Embarrassment

Even if you had no feelings for someone, receiving such a heartfelt confession would make you conscious of them. For Yubel, who had spent so long alone, not becoming conscious of the Hero was practically impossible.

When Prea came into that sweltering room and Yubel realized they were naked, straddling the Hero’s lower half, their feelings had been like a kettle boiling over at its limit.

So whenever the Hero asked a question, all I could do was repeat answers that sounded as if my soul had left my body.

‘Riella brought some fruit. Want to have some?’

‘Yeah…….’

‘We’ve decided to go to Sullerisu. Are you okay with that?’

‘Yeah…….’

‘Will you wear this outfit for me?’

‘Mmm……. No way I’m wearing that!!’

Even so, that outfit was embarrassing.

In the end, I had no choice but to put it on. But the slightest lift of my leg made my panties plain to see, and with the Hero’s gaze constantly fixed on my lower half, I couldn’t help reacting sensitively.

In the end, I couldn’t take it anymore and even kicked him in the face.

To the Hero, whose memories of everything after entering the room had been wiped out, my behavior might seem strange. Or perhaps he’d find it perfectly natural? Either way, the fact that he’d confessed to me hadn’t changed.

“Still, don’t you think you’re taking the joke too far……? You wore a slightly short outfit, and now you’re trying to peek at my panties from behind. What are you, a grade-schooler……?”

The Hero, who’d taken a hit from me, seemed to have finally come to his senses. He started walking at the very front, while I trailed along behind everyone else.

[You like it too, so why are you acting so coy? Does seeing your panties wear them out? It’s not as if you suddenly developed modesty after never having any. Don’t tell me you’re conscious of the Hero—]

“I’m just in a bad mood today! I can show them as much as I want, even now!”

[Hmm……. Well, I knew you’d say that. If you had any sense of shame, you wouldn’t have eagerly accepted that bizarre outfit. Hehe, though I have to admit, seeing you change into it so eagerly did kill the mood a little.]

“I-I never……! I didn’t wear it because I liked it!”

I flatly denied it.

I had a man’s pride, didn’t I? Why would I like wearing some virgin-killer outfit? Of course, I was wearing it now…… Anyway, I had a perfectly good reason for it.

[Yes, I know. You didn’t want to inconvenience the Hero. Honestly…… I can never tell what you’re thinking.]

“……”

That’s right.

The only reason I’d put on this outfit that looked like something an exhibitionist would wear was simply that I didn’t want to be a nuisance. Now that I knew the Hero wanted to return home, I didn’t want to make him waste time over some trivial matter like clothes.

That guy…… More than anything, I wanted him—the one who said he liked even a monster like me—to get what he wanted.

Besides, being naked was even more embarrassing, and I didn’t want to spurn Broad’s kindness after he’d gone to all that trouble to prepare the outfit for me. That was why I was wearing it now.

Of course, when I first received it, I’d thrown the outfit right at the Hero’s face. I couldn’t help it, with him staring at me so blatantly.

What was I supposed to do when he looked at me with such expectant eyes? It was embarrassing! Tch, I’m only wearing this one more time……

‘You’re so beautiful, Yubel! You’re totally my type.’

Just this once……

‘Ah, sorry for laughing……! It suits you so well, I couldn’t help myself.’

Hmm, I only have to wear it because of my wings. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to wear it now and then. Yeah, this is self-defense. It’s definitely not because I like it—

[……Hehe, I do like that about you, though.]

“Hmm? What did you say?”

[I was just talking to myself, so forget it. More importantly, why don’t you go cheer up the Hero? He seems pretty down right now.]

“Hmm……”

She was right. Ever since I’d declared I was done fighting, the Hero had been visibly dejected. When I asked him what was wrong, he said he didn’t want to tell me because it would make him seem pathetic, or something like that. Honestly, I could never figure that guy out.

Could he really be like that just because I wasn’t showing him my panties?

“Nah, no way……. I almost jumped to another ridiculous conclusion.”

The thought was indecent, but I quickly shook my head and cleared it away.

The Hero had an unwavering desire to go home, and in this depraved eroge world, he’d only earned three skill points. He didn’t seem like the sort of guy who’d become so fixated on a pair of panties that he’d end up like that.

The Hero was a hero, after all.

A brave and wonderful hero—the kind I’d always wanted to become.

He had a bit of a perverted streak…… but it was nothing more than childish mischief. If anything, it made him seem more human, which I liked.

As I gazed fondly at the Hero walking ahead, I felt someone beside me gently poke at me. It was Prea.

“Um…… Lady Yubel. I’m not sure if it’s all right to ask you this now, but is there any way to hide those wings? We don’t mind, but other people might get the wrong idea when they see them……”

“Hmm? Oh, you’re right. There’s not much I can do about them, though……”

Now that I thought about it, these wings really were a problem. Especially in terms of appearance. Anyone who saw them would mistake me for a demon or a demonkin. ……Though they wouldn’t exactly be mistaken.

It might have been different if they were at least small. But they were large enough to cover my upper body, and their blatantly demonic look brought succubi to mind. There was no easy way to explain them away.

Unless someone was as eccentric as Broad, no one would be able to just shrug them off. Broad himself had nearly fainted when he first saw them, after all……

And naturally—

[Do you think I sealed them away for no reason? It might have been fine to bring them out for a little while, but after keeping them like this for so long, there’s no way to hide them again.]

I couldn’t hide them anymore.

The parasite, the original owner of my body, had stated it so definitively that I’d apparently have to live like this for the rest of my life. That was why I was so irritable now. Even lying on my back was a struggle because of these wings, so I’d had to sleep on my stomach instead.

Even if I could fly, I’d still be annoyed if the price was getting less sleep. Besides, I didn’t even know how to fly, so what good were wings to me?

“Haa……”

A sigh slipped out of me.

If only there were some kind of magic that made people unable to notice my wings, then I wouldn’t have to worry about this. But there couldn’t possibly be such an overpowered spell. Even Hypnosis Magic had a time limit and various other restrictions.

“Ah, um, I’m sorry. I think I made you worry about it for no reason.”

“Haha, no……. It’s fine n— Huh!? W-Why are you suddenly patting my head……?”

“I-I’m sorry! You were just so cute, I did it out of habit……. D-Does it make you uncomfortable……?”

“I-It doesn’t make me uncomfortable……. It just feels a little weird to be treated like a little kid……. Well, you can touch me whenever you want, Prea……”

To be honest, it felt less like I was being treated like a child and more like I was being treated like a girl, and that made me uncomfortable. But men could get their heads patted, too, so it should be fine.

Prea was so socially clueless that she probably didn’t understand personal boundaries, so I decided to let it slide just this once.

“R-Really!? Haa, haa……. You really don’t mind if I touch you? Hehe, heheh……”

“N-No……. You’re acting a little strange all of a sudden—”

“Me too! I want to touch Yubel, too! Can I touch Yubel’s tail like last time?”

“N-No! You can’t touch Yubel’s tail without my permission! Honestly…… Lady Riella, you’re just like Lord Se-on! What will you do if Lady Yubel goes down a strange path because of this!?”

“Yeah! I’ll take responsibility, so let me touch it!”

“No! If anyone’s going to touch it, I should go first……!”

“Ugh, are you kidding me!? I’m just going to stick with the Hero! If you want to touch each other that badly, go ahead and do it yourselves!”

I sprang away with a shout that was half a scream, and behind me I heard them wailing and saying they were sorry.

Even so, I didn’t stop.

With what had happened that day still on my mind, I couldn’t tell what kind of expression I was making right now.

Even now, just thinking about it made my head feel hot. I should go cool off beside the Hero. Ignoring the slight tremor inside me as I approached him, I walked close enough for our shoulders to touch.

Come to think of it, was he here a moment ago? It felt strange, as if he’d changed places in the blink of an eye.

“Hero, look over here— Huh?”

“Hmm? Ah, Yubel’s here……. Haha……”

What happened to him?

A zombie wearing the Hero’s face dragged his arms limply and struggled to lift his heavy feet. He looked just like a man who’d had all his life force sucked out by a succubus.

“I’m trash……. Haha……”

Unable to meet my eyes, the Hero shuffled along, scraping his feet against the ground as he spoke in a barely audible voice. His haggard figure slowly receded.

The moment I saw him, I was sure of it.

“……Sigh.”

There wasn’t a single normal person here, either.

***

“How dare you, how dare you, how dare you……! You’re only human!!”

Bang! Bang! Crack, argh!

Having expended most of his strength in the previous battle, the Demon Dragon Vargar polymorphed into a human form, in which it was easier to control his magic.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself back in his lair. Remembering the humiliation of that day, he took out his frustration on an innocent wall. He even broke his arm in the process.

“Graah……! Why should I have to suffer something like this!?”

Had he let his guard down around the humans? Vargar had never imagined that mere humans could absorb his power, and so he’d suffered a crushing defeat.

Humans who could wield a dragon’s power.

To put it in human terms, it was like an ant running wild with a flamethrower in its grasp. Of course, the situation was bewildering and infuriating, but he couldn’t use that as an excuse.

Not as a dragon, the strongest race in the world. That would be too pathetic.

To the other dragons, Vargar was just a human who’d lost to an ant. It was the worst humiliation in the history of the dragon clan. For Vargar, who’d long been revered as the Demon Dragon, it was a devastating blow.

It made the disgrace he’d suffered at the Demon King’s hands in the past look trivial.

There was no humiliation worse than being recorded in the history of the Demon Dragons as a loser who’d been defeated by a human.

“Keugh……! I can’t allow such a humiliating stain on my name!”

Naturally, Vargar had no desire to leave such a disgraceful mark on his name. If he’d at least died on the spot, his kin might have been enraged on his behalf. But he’d survived like this—beaten black and blue by an ant and clinging to life in a pitiful state.

The one good thing was that the story hadn’t spread yet. The only witnesses were the masked human and the princess of the human kingdom. He just had to make sure it didn’t reach the dragons who’d secretly blended into human society.

The dragons didn’t have any reliable means of communication, so he had about a month before those who were sleeping for long stretches found out.

So he made up his mind.

He’d bury the distant past for now, so he could erase the wound he’d just suffered.

“I should go see the Demon King……. I’m powerless right now, so I might as well borrow a demon’s help. I still have that ‘wish coupon,’ don’t I?”

And so he set out to find the Demon King.

To cash in the blank check he’d kept tucked away for so long.