《NotSoHero》 Chapter 1 - If one mistake can change life, how about a lot, lot, LOT of them? I¡¯m in trouble¡­ and big one at that! Completely drowned in shit, all the way in. I¡¯ve put myself in such a mess that I lost all chance of getting out. You know, that¡¯s not something one would come upon by mere bad luck, nor something one would cause by a simple mistake then blame the heat of the moment thus forgetting it¡­ ¡­ no, now that I think of it, IT WAS!! ¡°We are here today to finally state a clear verdict regarding the charges brought against the accused.¡± A small inadvertence. ¡°As a reminder, after having received all complaints and claims, collecting proof from witnesses, and retaining on file all pieces of evidence, It was decided to stop the indictment to further examine all elements in detail. Furthermore, the court held a closed door debate to discuss the different course of actions available to our choosing. ¡± A mere oversight that every man in my shoes could have made. ¡°It has been agreed that each victim will receive satisfying moral compensation, as well as financial support according to the amount of ¡®cons¨¦quences¡¯. Moreover, the indemnity will be guaranteed by this here international court, and several other parties. To name a few, the Saint kingdoms of stainless soul, the Northern Union, and of course, the Rana empire who instigated the case.¡± It¡¯s just that it has happened too often. Way too often!!!.. If not all the time...as far as I can remember, I don''t even know If I had ever NOT done it once¡­ ¡­ Have I? ¡°The court has already finished its deliberations and is ready to rule¡­ ¡± So, how often would you Ask? Well, with once or twice per working day as a basis, let¡¯s say one and a third. 2 or 3 times per week. To which you add one resting day, with a good standard of 2?... no, let¡¯s not be barren here, two and a half. Oh yes, we must not forget public holidays! How many again? 6? 11? yet I distinctly remember about twenty or so¡­ or was it even more? Bah, there''s no point in counting them anyway, there were many times where my presence was sufficient and justified one more. Simply showing up in a town made it have a festival. So I guess it was a little higher than that. Let¡¯s say 50. ¡°The accused is found guilty of all counts! We therefore decree that he and his future official lineage will have to pay off the upcoming debt up to full reimbursement or otherwise decided! ¡± Modulo the times I was too busy or couldn''t make it, but let¡¯s not bother with details, For a total of approximately 425 times a year, and for 3 years and-half... I''d Say around 1500. Wait, it seems I miss something, holidays likely replaced working ones in most cases so I should remove¡­ ¡°All 3723 victims up to date shall receive 58 silver and 33 copper coins a month for a total sum of 7 gold coins per year.¡± If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Oi Oi Oi-i...WAIT A MINUTE. IS that even possible?!! ¡°In addition, extra aid will be procured for victims with multiple issues in the amount of 3 golds a year for each addition, up to three, then 1 gold for any more than that.¡± Hey! 7 Gold is already worth an average physical worker''s annual salary! you can''t give that much, can you? Anyway, they don''t need it! ¡°Cases that have more than 3 will be given special care and additional help in the form of favors. accommodation, food and clothing will be provided free of charge by your respective kingdoms, according to access criteria that are yet to be determined.¡± Anything else? You don''t want to pay for their vacation while you''re there either? Tell me, you''re not going to do it, are you? ¡°I¡¯ll take this opportunity to mention that I¡¯m well aware of these troublesome specific cases with an abnormal number of issues which goes up to 7. I shall assure you that we will not let you alone in your torments and will and we will do everything in our power to give you personalized assistance.¡± Did he just say seven???? SEVEN? Are you sure that¡¯s not a coup mont¨¦? OBJECTION!!! Your grace!! Wait ¡­ ¡­Now that it crosses my mind, I don''t think they took into account the ones that are yet to be...did they? ¡°Moreover, a budget will be secured to relive all future potential victims that are yet to be discovered, do not worry!¡± Nope, no they didn''t! But at least there shouldn''t be much left, given the time spent in the cell¡­ I should be happy that my debt is not likely to increase. But really, how did the total reach this much? Again, how IS it even possible, even if I did it every day it doesn¡¯t account for this many. Unless.... Ah! Alright... It¡¯s true that I inadvertently forgot these times that counted double...or triple...or¡­ I think I should stop here, I can¡¯t figure how high the multiplier goes. And I don''t want to!!. OKAY j''avoue! It might be possible that time like those (x5) would add some to the balance. Or those rarely seen (x10) or Even that Time I can''t remember well with 29 or so (it should¡¯ve been more but 4 were inept, I¡¯m sure of it!) And maybe, I said maybe, in slightless possibility, that there are moments I don''t remember at all, for no reason, black holes in my memory. Perhaps, those could exceed that number, but that is very unlikely! In no way.... ¡°The perpetrator shall repay throughout his life a total yearly debt of at least 41 133 gold coins accounting for current approved child care and moral support, to with accommodation and future victims add 25 000. Considering the hero¡¯s help and diligent work over the years, altogether, it will be reduced to 65 000.¡± Arggggg! This is the equivalent of duchy income! Do you truly want to be repaid, or to push me to suicide? Be honest! ¡°For a minimum of 15 consecutive years, with a rate of 1,5% per year of the unpaid amount. Moral compensation will be reassessed every three years from today onward. Note that a moral support plant is currently under discussion too, so the final amount may vary to an extent.¡± That can¡¯t be real, with these numbers, it¡¯s the same as if I was a natural living assisted reproductive technology (ART) with a 100% fertility rate!! And what about infantile mortality! Ah¡­. Right, with healing magic it¡¯s practically impossible to die during childbirth¡­ not gonna be helped from that part too bad... How the FUCK did I FUCK myself into this (these) FUCKING situation(s)! Like... Literally¡­ I should have taken mom¡¯s words more seriously and used contraceptives after all. Chapter 2 - Morning after pill This time, when I woke up, there were¡­ 17 of them I think? No, if I remember well, one passed-out at an early stage and was given medical care while another was called back in the middle of the night for an emergency. But both still count¡­ So 19. Good, things are progressing smoothly, this brings the total to 1237, I¡¯m still 2486 off, but I¡¯m getting closer. Oh! Right, there was that maid who came and brought us some snacks, and was mistaken for a participant¡­ and this one who was jealous and couldn¡¯t make it, but received her consolation prize afterwards. 1239, we are going forward. Haha! Who said ¡®Beware of lust, it corrupts both the body and the mind.¡¯! My perfect memory refutes the later, while my situation proves the former¡¯s opposite. I¡¯m healthy and well, and it appears I have 3723 legal proof who can testify, without any need to search for some random stranger first-class witnesses which are few, or scarce husban¨CI mean second-class one! ¡°Hello? Did you hear me?¡± ¡­some of them were also first-class though¡­ ¡°Hero-kun?¡± Ah yes, that¡¯s right, some had this fetish and some even pushed their wife to me first¡­ But!!! I¡¯m not some ugly bastard in an NTR novel, I¡¯m the hero!!! What¡¯s the point if you take all sense of accompli--I mean give me remorse and bad feelings. Okay, I grant you that I wasn''t the type to put much resistance and tend to compel rather quickly. Still! I''d never done it knowingly, even less obliged, and yet, what am I supposed to do when some random girl offers herself. I can¡¯t check on everyone¡¯s background beforehand, can I? Yes, accidents happen, but I was always the first to ensure they remain unknown. I NEVER EVER raped anyone, I swear!! No seriously, I¡¯m not that BAD of a guy ya know. I earnestly never forced anyone at all, and it has often been the other way instead. Back on topic, it¡¯s not my fault if afterward, some of them still find their way in! I can¡¯t pay attention to all insignificant and burdensome details, even worse when they hide among other legitimate women. ¡°HEY!!!¡± Bang! Something hard violently hit my head and forced me to refocus my attention. As I looked into my interlocutor wondering what happened, a fork handle entered my field of vision coming from my forehead and blood dripping before my eyes. A dazzling pain finally reached my brain and¡­ That hurt! THAT HURT A LOT!!!! ¡°A?e ¨C OUCH ¨C SACRE BLEU. Why would you do that!!!¡± Girls nowadays, pay them no attention for even 2 good minutes while thinking about other women, and here we are, instant resort to violence, followed by a nervous breakdown. ¡°I¡¯ve been speaking for 5 minutes straight and you give no responses whatsoever! I know that your situation is difficult and you¡¯re having a hard time. I can understand that you have your mind elsewhere. I also admit that it''s a bad-taste of mine to bring up this topic so quickly in the conversation, especially when we barely know each other, but that is not a reason to utterly ignore me. If you are to reject me, do so, but do it outright!¡± Yup, I told you so, she was all sweet and carrying before turning out angrier and even shouting, now she will be all flustered and upset. I dunno what she is speaking about, but she seems to care about it, after all, she just nearly attempted to murder me. If not because of my hero¡¯s almost invincible body thick head, it would have ended up in a mess. "Here again, your mind is about to go away again and drift, CAN YOU AT LEAST GIVE ME A CLEAR ANSWER!" She resumed her speech while my interest in her was already fading away, or was it because of the pain that I was having trouble concentrating? Again, humf¡­ The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Strengthening my concentration despite the pain and blood that was obstructing my vision, I was finally able to look at the person. Wow! I hadn''t paid attention, but she was a stunning cutie. The reason behind this whole commotion was a slender girl rather small in build, even for a young adult. She had beautiful and smooth hair, long enough to reach the middle of her back, and of a dark green color. She wore cosplay-like attire, a mix between a nurse¡¯s, a night lady¡¯s, and even a nun¡¯s? outfit. It gave such a sexy vibe that you couldn¡¯t even tell if she intended to look like one or the other, or simply a natural temptress. A fitting short black nurse dress, with some pink here and there, mismatched tights, a pink fishnet and a white one, with a barely visible garter belt that disappears behind the nurse outfit. On top of that, she had a scapular¡­ that covered nothing and existed for the only purpose of adding fabric to the whole. I mean, bareback down to her but, it completely evaded the bust on the front. If it were not for its questionable ability to partially cover the legs, this garment would¡¯ve been a total failure. Ultimately, a mighty staff, excessively fine and imposing, way too long for her build and that even grand priests don''t show often, gave to the whole a very strange allure. Anyway, her face keeps giving me a feeling of d¨¦ja-vu, I didn¡¯t know why tho. But let¡¯s not dwell on it, I¡¯m sure if it¡¯s important I¡¯ll remember it¡­somehow. ¡°Sorry, a significant matter was on my mind and I couldn¡¯t focus. So where were we... Let me get my head straight¡­ Ah yes, after my trial, the court and guild posted an arbitrary paid global request or so, in one fell swoop, asking adventurers to join my party to help me in my obligatory debt rep- I mean permanent quest of wealth, without any notice, even though it was useless and nobody would be willing?.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it!¡± She was thrilled and stood up from bliss, leaning on the table. ¡°And you, a junior healer who just got out of a first rate magical school, accepted this request even before it was officially posted, thanks to your relation to one of the guild members¡­¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°And so after receiving all of my personal data,my localization, a glimpse of all the faces I could take if I wanted to hide and every single noticeable physical distinction that can help you recognize me.¡± Hey! Shouldn¡¯t all of them be confidential information? And the last one is downright private! "Plus, an advance payment for service rendu of 500 gold, direct teleportation to where I was last seen by guild¡¯s great wizards. And a total access and right to a curse that was marked on me without my knowledge and consent, able to pinpoint where I am in real time with less than ten meters of error margin and 0,1s refresh rate?" The last part¡¯s scary and beyond overkill!! Like I would be able to flee, to where? I am condemned in every single kingdom on this continent, and wanted dead or almost-dead in every other¡¯s. I wonder why almost-dead by the way, especially when that¡¯s where Queendoms are¡­ ¡°YES!!!!¡± Delighted, she got close again, so much that our faces were only inches apart. she was now half kneeling on the table. ¡°So what''s left, I¡¯ve not forgotten anything right?¡± ¡°YOU FORGOT MY REQUEST¡± BANG! The knife joined the fork on my body and nailed my hand to the table ¡°ARGFfzjf!!!!¡± I should take care of it sooner than later, it hurts as hell!! And I don¡¯t think dirtying the guild was a good idea, they were capable of charging me for the cleaning, and I didn¡¯t want my already absolutely unpayable debt to grow¡­ AS I CARE, event 3 lifetime wouldn¡¯t be enough anyway!! Okay, and what was your request again? I lost track at this very moment, but I cannot remember why? Once more, just another oddity. ¡°Okay, okay, can you tell me it once again, I just can¡¯t remember it at al--NO STOP, I was elsewhere and distracted, I¡¯ll take the blame, I apologize, so please, I plead you, PLEASE!! Put down that spoon!!¡± ¡°Humph goujat! That¡¯s already the second time you said the exact same thing you know!¡± She crossed her arms ostensibly dissatisfied, not letting go of the spoon. 2nd time? Weird, I don¡¯t have any recollection of the first, once again¡­ ¡°So, for the last time listen well, because it won¡¯t happen a third! Please I love you, would you marry me! Or go out with me? Or at least make me pregn- let me help you in your hardship?¡± Okay, she got me here. This one, I didn''t see it coming at all. fa-thud! I passed out from shock rather than blood loss, or maybe both, after all I couldn¡¯t feel my hand and I started to see trouble cuz you know¡­the cutlery was well planted, deep into the bones. Ah¡­ Maybe I shouldn''t have stopped the spoon, this could have saved my brain from the last sentence at least. I wonder where it would have ended, not like you can cut or plant with that one, can you?? As I was leaving for the other side, trying to recall something and refute my statement, a lingering feeling of pain came from one of my fingers, the one you feel after being amputated or chopped something, not that I know what it feels like, but¡­ Ominous feelings filled me up. Chapter 3 - Morning after pill second dose Now free from disturbance and other¡¯s distraction. I could start again where I¡¯d left before. Once upon a time, some three years ago, not long after my start as the hero actually. During a snowy winter evening, there was a pair of strange ones, father and son. Who, being in a reconstituted family situation, knocked on my door, one after the other after a short interval, with their just remarried bride and bride-to-be, on a leash, dropping them into my embrace, already completely naked under their simple coat, panting, and ready to act. Or was it the father who had given me his daughter in law and the son his mother in law...? Well anyway, the two gifted me anew, their respective daughters , with 2, then at some point more, hearing spectators. Why would I care and waste my time to relate it, would you say? Especially since this doesn''t concern anyone but me and my private life. And 6? Wasn¡¯t it 5, including me? Was I turning senile there, to the point of not knowing how to count anymore? Some would say that this is what it means to spend your life making love and war. In the long run, it reduces your cognitive abilities. I''ve probably made a mistake, that''s all. Well Nope, too bad hehehe, there was an impostor among us actually, De facto, there were more than one, but well..., while one was insignificant and could be downgraded to a simple act of destiny, a passerby passing by, who, upon seeing the whole preface, ended joining-up the main stage, the second one was of the utmost importance. This is the one we are interested in here. She was a girl, a teenager, that I picked up... HEY!! I Know what you¡¯re thinking! But to put some minds at rest, and maybe let down others, I didn¡¯t put my hand on here okay! Well, I did...kinda?, at some point, but it was only to wash her and give first aid assistance! I didn¡¯t have a choice!!! Did I? I encountered her while on a quest, to ogle at some tourist spot well known by women¡­ I mean to pick rare magical plants in the forest near a lake known as a relaxation spot and swimming area for adventurers. Truly a good one by the way, I highly recommend it. It¡¯s an authentic piece of paradise in the wild with excellent views in many places to appreciate. By chance, this place was frequented almost exclusively by women. It''s not my fault if all men are dirty and don¡¯t wash as often as girls do! Never mind, while on it, I came across this girl, wounded, full of scratches and dirt, I had no choice you understand? I rescued her and one thing led to another¡­ no I did NOT sleep with her! Or even touched her, or think about me doing it with her on bunny cospl--Why should I defend myself in the first place? It didn''t even occur at all okay, that¡¯s it. Thus, this girl ended up in my care, for her recovery time, and as she was in a coma, I let her sleep freely at my place at some point. It was only the afternoon and I couldn¡¯t guess what would happen later on. I was ready to check after her condition as soon as I arrived in a village for the night, when this joyful mishap with the 4 other girls hooked me, not even allowing me time to peek a little. Back on business, why does it matter? Well, simply because this green-haired girl I¡¯ve met and saved before, looks strangely like the one standing before me at this very moment, like two drops of water. Intriguing, ain¡¯t it? I wonder why I didn''t make the connection before. ¡°¡­ ¡­ Who are you again, what¡¯s your name?¡± BANG!! Here goes the spoon... Did I look like a difficult baby in need of food to you? at leastKeep your damn fucking scary throwing weapon for such people! Fortunately, it seems I had not lost my reflexes despite the events, and I managed to barely avoid it this time. The spoon continued his race and ended up in the wall behind me, completely stuck¡­ Hey wait, isn¡¯t this a stone one? ¡°Are you kidding me!!¡± The beautiful girl with green hair who just acted without a warning before even bothering to speak, opened her mouth while the spoon was still vibrating behind me on the whole, making a high pitched sound. ¡°No, you! Are you kidding me?? You almost killed me twice today!!¡± ¡°Ho..., so you do remember!!! You are indeed making fun of me! You¡¯re lucky the spoon¡¯s not in my hand anymore! First of all, with the first time you passed on, it makes 3 now. But who cares, I will heal you anyway so it won¡¯t harm your day.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. She was crossing arms out of irritation, just like before my earlier momentary absence, which didn''t bode well. Regaining my senses in view of the situation, I finally caught on to her last words, she said three¡­ What could she possibly have done before my first blackout so that I had no recollection of it whatsoever. Wait¡­ could this phantom pain on my finger from last time¡­¡­ ¡­ ¡­ SCARY!! Hopefully, I¡¯ll never reminisce about this one! At least it explains the reflex I had just now. ¡°Okay, again sorrrrrryyyy, my bad okay! Honestly, I don''t remember ever hearing your name. But I¡¯m all ears now. And by the way, do you have a sister? A twin perhaps?¡± Just so I can confirm my thought without making her use the rest of her torture device kit. Although I wish she didn¡¯t have any. Of course, I¡¯m talking about the silverware set, the spoon was not ours in the first place but the guild¡¯s, why did you have to steal it¡­ ¡°Oh! Do you remember her? I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d!¡± Her expression changed completely, all of sudden she seemed happy and pleased by my last sentence. For real? "It¡¯s not my twin, but we do share similarities and are not too far in age. It was long before the time where you saved me in the forest. In fact, from what I¡¯m aware, she was one of your first ¡®conquests¡¯. But that¡¯s odd, you went with her further down than with me, well, she did end up pregnant, so sure you did, did-ya! But she told me you didn¡¯t have full possession of your means at that time and wouldn¡¯t remember her. Glad she was wrong, this took away the need to explain, I was just about to bring that up next and was wondering if I should use the spoon or another utensil to keep your attention.¡± She responded to my dumb question while dropping bombs as if nothing bothered her. Forget what I¡¯d said, I shouldn¡¯t have asked, let''s not even talk about the hidden threat. Not too far in age? Long before our first encounter? I¡¯d better not ask if she is the oldest¡­ No, she must be a few years apart, and above in age. She has to! Or my whole life would be a lie. At least she had confirmed my thought, she and the character of my memories were indeed the same. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, she never snitched on you, nor accused you even after what you¡¯ve done. Of all of the women who reported you at the court, none could claim you did something to them that you didn¡¯t do to her after all.¡± Wow! Really? Everything? She must¡¯ve been through some pretty rough times¡­ and has the stamina of a hundred orcs combined¡­ and the lust of a thousand goblins, at least. ¡°But she accepted it all and forgave. More than her, you gave US a hard time ya know, it was such a shock at first, she disappeared one day without a word, then got back pregnant, already full and almost ready to give bir--¡± ¡°Stop!! I got that, thanks can you let me rest in peace?¡± I stopped the girl in her tracks to prevent any more disturbing details from reaching my brain and making me feel guilty, or even outright criminal. What have I done? She forgave? ¡°You don¡¯t want to know more? Like how is she, or the babies are?¡± ¡°Nope, not in the least, or else I risk being hanged, if I don''t do it myself, or thrown into some dark jail of unknown location present on no map, full of black muscled men and soap, with dreadful torturers as supervisor.¡± ¡°In both cases after a while it will be me, 1000 feet underground surrounded by devils and promise to a never-ending suffering.¡± ¡°Oooh!! You amaze me, she stated you would say something like that, how far-sighted. Well it¡¯s normal coming from her, she had this gift since birth apparently, and approached you knowing very well the consequence. In contrast, that¡¯s odd she didn¡¯t predict you¡¯d remembered her.¡± Should I kill myself now before she could see me ever again, just to ensure. Do I have anything left? Only one chance excluding all possibilities of her not being a PSYCHO? Do I have the right to prevent the disaster looming on the horizon and avoid all the bad endings that await me? Well I have sinned supposedly so better not, even if the said sins are not yet known to me, I shall be responsible until the end¡­ but if I end it early¡­. NO I¡¯m a man and the hero furthermore, I can¡¯t resolve myself to flee the problems I caused. Slashh---! ¡°Huh?? Where did you get that wakizashi from, and why did you plant yourselves with it? I have to heal you again now, what an unnecessary setback. Well, I had been warned in advance so I shouldn''t be surprised. She asked me, if you were to make foolish or silly moves, to tell you the following: Ara ara, you can¡¯t be careless you known <3 or you might regret it for-e-ve-r <3, if you die, I would not be able to vouch for what your corps becomes and what could happen afterwards. Fufufu You don¡¯t want to end up as a poorly finished chimera, that¡¯s even less than a zombie, forced to pay back his debt even after his flesh and bones crumble, don¡¯t you <3? Or maybe should I trap your soul in a girl¡¯s body and make your carcass rape you until one of the two broke? Or maybe both, repaying the debt by being a whore for his own corpse and random peoples, that¡¯s a great idea isn¡¯t it? You should start thinking about what you''d prefer if you plan something silly again. And if you ever have any ideas to make your torment worse, I¡¯m all ears.<3 Now, now, pitiful man, let me take care of e-very-thing <3 and wait for our third meeting without making a fuss <3 like the bad dog you are.¡± CLAP CLAP Magnifique! Magnificent! She deserved an award! Where are the red carpets, the adoring crowd¡¯s applause and photographers'' flashes when you need them, I ask you! But did you really have to take this tone and make all these scary faces while doing so? Cuz, you know... It seems having a heart attack would be counterproductive. ¡­.. Too bad, I have tried at least, maybe I should start praying? Chapter 4 - Can I abort please? MA pill are no longer enough. Part 1 Sometime later, after waking up once with short-term memory lost, not even hoping that all of that was a dream. Cuz it just never happened!!! Only to drop out again shortly afterward due to forced mind recovery. Then, opening my eye to a spoon... is this her weapon of choice by the way? So like I was saying, after opening my eye directly to a spoon right next to my eyeball, to be sure that I literally couldn''t pass out, I mean over, the inevitable. I Faced a dangerous spine-chilling smile that makes anyone realize that torture and punishment was next door and the step after (death) likely if you didn¡¯t make the right choice and displeased his owner any further. Not that it doesn¡¯t suit me, it¡¯s just that the afterlife was not a safe option at the moment. ¡°Are you awake?¡± At least, I feel nothing, if not pretty good actually except some aches and a little bit of muscular fatigue. My body was sticky, even slobbery at some place but every injury had magically disappeared, even the self-inflicted gaping wound on my stomach was taken care of without leaving any scars. I feel somewhat refreshed. How could I not be, it always feels good when you open your eyes to a stunning beauty laying right next to you and the rest does not matter. Plus her attire was hot, so even if she was the devil itself, well by now, I assume she is her sister in fact. Even there, I couldn¡¯t control myself and got a boner. Or was it a morning one? In any case, I had to quickly think about the next step, what move? Which act might save my life and my soul together¡­ The response is¡­ well, none¡­ My soul was already in a bad state, and giving up my life wouldn''t help it¡¯s recovering, if it¡¯s not worsening the situation? So I decided to smile back at this frightening face, my mind has been through much worse and it wouldn¡¯t change much. A bright smile. Not an idiot one, no, this one could have validated the evide---confirm her in her thoughts. I couldn¡¯t use a simulated or embarrassed one either, don¡¯t even mention contemptuous smile, this one would¡¯ve been an act of suicide. Delighted was too risky, it was difficult to foresee the aftermath. So I used the only available choice, the one I was the best at, the one who never let me down, even in the worst situations. A manly seductive smile, full of self-esteem and egocentrism¡­ Uh...I mean captivating and sweet of course! No girl in love could resist falling for it, or at least no one has succeeded yet. She did say she loved me so...? Pretty smart, right? jiiiiiiiii, heavy stare ¡°¡­ Weird, an unexpectedly overwhelming urge to peel off your lips came all of a sudden...it¡¯s tickling me...But at the same time you look kinda hot now and I don¡¯t think another healing session is a good idea for your body, I¡¯ll disregard that and let you off.¡± The spoon slowly moved away, like it was reluctant to do so, unwilling to part away from my beautiful stare. Then it faded away like a regretful au revoir, as it was disappearing into her storage pouch. I could almost hear it whisper ¡®Never forget, even if we can¡¯t see each other anymore, I¡¯m still here, nearby.¡¯ No really, can¡¯t you throw it away instead? Better yet, give it back to its rightful owner. Her fearsome smile changed to a normal one, and I eventually got the chance to blink, relieved from any threat. She got back on her feet leaving the bed while fluttering her clothes and settling them in the right place before stretching her arm. Hey, wasn¡¯t I the one who just woke up? Why did she have to act like that? There were even traces of drool! Lazy girl caught in the act! Now I understand the slobbery part. ¡°Ooof, that was close, but at least I escaped the worst¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t ¡­.. myself well, I need to pay more attention¡­¡± ¡°uh?¡± ¡°huh?¡± ¡°Did you say something?¡± I did, but didn¡¯t she just whisper something too? ¡°No nothing, I¡¯m sorry, and this is not to repeat myself, but¡­ What¡¯s your name no.., both of you..no..never mind yours will be enough for now.¡± It''s easier to forget when you''re ignorant after all ¡°Ah! It¡¯s true I still haven''t said it, apart from the first time. For once it¡¯s my bad, memory took me off and I was little focused on that, forgetting the essential.¡± ¡°Hello, I''m Lily Evergreen, nice to meet you¡­ even if it¡¯s a bit too late to worry about that now. It¡¯s with great pleasure that I will become your partner from today onward. Everyone calls me Lily Nevergreen although it¡¯s not my name, I wonder why, I think my sister had the same problem by the way¡­¡± I wonder that too¡­ I wonder¡­ She was back to her cute side, happiness painted all over her face, and gestured like an idol making the presentation. After a good night¡¯s sleep, well it wasn¡¯t, again, and something just didn¡¯t feel right¡­ But Let¡¯s leave it at that. I started chatting with Lily while laying in bed, trying to overcome my traumas. It would appear that almost a week has passed. I had the first yet second meeting with Lily 6 days ago¡­ that I have no recollection of, the following one where I stopped the spoon 5day ago. Then I got 4 days of sleep straight. I started chatting with Lily while laying in bed, trying to overcome my traumas. It would appear that almost a week had already passed. Our first yet second meeting, that I have no recollection of, was 6 days ago. The following one, when I stopped the spoon, 5 days. Then I slept for 4 days straight. ¡­ And yet I¡¯m pretty sure I woke up at some point multiple times but dived back instantly. Who knows why. Strangely, I think I heard strange sounds during these periods and for the rest, had a nightmare-dream, yes I had both at the same time. Don¡¯t believe me? Nevertheless, I¡¯m sure of that, even if the content remains completely opaque. Anyway, Then we have the time when I refused to face reality, followed by another short nightmare-dream, and here I am. ¡­ Lily and I continued our discussion till my stomach remembered that it didn¡¯t have any substance since an eternity, that''s to say not too long, and Lily went to look after breakfast and. After which, not without taking the time to eat, we resumed our talk. ¡°Okay, I understood for the most part.¡± That I''m even more screwed than I can imagine, that¡¯s it!!! ¡°You are Lily, a healer coming out of magic school by chance, right on time after my judgment.¡± ¡°Because you fell under the spell since I saved you, you have been madly in love with me since then, and so even knowing all about me and my bad point. Came across the guild request still by chance and accepted it with joy, taking it as a sign of destiny.¡± ¡°You decided to become my aid and help me repay my debt by becoming my exclusive healer and joined my party so I can take more dangerous missions with better pay, while taking advantage of the fact that I''m forced to work with you and can hardly ignore your advances doing so.¡± This girl has guts, she really wants to seduce or at least stay with me, by all means. However, something¡¯s bothering me, what is an exclusive healer standing for? Like she won¡¯t heal anyone other than me even if other people join? Or she is for my personal use¡­no let¡¯s not take this path, it sounds dangerous. Or she will be the sole healer in the party and no others have the right to? None of these sounded good to me. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°In addition, you have a LOVELY sister who knows me well but I don¡¯t. You have deep rooted connections to the guild or you wouldn¡¯t know about the request beforehand. Got a tremendous amount of help to ensure our encounter. And you GET PAID for this?¡± ¡°Mmmh yes, that¡¯s a pretty good summary. But don¡¯t mind too much for the guild part or the party stuff and all. I¡¯m fine with being one of your wives, lovers, sex-friends, or anything you want. Ho! Everything except your slave, not that it would bother me, but I already know of someone who has yet to claim a spot for that place, but will sooner or later, and I don¡¯t want to meddle with her, she is a bit extreme, you see¡­¡± I¡¯m not listening, I¡¯m not listening at allll! ? la ? la lalala ? lalala ? ¡°No thanks, the time¡¯s not really appropriate, who knows what people will say if I marry someone just after my trial.¡± ¡°But you know, I was informed that if you came to marry someone, the debt could be shared on top of a possible sentence cut. Something¡¯bout risk lessening caused by libido channeling and situation stabilization or so they said? I didn¡¯t follow the rest. Ah! And the bride would be given a victim status and receive all its benefice and money compensation without impacting the debt.¡± ¡°How much! For the sentence reduction part?¡± The proposal, if genuine, was truly good! I could already see myself with a harem composed of lovable and sexy wives¡­ Full of psycho! THAT¡¯S IT! ¡°That... I don¡¯t know the exact amount, around one percent...maybe? But I can look into it, do you want me to ask my friends at the guild? She should be able to contact the court or the person in charge.¡± No way!! Is it actually a proper offer? She wouldn¡¯t dare to joke mentioning the court and the guild. ¡°No thanks, where should I sign, you have the forms, don¡¯t you?¡± Let''s not hesitate anymore, I can afford a crazy wife or two. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m forced to be on good terms or have sex. I can divorce her anyway if something goes wrong, what could it cost me, not like they can split my negative fortune upon separation. And there is a non-zero probability she may do something bad, if I can prove it, it would turn to my advantage. What I can¡¯t afford, is my life debt situation. 1%off!! At this point, maybe I¡¯ll need less than 3 lives to repay it all, given I found some more wives to marry...well better not rush too much, crazy bitch like these sisters cannot be found on any street corner but let¡¯s be careful. With my legendary charm, some maneuvering and tricks, guess I can scam some into-it... It¡¯s worth the try. Still need to find remote areas where I remain unknown¡­ but let''s put it off for now. ¡°Ah yes, don¡¯t worry, I already prepared them, just in case, you know. Here it is, you need to sign here.¡± fufufu Weird, I thought I heard something¡­ But hey! That¡¯s a very fine paper we have here. Custom made, with banknote watermark like symbols, special ink and all. And they sure mentioned the terms for reduced penalty. And Wow!! Even the guild, court, and all 3 major force seals are here!! That¡¯s not something she could counterfeit. "And here, ho and over here too." fufufu¡­<3 Again, but I''m not too sure, certainly an aftermath from my convalescence, if it¡¯s a fake, that the other¡¯s problem at that point. They wouldn¡¯t refute something like that at the risk of losing face on top of a national crisis to replace all official seals. ¡°Oh, do not forget this one too, we need a second one for the guild, that would be stupid to forfeit the advantage if we lose the deed and It they need a duplicate in any case to make everything official¡± Yes¡­ she¡¯s right, the certificate could be targeted by thieves by look alone, just believing it¡¯s an important document with some value. fufufufu...perfectttt<3 No, I¡¯m sure of it now, there must be somethi---SHITT!!! Why would the guild require a duplicate¡­ of a complete document with carbon copy!!! Fuck fuck fuck, I¡¯m fuck, I''m doomed, it''s over, I did it again, a small mistake of nothing, who has just signed my death warrant, well I signed it myself though... IM COMPLETELY FUCKED UP! RUN BOY, RUN! YOU GOTTA RUN FAST, FAST AND BEFORE IS TOO LATE That¡¯s what my mind keeps yelling at me and I wanted to do. But after the last demonstration it would''ve been too much¡­ I really don¡¯t think my body can handle whatever the consequences and death remains out of the question¡­ All I had left to do was to resign myself. I did say I could manage one OR two¡­ But not on the sisters¡¯ level, calling here crazy is a euphemism. Thankfully I didn¡¯t bite off more than I could chew and said 3 here, I don¡¯t know who God would have planned for me in that case, but it probably wouldn''t have been anyone better. Repent, repent because you have sinned! ¡°Mmhh? Hold on..., bizarre, my sister warned me you would try to flee by all means so I shouldn¡¯t let you escape, but she was evidently wrong for once. That¡¯s good, I didn''t believe it, why would you have. I¡¯m happy I had faith in you!! Hehe! You should have no reason after all, don¡¯t you...?¡± She finished her sentence with a keen wondering look, tilting her head to the side. I DO! A lot, in fact. So much that it¡¯s stopped me dead in the tracks, afraid of the backlash. No really, you should not have faith in me, but with your omnipotent sisters, it¡¯s just that she is¡­ well wayyyy to omnipotent, but hey that all? I expected worse from her. ¡°Ara ara, but even if I was pretty sure of myself here, she forced me to prepare several methods to block all your way out, that are, according to her, extremely painful and bloody, requiring in best case another week to nurse you back to a passable state and in sound mind.¡± I KNEW IT!! ¡°Ho!! But she didn''t plan it all, they are 3 window, here you see, she did give me some way but only in case with 1 or 2 so I improvised by myself hehe <3¡± Okay, now I¡¯m sure, she is not safe TOO. Well she is a Nevergreen so it doesn''t surprise me. ¡°Are you proud of me?¡± No ¡°Yes good work Lily, even if, as you can see, it was utterly useless and thoroughly overthought.¡± Smile, no flinch, no sweat boy, or you¡¯re not gonna make it and the spoon will come back to haunt you in the afterlife. ¡°Mmm, Lily¡¯s happy! Can you pet my head please?!!----¡­ No...It¡¯s okay, let it go, I shouldn¡¯t have asked. I mean, hearing you praising myself, when I was never, except by my family, while smiling at me. It made me wish you stroked my head like mother would¡¯ve¡­ But we¡¯re not even that close¡­ Sorry.¡± ¡°...¡± If you are okay, why are you about to cry!! I can clearly see your watery eyes. ¡°Okay come here, I can at least do this much for you, you¡¯ve taken care of me the whole week after all.¡± Well It was your fault, but I¡¯ll grant you this. I need to make some concessions, and I can''t help myself from comforting you. Letting a girl in this state is not worthy of the hero even if she¡¯s got family ties with Satan. Plus, I can put myself in her graces. ¡°Really, I mean, you have all the rights to act coldly, why...¡± ¡°Good girl, don¡¯t worry, stop speaking, come here and tilt your head before I change my mind.¡± Getting closer, she knelt on the floor, right next to me. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, come over here. What¡¯s the point if it hurts on top of making your tights dirty.¡± I patted the bed, I couldn''t decently make a girl kneel before me. I¡¯m a pervert, sure, but I¡¯m still a gentleman regardless. Swiftly, without wasting a moment, she sat on the edge of the bed, leaning toward me and presenting me her head. stroke, stroke ¡°OOOHHHH!!¡± Oh man, it¡¯s hard. My whole being wanted to run away and my bladder was on the verge of breaking due to fear. But she was making a truly happy and satisfied face altogether, she was so freaking cute right now! If the sister didn¡¯t exist, I¡¯ll give it a go right away. In any case¡­ I should refrain from having both next time. My body and mind were taking a double contradictory dose, and my heart twice the harm. ¡°Mmmmhhh, so soothing!¡± Did she let out a moan? Twice as cute!! Just cat alike, if not for the lack of purring. But let¡¯s stay focused. It was the perfect moment, hold my chance! ¡°Say lily, now that you know that I have absolutely no reason to run, shouldn¡¯t you remove these... what to call them? Traps? So no innocent wouldn¡¯t risk being injured or worse.¡± Stroke, stroke ¡°Mmmmmhh, Nahhhh! Everything¡¯s fine, this place will serve as our base for the moment and it will keep onlookers away. Can you scratch a little, It itches me¡ªahhhhh, yes just like that!¡± stroke, scratch Too bad, at least my strategy of getting on her good side, seems to work. ¡°Mmmhhhaaaahhh! You have some talent I concede! Mmhhh!!... oh, and it¡¯s safe too, don¡¯t worry, as long as I¡¯m with you when you enter or exit, the trap won¡¯t trigger. You can even bring other women, don''t worry, how considerate of us hehe!¡± Can I? Was the cuddle this effective? Pat-pat, stroke, scratch ¡°Mmmhhh just like that, don¡¯t stop, please¡­ Where were we¡­ a yes, it¡¯s just that if they are deemed to be unworthy, it could, once again, in conformity with my sister''s request, hurt them quite a bit¡­. awW Don¡¯t slow, please¡­ Keep going uww¡­ and make them know their place. Moreover if they don¡¯t do their job right, or should they make things difficult or even try to flee. Well, I¡¯m not going to dwell on it but¡­¡± Do, please, It¡¯s necessary to prepare just in case, you know, it¡¯s not the same to make a dead body or a madman disappear. Oh! But maybe the trap can take care of the problem. Burnt to ashes or reduced to a vegetable state seems fine to me¡­ WOW¡­ Those are dangerous thoughts, better stop. It¡¯s safer to just not bring any girl back home after all. I don¡¯t want to turn from mass womanizer to mass murderer. ¡°Ah, but I won¡¯t personally restrain you, after all I¡¯m completely open and will accept all choices you could make about your partners, even if they are bad ones. As long as you¡¯re not completely ignoring me, or purposely making me angry. I¡¯m not like sis and won¡¯t tell her anything anyway.¡± jiggle jiggle jiggle I had slowed down for a while now, to the point where my hand stopped over her past sentences. Not being able to stand it anymore, like she was on drugs and needed her thing. She started herself to rub her head against my palm, and doing it, wriggled all along. She seems to really like it. Good to know, she is realllllly weak to head petting. Chapter 4.5 - Can I abort please? MA pill are no longer enough. Part 2 After a short break in our conversation, Lily resumed it. ¡°Just try to restrain yourself from getting married to the first stranger you meet¡­mmh<3... She is the first wife after all, she had all right over this part. And even me I can¡¯t make her change her mind if something doesn¡¯t suit her. Ha! While I¡¯m at it, I have a new message to pass on.¡± Stopping the childish behavior that gave her her dose, and breaking away from my touch with eyes full of regret. She stood up, took a few steps then faced me again with her acting face on, pointing her finger at me . Stay strong body, please no heart attack, no fainting, no --- ¡°Listen to me carefully DOG, You are free to use anyone <3, or be used by, fufufu, outside from home, elementary school or church and their people. Especially church! Even more so if it''s a cathedral, the Saint Kingdoms of stainless soul capital¡¯s grand cathedrals is out of the question, that I can¡¯t pardon!! Under no circumstances whatsoever! Hear me! Even if you are to be raped by hundred of maidens in heat while under strong aphrodisiac, you can¡¯t do it there or several worlds could come to an end. UNDERSTOOD???¡° Ehhh?? I shouldn''t ask but¡­ Why? What¡¯s several worlds? How? What the funking link between a cathedral, me being raped, and world destruction? And above all, no elementary school? I''M NOT A FKING LOLICON!!! FOR GOD SAKE!! You can call me anything you want, rapist and lolicon exception made! Calm down man¡­ Let¡¯s relax. No sex at home? OK. No religious place or people? OK. No loli? It''s already the case isn¡¯t it? OK again. ¡°Hmm, after reflection I should ban every school and official building too, it¡¯s not good for your image, ah! And also retirement homes, we never know.¡± HEY!! Even for me grandmas are a bit¡­., who does she take me for?¡­.Ah, yes, presumably her degenerate husband who jumps on everything that moves I guess so¡­ but still! ¡°Plus no public place, no brothel cuz it¡¯s dirty and all, no--¡± STOP IT!! ¡°Okay, understood, I don¡¯t think I need the rest, sex is allowed, but nowhere, especially not at church.¡± ¡°Awwwh, there must be some room left, sis is not that evil I¡¯m sure there are, how can you know them if I don¡¯t finish the message. And If it bothers you that much, don¡¯t worry I will never tell her, she won¡¯t know. Plus I¡¯m here now, you can use me as you fit.¡± ¡°Thanks y---no that¡¯s fine, don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll manage somehow.¡± I can hold back this much or I¡¯m not a man! Haha!!... Can I? ¡°If not and in the case I manage to find someone who is acknowledged, I¡¯ll find a place not dirty, far away from any of the quoted forbidden places, even if I need to make a several kilometers trip.¡± I won¡¯t bother.I don¡¯t have any money for prostitutes anyway, and nobody else would lower themselves to do it with me. Who would want to help me release some stress on this planet I¡¯m asking you. Degenerates cannot be taken into account. Especially Lily, if I touch this girl, there¡¯s no return possible. ¡°Okay, but let me know if you need any help, it¡¯s not good to build too much pressure ya know. Especially when you are used to the opposite. I don¡¯t mind if you don¡¯t like me, don''t put yourself in danger, okay...¡± Whereupon, she left the room saying I still needed some rest, urging me to not think too deep and sleep. And I was about to do just that, I already felt tired after all these emotions. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. blink¨Cflash! Something that looks like a letter suddenly materialized out of nowhere and dropped into my head. Wha¡­ Wasting the precious recovery time which I greatly need, I took it and began reading ¡°Dear husband <3 if you rea---¡± OK, nothing important here, let¡¯s move on. I crumpled the letter before setting it on fire with some basic magic and proceeded to make myself comfortable, wrapping myself up in the blanket, and laying my head on the pillow. Ahhh!! Finally, good night world¡­ ¡°Ooh? Sure, have sweet dreams my love <3 ¨C... I don¡¯t mind haunting your nightmare if that¡¯s your desire¡­ What about a wet one? Seriously, you¡¯d really thought I didn¡¯t foresee so far? You really really realllllly take me way too lightly here, my dear, I¡¯m not just anyone so you know¡­¡± Crap, a voice popped into my head. Couldn¡¯t you use this way directly rather than let me drown in my delusion. ¡°Now now, you shouldn¡¯t lower yourself my love, be proud, be strong, be like the man you were at that time when you got me pregnant, accept what you did and what¡¯s to come with open arms <3 You can¡¯t change anything anyway, you will feel better, maybe even one step ahead after some adaptation time.¡± ¡­ Should I? Yes, maybe it¡¯s time to resign, sounds tempting¡­ Wait, did she just read my mind?!!! Uhh, ehh, hello? Wifey? Nice to meet you. ¡°<3¡± Even without sound, I can feel a smile and the stare she makes on me...creepy!-I mean how touching! I can clearly sense that¡¯s the attention of a loving woman here! And yet I''m not worthy of it! ¡°<3 here you are again, ara ara <3, fortunately I don¡¯t mind, furthermore I¡¯m in a fairly good mood so don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t scold you fufufu, oh and even if you didn¡¯t mean it, your endeavor makes me happy. Likewise, it¡¯s good to see you there in one piece, you got me there, I had really seen you trying to escape one way or another, never succeeding of course <3. And when I foresee, I am rarely wrong.¡± Stop, you''ll make me blush. ¡°For the trouble, I¡¯ll give you a reward¡­ Well first and foremost, don¡¯t worry about my former message, it was mostly a little joke on my part <3 You can keep your feats of accomplishment and have sex wherever and whenever you want. I won¡¯t even mind loli, it¡¯s acceptable as long as it comes from them, furry, magical chimer, even animals if that is your desire. I¡¯ll not make a fuss about that. Just NO CHURCH okay? Any divine ground from the stainless soul faith, no, from any faith, it is better to prevent. I was not joking about that part. And no rape! Or I''ll take you home on a leash, discipline you to ease your heat and give you some torment so you can reflect on your actions, you can believe me. Now after the stick, the carrot. I had planned to make it so you don¡¯t have children with abnormal rates anymore, so you can enjoy yourself freely without worsening your situation too much. But as a reward I¡¯ll add so you can¡¯t have any child at all, except with a girl you truly love, and if you do, I will take a part of responsibility as the main wife, by paying a part of your debt, relieving some financial stress, and providing help if needed. Happy? <3 On that, I leave you, I have a tremendous amount of work awaiting me before I can hope to meet you again. I bid you farewell, my kinda hot sexy lovely seductive seducer lecherous pervert lolicon dog-like hubby<3. Who can¡¯t hold back and is the embodiment of idiocy, but I¡¯m still crazy about him nonetheless and can¡¯t blame him after all he did to me and my family <3. Until next time mouuaahh XX.¡± I don¡¯t know what affects me the most, the fact that she bringed up animals and chimera or that she had to hint at loli not once! Not twice! But three times taking into account the previous message!! Leave me alone at some point, or I will end up not believing in myself anymore!! Naaah, let¡¯s pretend I didn¡¯t think of it¡­ ¡­ Where could I have put my sleeping pills¡­ I will have some and if that is not enough, some more, as long as my body keeps with it... no even here I don¡¯t care anymore, all I want is to sleep. A deep one preferentially, if I can¡¯t wake up at all, it''s for the best, but no death, that would be the worst. Maybe I should throw in some GHB too while at it, this may help who knows. Thus relate how I got myself bound through marriage of my own accord, to two adorable demons within human skin. Beginning to dig my grave deeply, so much that I would reach the depths of hell long before my actual death if I keep up the pace. Chapter 5 - New day, new week, new month?. Or how to not start an adventure. After an unknown interval of deep, but needful slumbers, a good night¡¯s sleep in short. I came to my senses when the sun was just about to lay down. Okay maybe the drug was too much, it''s been at least a day since the sun is at the same place as when I fell asleep. As I was getting ready to leave the warmth of the duvet, I noticed something was off along the move, holding and pulling me back seemingly. ¡°Tsk! Did she chained me to the bed to prevent my escape? That¡¯s going a little too far, what if I ne---HIIIIiiiiiiiiiiii!!! A ghost!!!¡­ Wait, is that you Lily?¡± From the side on which the opposing force was exerted, Lily¡¯s head was sticking out, resting on the mattress. I could now see the reason for my hindrance. Collapsed against the bed, Lily had her arms extended toward me, she was holding and squeezing my hand, categorically refusing to let it go. Yikes! Cold!! Her skin was pale, almost white, like all blood had left her body... And she seems to have lost some weight too? She was obviously in a dire state, her clothes and hair were in a mess and she was dirty and smelly, like she didn¡¯t wash for a week. Dark circles and traces of moisture could be found under her eyes. Did she cry? Oh god, what have I done, did I overdose and she mourned me until she can''t take it anymore? Okay, I really should not have used the drug!! She was sleeping like her soul didn¡¯t have any energy left¡­ Oi Oi Oi, is she still alive? A weak pulse and slow breathing quickly reassured my doubt, while allowing me to discard my dark thoughts. What would her sister make me suffer if she really died on me? By my fault! I stroked Lily¡¯s cheek and patted her head as a mother would do for her suffering child. Oh god!! Forgive me, as I have sinned¡­. again, and made a girl cry and worry for myself almost to the point of dying! Oddly enough, praying made me feel better, maybe I should try again some time. Making use of the situation, I did what I couldn¡¯t finish on our first encounter years ago. No, not the harassment and molestation part, I¡¯m not that insensitive to do that to a dying girl who ended up in that situation for my sake. I just properly and delicately took care of her, giving her a bath and clean clothes, then put her to bed so that she is comfortably installed. I fed her mouth to mouth some soup due to force majeure, and stayed by her side, weeping her sweats when she had a fever, and holding her against me when she was cold, for the whole night during. Early in the morning she got back some color, and midday her pulse was regular, so I allowed myself some rest too and fell asleep, keeping her close to me in my arms. Not for once, I woke up at sunset, opening my eyes to Lily¡¯s face, in a much better shape than yesterday. Her situation seemed to be back to normal, like all has been an illusion. She was staring at me with a gentle smile, not saying anything. ¡°Hi, you look better, are you fine now?¡± ¡°Yes, thanks for the care, how nice of you.¡± She said with a feeble voice which would make one think the opposite. ¡°You were in very poor conditions, I even thought you were done for.¡± ¡°I overdid it a bit while healing you, that¡¯s why, don¡¯t worry this won¡¯t happen again I¡¯ll make sure of that.¡± Did she mean she would stop from injuring me on every single occasion? It could actually help, unfortunately I don¡¯t think she can help herself for that. And if she plans to stop me from taking drugs, she only has to stop her sis from giving me sudden mental breakdowns, I would have never used it on myself otherwise. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s my fault in the first place, my hardly safe only just-invented self-made sleeping compound named ¡®the sleeping beauty can¡¯t wake up, even by the kiss¡¯ was a bit stronger than I had anticipated.¡± Well I was obsessed with eternal sleep at the time, so not really, in fact it¡¯s quite a good result I believe. But strangely, I didn¡¯t think it would result in this situation, did I really overdose? I didn''t expect it to be enough to put Lily in this state just by healing me even so. ¡°Quite dangerous mixture you have here, you slept for nearly 2 and half weeks, I couldn¡¯t wake you up whatever I did. This is the first time that I encountered this kind of case, you didn¡¯t have any physical injury, so my recovery magic was not very effective. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Moreover, my healing method is a bit special and didn¡¯t fit the situation at all... If not, making things worse. I¡¯m profoundly mortified and deeply apologize for. Because of my inexperience and bad control, the after effects were draining your energy even further and I was so distracted by your state that I didn¡¯t understand right away.¡± Although remaining in bed, she stood up, only to kneel down and get in dogeza. You really make me feel guilty there¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯re wrong, had I not used alchemy and mixed all kinds of elements with the drug and sleeping pills, you wouldn¡¯t have had a problem likely enough. ¡°I was terrified, so ashamed and dispirited. I didn¡¯t know what to do and was just about to ask for some help. But I couldn¡¯t let you alone cuz sometimes your blood pressure was so weak that you ended up in a near death state and I had to use all I could to keep you up and force your blood to flow to prevent brain death.¡± Okay, the drug was clearly overstepping¡­ and the alchemy overkill. ¡°Do you have any extra of the mixture by chance, or the recipe? I would like to do some experimentation and test if possible, so this situation never happens ever again.¡± ¡°No sorry, I did it on a whim and didn¡¯t write it down. As for leftovers, I fear I drank it all.¡± Nevertheless¡­.. the result exceeded all my expectations, I¡¯ll keep the formula for the time being, maybe with some adjustment and improvement, I can make so I can¡¯t wake up but stay alive for a verrrrrrry long time, a few years should make it, or maybe even decades if I can preserve my body¡­ No... Perhaps I should downright invest into cryogenic sleep and start some research so I can pass a hundred years or two, just to be sure? ¡°Yet, I feel good for a person who stayed in bed for so long though, how¡¯s that possible, did you feed me like I did with your mouth... no, given your condition, something like blood exchange instead?¡± ¡°So ya did mouth feed me hehe <3, I was wondering, because I was not starving. You stole my first kiss pervert <3 I hope you take your responsibilities if I end up pregnant.¡± She responded with a half joking half seductress tone. Hey, you can¡¯t expect a baby just from that, we¡¯re not in a fairy tale! Well anyway thanks to wifey, I can¡¯t make babies anymore in any case, not to disappoint you but that won¡¯t ever happen even if we go all the way. No way I¡¯m gonna fall in love with a psycho...can I? Well at least not before completely giving up my sanity!! God pity me and give me your strength!! Just like last time, I feel better and refreshed, maybe I should convert, maybe all about my situation is just a challenge to put myself to the test!! If that''s it, thank god! I won¡¯t give up! Never!¡­ As if! God has better things to do than looking after my pitiful self. Poke¨C Hey wait what¡¯s with this feeling¡­ Hey hey hey, I know I asked, but I wasn''t talking about this type of strength. A strong and straight reaction came in answer to my prayer, a proper and absolute erection. I was horny! ¡°Also, yes I had to resort to something like blood transfer, yes¡­and..hey are you listening, are you okay hero? Did you have a relapse? Can I help? Or did I need to take out the cutlery?¡± As I brought my attention back to her¡­.Wwaaah! Why did her face appear so sexy all of sudden!! I almost disregarded her threats! Calm down, body calm down, I know that I didn¡¯t do it for a long time and I¡¯m not used to it but! Anyway, Lily is...not genuinely a bad deal, I grant you, but way too much threatening. Just to remind us, she just spoke about taking out cutlery, only because of a few seconds of distraction! ¡°No, I¡¯m okay, sorry, I was embarrassed by the fact that such a pretty girl like you ended in such a dire state because of me.¡± ¡°Awe<3, sweet, you¡¯ll make me blush¡± Isn''t that a bit of an exaggeration? And blush? You are outright making a creepy smile again. Sexy, I grant you, but scary. ¡°If you are so conscious about that, let¡¯s go eat together as an apology then. I am so hungry that I could eat a whole cow.¡± Didn¡¯t you say you weren¡¯t starving a few seconds ago? Well, I¡¯m the same here, I did have a faim de loup. Also, that should help cool down a bit. ¡°Let¡¯s do that, the bill¡¯s on me!¡­ Or should I say. But I have no money left, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t afford anything else other than porridge.¡± With that we began to prepare to leave for dinner, as well as converse about future operations. ¡°Doesn''t matter, I¡¯ll pay. We are already husband and wife, let¡¯s make a joint account. Oh! And just one last question before we get ready to go.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Can you explain? Why the hell am I in a bunny outfit with belly-transparent leotards?¡± ¡°Well It was necessary to dress you after the bath, so you don¡¯t catch a cold. You were already in pretty bad shape yet and I didn¡¯t want to worsen it. As I didn¡¯t have other clothes myself, since I ended up selling them for money, all that was left to me were sex-fetish like clothes, I mean cosplays, with a bit of exposure. Don¡¯t blame me, I only had your good in mind and nothing else.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you sell these in the first place? Well at least this proves you didn¡¯t change and stay true to yourself no matter the situation. I understand that part. Now then, why do I have small bandages on my private parts in place of underwear and why did you swap my tights with open crotch pantyhose? Was that needful as well? Some sort of parasitic interest maybe? <3 Have you finally resigned yourself and wanted to satisfy your carnal desire so badly? I¡¯m ready anytime babe, don¡¯t ask, act whenever you can¡¯t hold back anymore < 3.¡± ¡°¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s eat after you change.¡± Fuck I¡¯m really horny now¡­ And I don¡¯t think dinner time will be enough to move on. It was not until much later that I learned the meaning of this awful state of her following my treatment, and what really took place during my weeks long coma and all my supposedly recovery sessions. Chapter 6 - At least we moved on… Or so I thought. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± wooosh ¡°Hey come back villain!¡± woosh swing ¡°Is your side okay Lily? I have nearly ended mine, just one more push.¡± ¡°Ah yes, I¡¯m -BONG- fine, splash!¡± Splash? What splash? As I gave a quick glance, I could see small and large pools of blood here and there, some containing corpses, some, body parts. At least, they all had lumpy heterogeneous mush of bone and meat in their center, making it all quite artistic in a sense. ¡°Hey! Be careful! How are we supposed to give subjugation proof when the said evidence is gone. Not to remind you, but we need something to clearly identify them afterward!¡± Splash ¡°ARGH!!!!¡± OHHH!!! What a lovely red, here¡¯s an arm for you. I was skeptical at first, when she said she would use a mass instead of her staff for the time being, but she seems to have mastered it quite well and she actually has no problem being on the forefront despite her rare specialty. Well, given her proficiency with the spoon, I shouldn¡¯t have doubted. ¡°Easier said than done, you don¡¯t have this concern! You¡¯re a man so they don¡¯t try to harass you or take you alive so they can rape before selling you as a sex slave. My innocence is at stake here!!¡± Lily responded with a very serious tone and a concerned face. Well I don¡¯t think you have anything to lose here, you threw it away yourself when you asked me in marriage ... .no, even before perhaps knowing the sister, this girl was certainly stained at an early age. ¡°BITCH, how dare you!, my dominant arm!! Give it baaaccckkkk! Woosh. You have the nerve to impute me! Strike. Not talking about masturbating properly, I won¡¯t be able to write sweet love letters and poems to my favored prostitute Rosa now! AHHHH!! just thinking about it makes my blood boil! Wait for me, I''ll make you my slave and train you well! Hehehe <3 don¡¯t worry I¡¯ll be gentle.¡± An imposing angry man, whose arm was no more, forcibly interrupted our talk and practically jumped on Lily, like a beast in furry. I see what she means, they are truly lost cases. So what, if you lost a limb? If you die, you won¡¯t be able to taste her body either¡­ nor write to your lover, even if I wonder why¡¯d you fuss over it. BANG, Bong ¡°I¡¯ll show you everything there is to know, teach you how to use your hands, your head, and your whole being!¡± ¡°Humf! Stay away from me, dirty pig! If your remaining hand comes near, let alone masturbation and writing, don¡¯t even dream about imposing yourself on anyone, except a dead body, if you know how to aim well lol!¡± ¡°Stop worrying about others, savor your remaining freedom, I¡¯ll make good use of your body and mind!¡± SPLASH Wow, it¡¯s not gone, but the angle it makes with the body leaves little hope for future recovery, you should take care of it right away buddy¡­ ¡°Told ya, stupid beast.¡± Lily seemed overjoyed by the spectacle she was taking part in with enthusiasm. The man was not, his gait was pathetic and he was at death''s door, yet, he didn¡¯t care about his condition at all. ¡°AHHHHH! Now I¡¯m angry, I wanted to be nice, but I think I¡¯ll train you all night long without any rest hehe! Until you beg me to let you sleep and even there I¡¯ll make sure you dreamed of it! It doesn¡¯t matter if I become a torso man, cuz you will be my tool!¡± Can¡¯t you die already? It¡¯s tiring at the end. If all our enemies today were this obsessed and resilient, I wouldn¡¯t have bet on our side.¡± ¡°Boss! Andy is done for! He lost his mind...and both arms. We need help!¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see my hands are already full there? Why are you even looking at them, do something yourselves, idiots! Restrain that bitch, are you men or losers? Don¡¯t mind the dead, they were wastes anyway, just think about this girl¡¯s body into your embrace, It''s a one in a million chance! You wouldn''t want to miss this opportunity, would you? And remember, only the survivor''s name will be known!¡± ¡°YES SIR!¡± Like a single man, a shared answer came in concert. Ohhh! They¡¯re fired!! Is a sexy body in front of you, a little promise of greatness, and lot¡¯s of perverse thoughts, all you need to defy death?¡­ Well, I did the same against the demon queen and it worked just fine¡­ But it¡¯s different! I¡¯m the hero while they¡¯re nobody, how can they use a secret skill right away when it took me a great deal only to learn it and I had to polish it throughout my adventure!! ¡°You pervert! Why are you targeting my chest Uh?¡± Lily¡¯s flustered voice kept distracting my attention and stopped me from focusing on my own target. ¡°But ma¡¯am¡­ When we were going for the legs or thighs, you said we were lecherous bastards, disgusting feet enjoyers when targeting the ankles with ropes, armpits fetishists when going to your arm and rapists for the rest of the body. You even prevent us from trying to attack the head saying that a girl''s pretty face is as important as her life and we can¡¯t be called men anymore if we damage it. What are we supposed to do? We are not even trying to restrain and catch you at this point, just killing you before we¡¯re all dead!¡± Splash! ¡°SHUT UP! You are trying to manipulate and disturb my thoughts!? Saying immoral words so I surrender myself and give my body away, right? Too bad for you, that won¡¯t work on me, I¡¯m in complete sound mind!¡± One less moron, but the biggest one is still well and fine, in top form I would even say. Sound mind? Her? MY ASS! ¡°Kyaaaa!?¡± Suddenly, Lily shouted loudly while striking a strange and embarrassed pose, holding her long nun¡¯s scapular with that was scratched to the extreme with both hand What¡¯s now? Did they finally lose it, and stop their hopeless offensive aptempts? Even if it means dying, you might as well do as she said, try to enjoy and molest her. At least you will be able to savor your last moment, right before turning into minced meat... Or did one go crazy and open to nudism all of a sudden, may--¡­ ¡­ WHAT THE HECK? ¡°Yu fon¡¯t efcape! Fu arf minef!¡± Did this madman just try to¡­ No, he totally did it. Something utterly stupid was happening before my eyes. ¡°STOP BITING MY DRESS!! You¡¯ll damage it or worse, drool on it!!¡± BANG BONG SLPOOSH! The offender was hung on Lily¡¯s clothes solely by the strength of his jaw and teeth, refusing to release the fabric despite the violent blows attempting to stop his degenerate move. Hey isn¡¯t he the one who lost both arms earlier? Is he some sort of immortal? A zombie? RIP ¡°Arggbl¡­. -cough- ...I¡¯m dying¡­¡± Finally, the dress gave up, just before the man. What did you expect honestly? ¡°I won¡¯t be able to see her one last time¡­.ouch¡­ ah¡­ Estel my love¡­ I¡¯ll miss you. I¡¯ll hope you will find another man in your life...¡± sigh And no, you aren¡¯t! A dying man can¡¯t speak so long when amputated both arm...and legs. Ultimately, he did become limbless like he said, what a bad taste of fate. And wasn¡¯t his lover¡¯s name Rosa, why did it change all of a sudden? ¡°Even if I die, I¡¯ll make you take responsibility! Argggg¡± groan How so? You have relations in the after world perhaps? If so, can you introduce me to some before parting away? I¡¯m greatly interested. ¡°So you say! There is no way I would even pray for your soul, I don¡¯t know what you want from me but as they say,va mourire ailleurs si j¡¯y suis!!¡± Wasn¡¯t it va voir ailleurs? And that¡¯s my forte to use otherworldly idioms! Don¡¯t take away the little nice personality I had left at least! ¡°NOO!!! Please! uhg. I don¡¯t have anyone else to ask, pr.. cough promise m..me that you will write her letter in my stead¡­ Normal one will suffice¡­ cough-cough, she has no one else to correspond with, I was the only one who had letter studies that she knew of¡­ Tell her all my love and sorrow, that I won¡¯t be able to meet her again¡­ please give her my farewell¡­ sigh¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. ¡°¡­.Oh¡­¡± THAT¡¯S WHY??? ¡°I only wanted to teach you to write fine sentences¡­.¡± Not due to Lily''s irresistibly tempting slutty body, not by frustration, cuz you lost to a little girl? You just threw away all chance of escaping death yourself, after losing only an arm! All for what? DID YOU JUST COMMIT SUICIDE, LOSING ALL YOUR REMAINING LIMBS, BECAUSE YOU WOULD NO LONGER BE ABLE TO WRITE PROSE TO A GIRL YOU DON¡¯T EVEN REMEMBER THE NAME!! ¡°Hey, you shouldn''t divert your attention here, that''s dangerous in a fight you know.¡± SLASH And you, you shouldn¡¯t remember your opponent of that in the first place. You¡¯re not better yourself, didn¡¯t you lose 2 buddies. To use your words, mobs, because you casted lustful eyes on Lily in the middle of the fight and stopped covering for them just early? And 3 more as you were trying to peek under her skirt? Well anyway, It¡¯s time to put an end to this animal brawl. There were not a single one decent, their leader was already struggling keeping me at bay with his henchmen, now that they¡¯re gone, and the ones threatening Lily were splashed pretty much everywhere. All that remained was that average boss of them, barely knowing how to use a sword. The danger which I paid attention to, that¡¯s to say, having Lily taken hostage and used against me, has more or less disappeared. Unless she throws herself into it---- ¡°kyaaa! Ah, ugh¡­ Watch out hero¡­ The floor is slippery, ahh. -panting- I just slipped on something as I was going to come, hmm.¡± Lily interrupted my thought with yet another shouting, and sexy pose, moaning and panting like she just had a run. She almost fell and had trouble managing her balance. The thing you your balance on was likely skulls and brain residue..apart from strawberry milkshake I don''t see what else it could be? And don¡¯t use terms that could be misinterpreted please¡­ I really thought you were cumming for a moment. Well, at least she finished on her side, it seems the remaining opponent met their end shortly after the limbless man did. It was fast, they probably hastened their death to escape suffering. ¡°Don¡¯t move and let me take care of the re¡ª¡± SLIP ¡°Ah!!!¡± Fa-thud! ¡°Uggh, can¡¯t you pay attention?, I told you I was coming.¡± It wasn¡¯t me. ¡°HEY, where do you think your hands are? I don¡¯t mind it, but that¡¯s not the time!¡± ¡°I said It wasn¡¯t me, YOU idiot!¡± ¡°Hehe, I don¡¯t know what you did to god in order to make him take my side, but thank you¡± fondle fondle ¡°I¡¯m not an idio¡ªKYAAAAA!!! Remove your dirty hand from my ass!¡± ¡°Hey! bas les pattes, dirty bastard, she is not someone you can afford!¡± What if she falls in love!! It¡¯s a risk given her tendency. Can you stand it? Can he? I don¡¯t think anyone can last a day without smashing his skull on a rock or suffering from a lasting mental disorder. Eventually, her sis will come to find you and...what? I don¡¯t even want to think about it. ¡°Now listen to me, put away your weapon and¡­ Well I don¡¯t know yet, but do that first, yes, drop down that sword boy!¡± ¡°Tsk... What a hassle, what a burden.¡± ¡°I¡¯m no¡ª¡±¡°Shut up!¡± Lily, still more concerned by the way we call her than the situation, was trying to correct me without succeeding in finishing her sentence. ¡° Stay still, you are my hostage, understood? One wrong move from either you or your boyfriends here, and I¡¯ll cut something. But maybe I should strip you beforehand to prevent any attempt hehe¡­ Anyway, you, the hero or something, leave without turning around and don¡¯t come back until tomorrow midday. Give me the time to have a little fun with this dead weight, you can retrieve her later on. If she¡¯s not broken, that¡¯s it. Otherwise, you could always recycle her into an onahole afterwards. As long as you don¡¯t mind another man¡¯s semen hehe.¡± That''s all? You let me live, let me go, while we are not even that far from the city. I could return at any time with help while you¡¯re making your affair you know¡­ I don¡¯t even need the guard, I can totally just hide myself, wait for you to lower your pants and kill you, d*ck in the wind! ¡°I¡¯¡­¡± mumble mumble ¡°So vulgar¡­, thanks but I¡¯ll do without it. I don¡¯t like going second. And even if she is useless, she is my friends (well, not only, she¡¯s unconditionally my wife), I definitely can¡¯t let you¨C¡± ¡°I¡¯m NOT useless!¡± SNAP!!! ¡°AHHHrghb!¡± One finger of the bandit¡¯s hand that was on her ass was cut short. Why the spoon, again? Can¡¯t you use a proper weapon when your life¡­ well, maybe not your life? When your maidenhead is at risk? ¡°I¡¯m NOT A DEAD WEIGHT¡± BIM! ¡°HIIIII-yelp OWW!!¡± groan The face. ¡°I¡¯M NOT A BURDEN, OR AN HASSLE!¡± BAM, BOOM, CRACK!! Both lower limbs, ?bim bam boom ?? . . . a devil¡¯s melody cam to mind while the torture beating continued. CHOP, one hand less. CRACK CLACK one arm in piece, completely bent. ¡°shtop Iarghhh, I bfeg fyou!¡±sob sob He was no longer a man, but a simple pile of flesh. ¡°AND ABOVE ALL, I¡¯M NOT HIS FRIENDS, I¡¯M HIS WIFE!!¡± BANG BIM BOOM!!! ¡°EILL FME! FMERCY! OINK!¡± ? POP? a distinct bursting sound reached my ears. ¡°SQUEEEEK!!!!! SQUEEEK!!!!!¡± And now, a pile of flesh who lost his manhood¡­. On that, I looked away, forcing myself to ignore the painful cries asking for death, from a former man who has been denied everything he had. There, I too, awaited my punishment with bravery. And got in a repentance position. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Kidding, I was not a fool. I was in urgent need of a solution, and I''d rather find it soonder than later before it''s too late. Quick! Think! Sadly, at this exact moment, the only thing that came to mind was supplicating God. ¡®At least¡­ she had no heels.¡¯ I thought while making a cross movement and offering my prayer, asking for forgiveness to a higher being . Yet, this turned out to be very useful. A sweet warmth covered me, making me feel good and reassured, god, did you have pity on me? This is a sign! A sign that what I just imagined next, is a must! ¡°Hey Lily!¡± ¡°You! Don¡¯t move from there, you¡¯re next. Here, I can¡¯t share the one I use, but I still have a few, if you want to prepare you can already stab yourself, it would save us time.¡± A few? Oh my god, she has more than one? Did she rob a whole restaurant or something? ¡°Choose the ones you want neatly, cuz you won¡¯t avoid it this time, personally, I¡¯d recommend the teaspoon, it¡¯s easy to handle for a first time. Make sure to plant them where It hurt the most, they¡¯ll stay there until I¡¯m statisf¡ªmhhhh¡± One more reason to make it so it won¡¯t happen. Hopefully, a deep french kiss will suffice. ¡°Mhhh¡ªahhh!! Let me catch my breath, and it won¡¯t save y¡ª¡± If one isn¡¯t enough, two will! pat stroke ¡°¡ªmhhhhh¡ª¡± moan One hand stroking her hair with a gentle touch, the other holding her neck and preventing her from separating. I resumed my action, not even letting me or her inhale. Forcing the kiss as my life depended on it, for a very long time¡­ Yes, just the right amount. More precisely, the time it takes to send someone into the realm of dreams. Shortage of oxygen didn¡¯t make me wait, and as my lips turned blue, dizziness appeared and my strength left. ¡°Mhhh¡ªahhh!¡± Will it be enough? I was at my limit and couldn¡¯t help myself from crumbling down. I hope it was... ¡°Hey why did you stop! I was just starting to enjoy¡­ Hey, did you faint? What got into him, what a shithead, he could at least conclude and take me forcibly. I¡¯m all ready and wet, tch¡­¡± A frustrated voice was heard as I blacked out. ¡°Never mind, I''ll just do as usual and do it myself¡­wha!¡­why...su...ddent¡­fuz...y¡± flop, thud ¡°Outch!!¡± I¡¯m not too much of an M, fainting by lack of air? No thank you. Melting a sleeping pill with my saliva was the easy step, passing it down by kissing her, while making sure that she wasn¡¯t aware of my attempt, was not. Because I didn¡¯t use my experimental drug, and it was a simple plain sleeping pill, she could¡¯ve probably detoxed herself if she found the problem early on. Well, somehow it worked, I merely wish she didn¡¯t fall on me while I was also laying on the ground, catching my breath. I may need to find another solution. Escaping the consequences by drugging myself, or drugging the reason, that won¡¯t get me far. She has already started experimenting on sleeping drugs lately. I''m afraid that if I keep it ongoing, she will spend her life¡¯s work on the subject. At some point, she will find a way to forcibly awake the person, even if I use my divine mixture. I should keep it as an escape route for absolute necessity. Perhaps I should play the trash but domineering husband. But again, this would only work if I play the husband part first¡­ We were a week after my last convalescence, on our way to finally start our adventure after fully settling down and agreed upon how to proceed. I drugged a girl for the first time without her knowledge, just so I could escape punishment, and I nearly suffocated by doing so. Chapter 7 - Hey! For once it’s not me, It’s not her, we are still both conscious at the end! Part 1 Once is not custom, I avoided the worst by using my hero¡¯s spirit and man¡¯s nerve of steel. My courage was unparalleled. After getting to know Lily a little better, she wasn¡¯t as scary and impossible to live as expected. Once you knew how to handle her, she receded to the appearance of a normal girl, rather cute, and of somewhat appreciable frequenting. Some (me) would go as far as to say she was lovely and hot, if it weren¡¯t for her potential threat level. She was a sweet talking partener, moreover a sexy one, and in my current situation, casted aside from society as I was, loneliness and blacklisting were common occurrences, I couldn¡¯t be picky. Likewise, she revealed herself to be capable, albeit clumsy and a danger for herself, she wouldn¡¯t be that of a dead weight if she gained some more experience in the future. She was like a gift from heaven, a poisoned one yes, but still a gift. All things considered, if I didn¡¯t mistreat her, and paid her a bit of attention, She won''t pose any problems. A few strokes to her head made her cheerful and some discussion was enough to fill her emotional needs. She even remained unangry, although a little jealous and saddened, when I was paying attention to another girl, as long as I was not outrightly ignoring her existence. To top it all, she didn¡¯t mind sexual harassment, if not enjoying it. As long as I didn¡¯t consider her as a potential night partner, It was safe and I could appreciate her company. Everything to say that she definitely was easier to handle than I had first thought, benefiting my feeble heart. That day, after she woke up from her sleep caused by some overwhelming circumstance, Lily was not as furious as before, although still a little regretful and pissed, she let me make my apology round without fuss¡­ Well she couldn¡¯t do otherwise, she was all tied up and her mouth was clogged with a piece of fabric. She ended up forgiving me in exchange for a head petting session and my whole safety stock of sleeping tablets, who therefore fell under her management. Crap, I had foreseen that but I didn¡¯t predict she would carefully search my pouch and even seize my alchemy kit. Such a relief that she didn¡¯t find my most potent medicine, I did well to disguise it as an aphrodisiac vial. ¡°By the way, get yourself your own panties if you want to use them as a gag, would you, ugh, they¡¯re full of saliva now¡­ ¡± She said spontaneously with a dejected voice, while inspecting the condition of the panties she was previously wearing. ¡°Ahem, Sorry, mine aren''t cheap, most are made of silk or expensive material, plus they are not suitable, full of holes and embroidery. Furthermore, I surrendered them to you as per your order, so I¡¯m unable to do so, even if I would¡¯ve wanted to.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have sworn to leave your collection untouched when you kneel and begged me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s you who first begged so I didn¡¯t let you behind on this first quest. And used it as a bargaining end, even though you already had seized them all.¡± She then threw her soiled underwear at me, telling me to put them to good use in my free time, before putting on a spare one, directly taken from my belongings. Doing so, she made sure to expose every bit of skin, slowly and in an excessively sensual way. Attempting to make me lose my means, and entice me beyond reason. A fine but effective punishment, if you asked me. Resisting the devil''s temptation is harder than yielding to torture. Refusing to give in, I managed to contain myself and we then proceeded to loot around and took note of what remained of the face of our targets before resuming our march. They were bandits that were rampant in the outskirts of the city, at the forest edge. By the way, we were ourselves at the edge of the Rana empire. At the very end of its direct borders with the stainless soul kingdom. To the east the saint kingdom, to the west, well, the empire. Above, both of them, and below¡­laid unclaimed territory. A dense forest was making a notch on their ground, which was expanding in width as it continued toward the south. With the added bonus of high mountains on the kingdom side which was drawing a clear cut between the two giant dominions. There, at the very tips of the said forest and end of the mountain range. A city of medium size, but of great military importance, raised from the ground and served as a fort to the empire. A dangerous area known to everyone, but still rich with well enough wealth circulating due to the strategic position. The place was a connecting point for the different parties, and served as a base of operation for peoples and business no matter their destination. Moreover, its perfect outpost location made it a haven for adventurers and prospecting companies. The forest and mountain, although not pacified, were stuffed with opportunity and raw material. To top it all, several other races lived deeper in these environments so the multiplicity of folks and cultures was not negligible, even within the city walls. Nothing surprising that bandits roam around, trying their luck. Not hard enough beside, I think these ones held more from retards than from muggers and were ill-fated. They¡¯d better work properly and perhaps make a living, surly poets were scarce and rare, at least that one should¡¯ve been able to put his talents to better use. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Ah, but, if there is an interview, I guess he won¡¯t pass as long as they test IQ. That could actually explain his presence in this group of hoodlums. ¡°I think that¡¯s all the spoils we¡¯ll get here, I didn¡¯t search every nook and cranny, but I don¡¯t think anything of value remains on these bodies. Did you find something of interest Lily?¡­ Ah yes, she said that her chef d''oeuvre was disgusting and went to their hideout¡­¡± As if it suited me better... Regardless, they were quite poor, too bad that most of them took plastic surgery on a whim and were no longer recognizable. I definitely saw a wanted notice at the guild. From memory, they had a bounty per head, and a bonus on the boss, more if caught alive. Well, I shouldn¡¯t complain, they would make us a good earning eventually, supplementary income that will serve for food and lodging, while the true quest¡¯s reward will go in the bottomless pit of my debt. Yes, that¡¯s mainly why I said they were unfortunate, we encountered them purely perchance, on our way to the actual target location. Basically, we were hunting a troll that was spotted not that far from the city, something much more difficult and lucrative than dumb theft hunting/child care. Upon entering the forest, these guys assaulted us from nowhere, taking us for a good catch I suppose. But damn, what idiots were they? Not even trying to ambush us, well, I was aware of them so they couldn¡¯t, but still. Once Lily appeared in their field of view, they jumped outside their hiding and shouted something like ¡®What a good chick you got here, she will make a perfect offering to the boss. Catch here!¡¯. And yet, we were so far I had difficulty just hearing that much, should¡¯ve we attempt to flee, I don¡¯t even think they could¡¯ve outrun us if we just walked away. No encirclement, no strategy, at that time I even believed that some big powerhouse was lurking nearby, and it was all a diversion. But no, no one was, and they just died miserably. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s join Lily.¡± At least, they¡¯d make good wildlife snacks, already prepared with care and ready to be served. A splendid hors d¡¯oeuvre of meat and bone, for all connoisseurs and enthusiasts. Masterpiece, appetizers, she truly knows it all. That¡¯s our artist-chief Lily for ya! *** ¡°I¡¯m home! Darling! Do you have something for me!!¡± Was something I truthfully wanted to say upon entering the refuge-like camp, but I promptly changed my mind. I didn¡¯t want to give Lily any sudden urge to put on the apron and ask me the three questions. I might have trouble turning down the last one. And if she goes for a naked-apron I won¡¯t even wait for the first¡­ No!! Calm down, you can¡¯t! Hold back, it hasn¡¯t even been a week without considering the sleeping day. Damn it, I had anticipated that this would supposedly be easy and completely doable for at least a few months, but I¡¯m already having a hard time. ¡°Hey? Did you find something? It¡¯s time to get back on track. We already wasted enough time.¡± I asked instead, restraining my wild mind from going rampant, giving me a one way ticket to hell. ¡°Oh hero, did you finish with the ¡®things¡¯ outside?¡± Have a bit of respect! They were proper humans before at least¡­ The voice of Lily came from one of the shelters. She responded with disdain, like she was speaking of ants. ¡°Yup, didn¡¯t find anything that catches my eye, but I won¡¯t spit on gold and I can sell pretty much all of their equipment to a scrap dealer. And you?¡± ¡°Almost done, only this last tent remains. But I got pretty much the same, some gold and poorly maintained equipment, nothing similar to former victim booty or treasure if you¡¯re wondering¡± Were they that bad? Or maybe they specifically targeted beauty? In that event, I¡¯m willing to understand. If their approach of predilection consists in showing out in broad daylight and shouting from far away, they must not catch a lot. Either it, or they¡¯re so in heat that anybody would do, leading to the same result. ¡°Ah, I think I just striked on the weirdo package. Look, letters, reports on situations, accounting notes¡­ and so on.¡± ¡°Nothing for the other two girls? Rosa or Estel? Or one coming from them? If we want to inform them of the guy¡¯s death. It would be nice if we had something more, other than just a name. Besides, reassure me, you¡¯re not going to write them poetry and all if we find them, are you?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m too bad at that stuff, I don¡¯t wish to bleed their eyes... Hey, look! This one¡¯s weird, a missive from a certain Crystina.M de la tour.¡± What¡¯s now! A noble? Are you kidding me? ¡°Let me see¡­ Wow, It event has a complex wax seal?¡­ Magdala? What does it mean, her family name? It sounds grandiose.¡± I looked above Lily''s shoulders, struggling to see the detailed wax seal, as lily was a little too close to my taste, nay, she was, but that¡¯s the problem. She was not wearing any bra and I could glimpse her bosom, while easily picturing the rest. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s not unknown to me. I think I¡¯ve already heard or seen it somewhere back at home. I could ask mom if ever we pass by, should I open it?¡± ¡°No, better not, if it''s stolen, and I expect it is, it could contain confidential information. Take what appears to be important and let¡¯s move on. ¡° I really didn¡¯t want to think about the possibility of it being a legit correspondence, and I wanted to hit the road again ASAP to calm down. ¡°We will give to the guild what we discovered when we return, maybe this will bring us something. As for the missive, if ever, I mean, ever, in the smallest possibility, we pass by your home, we can always worry about it.¡± Maybe I should¡¯ve asked where she lived, so I never set foot there, even by mistake. ¡­ After a last prayer for the soul of the dead, and thanking god again for sparing me, his lost sheep, from Lily¡¯s furry. I promised to fervently devout myself from this point on, or at least try to, while receiving this strange comforting energy which now seems familiar. We resumed our walk silently toward our original target¡¯s last spotted appearance to date. Leaving behind us those who were still unknown¡­ ah, except Andy! This one, I¡¯m not gonna forget it. Ah¡­ I will finally be able to ponder a little, and pick up my accounting. Because of all these setbacks, I fell behind, I didn''t have much opportunity to get to work. So¡­ I think I left at one thousand five hundred something¡­ Ha! yes, 1552, 1552 and the little twin farmers, 1554. Whew, what a work, but at least I think I¡¯ve remembered everyone from the past year and half now. The last few gave me trouble, cause I was mainly focused on the demon side at that time and it was rather exhausting. I mean the fights! I had many rows of restless days. Which explains the difficulty, I was so tired that I wasn¡¯t paying too much attention to my conquests, they were so scarce anyway, there was no chance to mistake them for another, so why bother? Now, Let¡¯s attack the main course. What was I doing two winters ago?¡­ Let''s be methodical, starting from the end¡­ Chapter 7.5 - Hey! For once it’s not me, It’s not her, we are still both conscious at the end! Part2 Our journey passed without any further incident, sleeping under the starry sky, and peacefully walking amidst the scents of the forest. I hunted in the evening or if we passed by anything worthy of our belly, thereby, we could have some meal variation and preserve our provision. Not that we were short on them, but any potential saving on the final bill was a plus. Our goal wasn¡¯t that far and we could¡¯ve probably reached it in a day or two if we were in a hurry, but the environment was so relaxing and calm that I let myself get caught in the moment and five days slipped by without me realizing it, before we finally reached our destination. But it was worth it, as much as I esteemed Lily company after my long and lonely forced ¡®break¡¯ from my hero job, it was mostly the possibility of being in search of somewhat peaceful adventures again, that made me feel good and happy. Debt aside, I was now free from worrying about the fate of the common people and definitively rid of the cumbersome politics plays. I may be poor for life, but I regret nothing, especially not my services to others and my relations with them. My former job was not an easy one after all. Only a dreamer would say that¡¯s a dream job. Generally speaking, a hero is not created overnight, what¡¯s more, he¡¯s often unrelated to his own ascension but forced into the role by other peoples¡¯ work that makes you rise in popularity, for their own profit. All my little blunders were mainly direct causes due to my work. Either from overwork stress, or overwork duty. They can talk all they want, but these nobles were way too happy with the situation to let it go, let¡¯s not even talk about getting rid of it . That until it all blew up in their faces, and I was made the scapegoat. I may have made it easier for them, by accepting the situation and having that much extramarital relationship. But who worked me to the bones for their greed? Who openly uses the girl I had sex with to promote their safety and wellbeing, rescued from the shadow of war. Who made it so I could lay with as many women as I wanted at once without worrying, providing me with their palace and garden for my rest? Who were the ones preparing orgies all over the places, to perfect the inexhaustible hero¡¯s common belief, while reassuring the commoner by showing them my flaws? Believe it or not, I was made what I¡¯m now. I may be a pervert, but I would never ever have dreamt of this lifestyle, if only countless nobles had not made it possible. I did not abuse my position a single time. But as if by chance, girls fell into my arms like my enemies feel at my feet. Therefore, I played my part, I enjoyed myself as much as possible, while those around me coveted my glory, accepting if not worsening the situation. The nobles and royals ripped all the benefits of my advance against the demons, land, resources, freed cities and population. While those who didn¡¯t ¨¦sitate to shamelessly give their daughter, or other related women, were looking for fame or sought to gain the favor of the nobles. Girls by the bye, that were plainly benefiting and still are, from the act and didn¡¯t stop themselves from making their friends jealous. In all this mess, they were the most honest, grateful for the most part, everyone was willing. I told you, I never forced anyone, and if I might not have asked whether they were already married, I always made sure they were not forced. One could say that they were looking for good pay, akin to a week of a prostitute wage, or the future possibility of greatness, so some could''ve been lying, but I always promised to provide them with the same benefits no matter their choice. Turns out, they¡¯d lose nothing, as everything was made official agreement. And even in case of refusal on their part, they would still receive their due. Right, having that much offspring was not exactly planned by anyone, myself included. But sure ya don¡¯t think they were doing this without any kind of insurance? A simple but good contract assured them a sum of money and ¡®just in case¡¯ they would receive some sort of financial support if they were to have a child. The last part being the reason for my current situation. Anyway, enough chatter ¡°We will soon step inside the troll territory, or at least, where the report located it so far. Let¡¯s be careful and pay attention to any possible trace, I¡¯m not a tracking professional, so your help is welcome.¡± Cutting out the silence, I put a stop to our walk. ¡°Why did we leave the forest, and are currently following the mountain trail? The terrain is steep and unsteady, moreover we are exposed. What is the point?¡± Lily, not without reason jumped on the occasion to complain. ¡°Trolls are tall, we will find them easier this way, the forest would just restrict our field of view. Besides, they are better used to open space anyway, so there is a good chance that it¡¯s their living territory, while the nearby forest is more of a hunting ground.¡± I too would¡¯ve preferred to stay in the quiet forest but we already lazed around a lot. ¡°I would prefer the forest¡­ the stone and rocks are sharp and all jagged, each and every step hurts a lot.¡± ¡°Do you need a break? It¡¯s true that your shoes don¡¯t seem to be made for the mountains, sorry, had I paid attention earlier, I would have gone out to scout alone. You can wait for me here if you want. Hide behind those rocks. It shouldn¡¯t take much longer, at the latest I¡¯ll be back in three hours.¡± ¡°humu It''ll be okay, a break will do, I can endure a little longer. Want a snack? I have some homemade dry cake and cold tea.¡± Lily said while shaking her head negatively in response to my suggestion. She took out a small package and a water bottle while resting on a flat boulder. Ohhh, I didn¡¯t know she could cook. If it didn¡¯t come from her, it would have been a dream-like situation¡­ mmh... Delightful sweets made by your wife with care and love... You know what? I¡¯ll let myself be tempted, hopefully they don¡¯t taste weird. ¡°Why not, evening¡¯s meal is still far away while we could soon be ourselves in the middle of a fight. Might as well not have an empty stomach. Are there any candied fruit ones by chance?¡± She handed me a cup of tea and some cookies that looked, well, quite normal. Then she stared at me, eyes full of apprehension. Let¡¯s take a bite ¡°Mmm good! Tasty and Sweet! Just to my taste, were you secretly a cordon bleu Lily?¡± Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Wouldn''t she be¡­ well, herself. She would have made a great wife. Jiggle jiggle ¡°No, I handle sweet just fine, but that¡¯s all, in fact, the ones you ate are the ones I¡¯m best at. A recipe from my mother. Glad you like it!¡± She spoke with a cheerful and satisfied reaction, shaking from happiness as I congratulated her. ¡°You¡¯re not having one? You should, they are excellent.¡± ¡°No thanks, I pay attention to my figure. I try not to eat outside of meal times.¡± Well, I don¡¯t think you need to, but who am I to judge? I swallowed the leftover cakes in no time and drank the tea in one gulp. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Uh? So fast¡­? But I thought we were close? Can¡¯t you rest a bit more? You must be tired too, don¡¯t you?¡± She made an unclear face. As if she really didn¡¯t want me to stop the snack right in the middle. Well, neither do I. But we got work to finish. ¡°Yup, But It is better to avoid the muscles getting cold, and your sweets are too good and whet my appetite, let¡¯s wrap up the work as soon as possible, then eat and have cookies again for dessert to our heart¡¯s content.¡± Her troubled expression changed to a smile and she got up with enthusiasm. ¡°Yes! With pleasure!¡± She was kinda cute. I should pat her head later on, in appreciation. Now get the job done! I think I might just find what we were looking for after a few strides. Our halt allowed me to realize something. The forest below the path is quiet, and that¡¯s the thing, it¡¯s too silent for it to be normal, it means no animals wander around. Either they are aware of our presence, ours, or maybe something¡¯s else. Then consequently, our troll should be near and scare away the wildlife and on the hunt. ¡°I think we might be closer than I thought. From now on, no unnecessary noise, all right? Let¡¯s go to this headland, I need a higher point of view.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going, I¡®m not confident I can climb this easily, not saying without making any noise. I will walk under the cliff and follow as best as I can.¡± ¡°Rogger.¡± Yet it wasn''t really climbing, mount on some rock was enough to make one¡¯s way up. Maybe she¡¯s scared of heights. Anyway, now that I¡¯m here, let¡¯s see if I was right¡­ The sight is acceptable, I have a good view of what''s there below, some more rocks on a glade, trees and a small stream. I can see the sky clearly and the rest of the forest far enough. No movements, not even a bird, was I wrong? I put my ear right against the rock floor, a tracker thing, trolls are heavy, and I should be able to feel it if he moves in the vicinity¡­ but again, nothing. There is clearly something because I neither see nor hear any wildlife, so surely¡­ maybe he is in the process of eating after his hunt? That would explain the calm, and the absence of other animals. Crumble, a small landslide sound reached me. Is it me or Lily? Who¡®s the cause? Crumble. To my right! May God preserve me. What a walking problem, she could pay attention! CRAaCK!! ¡°AHHHHH -GASP-¡± thud smash! ¡°OH SHIT!!!!¡± ¡°LILYYYY!¡± Shit oh shit oh shit I hope she is well. I rushed to the side where the collapse sound came from. Just in time to see her fall altogether with nearby boulders and stones rolling under her. From where I am, I can only watch the scene, powerless. Continuing it¡¯s tumbles for a short time, she makes no movement whatsoever to stop her fall, seems to be unconscious, she must have hit her head. Not good! It could be fatal, I need to check on here asap! She can¡¯t die on me! We still have so much to share! (Debt, bank account and cookies). God, if you hear me, make sure she is alive! I¡¯ll never again curse her! I promise! I¡¯ll pat her head all night long, I¡¯ll even consider her as a potential night partner!! So please DON¡¯T DIE ON ME!!!¡± At some point I found myself saying my thoughts out loud. No matter, if she hears me, she lives!! ROARRRrrrrrr!! Damn it, that one chose his moment perfectly! The troll¡¯s roar was high and loud, he was close¡­ no, he was already here! I hadn¡¯t seen it until then and what I had taken for a rock was in fact him lying down, his back to us!! Can¡¯t be helped, if I was going now, this would only be more dangerous for her. I could only wait and pray, pray with all sincerity. As long as it doesn¡¯t touch Lily¡­ where is she anyway? I lost sight of her, is she under the stone debris? Even worse, she could suffocate! God what I have done? The troll, whose discontent from being woken up from his digestion nap was palpable, kept proceeding toward the source of commotion with a heavy step while I was seeking divine intervention¡­ There she is! My sight crossed Lily¡¯s -prayer- breathing body, partially buried, but with nothing serious apparent. Phew! Now, as long as nothing moves, the toll would resume his sleep, they¡¯re not that smart. I went down swiftly, closing the distance between me and Lily. Should I wait and kill the troll in his sleep first? Or lure it away? But there is a risk he will come back while I free lily. That would be perfect if it moved on its own¡­ I¡¯m not confident I can ambush it, or kill it promptly, and the hazard of being pinned down in a long fight is not something I can afford. Ahhh! What should I do? I don¡¯t have time and need to check on Lily, but I can¡¯t be too hasty or things could go wrong! Lost in my thought, I finally finished my descent and put myself to hiding and carefully examined the situation. The troll had just arrived in front of the pile of debris. Phew, at least nothing happened yet. Now, just ignore what¡¯s before you, become aware that you are still hungry, and go resume your hunt far away. Please. Crumble ¡°Outch, my head¡­ the hero will scold me again¡­¡± Actually, I said nothing, let¡¯s hope it¡¯s not hungry anymore. ROAR!! ¡°Ah...HIIIIIII What¡¯s happening! AHH!! I¡­ help! save me!!! " Couldn¡¯t you wait! You¡¯re the worst! Doing everything you can to give me hurdles, while making me worry for you! I can¡¯t even blame you, I give my word not to. Haaa!!! Deep down, the sound of Lily''s voice, put my mind at rest. Thank God. ¡°Let everything to me, your white knight is in the place!¡± I jumped out of the cover attracting the troll''s attention with all my strength. If Lily was well, I didn¡¯t have to pay attention to a short fight anymore. Even without all of my hero equipment, that was taken away as collateral after my trial, I¡¯m still the hero. I can take on a troll on my own without much difficulty. ROAR!! ROAR!! BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM ¡­ Did it roar double? must be really happy with the idea of having a last course. The troll, who enjoyed having a second dessert who offered himself, ran towards me¡­ Correction, The two trolls contented to no longer have to share a dessert. Ran towards me. God, Did I knock you up too or what? Why did you give me hope just to let me down all of a sudden!! A faint feeling of strength gave me back my belief, likely the adrenaline, but I might as well keep the faith. Chapter 8 - Perfect princess in distress and not so knight in action. Part 1 The battle started badly, Lily was still out of action and injured, attending to the action while struggling to free herself. Moreover, if the troll¡¯s were poorly coordinated at first, they rapidly started to put a decent fight together, one using a club, the other simple punches. Me? I was focused on the incoming blows, avoiding them as much as possible to stall for time for Lily to free herself, as I had yet to know if her condition was stable. If she was OK, then I would fight with a peaceful mind and finish this damn situation properly, an injured target shouldn¡¯t attract the trolls¡¯ attention and she would be able to take cover and start healing herself. Else, in the worst case scenario, if she was heavily wounded, I would try my best not to drag things and hasten my offensive, even if it means endangering myself. I exhausted them faster than I lost my stamina anyway. Contrary to popular belief, they¡¯re not that hard to manage. Trolls are sturdy and powerful likewise, yes. Quite fast for their size and having the capacity to recover from light injuries on the spot, they make strong enemies. But in fact they are so dense and overweight to themselves, that their muscles take a hit whenever they fight. Making lasting constant movements is very tiring for them, as if they were enduring and hurting themselves, needing to regenerate the flesh. Not to the point to wear them out easily, but to weaken them at least. Therefore an endurance battle was a wise choice as long as you knew how to manage your stamina. Thus, I kept on avoiding the hit, maintaining some pressure and striking them slightly from time to time to weaken them further. Making short glances after Lily¡¯ situation. Seems she had made an effort to extricate herself, she was currently sliding down the rubble. Bang, woosh. ¡°Bah then, fatty! Can¡¯t get a hit on daddy?¡± I said to the struggling troll that had yet to land a proper hit. Well they may not understand human language, but I had to attract their attention as much as possible. Lily was obviously not in shape for a fight¡­ or even moving, I could see from her action that she had difficulties. I could notice that one leg was hurt, bleeding abundantly, and yet, she was relying on it while crawling. Evidently something was wrong, presumably broken. ¡°Are you okay, hero? Give me a minute, I¡¯ll help.¡± She said even though she was unable to stand properly¡­ Hey! why the f*** are you even attempting, she was now trying her best to put all her weight on her valid leg and lift her body. Bang ¡°I¡¯m okay. Be a good girl, and just stay focused on recovering, don¡¯t draw attention.¡± Woosh ¡°But¡­¡± she spoke with a trembling voice ¡°It¡¯s my fault if we are in this threatening situation and I got hurt all by myself. I can¡¯t let you do all the work alone while doing nothing and hiding myself¡­ I¡¯ll just use some magic without them notici--.¡± ¡°Lily! I can see that you¡¯re not in condition, don¡¯t be stubborn. I won¡¯t hold it against you, so don¡¯t be silly and stay still.¡± ¡°¡­ Understood¡­¡± Her answer was almost inaudible and I could only hear part of it. Oh man! She finally dropped it. Why persist. Want to use magic while in an already terrible state? What a joke. Do you want to collapse from mana depletion? Magic is not something that easy, you can¡¯t do whatever you want. When you¡¯re hurt, it¡¯ll greatly reduce your own capacity and using the ambient one is of course much harder. Furthermore, more attention is needed to control it, making the whole thing dangerous when you feel pain. Not even speaking about using magic. I don¡¯t think you could condense enough mana for a spell. ¡°Sorry¡­ Because of me¡­¡± Her voice was full of regret. Hey hey, you¡¯re not gonna cry, are you? I could see sadness all over her face. Am I that unreliable? Untrustworthy, I agree, but to the extent you¡¯ll try to harm yourself even more to help? I can at least take care of these foes. I defeated the demon¡¯s army, you know. How can I let a suffering girl help me instead! I may be a scumbag, but I¡¯m the defender of all women, even scary or evil ones. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Take that! You insolent creature. How dare you make a girl cry!¡± Cut Now that I knew that Lily was out of harm''s way, but could hardly move an inch, I should stop evading and take the fight to an end. It was too late for safety anyway, at most I would end with a few light injuries, but I couldn¡¯t take the risk of dragging her into the fight. Worse yet! she might try to help me. ¡°I¡¯ll make you regret your last meal, fiend! En garde!!¡± Strike ¡°I¡¯ll save the damsel in distress you blatantly kidnapped. I challenge you to a duel of honor and glory!¡± Strike BANG Oops, I forgot there were two of them¡­ Maybe I should stop with the chivalrous knight acting. ¡°Let¡¯s see, which between the man and the beast, prevail! Haha!¡± JAB, RoooAR!!!!! BANG! Or not¡­ It¡¯s clearly a better idea to lose my sword like an idiot while playing one. Ya know, a concern of realism. I like to perform until the end for the spectator''s sake. Now, should I die tragically while cursing God? Waiting for the true hero to arrive just in time to take the spot. But I AM, the hero. BANG! I rolled on the ground, evading the hit. Okay, let¡¯s focus, I had stabbed the sword deep into one¡¯s knee. I had to let go of the hilt because of the other one¡¯s upcoming blow, but that was a clear win. The first troll was now crippled, bleeding profusely. Time to implement a strategy. I picked one of the bandit¡¯s rusty swords from my magical storage pouch. Again! ROARRRRR!!! Another sword joined the troll¡¯s body. Right in the middle of the wrist, making it lose his weapon at the same time. So far so good. Sustaining my pace, I took swords, knives and daggers out, steadily thrusting and sinking weapons on his body without removing them so the wound doesn¡¯t close and preventing him from using his regeneration. That¡¯ till he dropped on the ground after several tens of minutes of hard fight, unable to move anymore. Okay, this one was done for. I turned my attention to the remaining troll I had ignored until now and who had neither stopped or slowed down his harassment while I killed his companion. Mmmhh, how should I take care of it? I didn¡¯t have enough weapons to use the same tactics again. At most 2¡­ ¡°Okay, let¡¯s do that!¡± I ran toward him. Then jumped forward, when the blow came. Pushing a sword up to the hilt in the knee¡­ yes, I know I said not to use the same tactics, but it¡¯s very effective. ROARRRRRR! WHOOSH While avoiding a rain of punches, and grabbing attempts, I put yet another sword out. My last one. And... stabbed it in the knee again? Am I an idiot? Wait for it! While the troll was falling due to the pain and the sudden limb dysfunction. I sprinted to my former victim, and got my sword back. Mine, not the blunt ones which had greater chances of giving tetanus than actually cutting. And went back to my opponent. Thud! ROAR!! I gave a powerful blow in the already weakened knee with two foreign objects inside. Not enough eh? One more time! THUD! Finally, the knee gave in, the shank was gone. The troll falls brutally, unable to keep his balance. After which, I easily killed him, abiding by the rule, cut, cut, and cut again, up to the point he couldn''t recover. And die. And yes, that¡¯s actually the best way, they have hard bones that I couldn¡¯t pierce with ease, with my crappy equipment that couldn¡¯t even compare to an average adventurer¡¯s gear. So making them die from exhaustion was really the easiest. Phew. All of this has not been a piece of cake and almost half an hour of blows¡¯ exchange passed by from the moment Lily was discovered until the finishing blow, but it was finally over. ¡°Are you alright Lily?¡­ Lily!?¡± As I looked at her for the first time since I got serious, I discovered she had collapsed and was laying on the ground. Were her injuries worse than I thought? Giggle ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±Giggle. She responded, trying to maintain her composure by all means, while her whole body was unwillingly shaking against her will. Stay with me Lily! Was she having a seizure? ¡°Bwahahahahah! I can¡¯t take it anymore!¡± Laugh ¡°Sigh¡­ I know you hit your head, but... did you suffer brain injury?¡± At least she seemed particularly fine for a person who just had a serious accident, phew I almost thought I misjudged the gravity of her condition. I felt at ease Chuckle ¡°No no, ehehe, I just¡­ I just couldn¡¯t hold back. Hehe, Your knight acting play, made me choke ya know! When your sword was stuck and you let it go. You were really making a face to die of laughter. I didn¡¯t want to bother you so I stayed silent, but it¡¯s too much! Now that the tension is gone... Bwahahaaaaaa!!!! My ribs!!! GASP¡± Chapter 8.5 - Perfect princess in distress and not so knight in action. Part 2 Despite the pain, It took Lily several minutes to calm down and stop her laughter. Great, I would gladly wait for her to stop, it only meant that everything had given us more fear than harm, if playing the fool could make a cute girl smile it was all worth it. But seeing her good mood gradually disappears in favor of the pain, I ended up stopping her. ¡° At your service, glad you liked it. I could repay your cookies with fun at least. But calm down or your wound will worsen. How are you? Something¡¯s broken?¡± I smiled back at her laughing face. Happy myself that my worries were all for naught. ¡°..Ahem... Yes, sorry¡­¡± She wiped away a tear. ¡°Honestly, not so good. I already stopped all the open wounds from bleeding, and my head, although she received a shock, seems fine. But I think I got a broken ankle and leg plus some rib fractures¡­ maybe more? It hurt a lot, I anesthetized myself lightly with magic, but I can still feel pain.¡± ¡°Let me see¡­ tell me if you can¡¯t stand the pain.¡± I got by her side on the knee, took her hurt limb on my lap and proceeded to take off her shoes. ¡°Eeeeeyoutch!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move, it¡¯s very swollen. I will cut your boots and stockings, we will have to buy you a new pair of both when we return.¡± The sexy attires were already ruined anyway, long past any chance to save them, even for a role play. The whole lower leg was definitely in a bad state. Well, both wounds were located in the same place, so it was coherent. The bulge was understandable, the stockings state too, but that one was irrelevant. ¡°It¡¯s not necessary, better not touch if it¡¯s swallowed. I will walk with a crutch anyway and heal over time...¡± ¡°No!! If it¡¯s completely broken, and given the extent of the fall, sure it is, we need to check the damage. If you have a displaced bone, or worth a sticking out one. We need to take care of it asap, and you know it. Even you can¡¯t be sure if it is all covered and squeezed by your shoes. We won¡¯t move again today and camp right there. if necessary, I¡¯ll carry you tomorrow and then.¡± There is no way you would be walking, I wouldn¡¯t let you, even if you could. Or I won¡¯t be the hero anymore. I started cutting off the shoe and ripped off the garment¡¯s fabric with a knife. ¡°But...argh!!!!¡± ¡°No speaking! I will get angry. Why are you so stubborn when it comes to yourself? Here! It''s already over¡­ what the¡­ what is this...¡± Suddenly, something odd caught my attention, something that shouldn¡¯t have been there, or at least, not as much. ¡°¡­¡± She stayed quiet, pretending not to notice my reaction. ¡°Lily, hold out the other leg to me.¡± ¡°Why? I only had a small flesh wound who''s already close.¡± ¡°LILY!! Do I need to threaten to divorce so you so you listen to my words without making a fuss?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Again, she remained silent, tears got in her eyes, and nodding negatively she put her other limb at my disposal. Here too, the shoe was stuck. So without asking or losing time either, I severed the leather, and tore it off. The loose fishnet wasn¡¯t an issue yet, so I left it on. ¡°Lily¡­ Why?¡­¡± Refusing to look me in the eyes she ended up facing the horizon. ¡°Looking away eh? Are you a child? Should I spank you? Why didn¡¯t you tell me? I might stay unmoved and insensitive to you, but I¡¯m not evil¡­ you¡¯re making my heart bleed.¡± What concerned me was not the ankles¡¯ bad state, both inflated to an abnormal degree, meaning the second one was at least sprained too . The above broken part either not. But the feet¡­ swallow, full of bruises, and blisters, covered in both dried and fresh blood. ¡°Spank you? I should beat myself hard instead¡± How could I call myself a hero, a protector of women? When I can¡¯t even see that a girl is worn out. I didn¡¯t pay attention to the signs, I should have. ¡°No!!¡­ It¡¯s all my fault...I¡¯m useless!¡± Lily, unable to take it anymore, began to speak ¡°The forest was fine really, the pace suited me. But even then I...I got a sprain at the end! Tripping over a damned root! It hadn¡¯t even been a few days! Already there I was in pain¡­sniff. I didn¡¯t want to be seen as a weakling. I was already a dead weight in the first fight¡­I¡­sob¡­didn¡¯t want to hear you say I was a burden! Sob sob.¡± It was my turn to stay silent, I was stunned by what happened because of my negligence and the weight of my word. ¡°I thought I could hold it...hic...that...hic...that it would teach me how to endure pain¡­ So I didn¡¯t magically cure it on purpose. I was a fool¡­hic...sob¡± ¡°I understand, and then?.¡± How could you end up in this way? How? Oh Lily¡­ I wiped away those tears that came one by one, she was dying of embarrassment and regret. She spoke while crying, still not looking at me, avoiding my gaze so as to not show me her miserable face more than reason. At least I must¡¯ve managed to comfort her a little as she continued with longer uninterrupted sentences. ¡°Then, when you took me off on the mountain path, I had trouble following you and things only got worse. Eventually, I could barely stand properly, and the second ankle was about to give up too! Sniff When I asked for a break, I actually wanted to heal myself in secret while you were eating. Or at least I intended to. But you didn¡¯t give me enough time and you were so cheerful¡­¡± Embarrassment became shame, her tears who had slowed down returned more numerous, changing whimper into lament. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to break the mood. Sob sniff, at the end...hic...when you...hic...let...me-hic...off to climb, I got an opportunity¡­ sniff. Perfect!...hic...guh...I said to myself!...hic... But I¡­hic tripped agaaaiiiinnnnn! Waaaaaaaahaaa!!!¡± She started crying profusely, and for a while before slowing down her sobs and resume. ¡°I was scared¡­hic, I thought you would abandon me!! Sob sob¡± I¡®m a scumbag. Now I understood her troubled face when I abuptly interrupted our rest. Her complaints about the difficult terrain made sense so I didn¡¯t take them into account. Nor did I care about her fatigue. She didn¡¯t want to eat, not because she was afraid of gaining weight, but seeing that she was already tired and didn¡¯t want to exhaust further while digesting. Now she was shedding tears in my arms, her legs in pieces, feeling bad about the situation and taking it all as she was the source of our problems, while I was the main accountable without a doubt. ¡°I won¡¯t, okay? I won¡¯t, rest assured, I promise I won¡¯t throw you for that. After all, at the moment, I¡¯m your knight, am I not?¡± kiss, pat ¡°mmmh?¡± I slowly kissed her on the forehead, while gently stroking her head for a long time, until the cry slowed down and ceased. ¡°Are you okay now? Did your fears fade away? I likely won¡¯t treat you well as a wife, but at least, I will treat you as a party member, sorry, seriously, I hadn¡¯t taken you into consideration enough.¡± Without speaking, she nodded in agreement, her eyes all puffy and irritated, the tear trails not even having dried yet. ¡°So, no more secrets about your well being all right? When you are hurt, when you are tired, no lies, no concealment. If I¡¯m too fast, If the terrain doesn''t suit you, even if you take it as a small inconvenience, let me know. Daccccccooord?¡± Another nod ¡°Let¡¯s continue the inspection then. Tell me if I¡¯m wrong. The leg seems to be okay, no blood, bone sticking out, or hematoma in view. But you should check yourself when you have recovered a bit. I¡¯m not a doctor. Other one¡¯s fine, the ankles can be sorted with a bit of magic and good sleep, I think. Your head is fine, so you said. I¡¯ll take your word for it. Now, for the libs¡­ how many fractures?¡± ¡°A few...¡± ¡°I have trouble hearing? What did we just agree on?¡± ¡°Sorry... five.¡± ¡°Yay! Better late than never. But that was the last time. If I catch you back again, I won¡¯t let you travel with me, and make you a perfect housewife, who is waiting home alone for her husband to return, compelled to masturbate out of frustration.¡± Maybe I should have done that straight away. Locking her In our base would have been safer. Allowing me to flee temptation and¡­ that it. To be fair, she was not incapable, far from there. She was truly good in melee, easily matching average adventurers specialized in the front line. She seems to be a good healer, her flesh wounds were all taken care of even though she was nearly exhausted and seriously injured. She just needs some time to get used to her new life. Gaining some field experience should suffice, stamina didn¡¯t seem to be the problem here. Above all, she endured a greater pain and for longer than most I know of, without saying a word. If she wasn''t that crazy in love, had I encountered her earlier, I would have taken her on my journey to push back the demon, no questions asked. ¡°Five, so be it, nothing worse? No broken one? Be careful, I have the means to keep you on a leash until the end of the trip, Literally!¡± No. Let''s not lie to ourselves, given she is this young and already as capable as. Even if she were to rape me beforehand, I wouldn¡¯t have mind teaming up with her in the war after some training. I wonder how well she will grow. ¡°With the tail and ears? Dog or cat?¡± She eventually responded to my joke by herself, she seemed to have gotten back some confidence. ¡°Ah¡­ yes, that could be taken as a reward for you¡­ Thus, how about I bound you to a tree for a few days and let you alone? And why not a rabbit? Seems fine to me, a hurt naked starving rabbit, trembling in fear and cold. Leached to a tree without provisions. You would make good prey for wildlife if you don¡¯t die from hypothermia.¡± ¡°Pffff, I would like to see that, but I don¡¯t think the wildlife would be of any concern. The wild hero-sama on the other hand¡­ That¡¯s a predator I can¡¯t ignore but wouldn¡¯t that reverse the roles? -smile- No cover up this time I swear. Only fractures, no broken one¡± Seems I succeeded in lightening the mood. ¡°Fine, you come first, then I will make the camp, next comes the supper. Let¡¯s eat well and rest nicely, as for what¡¯s left, we will advise tomorrow morning. Okay?¡± And we did just as I said. I took care of Lily''s injuries, a healer was not an excuse to let serious ones unattended, I put on bandages to compress and keep in place her broken and cracked parts. Then I made a splint with wood and some tights¡¯ leftover for her legs. At the end, I proceeded to give her a massage where things were okay, to release some pain and relax some more. No more magic was allowed for today, she was already quite weak. We ate whatever we had on hand, so it was a bit too light to fill Lily''s body needs, her blood and bones were far more hungry than she was herself after all. She would need to eat more than that to recuperate, we were not gonna last with only dried meat and pottage rest. But as it appeared she had difficulty eating in any case, that would be enough for now. Out of sight, I secretly used some of my life saving belongings¡­ Well, it was not supposed to be one, but that¡¯s all I could afford and saved from my past equipment and now it was. An elixir, although not of the highest quality, and not at all made for this situation, it was largely capable of improving her condition. Even if it was a waste to use it as a simple tonic, I take my responsibilities seriously. A few drops in her drink, the effect should reduce pain and speed up the recovery process. If she knew I squandered it, she would blame it on herself beyond reason. Why? Simply because elixirs are NOT miracle potions that can instantly treat ailments, well the best could presumably. What they were, however, were costly, if not overpriced, general medicine with light effects on the long term, its power and lasting time vary and heavily depended on the price. You tend to use them in absolute necessity before the need comes. Yes I know, that sounds inconsistent, but that is the paradox, you need to use them in advance to be effective, but they cost a lot so you generally falter. On the other hand, potions are mostly for specific use, these are less pricey¡­ although still too expensive considering my situation, but I usually didn¡¯t have use for them so I didn¡¯t have any. Anyway, mine tend to have similar effects than of a stamina recovery potion, with a detox counter for numerous poison, slow mana replenishment, modest adrenaline boost, and very light wound recovery that¡¯s more for blood coagulant than wound treatment. And that in the long run. See, told you, general medicine, that does nothing perfectly but is a must when forecasting long fights, with unplanned events. Fortuitously, It might be that it had unlikely but useful uses, and another purpose may have been to replenish and boost stamina through my overlong lingering nights, but that''s another whole story. Chapter 9 - White buttock and the seven extra Part 1 It¡¯s time to make a little speech about magic, precisely, healing one. Magic in name only, when used, it exclusively speeds up natural processes, according to the proficiency of the user, total amount of mana, and of course, the receiver''s basic capacity to heal. It works great for flesh wounds, and for blood loss recovery if you know a little and how to activate the marrow. With better medical understanding, you can repair bone, organ, and even perform magical surgery if you are experienced enough. Even so, your understanding of the human body doesn¡¯t matter at some point. All of the process requires energy from the receiver. Mana is only useful to start and maintain the whole. At some point, even if you can heal a lesion almost instantly, it¡¯s better not to, as to not burden the patient¡¯s body too much. When you are a good mage on the other hand, you can make use of the user¡¯s mana to convert it to energies and use it instead. That¡¯s what most clerics do. They know little about medicine, but they are generally speaking, much more proficient at handling mana. IN the end, the best is still to have both, or someone who can do both. But such persone are rare and priceless. How many years do you need to study the body to be a good doctor? how many, so you can use mana at will? In most cases, Priests or clerics will focus on light wounds ( omitting their other task ) while what we can healer will take care of major injury and emergency treatment. Depending on the situation, of course, they can also assert their value in other circumstances. Like looking after poison, dealing with afterfight first aid, supporting the other in combat or even taking care of his teammate''s illness and ensuring they¡¯re in their best shape. As for Lily... Well, Lily is¡­ controversial. She¡¯s a genius, an absolute genius, she¡¯s well served in both medical and magical fields. Knowing most current knowledge and even some theories still under study, she is moreover a good fighter, knows how to cook sweets, and has noble lady manners (even if she doesn¡¯t make use of them). On the other hand¡­ she has utterly zero practical experience, no common sense, and she doesn¡¯t know how to take care of herself. On the adventure side, she knows how to do her job right, even more for some aspects but at the expense of your own workload. She has never traveled by foot, survived or lived in unfriendly land and she is utterly useless when it comes to preserving and ensuring her own or other¡¯s life. That make her a raw gem, she could become la cr¨¨me de la cr¨¨me. At the same time, she was a danger to anyone who goes near her, enemy and ally alike. I have already been able to experience it twice. Her changes of mood were deadly and sometimes she behaved like a child. Lucky, the first time we only got idiots, and a lost cause who had Lily stumbled upon him, yet, was unable to handle the pressure and lost his means, the second¡­ idiots again, trolls were really dumb creatures. So they didn¡¯t pose much of a threat either. But this time it¡¯s been different. Even if I was carving the opposite¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t leave me behind. If you do, I won¡¯t die! I know how to fight, I know how to heal, and even if I¡¯m clumsy and useless, I can totally go out the forest alive and report you. So take me along! I won¡¯t make a fuss, I just want to stick together with the hero! No matter what happens!¡± Yup, she superbly failed to refrain from opening her mouth once again. Dashing my strategies by the same occasion. Let''s look back in time¡­ [Author note] Disclaimer, the following scenes contain nothing but nonsense and can be disturbing to the mind, you may skip to Ch10 if you don''t want to suffer anymore than reasons. Sensitive person, read at your own risk [/Author note] ¡°Quick! -gasp-¡± Lily spoke in total haste, she was sweating profusely. I could feel her skin burning under my hand. Yet, her back was freezing cold, drenched. ¡°Don''t worry Lily, I¡¯m on it!¡± ¡°Oh my god¡­It hurts¡­I gh!! I have never felt so bad¡­ uhh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m gonna make it¡­¡± She was gritting her teeth and started to convulse. Her breath was short and cramped. ¡°Hold on! Just a little more! We''ll get there soon, I promise. And I always keep my promises!¡± The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Where¡­ where is the nearest suitable location. Here! Just a little longer Lily ¡°Its¡¯ coming¡­¡± She had a violent spasm. Her heart stopped and She was no longer breathing. ¡°Stay with me lily!¡± FUCK IT, EMERGENCY! ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ anymore...¡± all her muscles relaxed at the same time, almost making me let her go. Her hand which until then prevented the precious liquid from flowing out the body. Fall off. ¡°LILY!¡± Desperate times call for desperate measures! Too bad, I will need to take care of the damage later on! ¡°NOW!¡± Well, at this point it was all pointless, she already couldn''t hear me anymore. She no longer controlled her body. And her eyes were soulless. That was more for me to prepare my mind than alerting her. ¡­ Maybe we should go back a bit further, shall we¡­ Long after the sunrise, following an almost all-nighter for my part, I was woken up in an emergency, well yes, I decently couldn¡¯t sleep instead of standing guard, even if I had a light one. When Lily was in this state, that would be taking unnecessary risks. Usually, I take multiple naps while staying on alert instead of full nights, but this time I couldn¡¯t afford it even for a moment. Of course, Lily knows none of it. It didn''t even cross her mind that guard was something necessary. But I didn¡¯t want to bother her so I never broached the subject. Who was concealing important data to his teammate now? Still, that should not have been a problem, not yet. I was used to having little to no sleep at all. When you live a life of pleasure the night, and of a hero the day, you don¡¯t often have the time to rest. And I did sleep in fact, at the least dangerous times, before the sunset, and at the end, after the sunrise. I got a few hours, enough to pass the day. In short, one or two hours after I allowed myself a short break, I was awakened by Lily¡¯s impatient and incessant pinching. She seemed nervous. Enemies!!? I sat up straight, promptly, and looked at our surrounding ear wide open. Awakening my senses and sore muscles by the time I had finished my inspection. Nothing. I briefly gave Lily a stare. She was nervous but not in immediate danger. I could distinguish a mixture of fear and shame. Was she in pain? Did her injuries worsen over the night? I paid attention to her leg, they were shivering but nothing more, seems OK. Her chest? Did she lie about broken rib? Still nothing, I couldn¡¯t notice anything abnormal. That was not it either. ¡°Are you awake??¡± Her shaking voice asked me this as if the opposite would have been her demise. Did she have bad news she didn¡¯t want to tell me yesterday? Or something else? ¡°Yes? Do you need something?¡± My questioning look fell on her and I could enjoy the view from close up. Damn it, with all of those events, I had forgotten her half naked state to which her illegal cuteness was added, giving me a deadly blow and almost making me lose my composure. ¡°...e¡± Now she was blushing. Well, not really, she was already all red. She was downright turning crimson, my heavy meaning look may have been an effective counter-attack seemingly. ¡°Uh? Sorry, can you repeat it louder?¡± ¡°I need to pee!¡± ¡°And?¡± What does this have to do with me¡­ Ohhhh! ¡°Do I really need to go into details?¡± ¡°No no!, sorry, it hadn''t occurred to me yet. Why didn¡¯t you wake me sooner?¡± ¡°I DID! It¡¯s been several minutes. I pinch you, poke you, and do everything I can in my state! I even shouted until it hurt!¡± Light sleep uh? What a joke, I was really tired it seems. Fortunately, it didn''t attract anything. Another monster attack would put us in much greater trouble. ¡°My bad my bad, so what do you want? Should I help you stand and walk on one leg? Can you? Do you need protection against peeping?¡± Her criticisms and bad temper cooled my mind and finished waking me up completely. ¡°What peeping! As if you would find any that deep in a for¨C.¡± Apparently the joke was not to her liking and Lily started shouting with an angry voice, before soon stopping in the middle of the sentence, with a strange face. ¡°Anyway. I can¡¯t walk so you¡¯ll have to carry me.¡± she continued. ¡°Okay, let me just stretch myself and I¡¯ll take you to a place where you will be comfortable. Where do you want to be seated? Will a rock do? Maybe a bit too hard. A fallen tree trunk? You might get a splinter. If you can¡¯t w--¡± ¡°No! This will be unnecessary!¡± ¡°Go on! It was for your own good after all.¡± Does she want to show me she¡¯s not made from crystal again? That she can endure the pain and crude reality of adventuring? ¡°Not in this sense. I mean, the problem is¡­ you know, I didn¡¯t want to wake you up at first, so I already waited to the limit before trying,iIt''s even starting to hurt.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± What''s wrong with her this morning? I can¡¯t follow her thoughts at a¡ª ¡°I¡¯m already leaking!! Just carry me somewhere and hold me upward, upfront! The moment I¡¯ll spread my thigh I¡­ Je ne vais pas te faire un dessin! Can¡¯t you stop speaking? Hurry up!!!¡± Oh!! I was wondering why she was in that unconformable position, legs tighten, clump together, and her hand pressing hard on her crotch¡­ wait! WAIT! ¡°WAIT WAIT!! I¡¯m not ready yet!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not, I¡¯m gonna dump it all here and now!¡± ¡°OK! OK! Hold tight! I¡¯ll pick you up!¡± ¡°Wait! Help me remove my panties first!! I can¡¯t do it on my own!¡± Yes, well, at least she stays lucid. This was not my case. I did as she said while being elsewhere. Like a golem who executes its order, I striped her lower underwear, very pretty by the way, it suited her well. Then I¡­ Wait a minute!! Your hands are not just pins down against the entrance¡­ or exit, call it whatever you want. It clearly goes inside! Did you have to block the way physically?!! Are you that desperate?! ¡°DON¡¯T STARE!! YOU PERVERT!¡± Not without benefiting another glance, I lifted her quickly, paying attention to her bladder and her injuries. ¡°Mhhh!¡± Moan, Some drops of liquid fell on the ground. Chapter 9.5 - White buttock and the seven extra Part 2 After a short moment of haste and not without unnecessary worry so as not to dirty our camp and sleeping accommodation. In the absence of any convenient place within reach, and Lily being unable to hold back any longer, I finally stopped my choice on a set of bushes, not even ten steps away from our tent. ¡°NOW!¡± I forced open her thigh all at once without much difficulty. Well, not that she couldn¡¯t put up any resistance, fully relaxed as she was. Then, all Lily¡¯s muscles jointly contracted while the pressurized liquid gushed out. she was in total ecstasy. Did she climax? ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhh!!!¡± An uninterrupted growl of euphoria and bliss followed. Her eyes rolled up and she stuck out her tongue, her mouth wide open. Yup she did! If we were in an hentai, the sole differences would¡¯ve been heart-shaped pupils instead of dilated ones, me being one with her lower part and a pervert underneath drinking from a golden shower as a bonus. ¡°Bllagh -cough-choke- yayk!¡± Did I actually wake up this morning? If not, and this is a wet dream, I was a fool, I should have taken advantage of it sooner. Maybe I¡¯ll go a little further after this and do the deed with Lily¡­ ¡°I¡­bblargh, stopf! I¡¯M und¨Cblllaaarghhhh!¡± A man¡¯s face emerged from the bush, collapsed, then threw up his guts all over the ground. ¡­ Okay, where did I put the condom? Even in dreams, and with my wife''s blessing, let¡¯s not take any risk. But first. SMASH! CRaACK! I stepped on the man¡¯s head from all my might, putting all of my and Lily''s weight combined on it, then repeated it a few times just to assure the move. I preferred to be alone in the action, dreams were no exception. Adios, stranger A, whose lines were as short as his appearance. ¡°JHONY!!!¡± Stranger B? ¡°HEY!Who''s Johnny, I am! Certainly not him!¡± Stranger C??? ¡°Still, wasn¡¯t his name John? Or something alike?¡± Stanger D???????????????? ¡°Can¡¯t be, John is not in this group, I know him, he¡¯s my little brother¡¯s wife¡¯s ex-husband¡¯s daughter¡¯s mom¡¯s partner''s sister''s daughter''s dad¡± And now Stranger E? Come on! How many of you were peeping on a girl taking a piss!! And, is this statement reliable? It doesn¡¯t look like first-hand information to me. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Stranger B said. ¡°Sure I am! As he is also my lil bro wife''s ex, the father of my sister and cousin and mom¡¯s and aunt¡¯s fuckbuddy. Besides, he¡¯s also my big brother.¡± Stranger E responded. I see. In that specific case it does sound dependable¡­ HE IS WHAT?! And what about your father? Do you have one, or is he also¡­ ¡°¡­I always thought his name was Peter.¡± Stranger C. ¡°Not possible, I know this one, he is over here.¡± Stranger D, pointing behind a tree. Ohhh! A stranger F maybe? ¡°Hey guys, sorry to interrupt you but don¡¯t you think you should stop?¡­¡± Stranger F responded, Yayy!! One after another, heads emerged from the bushes to pour out a continuous and incessant flow of blather. ¡°After all, you got it all wrong here!! His name is Richard¡± Stranger F continued. ¡°Richard? That can¡¯t be, he died last week! Are you sure It¡¯s not Johnny? Or no, Joana?¡± Stranger B ¡°That''s a girl''s name! Moreover, that''s your sister''s name, idiot!¡± Stranger C ¡°Then Finn? It sounds good and it rings a bell.¡± Stranger D ¡°Neither, I know this one too¡± Stranger E If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Who? A disturbing blood relative again? Or a dog? It doesn''t matter, both would end up in heat anyway. ¡°That was a real man! A true bandits, tales speak of him as the manliest of all. It¡¯s said that he made his first victim into his plaything, opening her legs and bending at will, she would fulfill all of his corrupt and distorted desires, even the craziest. The name of the book was¡­ Something syndrome, or how to make a miss fall. I think?¡± Stranger E ¡­ A literature classic among thugs? Then what else? An opera? Though I never heard of this one, this could make good reading. I will search for it if I ever pass by a library. ¡°STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡± Stranger G! What an actor lineup! It was definitely going to be a monumental success! ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°His name is Joe!¡± The new man said with total confidence in his words. WOW, that¡¯s the reveal! And what an acting! ¡°Ah!!!!!¡­ Yes? Maybe? I can¡¯t remember.¡± Actor B ¡°Me neither. But if he said it, it must be the right answer. He is the boss''s henchman¡¯s right arm.¡± Actor C ¡°Yup, if he¡¯s wrong, so is the boss! And the boss can¡¯t be wrong.¡± Actor D I wonder how long the show will last, unfortunately I didn¡¯t have any popcorn. ¡°¡­ Nevermind, now that I think of it, Joe.. That¡¯s my own name, so he can¡¯t be¡­ AH! But maybe he¡¯s a secret twin?¡± Actor G ¡°The boss can¡¯t be wrong, right? And you¡¯re the second in order, so It must be that.¡± Actor F ¡°Yes he is right.¡± Nodes *4 ¡°Anyway¡­ what do we do?¡± After all of this nonsense, the one who¡¯s a total nobody yet second in command asked the other how to handle the situation. Turning towards us. Pssssss...psht Perfect. Lily finished her solo scene right on time, playing the fountain role, and came back to her senses.. ¡°HIIIIIIIIIIIII!!¡± Closing the legs all of a sudden, keeping one hand covering her intimacy, she took a spoon from her magic pouch and threw it away accurately and swiftly, as she knew how to do so well. SPONG And that¡¯s a hit!! She hit the mark and the throwing weapon finished its course into a certain Jhony ( member C ) eyes. WOOSH SPUICK She¡¯s good. Three successes, 0 misses. Still, the knife seems a little off the target. Its purpose was the heart, yet, it ended a few inches to the left. Non non non, Lily, that¡¯s not how you do proper work! You should''ve taken your time and aim properly for the final at least! Too bad, the first and second ones were splendid! The fork on the liver had even made its way up to the handle. "JHONY!!!¡­ Or was it Richard?" B "Hey, you yourself said that Richard was dead!" F "Did I? How to be certain? Did anyone attend to his death personally? See his dead body?" B "Yes, I killed him myself after all, he dared to misspell my name!" F "So it was you¡­ I see... DIE!!!" B Smash "rg! Fat afe u oing!" F Smash "He was my cousin to the 9th degree!! Almost a brother! Pay with your death!" B "Hey!!! Stop, are you crazy? You''re gonna kill Petter at this rate! As your commander, I order you! Leave him be!" SLASH bONK "Fyi fname if fefer!! Fith ONF F!" Jab ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE! Even if I died you won¡¯t stop me! I¡¯ll take you with me to the grave if needed! How can I name myself Jhony if I let my own blood and flesh death unpunished!¡± BONK SLICE SLASH Did F just kill G because he misspelled one letter wrong while G sliced B¡¯s throat while himself was smashing F? And B blood and flesh uh? Is he in the wrong, or did he... ¡°I Didn¡¯t want to at first, but you forced me to step in here¡­¡± Hey, someone concerned maybe? one of the two that remained silent until now came forward to read his text. ¡°To correct you, he¡¯s not your own blood¡­ You think you raped your 8degre aunt without anyone knowing, but it¡¯s only because I allowed it. She needed some stress relief and was a bit of an old hag for me. She is on pills anyway, no, in reality, it''s me, your 8degr¨¦ uncle who made my way with Joana and had a child.¡­ Sorry, I can¡¯t decently let you die without knowing¡­¡± E But of course, elementary my dear watson! Shame, I don¡¯t think he heard you. SPLASH! ¡°I thought you had only me!!! Were all of you sweet words?? DIE!! I won¡¯t let you cheat on me again!¡± SPLASH SPONK The last one finally gave in to madness, and murdered his cheating lover. ¡°Joe! Peter!! My love!!! And whatever is your name!!!! Everyone¡­ Noooo!!¡± They were pretty much all past the saving point, unless a great healer took them in charge right away, hoping for a miracle. Well, I¡¯m not gonna cry over this, that makes things easier, just one remains¡­ "AHHHH! What I Have done!!! NOOO, I can''t live with you anymore!!! " Whoosh SPLASH CRACK Or not¡­ D killed himself by smashing his head on a rock. ¡­ What a dream¡­ I¡¯ve read some hentai with better and more credible plots than that. I wonder who¡¯s the author. Let''s not talk about it anymore. It cuts me off. The whole thing lasted only a few minutes at most. What a gang of degenerates. They were even worse than the previous one. And again, that was LUCKY for us! ¡°Are you okay Lily? Do you need a wipe?¡± Chapter 10 - Its always better to check if youre alone before even thinking of concluding. I knew very well this wasn¡¯t a dream. After all, I was not dumb enough to create something so insane all by myself. And if I was, they would be a lot more girls anyway. There¡¯s no point to middle-age retarded dudes fighting themselves for no reason. Girl contrariwise, with some oil, a good stage and bare hand wrestling¡­ The fact is, why, even when I already knew it all, did they need to remind me of it. I was fine, I would have finished the day and spent the next following ones taking care of lily, cuddling a little to make amends for this morning crisis, and making food. It might as well end with a midnight bath in the near future, helping Lily to clean her body while engraving my memory with some useful material. They had to slam me back to reality! Unforgivable! BANG! ¡°Hand Up! Stay stil¨C¡±¡°EeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekK!!!!!!¡± Lately, people have no manners, can¡¯t they just wait before entering into action? Lily, true to herself, was always in a bad position (yet she does show the best of her body so I forgave her.) and furthermore, they usually stare at her, totally ignoring me like I was air. ¡­ Just a moment ago, we were finally finishing our morning routine, in the late afternoon. After the little scare we had, my first action was to relocate us from our initial position, as far as Lily state allowed it, deeper in the forest. The trolls remain? I took care of it quickly and just picked up the subjugation evidence, their mana crystal. Too bad for the valuable part, but I had no time to lose. I was careful not to leave obvious traces which proves particularly difficult with the combined weight of two people. I chose a good hiding spot for ourselves, where I would be able to monitor the surroundings. After all, I didn¡¯t know who these freaks were, nor what they were doing, but I was well aware of the possible reasons and nothing good could come out of them. It appears I was right again. After a few hours of princess-carry walking at a good pace, which did not help to improve Lily¡¯s condition at all. I Installed Lily comfortably on our sleeping bags, letting her attend to her bodily injury. The snack time-almost-dinner duty was on me, and I went to work. Delicious berries I found not far from the idiots before setting out, some beef jerky, decorated with hard bread¡­ I couldn¡¯t do much, I had not hunted anything since 2 days ago, and troll meat doesn¡¯t taste good, even cooked. Maybe, I would¡¯ve try to find something better later, it would¡¯ve be nice to have a delicious ¡® diner aux chandelles¡¯ between Lily and me, this should¡¯ve increased the midnight bath chance. Not today, of course, she was not in condition, but soon enough... I believe a lake was nearby, that was clearly an opportunity not to be missed. Not that she would refuse if I asked her, but if I did, she would take it as an advance and I couldn¡¯t let it happen. No, I want her to make the suggestion herself, like she did this morning. She was rather shy and cute when it came to showing herself in embarrassing situations. BUT THIS DAMN BRUTE MESSED UP! The bang sound wasn¡¯t from an explosion or anything like. But from a common magic item used to signal your position. While the voice came from a man, likely another villain. Its owner was holding us at gunpoint with a loaded crossbow, and successfully managed no to flinch despite Lily¡¯s scream, unlike the closer me who dropped everything on hand and nearly suffered a heart attack. I wish she would have kept it silent or made it a little louder. I could have made use of the latter to make a move, and in the former case, she wouldn¡¯t have broken my eardrums. ¡­ After a long scream, worthy of the greatest opera singers, well, in length at least, followed by a necessary short period to recover our hearing. The man finally resumed speaking as if nothing had happened and told us his daily life like he would¡¯ve to an old friend. ¡°I was lurk-roaming around in the forest, for personal matters, and took a nap waiting for my prey. What wasn¡¯t my surprise, when I was awakened in the middle of my dream by the gentle voice of a girl who wasn¡¯t part of it. I was having a really good tim¨Cahem, a good rest ya know. I was so frustrated at first, moreover you were all lovey-dovey. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. I said to myself ¡®No matter who, they will pay the price. All loving couples should die!! Especially good looking ones¡¯.¡± You were totally having a wet dream, weren''t you? And to kill someone just as he shows affection to others in front of you, quite overreacts, even for a jealous one, no? Go get yourself a proper job and chick so, instead of napping in the middle of nowhere. ¡°Then I waited for the perfect occasion, when you would¡¯ve taken action and eaten each other. But you''ve made me wait long enough! ¡± Hey! Don''t drag me into this! I haven''t even fixed myself on the matter yet. ¡°Aw¡­ but we¡¯re not that close.¡± Blush ¡°I mean, wouldn¡¯t mind but he does¡­¡± Lily, who had just managed to calm and catch her breath, didn¡¯t even wait to recover from her lung pain before engaging in the conversation. She didn¡¯t seem to mind anymore and responded like she was speaking to her bestie. Am I the only one worried about the situation? ¡°Shut up! I almost killed you to prevent this, do not make me regret my choice! You¡¯re lucky I heard the boss¡¯s crazy looking for adventurers wandering around.That¡¯s you, right? You totally look like adventurers.¡± ¡°We are not adventurers, but just a simple loving newly married-couple on honeymoon who got lost, isn¡¯t it my dear? I have proof of it, I can show you the certificate.¡± ¡°As if I would believe you, and you better not, otherwise I would claim both your life and her body, unless you really don¡¯t like her much and allow me to take your place to save your ass. I only wait cuz I don¡¯t know what¡¯s about you and why the boss wants you.¡± tsk tsk, if only¡­ Had you shot me I would have definitely eliminated you instead. But you have to be clever for once. ¡°That¡¯s my lucky day! You were not my original target, but that¡¯s not too bad either. Because the view is pleasant, I grant you forgiveness for having disturbed my sleep hehe. Till the boss¡¯s here, don¡¯t move¡­ Unless you want the slut over here to take an arrow in the heart.¡± Yup, anyway. We were finally resting and speaking freely, while trading some teasing jokes as usual, but it appeared my hiding spot was already occupied by a sleeping virgin pervert thug and it ended up being our own trap. Hope this is not our grave too. In this situation, Lily was defenseless, still tired and hurt. Half naked and without a spoon within reach, she was taking care of her lower body¡¯s injuries. Moreover, I was too far to ensure her safety, I was not in a position to defend her from an arrow. There is no way out. How lucky! The man was staying at a good distance out of my range of action, but close enough so he could take aim with a crossbow without difficulty. His focus was on Lily, the easy and unmissable target. I was unable to do anything about it. Whatever, he was partially hidden behind some stone and bush, no wonder I only found out about his existence just now, but I should really question myself at this point. It seems obvious that sleeping enemies are my achilles heel. This one sure was a bit odd, he didn¡¯t mess up from the start, nor did he kill himself. He did stare at Lily''s lower body blatantly, however. But he could still control his lust and didn¡¯t make a dumb move like idk, taking her hostage and asking me kindly to go away for a moment? That was a first, I started to believe that low IQ was the norm for thugs in this part of the country. Well, I hope he is the exception to rule. I guess I could get by as long as his teammates are the same as those imbeciles we met so far. Yet, something made me think otherwise. He said something about a boss and us being wanted, were the guys before scouts? Were they all part of a big group hunting us because we killed a few? Even so, the guild should suspect something if a gathering of the sort existed, but I saw no notice whatsoever. They should make a low profile, and they wouldn¡¯t hazard a chance to blow their cover by hunting us randomly or using a flare. The most frustrating thing was that I clearly knew he was drooling from Lily¡¯s intoxicating body sight. And one, I couldn¡¯t do anything, two, I couldn¡¯t look at it myself! That would have been better than fixing a monkey in heat with a boner and a dangerous crossbow at least. That is to say, we waited patiently and at some point, I was allowed to sit far from Lily and eat the food I had prepared. I even received permission to throw something to her so she could sustain herself too. A half naked Lily who was ordered to stay as she was. To ensure her hand stays idle and she doesn¡¯t have secret weapons. Said the man¡­ You just wanted to enjoy the view even more, admit it! Pff not fair, why''d you let me alone with my imagination! For a while I was tempted to try my luck against the situation, but I really didn¡¯t want to put Lily in any more danger, and with the burst of light in the sky, I couldn¡¯t dream about escaping anymore. I¡¯d better wait to see what they wanted from us, and should they try to kill us, I would definitely get out of this, leaving Lily behind, they wouldn¡¯t dare to kill her right?. If only I wasn¡¯t penniless!! I would be able to offer them an arrangement at least! Anyway, giving up all hope. I looked at those damn bandits we were waiting for. I could already see the one who was likely the boss exit the tree cover with a certain number of mobs at his sides.They looked like typical bandits you could find anywhere¡­ or not, most likely you would find only here. They were in league with multiple retards and one poet after all. But hey, that''s a fine gathering you had there. Sorry? How many felons do you need to take care of a pair of adventurers? How did you prevent the guild from finding out about you? Even my blind grandmother would be aware if an army was hiding in the forest near her house. There is something fishy about them, they were definitely not your mere bandits. I was starting to wonder if Lily was not bearing misfortune. Either she or me, in fact, that was probably my fault, but why was this happening now? Couldn¡¯t you wait until I had my moonshine bath with lily? Chapter 11 - Sometimes, less is better than more, and I wish it was even less. More and more bandits were sprouting from the trees and bushes like spring buds. More seriously, Considering their attire, you could easily mistake them for mercenary or runaway soldiers as long as you were aware of the hidden evidence. Seems they are a bit too well equipped no? Patched armor with different parts, heterogeneous gears from uneven quality. At first, rookies would assume they are simple brigands, but they would be wrong. The overall quality wasn¡¯t that bad, in fact, I¡¯d say it was getting close to entry military grade, and contrary to what was shown purposely, the pieces were not coming from split sets as one might expect, but they were all unique, some even custom made. What¡¯s more, one might believe that everything was poorly maintained, while in reality¡­ it was, but through sheer lack of attention, and not due to a shortage of resources and means. If you have no use for it, just give it to me, why are you using your equipment to flex and flaunt your wealth! Since when mere bandits have more resources than a hero! Grrrrr They looked a lot better than the two groups we encountered until now, a little less stupid, and slightly more menacing. As for the one I suspect of being in control, he wore excellent weapons and armor and had a body clearly cut out for combat, everything about him shouted that he was a veteran. Compared to the previous boss we had, this one could give me some troubles, he was the real deal. More than the 2 trolls¡­ Ah but, less than the earlier morons, at least physical hurt could be cured, mental ones on the other hand... ¡°Hey, Joe, what''s the situation? Why are you here, weren''t you supposed to be on a day off for personal matters? Anyway, good to see you and that you apprehended our problem. Anything to report? Did they say something suspicious before we showed up?¡±After getting closer, the boss talked to the one monitoring us. ¡°Not in the least sir, I ambushed them by surprise on my way back. The man was taking great care of the injured girl and If I hadn¡¯t interrupted them, they would¡¯ve ended up doing nasty things together for sure! You would have caught them during the act yourself, boss. There was no cause for concern, they are just two small fries.¡± What a liar, ambush? You were sleeping! You didn¡¯t even know why we were wanted for! And I would not have given in to my desire!! Not yet, not today, not tomorrow! I can still hold back. ¡°No¡­ as pissed as I am to admit, you did us a great deal. One of the reconnaissance team was wiped out, completely slaughtered¡­ Just nearby the two troll¡¯s corps.¡± The boss¡¯s focus carried over to me, along with a short glimpse of amazement at Lily¡¯s legs that made him frown. He crouched while all of his underlings made themselves comfortable, surrounding us once and for all. ¡°So? What could be our lovebirds'' version? You are responsible for the troll, aren¡¯t you? As you are, for the group at the forest edge, am I right? And I¡¯d like to know exactly what¡¯s the deal with the scouting team. Their death was strange to say the least. Certainly, I can imagine given the individuals, but just to be sure. Depending on your responses, we will, or not, dispose of you in a wicked way.¡± Crap, I have to be cautious as to not get on his bad side. I had to play it with prudence, his underlings surrounded us as he was speaking, but didn¡¯t draw their weapons. And while Lily¡¯s still the main target of attention for impure reasons, at least, they were not taking aim for now. I gave an honest answer, that¡¯s to say, the event leading us to our current situation. Summarizing the whole bandit fight, then the troll annihilation. I omitted my name as the hero and said Lily was a warrior instead of a healer. She was caught up in a landslide and broke her legs and ribs. I didn¡¯t lie in the fact that I fought the two trolls at once, alone. Because If I appeared too weak, he wouldn''t hesitate to kill us or dispose of Lily. And given what I thought of his motivation. Maybe I could sort something out of this. As for the madmen, we did kill some, two in fact, and they deserved it, a shame we only got to kill two by the way. What they did was outrageous, what do you expect us to do, when they showed up suddenly at a delicate moment, just to drink piss and stare at a girl''s genitals with enthusiasm for a moment, then killed themselves because they couldn¡¯t remember the name of the first victim. Public danger and crazy people, that¡¯s what they were! ¡°Ah! and one killed one¡¯s 9th degree cousin who was in fact his secret child, or so he tough, because another one, his 9th uncle, raped his sister and was the one who got the child instead.¡±I finished my answer with the useless rumors and gossip which were forcefully imposed on me. ¡°Oh and lastly, the first body¡¯s name was supposedly Joe and the secret twin of another Joe, who¡¯s got yet one more secret twin also named Joe. I''m not making anything up, I swear.¡± I almost forgot about that one. ¡°Another one!!!!? That¡¯s the 3rd!... Ah, sorry boss, act like I''m not there¡± The fellow bandits that had previously caught us suddenly exclaimed, a priori concerned. ¡°Is that a fact? That¡¯s a great story you have here, the worst is that I believe you, should I not know those people I would have thought you had made fun of me and killed her.¡± The boss whose status was just confirmed, spoke again, while pointing his sword at Lily''s cheek. ¡°But that¡¯s something they could actually come by.¡± Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Phew! I was not alone, at least someone else thought they were abnormal¡­ not that I¡¯ve asked anyone so far. ¡°I can see judgment in your eyes, they are truly pitiful ya know? They are from an illicit research center on mind magic and brain study that I raided long ago. A whole bunch! Well, They were experiments and test subjects and got most of them killed beforehand, but still, those who survive, I took them in. I had pity on them, and offered them a job. Bag of meat always proves to be useful after all. Even if only Joe remains at present¡­ I don¡¯t regret it. How¡¯s it Joe, you''re holding up? You¡¯re the last remaining, aren''t you?¡± That explains a lot. But a secret research center uh? I didn¡¯t hear anything which would suggest one existed, even less in the region. I wonder when it occurred, that could be worth dig-in. When everything¡¯s over, I will look into it if I¡¯ve nothing more interesting. ¡°Yes! All the others got killed over time. And the last, pardon, the last two were settled not long ago apparently. Don¡¯t worry sir, they were already dead for me anyway, family included. My only regret is Andy, we shared a connection as deep as siblings unlike with my twins. I would¡¯ve liked to hear his last words, or at least get to bury him properly¡­ ahh andy -sigh- your face is already fading.¡± To support his words, he soon wiped a single tear. Clenched fist on his heart, he looked into the distance like he was remembering dear memories. And yet, you won¡¯t fool anyone! Your reaction when you heard you had a 3rd and your over acting this instant convinced me! You don¡¯t even look alike, were you only related in the first place? ¡°What¡¯s now boss? Do I kill him?¡± ¡°No, or our whole plan will fall apart. Let me think about it¡­¡± After some reflection and pondering the boss finished his sentence. ¡°Let¡¯s abandon the girl here, she can¡¯t move anywhere. Took her valuables and let her die by the monsters¡¯ fangs. With the trolls¡¯ death, this area will soon be full of angry beasts reclaiming their territory. Then we take the boy with us into custody, if he¡¯s not too stubborn, or infatuated by his companion, we can make him submit and take him into our ranks, capable manpower is rare.¡± Their goal was probably to make me do some crime or atrocity, making me incriminate myself. That way, when someone finds Lily''s body, the guild would think the duo didn¡¯t do it without loss, and the man abandoned his girlfriends on his way and fled, then turned a new leaf. ¡°Can¡¯t we really not take the girl with us? Maybe swap the role? This one is of good quality and the men could have a little fun.¡± Our keeper, Joe, started to negotiate our future, apparently highly interested by Lily whereabout. ¡°No, she would take too much time to heal and that would be much less convincing, we almost have enough girls anyway. Why bother.¡± ¡°All right, I will enjoy her a little before we left, that would be a shame to let her die alone without some comforting souvenirs, I''ll join you as soon as I''m done¡± Realy? You just gained and lost my respect. Not acting like a dog in heat, you restrained yourself and managed to hide it while waiting for your boss. But now that he is here, you can¡¯t hold back anymore and you¡¯re questioning his orders? ¡°NO! Think less with your dick and more with your head. The guild¡¯s not incapable like you are. Do you really think they can¡¯t figure she was raped? Enough!¡± For dick-head, that would result the same, but I¡¯m not in a position to speak my mind. During their whole argument, I was shaking. Not from fear as I wanted to make them believe, but from joy. I already had suspicions on their motivation and way of thinking, but it went beyond my expectation. It was suspicious for two trolls to be together, since they were lone creatures and tend to gather as a couple only when mating season approached, but it was somewhat early. Unless you use some hormones to overcome the issue, and I guess so they did. A shield to cover their base of operation, It made them a perfect culprit to charge adventurer disappearance, to ward off curious glances, a bait to absorb the early after blow from the guild, working as an alarm. That was likely the setup. It worked perfectly and would¡¯ve continued to. Or should have, if I didn¡¯t appear and cleaned the troll. They are often avoided even by experts due to already specified reasons, you would need a large group of seasoned adventurers, multiple parties or very strong adventurers. Had they planted an accomplice in the guild beforehand, they would be informed straight away if such a situation occurs. They don¡¯t even need to spy, simply spend the days drinking in the guild pub and watch. That would do the tricks¡­ Overall, it was a clever strategy, given you have the time to warn your partner in crime and as long as you don¡¯t stumble upon an incognito ex-SSS tiers adventurer without a penny who silently took the request on a whim, simply for the reward. Now, I had to let them think I was strong and only wished to prove myself after a secret big success. I would let them carry out their plan to make Lily a dumped victim, and me, an unknown bastard who deserted. I could act as if I want to join them afterwards, look for a victim with a pretty body and face, and kindly ask her in secret to help me in exchange for saving their lives. That way I could give some credibility to my turnover and relieve accumulated stress. Surely, one would accept, right? I didn¡¯t want to force, or abuse anyone, so I need someone who agrees, but still, given their situation, I don¡¯t think I will have a hard time finding someone. I don¡¯t want to be taken as an opportunist but¡­ sure I am! Meanwhile, Lily would heal herself and make her way out the forest, alerting the authority. That would not even occur to them that Lily is a healer, she was so young and wields the mass good enough for an actual warrior. Even without much information, they should be able to scout for them and build up an extermination party. At worst we¡¯d move out before they reach us, but that will slow down the business and stop bandit activities for a while, and I would be rewarded for the time lost in their company. I¡¯d fight them from inside, while Lily and the guild would get their attention. The plan has its flaws, but it should have worked, except with Lily''s adorable but stupid reaction of course. ¡°Don¡¯t leave me behind. If you do, I won¡¯t die! I know how to fight, I know how to heal, and even if I¡¯m clumsy and useless, I can totally go out the forest alive and report you. So take me along! I won¡¯t make a fuss, I just want to stick together with the hero! No matter what happens!¡± Ahhhh Lilyyyyyyyyy why did everything fall apart the moment your being is involved. It¡¯s just like you are conflicting with the whole world. Chapter 12 - The girl, the wardens, and the beasts Ouch¡­ Uh¡­ Where¡­ How¡­? My mind¡¯s fuzzy, It¡¯s dark and I can¡¯t see anything, like I was blind folded.. no, I really am. I can feel the rough touch of fabric over my face. Where am I? My head hurts¡­ Why? I could hardly remember my name or who I was, everything else was shallow and my body gave me a warning every time I tried to focus, as is to tell me that it didn¡¯t matter, and that staying conscious was its only concern. It was silent, or at least, all I could hear clearly was the steady beat of my heart and my slow breathing. Occasionally I could still faintly perceive some sounds which did not belong to me, barely audible and on irregular basis. Sometimes short lived, fading right away, or continuous and akin to background noises. As well as for the interval between each of them. Making me wait, feeling like an eternity slipped away, or beginning again only after a brief delay. The whole thing made me doubt, and I found myself pondering if I was not simply making them up and it was all but a figment of my mind. I couldn¡¯t move? It seems I was all tied up¡­ Anyway, I was feeling completely numb and wouldn¡¯t be able to lift a finger. I couldn¡¯t speak, my mouth was sealed. But I was so weak I couldn¡¯t even whine. Tap tap tap tap tap Again¡­ The noise came back to taunt me. Barely strong enough to make me believe it was here, but too dim to ignore it. ¡­ Time passed, I fell asleep, woke up, slept, woke up, again and again. Eventually, I got back some energy and sense. I was still groggy and dull, but I could now focus a bit, at least I was now confident, the sound which was still haunting me, it definitely existed. It¡¯s him who rocked me, It¡¯s him who disturbed my rest. I could now hear other things too. Voice? Footsteps? And¡­ grumble, growl My stomach. I was hungry. I didn¡¯t know how long it''s been, my references were the number of times I fell asleep¡­ No, even there I couldn¡¯t keep the count and stop from trying. Probably a certain amount of time, because It seems I had peed myself at some point, I didn¡¯t know when, manifestly during one of those periods of slumber I had. I wanted to cry, but no tears came. ¡®Now I¡¯m thirsty¡¯ I thought. They¡¯re not going to let me die, will they? Not that I know or reminisce who or what brought me here, but I must surely have keepers no? I was left alone¡­ time passed again, enough to let me put together pieces of memory and souvenir. I was a bad girl, arrogant and proud. I should¡¯ve listened, I should¡¯ve understood, I shouldn¡¯t have been hasty and narrow minded. Bored of everything, tired of my mother''s reprimands, I had desires for changes. I was blinded by romance, my mind had plenty of tales and epic chronicles in storage. I ran away from home full of hope, expecting to find what would get me out of my white prison, only to find the unexpected and finish in an actual cell¡­ Taptaptap I miss you mom¡­ ¡­ Good news, the floor is hard and cold, at least I have some working senses left. Bad news, I¡¯m starting to fully feel what were only light sensations until now. I¡¯m freezing cold, I ache all over, I¡¯m smelly and the wet straw under me unpleasantly sticks to my skin. Everywhere else, where my bare skin is left uncovered, It itches me like hell. But I can¡¯t move, I can''t scratch myself, or stretch my muscles like I want. The only thing I could do, was to relieve myself again and breathe the stale and smelly air. I''m going to throw up... Where are you then, my hero? Tap tap tap, I wonder, this time, will this lead me into slumber? Or will It prevent it? Tap TAP TAP TAP Uh? click, creakkkk The total darkness suddenly disappeared, I couldn¡¯t see yet, but at least I perceived light through the tissue. And that when a thought about what would happen from now on came to my mind. Only at this moment did I think ¡®Who? What awful fate do they have in store for me?¡¯ I couldn¡¯t remember, but I had to be kidnapped. Why? Did they want something? Money? A means of pressure? Or did they lust after my body? Both? And What¡¯s next? Perhaps, they will just throw me out, or use me until I die, or sell me¡­ In fear, I curled up as much as possible, pointlessly trying to hide from what was awaiting me. If only I could disappear¡­ Mom? hero? Anyone, please¡­ I beg you¡­ Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°Wow! It stinks!! They really did it, these bastards! Or rather, they didn¡¯t. Are you alive, miss?¡± ¡°...¡± I didn¡¯t dare to respond, or more likely, I couldn¡¯t. My tears, which were unwilling to come until now, were surging out. I felt that the moment I would move, I wouldn¡¯t be able to contain them any longer. ¡°Is she? How much drug did they use? If you hear me, I¡¯m gonna unfold you and take care of your needs, don¡¯t make any sudden movements, and let yourself be, anyway you can¡¯t change anything and even if you could, nothing would really matter. There are tens, if not a hundred beasts in rut out there.¡± Will it be okay for me to cry? As he said, nothing was left for me to hope for¡­ But I was too shy for that, and above all I wanted to retain the little dignity I had left. If I was to lose everything, I would like to make it like in those stories I love so much. ¡°So better stay still or you ain''t gonna make it. For once, I¡¯d prefer to not deal with a wrecked body and broken soul. Be wise, and I will even wash you clean and give you acceptable food.¡± The man removed my eyes-fold and my strings, then took me in his arms before carrying me to a small pile of hay, a little more comfy and thick than the few strands that covered the cell ground. He looked like a teenager, even younger than me. But with a quite strong stature already. Mhhh-ahh He removed the stuff that was blocking my mouth, ugh ¡±¡­Blaaaaargh!¡± barf My tummy took it personally as a permission, if not an invitation, to empty the little content he had left, projecting bile everywhere but not far. Mainly on myself and him actually. cough cough Without paying attention to what had hit him, he started to strip me naked with an expert hand, taking care to not damage nor rip my cloth. Why? They¡¯re long past any clean recovery possibility at this point. Are you still trying to save what you can? Or was he only just enjoying the moment to the fullest ¡­ Casting his lustful gaze on me while running his hand over my skin¡­ I let it all happen without almost any resistance, slight shivers and cold creeps were my only reactions. His hands were hot and wandering, yet gentle, his staring was pleased, but also satisfied. Maybe he will be kind to me if I endure, and stay still. I knew some would prefer tears and screams and I shouldn¡¯t judge a book by its cover, but he didn''t seem like that kind of person to me. Perhaps He would treat me like a human, even nicely, in exchange for some cooperation. As long as it doesn¡¯t hurt¡­ I may not be willing to go all the way on my own accord, but I can try to please him¡­ could I?¡­ Then, he covered my shoulder with a crude but warm blanket and proceeded to check with attention all over my body¡­ I was at his mercy, ready to be touched, abused or eaten at once¡­ Couldn¡¯t he wash me beforehand? I really wish I could have a proper first time¡­ At least one which looks like it. But it seems it wasn¡¯t the time yet. With a nod, after having felt different locations on my body, he moved away with a lasting glare, then went away with my clothes. Was I in such a bad state that I couldn¡¯t arouse him completely? But he definitely enjoyed it¡­ Maybe I stink too much? He said it when he first entered and I could smell it myself even used to the odor as I was. Can I have a bath?¡­ no, a bucket of water and a rag would do, I suppose. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s warm...¡± The blanquet¡­ I hope it''s not an oversight. He''s not going to come and take it back, is he? ¡­ ¡°Great news, you are perfectly fine¡­ In bad shape, but unhurt. I feared they''d have broken something-- Hey? Did you fall asleep, miss? Sorry, but can¡¯t, or you will catch a cold. Here, eat first, while I clean this mess and make you a proper cell¡­ Ah, nothing¡¯s against you miss, you didn¡¯t have a choice, It¡¯s all these dick-head¡¯s fault.¡± I let loose for a moment apparently. I don''t know how much time passed, but the man came back without making me notice, a bowl of what looked like gruel in one hand, and a bucket of water and a rag like I was thinking¡­ Wait, he said the place, not me? And I¡¯m fine? Was he only looking for injury? Had I misjudged him? I took what he offered me and ate slowly. Even though my stomach was screaming loudly to be filled, I savored the moment and the hot food. Looking without speaking a word at the teenager washing the cell¡¯s ground with plenty of water and rub. Suddenly, I felt ashamed. As he said, I couldn¡¯t help it, but even so¡­ ¡°Have you finished your meal? Can¡¯t you speak by the way? You didn¡¯t utter a word since I¡¯m here. Or are you deaf? They didn¡¯t tell me a damn thing about you.¡± The sound of his voice asking me a question startled me. ¡°Ah!...y...yes? No! I mean I can speak, and I¡¯m not deaf. Sorry¡­¡± ¡°You were scared don¡¯tcha? Don¡¯t worry, in a den full of wolves, I¡¯m the only cub around. As long as you don¡¯t make things difficult, I will make your life easier. When we are alone, don¡¯t bother and speak your mind. Just pay attention if others are present.¡± ¡°R...really?¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting that, was he serious? or in the process of fooling me? ¡°Yup, I¡¯m younger than you anyway, even if I¡¯m your warden, you can speak freely. Any wish to celebrate our first meeting by the way? I can¡¯t free you or anything, but as long as it¡¯s not going against your captivity, I will do my best. I swear on my name!¡± ¡°ehhh¡­ Can I have a bath? Or clean hot water? I would like to wash. And you swore on your name, but I still don¡¯t know it yet, what should I call you?¡± I spoke without thinking, without restraint. He''s not going to ask me to repay him afterwards, is he? Maybe when he said I was free to talk my mind, that meant I have to be honest on what I feel when he will use my body?... I definitely am doubting his motive now, yet, It was too late to ask for confirmation, I just wish I could have my bath in both cases. ¡°No problem, you won¡¯t find a bath nearby, but I¡¯ll fetch the basin used for laundry. As for my name, nice to meet you, my name¡¯s Finn, but everyone around calls me puppy.¡± ¡°Pff Thanks, I¡¯m Aur¨¦lia.¡± He managed to get a smile out of me, who cares if he plays with words, I¡¯m bound to endure what will happen anyway. Following which, we proceeded to accomplish my dream, a hot bath with clean water, along with a new set of clothes, simple and rough, but different from what I had expected. No rags, nor slave attire, but proper female clothes although a little big in many ways. I felt at ease, maybe not in security and without fear, but at least, I was in peace of mind. That¡¯s why I let slip by, the lewd and intense look, as well as the lost hand and fondle. I didn¡¯t misjudge Finn ultimately, he was truthfully a pervert. But that''s probably the best I would find around, and the closest thing to the hero in my story. I wasn¡¯t a picky girl, some(my mother) will even say that I was rather an easy one. Extract from: Stockholm syndrome, or how to make a miss fall in love, unpublished bonus content. Chapter 13 - Let me in!… LET ME OUT!! Part 1 ¡°Let me in!! I only want to check on her, you didn¡¯t touch her or dirty her body did you?! Because if you did, I¡¯m not gonna stay still! I will complain in high places, got it! She¡¯s mine!¡­ well she¡¯s not, not any time soon, not even in a dream. But!! She¡¯s under my protection. I vowed to her mother to bring her back at the cost of my own sanity.¡± What bullshit am I spouting here, I don¡¯t even know her mother¡¯s name. But I can¡¯t resolve myself to openly state my worries about her well being. ¡°Calm down buddy, ya didn¡¯t think we¡¯re crazy enough to go against the boss''s order? And I can¡¯t let you approach any more than that, your cages are near enough for you to ogle and that didn¡¯t stop you from peeping at her all night, didn¡¯t it?¡± The watchdog, our good friend Joe, brother of countless twins, especially dead ones, was faithful to the task until the end, and did most of the guard duty. When he was not resting, he took a mischievous pleasure in torturing my mind since we arrived. Serving no purpose other than contradicting me, or refusing all my requests, everything while pretending to take great care of us. Surprisingly, he was no longer longing after Lily¡¯s body, and kept his hand and eyes at bay, like a professional warden. ¡°That was only to make sure she was fine and ensure nobody would make a move on her behind my back!! Absolutely totally completely not cuz I couldn¡¯t help myself from enjoying the view!¡± fuaaaaaa¡­ ¡°Hero? Is that you? What happened? Why are you making so much noise so early in the morning?¡± Lily, who was awakened by my commotion, was wearing a rare smile of satisfaction, stretching her arms like she had woken up from a good night''s sleep in a 5-star hotel. ¡°Told ya, she¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°Thank god, I¡¯m at ease now. Don¡¯t worry Lily, I will bring us back home whole and chaste!¡­ well, for you in the least. I had a chat with their boss, we are currently on hold, but I managed to get his word for you to be treated well. It¡¯s just that these monkeys didn¡¯t agree to let us stay together.¡± I had more than a chat with him however. We spoke a lot, like a smart and manly male would do with someone of the same caliber. After Lily¡¯s proof of idiocy, I mean, after her fiasco¡­ no, after her flop, nobody will say I¡¯m mean okay?! I do have some responsibility after all, why I¡¯d supposed she could go with the flow when she¡¯s a rookie who finished with both legs cripple because she didn¡¯t want to fail me... Anyway, after this unfortunate event, they escorted us to their hideout. And by us, I mean me, carrying Lily who got to sleep from exhaustion all the way until now, along with a small group of freshly bought slaves. How¡¯d I know? Because they all bore all-new official slave¡¯s marks, magical seals, that have yet to completely settle into their skin. Upon our arrival, we were split, the slaves fate was unknown and they put Lily in jail while their boss strictly ordered not to touch or do her any harm, we then had a talk about our situation. To sum it up, I¡¯m screwed¡­ therefore nothing changes. Joke aside, now that the hero¡¯s name was known, possibilities were lessened. Further reduced because they understand well that I had at least some attachment to Lily and vice versa. I managed to secure our safety while appearing somewhat weak minded and helpless. Showing them that I was at the end of my rope after my trial due to my well known predicaments, and was forced to complete second rate quests to desperately repay my creditors. I barely pretended, it wasn''t so far from the truth. Considering how poor I was, and thanks to Lily''s burdensome and stressful existence, to which I could add the pressure weighting on my spirit caused by the dangerous temptation that resulted from it. I was indeed not far from a mental breakdown. So as not to put them on alert. I make one hear that I hated my current situation, and wouldn¡¯t mind an alternative. I introduced myself like an honest pervert in search of a future free of obligations. Well, I didn¡¯t specifically emphasize the first part, it was already a worldwide fact after all. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. I answered all of his following questions, about my and Lily''s situation. I even revealed that I was cursed with a tracker, and, even if it was supposedly currently blocked by their magical jammer, they had to prepare a countermeasure. Developing a bit, I proposed a temporary means of replacement for the cover we blew unintentionally, as well as for providing any potential monitoring parties a reason for my sudden disappearance from the radars. He accepted my explanation and put us on hold, reflecting on the situation and the viable choices at his disposal, weighing the possible pros and cons for each of them. He seemed skeptical when he first heard of my identity, back then he laughed for a while before understanding that Lily was serious. Now, he was still doubtful about my motive and the reasons for my presence around this part of the world, but he seems to believe me. He knew Lily was at his mercy, at least until her full recovery, and it may take time, magic was forbidden and it¡¯s not like we could bypass their unfair equipment. Beside their jammer, they had magic blockers too, how did they put their hand on it first of all! Well, I quite got a rough idea about it, but it remains to be confirmed. In short, Lily was their insurance, and I was a potential co-worker, with talent, but unreliable. So he didn¡¯t have to dispose of us urgently, likewise, I could cause him trouble, but chose to cooperate and disclosed almost everything in return for sparing Lily and guaranteeing her safety. It could be seen as a questionable decision, after all I could have very well waited for the guild, or any kingdom anxious about losing my track, to find me, and believe me, it wouldn''t have taken them long before they did it. But I didn¡¯t want to let incertitude guide my steps. It was better not to stay idle, and act as long as I could still assert my position. Not only was it the safest in the short term, but also the most profitable. I have some suspicions about their true motive and what was actually going on , and my hero instinct was telling me that there was money in it. Or at least, I should be able to gain something from this. Moreover, I didn¡¯t want to risk an army showing up and screwing up the situation even more. Might as well count on Lily''s lucky star¡­ or mine, this remains to be determined which one is the cause for our misfortune. ¡­ But hey! Aren¡¯t we alive? Lily was still unable to move, but she got actual medical aid, and was now fully bandaged. With clothes on. I was even told that a girl, a slave, would be provided to take care of her every need. We were clearly winning from this exchange, it was not expected that we would lose our harshly earned gains there though. Because I was so poor, almost everything was stored into simple magic storage pouches with no protection whatsoever. Our belongings were taken away from us, but it¡¯s not like I had some secret weapon or anything like that anyway. Plus, Lily''s cutlery set was welcome with open arms, they were apparently short on them¡­ As for the important stuff, it was well kept safe in Lily''s secret storage ring. A ring that she apparently successfully hid¡­ well, somewhere, in a place that only a girl could have, I guess? I didn''t dare ask. A chance that all my personal outfit and cosplay collection was confiscated after the inn event and that they were kept out of my reach. I¡¯d really despair of losing them. Much more than the little that our economy represented, and that wasn¡¯t in the ring. I know I would have done the same, but¡­ Lily¡­ why?? All that was left to do now was to wait. It did not bother me, it¡¯s not like I had a wife or kids waiting at home¡­ Well, they are not waiting strictly speaking and the later I meet them the better. May god spare me. ¡°Are you worried Hero? Don¡¯t worry about the view, when night comes, I don¡¯t mind showing you a little if we are given a little privacy.¡± Whereas I was in the process of complaining internally, Lily¡¯s voice brought me out of my thoughts. As always, her concerns were cut, but totally misplaced. ¡°Thanks, but that wasn¡¯t what bothered me.¡± ¡°... Are you sure? You¡¯re drooling.¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry, that¡¯s it.¡± I hope the slave they¡¯re sending is good, I wouldn''t say no to a bit of soft yuri circumstance when she will attend to Lily. he he *** Meanwhile, in a dark and messy room, with its only occupant in the center, standing in front of an intriguing orb. A secret conversation was taking place,well kept from any curious eavesdropper, and whose purpose served a dark motive. A mysterious figure¡¯s projection could be distinguished inside the orb. ¡°Kill the hero, and send me his wife along with the next shipment, unspoiled. If she is as pretty and cute as you said, I will put her to good use and let you keep the archaeologist who picked your interest in return.¡± Chapter 13.5 - Let me in!… LET ME OUT!! Part 2 ¡°So! What¡¯s the matter? Why did you call me? I give you two minutes, I¡¯m busy. ¡± In all likelihood, the man in the orb wasn¡¯t happy, like someone who was forced to stop in the middle of a relaxation session. ¡°I had some juicy news on hand and an important thing to report, so I decided to contact you ahead of time...¡± ¡°Yes? Come to the point!¡± ¡°Ahem. That¡¯s a video call sir...¡± ¡°Yes? I know, That¡¯s what we agreed upon starting our collaboration. Come to the point!¡± ¡°I mean, you¡¯ve made a bad focus sir¡­¡± ¡°Did I? I¡¯m pretty sure I have the correct setting yet. Is it blurry? Or perhaps it has water marks? I washed it well though.¡± ¡°I was referring to the capture size, you are in wide mode sir...¡± ¡°Perfect, that¡¯s what we are looking for, It gives me a type. My agent recommended it to me and... Nevermind, hurry up, I¡¯m about to leave.¡± ¡°Splendid desk you have here sir, is it a new one? It seems different.¡± ¡°Yes? Indeed, the old one was too narrow under it. It was awfully uncomfortable, so I changed, this one¡¯s an actual collection piece, it belonged to the stainless soul church¡¯s third pope. Glad you noticed, well, most did lately. Any other comments on my setup? Or do you plan to waste my time any further?¡± ¡°No sir, if it suits you that way, so do I. Let me resume my report, I¡ª¡± ¡°One moment. Hey you! I already told ya not to disturb me when I¡¯m in private talk, why are you staring at me? Is that important stuff you have in hand? Don¡¯t ya just stand here, put it on this side then go at once! Humf¡­ ¡± I could faintly hear someone apologies ¡®Yes sir! Right away sir, sorry sir¡¯ to the man¡¯s order, followed by a big slam. Well, I could understand his reaction. ¡°Hey!! Pay attention to the door! It¡¯s the late empress Rana¡¯s personal bathroom door! It¡¯s priceless! It cost me a whole county with its provided workforce, fifty of my best trained slaves!¡± I don¡¯t think anyone can listen to your words anymore, except us. But one in the other, it¡¯s for the best. I don¡¯t see how you could justify yourself in front of the current king or the princess¡­ A county? Really? Maybe I should change my career path and reconvert into stealing famous figure furniture. How much would it sell if I were to put in action one of their private belongings¡­ ¡°You could probably get yourself a small duchy, a good one if it¡¯s a really private one. As far as I can remember, there was a case where one got his hand on Rana¡¯s used socks and the highest bid was to be made a cardinal in exchange. It was a fake tho, the man and his son were last seen as transgender, almost complete female, sex slaves in training.¡± ¡­ My bad, It appeared I was thinking out loud. But sure the rewards are good, while punishments for fake are super-duper outrageous. I might stay on my way, I don¡¯t want to meet the same end by misunderstanding. The worst I can have currently is an unofficial execution, or to be killed in duties. A pity, I have tons of used underwear from unknown girls, maybe one could come from a celebrity, who knows. ¡°Sorry, let¡¯s go back on tracks, As I was say---¡± ¡°Sorry, I need to cut you again. Hey, stop, it¡¯s time to get down to business, drop what you have on hand and turn around, will you.¡± ¡°Yes! At once!¡± This time I heard the voice clearly, but no door slam. ¡°Sorry, so, where were we? Let¡¯s hurry, I¡¯m expecting another urgent matter to come soon.¡± ¡°Ah! Eh¡­ Yes, as I was saying, I got some important news on hand. Firstly, the trolls, our cover, are gone--¡± ¡°WHAT!!!¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re dead, and¡ª¡± ¡°They are dead!!!!? Does it mean a strong party came? Have you been discovered?? Should I dispatch killers to clean up?¡± ¡°No! No, no worry, we already solved the problem, and I wish you wouldn¡¯t act rashly and scrupulously, we both know who your murderers¡¯ casualties would be. I prefer to take care of my boys myself if you don¡¯t mind. Either you could make me a target, or your men could take me in the lot, I bet.¡± ¡°Never! I wouldn¡¯t go this far! That would be too easy to track me down in case of failure.¡± So you do agree that I would be an issue too. Thanks man, I took precautions beforehand. Ahem ¡°Anyway, we already found the cause, it turned out, the hero was working around to make himself forgotten, and took the request quietly, for the high reward purpose. ¡± ¡°WHAT, THE HERO?? He¡¯s not someone I can take care of, even with my best guard and assassins. What should I do, he¡¯s coming for me? How did you stay alive? Give me your secret!¡± ¡°If you want me to be concise, stop Interrupting!!¡± *** Sigh What a moron, I thought it would never end, as if it wasn¡¯t easy to restrain myself enough. You had to act without thinking and almost spilled the beans. And all of this for what? I only wanted to confirm the identity of the hero because I had doubts, and it seems it¡¯s the real deal actually. But what about his command? Wait for the next shipment, then Either kill him and make him disappear, or stage his death publicly? Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. That would be like digging my own grave, put aside the fact that I need to kill him first, which is not an easy task at all, can I even do it? I mean without the girl as a hostage, I¡¯m probably nothing to him. I Know he has fallen into disgrace and lost all of his support, but even there, I¡¯m not his opponent, with all the guys around ganging up on him likewise. As for the second part, I¡¯m not taking the bait, make him vanish all of sudden, when all of the big power¡¯s eyes are on him? It won¡¯t take them a week to find out about us after they lost his tracks. As for stage his death, even worse, especially when you rejected my proposal to make use of the girl and pretended she killed him by love then committed suicide. Which would¡¯ve been the only credible option. Moreover, you want his girl for your own use? Do you want to make more video calls just so you can introduce her to your viewers and boast about how you wiped out the hero and get yourself his girl as a new toy? This without even closing your door and letting yourself be bothered by simple secretaries? To ensure the rumor is spreading, like you just did? No... I don¡¯t think what he did today was intentional¡­so¡­ He would probably just get himself killed when it would reach the king¡¯s ears, or by showing it to the wrong people. Nop, not gonna happen, I won¡¯t fall in your trap and take your suggestion. Let¡¯s think¡­ I still have time before the next shipment but I could always delay it to be sure. It would probably be the last one, anyway, I can¡¯t trust them anymore. I can try to help myself with the hero. First set him in a good position, then put him on my side. I don¡¯t think he is that desperate to be tempted to become a bandit, like he wanted to make me believe, but he does have great need for money and care for his companion. Furthermore, he is craving girls as if hadn¡¯t touched one for ages. Wait, didn¡¯t you say she was your wife? Isn''t she enough for you? Anyway, I can use that to my advantage along with other benefits. Last resort, I can use that, but¡­ I really don''t want to. You already planted enough seeds and harvested the fruits, didn''t you? By pity, don¡¯t grow a forest from that if we get there¡­ please. Let''s not think about it, It makes me want to throw up. I¡¯ll try implementing my plan from now on first. ¡°JOE!¡± ¡°Yes boss?¡± ¡°WHOA!!! Wow come you are already here, you shouldn''t be babysitting the hero and his partner?¡± ¡°I was, but my instinct told me you would ask for my presence, I rushed through winds and tides without taking time to finish my task properly, and so here I am.¡± Mmh? Well, good, it will save me from wasting my time. ¡°You can let the hero and his wife in the same cell¡­ no even better, make them stay together in the same places as the good. If he ever requests some girls to have fun, go for it, you can use our used slave or any non-virgin. Anything else, it¡¯s up to your judgment.¡± ¡°And go get the girl, the one I put aside for myself, make sure she¡¯s cooperative, make her understand that she can finally escape from her fate if she does the job right, then send it to take care of our new friends. No question, no comment, okay? Our life is on the line.¡± ¡°Rogger, but what about you?¡± ¡°Meanwhile, I will go with some men. I have to make as the hero suggested, and report to the guild in his name that he will push deeper in the forest, as the trolls have changed their hunting ground.¡± A good thing that he came up with this idea, and gave me his adventurer ID card. I can kill two birds with one stone, it will dissipate the hero¡¯s stalkers doubt, and persuade the one that follows my every step that I have disposed of him. Uhm? Strange, it smells weird, maybe I should air it out, It''s just that these last nights have not been very restful. I hope Joe didn''t notice, or he''ll pester me again to allow him to be rough on the slaves. *** Who¡¯s the manager!! That¡¯s not what I have asked! I want a refund! A day after our incarceration, we were accompanied elsewhere, from our initial habitat, simple Iron cages put side by side in rows, to an unknown destination. Located in mountainside natural caves whose entrances were barely visible. Their hideout was perfectly concealed. I''m not surprised the guild never heard of their presence. From what I could see, the layout was intricate, cave rooms connected by gallery networks served as their base of operation. At that time, it appeared to me that the whole thing was perhaps way bigger than I originally thought. I was right like I usually do, but it exceeded my assumption, beyond all my predictions in every way. It wasn''t just any hiding place, a good yet simple bandit camp. That was quite elaborate and even roughly built or carved into the rock in certain places. They got functional rooms for their needs, furniture and decoration, things were very well arranged. All of which could accommodate at least forty people, another bad news, they were way more than planned. ¡­ Following our guide, we went deeper underground. Upon entering a secret path, whose entrance was concealed behind a woven tapestry and a hidden door, we got ourselves yet another speleologist ride. A long trip underground, crossing multiple caves and corridors, sometimes natural, sometimes man made, god I hate labyrinth. There is little to no hope that a stranger to the place will find his way in this maze of galleries. We were watched by three men on top of the unique and unforgettable Joe, all the way, and of course, with Lily carried by them, a knife on her throat to dissuade me from everything. After a long time, over an hour of walking underground, the tunnel finally opened into a very large cave, bigger than all the other ones, and this time, fully built, with actual plain structures in wood, bricks and rock. Some were even completely dug into the cave¡¯s wall. They were in poor condition, half in ruins, nonetheless, their sight of view was shocking and beautiful, simply breathtaking. Where the hell is this? We were then accompanied further for a while, the rocks left their place to polished stones, and the galleries became corridors and stairs. A building? Seemingly a big one furthermore, given the width of the hallway. All for the sake of ending up in an actual prison, a dungeon with big cells, not just mere cages like before, but from strong stone and thick metal bare. We were brought to a big one, under the stunned and questioning eyes of dozens of bystanders... The entire lockup was empty, everything else but this particular unit, filled with prisoners. Still, they were not one on top of the other, as the dimensions were huge. Probably made for monsters initially, it was more than enough to add some more without making it unbearable. At first, I thought that this bad mouth of mine had yet again predicted the future, and I expected to find there a bunch of muscled black men, who would unintentionally drop the soap to my feet. Luckily, they were not. But this caused other trouble which I would never have imagined. Problem one, they were all girls, of any kind, age ranging from young teens, if not children, to forties. All pretty although not necessarily stunning beauty. Problem two, their outfits, simple short cotton dress; was barely covering their important part, and highlighted their shape. They had no underwear. Problem three, Me! Let me out!! This is not what I had planned!! What do you want? My death? Do you plan to keep me confined here, doing baby-making nonstop until I die? No luck for you, It can¡¯t anymore! What I can, it to show you how to! But even for me, that¡¯s a little too much here! We were put in a modest cell, right in front of them, on the other side. Craps! I shouldn¡¯t have let my mind run wild¡­ Now I¡¯m compelled to look without touching. A genuine torture then¡­ LET ME IN!!!! Lily, if I lost my mind, pardon me. Later one, a slave, a young gorgeous and stunning beauty with blond hair, was sent to us with the instruction to serve our every need and got herself almost eaten on the moment without giving her time to speak. Saved only by the stares of hatred, disgust and pity radiating from behind her, and somewhat thanks to Lily''s saddened and eager face. I repeat myself LET ME OUT!!! Chapter 14 - The miss, the knight, and the beasts ¡°FINN!!! Where is that stray little genius jerking off once again. Hey guys, did anyone see him around? Is he still drooling taking care of the merchandise? Like he usually does?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s more likely that he is stuffed with the princess again. Nowadays, he spends his free time around here, well, I can understand, she¡¯s quite a cutie, and near his age for once. For him, who¡¯s always crazy about girls like he was two times older. He must have taken a liking to her.¡± ¡°Is he? Good, at least he works diligently and maybe she can teach him a thing or two about a woman''s heart, he is still a complete virgin despite his behavior. Hey, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time to let him graduate? We should offer him some good time with one of the slaves. He may be a slacker as soon as he has free time, but he always does his job properly, unlike some of us.¡± ¡°Let him have a broken doll as his first experience? Do you want to make him a complete S? No thanks. Same for prostitutes or worn out girls, that would be a poisoned gift. No! A proper man should be in full control, and learn how to. At least, wait to find someone like the miss, a virgin with not that great of a value, and offer her to him.¡± ¡°As if, it would be a waste to kidnap someone just for this reason and there is no way the guys would let him pass first anyway. What about Anabelle? She is used to it but she¡¯s netiehr worn nor inexpressive, she still had a fresh and suave taste despite already having a daughter, and what¡¯s more, she kept her reticence and shyness. It¡¯s just like she had never done it yet.¡± Laugh ¡°I don¡¯t think so, she acts like this because one of us is the father, and she knows we will be inclined to treat her kindly if she does so. She will eat him raw, and Finn will be traumatized. You might as well ask Caty, I¡¯m sure behind her cold personality, she has a thing for little boys.¡± ¡°Yes, I agree, but It wouldn''t surprise me if she was a true virgin slayer. This won¡¯t lead to anything, and do you realllly want to ask her if she¡¯s interested? Remember the last time someone touched her, he had his hand chopped off. Do you want to lose your tongue? No, better let him participate in our next training session. That could even be our little miss, if we finally choose to use her. Moreover, he will learn the need to share doing so and toughen up a little.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the worst, sure, that could work, but he will hold a grudge against you if you broke her too hard. By the way, any chance that he will make a move on her beforehand? That would be against his purpose.¡± ¡°Him? Doing something to her of his own volition? Not gonna happen, he is a clever boy, if not the smartest around there, he won¡¯t, as he won¡¯t betray us, he already loves girls and money too much to live a normal life and he¡¯s too fearful. He would do nothing that could put him in danger. Anyway, PUPPY!!¡± ¡°Besides, it''s unrelated but, where is Caty? I haven''t seen her all day.¡± ¡°Dunno man, maybe she found a clue about what she¡¯s looking for.¡± ... I¡¯m Finn, an apprentice robber, ex-guinea pig and would-be gangster. A bad boy in soul. I¡¯m the only teenager around, still quite young. A lonely puppy, in the middle of a wolf pack¡­ Well, I should be. I¡¯m quite quick-witted and rather intelligent. In earnest, I know a lot of useful stuff. So my recruitment in the band went smoothly. ¡°What could a kid possibly do for us? Too bad for you but none of us is into children, even less a boy.¡± ¡°I know a lot of stuff, you kidnap people, steal and resell to make a living, no? Well, I can do the accounting and help manage your inventory, along with some labor.¡± ¡°What¡¯s more, I have some medical knowledge. I can look after the girls'' bodies, who I¡¯m sure, aren''t left behind. And provide you some medicine and injury care.¡± ¡°And why are you, little genius as you are supposedly, living in the street, without even a piece of hard bread to eat. Asking to join us? How so? How can you not be a fake?¡± ¡°Have you ever tried to sell yourself, as a former slave who was left behind after his masters¡¯ deaths? A chimera resulting from some prohibited and banned experience on his mother, whose identity is still unknown and is likely dead? And who¡¯s wanted on top of all? That¡¯s a lot harder than you can imagine.¡± ¡°Wait! A chimer? Are you¡­¡± ¡°Yup, I am from that place. The whole knight corp raided it two days ago and a public announcement has been made. You should¡¯ve heard, they were making research on the mind and stuff, I¡¯m one of the things they created. Still doubting? Take me on trial, I won''t disappoint you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my last hope, I can¡¯t go to neither the guard, nor the officials. The emperor¡¯s forces burned the place to the ground and neatly erased all traces. Furthermore as it was a joint action with the Church I can¡¯t go to any orphanage anymore... I¡¯m hungry, tired, and if I¡¯m found, I¡¯m worse than dead anyway. So why shouldn¡¯t I just become a criminal? That is better and safer than a street boy who will eventually meet the same end if he didn¡¯t die before.¡± End of the interview. In summary, I¡¯m just a nobody, with no history, who just happened to know a thing or two, and took the easy path. In two words, I¡¯m reliable¡­ I¡¯m totally not an improper ex-genius, who couldn¡¯t nurture his gift right due to the environment, and learned the wrong things. I¡¯m not just some lost case, perverted to the bone. They think I¡¯m still a virgin lol! I was initiated to sex shortly after entering the band, and practiced it regularly since I got there. I keep hiding the fact, and wipe out the evidence. But I do it often, every then and now. I never was an innocent one, my old life taught me a lot, without differentiating good from bad. I was already accustomed to seeing my fellow, being used like objects. I had already seen and heard everything that was possible. Yet I was myself still free from stains. But when I was accepted and added to their gathering of criminals, things were quite different, I was given different jobs and responsibilities in accordance with my skills. One was, to take care of the merchandise as they like to call their victims, perhaps to reassure themself that they are not human beings anymore. I had to make sure no one was sick, monitoring their state, taking action in case of pregnancy from early stage, managing their well being until they were sold. Medical knowledge was not my best, but it was vastly superior to what we could find nearby, it was more than enough. Nothing surprising, then, if I, who was in constant contact with despair from birth, and switched from a victim to being a culprit. I, who had the appearance of an innocent child and to whom was given the task of maintaining their value by any means, keeping them in condition, up to their sanity. Nothing could be more normal, that I ended up self-interested in the object of all desires. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. On the other hand, some girls approved of my diligent work, and started to see in me more than one of their wrongdoers, but an attendant or even a fellow victim. Some were permanent residents, slaves, or future ones the guys kept for themselves. Eventually, they learned about me, about my past, with just the right amount of detail to make assumptions. They had pity on me and took me for one of their own, the idea spread, and it didn''t take long for the others to accept my presence easily as well, then my kindness. In return, I comforted them as much as I could, I attended to their every need, taking care of their pain and soreness. I shared what I could to reduce their burden, listening to their fear, their complaints. And while remaining silent to what I was unable to change, I always made sure to support them at the utmost of my capacity. Paying extra attention to them after a particularly hard time, or after their first one. Soothing them after an abortion, after their kidnapping, ¡­ or before their selling. I even helped by providing pain killers, muscle relaxing, and hard drugs. Mixture I made with what I could find in the nearby forest, or while visiting the city. Those were used by them to get through difficult times. For whichever was at the end of the rope and didn¡¯t have any will to live anymore, I provided the few of them with poison to let them depart in peace without pain. I was a ray of light in their life, I had a soft touch, whereas others treated them brutally, my concerns were all well founded and my esteemed listening didn¡¯t stay indifferent. I truly made more than I could to make their life even just a little more bearable. Be cared by someone, and you will inevitably do the same in return. Applied to the task as I was, It didn¡¯t take long before one suggested a stress relief act for both of us. To thank me, and to help her forget. Something I could have refused, if it was an isolated proposal¡­ But as It was not the first time girls had made a move on me. I couldn¡¯t discard their sincere feelings, and we had a rather good moment together in oblivion. But there again, the word spread, suggestions, or else requests, began to rain. At some point, some asked me to take their virginity beforehand, as It made them feel like they were in control for a last time, or as an act of rebellion. I was the one who was in charge to report about their V-marks condition, I could afford it. Since then, away from the gaze of other men, but as an established fact to all of the girls, I offered this service to anyone asking for it. All of this was permitted and advantaged by external factors, such as, when, seeing their finances soaring to the sky due to my diligent work, the band resolved itself to take into account my opinions much more seriously. Or when, seeing how the girls were less tense and reluctant to sleep with the men, or accepted more quickly and easily their doomed situation without making a fuss, they let me be in full charge of them. Well, better girls, in better physical and mental state, means better looks, better disposition and temper, means even better in bed, even better sales. Over the years, we got pretty rich and they went from a trivial and unknown local group, to an even less known, just as simple, band. But they expanded their activities and manpower, they went from local to regional, nay, national presence, and their underground status and acknowledgment went up. I gave them opinions when needed, for difficult work, for difficult sales, on what¡¯s dangerous and could be a trap, or on what¡¯s promising. Of course, I never participated nor helped on their actual deed. All I managed was the aftermath. I was not devoid of conscience, and point blank refused to help them for anything upstream. In exchange, I got them to agree on the use of non-lethal drugs on the girl, to help them, and even made them allocate a budget for it along with other things to keep them in always better condition, better food, better sleeping, nothing extravagant or fancy, but still appreciated. Everything lasted for years, from my early childhood to my early teenage moment. Until they kidnapped someone they couldn¡¯t afford. Until they made a mistake and got their hand and something they couldn¡¯t manage. A noble girl, a young teen, apparently of very, very high status, which they didn¡¯t have any knowledge of. Well they eventually learn about it afterward. But it was too late, and at their own expense, when multiple cities went into an uproar, when the guard, then the army was dispatched to look after her. People hadn''t seen anything like this since the raid of the magic lab. The culprit took several days to bring her back to the base using drugs, my only mistake by the way, as they diverted it for their own end. Himself was not aware of it at all, and that¡¯s only upon his arrival, that we all learned of the situation. They then proceeded to throw the princess in a single cell, concealing her from the sight of the other girls. Soon after, they started to argue among themselves, well, those who were present at least, the topic? The procedure to follow. Some wanted to make her disappear and erase every trace of evidence without delay, even disposing of the kidnapper. Some wanted to take advantage of her and use her body in the long term, making her a permanent slave, as she was promising and already had ¡®great assets¡¯. Others wanted either to ransom her generously, or to search for a potential interested rich private buyer. It wasn''t until the next day, still not agreeing on what to do, that they finally went for a truce and let me know. Subsequently asking me to take care of her right after my duty. Too bad, they had agreed to listen to my opinion before that though, but that didn''t carry much weight in the balance, not when their lives were at stake or their desire took precedence. I had advised them to let her go, she was drugged all the time and didn¡¯t see anyone''s face, or even our current lair¡¯s location, moreover, nothing had been done to her. It was better to drug her again, then drop her where she was kidnapped. Higher up tends to let things flow when immediate danger is dismissed. And criminals who respected noble blood, were criminals that could be tolerated, or be useful, so goes the world. But it was denied by the majority who wanted to make a profit¡­ or simply lusted after her. Well, I could understand, from all the girls I had seen so far, she was the most beautiful one, she had perfect skin, body ratio, and a really cute face. Although still quite childish, she was sadly old enough and quite developed in certain areas, so that it didn¡¯t bother the men, and did not spare her from their lust. Anyway, when I saw her, in her hopeless condition, left alone yet coveted by all. I made a promise to myself, a promise to my soul. I wouldn¡¯t let them dispose of her as they intended. I would save this girl, I would do what I couldn''t do for all the one I let slip by. My subconscious had discarded the sad tomorrow and tragique future since forever, and even there I couldn¡¯t help myself from worries and regrets. But a murder? Or a life-long destiny of despair right next to me, when she was not even older than myself? There was something in her that, unlike other girls, finally made me face reality, and prevented me from ignoring it any longer as I had previously done. That wasn¡¯t love or lust, or anything close to it. Her smooth and immaculate skin was not even noticeable, as she was absolutely dirty and in pitiful condition. Maybe it was her face, completely devoid of any trace of incomprehension. Despite her appearance and what had happened, she understood the situation clearly without needing any explanation. Or her total lack of distrust towards me and my words. Or even perhaps simply her will, the way she accepted my touch, my gazes, forcing herself to suppress her reflexes to the bare minimum that her body was willing to accept. Only shaking slightly where others would¡¯ve cried while trembling with fear. In anycase, leaving her to fate wasn¡¯t something I could let happen. I had grown enough, the time I gave myself to be forgotten, to tame my own fear, to be able to live all by myself and part with this group of hoodlums, was enough. It has to. When her frightened eyes met my line of sight, I knew I would save her, or I wouldn¡¯t be able to save myself ever again. When she gave me a smile, as if I was her savior, like the other girl did only after knowing me for many days and weeks. I knew I would let her return as white as snow, to finally deserve these thousands of bitter and regretful smiles, yet filled with gratitude, that was painted over every single farewell face. Even if it means giving up my life for it, I would put an end to this dog¡¯s life. ¡°Yes comrade? You asked for me? Sorry, I was taking care of the girl. Still no change in your divergent opinions I presume? You should come to an agreement soon, or else the situation is likely to turn sour.¡± My own predicament no longer weighs heavy enough to remain unaffected, compared to their misery, and their meaningless future. I will be what I couldn¡¯t be until the end for all the other girls l send to their demise. I would be her white knight on a white horse. She was predestined for me, as I was for her. Chapter 15 - A day in a hellish paradise is enough to reduce a man into submission. So do a week. I¡¯m a new man, forever changed, I don¡¯t think I can go back to normal anymore. A whole week passed, a week of psychological and physical torture. A week during which I had to endure not only Lily''s jealous and saddened behavior, but also a heavy and persistent atmosphere of disgust and hatred, yet, full of sensuality and indecency. Furthermore, as if that wasn''t enough, our new five star guest room with a view on the sea of desire was accommodated with its own staff, free of service and above all, eager to offer them. That¡¯s to say, an insupportable tempting aid who calls herself My thing, and made seducing me her main goal for no apparent reason. I don''t even know her name! She quite simply refused to say it. It¡¯s been a difficult week for sure, each day was long and hot, while the cold nights didn¡¯t give any rest, as I was too afraid to sleep. However low the odds were, I was still scared of being subjected to rape by Lily caretaker, paying me an unexpected visit. I wasn''t willing to take the risk. All the more since dozing off from something other than exhaustion would result in sweet dreams which would make my admirers'' looks of aversion so intense that I would choke from them. This, in the best case scenario, where those would not become too realistic. Otherwise, It would mean to break the peace treaty I¡¯ve made with myself, going against the non-aggression pact with the current sole available territory in reach, yet out of limit. A fast forward invasion from which retirement would be impossible the moment I would barge into the forbidden zone. Making me the owner of the prohibited land once and for all. Unless a third party invites itself and initiates hostility, which would lessen our loss, but again, I would risk our enemies to ally together and it would be impossible for me to resist a joint attack. A chance that I had the right to keep my adventurer clothes, they were helpful and let me partially hide my bad boy whose vigor never dried up, holding it back forcefully and causing me a distress preventing me from falling asleep easily. But man that was painful! One week of forced abstinence, in these conditions, following days of enduring Lily¡¯s teasing, themselves following months under arrest ¡­ It was like I had built step by step my horniness with a promise of a great future, without ever being able to let it go wild. Always postponing the fateful moment. I had tightened my belt to choke my child, but I couldn¡¯t stop my eyes from looking, could I? My only moments of joy were when I talked with our jailers, Joe, at least he was very good at freezing my ardor. ¡°Say bro, I¡¯m rather thankful to you, I mean, I won¡¯t have to cut in two, err¡­ split in three my heritage, when I get it back. But I can¡¯t help being saddened by Andy¡¯s death and the impossibility to attend his funeral.¡± Usually, it was he, who told me about his life, and I listened absent-mindedly. I learned the hard way that too much investment would get me into trouble. ¡°But maybe you can help me to cherish his memory and help me remember his face for longer? You looted his camp, didn''t you? Did you happen to find some documents or his written correspondence? He should have had lots of them, did you find anything like a will or an inheritance document? I certainly can grant you your request if so.¡± ¡°??? That doesn¡¯t ring a bell, no really. Sorry. What about his corpse? Maybe it was something he carried with him?¡± tsk ¡°We couldn¡¯t find it. I looked anywhere, but he was nowhere to be seen. At least from what remains after the hungry beast turns.¡± Woow! Really, his body wasn¡¯t the one in the worst state yet, he had lost his limb but at least his bust was untouched. How much did beasts feast on them so nothing stays behind? ¡°Anyway, In that case, unfortunately, I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t comply with your plea. I won¡¯t find you and let you in a place safe from other gaze, with soundproof wall and door, a soft bedding, and energizing food for two days and nights. All I can give you is the slave you asked for, but as they are all quite busy at the moment, I will let you in the opposite cell instead, you can even use several ones in exchange, just try to be careful and not to take too much virgin at once.¡± Fuck you buddy, who¡¯s your bro? At least, I¡¯m pretty sure Andy wasn¡¯t. Inheritance paper? Has to split it? Hey, weren¡¯t you out for personal reasons when you caught us, looking for something¡­ or someone? Wasn¡¯t your target the other Joe by chance? But now I¡¯m concerned, weren''t they experimental subjects from some dark and evil research center? How could he have any inheritance right whatsoever? In any case, I now formally had the attention of the whole prison, the stares almost palpable already, became rock solid, some girls even spit out when I met their gaze. Lily was about to make a scene probably wanting to say something like ¡®How can you use a girl in secret when I¡¯m right at your disposal and ready whenever you want¡¯ while our assistant friend would trip on purpose and fell into my embrace, slightly exposing her skin and act like she was a shy clumsy maid. What are your problems!!! To everyone, I¡¯m not just some disgusting bastard in heat, you just wait! The time I will save you all is near¡­ and when it will arrive¡­ You will all be at my mercy!!! Or so I thought, but I don¡¯t think I would go that far, in view of the way things are going, I may finish as a eunuch. And if not, I certainly will be impotent for a time. Why? Because recently, the pressure on my mind and body was such that I started to get used to it. That is mainly why I asked for some private time, I knew this was coming. One more week and I will be like a wise man, a nude body view will only make me meditate on the substance and the form. Did ya know that the true beauty of something came from its imperfections? I''m starting to realize it, a freckle arrangement similar to a star chart, a trace of crying that reminds me of a dried up stream, a disappointed look that makes echo of my past... Anyway, back on topic, I had luckily anticipated their action and was prepared to prevent them from ruining my image even further. I binded Lily''s mouth with my hand and caught Anna before she fell on me. Anna¡¯s our cellmate by the way. Yup, the very one who tried to sleep with me the very first day we met, I say well, the day! Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. I don¡¯t know what she has in mind, but there is definitely a misunderstanding, she misinterpreted her orders maybe? The fact is that upon seeing my face, she transformed. From an elf, a semi elf seemingly, she became a succubus. Her gloomy face and bored attitude became light and engaged and her behavior began to mimic a predator which then switched for an approach of clumsiness and unintentional provocative situations, when she understood I would not concede. I had to ask Joe for her name as she refused to give me anything other than some ¡°Just call me whatever you want, I¡¯m at your service.¡± or ¡°You don¡¯t need to know my real name, only to use my slave¡¯s body as you fit.¡± The worst is that he asked me for some advice as compensation, but it was needful. Calling her¡­ ¡®you¡¯ like she was some trash seemed to be fine to her, but that was what made the others so unfriendly in the first place. I had to change the way I appeared to them, to a better person of course, something closer to reality. We were in the same boat after all, real companions in misfortune. Oddly enough, after I finished giving Joe his personal guidance on his sleeping performance, I was seen as a complete subhuman, and gradually became the subject of intense moral bullying. Hey! I wasn¡¯t giving him tips on sex okay!! It was all about his constant need of rest and irregular nap issues. But I couldn¡¯t prevent him from doing a satisfied and pleased grim after my whispering. Nor could I guess he would choose this moment to take a girl out of the cell, thanking me and saying out loud that he would try it asap. I¡¯m innocent!!! But even Lily thinks I¡¯m the bully and refuses to talk about it now. If you really think so, can¡¯t you let me alone when I¡¯m trying to save myself from losing what made me a hero? I mean, my integrity and credibility of course, have you ever seen an impotent hero making essays on the way of the universe and the art of the body? Cuz that¡¯s what I¡¯m about to become! It makes no sense! Why are you both, making these envious faces like I was cheating on you when I¡¯m supposedly a bad guy anyway. ¡°Ahhh! Not there hero¡­ everyone can see us...¡± moan ¡°Mmmh...sluurp...hmmm...sip¡± moan Swords piercing my flesh could be felt from everywhere. Ooops, I think I just made things worse again. Lily, whose mouth was covered imperfectly, left an opening for one finger to find his way in, while the place I groped Anna to stop her fall was inappropriate¡­ Well, goodbye my wished savior advent, hello my utterly gross, filthy and lubricious sicko emergence, I missed you. *** ¡°So, how¡¯s the hero behaving? Is he installed correctly? Did he ask for something? Has he touched any girl? Things are not going smoothly on our side, I¡¯d already spotted curious people in town, and I know we are being monitored by those bastards. A chance I made preparation and faked the hero''s death and disappearance. But I need his cooperation from now on, or it will be our demise.¡± ¡°No, sorry boss, but I even implied he could use any girl he wished for, even from our goods, but, as he seems interested, he didn¡¯t make a move. Instead, he asked for some private time in a private room, with good food, a good bed, and only a girl to serve him. He looked terribly tired at that moment.¡± ¡°Strange¡­ It¡¯s about the hero we talk here, he fucked like a rabbit so much before, so why¡­ ohhhhhh! Something comes to mind, I heard when you did it too much, you could end impotent, unaffected by normal stimulation, and that what you are accustomed to, no longer arouses you. Fuck, we are in a dead end. That¡¯s not something we can influence. And a comfortable room and food won¡¯t make him indebted to us. No result from Anna either?¡± ¡°No, even though she does it relentlessly and what¡¯s more at a sustained pace. It''s crazy, thinking about it, she was so against it, and guarded her virginity by all means. She fought back every time she was molested. Seeing her fall for a good looking hero made me angry and envious. However good, he seems to still be attracted to his young wife. Could he be shy and prefer immature bodies now?¡± ¡°Him? Shy? You may think of it if you only knew of what transpired from his judgment. But I have a ton of spicy info, he¡¯s an immoral and unconcerned dog. He did it in plain sight, or outdoors, without much of a concern¡­ But you may have a point, maybe he¡¯s seeking new thrills¡­ No choice, I can¡¯t let all of you guys down in this mess¡­ Go fetch that, I will bound us forever. Meanwhile, I will inform him of the situation in which we find ourselves, him and us. He will be obliged to help us in the end.¡± *** As usual, I was receiving a constant flow of murderous looks directed my way, I was even more despised than their own enslavers and was the public enemy, the number one in the list to castrate if they were ever freed alone. But as much as my side sucks, this was not the case for a certain somebody. Lily could lessen her injuries, she had plenty of rest, good discussions with her new friend Anna, and even sympathized with the resident across the corridor. She recently received permission to use magic again, and on top of fixing her legs, she put her effort into healing them. Anna, not unsatisfied with the situation too, was working like our maid and taking care of the chores when she was with us. Otherwise, since she had the right, and so the possibility, to walk freely in this entire place. She made it her daily task to help the other girl too. Something that was at first denied, but then agreed on as it couldn¡¯t do any harm. What a joke, why I am the only one who tries hard to save them, but seen as less than nothing. At least, the bandits treat me differently, they¡¯re rather nice once you forget they were criminals, murderers, robbers, and rapists. It may be one of the reasons why I was one-sidedly treated like this by the girl though. But It helps me understand the situation. Yes, I was working all the time, unlike what some people might think. What I gleaned, chatting with the talkative guard proved to be even more efficient than questioning Anna. From what I grasped, the bandits were not a mere collection of thugs. I already knew, by the place they used and their boss'' cleverness that they were not simple, but that was once again an understatement. First they were well organized, they had shifts for everything and a competent staff assigned to their task. A whole part of it was made of proper slaves, not just sexual ones, who got orders and things to do in their contracts, but were free to move as they please, without permanent monitoring. Sure, they couldn¡¯t flee or disobey their command, but at least they were able to live correctly. Secondly, their activities were complex, they were doing field research and looked for something of apparent importance, at the same time as dealing with human trafficking. Like a commercial counter, they gathered their victims, as well as recent enslaved girls, properly purchased in a legal way. Their common point was that they were of fairly high standard, and quite attractive. They stored everyone before sending them all at once to a mysterious location. The concerned people were, of course, our heavy-stare competition¡¯s contestants. Including, moreover, the ones who were escorted beside us at first, when we were made prisonner. I hadn¡¯t recognized them immediately but when I did, all I could do was to apprehend the missing boys. My first thought was ¡®I hope they¡¯re imprisoned elsewhere, and still alive. May god bless you¡¯ and I even prayed for them, and therefore, warmed my soul. It seems god had not yet deserted me. But, after further reflection that put me on the track, they supposedly had another place to keep the men, and it took me no effort so I could find traces of the few guys they had kidnaped. Everyone was seemingly used as a labor force and excavating the galleries. Finally, the bandit part had to be a cover, the majority was working on the job cited above, and only a small part was actually doing robbery and kidnapping. Even the kidnaped women seem to come from other unrelated sources, bought on the black market or from other bandits. Either way, my hero instinct told me that their boss had something to tell me, either requiring my help, or intending to involve me in the matter. At least, he would probably ask me to drop any attempt to report them, or he wouldn¡¯t have bothered to bring me here, and let me listen to the gossip. Something that should be confirmed shortly, since I could see him approaching. Chapter 16 - The charmed princess, the charming prince, and the beasts ¡°Say¡­ Finn, what will happen to me? What will they do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I swear on my honor as your knight, I will bring you out soon enough. Trust me, my plan is almost ready.¡± ¡°Ehh, but you are not a knight right? You¡¯re just another pervert that¡¯s just slightly better than the hoodlum you are hanging out with, you''re doing pretty well with them, why do you keep insisting that you¡¯re going to save me? You know you won¡¯t make a profit, you might even lose your life or worse.¡± Why would you betray your comrade, even if they are outlaws, you still have their trust, so why would you put your current life at risk. Furthermore, who¡¯s white, you don¡¯t wear the slightless piece of white, and I¡¯m pretty sure your beliefs are anything but pure.¡± ¡°It has to be. Black ones are for misfortune or curses, and other colors have no meaning.¡± ¡°Mhmf¡­ Say Finn¡­ Can¡¯t you answer me seriously? Why me? This place certainly does not lack distressed girls, some of whom you have probably already spent quite a bit of time and attention on, and I¡¯m sure, are more than eager to receive more. So why are you not helping them? Are you after my body? Do you secretly want something from my family? You know I can give you nothing but my word of gratitude.¡± ¡°Hey, how can you say things like that, moreover, I¡¯m still a young teen, how can you speak of me like I was the harem king.¡± ¡°Feminine intuition. Something¡¯s telling me that you are much more sexually accomplished than you let on. I have no doubt you have a fair amount of love conquest under your belt, even some regulars I bet.¡± ¡°And then, are you jealous? Want to offer me your body finally?¡± ¡°I really can¡¯t, you can use my look to quench your thirst, I already agreed to use my mouth or hand if you need it that badly, but you must never go further¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, I know, otherwise I will suffer worse than hell. Don¡¯t worry, I trust you, and I won¡¯t even touch you at all, the other girls'' offers are more than enough for me to not go crazy about a teen¡¯s growing body. Ah, but don''t get me wrong, you are beautiful and pretty already. Anyway, because I trust you, can¡¯t you do the same? Will you? I just need one more week or so.¡± ¡°You keep saying that but it will be 1 month, 3 and a half weeks, already. They won¡¯t keep me forever untouched you know?¡± ¡°Nah, I am aware of everything that¡¯s going on down here. They really have a hard time agreeing upon one thing. The research team is looking in the wrong place, they are far from the nearest city. That reduced the pressure by a lot, now these guys are more undecided than ever. They may have given up the idea of ransoming, but they won''t act harshly either. Since you are a year or two away from fully bringing out your charms and potential, they¡¯re not in a hurry.¡± Smile ¡°Say Finn¡­¡± ¡°At your command princess!¡± ¡°If ever they chose to¡­ you know, to act.¡± ¡°They won¡¯t!¡± ¡°But if they ever do it¡­¡± ¡°No, not gonna hap-¡± ¡°FINN! Please¡­¡± ¡°If it ever happens, I wish you can go first, no, promise me¡­ actually, swear it or I won''t let you enjoy the view while I bathe anymore. Do whatever it takes so you do. At least I will be able to give you some pleasure before you meet your end.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That may be selfish, but if we get there, no one will go out of there alive, innocence would be of no concern. I can¡¯t explain, but trust me¡­ at least, this way you will be my knight for an instant.¡± ¡°Okay, I''ll even swear to god if that is your wish, but in return, keep your spirits up, don¡¯t give in! And above all, keep asking for baths, it would be a shame to lose that cherfullness you display during these moments and what goes with it, especially the view." This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. *** ¡°Hey Finn, did you come across Caty perhaps? We were talking and she ended up in the conversation, but I haven''t seen her since last night. Not that I miss her boring complaints but it''s a shame not to be able to ogle those abs.¡± I was wondering why he was looking for me, but it was for this reason, was I too hasty in my acts? With her, my last piece, I would be ready for action. I just hope she won¡¯t give in too fast, it was almost disappointing last time. Well, too late for self-doubt, fortunately I prepared an excuse. ¡°Her abs lol! Since when did you look at that part, are you sure it¡¯s not her ears and tail you like? You dog lover bastard?¡± But it seems they were not that perturbed, these two wouldn''t even question my loyalty if they caught me tying her up and molesting her in front of their eyes. They would prefer to join the fun instead. Sure her abs were worth it, but harder than stones. As for her canine assets, they were certainly intriguing, yet, their appearance other than color was common and they were not well maintained. No, if you ask me, it¡¯s her fur that made the difference, and gave a little extra unique flavor to the whole. What would these muscles and knot ball be, without this touch of femininity? I better take her as a tomboy with a cute side than as the failure of a wolf-girl she was. Whatever, I couldn¡¯t blame them for their heresy, they had no way to know it. Well, it was time to serve them my flawless excuse¡­ Which was already all found and prepared, thanks Caty for your hard word. ¡°She didn¡¯t inform you? Well, since she was in a hurry that¡¯s not strange she didn¡¯t tell you anything. I ran into her, or rather the opposite. She didn¡¯t speak much, she was whispering incomprehensible things about having finally found a trace. She left the base soon after.¡± ¡°Uh? Oh, told you mate, she really did find a clue! This explains her sudden disappearance. I hope she won¡¯t find anything this time either. We would miss her if she were to leave because she no longer needs us.¡± As far as I know, she would probably kill you upon her departure, even without my intervention. She despite you even more than the others. You shouldn¡¯t had try to rape your coworker, that one is not to be done. You may think she doesn''t know and you¡¯re safe, but I spilled the beans long ago to gain her favor. Nothing against you mate, but it was a golden opportunity and the reward lived up to my expectations. ¡°As if, you would miss her body, not her person, moreover you know how difficult it is to search for unlisted slave whereabouts. I don¡¯t know who she is looking for, nor how they are related, but she is wasting her time.¡± ¡°Yes, but let¡¯s be serious, her going missing while most of the men are on duty, with the princess¡¯s kidnapper that fled fearing for his life, we are now seriously understaffed. Can you look after the sales report Finn? I know you already have your hands full, you look exhausted, but it¡¯s not like it will kill you, and nobody else knows how to do it as neatly as you. I can assign someone to replace you at the princess''s bedside if you wish.¡± No! that would screw everything up¡­ I wouldn¡¯t be able to put any effort anymore if I don¡¯t tease her every morning, evening... and night¡­ ¡°You don¡¯t have to, calm as she is, she is rather relaxing in fact, ya don¡¯t want to take care of your daughter instead? Well, I don¡¯t know from whom she is, but Anabelle''s too busy during the day, and you use her every other night.¡± Yup, that¡¯s a much more serious problem, that brat¡¯s currently driving me crazy. She almost surprised me the other day with her mother... ¡°I don¡¯t ask you to be the father, but you could at least play your role and give Belle some rest, she needs to take care of her daughter asap or I will eventually become her son. That child thinks of me as her own big brother damn it. How I¡¯m supposed to work when she¡¯s hanging out next to me at every turn. Even the other slaves can¡¯t stop her from sneaking away. ¡°How will the situation turn out if we leave it unattended? Does anyone here want to adopt me? Joke aside, nothing good will happen if she stumbled upon the captives. It would be time to properly look after her, for her future.¡± I couldn¡¯t really blame her, her existence was even more precarious than a slave¡¯s, a chance that she would also come out of this hell soon. Without Aur¨¦lia, the cute and mighty princess, she might have been the trigger to my change of mind in a near future. She was adorable, one of the rare girls that I didn¡¯t see as such. Maybe I would even agree to become her big brother if she were to ever ask¡­ Well It would mean that I would no longer have the same relationship with her mother, but I''m not against a little mother-son role play. ¡°What future, Anabelle begged us not to take her away, and so we did. She will grow as a slave daughter, and either become one, or become one. It''s too late to ditch her anyway. Fear not, no one is crazy enough to have any thought about his potential daughter. When she is of age, you just have to officially take her, or even marry her as a bride, if she likes you that much and if you are so concerned.¡± ¡°Hey, but wouldn¡¯t that make one of you my father in law? Maybe I would even be everyone¡¯s son in law.¡± ¡°Fuck off! You got me there puppy, what are we going to do with you I wonder? Stop bothering yourself, you will certainly be the boss, or another gang boss, at that time. ¡± I could have, but I can¡¯t wait any longer¡­ Sorry, I really quite appreciate you both despite your poor choice of life. Don¡¯t resent me okay? But you had all the time to change things yourself. I pray that your next life will be better. Chapter 17 - An interesting movie, a good dinner and some after-talk about an engaging tale. Part 1 The bandit''s den''s leader had secretly come to see us in the middle of the night. He took me out of the cell under Joe''s unconcerned watch who was apparently aware that this would happen. He then led me silently to his personal restroom with extreme caution, avoiding any potential encounters with other bandits. Upon entering his room and double-locking the door, he spoke to me. ¡°I had planned to give you a quick overview beforehand, but now that I''ve come to this, I might as well let you see something first.¡± He told me all of a sudden to look after something. BUT I DIDN¡¯T WANT TO, I¡¯m 100% straight okay?! Please don¡¯t ask for the impossible! ¡°Don¡¯t do any brainless move, hide behind this folding screen and stay still, don¡¯t make any sound. Just pay attention to what comes next. I have no time to explain, but all your questions will be answered afterward. Got it?¡± Uh? Maybe I shouldn¡¯t have jumped to conclusions. I wonder what his intentions were. What did he want me to watch? A sex tape of myself with some influential people to blackmail me? Or one where I crossed the line? Not that I have any recollection of it, it could always be a fake. Whatever, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get anything out of me, apart from the name of the actress maybe. I did as he asked and went behind the screen, preparing myself for the worst. He won¡¯t get naked and force me to look into his old man¡¯s body won¡¯t he? ¡°Wha¡­¡± I started mumbling but stopped myself as I recalled his request. Without letting a sound escape, I inspected what caught my attention with a closer look. Something that looked like a little hole was there on the screen, and allowed me to see through the screen. I understand! He wants to use this as a glory hole!!! ¡­ Or not, the gap was too narrow. I didn¡¯t see his thing, but if it¡¯s small enough to pass through this, he has a serious problem. It was probably to ensure I could peek at what¡¯s going to happen. Nice, I always loved to watch women like this, I was not taken aback at least. I hope he has something good in reserve for me. I thought Without a noise, I stuck my eye to the panel¡¯s aperture. There, I had a great view of the room¡¯s center, where a cluttered desk stood alone, with a magic tool on top of it. It was a ball used for long distance calls one could easily find among the wealthy. The boss sat at the desk facing me, keeping the ball just in front of him. He then spoke again. ¡°Whatever happens, try to stay focused, and above all, stay quiet even if it becomes difficult!¡± Following which, without waiting for my agreement, he made a sign of silence and activated the magic tool. "Moshi moshi? hello! Ah! You''re here Deluc." A figure appeared in the center of the orb, however, it was impossible to discern it correctly, as the focus was zoomed out to the minimum, and his own desk took up most of the display area. At least the view on this part was pretty good. ¡°¡­ I already told you to call me Luc, or Lucas¡± ¡°What do I hear!? Would you prefer I spell the whole name?¡± ¡°NO!!!¡± ¡°If so, why make a fuss about it, and even then, I don''t see the problem, we are all alone now and I already know it. It''s not like anyone else is going to learn your secret.¡± This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°Sorry, Deluc will do, please sir, continue, you should have urgent matters on hand and we should not leave them unattended.¡± ¡°Oh, you already know? How?¡± ¡°I had a hunch, please proceed.¡± ¡°Ahem, sorry. So Deluc, anything to report since last time? I¡¯ve been informed that you took care of the hero properly, but wasn¡¯t it a bit hasty? You¡¯d say you would wait before the last shipment. By the way, isn''t it coming soon? You should already have plenty.¡± ¡°I still need a little more time, some of the girls got sick, and the quality isn¡¯t at its best. Maybe a week or so. It shouldn¡¯t take longer than a week and half. As for the hero, since he was a danger to our operation, wouldn¡¯t it be better to take care of it sooner than later? You said it yourself, that we couldn¡¯t let him live.¡± ¡°Yes but... Still, I would have preferred that you warn me in advance. Nevermind, where are we in the exploration¡¯s progress, still not finding anything?¡± ¡°Nothing, our chief archaeologist has even stopped working on it. We already found every spot of interest, as she already reported, there are plenty of cavities, mine shafts and underground chambers, but that¡¯s all. Nothing remains from its original period of use. All former buildings and working places were carefully emptied or destroyed. As for the above, apart from the ruins itself, some aside and more distant places were found, but they were irrelevant. We did find kind of a noteworthy place tho.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°But it only contained some good stuff, like gold and weapon and valuable, Mixed with a small lab workbench with drugs, herbs and mixtures, and before you ask, we analyzed them already, all safe and diluted concoction, with small effect, like muscle loosening, or pain killer. Certainly an old bandit''s lair who was close by, so nothing related to our case.¡± ¡°How is this useful? Did they come into possession of something related to it, perhaps? ¡± ¡°No no, but we were happy cuz we found a bunch of women''s clothes and lingerie. The guys went to try some out on our goods and staff, intending to have a good time and it was relaxing indeed.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? Who cares?¡± ¡°Well, you asked for it.¡± ¡°I¡­ let''s not talk about it anymore, I understand, TSK¡­ I, who aimed to find some old captive belonging¡­ Ahhhhh princess Rana¡­ Just thinking about it makes me harder than I already am. Back on track, too bad you didn¡¯t find anything of interest. The ring didn¡¯t have big expectations in regard to its abrupt end, nonetheless, we still hoped to find at least some research paper and experimentation machine or tool despite this.¡± ¡°Do you want us to continue our search anyway?¡± ¡°Oh well! Never mind, proceed to cover your trail, and send back the whole workforce together with the next shipment, there is no point in looking after this place any longer. Oh, I will gladly accept the lingeries you found as compensation for your meager find.¡° ¡°As you wish sir, take care of your stamina and stay in good health until next time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, I take enhancing drugs. As you can see, I¡¯m as vigorous as usual, and full of vitality. And it¡¯s unlikely we¡¯ll see each other again anytime soon. Bye.¡± ¡°¡­¡± After an awkward break of several seconds, the strange man finally hung up, and another uncomfortable silence followed until I reacted to what had just happened before us. ¡°Is he always like that? I mean, isn¡¯t he a little harsh? Did he want to try the patience of a saint or what?¡± ¡°Sorry, I had forgotten his latest trend. It was hard to bear wasn¡¯t it? His manager apparently recommended it to him. But this time the framing was even worse. You couldn¡¯t even see his face as It was meant to be. Never mind, I¡¯ll tell you all there is to know and will give everything useful. So, where¡¯s to start? Any questions?¡± ¡°No¡­ Yes! Actually you know what, there is one nagging in my mind.¡± ¡°Sure, speak freely, I¡¯m not your enemy, and I don¡¯t wish to be. Here, let¡¯s drink while we talk, all of this made me thirsty.¡± ¡°Do you record this conversation by chance? I mean the video, I wish you could give it to me, this might be useful.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You bet I did! Let me tell you something, a secret of mine, we don¡¯t have the visual or the sound anymore, but It¡¯s still recording! In fact, I have more! Come, let¡¯s have a talk while watching the rest in replay, but first, let¡¯s have a drink.¡± Perfect, in the event that I meet his¡­ his what, secretary? Guard? Doesn¡¯t matter, I need it to pursue the person. Maybe I could use this as blackmail material, to request the same service. Anyway, a good AV, bitter wine and some semis serious talk about a disturbing story. What more could you ask for? Chapter 17.5 - An interesting movie, a good dinner and some after-talk about an engaging tale Part2 It seems I¡¯ve made a new friend too. Finally! Someone that takes me for what I am and has no expectations of me¡­ except he had. A lot. We chatted the whole night, and he gave me an overview of the situation. He was no simple thug, but employed by some dark and wicked assembly to do dirty works. The most recent was all about searching some old ruin, belonging to an even darker and evil sect. A laboratory famous over here, in this piece of the country. Where evil deeds and evil research were made, about what everything¡¯s said but nothing repeats itself, so the story goes. Seemingly again, the affair was hushed up, and, after bursting into the open, was repressed once more. Misinformation, change of location, alteration of the type and gravity of the said experiments. Thirty years later, and nothing¡¯s left but gossip and scandal, it was hard to isolate lies from authentic pieces of truth. Yet, what sends shivers down your spine, is that some still knew about this, but refuse to speak like they were threatened not to, and that others in the upper class, talk about it as if it were not in the past. According to Deluc, or Lucas, or Lucas Delucas as was his complete name. ¡°Hey! I told you not to call me that, my parents were idiots and probably didn¡¯t want a child in the first place. Who, in sound mind, would call his son Lucas, when your family name is already Delucas. if I catch them, I kill them!¡± According to him, this case wasn¡¯t unique, and multiple places resembling this one, albeit smaller, were scattered across the continent. Like the one he had attacked long ago and where Joe and his fellow came from. Some believed that a few were still running and known to the authorities, funded by nobles. These so-called nobles who themselve search for an assumed even bigger and larger experiment center, or any remanence of experience as if it would be the greatest discovery of the millennium. Basically, something bad existed, it may still continue to exist to this day, and might be or might not be a conspiracy. Yet, no one has the correct information or the whole picture. The only thing that was commonly admitted was the existence of similar places, and that at least one of them was in operation until recently. In short, Lucas'' task was to do some research on the possible location, find it, then study and explore it carefully. Any remains that were to be found, would be sent back to his employer. Alternately, he had to act as an outlaw as a cover, kidnapping and robbing with minimal notice. Then, if it were to be discovered, he would have to bring the guild or any interested party to believe they were a random thug. Ultimately, his unofficial task was to send the fruit of their abduction along with other girls to his joke of an executive, who liked to train slaves as a hobby and loved to broadcast them live even more by mistake. ¡°But I swear, I never took the kidnapping part at heart, I only did it as I was forced to, besides already using the black market as a source of supply, which doesn¡¯t change their doomed fate, I even swapped some victims with proper slaves bought with money in the city. I¡¯m not into raping or anything and I can¡¯t stand things the way they are, but I have no choice, or else I¡¯m dead, whether I like it or not, I''m stuck¡­ They have eyes and hear everywhere.¡± ¡°As for my band, although they are loyal, they are actual muggers and love both girls, and money. I forbid them from mistreating the merchandise but I can¡¯t completely control them. At least the salve they use to their heart¡¯s content were all provided by the one who pays us our wages.¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ¡°I¡¯m not saying I¡¯m a good boy, far from there, I was the same, bandit, thief, robber, call me whatever you want, I have my shady past, I did all sorts of things I regret or not. But I never got that far, I never committed cold blooded murder. I just lived as I could, except I was a little smarter, maybe a little too smart, and made my way to the top. I was responsible, I wanted to stop it all, but I was forced into this situation by greed to have a final job.¡± ¡°Now I¡¯m fucked up, just like your debt situation, I had no safe way to get out of there before meeting you. Sure, I could try to get away. It doesn¡¯t mean I would have come out of it alive, but I could. But what of the girl? Will it change their fate? Will it change what they became? It was too late and it was better to keep on going and make their suffering bearable. Also, this is not to justify myself, but I too have something to protect and I can¡¯t let it down¡­¡± ¡°Joe?¡± I wonder if he meant something special for Lucas¡­ could they be¡­ No, I¡¯d better not picture them together, or I will have nightmares and now is not the time! ¡°Hmm? Absolutely not! Not him. Despite the fact that he is the most innocent among us, I know he has murderous tendencies. I¡¯m pretty sure if you had not killed his brother¡¯s squad, he would have killed them himself, for some reason unknown to me he hates his twins as numerous as they were. He''s one of the people who shares my goals, that¡¯s all.¡± Thankfully, Lucas cut me short in my imagination, and took a weight off my shoulders. Phew It seems I will be able to keep in mind the movies that he showed me finally. ¡°No, it¡¯s someone else, several actually, much closer and personally related. You will meet them eventually.¡± We kept our voices down, and continued our secret conversation. He agreed for total cooperation. Making plans to sabotage his own operation, free the girl, search for the ones that were sold illegally and make fall all corrupt and evils concerned. Provided that I vouched for him and prevented him from being officially judged, he agreed to atone for his sins as long as he was kept alive. Even becoming a slave was fine for him. He didn¡¯t know all the ins and outs, but he knew influential nobles, and people of high ranking were involved so a trial would sign his death warrant. In return, he would help me and give the result of his research to any person I consider reliable, further cooperating with them if this proved necessary. But hey, I didn¡¯t give my word, he remains a rascal, I couldn¡¯t count on him to keep his word, even if what he said was true, I needed to make plans myself and verify his statements. ¡®I Should contact one or two people who I trust¡­ There is no shortage of them, but I think most would be reluctant to even read my letter¡­¡¯ ¡®Perhaps I can still get in touch with her, it¡¯s sad to say, but at least she does not loathe me or despise my being, like everyone tends to do nowadays. This is not without danger, but it¡¯s worth trying. This should be enough to have some confidence in the procedure to follow in the least.¡¯ Beside¡­ Wouldn''t this be another stroke of fate? I mean, they share the same first name after all or rather, I should say they are pretty similar. After ending my thoughts, I finally established my course of action. I would not act for the moment, and unless that person agreed to cover my rear, I wouldn''t fully commit until the end. I too had people to care for, I already had two wives, and countless women counting on my financial support. ¡°Hey buddy, can I write a letter, and leave under your care the delivery to its rightful recipient? Is there a risk of getting caught? Otherwise, it should solve all of our problems at once.¡± Or create so many of them that we would not finish them in one lifetime, but I¡¯d better keep this to myself. At worst, I would run away again leaving him behind. A scary princess adored by all, who loves secrets and schemes, and with more manpower at her disposal than her actual king father, so much that she has the possibility of waging war against the greater kingdom if she wanted to? Surely, she could be of help no? I just need to ensure she doesn¡¯t make a move herself or this cell would look like a haven¡­ well it already does depending on the point of view though, but what awaits me would not be as kind. I wonder who was the worst, my unknown first wife? Or rather this princess I know too well. Well, There is no point in dwelling on that, I suppose the answer will present itself in due course¡­ Chapter 18 - The bewitched, the pervert, and the beast. Finn POV ¡°Sooooo! Do you dare to explain the situation? I believe that I was clear on what your end would be if you ever touch her. How can you make an oath to take her virginity, breaking per se the one you¡¯ve made to me.¡± ¡°¡­ Because she asked for it.¡± ¡°So what? Didn¡¯t I ask you, too? Moreover, with great kindness, and a promise of reward. You already know Aur¨¦lia is not in real danger. You are only doing it for yourself, I just don''t know yet if you are driven by hypocrisy, or an idiotic sense of duty. Is life such a joke to you that you are ready to throw it away for a useless endeavor?¡± ¡°Still, I would do it, even if the threat isn''t real, I won¡¯t let her have even the slightest n¨¦gative thought. She has been defiled by someone other than me. She may be not endangered anymore, but it wasn¡¯t the case before. I won¡¯t betray her expectations unlike you did.¡± ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ve been too lenient toward her. That''s precisely why I am making sure to discipline her and I¡¯m currently giving her a lesson that you force yourself to ruin. I¡¯m only planning to instill some fear in her mind before picking her up. If she is to be mistreated, so be it, if she is to be raped, I would let her experience it in a dream while I take care of your peers. She is no mere human, you can¡¯t understand, but if fate allows her to do as she pleases, she must at least understand that it is not her own good will.¡± ¡°I maintain that this is far too extreme. And who knows, with this fleeting responsibility of yours, you might even fail at your duty and look elsewhere at the worst inopportune moment. So I might as well try my luck.¡± ¡°Do you want a quick death right away? Or a slow torture when it''s all over? I¡¯ll let you choose out of respect for her.¡± ¡°Neither, I would very much prefer to have you both in a threesome.¡± ¡°¡­ A very slow and painful death therefore. How can you be so sure that I¡¯m a girl anyway? Don¡¯t you fear the possibility I might be an old man that¡¯s into youngsters? Anyway, anything else?¡± ¡°Could you choke me with your thighs? Ah, and I reiterate my suggestion, if she could agree to give a hand, or rather, a leg, while I¡¯m on my last breath, that would be awesome. Could you try convincing her for my sake?¡± ¡°... You¡¯re an idiot, aren¡¯t you? Does making me angry amuse you? Seriously, as if you would waste your time trying to get from us what any girls you¡¯ve helped would be more than happy to give. I really can''t understand you¡­ Let alone me, you don¡¯t even love her, right?¡± ¡°Nope, well, kinda, I like her as I like as I like the many women I meet so far, a little more maybe? If our relationship were to deepen I would likely fall for her charm later, but not yet, for sure. I definitely prefer older and mature women. In fact, she is more of a sister, or a daughter, who knows. ¡± ¡°You have a very particular concept of those, wouldn¡¯t that make you a criminal? Impure thoughts are enough to make you guilty, so what you did¡­ I don''t even know why I''m trying to have a conversation with you. Bah, answer ti ¡± ¡°Because she is the first, she was the trigger that changed my mind and made me overcome my childish fears. Why else? I don''t need another reason. She needed help as much as the other, but while I had already turned a blind eye to anybody else, she was lucky enough to be there when I decided otherwise. It doesn''t matter if she influenced me, neither does it if the said effect was stronger than that of others. In front of the others, only the fact that she was the last straw allows her this privilege, but she still earned it, that''s enough for me.¡± ¡°You underestimate yourself, but I acknowledge and admire your resolve. Be sure to keep your word, your two oaths would be null and void as long as you succeed in your endeavor before I step in.¡± ¡°I will!!¡± ¡°I¡¯m starting to like you kid, keep going and perhaps, I will consider granting you a wish, other than fulfilling your fantasy of course.¡± ¡­ Childish fears? Were they really that easy? Do you really overtake them, or did you just schedule to face them afterward? You are not afraid of death, giving up your life at the first worthwhile opportunity is in fact your only desire. You are completely diminishing yourself, you already saved those girls in a sense. This is how each one perceives it and still perceives it, all of them, without exception, even the one from the research center fell this way until their death. And that¡¯s not everything¡­ I understand now why those ones are into you as well. It almost makes me want to grant your first request to get your attention too¡­ but one is already kinda scary so I¡¯d better refrain. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. *** It doesn¡¯t matter, nothing matters, not anymore. I would succeed, or I would die. Either way, I didn¡¯t deserve to live. It¡¯s been 3 weeks since the devil made his first appearance. Well, I call it the devil because it made me think of it, its acts and way of speaking look exactly the same as the image I have of it. But I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a girl under it, a gut feeling. She first hid herself, or rather, acted as if she didn¡¯t exist, and took possession of my princess¡¯ body. Luckily I didn¡¯t need a lot of time and attention to notice something was wrong. She used her body, but still, she was a different entity. Aurelia had been caught a month before this event, and I didn¡¯t stay idle this whole time. You know me well, I mean, I already had established a deep relationship with her. Not a physical one!A simple and regular friendship. Completely normal, save that I bathed her, fed her, and dressed her, while touching her skin out of duty, inadvertently fondling a bit. As long as you don¡¯t stop on small details and look beyond¡­ Okay okay, maybe I took every opportunity to please my eyes too, but again, I could not do otherwise. The fact is that the evil spirit , whose intentions were unknown, pretended to be this same person at her expense. An attempt which was doomed to fail, as her adaptation time and change in behavior did not go unnoticed. I already knew she was not the real Aur¨¦lia from the start. It pains me to say it, but she wasn¡¯t that smart, she took control first while Aurelia was sleeping and acted so unnaturally, so strangely, that the opposite would¡¯ve been strange. Especially since she didn¡¯t stop there, I might misapprehend if it only happened once, but when she started having abrupt personality changes after simply dozing off¡­ Bah, the deception ended after I took her hand in the face, because she couldn''t hold on any longer and cracked. It warth worth the teasing that I made her undergo to force her to reveal herself, making her let out a moan and leaving her breathless. She wouldn¡¯t even have fooled my blind grandmother!¡­ Okay, she would have, if only I didn¡¯t spy at my princess¡¯ angelic sleeping face. She was cut and a simple glance was enough to heal and lift my spirit. To catch her off guard in the act, I just took a little advantage of her, literally. This wasn¡¯t the original owner, so I allowed myself to play a bit. ¡°That doesn''t change the fact that you wanted to take advantage of Aurelia at all, you disgusting pervert! I may not be her, but It¡¯s still her body! You deserve death, if it was not because I can¡¯t at the moment, you would already be a pile of ashes!!¡± Was the nonsense the devil served me, trying to fog my mind. After I had laid out the naked truth about discovering her presence and wanting to force her to make a mistake. Who wouldn¡¯t want to take advantage of this? Aurelia was 100% okay with that already, she let me touch her, although just a little, without reluctance. I just used the most pleasant way available to me. Am I contradicting myself? Hey, but innocent contact can¡¯t be called a physical relation, right? Later on, the devilish presence stopped acting and just came out into the open wherever she was there. She explained a lot of things, that she was here to ensure the girl''s safety, that she was her guardian, or something like that, and that if I ever crossed the line, I would burn in hell for eternity. She then forced me to make it an oath and put my soul at stake, I wasn''t trustworthy according to her. In return, if the girl made it safely, I would be rewarded for taking care of her, and my pervert deed would be partially forgiven. Sounds like a deal with the devil, isn¡¯t it? But who cares, if she was a girl, like my a male intuition yelled at me, I was ready to bet my soul away if it meant having a chance to make a deal with her. Maybe I would ask for one night? Nah, that was too greedy, a signed sexy poster instead? That was not too much to ask, wasn''t it? I should also request an explicit dakimakura. But, without giving me any more than a few days, to ponder about my possible reward. She revised her words, they were no longer about a guardian angel, or safety issue. Aurelia had made a serious mistake, running away from home on a whim for some trivial reason, putting herself in serious danger while putting the ones who were responsible for her in a bad situation. She was then taken captive and was lost until now. So I was greatly thanked, to have calmed down the game, and eliminated the dangers. But her current situation was now but a simple punishment. ¡°She¡¯s deserving of what happens to her and she needs to suffer a little more if I want to discipline her a bit. That¡¯s why, I would be grateful if you do not intervene any more than that, and let things run their course. She just needs to taste the consequences of her actions. At worst, I will make her have a nightmare.¡± Yup, It was all bullshit. Want to scare her so she learns the lesson? And use the opportunity to discard my effort to save her, my will, and my reason to exist? Never! And my reward then? Would I be able to ask for more? You won''t have me like that, I won''t let it happen! And that¡¯s how we made another agreement. If I could save her before something happened, I was rewarded and let free. Otherwise, I would be punished, tortured, just right for what I did, and had to surrender myself to the authorities and pay for my crimes. Of course, if I was to commit the irreparable I would immediately be disposed of, without Aurelia knowing. As for the other residents, for some reason the devil couldn¡¯t take care of them anyway, bandit and innocent alike. Albeit they really did touch Aur¨¦lia, in that case the bad guys would all be murdered mercilessly, and tormented in the afterlife. While the girl would be left untouched, but leave to themselves. This all sums up the situation until now. ¡°Say Finn, if everything works as expected. And if you really save my life, like you keep shouting. Can¡¯t you come with me? I mean, after everything is over. You don¡¯t have anywhere to go don¡¯t you? I will ask those who look after me to let you work at their estate. Their family is very powerful, it doesn''t matter what you did, as long as I give my word, they will take you in. If you don¡¯t want to work, I can even let you in as a permanent guest.¡± How cute¡­ she doesn''t dare to say that she didn¡¯t want to separate from me. ¡°No I don¡¯t think so, I have my own predicament that I can¡¯t draw towards you or your family.¡± And you know that I wouldn¡¯t stay still either, I would lust after your body, or after the maid and girls in town. I was hopeless after all. You wouldn¡¯t like this, as you wouldn¡¯t be able to give me what I want. And as much as I was irredeemable, I didn¡¯t want you to make you sad. Not you, especially you. Or I would no longer be a knight, and my redemption would lose its purpose. ¡°Now, go to sleep, I have work to do. Tomorrow evening you will be free¡± Or I will no longer be at your side. Chapter 19 - When everything seems fine, something’s definitely wrong. Lucas and I continued our chat over a glass of strong wine punctuated by short breaks of video reviewing. He finished to update me on the situation, and let me know of every essential information and useful data. To begin with, he wasn¡¯t alone, and a small part of his group shared his ideals. For giant criminal gatherings assembled over the years such as theirs, disagreement were common occurrences, and finding some dissident was but a matter of time and trust. Over time, he had built a circle of reliable helpers that were unhappy with the situation and had the firm intention to put an end to their evil activities. Scattered among the snitches, the hardcores, and the cowards. The smartest one understood well their situation, and the trap they were caught into. No matter the gain, this very unstable situation was doomed to abruptly cease one day. And they would have no hope to escape at that time. In fact, if it weren''t for his employer¡¯s watchmen and spy, and the bandits¡¯ overall low Qi. Lucas could¡¯ve probably rallied a third of the forces to his cause. This atypical organization, which seemed to have better management than some army corps I was familiar with, was in reality poorly united and motivated almost exclusively by money. But unfortunately, the majority were happy to enjoy the present moment without using their brain for anything other than selecting the girl they were going to use next. Yet, things could¡¯ve been totally different, if not reversed. For the sake of honesty and global compr¨¦hension, and certainly because of the wine too, Lucas¡¯ story began to get off topic before we even approached the main topic. He spontaneously started to relate his life while complaining. I won¡¯t go much into detail, but after some pointless and unnecessary stuff, of which the only noteworthy part was about the time he lost his virginity, he told the captivating story of this gathering of idiots. Turns out that originally, when Lucas was still a young recruit, they were your typical robber gang, until good fortune smiled upon them, or perhaps due their victims¡¯ misfortune. They got quite a sum after a good shot. Their sudden income blew the wind of change, and as the old withdrew with their economies, a wave of rookies came in replacement, making the gang grow quite large. This new blood, full of ardor and dreams of wealth, I mean, for the criminals they were, was driven by greed, and became pretty jealous of the original member still in activity. One thing leading to the other, the new leader, pressured by the newcomer, and blinded by their small success, chose to broaden their misdeed method. Going from thief to potential murderer, They started to sink more in crime. By this time, Lucas had already made his proof and was known for his cleverness and hard work so he rose in rank. Sadly enough even with his new responsibilities, he was still too low on the ladder and couldn¡¯t help it but go with the flow . Time passed, and as he gained power due to his ability to adapt and his sharp mind, old or tired people kept withdrawing. He became an executive, then the second, and finally the boss. Pushed by the others who saw in him a good leader despite his rather indifferent attitude for the job. Apparently, he was made for it, and it was yet another strong point he has. He, who used to be one of the moderates, never stopped to support his point of view, but was good enough of a politician as he managed to convince the extremists to accept his authority, and never put them at odds. Making concessions, he always made sure to remain objective and stood successful in all of his jobs while sharing the profits. Under his command, and the the time he was second, the band grew even larger, amassing a number of specialists and talents of all kinds (in crime), to the point where a small company was formed. Lucas saw this as an opportunity, and thoughtfully made plans to use them to their fullest, while attempting to break free from the dark world. Trying to turn a new leaf, or at least return to softer crime, he threw himself into the hard and long task of reforming the whole organization, into mercenaries. This decision received a mixed reception, but since they grew wealthier than ever under Lucas¡¯ management, the voices against grew weaker. But Fate doesn''t like to be played with, and while he had succeeded in influencing general opinion, and converted a majority to his moderate cause, he crossed the path with our corrupted and murky noble ring. A powerful organization who easily discovered their older deed and the ¡®pot aux roses¡¯. They deceived Lucas into accepting jobs related to even worse felonies, compromising him once and for all, and blackmailed him and his useful mercenary corps to work for them at full time. A proposition which Lucas willingly accepted on the surface, in spite of himself, especially since it suited his underlings¡¯ way of life perfectly. A high pay job, with low visible risk, with the right to commit any crime without fearing the cons¨¦quences. No wonder the majority happily returned to their bad habits, and even the most convinced members became corrupt as well effortlessly. With the new addition of unlimited access to slave provided by their employer, and fresh girl to rape then sold in return, the band rotted to the core, and only a handful of people stood up. All this to say, simply, that Lucas was not far from success to change this bunch of idiots into proper humans but fate decided otherwise. Anyway, after this little setback¡­ or rather large digression, Lucas finally sobered up and started talking about important things again. First thing first, I wasn¡¯t aware, but upon hearing my hero¡¯s title, Lucas spontaneously thought about using me to get out of this mess. Aiming for my remaining connection, had I any left, or at worst, my fighting potential. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Following a last interview with his employer, he fully made up his mind to take down the facility, then flee with every material evidence to put an end to this organization. I¡¯m grateful he did, I¡¯m even indebted to him, since this definitely ensured my and Lily¡¯s survival. While I was supposed to be disposed of in the galleries, where my body would¡¯ve never been found, he faked my death and to prevent anyone from discovering the trickery, he kept me hidden in the merchandise¡¯s place of captivity. The girls¡¯ jail was already mostly guarded by his trusted people, to prevent any attempt to use them forcibly, lessening their value. All he did was to discreetly alter the guard schedule to ensure only his men would¡¯ve taken care of it for a week or two, and make everyone believe I had been successfully slain. This further convinced the noble¡¯s spies of his loyalty recently questioned, killing two birds with one stone Doing it, he was hoping to make me a little less doubtful and more cooperative, while he prepared the ground for what would follow. And things went surprisingly well, actually, they had not been so smooth since my time back as the hero. After having ended our discussion, we agreed at some point to put the machine in motion without delay. Due to lack of time, we couldn¡¯t wait for my helper¡¯s response. During the last week, Lucas already informed everyone concerned, while studying the different ways of acting and their possible outcome. Roughly drafting and implementing a first plan before asking for my help. So here¡¯s the thing, like I¡¯d said, me, Lucas, along with some confidants, started the operation without waiting much, on a semblance of strategy. Again, time was limited, the secret of my fake death was hard to keep and we had to make some preparations. Moreover, we couldn¡¯t afford to wait past the upcoming girl shipment. Too bad for the information verification and cross checking, I used my letter to ask for urgent help on the matter along with some crucial information instead, hoping that it would be received and read on time, or at least that this would take care of the fallout. Me, Lily, Lucas and Joe accounted for most of our firepower. To which was added the delicious slave/maid, Anna, alias my thing, as a supporter. Even if she was like Lily, and her role was not battle oriented, she was apparently capable. Besides, I learned on the spot that she was actually an archaeologist before being a slave, working on the ruin as technical project manager. She had never spoken to me about her life and I actually knew little about her. Due to her strong will power and resistance toward her master, and to better adapt to situations, she was under Lucas¡¯ direct command and was given some privilege, one of them being the right to wander as she liked. Provided by the noble, everyone else was still falling under his authority and had strict order. They couldn¡¯t deliberately go against their master¡¯s interests and were not able to fight. It''s a shame because it would have been an important addition, since we had a very meager force in front of the enemy. Lucas¡¯ trusted men were in charge of closing the many issues, and secrugin the least important, but numerous, incriminating evidence. They wouldn¡¯t be of much help, also, they were not the best fighter. That¡¯s why, in view of our small number, Lucas made a somewhat ingenious plant. It was decided that we would storm from the inside, making it look like kidnaped women and fresh slaves attempted an escape. The new enslaved girls¡¯ order prevented them from fighting but they could still run away along with us. As for the kidnapped one, those had no such hindrance and were willing to fight. We would let anyone qualified to take the lead of the group, and give us a hand in combat. Of course, we would not let them be in danger, and instantly take control as soon as things get tough. While the false insurgence mainly serves to gather the crowd of brigands scattered around this gigantic repair, Lucas would participate as commander of the bandit and send them into our trap. We would be the hammer while Joe and Lucas would be the anvil. Simple but effective, we even had some idea on where to put a fight, and how to gain some more hand to provide man power. Instead of fighting aimlessly, I was informed of the current keeping location of the kidnaped men, which suited our ideas perfectly and would allow us to at least double our number. We would wait just before the next shipment, which would allow us to make further preparations, leaving some time for my contact to send help. Let''s also hope that by then, she will know how to handle the aftermath, and by her own means. Major proofs were collected by Luc since his blackmail, he recorded all calls and exchanges he had as evidence, and made reports on every girl passing by, misdeed committed, and discovery made. With so much evidence, stopping the mastermind or killing him should not pose any problem to this scheming princess but she could very well make us do the job. The plant wasn''t perfect but we had pretty much considered every other possibility. In just one day we had finished discussing it and we agreed on the fact that this was perhaps our only available course of action. Ultimately, we had but one major trouble. We were worried that the man behind this would act hastily, or rather harshly, if he were to learn of the coup. A simple spell was enough to condemn every slave under him. And that was something I wanted to avoid by all means. We would need a sp¨¦cialsit, and a powerful one given we had no time to break their contract. Someone that my helper was precisely able to hire in a hurry, if she didn''t already have one. But I wasn¡¯t ready to gamble their lives, especially Anna¡¯s, she would be in much danger as her contract was a special one, and would require even more time and strength to break. I was just about to pray to god that we could find a solution on schedule rather than relying on luck, regardless of the probability. Unluckily, God was a bit too benevolent toward my person, and since the magical device Lucas used to contact his referent was not limited to a single contact, it used it as his instrument of revelation. bzz, sizzle ¡°Hello? Is Anyone here? I would like to speak with the hero, if he''s still alive of course. Otherwise, his corpse will do, I would be satisfied as long as I can get it back. I can pay.¡± Sweet words, broadcasted live from paradise, reach us in the middle of meetings. SHIT, once and for all I hate that voice and its honey tone for good, in a way, it''s even more frightening than my first wife¡¯s. Shaking and sweating abundantly, I made great gestures without making the slightest noise, for Lucas not to respond and leave the sheet concealing the ball in place. Please, a letter still passes, but a video call?! Seriously, if she knows I¡¯m here, I''m done. How did she know! It hadn¡¯t been a day since my letter, she couldn''t even receive it. Why?... All I wanted was to use you¡­ not to be used¡­ AND WHY ARE YOU AFTER MY DEAD BODY! Do I need a testament in case of accidental death, to specify who¡¯s keeping It? Or should I give you the contact info of my first wife straight. So you can have an amicable agreement on who¡¯s toying with it on odd and even days. ¡°Eh? One of your fans? I thought you no longer had any, one of the girls wou¡¯d knock up maybe?¡± FUCKKKK YOUUU!!!!, IF SHE CAN SPEAK SHE CANS LISTEN IDIOT!!! ¡°Ahem¡­, princess?... Hi, how are you?¡± Chapter 20 - The bewitched, the pervert, and the beast. Aurélia POV I¡¯ve finally found what was that noise which drove me crazy. My cell had another inmate, one of the importunate kind, that I never had the chance to see in my previous life. How would I, I was such a noble lady, coddled and pampered, in a wonderful mansion so large and containing so many rooms that I had only ever known a handful of them and had explored even fewer. And it''s not like the servant quarters were part of it. A mouse, actually, I¡¯d rather say a whole family, was living in the hay of the cell. We surprised them the very same day I met Finn, when he was further cleaning the mess I had made out of my cell¡¯s floor. He accidentally found their nest and scared them away. They were not the only ones, I was frightened as hell, when they ran out of their newly discovered hiding place, escaping in search of a new one. I finally let my emotion run wild and screamed, like any good little girl of high status would have. Yet, as dirty as it may sound, later, I learned to accept and appreciate their presence. It was all thanks to Finn, like everything else, everything was always thanks to him. Defending their position, saying that they had no choice but to live the life they were given. And if it was unnecessary to care for them, since they were still carriers of disease and ate our grain. There was no need to be afraid of them, nor to see them as anything but vermin. Because this would at best push us to look at the rest of the world in the same way. At worst, especially in our case, it would only make our feelings of loss and despair even worse. And he didn¡¯t want us to belittle others nor that we demean ourselves. He said that pretty much every girl here disliked or even hated the mice, seeing them only as one more nuisance that reminded them of an already hopeless situation. That only brought them dark thoughts. So he tried to change the image they had of them in a better one. He made the girls acknowledge the mice ¡®will to live¡¯ despite their doomed situation from birth. He bringed out their cuteness, which could never equal or even get close to a girl¡¯s in her darkest moment. He pointed out that if they successfully struggled without even knowing hope, we should be able to do the same without losing it. If we had the time and means to dislike them, we might as well direct that rage toward those who robbed us from everything and forced us to associate with them. For those who refused to die had to stay strong. If we had the time and means to dislike them, we might as well direct that rage toward those who robbed us and forced us to cohabit with them. For the one who didn''t want to die, we must stay strong. I honestly think that this whole speech was merely an attempt to be a smooth talker, and flirt, but in the end, it seems I¡¯ve made new friends. I was kept alone for quite stupid reasons. And this family of mice was my only company when Finn was not here. It took me some time but after a while they got used to my presence and allowed me to approach them to feed them. Even though they disturbed me every now and then when I was asleep, I too got used to their presence, and feeding them turned out to be more interesting than expected. Fin was right, they were quite cute. ¡­ Thus started my new life, confined in an unfamiliar bandit''s hideout, away from everything and everyone, even from my own kidnaper. Finn said that I would never see their face unless they finally decided to keep me for themselves. He said that I was safe for the time being, because they were fortunately idiots and easily influenceable. ¡­ Finn was rather busy all day long, from before dawn to the late afternoon. Every lunchtime he would stop by my cell to give me my meal and look after me. He couldn¡¯t afford to spare me more time during the day, however, the situation was not unbearable. To make up for this, he would often spend his break time, and pretty much all his evening, with me. His attendance was pleasant and comforting, it always gave me a feeling of security and serenity despite the fact that my situation could turn sour at any moment. He took great care of me, and always stayed until the end, patiently waiting for me to fall into slumber before leaving. Very quickly, because I was beginning to grow attached to his presence, I started to postpone the fateful hour as long as possible. But he realized straight away my goal, and put an end to my selfish attempt to desperately monopolize him. He made me give up at once, using his own very effective method, whispering sweet words of threats. ¡°Now now, bad girl, if you persist in forcibly staying awake just to monopolize my attention, I will have to punish you. I might be unable to let you sleep at all by then, and would be coerced to refrain from visiting you. Be nice, and sleep, I promise that this will in no way reduce our time spent together.¡± ¡°Moreover, you must rest if you want to remain beautiful. If you lost your shine and began to look like any other ordinary slave, I would no longer care for you, and the men might lose their restrain.¡± He was right, I had to keep my charming figure and pretty body in top notch condition, If I ever wished to make my dream come true¡­ After this event, I almost always fell asleep immediately after the dinner, without any fuss and while listening to his voice, abandoning my precious time with him, for the sake of his other business. It saddened me, but he kept his promise and even increased our overall time together in the end. He would secretly come back for a whole part of the night while I was asleep, and lay by my side. In these moments, all my nightmares would fade away, and my dreams would only become stronger. I was certain it was thanks to him, even in my deepest sleep, I could sense his presence beside me, I could feel his warmth. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. When it was time for the sun to rise, he was no longer there. Yet the traces remained, a still warm straw surface too wide for one, imbued with his lingering scent, a blanket pulled up over my shoulders to my neck so I don''t catch cold, a basin of freshwater, food¡­ And all these little attention that could only come from him. Not to mention the fact that I never woke up on these nights, which would never happen to me otherwise. I got used to the situation. As to why he never let me know, perhaps it was so as not to appear oppressive or to scare me, I¡¯m sure he didn''t hold back from enjoying it a little. But I would rather lean toward a simple reasoning, he had other women to take care beside me, I didn''t blame him. ¡­ ¡°Finn¡­ I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°I will give you a reserve of bread to hide, just be careful to your figure miss.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I¡¯m scared.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be, I swore on my life I wouldn¡¯t let them lay a single finger on you.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I¡¯m lonely.¡± ¡°So do I, would you like to be my friend? So we might have dirty talk.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I¡¯m frightened.¡± ¡°Fret not princess, this knight will conquer all your fears.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I don''t feel well.¡± ¡°Torments or pains? I will take care of everything.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ stay, please never leave me.¡± ¡°At your command my queen. ¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I can¡¯t fall asleep.¡± ¡°Close your eyes, I''ll tell you a story. ¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I fear you''ll disappear.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m not leaving.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I wanna cry.¡± ¡°What''s holding you back?¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I ¡­¡± ¡°There, let me wash your tears.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ I would like to.¡± ¡°As your wish.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ could you?¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°Finn¡­¡± ¡°shhh, I¡¯m here.¡± Step by step, I grew up completely dependent on Finn as our exchanges progressed. I may not have the choice as far as my needs were concerned. But it came to the point where I could no longer live without him. I realized something was wrong and that I had to put an end to this, to refrain myself, but I chose to do otherwise. I fell in love. ¡°Finn¡­ What are you so kind?¡± ¡°To please the girls. Why else?¡± ¡°Finn¡­ what am I to you?¡± ¡°My most delicate and precious flower.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ Am I pretty?¡± ¡°Very, the prettiest, I wish I could eat you whole.¡± ¡°Finn¡­ why me?¡± ¡°Who knows? Would you prefer it to be someone else?¡± Finn¡­ do you love me? That, I never asked, I already knew very well about his heart, and the other girls who lived there next to me, each in their own fragment. I was sick, madly in love, and it didn''t matter. The more time went by, the crazier I became. Let¡¯s not even talk about him being my knight, he was already my prince¡­ At that time, dangerous thoughts began to fill my mind. If only I could be that someone else, a simple girl without background, a mere slave among others¡­ No, that wouldn¡¯t have done the trick and I would¡¯ve gone unnoticed, but something in between¡­ Perhaps I could¡¯ve forced myself deeper into his murky heart and would fulfill my wish until the end. I was not satisfied with the situation, I wanted him to be mine, not mine alone, I didn''t ask for that much, but I wished he could embrace me. But that was hoping for the impossible, beyond all reason. Because I was not so simple that any man could be my partner. and yet Perhaps to reassure me, or In my greatest selfishness and from the depths of my darkest desire, my inner demons almost made me hope that my kidnappers would take action, unable to wait any longer and involve Finn. Finn kept saying he was going to save me, and I knew he strongly believed in his word, but I was no longer the same naive little girl, as much as I had faith in him, I was under no illusion and understood very well it was not an easy thing. I knew my mother would eventually find me, and she would punish anyone closely related to the case. And if Finn¡¯s true affiliation could still be discussed and his life spared, the moment he would truly put his hand on me, no matter what I would say, she would also kill him. Perhaps to reassure me, or In my greatest selfishness and from the depths of my darkest desire, my inner demons almost made me hope that my kidnappers would take action, unable to wait any longer and involve Finn. However, saying that it was an unlikely situation would be disillusioned. I was truly terrified, and no matter how much my imagination went wild, I would never actually hope for it to happen. I just couldn¡¯t distance myself from those fears that twisted my stomach and this was only my subconscious way of fighting them. I was scared that they might actually act and that everyone would die due to my foolishness. Because I couldn''t help myself from running away. I was scared I would lose the only two people who mattered to me, Finn as well as my trust and love for my mother if he were to die. I was afraid he would blame me for his death, that he would hold me responsible, he would be right. That''s why, one day, I suddenly asked him to vow he would be the first in case I was ill fated. I truly wanted to give him something for once, a last and only gift before his death. Even if it wouldn¡¯t prevent him from holding me accountable. Even if I were to never remember this moment. As long as it pleased him a little, and reduced my pain in the moment.. because he would die, anyone would, perhaps, even the whole country would meet a disaster. For the reason that I took after my mother, and that if my madness could lead me to have such thoughts, my mother¡¯s one could very well result in the world''s demise. Knowing her, she might as well erase all traces, including my memory. That''s how my mother was, a terrifyingly mighty existence above the law of the world. Sometimes I even wondered if she couldn''t just ignore divine commands and do as she wanted. After all, emperors and popes bowed to her request. She would not think twice before annihilating any potential problem that might reach me and take me home pronto, so what about an illicit relationship, a bond already too strong to be severed. Fortunately, I didn¡¯t prioritize my spoiled whims over countless innocent lives, and my self proclaimed knight hadn¡¯t let me down yet, remaining true to himself, he was definitely doing his best for my sake, desperately trying to save myself. That¡¯s why, mom, please hurry up. I don¡¯t want to lose my unique friend, and first love. I don¡¯t want innocent to die, I don¡¯t want anyone to suffer in my stead, I am even ready to give up on him, so please¡­ What kind of princess would I be If I let my shiny white knight lose his hard-earned splendor and glory? All the while praying for the fateful moment to never arrive, and for my mother to step in, deep down I still hoped that she never found me and that finn endeavor would succeed without help. He deserved full recognition for his effort, and maybe I could always try to convince my mother to keep him beside me as a friend at least, if he exceeded all expectations. Allowing me to perhaps elope with him some other time after I made him completely fall under my charm¡­ Still, I wondered how my first time would be if he had to forcefully take it. If he was the only one involved, I admit that the idea of ??trying my luck remained. He wasn''t innocent after all and I may be not able to convince my mother any more, I might be able to negotiate his place as a pet this time, by threatening my mother with suicide. narrator¡¯s note to himself : Never get on this girl''s good side, whoever she is. Chapter 21 - I’m gonna deny it, nothing is going right anymore. As always, everything¡¯s going wrong. My hopes resolve themselves but always in the worst possible way, I''m really starting to doubt that this isn''t divine intervention. But again, maybe it was, to put myself to the test. Now, as usual, I¡¯m under the obligation to bear it and deal with it. ¡°Hero you were there?! Don¡¯t worry I¡¯m aware of your situation, I will save you. You thugs, your price will be mine, so don''t waste time negotiating. How much?¡± The voice¡¯s owner was well known to me, a young adult of my age, in an expensive Victorian dress, with slender proportions, she has long and wavy blond hair, almost white. She gave off feelings of greatness and kindness. ¡°Ahem, Lucies, I¡¯m not a prisoner anymore technically speaking. But how the hell were you aware of my predicament?¡± ¡°... State secrets. ¡­ Well, something like that, I was spying on a certain someone, and heard rumors about your being.¡± ¡°This someone wouldn¡¯t be a depraved oily fat baldy perchance?¡± ¡°So you know of him already?¡± ¡°Yup, I could attend one of his ¡®situation reports¡¯ thanks to our dear friends here. Lucas, let me introduce you to Lucie, the key to all your present problems.¡± And the future binding lock of mine. ¡°Hehe, hi, nice to meet you, Princess Lucie at your service. <3¡± Can¡¯t you be normal? We¡¯re not in a show, and there is no crow to look at you, why do you have to wave your hand like that. Well, anything would be a facade anyway, why am I bothered. Not like this childish air will affect anyone. ¡°Hey, hello missy, are you a gift from heaven? Or did it send you personally? Otherwise, how could our names be so similar? I¡¯m Lucas, handsome thug in redemption of mature age, a bit perverted but caring, and most importantly, celibate and ready to found a family. Yould you be interested by any chance?¡± Or not, my bad, it did, nice play, you just get yourself yet another fool to your feet already. If I had water in my mouth, I would have choked. Fortunately I had none. Instead, I suffocated by brutal acid reflux caused by an irresistible urge to reject all I could, as I couldn¡¯t deny what I just heard. ¡°Yuck! You! Are yo-uugh- , are you kidding me!!!?¡± ¡­ Nearly throwing up, It took me a good minute to recover from lucas'' idiocy, before redoing the scene from the beginning again. ¡°Sorry, let¡¯s start over, Lucas, this is Lucie, the princess, Lucie R¨¦mania Olest, from the famous south kingdom of¡­ well, R¨¦mania. Family name¡¯s Olest, from the actual current ruling family, she is the real deal, not a missy, even less a girl of our level, so could you please not be so familiar?¡± You are at least twice as old, I knew you were a pervert, but is that your type? Noble d¨¦licate and clumsy princesse? No wonder you are still a brigand, she¡¯s not something you would come upon with another profession. Anyway, a gift? She¡¯s more like a curse, despite her innocent appearance, she has more blood on her hands than most professional murderers would, and that¡¯s not the worst about her. ¡°Oh¡­. Sorry, nothing ventured, nothing gained, your voice sounded delicate and your face is enchanting, please pardon my rudeness.¡± ¡°Excuse accepted, I¡¯m not petty and your compliments go straight to my heart. Sadly, as I¡¯m not that unreachable as the hero said, I¡¯m just already into someone right here. But I¡¯m happy you¡¯d ask, frank and direct speaking is what we miss the most down here.¡± ¡°By here you mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes! She¡¯s into me, do not pay attention, she¡¯s like that and already knows my answer. ¡± ¡°So you finally resolved yourself! Good, I¡¯ll tell father to prepare for our grand wedding behind closed doors.¡± How do you wish to have both a grand wedding and a closed door one? You want to display it openly while disguising myself for another? Not gonna happen, you¡¯re not even crazy like the other two, just downright stubborn and addicted to the impossible. You, from every single possibility on this planet, won¡¯t ever make my heart move, nor my body. I just can¡¯t, and you know it. ¡°NO I DIDN¡¯T, please refrain from any more jokes, I¡¯m already married and devoted to my wives.¡± I wish she would stop there. Beside the recent addition of Anna, my new pursuer, I have already had my hand full with Lily and my mysterious first wife. It''s getting tough. Until I resolve Anna¡¯s unknown attachment toward me, I can¡¯t cope with more. ¡°So, what is the situation? I thought you were in need of help and was so happy to save you, for you would¡¯ve been indebted, but it seems you¡¯re fine. From which issues am I supposed to be the solution to? Still about our piggy friends?¡± ¡°Yup, besides, you seem to know him well, an executive of your kingdom?¡± ¡°Nah, if only, that¡¯s our minister of external affair¡± ¡°... Seriously?¡± ¡°I¡¯m dead serious.¡± ¡°I assume you are aware of his¡­ trend and inclination? ¡± ¡°And not just a little¡± She¡¯s on ne peut plus sincere, why the fuck do you have this animal working as a minister? Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°He¡¯s good at his job, and stupid enough to let us use him against other countries. Well he was, recently, we found he was a tad more shabby and scummy than we thought?¡± ???? He reeks of dishonesty and ill intention, and his whole being is a display of malice and depravity. Just¡­ How? Were you not a genius who always knows everything about yours and everyone else''s country? ¡°Well, I knew, of course, but he really was a good pawn, with atrocious fetishes, but still usable. All I needed was to make sure he didn¡¯t fall any more than that, and get him the girls he lacked, all spies on my payroll, willing and well remunerated.¡± And how did he get the chance to sink that much? ¡°That, I don¡¯t know, I really didn¡¯t expect it, troublesome indeed. One day as if out of nowhere, he became his current self, I mean, over the years I spent by your side. Upon my grand return, he was changed.¡± Can you please stop reading my mind? And don''t say anything which could be misinterpreted. ¡°I didn¡¯t read your thoughts, They¡¯re all painted over your face. And then? Are you gonna deny all the time we spent together, hero?¡± Princess, please become my wi-- ¡°I accept!¡± SO YOU DID! ¡°Ahem, s¡¯cuse me your majesty, but could you stop this crazy monologue? I don¡¯t have the capacity to speak with the mind, as much as I would like it.¡± Lucas, who seemed totally lost but had waited patiently until now, finally understood what was going on and allowed himself to remind us that we were not alone. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, I¡¯m joking, I do have this talent, but this requires the presence of both parties to work. The hero is really just too easy to read. ¡± ¡°Sorry, Lucas, she''s the queen of manipulation, so I got caught as usual. Although I have doubts about the last part.¡± Was I that easy to read? After a brief interruption wondering if I was imagining things, I continued my sentence ¡°Nevermind, so what was that all about?¡± ¡°To be honest, I only have theories. But I¡¯m pretty sure my minister is no longer himself. I don¡¯t know who and how, but he seems to be another person since at most 4 years ago.¡± ¡°What makes you say that? Couldn¡¯t it be that he just had an existential crisis?¡± ¡°Some clues don''t lie, his fetishes are way too different, he used to be an hardcore M¡­ Now he harshly trains illegal slaves and he doesn''t stop himself from hurting them. He dosn¡¯t go as far as torture, but that¡¯s about the only thing they are spared from .¡± ... I see ¡°Soon after my return I became wary of him, but he became hard to manage, my spies were all gone, or thanked for their service and fired. He obtained a whole training facility from nowhere, and he now has his own source of staff, it has been a pain in the ass to try and send in a new spy. It¡¯s only been a while, and I found out, among other things, about you, hero, nearly as soon as I succeeded, if that''s not a sign, you should reconsider my marriage proposal.¡± ¡°Yes yes, I will, when we will be the only two beings still alive in the world, and yet my answer will not change.¡± ¡°How cold¡­ Anyway, when I heard of you, I hacked his means of communication and here I am. I don''t know much more, the rest is still under investigation. What about you?¡± ¡­ In the end, the most knowledgeable person was still Lucas. Once again, but without the wine and the unnecessary interruptions, he made a quick summary, explained our situation and plan, and our slave problem. Then followed an exchange of information, by exchange, I mean, where Lucie asked and Lucas answered. It was supposed to be used to guarantee his survival, but because she was delighted to put her hand on that gold mind effortlessly, she gave him her royal word to keep him alive, regardless of his crime. She would consider an adequate punishment later on. Luck was definitely on his side because once finished, she went as far as to propose to him an employment for the next few years, to help her dig into what was hidden behind all this. This should allow him to redeem himself. She has an eye to see talent and Lucas was indeed a perfect tool she could use. Clever and knowledgeable, he was already working on the file. I wish he could make her busy enough when it would be all over. At that time, I would need her to forget me for a moment, a few minutes, perhaps an hour, would suffice for me and Lily to escape her grasp, and a week to flee outside her area of ??influence. ¡­ The next couple of days quickly went by, fortunately, Lucie intervention was helpful, she did have a proficient mage on hand, capable of breaking or altering contracts. She gave the order and sent it to our location, it should arrive on time, and would wait near the bandit hideout for us to do the cleaning before steping in. Moreover, she would send spies to the town to uncover those of others. Lily and Anna were informed of the situation immediately after our unexpected call, and Lily used available time to recover almost completely from her injuries. As for Anna, she made preparations and modifications to the shifting plant and assignments of the working staff, so as to gather the other slaves together in multiple closed places. This would prevent them from hindering us, and guarantee their safety. It was also necessary to prevent them from fleeing too, if one of them ever received the order to contact his master in the case of an unexpected event. Me? I chilled, or rather, I worked hard to not lose my cool and change my thoughts before the fateful moment. Causing a scene now or after, and falling into lust would endanger the operation. As I would be fighting with the captives¡­ Almost naked, I was doomed to receive a batch of irresistible visions. As if that wasn''t enough, I had to hold on for at least two more weeks after that, not including the current one! Because the work would not stop with the sole dismantling of the site and capture of the bandits. We already had a second job ordered by our dear Lucie, following one of her schemes to catch the minister off guard. At least, The first part remained the same, except that a second section was now outlined, after taking control of the location, we would fake the intended shipment to his employer, and make our way to him. It would be useful if successful, to serve as evidence of crime, and formally arrest him. *** ¡°My name¡¯s Lucas, only two letters apart from her majesty¡¯s. Our first encounter was like a thunderbolt, but not dictated by love, although I did find her marvelous at that time, that wasn¡¯t what I meant, even if I did ask her for her hand on the spot. Everything was but an error, only a side effect of her greatness and mesmerizing figure. I quickly realized my stupidity but she gently rejected me without letting me make excuses, without laughing or making fun of me. As to not hurt my feelings, she even used her own love as justification and apologized instead. Her face was pure, and her golden crown of hair radiated all over the dark room, filling it with light. She was still only a princess at that time, yet she already had a Queen aura. I won¡¯t display what brought me to come face to face with her, because it¡¯s not worth it. All you need to know is that I was a bad guy, a villain, I had never done anything deserving a good treatment. But it didn¡¯t prevent her from giving me forgiveness, without knowing my wrongdoings or past. On a whim, she changed my life, gave me a job, a goal, and accepted me as I was. She never asks me to correct my bad sides or habits to this day, and I continue to serve her loyally thanks to these. I Will forever remember that day, when I met our majesty. She was like a god, predestined to rule me, along with this kingdom¡¯s people.¡± between human and god, the silken ruler - testimony of greatness. unknown author taken from witness report transcript, by OAM (Our Almighty Majesty) fanclub Chapter 22 - The bewitched, the pervert, and the beast. Beast POV How many wished to receive your true love, to be allowed to become your special one? And that only to attempt to pay you back even just a little of what you brought them? How many accepted to share your attention without flinching nor jealousy, because they felt the emptiness in your heart and knew that none would be able to fill the void alone. Intriguing, even captivating I should say. I have rarely seen a person so low demean themselves even more. I was already well aware of this unfortunate tendency of yours. And I must admit I thought that it was due to your age and your situation as a victim, but it seems you remained your old self even after escaping from this one and growing well. Everything goes back to when I found out about the secret magic lab and its wrongdoings, as well as the existence of the evil organization behind it. He was not a special one by any means, barely more noticeable than the others. Before learning of its existence, I had already set my sights on many unique subjects scattered across several other labs in addition to this one. Especially two of them, much more interesting and troublesome compared to its banality. But that''s where he really stood out, since despite this, he made his way in the rank of the most successful experiment. Not accomplished enough to be seen as a real breakthrough, but more than enough, and most importantly, stable, to be highly regarded and favored. Thanks to this, he was able to approach and communicate with his fellow guinea pig with fewer restrictions, which allowed him to maintain a friendly relationship with many of them. Here again, he beat all expectations without you even realizing it, since he was lucky enough, or just destined, to bond with those that had most piqued my interest. Of course, that was long before I discovered them all, or else I wouldn''t have let him do it. And then, in any case, I only realized it too late and had not even taken these bounds into account, these links that I thought were weak, but which were red lines in the making. It was those two who put me up against the wall, the day when the magic research lab destruction event took place. I knew a certain someone escaped the destruction, well, I didn¡¯t care anymore than that, and only informed the competent authorities of the potential survival of certain subjects. Serves me right, I shouldn''t have done it, or else I should have made it clearer. I knew I screwed up when those two, independently of each other, asked or rather threatened me for his rescue, in exchange for their cooperation in my plan. Truly interesting, even if it put me in a difficult position. While giving my word that it would be done, It took me some time to gather the little knowledge I have about him. He was a chimera, like most of them. Made with abnormal intelligence, and an overdeveloped mind at birth, he was one of the staff favorites. Which certainly protected him from abuse, but not from the awful view, the screams and the horrors that were happening then. Although I couldn¡¯t see everything because of their heavy protection, and mostly focused on my two proteges, I had briefly observed him, and had appreciated his kindness and fragility. As well as his proneness towards self-mockery. This may explain why both held him in such high esteem, but I didn''t expect the two to care for him, like mothers would¡¯ve to their child, sister to their brother, or wife to their love. And even less that they would show several of those kinds of love at the same time. Anyway, I had agreed to save him and I couldn''t possibly go back on my word. I was under no obligation to ensure his survival, and because he went out of imminent danger by himself, I would just have to check that nothing happens to him in the years to come. At worst, if harm was done, I would grant him a wish. What wasn''t my surprise when, looking for what had happened to him out of pure boredom, after letting him go alive years ago without really caring about his fate. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. From nowhere, absolutely out of place, I discovered something so unthinkable that it would have not occurred to me that it was real if I didn¡¯t receive a call telling me the news at the same time. Something that should not ever happen. Something I would¡¯ve loved to never see. WHY THE FUCK IS MY FUCKING DAUGHTER HERE, FUCKING ACTING AROUND LIKE A FUCKING GIRL IN LOVE WITH THIS FUCKING PERVERT WHO¡¯S NOT EVEN AN FUCKING ADULT. AND WHY DID SHE LET HIM TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HER BODY AND IS HAPPY WITH IT. Wait¡­ WHY IS THIS FUCKING PERVERT THE MAN I¡¯M LOOKING FOR!! That''s how I discovered that my daughter, fled from home, got kidnapped, and out of pure coincidence, ended up with the man I was searching for, which has meanwhile become a thug by a twist of fate. And most importantly, that¡¯s how I learned he had developed his sexual urge to a point where I wonder if the experiment he endured was not meant to develop a new type of animal, a rabbit with human form In constant heat. Calm¡­ I can¡¯t kill him, Or those two would never pardon me¡­ rectification, or those three will never pardon me. DAUGHTER WHY!!! HOW CAN YOU LIKE A BASTARD LIKE HIM! ¡­ Ah, right, she¡¯s my own flesh and blood, that shouldn¡¯t surprise me¡­ STILL! And before I could understand the whole situation. Assuming that I could. I got myself molested and brought to the verge of climax, by the same idiot who got his hand on my daughter. Supposedly to betray my presence. WHAT¡¯S WRONG WITH YOU! For a month I monitored his action, for a whole month I could benefit from free porn at any time, at any place. This boy couldn¡¯t just stay in place¡­ Or should I say, he was interested, so were his partners, and he couldn¡¯t fucking refuse anyone. The worst was that he was good enough to ensure that they would come back for more. At least, his essential character didn''t change. He was still the gentle and caring boy I had seen, no matter how he twisted his manner to express it. Yet, outside of this part of him, I could also see his resolve in action. After Analyzing the situation, and looking into my daughter''s brain rotting memories, I could understand what happened overall. Upon Aurelia''s abduction, he really did change and get down to business without wasting time. First, I found he had already made some of the bandits disappear in secret, decreasing their total amount. After a little eavesdropping, I could understand that they were the extreme ones, the ones who were a direct danger to my daughter and only lusted after her. Then, I could admire him, among his duty, sex times, and caring moments with Aur¨¦lia, put in place step by step, his plan to defeat all the guys around. He first rallied to his cause, a useful slave girl. An elf, blind but with great quality, able to see mana fluctuations. It seems she was aware of his previous killing spree, and let it happen without reporting him, but remained reluctant to help him out of fear. He converts her on the bed, or rather In the broom closet, maintaining her in a state of constant ecstasy, but denying her the right to cum until she gives in, it only took him one night to convince her. Then, using his knowledge and what he had on hand, he killed some more, who were supposed to leave the lair on mission using tricks, ambushes and drugs, like he did at first for the most problematic. He used his duty time in the city as a cover to obtain strong and deadly poison. Manipulated his old comrades so they couldn''t decide what would be Aur¨¦lia''s fate, ruling out the possibilities of an unfortunate accident as much as possible. The funniest thing was the moment when he tried to bribe one of the gangsters, an odd one, as unlike others, he was of a different species, a demi-human wolf. And first and foremost, the sole and unique girl in their band¡­ Who was also the only one who knew of his burning passion and sex addiction, as she was herself one of his regulars. Seemingly, she was searching for something, and he used that in the balance, promising to help her afterward. Of course, it didn¡¯t go as planned at first, and, after having arranged to meet in what seems their usual place, and exposing to her his plan, mischief, and proposal. She ended up not thrilled at all, and tried to subdue him. Doing so, she was heavily drugged, Finn having apparently anticipated the move. He then proceeded to bondage her, before teasing and tickling her like he did for the elf, but while she was under heat-inducing drug this time and without rest nor eat. Then, after she pretended to comply so he would let her sleep, he used her for several days in a row, even increasing the dose. Claiming urgent work for her so as not to make his comrades suspicious. She eventually ended up in a dire state, at his complet mercy, unable to speak or think rationally. Surely, if all his opponents had been girls, it would have taken less time to defeat them than it took for the news of my daughter''s escape to reach me. Scary! Lucky they were not, or I would¡¯ve definitely lost my little girl, and maybe even gained grandchildrens. Chapter 23 - Uprising wind. Part 1 Things happened quickly, there wasn''t much to do, we had to wait for the right moment anyway, when all thugs would be at home. Lucas gave his order two days ago to bring everyone back and return imperatively on time. Under the cover of moving out, with the slave and goods. A good excuse, it made it convenient to put our plan in action, or else we would have to take care of the few scattered around. Once everyone was back at the hideout, his men would take care of securing the exits, and the assault could be launched. ¡°Hello my lovely things, time to wake up!¡± whisper ¡°what the f***¡± whisper ¡° hide.¡± ¡°Rejoice, I have great news for you today, soon, you will be defiled and taste the joy of forced pleasure, I mean, kindly raise as a diligent slave to be sold like cattle. Fear not, we will gladly bring you back once your training is complete rather than selling you to a stranger. I will be open to any request and the first ones will have the chance to join us. I thank you for your pleasant service in advance.¡± But of course! Since we are in a criminal lair, and in a story of bad taste moreover. We desperately need cliches to make it all better, or that wouldn¡¯t be a full course. SHIT, we are three hours off our initial setup, and inevitably, we are alone. Bring the person responsible to me and I''ll say a few words to him. It''s like I just found a hair in my soup. For god sake, couldn¡¯t you do without it and be satisfied with what you had? It¡¯s not by adding salt that you¡¯re going to spice things up. ¡°To celebrate this moment of happiness and in our great goodness, I decided with my friends here, to offer you all a place of choice. If anyone agrees to stay with us already, we would reluctantly accept and keep you with us without sending you to the slaughterhouse as long as you show us some goodwill. ¡± It''s always the same with the bad guys. Why, as soon as the reliable guard leaves, those villains try their luck as if that was all they had to do and only existed for that. Sinc Lucas was desperate for manpower and already struggled to cover all the way out. He also used the men who were especially here to stop the others from sneaking into the merchandise section. I knew they were in constant heat, but cmon, you have no right to be there. Can¡¯t you just chill and meditate as I have been doing for the past two weeks? ¡°Any one? Hehe, do not panic, you will have a nice time, we aren¡¯t some brutes.¡± Spit ¡°Gross, die!¡± ¡°Too bad, we aren''t brutal, but we¡¯re quite wicked and love bullies. Today, one of you will be on duty, willingly or not. The lucky one might have a hard time, but compared to what you can expect, I swear our offer is a bargain. Plus, you might even become a VIP, who knows. There are girls here who live quite comfortably after putting aside their humanity and reluctance. All we ask for is obedience and dedicated work, not some nonsens kink like hardcore SM or bestiality.¡± The bothering man went to open the cell¡¯s door, accompanied by his acolytes, determined to stir up trouble and force us to act early. ¡®I hope Lucas knows his thing and is quick to react. This man made me want to strangle him and drain him of his blood like a pig. Trash like him doesn''t even deserve to live, let alone die in peace.¡¯ Ready, muscles tightened, I reinforced my grip on the dagger¡¯s handle, five, I should be able to do it without endangering the girls. ¡°hero.¡± The girl who had just spat at their feet made a negative gesture, taking advantage of the noise caused by the guys opening and entering the cell, she whispered to me. ¡°Leave it to me, if you are not a liar and what you told us is true, I am willing to play their game for a while.¡± Uh? a kind soul? You? I would never have believed it. I misjudged you. The girl who had just offered herself to be a sacrifice was one of my previous juge, one of the leading ones, wishing for my death and giving me piercing and chilling gazes. A pretty muscular girl of great stature but with a body that had lost none of its sexiness, she had superb flaming like hair and certainly stood out from the crowd. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Turns out that she was also one of our main sub combatants and spokesperson for the prisoners, with whom we discussed our plan. She was an ex adventurer, quite skilled in bare hand fight or with a spear, she could still manage pretty much any weapon. Likewise, she was the lover of a harem of girls over here, unbeknownst to her. Seemingly, worshiped by most for her character and her resistance to oppression. I mean, that might not be a true harem, but she was actually in a relationship with one, and during the week spent facing their cell, I could see that the target of her attention was envied by more than one. ¡°So, who will be our big winner?¡± ¡°I will¡± ¡°Oh¡­ what about it? What do we have there? Our spitter, you have not changed for the better, you were already all bark and fangs, but it seems that you are committed to your doom. Why do you want the spot if you are to make things difficult for us? Don''t tell me you changed your mind because you were afraid someone would touch one of your prot¨¦g¨¦s?¡± At the back of the room, I could see her little secret lover shake and cry silently. Poor thing¡­ They both found themselves a treasure seemingly, I hope they won¡¯t let each other go apart after everything is over. They deserved to be happy, I really think so. Also they were my biggest obstacle in my hope of scoring one of the others, especially after this act of bravery. If their relationship intensified, it would only be better for my business. ¡°Leave those pitiful girls alone. Their destiny might be a hellish one, and their time¡¯s likely running out, but I intend to make it last as long as possible. You can keep your favor, I don¡¯t need them, just do your business until we depart if my fate is so and let¡¯s not dwell on it anymore.¡± ¡°What a great speech madam, if this is your choice¡­ ¡± ¡°But it irritates me! Who are you, bitch to command us? I preferred the way you were, you were arrogant, but at least you stayed in your shoes, should we just give a little showdown to your miserable friends here? STRIP!¡± I will kill this man, painfully It took me all my perseverance and willpower to hold myself back from jumping at his throat this instant. Chill, she asked for it, she must be able to endure it¡­ Still... ¡°... As you wish¡­¡± The girl following the order, made herself bare skin, which didn¡¯t require that much effort, considering they were already lightly dressed. Unforgivable! Me, let it happen? Right before me? Never! Let them try, I¡¯ll kill them soon after. Behind me, Lily, who could see my fist clench until they bleed, gave me an embrace, to cool down my rage. She seemed evenly affected, since she was slightly trembling at that moment, but for once she was aware of the danger and kept her mind cool, while I almost risked screwing everything. ¡°Hey, Ricky, let''s stop there, we¡¯re lucky the guards are busy, that''s why we decided to cross the line with you, but if we do it here, there is a risk of getting caught and it is not said that this will remain unpunished. I don¡¯t want to bet my wages on it. All the more so if it is to satisfy your fetish.¡± ¡°Tch, alright, you, come with us, I¡¯ll make your scream and moan so high they will hear everything.¡° You, who I don¡¯t know the name of, I¡¯ll make you regret your action, enjoy your last moment, before I send you to hell myself. For the first time since my fight with Lily, where she made mere heaps of meat from our assailant. I could see myself doing the same to someone else. As I watched them come out of the cell, I felt remorse about my inaction. I blamed Lily and this girl for stopping me before reconsidering, nay, It was entirely my fault. Lily shouldn¡¯t be able to stop me, I was solely responsible for my heartless decision. ¡°Wait, since there are several of us, one may not be enough if we don¡¯t want to break it. Let¡¯s take another one just in case¡­¡± Oh God, keep me from the bloodlust that comes to me. You just wait. ¡°You, come here!¡± He scanned the room for a moment looking for his prey, before stopping right on us, pointing his finger at us. He had made his choice, Lily! ¡°Come fore! Don¡¯t be shy, why are you hiding in the shadows?¡± Ten steps ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing you before, are you the hero¡¯s girl by chance?¡± five, ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you, they¡¯d say you were a shorty with good assets and nice figure, but you are to my liking¡± three ¡°Let us help mourn your dead husband. hehe¡± God guided me, he gave me his approval by giving me a second chance. I had the right to murder this piece of shit. How could you lust after what¡¯s mine! Why did you stop, continue please if you dare! You''re welcome! ¡°You will forget him quite easily, we know what we''re doing, it''s not the first time.¡± He stretched his arms toward Lily who was trembling behind me. My own limbs were ready to act, it pains me to have to kill him swiftly without torture, but I¡¯ll deal with it. The simple fact that he won¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on would satisfy my frustration. One more, one more step and you''re dead meat. Contact was made. Uh? Something felt wrong, terribly wrong, as if a terrible magic was at work, something that prevented me from killing him even though I was dying to do it. Chapter 23.5 - Uprising wind. Part 2 After getting close enough, the man named Ricky reached his target¡¯s shoulder in front of everyone''s eyes. ¡°What a lovely complexion, I can see more liveliness in your eyes than anybody else.¡± The man grabbed her chin with one hand and slowly made his way to the butt with the second while caressing and brushing against the skin. I had to take action, but I couldn¡¯t, I was still frozen in place by this mysterious evil force at work. I couldn¡¯t even lift a finger, let alone protect Lily or anyone if required. ¡°Uh?¡± Lily, who stood silent until now, made a sound of incomprehension. ¡°You...¡± His head came closer, it was the perfect moment to act but I was petrified. Nothing and no one in the world could have had this effect on me, yet¡­ This man was extremely dangerous, I felt it deep inside me. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Become mine, and I swear I will take care of you¡­ you captured my heart.¡± The haughty and perverted man turned into a smiling and attentive boy in love all of suden. ¡°¡­¡± Fondle ¡°THE FUCK WITH YOU!¡± STAB Without any notice, he was stabbed where it hurts, in the crotch, as his hands were starting to get a little too loose and comfortable, and as he was about to give a kiss. In the end, it seems that it was all just a creation of my mind, a bad joke, yet I couldn''t help but worry about it. Regaining my senses under the unbelieving gaze of the other man, and amused look of the girls, I started a rampage. Jumping on our enemies all at once, me, Lily, and the girls who knew how to fight, killed another one before they could understand the situation and draw their weapon. It didn''t even take five minutes to take down the remaining ones, with the supplied weapons we got for our uprising act, and the number at our advantage, we beat them to pulp easily but not without making the sound and the screams that come along. Surely, that did not go unnoticed. Soon, the whole building would be covered in blood stains and fighting sounds. But first, I had to settle a personal matter with our first victim, who was left for dead. ¡°Prepare for battle, the non-combatant stay in the cell, the other, go and equip yourselves better with their gear and the ones that were hidden for the occasion. Don¡¯t neglect the armor, we don¡¯t want to lose anyone understand? As for me¡­ I have something to settle with this one before he bleeds out and dies.¡± Let¡¯s have a talk between the two of us¡­ ¡°Wait!!¡±*2 Lily, and the orange-haired girl interrupted me as I was moving forward, obsessed with the idea of making him regret his actions by all means ¡°Let us give you a hand. I have my own revenge and resentment to convey on top of representing the batch of girl who were raped before being brought here. That man was a scumbag among scum, he took advantage of the fact that we were not yet treated as merchandise to trampled on us while making us do all sorts of perverted things.¡± ¡°Same, he earned himself a painful death. That stab was far from enough .¡± ¡°Don¡¯t! please! Everything but that!¡± Ricky, who had played dead, probably to preserve his life, understood that we were not idiots, and furthermore, far from done with him. He became extremely agitated, knowing very well what was going to happen. ¡°First, hold his tongue, I¡¯ll cut it off. His voice annoys me.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll regret it, I may die, but my comrade will take revenge on your body sooner than you might think. You won¡¯t be able to get out of there!!!¡± At least he knew he was going to die, and wasn¡¯t spouting nonsense like ¡®I will make you regret it and blablabla, I¡¯ll make you beg to have my thing sunken in you.¡¯ ¡°Then let¡¯s cut what¡¯s below and make it eat, he won''t need it anymore and that''s a fine end for it.¡± ¡°HIIIIII, stop, don¡¯t come near! Have mercy I beg you! I won¡¯t ever do it aga¨C AHHHHH¡± . . . Several minutes of torment later, after having himself tortured by us three, dismembered, disfigured, beaten and kept alive and conscious. He glared at us with his last spark of life, at me and Lily specifically, incredulous, like he was asking what he could have done to deserve our hate, how could we have taken part in this bloody act. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. That¡¯s right, not like he had abused us... It was but our first meeting after all. Well first, you made a cute girl in love cry, made fun of a bold one¡¯s sacrifice, and got the wrath of a demon. That alone was enough for us to step on. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have touched what was dear to me, the only reason I let you die with such little torture is firstly beacause I became aware of my feelings thanks to you, and secondly because she overcame the ordeal bravely and you did not go further than some caress and sexual harassment. Otherwise, I would have kept you alive until it¡¯s over and tore off your nails one by one before making you mate with dogs until you die of exhaustion.¡± So you had not just made her cry¡­ Our ex adventurer apparently had a pretty bad grudge against this man, and it was understandable. But it was the same for us. ¡°Same, How dare you put your dirty hand on my beloved one, saying you fall in love? If you were so sincere and honest about your preferences, why''d you torment girls when you have plenty of toys to play with among your comrades. You shouldn''t be afraid to speak, I¡¯m sure some would accept you as you are.¡± Following the woman, Lily also started to tell him what was on her mind. Yup yup, totally agree¡­ Eh¡­ he didn''t seem to understand, his eyes casted a questioning look as he was losing his breath. Yet one must be blind, it was not so dark in the cell and we were little prepared for the situation, definitely not enough as to be wrong being so close that he even molested and tried to land a kiss! ¡°I¡¯M A MAN! YOU DUMBASS!¡± Yes, Lily wasn¡¯t the target, and I wasn¡¯t frozen with fear for her or anything, IT WAS ME! HE LUSTED AFTER ME!! This shocked me so much that I completely froze the moment he grabbed my shoulder and my mind went missing, denying the situation. Thanks to Lily''s quick reaction, at least, I escaped the worst. She took my dagger out of my hand and stabbed him out of pure irritation when he was about to lay his lip on mine. sigh, I had a narrow escape, she saved my soul remnant. ¡°Everyone! Are you ready? Let¡¯s go, It''s time to win your freedom back girls! Let¡¯s wreak havoc, do not spare anyone, they don¡¯t deserve it.¡± Without lingering any longer, or letting myself see Ricky¡¯s dead face forever stuck on a dumbfounded expression, I took the lead of the small army made for the occasion after losing some precious but necessary minutes to this idiot¡¯s preparation for hell. I was dressed with my short detainee¡¯s dress, a wig coming from my cosplay stuff collection, a fake DIY bust, and some bad make-up applied by Lily¡¯s hand. My rig-out wouldn¡¯t fool anyone up close other than what I think now was a repressed gay person. But as long as it was in the midst of action, I could stay undercover, that would do the trick. At least until we gather with Lucas and Joe for the final fight. Nevertheless, how could he have taken me for a girl, I wonder. I can''t believe my costume was convincing, the girls themselves looked skeptical at first, and Lily was not satisfied with the result. One even dared to say that this disguise would bring no good¡­ well, she was right but still. In any case, it was time to emptied the accumulated frustration. Because, beneath my effeminate appearance, my blood was boiling since morning. I mean, we got ourselve, Lily and me, imprisoned with the other girls so as to not arouse suspicion and awaken their awareness, that is why I had to cosplay to perfect the illusion, but the consequence made itself comfortable, settling permanently. I was horny¡­ like I was often since the beginning of this story, some would argue. But my lust was at its peak. Since the girls learned about the situation and part of my identity as a helper, they had regained hope. My hero¡¯s title was still unknown to them, but the inmates were more than enough reassured and convinced that our slight misunderstandings resolved itself and they stopped to be wary of me. Doing so, they acted with nothing but carelessness anymore. Exposing their skin and behaving Like I was a fellow female. The night was complicated because they no longer hid their own little fun time and more than one shared our ex adventurer preference. Like if that wasn''t enough, Lily hugged me tightly the whole night partly due to shortage of space compared to our previous cell, I mean, as much as standing was fine, when everybody was laying, the occupied space was reduced as everyone used to curl up together to keep warm, and we did not deviate from the rule, deprived of our advantages. But it was mainly because of her regain of confidence, happy to finally be ''alone'' free from Anna¡¯s disturbance, completely recovering from her injury and taking advantage of my reluctance to push her away. She enjoyed the situation and snuggled up all against me. Furthermore, the flaming head girl decided to have a good time with her girlfriends out of nowhere to honor the cell¡¯s floor of their presence one last time before leaving it forever. As if they were celebrating their first apartment experience as a couple which was coming to an end. I was forced to keep feeling Lily''s body heat and breathing as well as her intoxicating scent in this environment already loaded with feminine odor, with a background noise which would not leave an eunuch indifferent. It was like I was under constant aphrodisiaque and I had to spend my time meditating about the essence of life and other things alike to not lose my control. Then, not being able to stand it any longer, I ravaged the whole cell content and made myself an infamous beast¡­ or not, of course not. I simply picked up where I left off days ago, enumerating my every single missteps and reasons of indebtedness like I would count sheep, before falling asleep and dreaming about me ravagin the entire jail. Experience which proved itself to be painful, as I had to hurt myself to awaken and retain myself from bursting out at the last moment, after enjoying the sweet whispering and evil¡¯s vision for a little too long. I didn¡¯t dare to fall asleep anymore and stayed aware until early morning, when I finally fell asleep from exhaustion, no longer fearing to lose all of my advancement to restore my reputation among the captives. Chapter 24 - Nothing like a little tempest of insult and slander to get you back on your feet Part 1 O, wonder! How many goodly creatures are there here! How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world, That has such people in''t! To stand up, among those girl¡¯s sweeting holy body, fighting devotedly for their freedom and vengeance. I would not wish any companion in the world but you, nor can imagination from shapes, besides yourselves, to like of. ¡°At this hour Lie at my mercy all mine enemies.¡± Wait¡­ something¡¯s off¡­ something was definitely off¡­ The bloody battle began with a fierce mele, in narrow corridors, it didn¡¯t take long before men, alerted by our previous ambush, and probably by Ricky¡¯s pig scream asking for mercy, rushed toward our location, not without taking the time to regroup with nearby mate, coming together to support each other. Okay, maybe Ricky¡¯s punishment wasn¡¯t the best idea, in the best time and place. Instead of making our way swiftly, successively ambushing reinforcement and scouts sent by Lucas until total discovery, they were made aware of the uprising from the start? That made it difficult to take them by surprise. And put our non-combatants under unnecessary risk, well, they too asked for it so I guess we shared the fault. A dozen bandits had already formed a line of defense upfront, and slowed our way, waiting for backup and paying attention so as not to suffer any fatal injury. Our force was greater in number, we were over a hundred, but the majority was just for show, only present to add to the mass, and in reality we were guarding them. Lily, me, the flame-haired girl still overpowered them, and some more could put up a decent fight. But soon our rear and side would be targeted, the initiative would be lost, forcing us to be on the defensive. That wasn¡¯t good for us to drag things. On the contrary! We had to rush and occupy the defensive spot we had in mind as soon as possible. ¡°Oh anger, turn to heat, dry up my brains! This mad thirst for vengeance must be quenched¡­ no matter how cruel and merciless I must become!¡± What exactly would change if I wanted revenge, was consumed by hatred, or went insane with rage? Probably nothing, but luckily, I, alone here, didn¡¯t search for revenge nor have deep hatred, so why would I hold back my furry? I won¡¯t fight by another person¡¯s script. The actors on stage cannot ignore their own and do as they wish but I can. As long as they make a beautiful exit, I feel they fulfill their role... So, let¡¯s make them meet their demise, in a magnificent way worth their lives. Kill!!! They¡¯ll pay for their crime, they¡¯ll pay for treating those girls like objects, for willingly acting in their tragedy. That because of such beings that men like me are poorly viewed, you are poison to society, and to any other pervert gentlemen. REVENGE! I hate you I hate you I hate you!!! How could you make me suffer and endure beyond the limit, far more than what a normal man would. How dare you ruin my LINAO (Lily is not an option) policy and make me dream of doing THAT, there were over a hundred last night so why! WHY WHY WHY! Why was Lily the first and last thing that comes to mind when I try remembering this divine sight, to imprint the mighty vision into my memory for future use! Why does her face overlap everyone else¡¯s, and why is she the only one I had full recollection of!!! ¡­ Wrong¡­ Better but¡­ ¡­something still seems twisted. Anyway, thus started and ended right away, our struggling assault from within. The flaming-haired girl together with Lily acted as a wall protecting the non-combatant in front, while the few fighters guarded our rear. Our sides were left plainly exposed, but this allowed us to move forward promptly and there was no greater danger than being slow or worse, stopped. I forced myself into their frontline like the degenerate heroic figure I was, cutting and slashing what came to me. My two supporters received the ones which I was letting pass, or finished the injured ones. Forced to act earlier than expected, we had no time to make them surrender or put them out of harm''s way. We could only hope that no fatal unforeseen event occurs for us and pray for their souls in return. At worst, they won¡¯t try to kill the girls, won¡¯t they? As long as they are only hurt, Lily can heal them I guess. I myself was prepared to take a hit or two in their place if the need arises, and drank my entire elixir, the priceless one, because, what would it be, if not a perilous situation, as long as women''s lives were on the line, I never skimped on resources. ¡­ We cut our way in the labyrinths like buildings, fortunately, I was able to study the facility blueprint supplied by Anna. The global alert having already been given, I hoped Lucas would do his job nonetheless and proceed as scheduled. Next step, Anna¡¯s harvesting, she should''ve been nearby, but as expected, she was nowhere to be found as it was too early. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Thankfully again, there was a good chance she was currently still preparing our third step, the men, yes, they were rather absent from my statement up until now, but it was time to make them shine¡­ or at least, their presence. They were confined in the underground part in another strategique location, near their place of labor, as they were used as additional workforce to clear the collapsed tunnels and expand the area of archaeological excavations under strict monitoring. Their resting place was chosen by convenience alone, and the bandits used to lock them in a dead-end gallery easy to monitor and big enough for them to live there. Our aim was to lead the bandits to believe that we were trying to free them on a bold and careless thought, to add them to our ranks. It would be like trapping ourselves. Stuck in the dead end, even with a few fresh recruits, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it out, and they would easily come to this conclusion. At least that''s what we wanted them to believe. The path linking to the men''s location was narrow and I alone with Lily could¡¯ve prevented most from reaching our back, and without any means of pressure, or backstabbing threat, they had no way to actually defeat me in a fight where at most three to four could fight without hindrance among themselves. Anna''s work was intended to perfect our strategy, she was supposed to hide various traps among the gallery¡¯s alcoves along the way, small incapacitating smoke bombs and poisoning urchin dart throwers would be perfect to cause chaos. Put together with Lucas'' treacherous backstab and my own assault, we would slaughter them and force them to concede to avoid a crushing defeat. ¡­ ¡°Let them flee, they¡¯re slowing our pace, we need to overtake the men¡¯s jail before they put a counter attack in place, Lily, you stay in the front and keep following the path with our little flame, make sure she doesn''t actually catch fire and everything should be fine. I¡¯ll take the back, now that the danger is behind us.¡± We were already far ahead of our pursuer, originally those who tried to block our way, we had defeated them without putting on a show while advancing and sustaining our pace. Given the scale of the matter and their inability to manage a group as large as ours, the survivors had left their fellow being mercilessly killed and had fled when they understood that they could not stop us, probably to be able to regroup with the other. Lately, enemies in front of us have become rarer and rarer, while the threat on our backs has grown exponentially. We just had a small fight with a few of them as we arrived at an intersection between two galerie main galleries, but they didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the situation and probably didn¡¯t expect us at all .In all likelihood the new of out uprising had not yet reach this part of the underground gallery network and I felt like I wasn¡¯t needed anymore in the forefront. ¡°Can¡¯t you use my name? Instead of calling me with these fishy nicknames or whatever pronoun which refers to flaming hair? Or did you really forget it?¡± An annoying and irritating girl¡¯s voice drew my attention as I was taking a break and enjoying the revigorating view of bodies in motion during physical exertion. Well, the women were all trying their best regardless of their age and state. It was difficult because they had had little chance to exercise their muscles lately, and their food was not meant to allow them extra energy. Since I was concerned, I was just checking their condition and making sure none of them were going to slow us down. We were lucky that for the time being they were all bearing the pain and fatigue without giving up, apart from a few young girls that were carried by the strongest one. In short, this inspection was just as important as the rest and required my full attention. But someone apparently did not agree with this. ¡°Said the girl who¡¯s name literally means flame.¡± ¡°And? Is that a reason to not use it? ¡± ¡°Shut up Harem queen, lead your people and stop bothering me, I¡¯m trying to save you so you know.¡± ¡°Jealous one, what harem, I¡¯m devoted, unlike a certain craving pervert. Do you think I didn¡¯t notice your lustful gaze?¡± ¡°I AM NOT, that was against my will, the situation oblige, I had no other way than studying your bodies to know our chance of success. The consequences of this action were beyond my control.¡± ¡°I''m not buying that, who else, with a girl on each arm already, would make such an effort if not a perv? Or maybe you¡¯re just incapable of doing otherwise, you can''t get hard by normal means anymore, can you? I¡¯m sure under your exaggerated attitude of inveterate pervert, you¡¯re just a premature ejaculator frustrated by his condition. That would explain why both seem as unsatisfied and just as much in need as you.¡± ¡°Ohh!!! No wonder I had trouble recently, that could certainly explain why¡­ We should thoroughly test this hypothesis to get definitive confirmation. Hey I¡¯ve got an idea, why don¡¯t you give me a hand and help me in this task? Nothing too difficult of course, you just have to convince some of your admirers to assist me with the necessary experiments.¡± ¡°Do it yourself if you dare, I will give them a suggestion, nothing more. I¡¯m curious to see how many you can win over before the two very special and eager assistants of yours quit being unassertive and start their own research on the topic. But hey, they¡¯d probably jump on you and drain you completely dry the moment you feign a move anyway. I have superiority in that aspect, I don¡¯t need to restrain myself, I can fulfill my duty and bring anyone to the 7th heaven, driving her like crazy and still have energy to spare. I might not have a harem, but I could spare one.¡± ¡°If I wasn¡¯t a gentleman and that the situation was not inappropriate, I would¡¯ve shown you my mighty spear right there, and entered in a contest of endurance right there and now. You flower picker¡± ¡°Shrimp.¡± ¡°Lily harvester.¡± ¡°Eunuch.¡± ¡°Yuri maiden slayer.¡± ¡°Are you even able to satisfy someone¡¯s urge other than your own? Will they feel good at least? I can spare you from their deception if you entrust them to my teaching in order to learn how to do without your services. It might even be able to restore your vitality if you watch us getting well altogether.¡± ¡°... YOU!!!... You know what? if you could take them off my hand, I would even lick your feet of gratitude.¡± ¡°Eeeek Not gonna happen, I bet you would be way too happy.¡± ¡°I would, I already explained you that they were one-way in love ¡± ¡°I mean to lick my feet.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t!!¡± Subject to possible situation setting and CGU in effect, I reserve myself all right to change my mind at any time, according to the 27th articles of the gentlemen code of behavior, section9, paragraph 4 : ¡®All true gentlemen, self-respecting or not, may act in an inappropriate manner if the long term gain far outweighs the temporary loss of dignity. Or, if a total deprivation of honor is at stake. Ultimately, if the said honor is challenged, directly attacked by a third party, without any proof, you have the duty to defend by any means, even controversial ones, as long as you don¡¯t lose the argument.¡® I mean, if she made an oath of silence and made it not too degrading, I would win on every level. No more bothering wife or crazy slave, a breach of contract in my favor, and as I don¡¯t say yes to being a M¡­ In the heat of the moment, with sexy lingerie and a good view on the balance I¡¯m not against soft role play either, provided that we switch during the race¡­ Chapter 24.5 Nothing like a little tempest of insult and slander to get you back on your feet Part 2 Our small verbal confrontation wasn''t the first, and certainly not the last, since it seems we had quite similar personalities. Birds of a feather flock together, you might say. After all, as some ancient sage said qui se ressemble s¡¯assemble. But in our case, we were one too many. As there could only be one emperor for the same throne, you could only have one harem seeker driven by lust eminent and carrying figure for a given group of individuals. And this even if the said group was already wholy supporting one of the two parties. In the end, this was just another way to keep us busy and to alleviate the seriousness of the situation with some jokes in addition to allow us to measure ourselves against each other and ensure our comrade''s abilities. Or in short, simple misplaced ego. It is true that I had prevented a certain person who goes by the name of Alev from doing her job by monopolizing her presence. But in the end, it had allowed us to guard the galleries¡¯ junction safely from both sides while letting the other overtake us. Throughout this pointless exchange, things had miraculously gone without a hitch, even though the timing would have been perfect for my bad luck to play havoc with it. And I was not only referring to the absence of troublemakers or the multitude of many events that could¡¯ve happened to prevent us from achieving our goals. Even my worn out mind and state of extreme stress and frustration combined didn¡¯t allow me to fool myself all the way to the point where my black star of misfortune would have struck and tampered my fate. Mine? Wasn¡¯t it still under investigation which one between me and Lily was truly responsible? Well nowaday I tend to not differentiate and merge the 2 into a single entity. Lily was definitely the source of all evils, but she herself did not spread it knowingly and she was undoubtedly my own unlucky star and mine alone. Anyway, I was referring to the stupid plan I had put together in my mind while exchanging greetings with someone willing to throw them back in my face. It consisted of undermining the authority of the deceived girl¡¯s mean representative bit by bit and gradually winning over the hearts of those she had bewitched with her sweet word and fake virility. With my heroic act and pretty figure, I should be able to make more than one blush and I make just as many feel head over heels about me like in the past. As long as I remained anonymous, proposing an orgy when everything would be over, to any single interested woman, would be a piece of cake and I would certainly be able to make up for the false accusation and prove my abilities if not further display my them. But I understood well that stopping Lily and Anna from joining us wouldn¡¯t be an easy task and it was too dangerous, so I quickly and successfully put an end to my delusional thinking before it was too late. This allowed me to refocus on the essentials. It was time to stop this childishness and get serious again. The last few girls had finally gone through the intersection and it was time for Alev to join back Lily. We hadn¡¯t encountered new enemies yet, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t any. Those two had to prepare together for any eventuality that could block their path or slow us down, and I was pretty sure that some bandits had gathered and would launch an assault from behind soon enough. Since I was supposed to cover our rear and we weren''t out of the woods yet. Or rather, out in the open, Lily had actually acted rather professionally unlike a certain someone, and she had long left us to our dispute and guided our group steadily without bothering to wait for it to come to an end. ¡°Nevermind, let''s drop the matter here, take care and shout loud if you need help, remember, they should be some guard and we could always stumble in more on the way. If ever we are stormed from the back, do not stop nor come to help, I should be able to save myself no matter the danger and will manage better if let alone.¡± With a last sentence to Alev, inciting her to hold our quarrel for later and go back to the front, I had one last thought while watching her back disappear into the crowd to join the vanguard. Once we would be in the place, its defense will be under my responsibility. As long as girls'' lives were at stake, I would defend the fort against hundreds of thousands, so let''s not talk about such insignificant things as a few slow witted bandits. At that time, we would see who will have the makings of a savior, and who will have its name fall into oblivion. Their gratitude would definitely fall upon me!! Yes, I may have put aside my orgy ambition, but I didn¡¯t trash everything as if nothing was worth taking. I still had my resolve and I would take the other¡¯s attention from her by any possible means. If it wasn¡¯t all, I could always settle for a smaller group without Lily and Anna knowing. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. *** ¡°Let¡¯s go, our goal is near, it¡¯s just a matter of minutes now. I know you are all worn out by this sudden race, after weeks of inaction being totally motionless, but just a little more. The pervert may seem unreliable, but he knows his thing, you have my word.¡± ¡°And I swear as his wife that he is not that bad of a scum, he might be perverted to the bones, but he won''t press you with blackmail or anything. I know that many are skeptical about his presence, but his purposes are legitimate and we are just as prisoners as you.¡± ¡°I agree, even if his fortuitous appearance and saving plan feel like a trap. I have good reason to believe them even if I honestly doubt his ulterior motive. He will probably ask you for a reward and harass you for it, but he won¡¯t make things difficult or nag you for a no.¡± ¡°What else, he always keeps his word so trust us. One more push, and you will be able to reunite with your husband, brother and child, then just enjoy the show. He definitely takes responsibility at heart, provided that they are forced into his attention.¡± ¡°Remember, don¡¯t stop even if you are exhausted, keep walking and try to not cause traffic jams, any stop would result in those behind you being blocked. I know you can do it and if you can¡¯t, do it anyway, for your loved ones, for your lover, think about the nights that await you once reunited. And if you don''t have any, do it for me, I even authorize you to use my image as a replacement.¡± ¡°Follow the line, we won¡¯t care if someone leaves on her own free will, but don''t be tempted, certainly, many galleries would lead you to the exit, but only with us you would remain safe, you¡¯re likely to get caught, or worse lost for real.¡± ¡°I couldn''t have said it better, comrade Lily, It''s a pleasure to work with you. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to leave this slug, I would be glad to accept your embrace and cuddle with you, together with my girlfriends. I¡¯m sure she won¡¯t be made, if it¡¯s to save you from the arms of this impotent tyrant.¡± ¡°No thanks, but as I¡¯m saddened due to my incompetence to make him lust after my person, and my lack of attraction, I still love this man.¡± ¡°I CAN HEAR BOTH OF YOU!!!! STOP slandering myself and make me the bad guys! And it¡¯s you who forced me into marriage!¡± ¡°Without my sister I''m sure that you wouldn¡¯t have any problem with it!¡± ¡°STOP! This is not the time to debate our marital situation. It''s been several weeks, what do I say, months, why put it on the table now? Weren''t you satisfied no matter what as long as you were by my side? And your sister is only part of the reason!¡± ¡°You have a sister Lily? If she is a tenth as cute as you, you will have to introduce her to me, don¡¯t worry too much about yourself, you¡¯re perfect, this monkey has an eye for beauty, I¡¯m sure you make him horny by your mere presence. He¡¯s just a coward and refuses to admit it, he never flees the issues, but he avoids them desperately.¡± ¡°Awww you think that''s the reason he refuses to touch me? Anyway, sorry, my sister is already taken.¡± ¡°Too bad¡­¡± ¡°STOP!!!! SHUT UP AND MOVE!! ¡± ¡°By the same man I¡¯ve fallen for¡­¡± ¡°Bastard!!! Wait, Give me one night, I¡¯ll make you forget. What¡¯s good about him anyway!¡± ¡°Mmmm nothing, yup, I just love him, no reason. My sister said it was a family issue, we are simply insanely crazy about him and we better not reflect on it to avoid many headaches.¡± ¡°I wanna die¡­. Why hasn''t any enemy caught up with us yet... I feel like I urgently need to punch one or two bad guys to distract myself.¡± ¡°Outch, that hurt, I wouldn¡¯t have liked it if it were me. Poor dog, you¡¯ll make him depressed.¡± ¡°HEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bandit at seven o''clock, can you MOVE YOUR ASS!¡± ¡°Lol, he¡¯s frustrated, anyway, let¡¯s move on girls, don¡¯t pay attention to our tirade, he''s just that kind of man, useless when it came to real love but still looking for a fuck buddy. Do not forget, if you are ever ambushed on the side, strip yourself, that could save your life and give us the time to step in.¡± ¡°Really? We will be struck on the front thought¡± ¡°Yes, but that dog should be able to make it by all means if he knows there is something to see.¡± ¡°Mmm, I suppose he would¡­¡± ¡°No hero would leave a damsel in distress, especially not that one when she is naked.¡± "YOU BET I DO.................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fuck you, I wish I could do it to you, brutally. I can now put an end to any hope of thanks from the body..." Hehehe ¡°I wasn''t sure about the identity, but it''s a done deal, thanks Mr hero, I didn¡¯t think it would be so easy to make you confess.¡± ¡°DIE!¡± The rest of the way went smoothly, if we did not take into account the flow of insults I spilled over any attacker brave enough to approach us, nor do we pay attention to the hundreds of laughter and chuckles from the freshly invigorated and high-spirited girls. At least they couldn¡¯t stare at me from their backs, I wouldn''t have stood it anymore, not after painfully regaining their trust, then won it even more, but for the worst reason. Who cares if I¡¯m reliable and trustworthy when it comes to their life¡­ Now I¡¯m forever depicted as the incarnation of lust. No one would ever respond to my advance¡­ My last hope was gone, and with it, I had lost my fighting spirit. Considering my situation, and my terrible reputation, I was going to have to give up what made me a hero and become a wise man or a philosophic writer. Perhaps I could even write some verse. After all, some were already coming to my mind and I felt like a poet¡­ ¡­ But let''s not rush things, I should better take it upon myself and deal with it. That was not gonna make me last, but that was still better than losing all faith¡­ It was still too early and I wasn''t ready. Chapter 25 – Annunciation of the apocalypse, the calm ahead the last judgment. Anna was not surprised by our little thunderstorm ahead of schedule. The news was already known to every single living soul within the ruin. Or at least the ones who weren''t busy tormenting or persecuting helpless slaves or even reading some strange and disturbing porn book. Cmon, everything turned out to be closely or loosely related to sex in this damned place. Or was it for the whole planet? Anyway, the first group we took off guard was actually reading the latest hentai based on the way too famous Stockholm syndrome, or how to make a miss fall in love book. That one was very well drawn and very detailed. Well the girls were, but that doesn''t mean everything, overall quality wasn¡¯t that bad. But man what a bunch of poorly quilted plots. Other than my own unofficial porn story saga, I¡¯ve never seen anything with such a display of different tags and sequence staging them one after the other. Bah, I probably needed a larger sample to form an opinion, I Would look into it in more detail after I gather the 368 first volume. Anyway, other than this smalle treasure which had been lost by their rightful former owners in their panicked attempt to flee and that I picked up on the floor out of pure good conscience and consideration for the local pollution, we, or rather, Lily and Alev duo had another fateful encounter and found another kind of jewel. While I was busy guarding the rear and keeping the potential stalker at a good distance, they found a slave that appeared to have escaped Anna¡¯s scheme aiming to safely gather them out of our way. From what I could understand, Alev stumbled into an odd sub-gallery whose entrance was naturally concealed and barely visible. Thinking that it might pose a threat and fearing an ambush, she carefully went to check if anything would actually put us at risk and found herself facing the lustful aggressors that were about to dig in and start their meal. There were 3 of them besieging and molesting the girl, when Alev interrupted just in time and cut their fun short. She interrupted them just in time and as such prevented the poor slave from becoming their food. Moreover, seeing that their victim was only a trembling child, and because this story hadn¡¯t fallen down enough to let something like that happen, she made cave paintings out of their blood before Lily invited herself to the party and made flesh sculptures from the remains. I only barely had time to notice that something was wrong, it was all over before they could recover from their surprises and I could inquire about the situation. Luckily for us, It seemed that this marked the end of our trouble, and since the quota of idiots and clich¨¦ had been reached, we thus resumed our march without further incident, and could even finally team up with Anna not far from our final destination. She was waiting for us ahead of the men¡¯s jail, and had the intelligence to prevent the information of our escape from reaching the few guards around. Thanks to her foresight and help, we then took over the place without effort, Anna having once more demonstrated her qualities and sharp decision making ability. Running in a panic she informed the guard of our imminent arrival before sneaking a deadly blow as Alev and Lily were launching their attack. It saved us some precious time, I mean, it recovered a portion of what we had lost for stupid and egoist reasons, and we could partially barricade the tunnel thanks to the hardworking girls¡¯ and just free startled men¡¯s conjoint effort. Against my expectation and to my greatest regret, Anna didn¡¯t have the time to set up the traps at all, I wished half would be ready, and had hoped for at least a third, but she had her own predicaments, making her, on the contrary, late on schedule. It is a pity, because it is in them that resided all our chances of an easy and inexpensive victory in energy, if not human life. We wouldn¡¯t be able to use them and we now had to rely solely on our endurance in the incoming battle, furthermore, we had lost all hope to cause chaos with their activation. Bah, nevermind, some were still usable as it and could be thrown instead, it would not cause as much confusion, but the damage would be the same, if not greater, as long as none of them end up between our lines. Moreover, there will surely be other ways to impact morale, at worst I was the girl to boost our own, and perhaps I may even convince some to distract the enemies. ¡°Don''t mope Anna, that is not your fault, even if we weren''t the most rigorous and we wasted time on a certain repressed homosexual that deserved hellish punishment, we are still way ahead on schedule.¡± ¡°But that doesn''t change my share of responsibilities! If only I hadn¡¯t spent the early morning looking for something that I had lost and that I could¡¯ve searched for yesterday¡­ You know what, I should still have some time left, I¡¯ll set up the nearest ones. At worst, if they¡¯re already besieging the gallery, I¡¯ll tell them I hid myself and escaped, then join hand with Lucas instead.¡± Anna was behaving in a guilty manner and argued with us to let her finish what she hadn''t even started. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°No, we need you here, the girls are exhausted after this run, far more than anticipated. Apart from us four, nobody else can put up a proper fight, the men are ¨¦qualy diminished and even if most are adventurers, they are mostly low rank, they won¡¯t last for long. Don¡¯t forget that they won¡¯t hesitate to kill the males unlike the women. We have too much need for you, not to mention that Lucas is presumably not yet there. If you¡¯re caught in the act, or if they didn¡¯t believe your lie, you would be done for.¡± And that would put our plan at risk. If she was suspect, so Lucas, her order¡¯s giver, would be. ¡°How am I supposed to be useful? I can fight but I don¡¯t think my presence can be a game changer. ¡± ¡°I dunno, help distribute some water and the little stuff we have, and take care of managing the men and women and recording their physical condition for Lily to help recover a little faster those who need it. It may be interesting to put the youngest ones aside, as far as possible from the fights, they have seen enough and I don¡¯t want them to be further traumatized than they already are. Anyway, I¡¯m not gonna let you put yourself in danger just so you can avoid moping over something so trivial as discussing the ressposabilit¨¦ over our change of plan.¡± Anna seemed taken aback by the seriousness of my response and the number of things I had effortlessly mentioned and in which his help would be welcome ¡°... you¡¯re right¡­ sorry, my reaction was inappropriate, I shall do as you said. Still, I apologize for the traps and I will be responsible for anything that might happen due to their absence until the end. If there were to be deaths, it would be my fault.¡± ¡°Oh! Come one, and what are you going to do if something goes astray? get yourself judged? get yourself stoned?! Who''s gonna act as my maid in the future if you¡¯re hurt or in jail ?¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t just ignore my faults and responsibility!¡± ¡°Nah, I¡¯m saying that as your current master, and as the hero, if anything goes wrong it would be my responsibility, not yours, it would only mean I wasn¡¯t strong enough to overcome the adversity. So don¡¯t take it at heart,do your job, and let me do mine. Moreover Lily has already become attached to you, she''s probably seriously considering whether she should let you in as a full member of the harem or not, and I don''t think I can prevent her from tricking me to agree to it, so you just have to selfishly start acting like you were already part of it.¡± ¡°You really mean it??? Did she already acknowledge me and think about accepting my request? Is this serious information or are you giving me false hope? ¡­ Err, I mean, doesn''t that bother you? Really? ¡± ¡°gushbpgizjgsdl ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!¡± They actually started negotiations already and without asking my opinion furthermore? and me in all this? Do I at least have the right to a veto? Could I have one per year perhaps? I think I¡¯ll need this much if I don¡¯t want to end up marrying an entire asylum worth mentally ill women! ¡°Ahem, sorry, I¡¯ll make it again, I meant to say something more like ¡®Wha¨C I¡­ but¨C how¡­ huh? Um¡­ er¡­ wait¨C You can¡¯t be¡­ I mean¡­ I didn¡¯t? I suppose?¡¯ but it doesn''t bother me, I suppose?¡¯ " Well¡­ At least Anna was kinda normal, I guess? I could have had worse for a 3rd contender to the title. Someone like this princess for example¡­ I will have to take precautions and discuss it with her. I can¡¯t let her be manipulated in turn by this scheming princess, if she were to trick me afterwhat, it would be too late by then. ¡°... So you were just spouting nonsense and hit on the mark¡­ Well, at least I suppose that your words about Lily liking me were true and that I shouldn¡¯t worry too much about it. Sorry I didn''t want you to hear it from me, I thought you knew¡­ Well, too bad, regardless, the rest didn¡¯t concern me anymore, and neither do you since you yourself admitted that you couldn''t stop her from tricking you. <3 hehe On that I''ll let you explain yourself to her, I have a ton of work to do thanks to you.¡± ¡°W¨CWait!!!¡± ¡°Yes? If you have anything to complain about, Lily said you had to contact your first wife rto take back the harem management rights from her.¡± ¡°Ah!??? Pardon me??... no¡­ this is neither the time nor the place, I''ll see about it later, I just wanted to ask about the thing you had lost. Did you find it? Was it important? ¡± What could possibly be important enough for her to search for the whole morning? A trap? Perhaps a bomb? No she shouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to use one underground. So what could it be¡­ I admit that curiosity to know is itching me, or rather, the need to forget what I just learned about tooke the upper hand over the seriousness of the situation. ¡°Mhhh, Yes, kinda, I didn¡¯t find everything I was looking for but I guess, I''ve found the most important ones. It wasn''t essential, but it was still important and it concerned several things that should have been together and might come handy.¡± ¡°Then all the better, I won''t need to console you in the end, well, it''s not like I could have done much, except maybe give you the porn book I found on the way here¡­ Hey, while I''m at it, do you have any knowledge about a book named Stockholm syndrome, or how to make a miss fall in love, I have heard about it on multiple occasions now.¡± ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t think that you had such an interest in books, yes, It turns out that I was the one who found it and published it under an assumed name¡­ Wait, don¡¯t tell me¡­ are you the porn you were referring to¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯ve found a fan made hentai based on this very book, and I was curious.¡± ¡°I¡¯M GLAD!! Thank you, hero! I thought I had lost him forever! You just took a weight off my shoulders for sure. It wasn¡¯t that important, but it''s from a good friend of mine and he sent it for review. It''s worth a fortune since it¡¯s unpublished content, moreover I would¡¯ve hated to have to wait for its official release.¡± God, I¡¯d like to ask, why after so many chapters, I keep opening my mouth and asking for things which should never be revealed to the world. THE HECK! I hope, nay, I wish, that the rest is much more important than she makes it seem, or I will regret having unconsciously accepted the fact that she would surely soon become my wife. Please tell me she wasn''t looking for her favorite magazine, her fat material collection or something like that¡­ Chapter 26 - Annunciation of the apocalypse, the troubles began, dignity put at stake. Part 1 ¡°Wait Sera, I thought you couldn¡¯t¡­ Are you secretly hiding something from me, your big sis? Do you want to be punished that badly?¡± Alev just confessed, didn''t she? So I was right, you are a predator, to innocent little girls furthermore! And she couldn¡¯t do what? ¡°I lied, I can manage, somewhat¡­ Don¡¯t worry, nothing bad will happen, I want to stay your little plaything after all.¡± ¡°You deserve a whole night of teasing, and a bunch of spanks, but you will have to endure till we are finally free and alone. Okay, do what you want, but know that you will forever be mine and I will hunt you all the way to hell if you were to disappear.¡± ¡°... As you wish¡­¡± Blush Having apparently reached a mutual agreement, she nodded again but to give her consent this time, seemingly looking forward to what would happen to her because she hide something from Alev. WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT! What does this exchange mean! How?!! Why?! Isn¡¯t she turning pink!? This is the face of someone apprehending pleasure, isn¡¯t it!!! I can almost see sparks in her eyes! She¡¯s totally looking forward to it! What did you do to make this shy and cute girl agree to your condition!! Are you threatening her?! And foremost, even I! I haven''t crossed that line yet! (as far as I know) Why are you openly doing it, and nobody cares, when I spend my time being belittled in front of others when I¡¯m not even looking at them!! ¡°Because you have the appearance of a pervert, the reputation of a pervert, the rumors that go with it and the means. While I¡¯m just a sexy woman, teasing and filtering with innocent girls whose age will never be uncovered, I keep the doubt alive. You have no chance before this almighty power of mine!¡± ¡°Ahhhh! Why are you all reading my thoughts like I was shouting from the rooftop! And you Sera-chan? Are you the same? Can you read people''s minds too? Is that why you want to help?¡± I¡¯m seeing red! I KNEW IT! I ALWAYS KNOW! I was at odds with Alev, not because of her early bullying, nor because I was jealous (I truly am not!) But because I knew she was dating a loli in a consenting relationship!!!! A perfect one what more! (I repeat, I¡¯m not jealous nor interested, I just state the fact) She was the embodiment of cuteness and frailty. Oh god!!! Why am I judged as if I had eaten every single forbidden fruit since the world¡¯s creation when some random red-orange haired girl is currently devouring one night after night, even allowing herself snacks during the day! At least let me have a taste!... Okay, I might be somewhat interested. Just a little bit. ¡°I can¡¯t read your mind and so she can¡¯t, your thoughts are just painted all over your face, you despicable perverted hero, hey, I know, I should call you Henro from now on, what a perfect contraction of word.¡± Sigh I¡¯m relieved¡­ ¡°She¡¯s right, but she forgot to specify that I can more or less read people''s memories¡­ specifically I can see their souvenirs, watching and experiencing them to various degrees, without much of a pressure for recent or notable ones. But It¡¯s not like I can read minds or thoughts.¡± Okay, that¡¯s downright scary, that''s even scarier than Lucies¡¯ mind reading ability. Less than my omniscient first wife, but still scary. Are every girl fated to have interaction with me psycho madwomen and dangerous ones? Ah right¡­ not just girls¡­ ¡°You mean that if we go quite close, you can learn what I want to know if they have a distinct memory of doing it?¡± ¡°Yes, as long as I have a clear view. I don¡¯t think that any of them would be good enough to stop me or even finding out what is happening ¡± ¡°Prove it, can you find any remembrance of my first wife, Lily¡¯s sister? They Supposedly look quite similar. Something which must have happened at least four years earlier.¡± ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t, for whatever reason, it seems you don¡¯t have any reachable memory older than five years. As for the rest, it''s filled with nothing but questionable scenes, way too focused on your libido fulfillment, but nonetheless, I¡¯ve not found anyone who looks like her.¡± ¡°Okay, I believe you.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°That may seem I¡¯m a fluke, but I assure you, your souvenirs are there, but it seems I can''t access them, it¡¯s just like if they were locked behind an inviolable opaque barrier. Same goes for Lily, I have no doubt she has some memories of her sister but they''re restricted, even if it remains partially readable in her case, as if it were blurred rather than completely blocked¡­ Wait, you trusted me? Despite the fact that I couldn¡¯t prove anything?¡± ¡°Yup, the opposite would have alerted me, she¡¯s a mysterious but dangerous existence. And I have no recollection of her¡­ I mean, apart from her existence. She¡¯s probably some evil spirit, don¡¯t mind it, or it might get you into trouble.¡± I better keep to myself that I don¡¯t remember her at all, and that Lily misunderstood my word and taught me herself about her sister¡¯s. I don¡¯t want Lily to cause a scene here and now. ¡°And do you not care that I watched your past without your consent? I mean, it was rather personal¡­ Are you not angry? ¡°Would that make you forget what you see?¡± Crap, I almost didn¡¯t think of it. Does that mean¡­ No, let''s not think about it, this girl is definitely not normal either, she watched my memory and she¡¯s still sane? And I¡¯m still alive? Let¡¯s not tempt the devil, as long as she''s not going to tell everyone, I''ll pretend nothing happened. ¡°No, but as it was not an unpleasant moment, I knew what to expect because Alev gave me a thorough warning since she had suspicions about your identity. Some stuff such as never go near him, stay away by all means, never fall asleep in his presence and lock your door, or call the guard if he ever speaks to you. I must say that she scared me, but ultimately, if I didn¡¯t like the view of a man''s body, the rest, the majority in fact, was quite pleasing to the eyes. So I won¡¯t hold you accountable.¡± She was the one who spies on the best moment of my life, and I was supposed to be guilty!?? Wait¡­ Perhaps¡­ Couldn¡¯t she help me to make a list of my supposed victims? Moreover, having someone to talk to about these moments, a cute, sexy and enticing loli furthermore, wasn''t that bad of an idea. It doesn''t seem so unpleasant to me¡­ Hey, maybe she could even share what she sees? That would be awesome!! ¡°Do you actually want to force an innocent Loli to watch your every sextape and expose your darkest secret? I don¡¯t mind, but can you pay the price if I become mentally ill? And do you really want to take the risk of finding out something you¡¯d have denied?¡± ¡°Hey! You said you couldn¡¯t read minds!¡± Yup, It could totally actually happen¡­ what if, I said, ¡®if¡¯ I stumbled into something I erased from my mind¡­ Knowing myself, maybe I actually did things I wanted to keep unknown, even to myself, and used a spell to lock my memento. ¡°I did not, you just speak out loud this time, so much that everyone can attest to this.¡± ¡°....¡± Damn, the heck with my mouth and mind. Did they both agree to definitely end me socially? ¡°Trash¡± ¡°Pervert¡± ¡°SCUM¡± ¡°Die¡± ¡°Pervert¡± Voice from the nearby surrounding people reach me at the same time, openly insulting me of things I don''t even dare to mention. ¡°What¡¯s up, cutie, wanna come with uncle spying on the ugly bastard hiding over there? I have free candy and all kinds of sweets if you follow me without fuss. ¡± Whispering to her ¡°Say, did I spit out everything? They don''t know that I''m doubting myself, do they?¡± ¡°. . . ¡­You¡¯re a lost cause aren''t you¡­?¡± she rolled her eyes out of desperation then responded to the question that would decide my future as an indebted but free hero, or free from all obligations but in prison for life. ¡°Nevermind, no you didn''t, and I wish you didn''t tell me.¡± Then she whispered back to me. ¡°Anyway, you owe me at least a thousand of sweets, I altered their memory of what you said before, they ¡®only¡¯ Know what they already knew, that your a pervert, I erased the part about me being sexy and wanting me to watch your lovemaking sessions, lolicon bastard.¡± ¡°Deal! Let¡¯s go.¡± Wait¡­ she can also tamper memorie? She is definitely not a normal person!!! ¡°Sera!!¡± Aleve, unhappy to see me speak in a muted tone with her girlfriend from which she was excluded, forcibly interfered with our discussion. Damn, tell me she had her souvenir changed too, I hope so! Otherwise I¡¯m finished, She would probably blackmail me for life with this! ¡°Yes¡­ I know, I¡¯ll be careful, don¡¯t worry. I have more than enough leeway, and if not, you will just have to nurse me back to heal.¡± Seeing how Sera is feeling ignorance, it seems everything was okay. My heart! Sigh It''s been a long time since I''ve had such a close call with. Mmh? It¡¯s irrelevant, but¡­ ¡°Hey! Why almost?¡± I Asked Alev out of the blue about what she told me when we first started our discussion. ¡°Uh? what almost¡± ¡°You said I outskilled you in almost every aspect. Why Almost? Where can I lose against your being? ¡± That was not something I could accept, how could I lose to her! I''m not misogynist or anything, but she was the enemy! ¡°AH! Hehe Simple, I¡¯m a girl so I can have much more fun and climax pretty much as many times as I want without cheating. That definitely should give me a point, don''t you think?¡± My curiosity will be my downfall, if she¡¯s not already the cause of my future descent into hell. Why did I even try to have a normal conversation with this Loli hunter¡­ well it clearly appears to me that she may not be the one to hunt but the other way around, but still. Chapter 26.5 - Annunciation of the apocalypse, the troubles began, dignity put at stake. Part 2 A size that barely reaches my bust, smooth skin free from imperfection apart from a thin but pronounced layer of freckles under the eyes and nose. Barely visible shapes which nevertheless leaves itself guessed, delicate wrists and sensual ankles. An angelic face white hair enhanced with silver highlights. Everything was giving her an air of mystery and perfection, that entices you and will bewitch even the most strong-minded men without stopping there and going so far as to make victime among her peers. One of the incarnations of beauty, mixing cuteness and nascent sensuality. If anyone ever asks, that would be the description I would give for Sera. I had to silence the gossip before they made me the enemy of society who lures children with candy outside the parents'' field of view, before kidnapping them. That¡¯s precisely why I had to make preparations! And I¡¯m not talking as if I was going to do it! I mean, I had to prepare to shut off those bad mouths, and prepare an excuse for their possible argument. Or else I don¡¯t see how I would be able to justify myself before the judge, no one ever stands up for me, and because no one would believe I wasn¡¯t actually tempted by a little girl, I might as well just plead guilty if it ever happen, invoking her corrupting witch aura. Her appearance was an embodiment of debauchery and depravity, under a fake skin of innocence that I had seen through, and she tried to take over me and use my humble self to spread her influence and realize her evil schemes. That would be my excuse if I was unable to nip the future rumors in the bud, because I present that there were going to be some. A feeling which came from nowhere, but with a gentle warmth and a holy touch of pity, as if God was sending me a warning and at the same time acquitted me of everything the future had in store for me. ¡­ Well, It doesn''t give me much pleasure, but if God willing, I''ll take up the challenge! Otherwise she was just another little girl, kinda cute and with a lovely appearance, she certainly drew attention to herself due to the fact that there weren''t many children, and she was special. But ultimately, she was as dirty as the others and her hair was rather gray and dusty than silvery white. Moreover, she bore the same marks from their poor living conditions, and didn''t hold the queen¡¯s position on the beauty contest, section cuteness, after a fully recovered Lily competed, beating her unanimously minus Alev¡¯s vote. She didn¡¯t win the prettiest section, as it was Anna¡¯s, nor did she win for the sexiest place, since it was Alev''s own title. Well, all that to say that she was nice and was no ordinary, but what made her so attractive was her indecent relation with Alev that I could not accept, and that many girls envied. ¡­ ¡°Wait Sera, I thought you couldn¡¯t¡­ Are you secretly hiding something from me, your big sis? Do you want to be punished that badly?¡± Alev seemed pretty worried hearing Sera''s words saying she would lay a hand. Moreover, did I hear correctly? She just confessed, didn¡¯t she? So I was right! You were a predator, to innocent little girls furthermore! And she couldn¡¯t do what? ¡°I lied, I can manage, somewhat¡­ Don¡¯t worry, nothing bad will happen, I want to stay your little plaything after all.¡± ¡°You deserve a whole night of teasing, and a bunch of spanks, but you will have to endure till we are finally free and alone. Okay, do what you want, but know that you will forever be mine. Dare to disappear and I will even hunt you all the way to hell if needed.¡± ¡°... As you wish¡­¡± Blush Having apparently reached a mutual agreement, Sera nodded again but to give her consent this time, seemingly looking forward to what would happen to her because she deliberately concealed information. WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT! What does this exchange mean! How?!! Why?! Isn¡¯t she turning pink!? This is the face of someone apprehending pleasure, isn¡¯t it!!! I can almost see sparks in her eyes! She¡¯s totally looking forward to it! What did you do to make this shy and cute little girl agree to your condition!! Are you threatening her?! And foremost, even I! I haven''t crossed that line yet! (as far as I know) Why are you openly doing it, and nobody cares, when I spend my time being belittled in front of others when I¡¯m not even looking at them!! ¡°Because you have the appearance of a pervert, the reputation of a pervert, the odor of a pervert, and the rumors and the means that go with it. Ah, and also, even your gaze feels perverted whatever you do, so it shouldn''t surprise you. Once you look, and while it''s hard to believe that this could be due to pure curiosity, it feels like there''s something more to it anyway. whereas, I¡¯m just a sexy woman, teasing and filtering with innocent girls whose age will never be uncovered, I keep the doubt alive. You have no chance before this almighty power of mine!¡± ¡°Ahhhh! Why are you all reading my thoughts like I was shouting from the rooftop! And you Sera-chan? Are you the same? Can you read people''s minds too? Is that why you want to help?¡± I¡¯m seeing red! I KNEW IT! I ALWAYS KNOW! I was at odds with Alev, not because of her early bullying, nor because I was jealous (I truly am not!) But because I knew she was dating a loli in a consenting relationship!!!! A perfect one what more! (I repeat, I¡¯m not jealous nor interested, I just state the fact) She was the embodiment of cuteness and frailty. Oh god!!! Why am I judged as if I had eaten every single forbidden fruit since the world¡¯s creation when some random red-orange haired girl is currently devouring one night after night, even allowing herself snacks during the day! At least let me have a taste!... Okay, I might be somewhat interested. Just a little bit. Kidding, you thought I had just succumbed ain¡¯t? Well, I wouldn''t give you that pleasure. ¡°I can¡¯t read your mind and so she can¡¯t, your thoughts are just painted all over your face, you despicable perverted hero, hey, I know, I should call you Henro from now on, what a perfect contraction of word.¡± Sigh I¡¯m relieved¡­ Alev answered my worry and blew away my suspicions. My honor was safe¡­ Wait, this name is creeping me out, that¡¯s definitely a word play between hentai or ero, and hero. It¡¯s so vulgare¡­ but I must admit that it is rather good¡­ No, nevermind, this is the worst ever done. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°She¡¯s right, but she forgot to specify that I can more or less read people''s memories¡­ specifically I can see their souvenirs, watching and experiencing them to various degrees, without much of a pressure for recent or notable ones. But It¡¯s not like I can read minds or thoughts.¡± Sera finally revealed her big secret as if it was completely trivial and even sighed with envy at the mention of what she couldn¡¯t do. Okay, that¡¯s downright scary, that''s even scarier than Lucies¡¯ ability. Less than my omniscient first wife, but still scary. Do every girl meant to interact with me have to be psycho madwomen and dangerous ones? Ah right¡­ not just girls¡­ ¡°You mean that if we go quite close, you can learn what I want to know if they have a distinct memory of doing it?¡± It scares me, but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t something you¡¯d see every day. I was curious. ¡°Yes, as long as I have a clear view. I don¡¯t think that any of them would be good enough to stop me or even finding out what is happening ¡± ¡°Prove it, can you find any remembrance of my first wife, Lily¡¯s sister? They Supposedly look quite similar. Something which must have happened at least four years earlier.¡± ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t, for whatever reason, it seems you don¡¯t have any reachable memory older than five years. As for the rest, it''s filled with nothing but questionable scenes, way too focused on your libido fulfillment, but nonetheless, I¡¯ve never seen anyone who looks like her.¡± ¡°Okay, I believe you.¡± ¡°That may seem I¡¯m a fluke, but I assure you, your souvenirs are there, but it seems I can''t access them, it¡¯s just like if they were locked behind an inviolable opaque barrier. Same goes for Lily, I have no doubt she has some memories of her sister but they''re restricted, even if it remains partially readable in her case, as if it were blurred rather than completely blocked¡­ Wait, you trusted me? Despite the fact that I couldn¡¯t prove anything?¡± The cute Sera was taken aback by my total lack of distrust after saying she was unable to pray into my memory. She went from an embarrassed state to a skeptical one as if she was questioning my sanity. ¡°Yup, the opposite would have alerted me, she¡¯s a mysterious but dangerous being. And I have no recollection of her¡­ I mean, apart from her existence. She¡¯s probably some evil spirit, don¡¯t mind it, or it might get you into trouble. Knowing that my memories are blocked is enough for me.¡± I better keep to myself that I don¡¯t remember her at all, and that Lily misunderstood my word and taught me herself about her sister¡¯s. I didn¡¯t want Lily to cause a scene here and now. And above all it did not mean that I did not have the capacity, but that something or someone was preventing me from doing so! ¡°And do you not care that I watched your past without your consent? I mean, it was rather personal¡­ Are you not angry? ¡°Would that make you forget what you see?¡± Crap, I almost didn¡¯t think of it. Does that mean¡­ No, let''s not think about it, this girl is definitely not normal either, she watched my memory and she¡¯s still sane? And I¡¯m still alive? Let¡¯s not tempt the devil, as long as she''s not going to tell everyone, I''ll pretend nothing happened. ¡°No, but as it was not an unpleasant moment, I knew what to expect because Alev gave me a thorough warning since she had suspicions about your identity. Some stuff such as never go near him, stay away by all means, never fall asleep in his presence and lock your door, or call the guard if he ever speaks to you. I must say that she scared me, but ultimately, if I didn¡¯t like the view of a man''s body, the rest, the majority in fact, was quite pleasing to the eyes. So I won¡¯t hold you accountable.¡± She was the one who spies on the best moment of my life, and I was supposed to be guilty!?? She took over these girls¡¯ private moments of pleasure, when they were the most vulnerable, and she loved doing it??!!! Nani???!! She¡¯s as disturbed as I am!! Wait¡­ Perhaps¡­ Couldn¡¯t she help me to make a list of my supposed victims? Moreover, having someone to talk to about these moments, a cute, sexy and enticing loli furthermore, wasn''t that bad of an idea. She wasn¡¯t a stunning erotic beauty, but she had some charme and I¡¯m sure once washed and dressed, with tights, she would be as good of a conversation partner as Lily. It doesn''t seem so unpleasant to me¡­ Hey, maybe she could even share what she sees? That would be awesome!! ¡°Do you actually want to force an innocent Loli to watch your every sextape and expose your darkest secret? I don¡¯t mind, I''ve already done some of it, but can you pay the price if I become mentally ill? Even if I¡¯m less affected than most would¡¯ve, it''s like asking a child to watch a screen for hours, showing a non-stop flow of accelerated porn content. I don¡¯t think anyone can stay himself after that. And do you really want to take the risk of finding out something you¡¯d have denied?¡± ¡°Hey! You said you couldn¡¯t read minds!¡± Yup, It could totally actually happen¡­ what if, I said, ¡®if¡¯ I stumbled into something I erased from my mind¡­ Knowing myself, maybe I actually did things I wanted to keep unknown, even to myself, and used a spell to lock my memento. ¡°I did not, you just speak out loud this time, so much that everyone can attest to this.¡± ¡°....¡± Damn, the heck with my mouth and mind. Did they both agree to definitely end me socially? I didn¡¯t take God¡¯s advice seriously enough. Pardon me, my faith was too shallow. ¡°Trash¡± ¡°Pervert¡± ¡°SCUM¡± ¡°Die¡± ¡°Pervert¡± Many voices from the nearby surrounding people reached me at the same time, openly insulting me of that and this, as well as things I don''t even dare to mention. ¡°What¡¯s up, cutie, wanna come with uncle spying on the ugly bastard hiding over there? I have free candy and all kinds of sweets if you follow me without fuss. ¡± Okay, now it totally looked like the situation I previously described. But any resemblance is coincidental, I swear I don¡¯t bear any evil intention! Whispering to her ¡°Say, did I spit out everything? They don''t know that I''m doubting myself, do they?¡± ¡°. . . ¡­You¡¯re a lost cause aren''t you¡­?¡± she rolled her eyes out of desperation then responded to the question that would decide my future as an indebted but free hero, or free from all obligations but in prison for life scum. ¡°Nevermind, no you didn''t, and I wish you hadn''t told me that too.¡± Then she whispered back to me. ¡°Anyway, you owe me at least a thousand of sweets, I altered their memory of what you said before, they ¡®only¡¯ Know what they already knew, that your a pervert, I erased the part about me being sexy and wanting me to watch your lovemaking sessions, lolicon bastard.¡± ¡°Deal! Let¡¯s go.¡± Wait¡­ she can also tamper memorie? She is definitely not a normal person!!! ¡°Sera!!¡± Aleve, unhappy to see me have a chat in a muted tone with her girlfriend from which she was excluded from, forcibly interfered with our discussion and sealed the negotiation in Sera stead. Damn, tell me she had her souvenirs changed too, I hope so! Otherwise I¡¯m finished, She would probably blackmail me for life with this! ¡°Yes¡­ I know, I¡¯ll be careful, don¡¯t worry. I have more than enough leeway, and if not, you will just have to nurse me back to heal.¡± Seeing how Sera is feeling ignorance, it seems everything was okay. My heart! Sigh It''s been ages since I''ve had such a close call with a sudden and hastily death... Mmh? It¡¯s irrelevant, but¡­ ¡°Hey! Why almost?¡± I Asked Alev out of the blue about what she told me when we first started our discussion. ¡°Uh? what almost¡± ¡°You said I outskilled you in almost every aspect. Why Almost? Where can I lose against your being? ¡± That was not something I could accept, how could I lose to her! Not after being led by the nose by a little girl, no matter her real appearance, age or identity. I''m not misogynist or anything, but she was the enemy as well as another even greater potential enemy¡¯s lover! ¡°AH! Hehe Simple, I¡¯m a girl so I can have much more fun and climax pretty much as many times as I want without cheating. That definitely should give me a point, don''t you think?¡± My curiosity will be my downfall, if she¡¯s not already the cause of my future descent into hell. Why did I even try to have a normal conversation with this Loli hunter¡­ well it clearly appears to me that she may not be the one to hunt but the other way around, but still. Chapter 27 - Annunciation of the apocalypse, from a solution to many problems. Part 1 ¡°Say Sera-chan, you¡¯re not a mere human are you?¡± Thanks to Sera¡¯s offer, we reached a conclusion and came up with an idea that might actually work. It had to¡­ I wasn''t going to do all this for nothing!... Well, I hope... No, actually, I didn¡¯t have hope for anything at all anymore. But it was not yet time to debate on the subject. We then left our shelter and proceeded to advance further in the gallery, toward our enemies¡¯ line of sight, benefiting the silence to chat a little. ¡°You wish I ain''t one, just so you can justify your lolicon behavior, don¡¯t you? Drop the chan, you¡¯re right, I¡¯m far older than you would think, and I¡¯m not even human.¡± Not even trying to hide it or prove me wrong, she confessed while still attempting to put the blame back on me. ¡°Ahem, sorry Sera, I had suspicions, otherwise I would not have allowed myself to, so what are you? A spirit? A demon?¡± ¡°That doesn''t change the fact that you lusted after a petite girl¡¯s body, you know that before law it doesn¡¯t matter. Legal loli is but a utopia made up by and for social outcasts .¡± ¡°But before god it does! I hope¡­ I wish¡­ and it actually matters ya know, depending on the kingdom. An acquaintance of mine had all his wives who looked underage. A vampire of several hundred years, and a thirty-year snow elf. He was court-martialed and acquitted after proving their official date of birth..¡± ¡°How eloquent! If you tried hard enough, you could probably even convince me that rape is acceptable as long as the victims accept it afterward. And why a martial court? How can he be judged for something like this by the military?¡± Before my argument, sera looked up at the ceiling while shaking her head out of desperation. ¡°Good question, the civil judge should¡¯ve been the one, if only the girl were not respectively an enemy kingdom¡¯s ruler¡¯s daughter and the representative of an ethnic minority at feud with the government in place. Moreover, he was an important general and a noble at the time.¡± Well, it worked out pretty well for him, he then dethroned the king, the instigator of the affair, with whom he had a conflict of interest. Afterward, he betrothed himself to the old king¡¯s teenage daughter, who was already pregnant¡­ with his very own child¡­ Okay, perhaps he was a real lolicon because that one was barely of legal age at the time and I doubt she could have been at the time of conception¡­ Especially when it was rumored she was not a pure human either, but a species that¡¯s known to have pregnancy periods of several years¡­ But that last part was a secret that only close friends knew about. Bah, I couldn¡¯t blame him, since he was manipulated. The king before was a shady one, he was somewhat respected by the common folk and appreciated by the nobles, but behind the scenes, he was a corrupted bastard who nurtured wrong and inappropriate thoughts about his daughter. If that girl had not had the gut to seduce her father''s best general into rebellion, screwing up his brain and implating those deviant preferences to make him seek the help of their enemies, I don¡¯t know what her fate would¡¯ve been. Well, what matters is that they were now happy. ¡°Back to the main topic, no! Never! Every concerned party had to give their accord BEFORE anything else. And I dream a lot, but I never touch, Lolis are truly out of the question, only my mind is allowed to run wild and only in moments of weakness!¡± ¡°I know.¡± She responded with a serious tone, before making a playful smile, implying that she believed in me and was only teasing me. ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Mmmm let¡¯s say I might¡¯ve already watched a little more than what I let it appear, You don¡¯t find as good research material everywhere, you caught my attention and I let myself wander a little. Ah, I mean, I don¡¯t really care about you, I don¡¯t like men if not despise them, but your partners and their reactions were to my liking. That¡¯s to say, I know you never had an underage partner.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hear, don¡¯t care, anyway, I¡¯ve never heard of any species capable of looking after someone''s souvenirs. Well, I know someone who can read minds so this isn¡¯t something new. ¡± ¡°Oh?? Interesting, I¡¯d very much like to meet them one day, to compare what we actually see and the process of it. Never mind, to answer you, I¡¯m a dragon.¡± ¡°Ha? Sorry? A dragon? Do you mean the mighty and powerful beings that split the skies as they fly and break the earth as they land? That type of dragon?¡± She took me by surprise and I stopped walking in response. I didn''t know how to react, I expected anything but that. ¡°Because you know of another one? ¡± ¡°I don¡¯t, but the drakeide and half-dragon are part of your subspecies, no? You may be one¡­¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to make an official announcement about your fetishes and deranged inclination, Never, EVER! Compare me to a lizard! These children are a mistake of nature!! Who in sound mind, would transform himself into a dragon, just to mate with another one in his true guise!!¡± Clenching her teeth she answered me with an icy tone which was nevertheless full of fury. For the first time since the discovery of my mysterious wife, I sensed an actual danger. She literally froze me in place with her words. Her stare was so heavy and full of rage, her aura full of killing intent, that for a moment I thought she would metamorphose and eat me raw. The threats were not even necessary and that much was enough to convince me of her identity. ¡°Ahem Sorry, I got carried away, it''s a delicate subject. As for half-dragons, they¡¯re only weaklings who failed to tame their blood and can neither turn fully human nor take the shape of a dragon, I¡¯m nowhere near that level.¡± As quickly as she got angry, she calmed down while giving her apologies, and I could almost wonder if my last impression had really existed. Anyway, everything made me think that dragons were definitely not to be taken lightly. I probably had made the right choice that time once again, I mean about the time I had encountered one, long ago, and settled things peacefully. Not giving up on the fear probably saved me much trouble, seeing how this powerless loli dragon could make me feel in danger without letting an ounce of magic show through. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°... Won¡¯t you return to your delicate and fragile form, can¡¯t you modify my memory of you like you did for everyone before? Just so you can remain a cute loli instead of a dangerous monster in sheepskin? ¡± Even if I knew it was a wasted effort I asked if she could erase the last few moments of our discussion. ¡°I fear I can¡¯t, not in this form. I purely and simply managed to do it because it concerned some really, really, really recent memory, and it was a burden nonetheless. I can¡¯t do it unless I reverse myself to my true form, but I can¡¯t, due to personal reasons. Why? Are you scared by chance?¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m too much of a horny idiot to feel fear, but I¡¯ve just learned something disturbing about Drakeide¡¯s origin. Moreover, knowing personally a dragon won¡¯t bring me anything good and it could very well come back to haunt me at worst. On top of all, I have already pictured you as a cold and fierce beauty with a sexy adult half-dragon body, a few cute polished scales, and a mesmerizing tail. I¡¯m saying it right away, but it¡¯s too late to forget that. I don¡¯t think I can see you any other way now, especially because you were in such a sexy position together with Alev¡­¡± Half-humans had their own advantage after all. ¡°Definitely a lost cause¡­ Well. Sigh. I have my own fantasies and tastes so I suppose I can¡¯t complain¡­ Of course, everything remains between us. Alev knows that I¡¯m different and that I have some sort of ¡®difficulties¡¯ but that''s all, I don¡¯t want to lose her because some stupid hero spilled the beans, understand?¡± Sera pierced me from her gaze and froze me in place again. She challenged me to dare reveal her identity to Alev while trying to prove into my soul if I was enough of an idiot to actually disobey her. Well, she didn''t have to worry about it, I had already so much trouble managing the whims of my romantic relationship that I wouldn''t risk the wrath of a dragon for anything in the world. Even though the dragon was currently in a desperate situation, seemingly helpless, I would have loved to see Alev''s face upon discovering the truth but I wouldn''t have acted. ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re quite close already, I trust you to act according to the plan, I can¡¯t easily pay attention to what happens when I dive into their memory so you better not let me down.¡± Ending the discussion on this hard-to-swallow revelation, she excused herself from any questions I might have asked her and forced me back to the harsh reality. It was my time to shine¡­ like¡­ for real. And it was too late to back off. ... It¡¯s a bit too late to come back to it, but why do I have to make the bait already? Obviously, Sera was out of the question, that much was a given. She had her own task to fulfill and even if she had not, I wouldn¡¯t have let her take the spot. She could¡¯ve very well been older than the universe that I wouldn¡¯t¡­ well, maybe I would¡¯ve¡­ Tsk I should¡¯ve forced Alev to come along, the effect would have been guaranteed. In fact, anyone could¡¯ve done the trick actually, anyone but me! So why was I chosen? Sure, the element of surprise would be guaranteed if we were getting close, but that wasn¡¯t what we were looking for, wasn¡¯t it? So why? Sigh, I had no choice. I had to follow the plan I guess¡­ I¡¯d have liked to say goodbye to my dignity, but it was already far away, I would rather send a postcard to tell it to extend its vacation. Holding Sera''s hands firmly, to give me courage, we finally reached the point of no return. The enemies should become aware of our presence soon enough if it is not already the case. I could see the end of the gallery in the distance and the blinding light pouring in it from their side¡­ Ahh!! I don¡¯t wanna!!! Fuck democracy and the majority! That¡¯s precisely why you shouldn¡¯t trust the results too much and close the election after only one turn!... Well, so far it had been a perfect consensus and I got one hundred percent of the votes, so I don¡¯t think anything could¡¯ve changed the final outcome. Even my voice was counted as null because I didn¡¯t use Alev¡¯s name but a nickname instead. No really, go fuck yourselves! All and just as much as you are! Letting go of Sera¡¯s petit hand, I stood in front and continued for a few steps before freezing in the middle of the tunnel. Glups This made me feel terribly Ill, and my guts hurt so much that for a moment I thought I was going to die. My hands were trembling with worry, my legs shaking with fear, and my body was covered in cold sweat. My whole being was screaming for help. With a pale face, I looked at Sera, silently begging for her to put an end to this hellish situation, supplicating her to finish me off. But what I saw wasn¡¯t what I was looking for. She didn¡¯t show disdain nor mock me, and she was not without mercy either. Her smile was meant to be comforting, but there was only pity in her eyes. Her face was ferm, meant to be impervious to any sway attempt, but she was showing traces of wavering. Seeing her worrying this much and pitying me, I decided to resign myself to my fate. I gave up everything and made up my mind. I would go all the way. I couldn¡¯t resolve to voice out my own condition, I couldn¡¯t lower myself to refuse. Out of respect toward her, and out of respect for myself. SHE HAD PITY ON ME??? That was unacceptable, especially since I was the instigator of the problem. Turning back now would make me lose much more than my dignity, I would lose not only my ego but also every bit of trust I had left. Losing my last strand of hope, I turned around and opened my long coat, then let it slide slowly on my shoulders until it reached my forearms before letting it fall on the ground. As I slowly revealed my skin, shivers took hold of it as the icy air brushed against it. God I hated what I was doing, I felt like I was going to throw up. With the last bastion finally fallen, everything he had desperately tried to protect was left defenseless, in sight and within reach of all. A slutty attire, made from the best underclothes from my collection, uncovered itself in the feeble light. A white sheer see-through lace babydoll, pure white tights, garter belt, and matching delicate gloves. Everything had been made out of the finest silk that could exist and, of course, with the best technique, and by the greatest craftsman. The only parts that weren¡¯t made out of downright transparent fabric were my plain cotton underwear, and my overly short skirt barely hiding my genitals. Perfecting the garment as a whole, a fine set of silvery earrings, necklace, and ankle band, all embellished with diamonds, were shining like shooting stars. This was one of my most treasured lingerie sets and one could¡¯ve very well bought a nice piece of land by selling it. Since it was magically enchanted gear with a light bewitching spell that increased the arousal of those looking at it, the price was only tenfold what it should¡¯ve been. There, waiting for my death for our target to make a move, I stood still, petrified by the shame I was feeling and the fear that a certain something would come out of its container. For god¡¯s sake move! You¡¯ve seen enough already! So come out of your hole and ogle all you want, but do it where we can see you! Chapter 27.5 - Annunciation of the apocalypse, from a solution to many problems. Part 2 I hated myself as much as I hated everyone who had cornered me in such a situation. Because of a single damn ******* lost bet whose odds were in my favor, I was doomed to play the role of a whore to attract their attention¡­ Nay¡­ What I was going to perpetrate wouldn¡¯t bring them any justice, this was purely and simply going to be an act of pure indecency. Well, I wasn''t going to be able to get away with it, I had played¡­ and lost miserably. The girls had made it clear, and one of them sounded particularly serious about it. If I refused my sentence, the punishment would be terrible¡­ AND I WAS NOT A COWARD!! Or was I? Well, in the end, nothing truly mattered¡­ Everything up until now was only a way to disrupt my mind. I needed not to convince myself, I needed not to find the reasons, and I needed not to save anything either. Since I had sworn to god beforehand¡­ and had to sword to the devil afterward. Yup, I had received a menacing letter from my mysterious first wife, compelling me to keep my word, and she knew how to be particularly convincing. Why else would I¡¯ve agreed!!! I had no choice¡­ Or had I? Honestly, I can¡¯t remember her message content nor what was in her threat that pressured me to fold. And I don¡¯t want to know it. But it should¡¯ve been important because I suspect this was what made me surrender in exchange for being able to forget it again. ¡­ Unable to take it any longer and wanting it to stop at all costs, I moved on to the next step. Who¡¯s idea was it again?? AH right¡­ it was mine¡­ I took the large but thin wooden sign specially made for the occasion that Sera was holding out to me at arm''s length. Thus, as if to give her my farewell, I glanced at her with my dull eyes emptied of any will to live and went to face my retribution. Holding the panel in front of my private part, well in sight, I slowly proceed to undo my skirt while advancing further toward our enemy''s location. Gently pulling on the only string that held the cloth in place, I let the cloth slide down slightly as I was loosening the knot. Then, at the moment when it was about to untie completely, I gave one last sharp pull before dropping the cord. Leave alone at gravity''s mercy, the fabric finally fell at my feet. Unlike before, It didn¡¯t take long for one¡­two¡­ three?! Hey, what the f¡­ Okay, I was sure that pretty much every single one of them was at the rendezvous. The enemies¡¯ scout team came out of their hiding and cautiously entered the tunnel without making a sound, considering the situation. I looked at Serra who was already nodding negatively, answering my silent question instantly, and cutting short my hope of salvation. They were still far away, too far, and they were not tempted enough to recklessly come forward any further. Wifey¡­ what have I done to merit this grudge of yours¡­ You didn¡¯t give me any news for a while only to push me into the pit of hell the moment I started to forget about your existence¡­ There, after a few extra steps to avoid damaging my priceless piece of clothing while performing my upcoming obscenity, I collapsed on my knee, meeting the cold and moist ground. With the wooden board still laid on my crotch, I spread my thighs wide open while leaning back, striking a pose like a porn model would¡¯ve done in a photoshoot. A perfect posture of acceptance and resolve from a b*tch in heat, inciting nothing but to ravage me. On the wood, written in capital letters, was a message to lure out our enemies. We wish to discuss our surrender. Accept her as a sign of good faith, rape her to your heart''s content Free use Break her soul and body apart Pleasure is mercy, ravage her fiercely Hole of shame and redemption, still unused ¡ý Fuck me, why did I make a bet in the first place, and why did I propose such a degrading feat. ¡°Sera¡­¡± In a trembling voice, I asked Serra, who was the only one who could actually give me the answer I was waiting for. I couldn''t take it anymore, I was at the limit of what my mind could bear of humiliation. So much that I couldn¡¯t bear to keep my eyes open. I had to tightly close them even before taking this shameful stance of mine. Otherwise, I would¡¯ve long fled the place. I didn¡¯t want to know anything about what was happening, and I harbored the hope that if I was unable to see them, they couldn¡¯t either. ¡°Hold on, Just a little closer! Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯re great, what do I say! Superb, gorgeous, the perfection and temptation incarnate.¡± Trying to cheer me up because she knew I was about to give in to the panic, Sera threw some joke at me in a whisper. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Oh god oh god oh god o-Sera¡­.¡± ¡°Soon, but you should try to enjoy it while you still can. Take it as a new life experience, and have some confidence in your charme, they¡¯re true destroyers of worlds.¡± ¡°In the name of the Father of the Son and of the holy spirit. Have mercy!¡± ¡°Tsk, how weak¡­ It made me want to let you endure more but they will definitely hear your complaint if we continue. Now!¡± BANG An extreme and intense white flash crossed my closed eyelid while a loud sound broke the silence with a bang. Finally, it was here!! This was the sign I was waiting for, urging me to put an end to this disgrace and take action¡­ That¡¯s to say, flee!! In the blink of an eye, without even bothering to look around, I got up on my feet and swiftly recovered the belongings I had dropped on the floor. Then, I hurried toward Sera and violently took her in my arms without stopping my course. I ran back to our own end of the tunnel while repeating over and over again the same prayer in my head. Please stop looking please stop looking please stop looking please please please, have the divine smite kill you this instant!!! Even better, KIll US altogether with this entire planet! *** ¡°Are you okay Lily? I mean, you stayed neutral during the vote, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d go so far as to go along with the bet after that.¡± ¡°Humf, serve him right, who sows the wind reaps the storm as they say. He started it, so he must bear the consequences. He shouldn¡¯t have proposed such an indecent manner to draw them out if he had not prepared himself to serve as the bait. Aleve, reassure me, you¡¯re not going to defend him, right? ¡± ¡°Well, all he did was to come up with a plan. It didn¡¯t have to be that lewd thought, and it wasn¡¯t supposed to be in the first place. I mean, advancing toward them with revealing clothes and boring a pitiful and scared face wouldn¡¯t have been much worse, given what we are currently wearing. It¡¯s you who selected the clothes and asked me to give him a penalty if he were to lose.¡± ¡°And he was the first to bet on the chosen one and asked for naughty photos of the winner in a shameful pose. Moreover, it¡¯s also he who had gambled more than he could, and ended up in such a position, being chosen and still owing you something. If he is horny enough to propose such things, while still refusing to look at his wife, why can¡¯t he take on the role if it falls to him?¡± ¡°Sure enough, but I had accepted knowingly, I already knew he would win the beauty contest and wouldn¡¯t be able to pay what he would owe me. You didn¡¯t have to butt in, I had no desire to lower him more than he deserved¡­ Bah, anyway, what''s done is done.¡± ¡°If you knew he would win, what about me? Think a little about how I felt! This is one of the reasons, if not THE reason, why he deserves such punishment.¡± ¡°Are you perhaps jealous of his look? Well I myself doubt my inclinations when I look at him, the first time I saw him like this, I almost had a stroke. We¡¯re fortunate that the men didn¡¯t get the chance to voice their opinions. I don¡¯t think they would¡¯ve been honest, but if they had, I¡¯m sure our hero would¡¯ve slaughtered them before hanging himself.¡± ¡°Yes, even Sera said his beauty was a crime, and Anna¡¯s still under his charm. The worst is that he isn¡¯t even aware of that. It¡¯s pissing me so much!¡± ¡°Yeah, man, it took everything I had not to die of laughter each time a man, nay even a girl, was looking at him. The funniest thing was the dejected face Ricky made on his deathbed. I nearly pitied him.¡± ¡°Are you perhaps speaking about the hero? Mind it if I join the conversation? He¡¯s freaking cute isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°Hey, Anna! What¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Hey, still dreamy?¡± ¡°Still, I already had plenty of material, but you gave me yet another bunch of ideas. I can¡¯t stop myself from imagining them in the act, the helpless hero asking for mercy, and the bad guys refusing him the slightest rest. Ahhhhh!¡­. ¡± ¡°... I see that it didn''t get better¡­ if not downright turning for the worst¡­ You aren¡¯t married yet, you should refrain from such thoughts if you don¡¯t want to scare him away. I won¡¯t trick him into it even if you beg me, I can¡¯t lose any more of his trust¡­ Well, I¡¯m sure you''re not the only one who imagined this kind of thing. Isn¡¯t it, Alev?¡± ¡°I don''t understand what you''re talking about, my thoughts are pure and immaculate as snow.¡± ¡°As much as your little play with Sera?¡± ¡°... Perhaps¡­ But at least I do paint him as an actual girl in my mind, I¡¯m not against gender bender if you¡¯d really ask. But, and you? You ain¡¯t make me believe that the mighty Lily is exempt from going astray, not after choosing this abnormally lewd set of clothes.¡± ¡°... Secret¡­ And again, this was his own fault, why did he keep such expensive pieces of fabric? He complains he is poor all the time, yet he has magically enhanced lingerie. Anyway, to answer you, all I can say is that in a moment of weakness, I might have imagined him as a cute doll at my mercy¡­¡± ¡°Wow!! How wild! But hey this was out of anyone¡¯s expectation. His girl cosplay was so convincing even without the clothes that I thought he was someone else. When you told me that you had to use fake makeup and dirt to reduce his beauty, I didn¡¯t believe you, until I understood you were both dead serious.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­ But I must say, I don¡¯t think this was anything normal. I don¡¯t know what happened, but even if I can¡¯t say that he is a perfect image of virility and that he is definitely fit for such a role, I¡¯m sure my sister played a dirty trick on him and made things worse. I¡¯m even more convinced since he didn¡¯t try to back out and agreed to serve as the bait in this shameful outfit of his.¡± ¡°She¡¯s pretty scary, isn¡¯t she¡­ I don¡¯t know who she is, but Sera was deeply shaken when she found herself in front of a closed door blocking or even sealing your memory of your sister.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ She is¡­ Well, I don¡¯t even know everything myself, but I know she is much more powerful than she wants me to think. So far I remember, she had always been mysterious about her power.¡± ¡°Hey! Girls! Wouldn¡¯t you prefer to make another bet rather than talking about annoying stuff? What do you think Lily? Alev? Let¡¯s predict which pose he would do and how obscene it would be. The winner keeps the right to the photography Sera is going to make!¡± ¡°... No comments¡±*2 Chapter - 28 Diety apparition interlude. Part 1 We were on guard, sense sharper than ever, ready to act on demand, prepared for everything. Earlier in the day, half an hour ago to be exact, the goods rose to rebellion and succeeded in freeing themselves from their prison. We''re still unsure about all the ins and outs, but after a short inspection, it would appear that the root of the problem was a human mistake, or rather, lust. Some retarded lucky bastards infiltrated the forbidden zone, which was left with almost no supervision. By doing so, they get themselves annihilated in a truly butchery way while giving the women the occasion to escape. As to whether it was planned and to what extent, this had yet to be determined with confidence, but in all likelihood, the women were harboring hopes of escaping, and the opportunity was seized. The goods then succeeded in storming out and went deeper into the galleries instead of trying to exit. They must¡¯ve become aware of the men¡¯s place of work one way or another because they directly rushed to their location. I don¡¯t know what were the reasons behind such an endeavor. Was it to increase their chances of success, thinking that they alone were not enough to guarantee the most vulnerable one¡¯s safety? Or perhaps they simply didn¡¯t want to leave the captive men behind out of kindness. It was probably both. Well, anyway, they knew what they were doing and had some sort of plan in mind because upon freeing their fellow, they barricaded themselves into the dead end without further ado, showing a clear intent to hold a siege against us. They must have understood that they would not be allowed to leave as freely as they had come here. Moreover, they should¡¯ve realized there were quite a few of us scattered around. Considering our potential number, they presumably feared we would give them chase soon enough after gathering together if they were to depart hastily. Knowing that with their sheer number, they were still seriously posing a threat to the few of us and that we could only wait for reinforcement, it was a clever move. And they were right on this point. We were indeed waiting for our main force to arrive. The person guiding them must be intelligent. But she had failed to understand the situation they were in completely. She had made a grave error while betting on something uncertain and should¡¯ve better fled without qualms and even left behind those who could have slowed her down. Now that I think of it, wasn¡¯t there a special one in the lot? Ale-something? A girl with blazing hair who was somewhat strong and clever even for an adventurer? She could very well have been the one leading. Anyway, by now, she should begin to apprehend her grave mistake. Even outnumbered and taken by surprise, we still managed to follow them closely to the end and didn¡¯t allow them the slightest time to rest. Doing so, we forced them to maintain their frantic pace, and they were undoubtedly exhausted after such a race. Furthermore, since our employer provided us with mainly enslaved women, we had to improvise to reduce our workload, and every single captured man was used as a labor force. They were in an even worse state than the girls who had been kept in jail and suddenly asked for their bodies to run for their lives. I don¡¯t think they would be of any help, and the strongest would barely pose a threat at most. Or perhaps had she foreseen that much? That wouldn¡¯t be impossible. Indeed, their defensive position would be demanding to attack, and we wouldn¡¯t be able to overwhelm them. Perhaps she had thought this far and hoped the girls would rest while we would¡¯ve strived to get past their defense, returning everyone to equal arms. But they were made like rats. How could they know, pitiful things, that we were over a hundred, dooming their vain attempt to inevitable failure? Well, their leader deserved some respect, at least. She was an idiot, thinking she could emerge victorious, but she made the right decision according to her knowledge. The situation probably didn¡¯t match her dream situation, forcing her to improv, but she still had hope and kept her calm. May God have mercy on them, for we only had to wait patiently for our reinforcements before teaching them about their error and the consequences of their act. It would take them another ten to twenty minutes to get there since the underground part was rather big and difficult to navigate. Luckily for us, and unfortunately for our ex-prisoners, the warning could be sent quickly due to the blood-curdling screams of despair that could be heard almost in the entire ruins. May our stupid and lusting pervert rest in peace. No wonder the women knew very well about the gallery layout and the men¡¯s location. No one could¡¯ve possibly bear such torture, and I can personally testify to what they had to suffer. It had been impossible to look straight at them without fainting or throwing out our guts, especially Ricky. One word was enough to describe it, as much for the result as for the act itself, Inhuman¡­ Anyway, here we were, waiting in a medium cave in front of a gallery entrance leading directly to the escapees'' new prison. During this long and frustrating moment of anxiety, we were trying our best to keep our spirits up while doing absolutely nothing. I mean, we were the ones in an advantageous position, for sure. On the lookout, we were paying attention to any suspicious movement or traces of a possible fleeing second attempt. But this was in no way to prevent them from doing so. Our behavior''s sole purpose was to flee ourselves on time. In the first place, our presence had no meaning. Trying to stop them would be pointless and only put our lives at risk. We were too few to pose any danger to them at the moment. Moreover, it was only by remaining alive that our presence could have proved useful, and this would only occur if we were lucky enough. In a natural underground maze like this one, it would¡¯ve been easy if not for the fact that we were commanded to stay here on this one-way path without many hiding spots and not a single intersection nearby. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Well, maybe I''m being narrow-minded here because our presence actually had its own purpose, which was to serve as mere cannon fodder, a sacrifice to cover our superior cowardice. Officially, it was to serve as a vanguard responsible for giving the alert and gathering any helpful info. But this was only an excuse for the team leader to distance himself from the danger and drop all the responsibility on our shoulders if the captive escaped again. That hateful man was gone with half of our team before the girls even started barricading themselves, leaving us completely at our own devices, pretexting the need to regroup with the other and provide our main force with fresh details as soon as possible. But we all knew it was fake. He was merely afraid, and he wasn¡¯t alone in his torment¡­ How so, would you ask? We were hardened and fearless criminals, currently waiting for our force to teach some rebellious minds a rough lesson and take the opportunity to have some ¡®fun¡¯. Well, there were two main reasons for such a fearful attitude. One, the girls'' ferociousness and bloody way of acting made us feel terribly ill. Even if everyone is joking about what we would make them suffer in exchange, this wouldn¡¯t change the fact that they had succeeded in demoralizing us. Their little vengeance on Ricky was one thing, but the ones guarding their back and making the front were fierce and seemed ready to exterminate us to the last one to get on their nerves. Two, the terrain was not in our favor. I¡¯d rather say it was the worst possible one. We were accustomed to open spaces, forests, hills, and small mountains. But gloomy grottos and narrow galleries were generally off the chart. Only a portion of our men usually worked there, and most did not do it eagerly. We managed a few excavation teams, putting the captured men to work digging and conducting some research. But even there, the orders were almost always sent via slaves. In definitive, only the guards that were watching after the men were accustomed to the environment, and at most, the underground part was used as a shortcut between our two encampments by the bravest and most daring of us. We were goddamn bandits!! Not professional miners or workers! And those were not just mere mine galleries. It would¡¯ve been much more supportable. Those were where infamous human experimentation took place, and dreadful acts were done. Especially the underground part. Legends surrounding this place even said you could hear the cry of some deceased and plead of the guinea pig. Pretty much every single one of us hated this place, and some even refused to enter it. Furthermore, we were in the deepest part at an equal distance between each exit. We were where the worst things happened, and, of all things, the gallery structures were left mostly intact and unmaintained, so much so that several rockfalls dating from the previous period of occupation could be found. Why do you think we were looking for this place, among so many others? It was because it was also one of the most likely to have remaining traces or artifacts that were missed during the cleaning period. Perhaps those girls didn¡¯t care since they became accustomed to living in captivity and identify with them. Or maybe they were just ignorant of such stories. But they were much less sensitive to these things. Besides, they probably weren¡¯t short of worries to occupy their minds. ¡­ The wait was getting long and oppressive, and I didn¡¯t know about the other, but I was getting on my nerves. Sitting on the damped floor, I was lost in my thoughts, trying to deceive my emotions while looking at the dark gut that sank into the rock. Once again, I was amazed at how dark it was. Mana lamps were much more efficient than simple torches, but that didn¡¯t mean everything was well-lit in this underground environment. Moreover, we had to ration them to save on the cost and avoid buying back mana cristal because we were near our departure. As a result, some lamps were missing crystal cores or lacked energy within it. This was the case for this whole section. Moreover, the last gallery separating us from the rebellious girls had been seemingly sabotaged and was now almost completely dark. It was making us even more nervous and prone to fear since we were already unable to rely on hearing. The sound of the fighting and the footsteps of hundreds of fleeing women had stopped for a while, and they were clever enough, and quite strong-minded, to stay more or less quiet until now. All that was left were the unknown surrounding noises gradually draining our force. Not being able to identify their origin or cover them up was unsustainable. The only recognizable ones were no less stressful thoughts. Droplets of water were falling punctually without warning, and the ground sometimes made some muffled cracking sound. And there was the wind... Perhaps the worst of all. Deep as we were, one could think there would be none, but somehow, airflow was made possible thanks to a system put in place by the previous occupant. And for god knows why, this one did not work with a loop air circulation system but instead made the flow pretty much inconsistent and unpredictable. But hey, we were ordered to stay still and silent, so we were forced to bear with it, using all our mental strength not to be surprised every time a new sound occurred. Two by two, my buddy and I took turns examining the shadows for any singularity possible before returning to the only occupation available, staying sane. When we were not in search of a possible hiding spot or way to conceal our presence, out of fear they would attack, we were waiting in fear of the unknown. Sitting while twiddling our thumbs and listening to our heart race was the only thing we could do to stop mindless thoughts, and there was no other way around. From time to time, we would pray inwardly so that nothing would happen to us. ¡­ Trying hard to pierce the darkness with my gaze, I was starting to wonder what I was doing here. This wasn¡¯t the life I had wished for. Even for a criminal like myself, this was too much to ask. At the risk of repeating myself, we were forest bandits, for god sake! Becoming a mercenary was still acceptable, but working on some ancient ruins and besieging a group of helpless girls underground was definitely not what we had signed up for! The pay was good, and we could enjoy tremendous benefits such as the girl and a protectorship from some corrupted noble, so there weren¡¯t many complaints. But sometimes, like in those moments, I wondered if it wasn''t a little too much. Being stuck in my thoughts, I failed my monitoring duty and kept complaining instead, even regretting not having had a more honest and peaceful life. As if to remind me and answer all my questions, this was the very moment God chose to send us a vision, a divine messenger carrier of reproach, yet giving us a glimpse of hope of redemption. Chapter - 28.5 Diety apparition interlude. Part 2 Firstly, there was a sound wind, like divine voices whispering echoes, barely perceptible but which seemed to grow louder as they approached. This led us to probe each other simultaneously for some time, seeking to know if the phenomenon was shared or just a figment of our minds. Followed a terrifying aura, even more terrifying than anything we could have had nightmares of. An overwhelming atmosphere of hatred surprised us, freezing our blood, stopping our heart¡¯s beats, and petrifying our entire body all at once. It was like a million burning needles were suspended an inch from our body, waiting for the slightest misstep on our part to pierce us from all sides. A feeling that this time was well shared among us. Then, this unknown threat disappeared as quickly as it came, and only the mysterious whispers remained. Tetanized and still overcome by fear, everyone''s doubts began. Were our targets playing dirty tricks on us? Or had nervous tension made us overreact? Or were the legend of this place real, and we were facing a vengeful ghost? We were completely lost, not knowing what to do. We were not daring to approach the entrance to the tunnel but even less tempted to flee. The menacing presence¡¯s lasting memory was so domineering that it erased any thought of escaping its grasp. At some point, after a short moment that lasted less than a minute but seemed like an eternity, something proved we had not yet sunk into madness at least. The echoes stopped, replaced by footsteps, slow, calm, and regular. In contrast to what happened a moment ago, this was almost reassuring. At the same time, a sweet odor invaded our sense of smell, and a gleam caught our eye. This simple fact gave us back control of our bodies, and we approached the gallery entrance cautiously, certain that any other act would have been fatal. What looked like two silhouettes appeared from afar. In total darkness, a faint glow wrapped around them, enabling us to barely guess their outline. There, we stayed motionless in a complete daze, trying to understand the situation. The answer to all of our questions presented itself. As one of the two entities grew closer, the glow increased slightly, finally allowing us to discern something¡­ Those two beings didn¡¯t look like ghosts or spirits. No, they had something I quite can¡¯t describe, something powerful and mysterious, something akin to a divine presence. We could not distinguish them very well. In fact, we couldn¡¯t see them clearly at all. Yet the entities seemed to be right before our eyes. Their image seemed to have been projected directly onto our minds, and we were only allowed to grasp their essence without the form. It was as if we could capture their presence at any time, but we failed to do so because of some natural law forbidding us from doing so. Because they were deities, I think everyone understood that much right away. They were no doubt about it. The answer simply imposed itself, like an absolute truth. Both were girls, images of pureness dressed in white, one taller than the other. The first one had an angelic face, an aura of virtue, and a halo of godliness, embodying divine grace itself. A simple glimpse of her being warmed our souls and made all our worries go away. She was overflowing with mercy and seemed to pity us, for we were only victims in her judgment. The second one was akin to a devil and reassembled a fallen angel. She seemed to despise the whole world, and her hatred was omnipresent. Even her indistinguishable eyes seemed to condemn us if not humankind in its entirety. Her bloodlust was palpable, and we were suffocating from it. Even so, she seemed joyful, as if she was happy at the idea of ??wiping us off the face of the planet. She was definitely the cause of the previous phenomenon. Our whole beings were at a standstill, awaiting our judgment. And when it finally came, it was so unbelievable that it would leave us speechless for several minutes. Even now, divine intervention is the only possible answer to describe this whole event. What else could it have been? *** The two spiritual apparitions were drawing near to the limit of what their shape allowed us to grasp. They made a short break, and very slowly, a pure white emanation of light emerged from them, enveloping them in an aura of holiness. Two women of different sizes and shapes, both wearing immaculate white. We could only conceive the rest, yet their godhoods were perfectly visible. One was that of a wicked being. We could feel her hateful stare on our skin, and its reproach and criticism penetrated us straight to the marrow. It was as if she was ordering us to die, to repent not of our sins, but for the sole purpose of erasing our existence from her sight.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. She seemed very pleased by the situation, as if she were apprehending the torture she would give us. Her divine aura, because it was a divine one assuredly despite her appearance, was heavy and freezing cold. Yet I was feeling as if my body was burning. Fright and terror were mixed within the promise of a welcome to hell without any prospective redemption. Time had stopped, and the din of my heartbeat, which had filled my ears until then, was no longer there. Wouldn''t it be for the angel, we would¡¯ve been dead assuredly. Thankfully, the second one was the exact opposite. She was wearing a gentle and soothing smile and remained impassive, unmoved by her fellow¡¯s rage. Her face was completely disinterested. In fact, it was like she was so selfless that she became insensitive to her surroundings. She appeared as if her being had no other meaning than bringing mercy without worrying about herself. It was as if she bore the sins of the whole world, having mercy on everything and everyone at once and in equal measure. We couldn¡¯t see her eyes, but I felt that her gaze was empty of judgment, only filled with mercy. She radiated like a beacon with a warming and godly lunar aura that unfroze our flesh and soothed our soul¡¯s burns. The angel moved again after a break, just as we were about to move ourselves, without even pretending to care about our hidden attendance since they already knew everything. A divine tool appeared in her hand, hiding her shape in order to prevent us from committing further sins, and which surely contained God''s words. Suddenly, without a warning, the divine messengers got on her knees and began to pray. Perhaps she was praying for us? For the sake of our soul? Or was she doing it for everyone down here, for every sinner that lived in this tinny part of the world? Maybe it was for something even greater¡­ Oddly enough, we could now only perceive the top of her being, and her lower part seemed to have merged with the ground. Yet, despite that, her features only intensified. The light she was reflecting became almost blinding, and the mercy that overflowed from her being engulfed her. Her calm attitude showed a hint of inconvenience and pain, and at the same time, I felt my soul was being cleansed, as if she was taking the weight of our crimes upon herself. The evil one next to her was waiting a little behind. She was staring into empty space, piercing the matter we were made of, as if she was looking into the mesh of the universe, far beyond our souls. It was like giant pupils were standing behind her, probing our value. The scene was very strange. It was as if the angel was kneeling and praying for our salvation, asking for forgiveness. While the wicked entity was waiting for her success or failure, gauging her own chance to be allowed to take care of us. What followed was like a painting depicting a miracle. Everything seemed unreal as if an even more powerful deity had descended and was giving his judgment, and once more, everything seemed to have stopped, even time. Then, before we could notice it, the keeling one vanished from our sight as if her shape returned to nothingness, reverting to pure aether. Perhaps it was because she had fulfilled her role, and by the day, we still hope this was the sole reason. Deep in our minds, we knew that saving us wasn¡¯t something easy, and it took her a great effort. We feared that she had suffered the consequences of her act. And although we have no right to do so, we merely wished she didn¡¯t suffer because of us. Thankfully, at that time, her aura had only intensified after her departure, and the resentment toward our person had lessened. We knew she was still here, and she had managed to obtain our forgiveness. Even if she had lost her shape, we understood she had escaped the worst, at least. In the meantime, the demoness looked dejected, as if he regretted not having been able to torture us to his heart''s content. Her gaze only became more intense and penetrating before leaving loudly with anger in a blinding flash. As if to confirm our mindset, the loathing intensified again, but it was no longer directed against us. This time, the devil¡¯s resentment really seemed to have been inflicted on the human species. We were left to ourselves, once again, alone in the dark, as if everything that took place had only been a hallucination. But we were no longer scared of the unknown noise, and we were no longer doubting ourselves, for we knew everything was real. As we shared our thoughts and impressions on what had happened, as we were describing a scene similar in all respects, something emerged as the divine command. The divine words that had no meaning until then had become clearer. During this whole time, the angel¡¯s tablet had been impossible for us to decipher. Only a single word had come to my mind like a revelation, and it seemed everyone was in the same situation. Each one of us could only understand one, but it appeared everyone had his own, and never twice the same. Put together, the message was clear. ¡®Discuss¡¯ ¡®faith¡¯ ¡®free¡¯ ¡®soul¡¯ ¡®mercy¡¯, and finally, ¡®redemption¡¯. If this was not a direct sign, what would¡¯ve been one? Do not discuss your faith free your soul, with mercy, obtain redemption. The angel had given us the direction we had to follow. ¡­ Wandering in the gallery mouth, attracted by the residual presence of the two deities, we advanced toward the place they had stood previously. Only an empty space awaited us. With the holy relic in its midst, a three-cornered piece of delicate embroidered white silk, with two strings tied to two ends, and a pearl necklace hanging from the third one. The curio undoubtedly contained magic and was a carrier of a divine aura. By a twist of fate, the number of beads matched ours, each one radiating a pure and saintly vibe. Chapter 29 - Annunciation of the apocalypse, pointless thoughts vs overthought. Part 1 Hey, shouldn¡¯t we stop blinding ourselves? Maybe life is just about accepting what presents itself. Maybe everything that happens occurs for a greater cause. Your role as a living entity is to resolve yourself, give up what could and would not, and resign yourself to pursuing what is already here¡ªthis fleeting moment on the scale of the universe, which is already over by the time you realize it¡¯s there¡­ ¡°So? How¡¯s it, Alev? Did they find what they wanted?¡± ¡°Sera said everything went well, and she got what we were after. As for the hero, well¡­ he jumped from denial to acceptance so quickly that it¡¯s become frightening. But he¡¯s now stuck into an endless cycle of depression followed by renewed enthusiasm. I hope your hubby pulls himself together, or we can''t count on him to fight.¡± But on the other hand¡­ life is meaningless, so looking at the past may be just as good. Rather than expecting the future and living through the present, I should focus on benefiting from joyful, lingering memories of the past¡­ No! I live through the bitter present so I can taste sweet futures. Surely, I have plenty of delightful experiences awaiting me! Giving a new and unique taste to life, each one more enriching than the other. Coming from all horizons, of all colors and forms. If I stay strong, many renewing opportunities will naturally cross my path and come into my embrace! ¡°Ah?? How so? That can¡¯t be that bad. Are you sure he isn¡¯t just pretending? I¡¯m sure he only wants to make you feel sorry so he can ask you some inappropriate pervy demand again. Wait and see; I¡¯ll knock some healthy thoughts in his brain. I''ve got just what you need. Nothing¡¯s better than a spoon for that kind of handling, and it just so happens that one escaped the bandits plundering.¡± ¡°... Suit yourself, but he won''t budge and doesn''t react to any physical stimulus no matter what. In his condition, I¡¯m afraid he won¡¯t notice unless he¡¯s seriously injured. He does make me feel sorry for him indeed.¡± In the background, I could faintly hear Lily and Alev arguing about my condition, although it was useless. I was fine. ¡°Wait, really? Poor thing, maybe it was too much after all. I didn¡¯t think he would¡¯ve lost his sanity over this. Hey hero! Hold yourself, would you? Alev said she agreed to let you have a peek after her and Sera''s lovemaking!¡± ¡°Wait wha!¡­ Well¡­ Alright, but touch is prohibited, and only my being. Sera must remain out of the frame and unseen.¡± Everything was fine, and I just felt a little low sometimes. My mind was preoccupied, and I couldn¡¯t stop myself from worrying about everything and nothing. Thinking about philosophy and the sense of life¡­ W¨C ¡°WHAT!!!!?? Really? If you truly keep your word and let me see, I¡¯ll pay for it!¡± Why rack your brains about useless stuff, such as life meaning, when you can literally have a taste of it?!! ¡°Ohhh? How are you gonna pay? Do you have any hidden savings, dear? No, never mind. It doesn¡¯t matter; take that joke any further, and I¡¯ll expose your kink to my sister. She will be delighted to learn how you played your ¡®role¡¯ to perfection.¡±But, of course, Lily was here to spoil the joy. There was no way she would allow me something like this. Perhaps she would¡¯ve given in if I was in a really pitiful state. Would she? For once, her threats seemed weak and meaningless to me¡­ She mentioned the spoon earlier but didn¡¯t even take it out. ¡°Uh? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know, Sera said you were beautiful there as if you were born for this very moment.¡± ¡°Ah? I fear I don¡¯t understand your words. Could you spell your thoughts in detail? All I did was to escort her, standing next to her. Nothing worth mentioning.¡± As the hero, it was a perfect fit for this r?le, but that doesn''t seem to be what she''s talking about. ¡°... Didn¡¯t you say the denial phase was over, Alev?¡± ¡°Ahem, sorry, I thought you knew¡­ ¡± ¡°Can someone explain to me? I¨C ¡± ¡°Shut up Hero! Rather than trying to figure out something you erased from your world, come here now that you are once again aware of your surroundings. I don¡¯t want you to dive back. ¡± As I was asking them for some explanation, Sera broke into the discussion and forcibly caught my attention. Ah, that''s right, there she was, the reason for my dismay. The woman, nay, the monster, reduced me to this state with only a few sentences. Some statements, some observations, and a few conclusions of her were enough to annihilate my confidence. The worst part is that it was all my fault, if only I hadn''t provoked her... ¡°Hey!! That''s your fault and¡­ You know what? Let¡¯s drop the matter and start anew like friends, okay? I won¡¯t insult you anymore, and you won¡¯t disclose my physiological and mental issues, Okay? Let¡¯s resume our strategy meeting as if nothing happened between us.¡± I had to make amends, or my mind would have much worse and more worrying things to deal with than a possible attraction to Loli. ¡­ ¡°Sorry, Lily, I should have clarified. He really dropped the denial, but it wasn''t about his latest predicament. That one, he somehow completely erased it. It must have traumatized him deeply because even Sera, using her power, couldn¡¯t find any trace of memory about what happened¡­¡± ¡°I was referring to the argument Sera and the hero had over that fact. One thing led to another, and he ended up insulting her in a rather vulgar way, saying she was sexually frustrated, among other things. In response, Sera unintentionally spoke some inconvenient truths out loud and strongly suggested that he had been turned on by the old guys'' intense gaze and had chosen to forget everything because of it.¡± ¡°... But why would it put him in such disarray? Unless¡­ ¡± ¡°Unless he truly can¡¯t remember, and this makes him uncertain. Anyway, who knows? Sera refused to tell me if she was joking, which perplexed him even more.¡± ¡­ I don¡¯t have any doubt!! ¡­ I can¡¯t afford to. My heart can¡¯t take any more. At worst, I¡¯d prefer to think I¡¯m into Loli¡­ NO!!!! Let''s say I¡¯m into Sera instead. She¡¯s older than her look may show, and she is not human, so that¡¯s not a problem, right? Humph¨Cgood, I¡¯m into Sera, which caused me to¡­ But I¡¯m NOT into her!!! Firstly, I definitely can¡¯t be aroused by a child''s body! Second, even If I w¨CNO and NO, Never!! So that means¡­ Have I really opened myself to the fetish of exhibitionism?? Did I awaken some dark and repressed impulse by inadvertence and become aware of such desire¡­ And what¡¯s more, you¡¯re saying they were men!??? No¡­ surely there is another possibility¡­ Sera must¡¯ve been joking!!... Oh, my heart¡­ If only I could remember what happened a few minutes ago¡­ ¡­ After another low spirit phase, we did a strategic debriefing regarding Sera¡¯s discovery, not without some disturbance, according to the wave of my mind. We finally got what we were searching for at first, and although I hoped that some crucial information would reach us, which would justify even a little of my suffering, nothing seemed to measure up to what I had undergone. Well, even if I had learned the secret of the universe, it wouldn¡¯t have been worth the burden I had suffered. Lucas was notified of our unanticipated escape attempt right after we rushed out of jail and entered the galleries. He was then informed of our actions around the time we got stuck in the dead end, which was our current spot, and gave his order to surround us and wait as planned. From what Sera-chan saw, reinforcements were coming soon if they hadn''t already. A few groups had converged here more quickly than predicted. Unlike the original plan, the bad guys were scattered throughout the facilities because it was still early, and everyone was busy with their different occupations. This led them to be at different distances, some far, some close to us. As a result, the first would be here in advance, while Lucas''s main force would be delayed. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The most important and worrying thing was that Lucas would only have half of what he was supposed to have under his direct control. In contrast, many groups would gather directly on our position instead. We should¡¯ve plenty of time to rest before Lucas led everyone to attack us. But it also means that those idiots could very well start the assault beforehand, assuming they didn¡¯t need to wait for the full force and were enough to force us to submit. If they waited just for a bit and started the fight before Lucas''s arrival, but after they gathered together, this could give us some trouble. I feared they would act hastily. But hey, they were given a strict order to wait, so I shouldn''t worry about it, shouldn¡¯t I?... Well, because I was literally bathing in misfortune lately, I was almost sure of the opposite. The many lucky charms that surrounded me were indeed pretty but rather ineffective, and four of them were carrying strong curses instead. Bah¡­ at least a fight will be better than this mental agony¡­ and perhaps it could stop Alev, Lily, And Anna from looking at me with pity while having trouble holding back laughter. As for what happened before, which I seem to have forgotten, one thing is certain. True to the rule, if I ever disgraced myself, I should have done so in accordance with Article 27¡­ Or was it the 25th? ¡®Forever publicly gentleman, whatever privately.¡¯ As they said, lines can be twisted, so you don¡¯t have to cross them as long as you¡¯re careful not to break them. ¡°Hero!! They¡¯re coming!¡± Anna, whose watchover shift had come, interrupted the flow of my thoughts by warning me of the long-awaited unexpected event. What the f***, what about the labor code!! Are you gonna deny my few minutes of rest like I was a working slave? Perfect, come here. Daddy needs to stretch a bit, and nothing¡¯s better than a workout to divert and calm the mind. The more contestants, the better. Whatever the reason, be it misfortune or their total lack of brain, I don¡¯t care. I was certain this was coming, and I was right. And now, I¡¯ll use this opportunity to process the faint mist surrounding my shame into an inscrutable crimson fog! Here we go! BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD, SKULL FOR THE SKULL THRONE!! *** ¡°What does it mean? How so?¡± In a dark and distressing gallery, a very important discussion was taking place. A talk that would deeply interfere with our Hero¡¯s future and would cause quite a lot of disorder. ¡°Just as we¡¯ve said to you, the team keeping watch has gone mad, spouting nonsense about God revealing itself and passing upon them a message of forgiveness and peace. We tried everything possible to bring them to reason, but nothing worked, and they refused to move. They said that only demise is waiting for anybody daring to assault our precious merchandise, and we¡¯d better stop and pray to cleanse our soul before it¡¯s too late.¡± My subordinate answered my questions by repeating what he had just told me. What a useless man! Can¡¯t I have someone competent under my order for once? Anyway, the situation was rather troubling, and the few men I had let on scouting duties had become religious fanatics. Damn it!! What could¡¯ve happened and made them turn like this? Did the prisoners cast some spell or curse? An illusion or mind-disturbing magic could¡¯ve got those effects, but none should¡¯ve been a magician, let alone a sorcerer. Did someone hide his power throughout his whole captivity just for this moment? But why would someone this powerful be arrested in the first place? Moreover, I can¡¯t feel any mana disturbance. Not that I¡¯m particularly sensitive to this, but AOE magic in an enclosed space is bound to leave some trace unless you are very competent. ¡°If you ask me, they¡¯ve been brainwashed. A full-scale magic or something made them mentally retarded.¡± Again, as if his last sentence wasn¡¯t sufficiently useless, my brainless henchman opened his mouth. ¡°Who are you to speak? Who asked your thoughts? Do you really believe this is something they¡¯re capable of doing? Sure, that could explain everything if only one or two were affected or if they had lots of magicians. But this kind of spell is usually single-targeted, or its effect becomes too shallow and would only be enough to briefly disturb a group. Given their state, only a powerful opponent could¡¯ve, and that won¡¯t explain why no trace remains. ¡± No, there must be something else. An Illusion seems much more credible, but that possibility was even less than them having a bunch of magicians to pull out grand magic. Only a dragon¡¯s innate talent or a very specialized wizard would¡¯ve been able to bewitch them completely without leaving a mark. And in that case, our men would¡¯ve ended up dead, and we would¡¯ve probably suffered the same fate by now. ¡°Any more useful data? They might be mentally ill, but they are still in full possession of their means, right? I want more details about the whole situation.¡± Something was odd, and I couldn¡¯t quite grasp it as I would¡¯ve liked. ¡°Well, the men guarding the laborer were few, meaning the women had little to no resistance to secure the place promptly and free the other captives. With the men, their force sum up to a few hundred. But most of the girls, who are the most numerous, are unable to fight. As for the men, they¡¯re probably worn out by their daily work and won¡¯t be an issue. I really can¡¯t get what¡¯s on their mind. Why wait, risking a dangerous fight of attrition? Even if they had a few elites, it¡¯s not like they can take us all by themself.¡± He had a point. From what we already knew, they immediately stormed out of the cell and went directly to where the boys were kept as if they were following a plant¡­ Maybe they sought help from the men who were more on the combatant side; most were adventurers, after all. But seeing as they are useless now, they should¡¯ve dropped their strategy and bet everything in one go. Some idiots think they¡¯re simply unaware of our number and the huge strength difference, but I don''t buy that. You won''t fool me. They''re neither dupe nor ignorant; I even know that some are rather clever. So why are they waiting despite this¡­ I really don¡¯t think they have any powerful people capable of¡­ Wait! The hero!!! He should''ve been taken care of, but maybe it¡¯s their hidden trump card. In that case, the chief¡¯s in on it. A trap? Did he want to use the hero to his advantage to kill us? We all know that he is not fond of the circumstances and despises most of us for agreeing too easily to our new life¡­ ¡°Ah! I remember now, they¡¯d say that Anna is here too! I don¡¯t know why tho. I guess she was doing odd jobs and scheduled our upcoming departure.¡± THAT¡¯S IT! Finally, something worth mentioning! ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t it you who said she was frequently visiting the merchandise recently?¡± an idea had been brewing in my mind, but I needed to be sure. ¡°Well, someone was babbling about how he saw her making round trips, and she said she had changed her duty to taking care of the girl as she was now unneeded when I asked her. So yes, but what does it have to do with our current affairs?¡± ¡°Everything, you idiot! That''s why you¡¯re just a minion, and I¡¯m in command. I¡¯m paid to think.¡± And you to die for me¡­ Anna has always been suspicious. She had almost unrestricted movement, and she was one of the few untamed slaves. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, she was an absolute major key in the research on site and the only archaeologist. She was by far the smartest among us. Furthermore, She absolutely hated her former master and didn¡¯t like us either. Now everything makes sense. ¡°She probably fooled everyone here!¡± She must¡¯ve found something, an artifact or a powerful magic tool with a brainwashing effect. In short, it was just what we were looking for. Completely absorbed by thought, I initiate a monologue. ¡°That would explain everything!¡± And she plotted against us, putting her scheme in place. ¡°It''s probably been a long time already.¡± From the beginning, it was probably her plan. Free herself, free the girls, free the former adventurers¡­ ¡°Maybe she even recapped the hero. No, she probably has!¡± Everything becomes possible with such a handy power. ¡°And we were playing by her rule all along¡± Fuck, seeing her action until now, her last move should¡¯ve been a test to see the effectiveness of the artifact on multiple people. She probably is waiting for everyone to group, and then¡­ Then she will cast the same spell that made our men believe in god. Who knows, she might even reserve us an even worse fate. What if she persuaded us of something normally impossible? What if she makes us all like horny beasts and forces us into bestial acts between each other. ¡°She wouldn''t go that far, would she¡­ ?¡± ¡°Scuse me, division leader, I know you¡¯re paid to think, but could you do it out loud? So that our lowly selves could understand?¡± Again, why is this nobody interrupting the important flow of my mind? Who is he to dare? A chance I had other important matters at hand and couldn¡¯t spare time to punish him! ¡°No time! Call all the men already gathered. We can¡¯t afford to wait any longer! Let¡¯s assault the tunnel immediately! I¡¯ll stay behind to explain the situation to the upcoming groups.¡± I want to ensure I¡¯m not caught in the area of effect if she uses her artifact again. ¡°Believe me, something terrible is approaching if we do not neutralize them asap!¡± ¡°But¡­ The boss said th¨C¡± ¡°Shut up. If you don¡¯t want to end as a monkey raping another monkey while being raped yourself by yet another one at the same time, you¡¯d better obey my order at once. You don¡¯t want to become a monkey, reassure me?¡± Did I hear correctly? Was this idiot going to contradict me? Unacceptable! For that alone, he deserves death! ¡°No, sir! Right away, sire!¡± He ran away with the tail between his legs. Did I scare him? Serve him right. He shouldn¡¯t have tried to take another man¡¯s job or been clever enough to do it well! Chapter 29.5 - Annunciation of the apocalypse, pointless thoughts vs overthought. Part 2 Why? Why are we following those orders? Why did we listen to his command without putting any form of opposition? Why didn¡¯t we even discuss among ourselves and agree in a hurry after hearing only incomplete and incomprehensible explanations? All I knew was that some lunatics had made our leader go crazy. Out of nowhere, he suddenly asked us to risk our lives to attack the enemy''s position, even though the boss had told us to wait and keep watching. He even menaced us with some absurd ending! Terrifying, but but without any element to collaborate his facts whatsoever¡­ I had to grant him that the threat was quite effective nonetheless. I¡¯d largely prefer being heavily injured to becoming a beast doing beastly things. I wouldn¡¯t mind if I was the only one, but doing it while ¡­ no, I¡ª Ahem! Anyway, acting as my superior told me to while regretting doing it, I rushed in with my few companions, anticipating a hard and harsh fight. I was definitely used as nothing but a tool to gain time for others, but I couldn¡¯t do it otherwise. SPLASH! Why? Why are we following those orders? Why I, of the same rank as this retard, am I Dying for his own good? The group ahead of us was nearly wiped out instantly. They couldn¡¯t even understand what happened, that their lifeless bodies were already spread on the floor and our turn had come. Mama, I don¡¯t want to die. I should¡¯ve taken the crazy ones¡¯ advice seriously. Oh god, have mercy, save u¡ª SPLASH! A veritable massacre. This was the only way I could describe what was happening. Group one didn¡¯t even see their death, while the second and third were fully annihilated. They only managed to slow our opponent, and we, with the joint force of three whole squads, were struggling to keep our life, falling like flies. And for what? Nobody but I was informed to the end. For us not to fall lower than animals, we needed to stop them from using dark magic or something like a powerful artifact. I don¡¯t know why, and I''d rather not. Even the one who sent us to the slaughter was not too sure of him, but his word, or more likely his threat, was clear. I DON¡¯T WANT TO BE RAPED, ONLY I WIL¨C SPLASH! ¡­ ¡°How¡¯s the situation?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just as you predicted, Leader. Someone¡¯s overwhelmingly crushing our force without breaking a sweat. She doesn¡¯t look like a hero in disguise, but I never saw him, so I can¡¯t guarantee it.¡± Would I have been wrong? But every clue led to this conclusion of mine. ¡°Ahem! Ready to report, comrade! It seems a group of four girls is now fighting. Among them, we could clearly identify Anna, the red-haired adventurer known as Alev and the hero¡¯s wife. The last one is unidentified, and everyone says she is an angel of death, but she could very well be the hero. She is the strongest foe by far, killing our men singlehandedly while smiling. The others mostly support her, while Anna looks from behind. I¡¯ve seen her myself preciously holding onto some magical object.¡± ¡°Haha!! So I was right! She really found an artifact!¡± I knew it! I knew everything was Anna¡¯s doing! Thankfully, those useless bags of meat without brains did their job right for once and reported something useful! ¡°What are we doing, chief? New groups keep arriving and asking about the situation. Should we wait for the boss? Or we keep forcing our way into the tunnel. The gallery is too narrow, so we can''t take them by surprise or avoid their frontline. What if it¡¯s really the hero? Nobody can hold a candle to him except for the boss.¡± Who dares to contradict me once again?! I withdraw my previous thoughts; they are truly good for nothing! ¡°Who cares at this point? If that¡¯s the hero, that means I was twice as right, and Anna is the main problem. She has an artifact in her hand that can brainwash anyone at will. You said the angel of death kept smiling while on a killing spree? She must¡¯ve taken control of him, too! Or boosted him and made him go berserk. Who knows! We¡¯re doomed anyway if we don¡¯t act!¡± ¡­ But Anna¡¯s strategic choice suggests otherwise¡­ Why would she wait for everyone to group in a place like this if she could¡¯ve bewitched everyone little by little? Unless¡­ That¡¯s it! ¡°Hear me right, there is still hope! Seeing how hard she tried to gather everyone here, there''s only one possibility: her tools need time to recharge or have a limited usage time! We need to wear out the hero or whoever she is, then force her to use that artifact of her earlier! Let¡¯s keep with the assault.¡± Now was not the moment to falter! They had to keep going and follow my order! Their only purpose was to give me the time necessary to realize my plan! So go and die for me!!! ¡°Why won¡¯t we just escape? The hero alone is too much of an insurmountable wall. Even Boss confessed that he would struggle to stay alive against him. And besides, even if we do wear him out, so do we. There are two fierce adventurer girls, Anna, and more than a hundred potential fighters behind him. I don¡¯t think we can win this one, can we?¡± An annoying and wise voice questioning my plan came just in time to stop everyone from rushing to their death with bravery. F*** you. Why are they always so compliant and easy to control normally but always show a hint of intelligence when their lives are at risk? You won¡¯t make me believe that these idiots have a survival instinct! At best, a fear of losing the usefulness of their crotch and the impossibility of leaving behind a part of their DNA within their seed¡­ I have to convince them. ¡°We decently can¡¯t flee for our lives! Moreover, you know that our fate won¡¯t be guaranteed. Which one of you would like to return to being a mere thief on the road, struggling to stay alive and falling back into poverty? Furthermore, our former employer won¡¯t be happy and might hunt us down and eradicate us to silence us completely. Let¡¯s do as I say. For the hero, we will use the same strategy as when he was first apprehended.¡± ¡°Strip his wife half naked and cast a lecherous gaze upon her feet while keeping her hostage?¡± ¡°That''s right!! Wait wha¨C ¡­ Absolutely no! Ahem, we will take her hostage, yes, and promise him not to touch any girl, even Anna, as long as he gives us her magic tool. That way, our employer will be very satisfied and would even eventually give a pay raise. As for the rest, try to keep your perverted fetishes for yourself, understood? At least until the hero surrenders¡­ Anyway, on that note, let¡¯s go! I¡¯ll inform the boss and main force to give you a hand when they arrive.¡± Go get all of you killed. Once nobody remains, I¡¯ll flee this damned place. No way I¡¯m letting that artifact approach me. I¡¯ve harassed Anna more than anyone and even forced her to watch terrible things to make her ploy. The moment she remembers about my existence, my fate will be worse than death. Even as a monkey, she probably won¡¯t even give me the chance to be on top¡­ SPLASH!! *** ¡°What the heck is on their mind? For a moment, I thought we had guessed wrongly or that the thugs¡¯ memories were inaccurate, but¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t expecting that. I frowned while speaking to myself in an attempt to understand their disurbed logic. And it seems I wasn''t the only one pondering their degree of mental deficiency, because Anna, who was in the same frame of mind as me, heard my thoughts and shared her own right away. ¡°Why did they start an all-out assault with so little manpower? And why did they keep rushing at their death drop by drop? Was that what¡¯s on your mind? I wish I knew. I asked myself the same question. Sera¡¯s working on it. She¡¯s currently looking at the ones that escaped death.¡± ¡°Uh? Is she alright? I thought that it was taking a toll on her, and she couldn¡¯t use her power at will.¡± ¡°Thanks for your worries, hero. I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be happy to know you care for her well being. But everything seems fine. Alev told me that as long as she could take her time and rest, she would be okay.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome, my dear.¡± Well, I was just curious about her abilities. I had to know if she lied and could actually use her dragon¡¯s power at will. ¡°Isn¡¯t your dear currently right over there?¡± ¡°Umh? Her? That crazy goddess of slaughter? That girl covered in her opponents¡¯ blood from head to toe, who¡¯s smiling back to their cry of pain and terror? I don¡¯t know that girl, is she a relative of yours? Alev friends, maybe?¡± Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Now that Anna wass pointing it out, this persone indeed feel familiar, but I can¡¯t seems to remember her. ¡°Said the man who started this by making offerings to an unknown chaotic god. You almost killed or incapacitated twenty of them in total madness, saying you would bathe in their blood.¡± ¡°Yes, but as per your word, I ¡®almost¡¯. Compared to Lily''s current condition¡­ Say¡­ she¡¯s not gonna transform into a berserk perverted furry who does not differentiate her enemies, will she?¡± ¡°As long as you keep your hand off my butt and stop sniffing my thighs, she¡¯ll probably stop her carnage when she gets tired. Otherwise, well¡­ your sacrifice will be welcome, and I will make sure to engrave it in this the minds of others thanks to this camera of mine. ¡± ¡°As if! There is no danger, she is too focused on her bloodshed and she won¡¯t be able to see it.¡± ¡°But we do!!!¡± Alev, who until now has been monitoring everyone''s health, especially Sera''s, came back to us sowing trouble. Her sudden apparition had its little effect and caught me off guard, making me flinch in surprise. Seing this, Alev continue on her momentum and took care care to drive me to my fall. ¡°Maybe I should get her attention. In her state, it would be pretty funny to watch her cutting your finger off with a fork.¡± Ever since I lost my last argument against Sera, Alev seemed to be taking even more pleasure in tormenting me than before, breaking free of any restraint she had. I had to conceded, and she knew I had no way to pay her back. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare! You would put our safety in peril, our frontline would crumble, and a fork? She¡¯s more of a spoon user in the first place.¡± All I could do was to responde holding backc my words and thoughts, so as not to be forcibly reminded of some now lost unpleasant memorie . ¡°I¡¯m perfectly able to keep them busy for a few minutes, just the time needed by your wife to educate you a bit. As for the spoon, I think it¡¯s way too nice for you. Fortunately, you seem to forget that she entrusted it to me to keep you away. What do you think she¡¯ll use if I told her I lost it hehe¡­ ¡± ¡°Hey! Have pity, I beg you! This was not my fault this time! Anna asked me to carry her on my shoulder, I¡¯m Innocent!¡± She would dare, she would dare and she would be delighted to do so! ¡°Ahhh? Are you telling me that she asked you to carry her completely pantyless while stroking her legs and butt, sniffing them like a perverted maniac? What is going on, by the way?¡± ¡°Well, she did!¡­ not, but the fabric felt itchy on my neck, and it was she who chose to take it off of her own volition. As for the rest, I¡¯m perfectly in my right. I can¡¯t risk letting her fall, so I have to grab what I can to ensure her stability. And I¡¯m not sniffing okay, only breathing somewhat heavily because of the previous fight.¡± ¡°Ohh!!! I see. Sorry, I¡¯ve probably misunderstand you and licking her sweet like it was holy nectar was probably only to ensure it didn¡¯t stain your clothes or endanger her because it makes your grip slippery.¡± ¡°Exactly!!! ... ¡­ ¡­ Crap you see that too¡­ ¡± ¡°...¡± In an awkward moment Alev paused and then glared at me with a victorious smile and an aura of superiority. ¡°...¡± F*ck. I should¡¯ try and take a vow of silence, it won''t solve my problems, but it would at least prevent me from creating new ones. ¡°... Ahem. I¡¯m deeply sorry Hero, it must have tasted bad. Had I known you had a liking for this beforehand, I would¡¯ve washed this morning, master. Due to my selfish ignorance, I stained you with my filth¡­ I must¡¯ve disgusted you¡­¡± ¡°No!! I¡¯m not and would never be, not for something like that. On the contrary!...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± I should really shut my mouth. ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± Stop that! Stop with your accusatory looks! I couldn¡¯t help it! My mouth was dryer than a desert and my will was wavering due to the strong stimulus and the need to focus my mind somewhere other than Lily''s fight¡­ There now way they would buy that¡­ ¡°LILY!!!!¡± ¡°SHUT UP!!, please!! I¡¯ll do anything. I¡¯ll tell you about Sera''s secret!! How about this?¡± Please, leave Lily out of this or we(I) won¡¯t make it out alive! ¡°NO, YOU WON¡¯T! Or I¡¯ll make sure that everyone knows of yours. Don¡¯t forget that I have seen three years worth of your memory! As for you, Alev, drop the matter. That¡¯s not like he forced himself on Anna. Who are we to judge them?¡± Thankfully, Sera¡¯s reasoning words stopped us dead in our tracks and brought back a semblance of normality in our exchange while convincing our(my) mindset that nothing was wrong. First, let''s explain the situation and what brought me to drink Anna¡¯s precious salty yet sweet water droplet, akin to small beads of glass and revealing earthy, limy, and oaky hints with strong traces of vanillin. Anna was, as you probably already guessed¡­ or not, sitting on my shoulders without any protection covering her lower private part. Her delicate and moistened skin was making bare contact with my neck, and her intoxicating complex scent¡­ AHEM A while ago, she asked me to carry her to gain some height and a better view of the battlefield. She was currently filming the whole scene with a magic tool to record some holiday memories. Because of how great that would be! Lily was currently on a demonic killing spree, covered in blood from her enemies. She was smiling heartfully, displaying an overjoyed and sadistic face, while her grims successfully awed enemies and allies alike. What happened to her? I dunno, man. What was now unleashed before us was totally new thing for me and everyone else. I had just started, partially joking, to fight like a berserker, totally, completely, definitely not to divert my mind from what might have totally, completely, definitely not happened before. And I might''ve taken the act a little too far, I admit. I even earned myself the name of the angel of death. BUT!!! It was to scare our enemies and give them a big blow to their morale. We all thought that they were finally determined to get rid of us and gave the order of an all-out ahead of Lucas. We were prepared for the worst, and I even considered the possibility that Lucas'' treachery had been discovered. Moreover, I acted while carefully paying attention not to kill them if possible. Ultimately, what was opposing us then was only a few groups of bandits rushing in a disorganized way, coming in single files, as if they were lining up and waiting to buy a ticket for the movie of their tragic death. Seeing that there was no real threat, Lily asked to take over so I could preserve my energy and she could gain some XP. I agreed and gave her my place. I had no reason to refuse after alla. And that was when everything started to go wrong. I made my two biggest mistake so far. First was to think the morons I had already scared to death would obediently fight normally without making a fuss. Second was to think Lily would. But they really don¡¯t let one slip by, don¡¯t they? As soon as Lily took over, she was subjected to displaced words and grabbing attempts¡­ Well, nothing strange there. I, too, was oddly harassed in the beginning. But as if that wasn¡¯t enough, she started her slaughter so well that only she knew how. The newcomers began to imagine and believe some weird ideas. Saying awkward things, like she was the hero in disguise, controlled by Anna¡¯s brainwashing magic, and that I, the weak hero¡¯s wife, was forced to serve her in bed and abide by her sadistic and wicked desires. She took it to heart and started to shut them up forcibly by crushing them. But this had not the expected effect, contrariwise, that only comforted the never-ending flow of contestants into their grotesque theory. As you can imagine, Lily was not pleased, not at all. To add fuel to the fire, Anna, who was still on the ground at that time struggling to have a good angle, had the not-so-great idea to exclaim that merely splashing them in one go was a waste of Lily¡¯s talent. Anna then further added that this was an insult to their beliefs and that Lily was not artistic enough to fully exploit her self-proclaimed godly skills as a producer and camerawoman. Insinuating that if Lily was to be acclaimed as a goddess of death, an angel of carnage, she might as well make it realistic and give them a little more pain as they deserved it anyway. Seems Lily liked the idea since she started to make her move less deadly but much more painful and scary, while healing them to prevent them from dying quickly. She became the very incarnation of what they called her, terrifying me even more than her enemies. Hey, She¡¯s supposed to be my wife. Are you saying that I really married the devils and should be okay with this? Her sis was a thing, and she was already too much for my heart, and I knew Lily could have¡­let''s call them fits of madness. BUT I NEVER SIGNED FOR THIS! She is so delighted by what she¡¯s doing that¡ªLOOK! She¡¯s literally savoring the cry of the man who just had his arms ripped off and healed to prevent blood loss. I am dreaming, or did she just lick her lips with satisfaction!!! Or maybe she just wanted to taste his blood!? Oh God, save me! Give me the strength to overcome the future! Everything bring me to my question. Could I initiate a divorce procedure if I could prove Lily¡¯s behaviors unfit for a lady, but instead looking strangely to a evil god summoning ritual? To me, she seemed genuinely determined to bring one to these lands. ¡°Are you saying this to justify your previous act or just to make us forget? Why are you complaining? Love is all about accepting your partner''s flaws. Moreover, isn¡¯t she cute with this atroci-oops sorry. Ahem, I mean this adorable smile of hers. The red blends wonderfully with the green of her hair.¡± ¡°You were about to say atrocious, admit it, Alev.¡± ¡°Who cares about Lily''s strange behavior? All I know is that you¡¯re a scum who doesn¡¯t even dare to touch his loving wife but complains and takes advantage of someone else''s body by doing so. Trash!¡± ¡°Anna! You''re my last refuge, told them that Lily is abnormally creepy. ¡± ¡°Precious salty yet sweet water droplet? Limestone, oak, and vanilla? Delicate moistened skin and intoxicating scent? I take note. As for me, as long as she likes it¡­ Plus, she seems awesomely sexy and beautiful, drenched in blood as she is.¡± ¡°RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!¡± Chapter 30 - New Year Announcement Due to a busy Christmas/NY holiday, there will be no release this week. However, I¡¯ve made great progress in correcting the previous chapters. It took me longer than expected, but I have to say the quality was really not up to par for smooth reading and understanding. I tried my best to fix every big mistake, including grammar and punctuation, as well as reworking many weird sentences or poor choice of words. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. As for today, I¡¯ve fixed the chapter up to the 18th and uploaded the fix up to the 15th. I also made changes in dialogue in the early chapter to add info and detail to the character''s way of speaking and feeling. Only have ten left, and I will be done with this part of the work. I also prepared a surprise that will arrive after a while in the form of a bonus chapter ( well, don''t expect too much either ). Finally, I took the time to work on the next course of events this story will follow and have more or less sketched everything for a bunch of chapters.