Scattered throughout the vast forest were small clearings where the trees grew sparsely, forming narrow patches of grassland. In one of those clearings, Kazui had been brought and laid on his back on a carpet of grass.
His arms and legs were tightly bound, making it almost impossible for him to move. Tough vines, as strong as metal wire, had been wrapped around his wrists, ankles, and even his neck.
Of course, these were no ordinary vines. They had been created by a magic skill belonging to the Brigadier-class monster woman and had sprouted from the ground in an instant.
Through the air, the sounds of battle — explosions and human shouts — still faintly reached them. From how quiet the noises were, Kazui could tell they were quite far from the battlefield on the grasslands.
The only ones present were Kazui, lying on his back, and the monster woman straddling his waist. She looked down at him and licked her lips as if a delicious feast were right in front of her.
"Well then... time to dig in~!"
The woman leaned forward and brought her face close to Kazui’s.
(This is bad — she’s going to eat me! I’m going to die!)
Panicking, Kazui desperately tried to move his limbs, but the vines held them firmly in place.
"Stop! Don’t come any closer! Eating me won’t taste good at a— mmph!"
His loud protests were cut off as the woman’s lips sealed his own.
(Is she going to eat me through the mouth?)
That was his first thought the moment their lips met. But after she lightly nipped his lip and then deepened the kiss, intertwining her tongue with his, he realized that wasn’t the case.
(Wait... this is... a kiss?)
Although he didn’t have much experience, even virgin Kazui had been kissed before. So he quickly understood that he wasn’t being eaten — he was being kissed.
(Kissing can feel this sexual...?)
As the kiss continued, intense lust welled up inside him. That was why the thought "this feels so sexual" crossed his mind.
After a long, lingering, tasting-style kiss, the woman pulled her lips away, sat up, and licked around her mouth with a long tongue.
"Just as I thought... delicious. When it comes to eating, cute young boys are the best."
With a lewd smile, she reached for Kazui’s clothes. Although Aura Mail strengthened clothing as well, she tore through his combat uniform as easily as if it were paper.
The sheer power of the woman had simply overwhelmed and broken his Aura Mail. Sparks of defensive aura scattered around him like white sparks.
In no time Kazui was left completely naked except for his shoes and socks. Beyond surprise and fear, he also felt deep embarrassment.
"Wh-What are you doing all of a sudden? Kissing me... stripping me...?"
"What, you ask? I’m going to eat you, of course."
With that reply, the woman became fully naked. She hadn’t removed her clothes — they simply vanished as if they had been an illusion all along.
(She can make her wings and tail disappear, and even her clothes...)
Right now the woman had neither wings nor a tail. After landing, she had made them vanish.
She exposed her voluptuous, well-proportioned naked body — the kind that would captivate most men — right before Kazui’s eyes. Her large breasts swayed invitingly.
Even in the middle of a life-or-death crisis, Kazui couldn’t help but stare at her magnificent chest.
"You’re turning red... how innocent."
In a playful tone she continued:
"You really give off that virgin vibe. Big sister doesn’t mind at all."
"I-I’m not a virgin...!"
Embarrassed in a different way from being stripped, Kazui lied out of pride.
(Why am I trying to look cool in front of a monster...)
He mentally berated himself for the unnecessary bluff. Because the monster looked so much like a human woman, he had automatically acted the same way he would with a human woman.
"If you say that, then maybe I should check whether you’re a virgin or not."
The moment she finished speaking, her eyes emitted a faint blue glow — so faint that an unobservant person might not have noticed it.
(An appraisal-type skill? But there’s no way she can tell if someone’s a virgin with that...)
Appraisal-type skills allowed the user to read and investigate various information from humans, monsters, items, and more. There were many different kinds, each with different targets and ranges.
When using an appraisal-type skill, the user’s eyes would emit a faint light. Other skills that made the eyes glow existed (such as Farsight), but since the woman had said "check," Kazui assumed it was an appraisal skill.
Still with glowing eyes, the woman spoke to him in a teasing tone:
"Putting on a front, huh? I appraised you, and just as I thought... you’re a virgin."
Having the truth exposed, Kazui’s face twisted in panic.
"There’s no way you could know that even with an appraisal skill!"
"I can. I have a skill called Sexual Appraisal."
"Sexual Appraisal? I’ve never heard of a skill like that."
"Sexual Appraisal is a skill exclusive to succubi, so ordinary adventurers probably don’t know about it. It can read most of a person’s sexual information, so of course it can tell how many people they’ve had sex with."
Looking proud, she added:
"That’s how I know your experience count is zero... that you’re a virgin."
Just as Kazui had guessed, she had used an appraisal-type skill — specifically Sexual Appraisal, which could read sexual information.
But being exposed as a virgin no longer mattered to Kazui at all. The woman had just revealed something far more important.