The following morning, Selene woke up to a very strange sight. Sleeping next to her was a gorgeous succubus and the girl sleeping in the next bed over was staring daggers at both of them. She had no clue what she could have done in her sleep that warranted Cassie giving her a death glare, but she wasn’t eager to find out.

“Was I snoring or something,” she asked.

“…She sure got comfortable quickly,” Cassie replied, ignoring Selene’s idiotic question.

“Huh? Where else would she sleep if not with me? It’s not safe to leave on her own and I didn’t want to inconvenience you.”

“You could have gotten another room,” she pouted. Cassie wasn’t sure why she was upset but she knew she didn’t like the two of them sharing a bed.

“Hm? Oh, do you want your own room? Lilith doesn’t take up that much space, but I understand if you don’t feel comfortable sharing a room with her.”

“You’re such an idiot,” Cassie growled before she stormed out of the room.

“Geez, what’s her problem… Hey, Lilith, it’s time to get out of bed.”

The succubus opened her eyes for a moment before closing them again and nuzzling her face into Selene’s chest. “Humans are so warm and soft. It has been centuries since I last laid with one.”

“That seems like a personal problem. So, do succubi get really tired when they don’t life-drain for a while?”

“Hmm? Yes, but our charm gets stronger as a way to increase our chances of luring a human. Like this, I would be useless in a fight, but I could charm the strongest of men.”

“That’s too bad because we’re going to accept our first guild contract today. I can’t just leave you here, but I also don’t want to put your life at risk unnecessarily… How do you do your life-drain thing anyway?”

“Like this.” Lilith placed her hand over Selene’s heart and moved in close, as if to kiss her. “If you stare into my eyes, I can activate my power to paralyze you, and drain your life straight from your heart.”

“How interesting. I always assumed you sucked it out through a person’s mouth while you kissed them or something. Well, you wanna give it a shot with me? It’s not like you can kill me or anything.”

“Are you giving me permission, Master?”

“Eh? Master? I don’t own you or anything, we’re friends! Go ahead and try it out!”

Selene’s good nature caused her to do many selfless things that ended up hurting her. Kindness could be described as her only weakness, even going so far as to give a soul-sucking demon permission to do what would kill a mortal. But it was also the thing that made people want to stay by her side. She trusted and showed kindness to those who other people didn’t think were worthy of such things. In the end, the only thing she cared about was helping the people around her, no matter the cost.

Lilith stared deeply into her eyes and attempted to drain the only being to ever care about her. She would never have done such a thing if Selene was a normal human, but she sincerely believed that no harm would come to her. Her face crept ever closer to Selene’s, until she could feel her breath on her lips.

“Selene…” Lilith whispered as she siphoned her heart.

“……So how long does this thing take?”

“How would I know,” she whispered seductively. “Humans typically die when we finish with them, there is no protocol for draining a demigod.”

“I see… So, is it working?”

“Yes,” she moaned. Succubi were innately sensual, even when they weren’t trying to be. Most humans would have given up and surrendered to her attempts, but Selene was too naïve to figure out that she was being seductive.

Lilith was about to end it when the door flew open. She jumped away from Selene, afraid that the furious Cassie would take things the wrong way.

“I knew it! You were trying to seduce her,” Cassie yelled accusatorily. “Groping her chest and kissing her like its nothing!”

Selene got out of bed and equipped her armor as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “Calm down, she was just sucking life from my heart because I told her to. Now she won’t be so weak.”

“You know her for a day and you’re already letting her suck you off!?”

“Phrasing! Geez, what are you upset about? I’m immortal, it’s not like she could actually kill me. How are you feeling Lilith?”

The succubus slithered out of bed and embraced her beloved friend. The whites of her eyes had turned black, and her teeth had grown to resemble those of a vampire. She chuckled at the annoying human and shot her an evil grin before fluttering her wings triumphantly.

“I feel wonderful, Selene. I can feel your life flowing through my body; it is like we have become one.”

“Really? I never thought of it that way, but I guess you’re right. Can you change your appearance to be more human-like now that you have more energy?”

“If that is what Selene wants, then I shall.”

Lilith’s wings and tail retracted into her body, her horns shrunk until they were no longer visible, and her eyes returned to their normal red and white scheme. Succubi had the power to mimic the appearance of humans as a way to lure men away from their homes without raising suspicions. However, since her cave was so far away, and because she didn’t have the energy to do so, she hadn’t transformed in hundreds of years.

“Great! Now we can go to the adventurers’ guild without drawing too much attention! Let’s go meet up with Rena and choose our first contract!”

“Hmph! And how do you expect her to fight without any armor or weapons? Won’t she just be in the way,” Cassie asked like the spoiled brat she was.

“Stupid human, do you think the only way to fight is with silly tools? Do not worry about me, human, I can hold my own with ease.”

“Ugh! Whatever!” Cassie stormed out of the room and headed towards the adventurers’ guild in a huff.

Stupid Selene, she thought. Why is she so nice to that demon!? She’s not even that pretty! She’s got that big titty goth girlfriend look, it’s not that special! If that’s the kind of girl she’s into, then she’s an even bigger weirdo than I thought!

She was in such a foul mood that she didn’t even realize how much time had passed until she was standing outside the guild. She made a beeline to the main hall where she found a certain elf.

“Rena, you were totally right,” she groaned as she slumped into the seat next to her. “They slept together last night and this morning she let that demon to suck her off.”

Rena glared at the annoying brat who disrupted her breakfast. “Why do you care, you’re just using her. Also, I’m pretty sure you’re leaving some details out of that story.”

“She’s keeping a demon in our room! How is she protecting me when the danger is in bed with her!?”

“Ugh, you’re the worst. If you hate it so much, just stay here at the guild until she has enough money to get a place that can accommodate the four of us.”

“You want me to leave those two alone to do who knows what!? You know, I’m not so certain that she is actually immune to that thing’s powers.”

The elf buried her face into her hands to muffle her frustrated scream. “You are so aggravating! Why don’t you talk to her yourself instead of complaining to me!? If you don’t like her sleeping with Lilith, then sleep with her instead!”

“But I don’t want to sleep with that life-sucker.”

“…Idiot,” Rena sighed.

“Rena! Hey!”

Selene rushed over and hugged the blushing elf. As strange as it looked, Selene didn’t care what anyone thought about her. She told herself that she would live without reservations, and she intended to do just that.

Rena perked up at the sight of her friend. “Good morning, Selene! You’re in a good mood today.”

“Of course I am, I get to spend the day with my friends! I never knew having friends was so much fun!”

“That was your own fault, loser,” Cassie remarked, still not over her anger.

“Selene, would you like me to take care of the annoying human?” Lilith asked, trying to genuinely help her friend.

“Please do,” Rena begged. “She’s been complaining ever since she got here! Going on about you sleeping with Selene and sucking her.”

Lilith cocked her head to the side, puzzled by Rena’s statement. “Is it strange to share a bed with a friend or accept a gift from a kind person?”

“…You’re surprisingly wholesome, Lilith. So, what kind of gift did she give you?”

Selene grabbed Lilith’s hand excitedly and grinned. “She can draw her energy from me without harming anyone! She can stay with us for however long she wants because she will always have a source to drain from!”

“That’s awesome! I’m sure the guild will be fine with her joining our party if you explain it to them.”

“I already got permission from Beatrice! Oh! But only if you want to join us, Lilith.”

Ever since she met the succubus, Selene had dropped her roleplaying persona. She wanted to show Lilith genuine consideration as opposed to an emotionally blunt façade. Her real personality, the one that she expressed in the comfort of her home in her games, was shy, but sympathetic of those who weren’t accepted. She felt like she could be herself around Lilith and Rena, but she was still weary of expressing herself around Cassie.

Lilith was surprised by Selene’s insistence to treat her as an equal as opposed to a subordinate. Her whole life, she thought of humans as weak in mind and body, but that perception changed when she met the kind immortal who thought of her needs without fear of what others would say.

“What I want………… I want to stay with you, Selene.”

“Yay!” Selene hugged her friend and took her hand again. “Alright, it’s time to take our first contract! Rena, since you’ve always wanted to go on a high-level contract, why don’t you chose?”

“Eh!? Really!? I can choose whatever I like!?”

“Of course! Think of this as a thanks for training Cassie yesterday.”

“Yes! I know just the one! I’ll go grab it!”

Rena rushed off to get the contract, leaving Cassie to stew in confused vexation.

“…Are you going to hold her hand all day or something?”

“Huh? I mean, probably not all day, but I don’t see anything wrong with it. Do you mind Lilith?”

“Of course not, Selene,” she replied suggestively. She was fully aware of why Cassie was so upset, but that only made her want to flaunt it more. “Are you jealous, human?”

“Don’t be stupid, of course not! She wishes she could do that kind of thing with me,” Cassie retorted.

Before any more vitriol was spread, Rena skipped over to her companions with a big smile on her face.

“We have a contract! Check it out! We’re clearing a nest of basilisks!”

“Umm, remind me, how big are those things,” Selene asked.

“About the size of the Mage Tower, but they can vary.”

“And how many are we talking?”

“At least five! Isn’t that awesome!? And get this, the reward is a thousand gold coins!”

“…What’s the conversion rate to silver?”

“One gold coin is about fifty silver coins!”

“……………Nice. Let’s do it! Where is it!?”

“It’s only a three-day trip west, near the highlands!”

Cassie didn’t understand a word of the nerd talk they were spouting. She was already in a foul mood and their rambling wasn’t helping.

“What are basilisks,” she asked.

“They’re like giant venomous serpents that have hard skin that is impenetrable to normal weapons,” Selene explained, trying to make it simple enough for someone who wasn’t engrossed in nerd culture.

“What!? And we’re going to fight those after walking for three days!?”

“Yeah, isn’t that super exciting!” Rena was almost too excited for someone who wasn’t immortal and only had a slingshot that couldn’t hurt an ogre.

“No way! Nuh-uh! Nope! There’s absolutely zero chance I’m doing that.”

Lilith chuckled and flipped her hair dismissively. “Then you can stay here, human, and we will take on those overgrown snakes without you. Actually, it would be better if you did not go, you would just get in the way.”

“I’m fine with that! Let’s go before she changes her mind!” Rena was eager to get away from Cassie. She didn’t want to spend a whole week with that infuriating girl, especially with Lilith being there to mess with her.

“Cassie, I told you the other day that I wanted to be an adventurer and kill monsters with my friends. You can stay at the inn and wait until for us to return if you don’t want to join us.”

Selene felt bad for leaving Cassie behind, but she also didn’t want to limit herself to only things that Cassie wanted to do. In her mind, Cassie was never interested in becoming an adventurer and only agreed to it as an excuse to stay with her. Eventually, Cassie would decide to live her own life or marry a wealthy aristocrat, so there was no point in dragging her along on a dangerous contract.

“B-but you said you would protect me and stay by my side.”

“If you stay here or at the inn, you won’t need to be protected. And I never agreed to stay by your side, only to help you out. Just because we lived in the same place once doesn’t mean we always have to. I told you the other day that we were at zero, but I can’t forget the way you felt about me before I wasn’t repulsive to look at. If you like being around me, it’s not because you like my personality, it’s my new appearance and strength. You should find friends you get along with and stop forcing yourself to do things. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be leaving. Here.”

Selene handed Cassie a pouch of coins and walked away, unaffected by the tears that were dripping down her cheeks. Selene was tired of the combative nature Cassie had towards her friends and this was the last straw. This new world was full of amazing things that she desperately wanted to experience, and she wasn’t going to limit herself for the sake of a former coworker who didn’t respect her before they died.

“H-hey, don’t you think you were a bit harsh with her,” Rena asked, surprised to see her friend acting so serious.

“None of what I said was news to her. We’ve talked more in the past few days than we did in the last three years. Any comradery that she felt was out of convenience, not because she genuinely likes me.”

Suddenly, she felt something hit the back of her head. She turned to find a fuming Cassie, red from rage and full of determination.

“You’re a jerk. Come on, let’s kill some dumb lizards.”

She stormed past them in an amazing show of restraint. None of what Selene had told her was wrong, but she didn’t like being humiliated and talked down to. Even the idea of fighting some oversized snakes wasn’t enough to dissuade her from powering through in defiance.

The four of them walked awkwardly through the city, out the gate, past the forest, and into the grasslands without saying a word. Cassie was too angry to come up with coherent sentences that weren’t laden with expletives and the other three didn’t feel like poking the bear.

The grasslands they were walking through offered little distractions, and that was unlikely to change for a couple days. The path they were following took them straight through the western grasslands and around the marshes of Grevian, which were known to be impossible to navigate. Their destination was the highlands that were home to unknown evils and hidden treasures. The journey was going to be boring, and practically nothing sat between them and their destination.

“…Selene, may I speak freely,” Lilith whispered.

Selene nodded, too scared to attempt speaking without being heard by Cassie.

“Do you have an ability that could get us there faster? If this goes on much longer, Rena may start shouting again.”

She pulled up her abilities list to see if there was anything that could bring about a premature end to their awkward silence. Her teleportation spells only worked if she had already been to a place or things within a relatively short distance. Her boots’ speed boost wouldn’t make her friends move any faster and her other spells would only affect one or two at most.

She scrolled to the very bottom of the extremely long list in a vain attempt to find something that would help. That’s when a particularly OP ability caught her eye. It would be a bold move, but it would allow all four of them to get to their destination faster. God must have been extremely trusting to give her such an ability.

“Dragon form,” she called out loud despite not needing to say anything to activate it.

Her body stretched and grew as her skin was replaced with blue scales that matched her armor. Her teeth extended, her nose turned into a snout, and her eyes became elongated, expanding her field of view. She jumped off the ground from all fours and spread her wings in an attempt to fly. It took her a moment, but she quickly caught on. After a couple laps around her friends, she landed in front of them, causing the ground to shake from the impact.

“Hop on, well get there faster if we fly,” she said in a monstrous growl. She had no control over her voice, but it was a small price to pay to become a dragon.

“When I asked if you had an ability to get us there faster, this was not what I had in mind. But it will do.”

Lilith hopped on her back without hesitation, trusting her friend fully.

“Uhhh, Selene, a-are you sure about this,” Rena asked, rightfully frightened at the sight of the thing she was taught her whole life to fear.

“Would you prefer walking through endless fields of grass and over rocky outcrops?” Lilith sounded significantly less terrifying than the literal dragon she was sitting on.

“Good point. Help me up, Lilith!” Rena climbed the scales on Selene’s flank until Lilith could reach her.

That left Cassie as the lone objector. No one really wanted her around, but they were also too scared to say that out loud. Cassie, on the other hand, was terrified of the enormous monster that appeared out of nowhere.

“S-Selene? I-is that really you?”

“Chika,” was the sole word that Selene needed to prove who she was. No one in this world knew Cassie’s real first name except for Selene, who only knew it because she saw it a dozen times a day on paperwork before she died.

“R-right… Alright, I trust you not to kill us.”

With that, the final straggler climbed on and firmly gripped the scales on Selene’s back. Their first contract was off to an unusual start, but that fit them perfectly.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The three-day journey was shortened to only a few hours thanks to Selene’s dragon form. Even though it took a while to get used to riding on the back of a dragon, everyone considered it the preferable option to walking in awkward silence. No one knew how to remedy the rift between Cassie and the rest of the party, and no one was brave enough to start the conversation.

By the time Selene landed at the base of the western highlands, it was late in the evening, and everyone just wanted to eat and stretch their legs. Once her companions jumped down from her scaly back, Selene transformed back into her human form.

“That was so weird,” she thought out loud. “How was it for you all?”

“Surprisingly peaceful,” Rena answered as she began setting up camp.

“After spending so many years in a cave, it felt nice to fly again.” Lilith opened her wings and fluttered them a few times as if to add further proof of her glee.

Cassie, on the other hand, rushed past the rest of them in search of a bush she could hide behind. She hated flying on airplanes in her old world, and riding a dragon was much worse than that! Getting motion sickness was the last thing she wanted after the horrible day she already had.

While she attempted to alleviate some of her misery, Selene took the opportunity to ask her friends something that had been bothering her.

“How are we going to fight five basilisks when your slingshot can’t even draw blood from a goblin and Lilith’s magic isn’t powerful at long range? Is it really a fun quest for you if I kill all of them while you watch from the sideline?”

“Ehh, I didn’t really think that far. I just grabbed the one with the highest reward and toughest opponent,” Rena admitted without any shame whatsoever.

“Of course you didn’t. This is just going to devolve into me fighting all five at once, isn’t it?”

“Well… You could kill four of them and leave one for us to try to beat.”

“Can Selene really defeat that many on her own,” Lilith asked.

“Probably. Even if she can’t, it’s not like she can die.”

“I’ll be fine, Lilith. You two set up camp, I’ll go check on Cassie.”

Selene wandered over to where she saw Cassie run off to. She felt a little bad for how she treated her earlier, even though everything she said was true. There was an underlying confusion that prevailed over everything Selene did. She wasn’t used to her new appearance and how it could influence how people interpreted her actions. She didn’t mean to cause misunderstandings, but she didn’t realize how her personality could do just that.

After a few minutes of searching, she found Cassie lying face up on a rock, mimicking a lizard basking in the sun.

“Uhh, are you okay?”

“I would say I saw my life flash before my eyes, but there’s not much to see… This is all so hard to believe. Like is this all really happening? Is this just a strange dream? ……You were right, you know? I didn’t like to hear it, but what you said was true: I think I was so possessive of you because you were the only thing that connected me to my past. I guess, I hoped that one day I would wake up and be back in my apartment. I had friends, family, even a couple boyfriends, now I just have you. Because of that, I was afraid of someone taking you from me and I acted like a fool. I promise to take being an adventurer more seriously and try to get along with your friends, I really have nothing else to live for.”

Selene was taken aback by her sudden honesty. There wasn’t much she could say in response, but she felt like she understood her better. While she was celebrating and enjoying her new life, Cassie was mourning the life she lost and the people she would no longer see.

“We were given another chance at life; we might as well enjoy ourselves. Fantasy RPGs were the only thing I had. I hated real life, because no one wanted me around or cared about me. This world is full of amazing creatures, breathtaking sights, and incredible personal abilities that can make this life so much more fun. But you know what the best part of this world is? The people. Rena was just an adventurer that no party wanted and was mocked for her weapon of choice. Lilith was a succubus who hadn’t seen a human in years and wasn’t accepted by her fellow succubi. Neither of them was able to fit in, and that’s what drew me to them. Give them a chance, you may come to like them. If you want to stay with us, and be in this party, open your mind a bit and you might enjoy yourself.”

Selene grabbed her by the forearm, healing her of her sickness as she pulled Cassie to her feet.

“Thank you, Selene. You’re actually a really great person; probably the only one who would see a demon and feel sympathy for them.”

“Some people have more than what meets the eye. How hypocritical would I be if I judged people by their appearance when I wished they didn’t for most of my previous life? Now, come on, let’s have some dinner and prepare to kill some reptiles.”

They joined the rest of their party, who had set up camp while they were talking. The scent of roasting meat filled the air, adding to the sense of comfort that had settled over them. None of them were scared of what was to come the next day, because they had faith in their friend.

Even though they had only known each other for a few days, someone as kind as Selene was impossible not to trust. Rena never would have been able to go on a high-rank contract with friends if it weren’t for her. Despite being a succubus, Lilith lived without seeing another being for years until she met Selene. Unlike other humans, Selene showed her kindness and accepted her for what she was.

“Welcome back, Selene. Would you like to join me?” Lilith offered suggestively, unable to turn off her seductress tone.

“For sure!” Selene skipped over and immediately started cuddling with her favorite succubus.

“You really like Lilith, don’t you?” Rena asked with a grin.

“Of course, I do! She’s cute and soft and nice to cuddle.”

“You are too kind, Selene,” Lilith said softly. “Do you prefer my human form?”

“Huh? I mean, I like it, and it’s easier for you to blend in in that form, but I like you either way. Do whatever you want, Lilith,” Selene replied with a smile.

A moment later, her wings unfurled from her back, her horns grew back to their curled shape, and her tail wiggled around freely. It wasn’t common that humans liked her natural form equally to her human form. But Selene wasn’t a common human in many ways.

“Hey, Lilith, do you have the ability to love,” Cassie asked out of genuine curiosity.

“Human emotions are easy to manipulate. Human love is susceptible to lust, no matter how strong their will. However, I still feel emotions, just differently from you humans.”

“So do you like Selene or are you just going along with her pace?”

Lilith chuckled and then stroked Selene’s silky hair. “She is very special to me. She cares for me and never asks for anything in return. She may be a human, but I will stay by her side for however long she wishes.”

Selene sat up and squished Lilith’s cheeks playfully. “I told you to do whatever you want, silly. I’d be happy if you were to stay with me, but I would never force you to stay with me if you wanted to leave.”

“And that is why I shall stay with you.”

“…Damn. She’s more wholesome than I thought she’d be. So were you guys kissing this morning,” Cassie asked, in continued interest.

“Of course not,” Lilith replied immediately. “She has virgin lips; I would not want to steal her first.”

“Hey! Why’d you go and announce something like that!? She already knows I’m a loser, you don’t need keep reminding her!”

“Hehehe! For an OP immortal, you sure get embarrassed easily,” Rena laughed at her.

“S-shut up! The meat should be cooked, so let’s eat and make it an early night.”

The four girls spent the rest of the evening exchanging silly insults and learning more about each other. There was a comradery among them that wasn’t there before, it felt like they were a real group of friends. The events of that morning were a lifetime ago and the only moment that mattered was the one they were in.

That night, after everyone else went to sleep, Cassie sat on her bedroll and seriously thought about her current situation. She had done what Selene had suggested and gave her friends a real chance. Strangely, she enjoyed herself more than she had in long time, even before being reincarnated. Once she stopped being so possessive of Selene, she learned how interesting and wholesome Lilith was. And Rena, instead of being cranky and angry like she was with her before, seemed to brighten up the entire mood of the group.

Did I ever have this much fun in my previous life, she asked herself. Selene seems to love this world so much, I kind of regret not learning more about her hobbies before it was too late. She’s right though, this world isn’t like ours, but that doesn't mean it’s worse.

She looked over at Selene, who was cuddling with Lilith in their shared bedroll. There was something oddly peaceful about watching her sleep. Ever since they were reincarnated, she had seen many sides of Selene, but this was the first time she noticed her vulnerable side. Perhaps she wasn’t looking, or perhaps Selene didn’t feel comfortable enough with her to show her that side, but now she couldn’t tear her eyes away from her.

The thing that both Lilith and Rena said they liked the most about Selene was her kindness. Neither mentioned her appearance as a reason for why they wanted to stay with her. They liked her personality, and that was why she felt comfortable to be herself with them. That was what Selene was trying to tell her earlier. Even though she asked God to make her prettier, she didn’t want people to like her for her appearance alone.

Deep down, Cassie really wanted to get closer to her, not because of what she looked like or could do for her, but because she was a nice person. The friends she had before were all shallow and only liked her because of the things she owned. The boys she went out with only liked her for her appearance, which is why none of them lasted long. Even her family only cared about doing things a certain way and not what she wanted.

In this world, she had the opportunity to find people who accepted her as she was. She wasn’t going to waste that opportunity by insulting and using the people who were willing to help her. Most importantly, she wasn’t going to lose the one person who looked after her without expectations.

All she needed to do now was to fight a basilisk and hope that God kept her promise.