[Pupil!!! Trouble up ahead!]

Aerin pointed at several carriages parked by the roadside.

"Huh!? Did time rewind?? I swear I saw this exact scene just days ago."

Aerin hurriedly drove our carriage over.

"[Huh?? Weird—not a single person in sight??]"

The carriages were fully loaded, yet utterly empty. It was as if everyone had vanished into thin air.

"[How strange~ Did they all go to the bathroom together???]"

I inspected each carriage carefully. Their lavish decorations clearly belonged to someone of high status.

"[No valuables missing, no signs of a fight... where did everyone go??]"

Just as confusion clouded my mind, a woman’s voice drifted to my ears.

"[Oh, the passing young man... quite handsome~~]"

Huh? That voice sounded eerily familiar.

"[Husband!! Be careful!! This demon transforms into the woman men dream of most, luring them only to drain them dry!!]" Tia shouted urgently.

"[The woman men dream of most???]"

So, the one I crave most?

I spun around instantly. Before me stood a woman in a blue kimono, radiating oriental charm.

Right—this was the weapon-enhancement NPC from the old game. In-game, weapons enhanced beyond +10 risked shattering to dust, all depending on her mood.

In other words...

"[Damn it! This really is the woman I’ve dreamed of crushing day and night!!!!!!!]"

Murderous intent surged through my entire body as I spoke.

"[Huh!? Who’s that woman, Phyllis???]" Aerin and Tia both turned to Phyllis hiding in the carriage.

"[N-no... don’t ask me! That woman’s terrifying!! I almost got pulverized by her.]" Phyllis trembled violently, clutching her head.

"[Huh?? Who could she be? Someone Pupil obsesses over.]" Aerin scrutinized the demon-woman again.

"[Husband!! Be careful!! Fall under her spell, and you’ll end up like those men behind her!!]"

I looked where Tia pointed. Behind the demon, over a dozen men wore blissfully intoxicated expressions as tentacles toyed with them.

"[Ahhh!!! My eyes!!!! Why show me this!!!!]"

What the hell!! Tentacle play without girls is pointless!

"[I’ll handle this!! Husband can’t resist temptation!!! Though I hate it!!]" Tia began chanting a spell; Aerin raised her spear.

"[Tia!! This demon is mine!!]" I shouted, stopping them.

"[Huh!? But...]"

"[No buts!! I’ve waited for this day so long!!!!]"

"[What!!?? Are you leaving us???]"

"[What nonsense?? Do you think I’d trade myself to a demon for cheap thrills?]"

Only masochistic RPG Maker players would do that.

"[Aren’t you?]"

"[Impossible!! I want to ‘crush’ her in every sense!!!!]"

I slipped on my fighter’s knuckle dusters.

"[Huh????]"

Aerin and Tia froze the moment I equipped them.

"[Young man~~ come here~~~]" The demon-woman beckoned seductively.

"[Heh... finally... today’s the day........]"

I punched her square in the stomach.

"[Huh?]" Tia and Aerin looked utterly bewildered.

"[Go for it!! Onii-chan, fight hard!!!!!!]" Only Phyllis cheered excitedly at my punch.

"[This punch is for my +11 Terra Greatsword!!!!!!]"

"[This one’s for my +13 National Mourning Judicator Blade!!]"

"[And my Shadowless Sword!!! My Yi-Long Blade!!! My Soul-Releasing Katana!!!]"

"[Yes!! Onii-chan, kill her!!!!!!]"

I pounded the demon relentlessly, fist after fist, while Phyllis cheered gleefully beside me.

"[The final punch!! For my Ancient Dust Greatsword!!!!!!!!]"

Tears streaming as I recalled shattered gear, I delivered the last blow.

"[W-what’s happening........]" The demon stared at me, gasping her final words.

"[Disappear! Becoming her was your greatest mistake.]"

She exhaled her last breath and melted into sludge.

"[........................................]" Tia and Aerin stared at me, dumbfounded.

"[Yeah!! Hero! Onii-chan!!!!]" Phyllis jumped for joy.

As the demon died, the ensnared men regained freedom.

"[Cough... cough... saved...]" They snapped out of their daze one by one.

"[What a dangerous country! A demon like this on the road in broad daylight.]" A man in noble attire knelt cursing—though his lower half was bare.

"[Hey, falling for her trick is your fault!!!"

"[Ignorant peasants! I won’t bother. What a trashy nation—even national roads are unsafe.]"

"[Master, please rise and change clothes.]" A servant hurried over—also naked from the waist down.

"[Get lost! What use are you!!!]"

"[Y-yes...]"

Not even a thank-you? What trashy nobles.

"[Tia, Aerin~ let’s go.]"

"[Hey... Tia... why are you glaring like that!!!]"

I turned to see Tia’s eyes glowing crimson, flames swirling around her hands. Aerin and Phyllis clung to her waist, desperately holding her back.

"[Pupil!! Stop Tia!! She’s about to snap!!!"

"[Why snap?? That woman was just someone I hated—don’t be jealous!!]"

"[Those are Empire-standard carriages!!!! They’re from the Empire.]" Tia pointed at the group cleaning up.

"[Wait!! Even if they’re Empire citizens, no trouble!! Haven’t the Empire and Kingdom just ceased hostilities?!!]"

"[B-but...]"

"[Besides, they’re likely civilians. If something happens, won’t war restart? The Kingdom can’t afford that now.]"

Tia immediately retracted her flames and aura.

"[Husband is right.... I was impulsive. These people have nothing to do with war.]" She returned to her usual self.

"[Exactly~ Hurting civilians makes us no better than villains.]"

"[Husband speaks wisely.]"

Yet those ill-mannered civilians ignored us completely. They packed up and drove off without a word.

Whatever. Trash like this exists everywhere. We didn’t save them for gratitude anyway.