It’s okay because it’s not human

Chapter 8: why no one summons succubi in the Army? (04)

The succubus clamped her mouth shut, struggling against the smoke rising from her own tongue.

"This is at least the work of a high priest who meticulously crafted it...! No wonder I can't immerse you in the dream even with your consent!"

"This... this is..."

The moment I expelled the white lightning, I felt strength returning to my body.

'No way, is the power infused into me by the young saintess still lingering?'

That seemed to explain why the succubus's dream remained incomplete.

"What do you mean by unilaterally breaking the contract?! This will ruin my record—"

"No, then how about we try aga—"

"With that condition of yours?!"

The succubus stormed out of the barracks in a fury, and as my body regained freedom, I tried to catch her, but at that moment, the pleasure I'd been suppressing overwhelmed me all at once.

Because the divine power from the goddess of love and marriage doesn't suppress sexual desire or vigor—it amplifies them.

"Ugh... Arghhh!!"

Splurt... Splurt...

Still in my ceremonial pants, which I hadn't even managed to unzip, I ended up... making a mess.

"Whoa... Dude..."

"...I can't believe this..."

And just as I reached the peak, spilling everywhere, my roommates walked into the barracks.

"...I'll give you 30 minutes. Clean this up."

Their attempt to pretend they hadn't seen anything only made me feel more miserable.

"Damn it..."

Drip...

Even then, remnants of my outburst continued to seep from my pants.

That's when I learned what happens when you summon a demon... painfully and thoroughly.

Especially why no one summons succubi in the Army.

"But... what the hell was I reacting to?"

"Did he go at the air?"

For a while after that, my nickname was "Air Lover."

---

At the temple gates, I stood with a complex mix of emotions, bowing deeply to the goddess statue before me.

'And of course, I'm reacting again in this situation.'

Ever since the succubus used the goddess statue's form to arouse me, I couldn't even look at it without becoming... excited.

'If I get punished by the gods the moment I step inside, I really can't complain...'

But as a nonbeliever, divine punishment didn't particularly scare me.

The reason I visited the temple again was that the young saintess wanted to apologize for what happened. I needed to reassure her in person that I was fine, so I came here.

"What is it? A trainee knight? What brings you here?"

The holy knight guarding the entrance scowled as soon as he saw me.

The magic knights and holy knights always despised each other.

It wasn't uncommon for knights of different orders to dislike one another, but with the capital's two major orders being the Holy Knights and the Magic Knights, tensions were inevitable.

So naturally, this holy knight started picking a fight the moment he saw me.

"The young saintess has summoned me."

Of course, despite the rivalry, it wasn't like the orders were outright enemies. I couldn't cause trouble here, so I kept my tone as polite as possible to avoid giving him any reason to escalate.

Holy knights often picked fights when outsiders visited the temple, but things changed if it was a direct summon from the saintess. With a face full of dissatisfaction, the knight reluctantly stepped aside.

"Even seeing filthy scum like you meet the saintess makes me nauseous."

If it had been someone like Dane, he'd have probably denied the insult or drawn his sword in anger. But in situations like this, words were the better weapon.

If I lost my temper and drew my weapon, the holy knights would pounce, beat me senseless, and then I'd face disciplinary action for brandishing a weapon in the temple.

Of course, these knights knew that and baited us deliberately.

"If you so much as look at the saintess improperly, I'll burn your eyes out."

"Is that how the Holy Knights operate?"

"This bastard...!"

"I'm a person of principles; I'd never have impure thoughts about a saintess."

By firmly drawing a line and stepping back, I left this knight looking like an idiot.

Naturally, he couldn't draw his sword against a guest summoned by the saintess, so he just fumed while I leisurely entered the temple.

"Welcome, trainee knight of the Magic Order."

The saintess, who previously wore comfortable clothes while distributing snacks to children, now greeted me in a flowing white dress.

Though she was still a young saintess learning under the current saintess, her poised appearance in formal attire hinted at her future role leading the temple.

Fortunately, this wasn't an official event, so only one female holy knight stood guard. But compared to the previous knight, her fierce glare made him seem mild.

'Are all holy knights naturally this unpleasant, or does their bad food make them worse?'

I debated whether their nastiness was inherent or learned but decided it didn't matter—all holy knights were jerks.

"I sent a letter to apologize for the last incident."

A letter? Or did she mean a message? She probably misspoke—she wasn't used to these terms yet.

"It's fine. I'm actually grateful for your blessing, saintess."

Though it did cost me the succubus summoning ticket... If I'd fallen under her spell back then, I'd have...

'...definitely earned the "Air Lover" nickname.'

Being caught pleasuring myself in front of a succubus only visible to me would have sealed the deal—and probably led to expulsion.

"...Why are you staring at me?"

The young saintess tilted her head, confused, as I stared at her.

"Five years..."

"Five years?"

In just five years, this young saintess could grow into a woman as captivating as the succubus I saw in my dream.

For now, she still looked youthful, but in five years' time, she'd surely mature into a stunning beauty.

Grrrr...

'Ah!'

Suddenly, I felt a fierce killing intent. Turning my gaze, I saw the holy knight behind her, halfway through unsheathing her sword.

'Why is she reacting like that...? Wait, she's looking at my... oh no!'

My lower half had visibly bulged at the thought of the saintess's future self.

Luckily, the young saintess hadn't noticed, but the holy knight behind her clearly had.

'No, it's not. I swear, it's not because I saw the young saintess just now.'

Before the catastrophe of getting stabbed in front of the saintess could occur, I had to quickly change the subject.

"It's nothing. In five years, I'll also start serving as an official knight of the Magic Knights..."

"I've heard about it from the saintess. You're in your second year now, so you've got about four years left, right?"

That was true—assuming I didn't fail.

If I did fail, I'd have to train for another five years all over again.

"By then, you'll come to me for a blessing, won't you?"

"Pardon?"

Come to think of it, there was a tradition where a knight of the Magic Knights officially appointed would visit the temple to receive a blessing directly from the saintess.

'But a blessing... that thing... oh no, that's dangerous, isn't it?'

The moment I thought of it, my mind went cold, and my body began trembling.

'That pain, going through that again?'

"It's time, young saintess."

Judging that it wouldn't be wise for her to stay with me any longer, the holy knight escorting her urged her to leave. She extended her hand to me with a regretful expression.

It was a farewell gesture asking me, as a knight, to kiss the back of a lady's hand. I bowed and kissed her hand.

'young saintess'

'Zap'

'Ugh!'

Perhaps it was the aftereffect of summoning a succubus, but I felt a searing pain on my tongue as if it were burning. I barely managed to maintain my composure and suppress the agony.

"Other holy knights scream just from touching my hand, but as expected, you're fine, Sir Knight, because your conduct is so upright!"

"Pardon?"

Even though it felt like my tongue was burning and I could smell charred flesh, the saintess was overjoyed, almost childlike. Well, she was still a child.

"When the time comes for your official appointment, I'll give you the strongest blessing ever!"

'What is this? A death sentence?'

With that, the saintess, urged by her escorting holy knight, returned to the temple. I was left to tremble in fear, my mouth stinging and filled with the smell of burnt flesh.

"..."

Shoving my stinging tongue back into my mouth, I gazed at the statue of the goddess and muttered.

"Goddess, I swear, it's not because of the young saintess. It's because of you, Goddess..."

Before I could say more and risk divine punishment, I clamped my mouth shut and scurried out of the temple.

Upon returning, I swung open the dormitory door and shared my realization with my roommates.

"Don't you find the goddess statue... attractive?"

"Have you lost your mind?"

At Dain's remark, I shook my head with a serious expression and asked again.

"No, think about it. The temple's goddess statue represents the goddess of love and marriage, right? Doesn't it make sense that it would be so beautiful that men would fall in love with it? Isn't that the ultimate proof of the goddess's authority?"

"Hmm."

The way Dain rested his chin and pondered meant he was already half-convinced.

"The statue is attractive."

Even Jake agreed with my opinion.

"Everything's covered, but you can still see the outline of her feminine figure. That big, wide hip, as if you were crushed under it..."

"You'd die under the statue..."

"It'd be worth dying for!"

As expected, no one in this room was normal. Except for me, of course.

"Have you touched the statue? The temple walls are made of smooth stone, so maybe you could use it—"

"No matter how smooth the stone is, it would still scrape. What's the difference between that and grinding yourself against a rock?"

Our discussion grew deeper.

To avoid eavesdropping from other dormitory members, we huddled together like scholars sharing forbidden knowledge.

"Last year, I overheard the priestesses talking about some drunk lunatic. He got arrested by holy knights after stripping and rubbing himself against a human-sized statue of the goddess, committing obscene acts."

"Was he okay?"

"I guess so? I overheard the holy knights debating whether to cut it off for blasphemy."

So it was possible, albeit risky.

"How much would a human-sized goddess statue cost?"

"There's one in the training center fountain, but it's a bit bigger than a person."

"Can we use that one?"

Listening to our in-depth discussion, Levin sighed deeply.

"...If I were the goddess, I'd move the statue myself and bash your heads in."

"Come on, she's the goddess of love. Would she kill men who love her?"

"That's not love, that's perversion!"

"Think about it."

I calmly chose my words to deliver the final blow to Levin.

"To love the goddess so deeply that you'd want to be with her statue—doesn't that prove it's true love?"

[No, it doesn't.]

"Huh?"

"What?"

"Was that...?"

A majestic feminine voice echoed in our ears. Was it just our imagination?