Filio vaguely remembers her past life, and of course she believes it is something like a dream, just as Lily does. Filio met the Hero in a dream, and called the Bloodless White Porcelain Hero, he cut down enemies with beautiful swordsmanship and stood against any predicament for the people, and fought bravely even knowing it was an enemy trap, for he was truly the ideal Hero. An ideal light filled the world with hope and brought smiles to everyone.
Filio, who knew no convenient hero existed, first approached him as a thief. When they first met she thought him beautiful, but one could never tell what a human carried inside, and surely somewhere he would give in. She decided to stick to him as a contest with herself over how long he could remain a convenient hero.
But he was a Hero, and he remained a holy Hero, for no matter how reckless or unreasonable, he kept cutting through with brilliance. He remained a legendary Hero as told in fairy tales and old stories, and a person with the qualities wielded power rightly, and there were those who were saved, Filio among them.
When she became a formal companion he accepted it refreshingly, but Filio wept in secret, and she cried alone all night long, though she did not know why she was crying. For his sake she was ready to wear herself down as a convenient companion, and still she had a few thoughts about it.
For occasionally he looked at her chest, and he happily stared hard at her large breasts. When they first met there was still slack in his bearing, but as their journey continued he became a perfect Hero, and even so now and then he stared at her breasts and then hurriedly disciplined himself. Maybe he was just an ordinary young man, as lecherous as any other. She had known no convenient hero existed, yet perhaps because she wanted to be saved, she had convinced herself he was a perfect Hero. Even as she thought that, his light was too dazzling for the world, and therefore Filio vowed to protect his life above all else.
She revealed her true nature to the priest in their party as a confession, and swore never to expose her true identity so that he could remain the legendary Hero spoken of for hundreds of years. If someone as tainted as herself stood within his light, everyone could not smile, and therefore Filio had decided never to reveal her Succubus form, even if surrounded by a horde of monsters. That was the dream Filio saw, and she believed it was a dream or delusion shown by a weak heart, for she knew better than anyone that no convenient hero existed.
Now, such a woman was fighting while transformed into a Succubus.
"Sixth Key: Curved Bow!" Filio called, and the key of the Rock-Rock Key in her right hand shone and released pale blue magic power.
While flying through the air, Filio grabbed a bow of magic power, drew the string with all her might, and fired arrows in rapid succession at the Succubus4 Melruria.
"Tch! Ugh, I hate this, so annoying!" Melruria spat, and even while irritated, she turned agilely and flew to avoid them.
She fled deeper and deeper into the large underground chamber, and Filio flapped the wings at her waist in pursuit and fired more from the air.
"You won't escape!" Filio declared.
"You've gotten lively, dummy! Backing humans you'll totally regret it!" Melruria jeered.
"Regret... I've had enough of that to be sick of it!" Filio answered.
It had been that way ever since she took the seat of head of the Edelscheid family, yet Filio's expression was clear beyond measure.
"Your smug face pisses me off! Get crushed!" Melruria shouted with a face steeped in murderous intent.
When she thrust out both hands, the unmanned lumps of flesh growing everywhere burst with a crash, and several tentacles like tree trunks extended out. The tentacles attacked to crush her, but Filio did not try to avoid them, for she knew her companions were there.
"Hoop, there," Haruya said carelessly, and all the tentacles were severed, for Haruya had cut them cleanly.
Really, so very beautiful, Filio thought, as if loved by a goddess perhaps. Lily had praised his swordsmanship, so she knew he was strong. She had never seen swordsmanship so beautiful. Clad in the sacred garment she had created, he was truly a holy light, and seemed to be a being of the same kind as the gods. Even Melruria showed a moment's hesitation about destroying him, and she also remembered that Lily had said just cover both ears.
"Haha! Don't stick your damn dirty tentacles out at me! Is that your kink, you pervy brat!" Haruya shot back plainly.
"I don't wanna hear that from the guy who was standing there butt-naked with a hard-on!" Melruria spat.
I see, Filio thought, but this was his strength, so even Lily could not say much about it.
Filio promptly released magic arrows and pressed Melruria, and Melruria flew farther in and fled. Filio pursued as if tearing the sky, and Haruya as if splitting the earth, pressing the Succubus, for she flies at high speed yet he keeps up with ease, and his movements are first-rate too. She understood why the strict Lily would not let him go.
The Succubus, having reached the edge of the great chamber, twisted her lips happily.
"Don't get cocky! I'm Lady Melruria the lewd demon!" Melruria boasted.
At the edge of the great chamber, a vast amount of flesh lumps had grown, and they grew densely on the walls and floor like insect eggs. The lumps of flesh burst one after another, and dozens of tentacles attached to Melruria's lower body and fused with it. Whether this was her true power, she emitted an intense pressure, and Melruria writhed her fused lower body and swung the bundled tentacles.
"Get pulped to mush!" Melruria screamed.
They were bundled tentacles like a great tree, and Filio fired arrows while rising, but they were not very effective. Haruya also swung his sword while dodging, but it broke with a snap from the base, and the blade spun as it flew and stabbed into the ceiling.
Melruria clutched her stomach, thinking now was the time to laugh.
"Kyahaha! Did you think you could beat me? No way, idiot! Get a little serious and this is all it takes! This place is inside my belly after all! Gyahahaha!" Melruria sneered, forgetting even her girlish expression, and even she herself had frowned, but Haruya surprisingly stood still.
"You're the idiot. Thanks to that I can see a way through," Haruya said flatly.
"Huh?" Melruria blinked.
"Cornered and fused with tentacles, and it's obvious the flesh lumps are part of you. You shaved off part of your body to use as a medium and made a Dungeon, right?" Haruya pressed.
"Like I'd ever tell you," Melruria sneered.
"No wonder it stinks! That it! Did you use part of your p* * *y2 or something? To efficiently drain the humans you caught! Ha, so this is a stinky-p* * *y Dungeon!" Haruya said bluntly.
Veins bulged on Melruria's forehead, and Filio learned for the first time that veins could bulge like that.
"Kyahaha! So what if you figured it out, you can't do anything about the tentacles, right? What are you gonna cut with, that pathetic broken sword that looks just like your sorry little d**k3?" Melruria taunted.
"Wanna see me try it? This one's copying you, 'kay?" Haruya answered.
Melruria meant to provoke him, but she was the one being provoked, and the Succubus was ruled by anger, so she probably did not hear it. The bell-like sound that had been ringing for a while now, riiin riiin, the bell rang with a pleasant sound, and riiin riiin, the bell's sound drowned out Melruria's shouting. Ririri, ririri, ririri, the bell quickened, and though it was a hurried pace, there was no discomfort or impatience, and it was a gentle tone as if blessing the world, like something heard at birth.
From Haruya's broken sword, a ririri sound leaked, and the base of the sword emitted a faint green light, but Melruria, completely forgetting herself in anger, swung her tentacles.
"Die without leaving a scrap of flesh, you shitty scum humans!" Melruria screamed.
Ring-ring-ring-ring-ring. The light that illuminates the world, a holy radiance, cut down the demonic.
"Holy sword, draw," Haruya said serenely a moment after the bell's sound ended.
The bundled tentacles were blown away as if felled by a great axe, and the cross-sections of the tentacles were charred and smoking. Clad in the sacred garment, standing fleeting yet majestic, he seemed to have become the center of the world, and with the clear air he wore, the grotesque Dungeon seemed to have turned into a pure white snowfield.
Bloodless... White Porcelain...? Filio thought vaguely as such words floated in her mind, and she held her breath and was captivated. Even Melruria, a Succubus, was captivated by him, and thus she did not notice for a while that the bundled tentacles had been severed, but her face twisted in pain.
"I-it huuuurts!? It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!? Wh-why, why, why can't I regenerate!?" Melruria shrieked.
There the Succubus first noticed that Haruya's broken sword was glowing faintly green, and she stared in disbelief at the blade of light extending from the broken blade.
"That light... no way... demon-killing... a human who can master a holy sword technique..." Melruria stammered.
"Time for your eternal nap, brat," Haruya said as he stepped closer, as if to not let her say more.
Melruria hurriedly struck a cute, calculating pose, and "Y-ya know, killing a cute girl like me would look bad, right?" she wheedled.
"Don't worry. I'll just stab you. Then you'll either crumble to mush or wither," Haruya answered flatly.
"C-come on, look at me properly, I've got no will to fight at a-all," Melruria pleaded.
"I just remembered a certain legend," Haruya said.
"Wh-what is it? I wanna hear your story, big bro," Melruria fawned.
"An old witch who shaves off part of her body to make a Dungeon. Dunno if she was a lewd demon or not... but you're one hell of an old hag, aren't you?" Haruya said.
Melruria wore a fawning smile, and "Well, there's demand for that sort of thing," she cooed.
"If they're friendly to humans! Later! You rotten shitty hag!" Haruya snapped.
Haruya cut down the tentacle closing in from behind and thrust the shining sword into Melruria, and "Agyaa!" Melruria could not finish her death cry. As if her essence were leaking out, she aged rapidly, became a wrinkled mummy, and finally withered like a dried husk and crumbled, and since the Dungeon seemed to be connected to the Succubus, this should have solved everything.
Haruya stood like a Hero in a painting, and Filio had not released her magic bow and simply stood stunned. He spun around, and with an extremely troubled face, closed the distance.
"This is a horny sword!" Haruya blurted desperately.
"A horny sword...?" Filio repeated lightly.
"Yes! It's a holy horny sword that put the power of wanting to have s*x into the blade!" Haruya insisted, for he apparently wanted to say this was a sacred sword.
At the too-forced excuse, Filio pondered, and isn't that a bit much, she thought, for that's a Succubus's favorite, isn't it. But the Haruya before her was utterly desperate, and "It's a horny sword!" he wailed.
At his far-too-desperate expression, Filio gave a bitter smile, for people have things they want to hide, and she too carried many things. So "It seems like a technique befitting you, Haruya. That lecherous sword1," she said gently.
"R-right!? That's what it is! I'm horny, you know!" Haruya stammered with relief.
"Oh, you really are... horny," Filio said with loving kindness, and being given that smile by Filio, Haruya showed genuine relief. If he said so, then that was fine, for no convenient hero exists.
Trivia:
1. Filio's secret vow never to reveal her Succubus form mirrors her belief that her own impurity would tarnish the Hero's light, tying her self-worth directly to his legend.
2. Haruya's habit of secretly staring at Filio's chest is the very detail that convinced her he might be an ordinary lecher rather than a flawless hero, foreshadowing her later acceptance of his humanity.
3. The bell-like sound from the broken sword precedes the Holy sword technique, suggesting the blade's sacred power manifests through a gentle, birth-like tone rather than raw force.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A coined slang compound meaning "lecherous sword"; Haruya desperately insists it is a "sacred sword" because the Japanese words for sacred and lecherous sound alike to him in his panic.
2 ↩ Censored vulgar term for female genitalia, used here as an insulting taunt; the circle censors an explicit character in the raw text.
3 ↩ Censored vulgar term for male genitalia; the circle censors an explicit character in the raw text.
4 ↩ A term for an incubus or succubus, literally "lewd demon"; used here as the species and title for Melruria and Filio's transformed state.
Notes:
• Filio - Given name of Filio Valceid. A noble-born scout-class adventurer who disguises herself as a man. She has radiant golden hair, clear sea-blue eyes, and a boyish, handsome appearance with distinctly feminine loveliness. Despite her light blouse-and-trousers outfit, her large chest is conspicuous. Cheerful, persistent, and idealistic, she believes those with power have a duty to help others and make everyone smile. Skilled in scouting, detection, trap avoidance, and lockpicking, she owns a falcon named Persha. She prioritizes civilians' lives, rewards others generously, and refuses to let talent go to waste. A trusted companion from Haruya's past life, she often pushes his party to accept unpaid quests as a duty to do good.
• Lily - A servant-type companion to Haruya who addresses him with formal deference. She is also described as an innkeeper at an adventurer's lodge and a devout follower of the Great Goddess faith, serving as a priestess of the Goddess Flora. Polite, composed, and professional, she is attentive to Haruya's needs and practical about travel funds, never complaining about unpaid quests. She observes Haruya's duel and recognizes when he is holding back, using a promised reward to snap him out of his deliberate losing act. Skilled in sleep magic, she has a sweet, deferential demeanor and a teasing streak. Though strict and proper on the surface, she deliberately seduces Haruya through the wall at night.
• Melruria - Succubus and former human. Created the Dungeon-devouring Labyrinth and lures victims into flesh masses as food. Cheerful, teasing, and cruel; uses a weak Miasma that induces lust. Appears as a young girl and hides her true nature.
• Haruya - Solo adventurer in the trading city of Gran Neal, formerly the Holy Hero who defeated the Demon King Chronova. Maintains a bronze-rank adventurer status deliberately to avoid responsibility and attention. Slim-built young man in plain breast armor with a longsword and a large hip pouch of adventuring tools. Harbors a singular life goal of losing his virginity at a high-class brothel and building a harem, a dream he loudly declared at guild registration, earning him infamy among female adventurers while being well-liked by male adventurers for his candid lewd talk. Secretly a returnee from death who deliberately destroyed his hero-route reputation.