I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City Chapter 127

Ichinose knew how capable the ability users of Academy City were, as well as the efficiency of the Security Bureau.

The ominous magic left behind by the Monolith must have already been detected.

And so, her mind was in turmoil.

If the missing people had been identified, had her parents in Samhwa Nation heard the news? Would her instructor be worried? If Noah found out about the incident, would he be deeply concerned?

Her father was already overwheld with both corporate managent and his own training—would his daily routine be thrown into chaos because of her?

Ichinose's head was filled with endless worries.

Every ti they walked through the quiet forest after a battle with succubi or husks, the intrusive thoughts wouldn’t leave her mind.

She knew these weren’t the kinds of things a person trapped in a dungeon should be thinking about.

It was a bad habit that only worsened her ntal fatigue.

Yet, that was simply the way Ichinose was.

Since there was nothing she could do about it, the best she could manage was keeping her worries to herself.

But at this mont, now that she had found the pillow she had desperately been looking for, she felt at ease.

For a short while, she was able to let go of her thoughts and feel free.

'This...! Right, this is exactly how it felt...!'

This pillow was a perfect 100.

Absolutely flawless. Her consciousness seed to float lightly.

Approaching a man’s thigh to use as a pillow—

That was sothing Ichinose, under normal circumstances, would never have done. Yet sohow, she had done it without thinking.

Beyond the embarrassnt, what was truly strange was how satisfied she felt when she noticed how stiff Rohan had beco.

"…"

Rohan remained silent. His breathing was calming.

Just lying there, the tension in her body slowly unraveled, and the accumulated exhaustion in her mind faded away.

‘This scent is... sothing else.’

Right now, Rohan carried a much deeper, heavier scent than when they were on the deserted island.

It was the scent of a male.

Even though Ichinose had never learned about it or slled it before, her instincts as a woman knew with certainty.

She could feel a searing heat behind her head.

A thick, heavy sensation, almost twitching just barely touching the back of her head—

Rohan was doing his best to suppress himself.

'W-wait, could it be the remnants of the succubus's charm?'

If not, had seeing the succubus’s body actually stirred so kind of sexual impulse in him?

"…"

It was likely just an unavoidable male instinct.

Still, sothing about it felt... off-putting. More than embarrassnt, that feeling took precedence.

'So n really do prefer curvaceous bodies like those succubi, huh?'

It wasn’t as if she had chosen to have a small fra.

Ichinose’s lips pursed into a slight pout.

Yet, a small spark of hope erged.

‘B-but still… considering how close he seems to Clara…?’

Rohan was especially fond of two particular people.

A twin-tailed girl, doll-like in appearance, flashed through Ichinose’s mind, sending her thoughts into disarray.

"Baby-nose. Can’t sleep? Is it uncomfortable?"

"…It’s comfortable."

"Then that’s good."

His breathing was steady, and he couldn’t even see her face.

Yet how had Rohan noticed she wasn’t asleep?

He really was an unusual man. So different from others.

"Rohan. Are you uncomfortable?"

"Not at all."

"Are you sure? You can be honest."

"I’m fine. Want to sing you a lullaby?"

"Forget it…"

Maybe because her mind was on edge—

But for so reason, today, the nickna "Baby-nose" and Rohan’s actions made her think way too much.

Baby? Did that an Rohan didn’t even see her as a woman?

"Rohan."

"Yeah."

"Do I really seem that much like a child to you…?"

Rohan didn’t miss the tinge of disappointnt in her voice.

This was one of those monts—where a careless joke could escalate into an uncontainable fire.

Even a tiny spark could not be ignored. If he didn’t put it out imdiately, it could spread into a full-blown wildfire, beyond his control.

"There’s no way I ant it like that."

"…Then what did you an?"

"How could I see you as a kid when you look this pretty? I was just trying to phrase it in a good way. But if it upset you, I’m sorry."

A few seconds after Rohan finished speaking—

Ichinose, who had been lying down, suddenly jerked up like a fish out of water.

She shot upright, staring at Rohan with wide, round eyes.

"I-I’m… pretty?! You an …?"

"What’s so surprising? You’ve probably heard that a million tis."

She had, indeed, heard it so much that it had practically beco white noise at this point.

Yet, the way it sounded now—it was completely different.

Her heart pounded rapidly.

Ichinose imdiately buried her face back into Rohan’s lap, hiding herself.

"Want to stop calling you by the nickna?"

"…I’ll allow it, but only when we’re alone."

"Baby-nose really is generous."

That was the signal that she was ready to sleep.

Rohan rested a hand on her shoulder and lightly patted it in slow, rhythmic taps.

Ichinose, carrying a strange feeling of relief, drifted off into sleep.

After about an hour of sleep, Ichinose woke up feeling rested. She expressed her gratitude to Rohan and stretched to awaken her dulled senses.

"We’ve got military rations, bread, and jelly. I guess things like snacks, chicken, or pizza should be avoided… Anything in particular you want? Rice might be the safest bet."

Ichinose hesitated for a mont before glancing at Rohan and shyly making a request.

"W-what about ran…?"

"You want ran?"

Rohan gave her a surprised look, making Ichinose’s face turn red as she gave a small nod.

Recently, Ichinose had attempted multiple challenges, and each one had ended in failure. No matter how she tried to make ran, she could never replicate the taste of the one Rohan had made on the deserted island.

The mory of that ran still lingered in her mind.

"I can’t make ran with my skill… Would it be okay to go with military rations for now? I’ll make you ran once we’re out."

"I’m sorry for being unreasonable. Of course, I’m grateful for the rations."

Ichinose wasn’t in a position to be picky. If anything, she should be bowing in gratitude.

And on top of that, she’d get to have ran once they returned? That was more than enough motivation.

Rohan pulled out a large portion of military rations from the air and swiftly began preparing them.

"Just wait a bit. It’ll be ready soon."

A dungeon inhabited by succubi who fed on life force.

If an ordinary person had been dragged into the Monolith, they would undoubtedly struggle with finding food and water.

In such an environnt, Rohan’s skill shined.

Ichinose once again felt incredibly fortunate to have Rohan as her companion. The sense of stability he provided was unmatched.

"This… This is the sa military ration we had on the deserted island."

Watching Rohan’s skilled hands, Ichinose voiced her realization.

"Oh, you noticed? Keep it a secret from the instructor."

"But it’s your skill, so it shouldn’t be a problem."

"Yeah, Baby-nose, you’re right—she probably wouldn’t say anything. But still… just in case."

As she chatted with Rohan, Ichinose found herself recalling the survival test.

‘Back then, Rohan definitely…’

Ichinose rembered clearly—Rohan hadn’t freely used his skill on the island.

When Noah had collapsed from hunger after slling ran, Rohan had pretended to find supplies and then pulled them out.

His first use of the skill hadn’t been for himself, but for soone else.

"Rohan, you’re really kind."

A soft smile ford on Ichinose’s lips.

***

With their energy replenished, Rohan and Ichinose made their way toward the building they had spotted through the thick fog.

As they drew closer, Rohan’s mories of the place beca clearer.

This was a succubus-owned mansion. One of the Nad Succubi resided here.

‘The Monolith isn’t here.’

However, it was still a necessary stop.

They needed to thin the numbers to prevent succubi from grouping together, and they needed proper combat experience against succubi.

‘What was her na again…? I can’t rember.’

Since the information wasn’t coming to him, Rohan set it aside and focused on approaching quietly.

Even without entering, the mansion’s open structure made it easy to observe. There were no walls or fences enclosing the place.

Even from a distance, they could see the layout through the foliage.

‘Yeah, this was how it was set up.’

The owner of this mansion bathed outside. A massive bath was placed in the courtyard.

Black roses floated atop the warm water, infused with bath salts.

Lined up around the bath were n dressed like butlers, standing in a rigid formation.

All of them were young and thin.

Whether they had always been thin or had withered away after coming here was unknown.

But based on Rohan’s mories, the Nad Succubus living here had a preference for n who dressed like that.

‘Hmm.’

Rohan examined them closely.

They had the pale skin and lifeless eyes of husks, but their faces weren’t as shriveled.

"Those are Pleasure Dolls."

"They look different from husks."

"They likely retain so level of combat ability."

The two exchanged hushed observations.

Ichinose was already gripping her sword in preparation.

Pleasure Dolls, in simple terms, were a succubus’s personal collection of humans.

So might have been turned into Pleasure Dolls simply because the succubus liked their appearance. Others might have been chosen because their life force tasted good.

And so were likely kept for their combat abilities, acting as guards.

‘One way or another, these are all humans that have caught a succubus’s interest.’

Srrng!

Rohan unsheathed his sword and reached for the pistol holstered at his side.

"Baby-nose. Are you ready?"

"Yes. Let’s go."

It was ti to free these poor souls and grant them peace.

And—

It was ti to et a Nad Succubus who could actually speak.