And so, with Kōichi and Kazuma Satou on either side of her like two loyal escorts, or rather, two followers with blatantly ulterior motives, the stunningly curvaceous Sylvia stepped onto the path into Crimson Demon Village.
Although they had just gone through a social death crisis in the plaza so devastating it made them want to reroll their lives, Sylvia's alluring scent and sweet smile brought their mental resilience roaring back with astonishing force.
Everything else was thrown to the back of their minds. All that remained in their brains was the swaying figure of this beautiful older woman walking in front of them.
"Oh my, the noise coming from that plaza feels awfully loud."
Sylvia slightly furrowed her lovely brows, gently pressed a slender finger to her lower lip, and put on a delicate, helpless expression.
"I'm not very good with crowded places... Could you two young men take me somewhere quiet, somewhere with hardly anyone around? I'd rather experience the deeper charm of this village in peace..."
The moment Kōichi heard that, his heart gave a violent thump, and his gaze instantly sharpened.
"A quiet corner? Somewhere with hardly anyone around? C-could this be the legendary flag?!"
Kōichi screamed inwardly, while desperately maintaining what he believed was a charming smile.
"Of course, no problem! Sylvia-san, your taste is truly refined! The main roads of Crimson Demon Village are full of nothing but chuunibyou and lunatics anyway, so there really isn't much worth seeing. Please, follow me. I happen to know several very secluded places where absolutely no one will bother us... Ahem, I mean, excellent scenic spots!"
Kazuma refused to be outdone and squeezed in from the side, even bumping Kōichi with his shoulder.
"Hey, hey, Kōichi, isn't that so-called scenic spot of yours just the weed-covered sweet potato cellar behind the village? Stop embarrassing yourself! Sylvia-san, I'm a professional scout with the [Enemy Detection] and [Far Sight] skills. I can avoid every villager and take you through secret passages known only to the upper ranks of the Crimson Demon Clan! Like that abandoned warehouse over there. Great lighting, and the soundproofing is fantastic!"
"Kazuma, you bastard, what the hell do you mean by abandoned warehouse?! Your ulterior motives are practically spilling off the screen!"
Kōichi growled under his breath.
"Same to you! The direction you pointed in earlier was clearly the woods behind Yunyun's house. You were trying to take her into the bushes, weren't you?!"
Kazuma fired back without hesitation.
Sylvia watched the two boys argue fiercely for her attention, the corners of her mouth curving into a playful smile as amusement flickered through her eyes.
"Hehe, you two really are kind. In that case, I'll leave the guiding to you."
She naturally linked her arms through theirs.
In that instant, Kōichi felt his left arm sink into something warm, soft, and springy, while Kazuma's right arm was clearly enjoying the same treatment.
Both of their brains stopped working at the same time, leaving only their nosebleeds to surge wildly in reverse.
And so, under Sylvia's guidance, though nominally they were the ones leading the way, the three avoided the busy streets and villagers, deliberately slipping into dark, remote, and even somewhat desolate corners.
Each time they reached some secluded wall or ruined structure, Sylvia would stop as if admiring the scenery, while her beautiful eyes quietly swept over the surrounding magical Barrier nodes.
"The flow of magic here is truly fascinating," Sylvia murmured, leaning a little closer to Kōichi, whether on purpose or by accident. "It would be even better if I could understand this village's defensive mechanisms in more detail..."
"Defensive mechanisms are way too complicated, Sylvia-san!"
Kōichi's head was completely clouded by hormones. He pointed eagerly at a crumbling stone gate up ahead that looked like some ancient ruin.
"Right over there is the village's most obscure Forbidden Gate. Normally, not even a cat goes near it! If you'd like to see something special, I'll take you inside right now... no, I mean, give you a tour!"
"Exactly, exactly! I'll go too! I can stand guard for you and make absolutely sure no one disturbs our world of three!" Kazuma was drooling, his entire body already caught in a half-dreaming, half-awake scumbag trance.
At that very moment, as these two losers scrambled to lead a Demon King's General toward the village's core defensive point, a black cat, Chomusuke, sat on a nearby rooftop, tilting its head and staring at them in confusion with its golden eyes.
Kōichi and Kazuma Satou walked side by side behind Sylvia, their gazes glued to the swaying curves in front of them as if pulled in by magnets.
However, just as Sylvia was about to go deeper into the ancient Forbidden Gate structure, Kōichi suddenly felt a chill run down his back.
He turned his head and met Kazuma's eyes, which were filled with the aura of a fellow kindred spirit.
"Hey, Kazuma, do you feel that? This is the core area of Crimson Demon Village. No one's here right now, but knowing how those chuunibyou types operate, some Dark Watcher or Twilight Patrol is bound to show up soon and start shouting lines, right?"
Kōichi conveyed his sense of danger through his eyes.
"Yeah, I get it. If a bunch of magic-casting chuunibyou surround us right when we're about to reach the crucial stage, I'll spend the rest of my life either in jail or tied to a pillar of shame."
Kazuma answered with an extremely understanding look.
The two instantly reached the same conclusion.
This place was no good. They had to take this beautiful older woman somewhere truly isolated, where no one would answer no matter how loudly they shouted.
"Oh, Sylvia-san, please wait!" Kōichi suddenly stepped forward and blocked Sylvia's way with righteous conviction. "The path ahead is actually extremely dangerous. It's full of the Crimson Demon Clan's most despicable intelligence-test traps. A noble lady like you really shouldn't go somewhere so dark and damp. Instead... how about we go to the forest outside the village? The air is fresh there, and absolutely no one will bother us."
Kazuma hurriedly chimed in from the side, smiling like a salesman pushing terrible insurance.
"Exactly, exactly! Sylvia-san, the ecological environment there is excellent. Just now, I even saw a group of rare mating... no, glowing butterflies! Only by visiting that place can you truly feel the romantic atmosphere of Crimson Demon Village!"
Sylvia stopped, her foxlike, seductive eyes sweeping over both of their faces.
She sneered inwardly.
'Hmph, these two brats finally can't hold back and want to ask for their guide fee, do they? Men really are creatures who obediently listen as long as you give them a little sweetness. Fine. Once we reach somewhere empty, I'll deal with these two nuisances, then come back and blow up this Barrier.'
"Hehe, since you two are inviting me so warmly, how could I refuse~" Sylvia giggled, reaching out to hook her arms around both their necks, pressing herself almost fully against them. "Then take me to that romantic little forest. I'm... very much looking forward to seeing how you two perform next."
Kōichi and Kazuma felt a wave of fragrance wash over them, leaving half their bodies weak.
Dizzy and dazed, the two led Sylvia around the crowds and into the most remote stretch of dense forest behind Crimson Demon Village.
The trees here were tall and thick, and sunlight could only slip through the gaps, scattering mottled spots of light across the ground. Aside from the occasional insect cry, the silence was unsettling.
Sylvia walked into a clearing in the woods and slowly turned around.
She undid the clasp of her cloak, letting the light fabric slide to the ground and revealing the tight leather armor beneath, fitted so closely it looked almost ready to burst.
She lowered her head slightly and looked at the two boys before her with an intensely seductive gaze, her slender fingers lightly tracing her collarbone.
"Well then, you two. It's quiet enough here. You can't even hear the wind." Sylvia's voice became low and husky, carrying an irresistible magic. "Bringing me to a place like this means you must be hoping for a special reward, right? Do you want me to kiss your cheeks... or would you prefer a deeper, hotter kind of gratitude?"
As she spoke, she walked toward Kōichi with a catlike stride and leaned forward slightly, those surging, magnificent curves nearly bumping against the tip of his nose.
"Come on, don't be shy. Tell me, what do you want to do to me most right now?"
Kōichi's brain completely exploded.
Staring at the peerless beauty right in front of him, breathing in that intoxicating scent, he waved his hands helplessly in the air.
"I-I-I-I... Is this real? Are the perks of being a Reincarnator finally getting paid out today?!"