touched again.
âYou. What are you? âŠNo, it doesnât matter. You said youâre Jonah, right? Letâs do a job together.â
ââŠLewd jobs go to Ellie first. Draw a number and get some breast enhancement surgery.â
âThatâs not it, okay? Besides, whatâs important about breasts right now!â
Benny was panting. She smiled broadly, revealing her sharp shark teeth.
âIâll pay you about 10 per day. Since youâre already a porter, help me with my research too.â
â10 copper per dayâŠ? Who would that be enough for!â
âItâs not copper, itâs silver.â
âHuh.â
A 10-draw event every dayâŠ.
She smiled brightly.
âWhat should I do first?â
It was the smile of capitalism.