Seeing Ellie made me feel good, but only for a moment.
Thud!
Suddenly, a little girl with purple hair jumped onto the counter and looked down at me.
âHey. Are you the kid porter that Lydia mentioned?â
As soon as I heard those words, I carefully examined her appearance.
A witch-like pointed hat. Wavy purple hair flowing from it. Slightly upturned cat-like facial features.
She was wearing a tight-fitting black dress that revealed her figure, butâŠher small stature and flat chest made it not very provocative.
Pure wholesomeness.
In other words, a real little girl who was as young or younger than me.
The moment I realized this, I heard a switch flipping inside me.
ââŠYouâre a kid too, so why are you talking down to me?â
Confucian switch ON!
The little purple-haired girl flinched at my words and started stomping her feet.
Thump thump.
âWhat? Who are you calling a little kid now?â
Unlike her previous full-body jump, this time she only moved her feet, making a very light sound.
Though it wasnât a very threatening sight, the problem was that she was stomping her feet on none other than the counter.
And the counter at the Fairy and Silver Coin was the same as those in bar-style pubs. It wasnât just a place for transactions, but also for eating and drinking.
In other words, it was a dining table.
âYou rude girl. Didnât your parents teach you not to put your feet where the food goes?â
âNo. I donât have parents.â
âWhat a coincidence. I donât have any either.â
ââŠâŠâ
ââŠâŠâ
Amid the slightly awkward atmosphere, we briefly glared at each other.
The purple-haired kid hopped off the counter and introduced herself.
âIâm not a kid, Iâm Vanitas Benibeni. Lydiaâs original companion.â
âWhatâŠ!â
How can someoneâs name be Vanitas Benibeni.
Internally startled, I once again scrutinized the one who introduced herself as Benibeni.
Now that they were off the counter, it was clear that their height was similar to mine or slightly shorter.
Wondering if it was just their height, I took another look at their face, but as expected, they had a youthful appearance similar to mine.
âŠA bit cute, actually.
However, there was something more concerning.
Benibeniâs eyes.
Her amethyst-like purple eyes uniquely had heart-shaped pupils.
Between her lips, sharp teeth like those of a shark could be seen peeking out.
In the end, I couldnât help but ask.
âWhat species are you? Are you a succubus by any chance?â
âThen are you an incubus? Why are you covered in so many enchanting powers?â
Benibeni frowned and took a step back. It seemed she had noticed the fragrant scent and the power of my moist skin.
ââŠYou noticed this.â
âOf course. Any high-level mage can⊠Wait. You didnât believe me until now?!â
ââŠâŠ.â
Instead of answering, I looked at Ellie beside me.
Ellie, who had been cleaning a cup instead of continuing her previous motions, glanced over and answered indifferently.
âBennyâs correct. Long time no see. Did you finish what you were doing?â
âOf course! Who am I? Iâm the Creepy Witch Miss Benibeni! The old men at the Magic Towerâs research was a piece of cake!â
âSo, how about your research you said you would do in return?â
ââŠI failed again.â
Benibeni grumbled as she sat down at the counter. Watching her, I asked cautiously.
âAre you really Miss Lydiaâs companion, Benny?â
âWhy. Are you suddenly scared now? Itâs okay. Iâm generous. I can forgive you for calling me a kid by mistakeâŠâ
âA kid like this?â
ââŠHey!â
In the end, Benny, now furious, glared at me. Then, the long shadow behind her suddenly rose up and transformed into a black clay-like mass.
It felt as if the shadow, which should have been stuck to the floor, suddenly gained the concept of height.
That alone was surprising, but something began to sprout from the shadowy mass in an instant.
Bloodshot eyes, shark teeth, hands that seemed to be melting, wings with feathers sparsely missing, spines, long protruding horns, a tongue covered in sticky mucus, a half-rotted beakâŠ.
A nightmarish scene that combines all sorts of disgusting things. Just looking at it brings up a nauseating feeling of discomfort.
Indeed. Is this why her nickname is Creepy Witch?
Benny, who didnât seem to have any intention of attacking, just summoned the shadow monster from afar. Ellie, who seemed to know this well, just narrowed her eyes but didnât stop it.
And IâŠ
âOh my! It really is Miss Benny! Goodness. You look so young that I didnât recognize you! Iâve heard a lot about you from Miss Lydia!â
I entered flattery mode, rubbing my hands together like a sycophant.
Yes. If sheâs a high-ranking mage and Lydiaâs colleague, this is the right approach.
Itâs clear that some magic was used to make that youthful appearance. If she can create such a monstrous creature, surely she can manage some rejuvenation.
Of course, Benny seems quite startled by my demeanor.
âWhat kind of sudden change in demeanorâŠ.â
She made a strange face for a moment. Then she turned her head smoothly and continued speaking.
âWell, calling me âMissâ feels too awkward. Just call me Benny.â
âDidnât you just say to call you âMiss Benibeniâ earlier?â
âItâs different when I say it myself and when someone else says it! Just drop the âMissâ! Everyone calls me that anyway!â
âOkay. Iâll do that, Benny.â
Only then did Benny nod with a slightly more relaxed face. In the meantime, she subtly approached the shadow monster.
âWow. It looks really creepy. Is this magic by any chance?â
ââŠWell, something like that.â
Benny, who said that, moved her fingers slightly. Following her gesture, long tentacles extended from the materialized shadow.
The sticky, mucus-covered tentacles swept across the counter where Benny had climbed up a moment ago.
Dirt and dust clung together with the mucus, and as the tentacles detached, they turned back into shadows and returned to Bennyâs feet.
The dirt and dust that were there had disappeared somewhere.
âWow.â
Come to think of it, I heard from Lydia before that Benny uses a peculiar magic to swallow entire monster corpses and only spits out the drops and cores.
This must be it.
I nodded with a pleased smile.
âSo Benny had it all planned out? Although climbing onto the counter with dirty feet is a bit much, Iâll forgive you since you cleaned it up nicely.â
ââŠWho is forgiving whom?â
Benny gave a hollow laugh and shook her head. Then, as if puzzled, she asked me again.
âYou. Your name isâŠ?â
âItâs Jonah.â
âYes, Jonah. Arenât you scared of this? Something like you could be swallowed in one bite.â
This content is taken from freeweÉnovel.cŃłm.
Benny pointed to the monstrosity emerging from her shadow. I tilted my head towards her.
âWhy should I be scared?â
âHuh?â
âI mean, isnât it true? If youâre a colleague of Miss Lydia, then you must be a good person.â
âUh, well. ThatâsâŠright?â
âAnd even though Ellie glared a bit, she didnât move beyond that, so it seems you had no intention of harming me.â
No matter how sharp the sword, how fast the arrow, or how mighty the magic that topples castles.
In the end, if itâs not aimed at me, thereâs no reason to fear it.
Benny, who had heard my words, opened her mouth with a perplexed expression.
ââŠYou thought that far? In this short time?â
âNo? Actually, I added this part later. I just acted out thinking Ellie would save me if something happened.â
ââŠRattlesnake.â
âThatâs rude. Could you call me a husband candidate?â
âHus, band?â
Benny looked at Ellie with wide eyes, as if hearing an unbelievable story.
Ellie started to ramble under the gaze that looked at a criminal beyond a thief.
âN-no? Itâs just that Jonah said it one-sidedly, itâs nothing like what youâre thinking, Benny.â
âThatâs too much, Ellie! YesterdayâŠno, the day before yesterday, you stayed up all night doing that with me!â
ââŠ!â
Bennyâs eyes cooled down, and a contemptuous sigh flowed out between her sharp shark teeth. freeweÉnovel.cĂžm
âWoo. Trash.â
âUgh!â
Ellie couldnât rebut Bennyâs quiet insult and ground her teeth.
Why is it? A woman like Ellie, who seems cool and chic, looks so beautiful when her face contorts with shame and guilt.
However, if I torment her more here, Ellie will be too pitiful, so I decided to help a little.
âPlease donât be too hard on Ellie. Sheâs just inexperienced and has no immunity to men.â
ââŠJonah, youâre the worst.â
I shrugged, listening to Ellieâs grumbling as if she were sulking.
âLast time, I groped Miss Lydiaâs chest, so I was considering making Ellie next. But I guess Iâll forget about it. Ellie, just watch! Like the red books scattered in your room! âŠLike the red books!â
Ellie pricked up her ears, momentarily tempted. But then, as if remembering something, she shook her head vigorously in refusal.
âNo. I didnât say it last time, but Jonah, you need to take better care of your bodyâŠâ
Just as Ellie was about to back off with her usual Ellie-like words, Benny interrupted her, stammering.
âT-t-t-theâŠâ
âBenny? Calm down and try taking a deep breath first.â
âHoo⊠HooâŠâ
Following the instructions, Benny took deep breaths obediently and then spoke clearly with a trembling voice.
âYou infiltrated to destroy my party! You wicked lecher!â
ââŠ?â
I said I wasnât an incubus.