"Let's hope Lady Nightwane is safe." As we run through the streets, I
remark while acting slightly out of breath. I'm at the very back, to make it
seem like I'm not used to exercising so much - although I did keep up with
the adventurer party's pace pretty well on our way here from Birkas. Luna
looks the way I'm acting, since she's had the air knocked out of her earlier
today, and it might still affect her a little.
"Yes, I'll go ahead. You two can catch up later." Hearing my words, Rolan
puts a hand on the hilt of his sword and picks up his pace. As expected of a
swordsman in a world set in a medieval-like time period, he has a lot of
stamina.
Within moments, he has left us in his dust and disappeared around a corner
ahead. Luna slows down slightly, breathing heavily from her lack of exercise; she is a mage, after all. I guess she was putting up a front while her
sweetheart was around.
"I'd rather not meet her again." Senka whispers to me in a sullen tone. Fair
enough, if I had been used as a sex toy by somebody, I wouldn't want to meet
them again either, if I could help it. Unfortunately for her, she has no say in
this matter; I'll be carrying her around everywhere for the time being.
We round some corners and find ourselves in the dark alleyway that leads
to Lady Nightwane's store. At night, it looks even shadier, but Luna casts the
torch spell she used earlier in the day, and a little flame lights our way.
It's a
wonder that Rolan found his way through here without a problem since it's
quite dark.
Slowly moving through the alleyway, my eyes glance over every window
and door that isn't completely nailed shut. It's not very likely that someone
will jump out and attack us, but better safe than sorry.
As we approach the store, we find that the door is slightly ajar and I'm on
alert right away. Did the leader already enter on his own or was this done by
more kidnappers coming around to see what happened to their three men?
"Rolan?" Luna calls into the store from the doorway, like an amateur. If
there are enemies inside, you just warned them of your presence, even if they didn't see the flame from your staff.
"I'm here." Poking out his head from behind a shelf, the leader responds. It
seems like there wasn't any need to worry.
"This place has gone to the dogs...and what's this smell? How can she live here?"
"I know..." Luna has produced her handkerchief and is holding her nose
with it again.
"It's like something died in a corner and was left there." Rolan's words
sound harsh, but it's precisely what I think might be the case, too. Not like
having organic stuff preserved in jars that might not be airtight, and over long
periods of time, will go well unless the person doing it is paying close
attention to doing it right.
"Lady Nightwane?" I'm the one who calls into the store this time. There's
no response, and I have a bad feeling about this. Don't tell me they came back
and got her already?
I walk straight towards the door to the storage room and pull it open. The
darkness beyond is the same as the one inside the store, but since I see
everything at the light levels of a cloudy day, I enter without hesitation.
Rolan and Luna haven't caught onto my actions and are still looking through
the aisles outside.
There's a set of stairs going up, as well as a locked door that most likely
leads to the basement. I'll check that one out later if I don't find her upstairs.
For now, I'll refrain from calling out to her again and train my hearing to pick
up on every sound, from the creaking of the floorboards under my feet to the
wind blowing through tiny cracks in the building.
A faint and flickering light illuminates the dark hallway ahead of me,
originating from a candle in the breeze shining through a slightly ajar door.
Sneaking to it as quietly as I can, I peek inside through the crack.
In the twilight of the barely illuminated room, I see a naked body lying on
dark blue sateen sheets. Mauve purple skin glistening in the candlelight from
beads of sweat, two large mounds heaving from accelerated breathing. Their
orchid-colored tips are erect from excitement rather than due to the cold air.
Waves of pleasure run across Lady Nightwane's body as she moves her
hand buried between her legs. She tries to stifle her voice with a finger
between her teeth, but it still escapes her lips and floats across the room.
Well, I'm aroused from seeing this.
"Miss Chloe, where did you go?" Rolan's voice echoes all the way up here from downstairs. Lady Nightwane's long ears twitch, and she instantly stops
what she has been doing to look in the direction of the door. Then a shocked
expression appears on her face.
"H-huh?!" She stares me directly in the eyes.
"L-Lady Marcott?! What are
y-you doing here?!"
Oh damn, she has night vision, too? It's dark out here, so there's no other
explanation for her being able to see me. I guess it makes sense for a dark elf
to have it, considering they look like they evolved to be able to fade into the
background at night.
I stand up and enter the room wordlessly, not a hint of remorse in my
manners, despite the fact that she caught me peeping on her. Instead of
showing indignation, she quickly covers herself with her sheets and looks up
at me with anxious, upturned eyes, while retreating slightly. Then she averts
her gaze, unable to bear the weight of mine.
"We were worried about you." I finally speak, just one step away from
Lady Nightwane. It's interesting to see that she can't seem to muster the will
to scold me, and doesn't even seem to have noticed that Senka is in my arms.
"Miss Chloe, are you-" Rolan peeks into the room, having climbed the
stairs unexpectedly quickly and silently. He freezes at the sight of me
standing over the undressed owner of the store.
"Hm, what is it, Rolan? Did you find either of them?" Luna appears from
behind her sweetheart and looks at the situation in the room. It takes a second
before her eyes widen at the sight. "W-what are you doing, Miss Marcott?!"
"Lady Nightwane was having a nightmare, so I woke her up." Turning to
the dark elf, I find that she's looking up at me in surprise. I smile at her, but it
doesn't extend to my eyes. "Isn't that right?"
She flinches at my expression and begins to tremble, but I can glimpse
excitement in her features. I was right on the mark when I thought that she
was a masochist. And my attitude is most likely resonating with that part of
hers.
"Y-yes, Lady Marcott is right. I-I was reliving the incident of today."
Looking at Luna, she confirms my explanation with a straight face. Even
though her stutter may make her appear to be the innocent type, she doesn't
even blink her eyes when she lies.
"Is that so?" For some reason, the half-elf doesn't look convinced and shifts
her attention to Rolan, to find that he's still staring at Lady Nightwane.
"Hey! What are you still doing here?"
"H-huh? Ah." Before he can say something, Luna pinches his ear and pulls
him out of the room. He disappears around the corner with a pained
expression while struggling to maintain his balance.
"T-thank you." I hear a faint voice mutter beside me and turn to look at its
owner. The dark elf is still unable to return my gaze, but it's clear from her
expression that she feels indebted to me for some reason.
"What for?" I think I know exactly what for, but I want her to say it.
"... f-for not telling them w-what I was doing." Her voice is barely audible, but its tone stirs the bully inside me.
"Hmmm, what were you doing?" Whispering to her so the others outside
can't hear, I bend down, to find Lady Nightwane's eyes.
"I'm just a young
lady. I won't know what it was that you were doing if you don't say it."
"A-ah..." Turning her head away from me, she tries to hide her body under
the sheets.
"I'm just kidding. Get dressed. We're going to bring you to the guild for
your own safety." Straightening my back, I walk out of the room.
"You're a sadist, you know that?" Senka whispers to me on our way out.
"Yes, I am." I respond with a grin.
Our journey back to the guild was completed in awkward silence. Rolan, carrying Lady Nightwane's bundle of belongings, led the way, followed by
Luna, who made sure that he wasn't getting too close to the dark elf. I was
walking right beside her, striding confidently and without a worry in the
world, while she kept stealing glances at me.
After talking to Ingrid once more about how to proceed with Lady
Nightwane, it was decided that she would stay in the guild's guest room,
which is usually only used by other guild masters when they come to visit.
Apparently, it's a pretty luxurious place.
We're having a meal in the guild hall now, though I'm holding myself back
for the sake of Rolan's wallet; after all, I'm still a freeloader who doesn't do
work and thus, doesn't earn any money. Luckily I can sometimes get food for
myself and stockpile it; the sheep I swallowed along our journey are still not
entirely used up, and I gained three more bodies earlier, too.
Rolan and Luna are sitting across the table, while Lady Nightwane is on
the bench one seat removed from me. She already had dinner, so she's only having a cup of water. Even now, she keeps glancing at me, most likely
afraid that I might blurt out what she was doing when I found her.
Is masturbation taboo in this nation? I know that there were religions in my
previous world which considered it a grave sin. Maybe the same is true for
the church here? I'd ask Senka, but now isn't the best of times to be secretly
conversing with her. The dark elf could notice something since her senses are
focused on me.
Maybe I can use this to my advantage and deepen my relationship with her.
According to Senka, Lady Nightwane is a lonely woman, so I'm sure I could
tip her over the edge and bring her to my side of the river. Leaving her for
men would be a huge waste.
"Oh, there they are already." Just as our group is about to finish dinner, Gram's loud voice resounds through the guild hall.
"Lady Nightwane, I presume?" Unexpectedly, the bard is behaving himself
and not trying to flirt with her. Taking off his feathered hat and nodding to
her in a greeting, he sits down on my other side.
"I see, you are still carrying
that doll, Lady Marcott."
I almost burst out asking if there's something wrong with that again, but
hold myself back from doing so.
"How's it looking?" Rolan asks the big man, who plops down at the end of
the long table. When a waitress comes over, he only orders a jug of ale; he
must have had dinner with his friends in the city guards.
"I asked Jannike to let me see the inspection records from all the times
when Sveinn was inspected." Scratching his chin, Gram begins to explain his
investigation results. "There's nothing out of the ordinary in the records."
"No leads there, huh?" The leader sighs and leans back, despite the fact that
there's no backrest. He's exercising his abs rather than relaxing as if showing
off before the ladies.
"Not quite. You see, when I talked to Gunner and asked about that, he told
me under his breath that Sveinn was always giving out samples of his regular
cargo." The waitress returns with the ordered ale, so the big man goes silent
for a moment, to not implicate his friends in what can only be described as
accepting bribery.
"So he was never actually searched?" Rolan has a serious expression when
he presses the matter.
"No, he was searched quite often, but only superficially. One barrel on each cart would be opened to see what's inside - and it was always Sveinn himself
who did the opening, as he would give the guards some of the expensive
fruits or spices he transports." Taking a swig from his jug, Gram wipes the
foam from his mustache with his sleeve and burps out alcohol-laden fumes.
"Excuse me... err, where was I? Oh, right. It's quite possible that he was
transporting slaves in any number of barrels on each of his carts."
"Then we can just have the guards do a full search when he leaves the
city." Rolan's proposal sounds like the best course of actions, but the big
man's frown shows that it's not that simple.
"It's not like searching every crate or barrel is part of the regulations since
it's peacetime right now. Forcing a full search is something only the guard
captain can do, and I don't know him well enough to be able to tell whether
he's trustworthy or not." Placing the jug down on the table, Gram crosses his
arms with a thoughtful expression.
They're thinking this through really carefully. In fiction, such a group of
adventurers would have snuck into the place where Sveinn is storing his
cargo, and searched for evidence on their own, without consulting law
enforcement. And that would always lead to a battle, during which things
always turn out perfectly.
Reality isn't that simple, though. These people don't have plot armor, and
neither do I. While I always think to myself that these humans are weak, their
magic certainly isn't. If there are others far more proficient at it than Luna,
and they shoot something like her Elemental Overload at me in an instant, I
would most likely just die.
In a world where such things can happen, being cautious leads to longer
and safer lives. I can certainly learn from them in that regard.
"Well, Ingrid said she would send Vigi to investigate tomorrow after he
returns from his request." Rolan leans back again and ponders. "But if he
doesn't find anything, our last chance would be when Sveinn makes his way
out of the city, and the cargo will definitely be loaded on his carts."
"Then we could stage an accident at the gates and make some barrels fall
from the carts." I suggest with my arms crossed and all four adventurers turn
to stare at me in surprise. "H-huh? What is it?"
"Hahaha, as expected of the missy!" Gram laughs heartily and slaps his
thigh.
I look around in confusion, as Luna buries her face in her palm, Rolan has an eyebrow raised in silence, and the bard chuckles to himself. Did I say
something funny?
"You included yourself quite casually there." The leader is the one to point
out what everyone is reacting to in their own ways, but his tone makes it
sound like he doesn't want me to think of myself as a member of their party.
"I see." They don't yet think of me as a comrade, huh? "I apologize, I got
ahead of myself."
Acting hurt, I stand up and step over the bench to leave. It's not like I really
care whether they consider me one of them or not since I'm practically
destined to become their enemy eventually. This way, I can gauge their
opinions of the current me, though.
"Oh no, that's not what I meant!" Rolan jumps up from his seat and calls
out to me. I don't turn around immediately but stop in my tracks to listen. It's
not like I have anywhere to go since I've been staying at inns with these guys
so far - though my room is still paid for until the day after tomorrow.
"Then what did you mean?" I look down at Senka and wink at her. The
guild hall is practically empty at this time of the night, so nobody sees what
I'm doing. She responds by rolling her eyes at the unnecessary drama I'm
creating.
"I thought you might want to find a way back to your old life, instead of
journeying with some adventurers." His response touches a nerve, although
he could never imagine in what way. But saying that to someone he should
know as having lost their parents is a mistake.
"... there is no going back for me, Sir Rolan." I make him aware of how
insensitive his words were and walk away, not turning around to look at his
reaction. Moving towards the door of the guild hall with Senka in my arms, I
can somewhat feel them staring at my back in shocked silence.
In the end, I returned to the Dancing Dragon and went straight to my room
on the second floor. There are a few things I want to discuss with Senka, and
whispering at a barely audible level is quite tiring.
"Don't you think you brought down the mood a little too much there?" The
doll girl remarks, lying sprawled out and unmoving on the bed where I placed
her. That appearance makes her look like a talking toy.
"It's alright. People of this world are quite simple; they take everything at
face value." I lie down next to her and stare up at the wooden ceiling. "I'm more interested in Lady Nightwane..."
I hear shifting next to me and the sound of wooden joints creaking, even
though Senka doesn't look like she has doll joints. I've heard her neck
produce that noise as well, but I doubt she's made of wood underneath that
skin of hers. She wouldn't be that squeezable otherwise.
"What's so interesting about her?" Her face enters my vision, a deep frown
carved into her features.
"I know you don't like her, but it doesn't really matter anymore now, does
it?" I stroke Senka's cheek and sweep a rogue strand of her gradient hair
behind her ear. The stitched scar on her cheek extends all the way to her
molars and look even messier up close than it had at first glance. What did
she live through to end up looking like this?
"Hmph." Brushing me off, the doll girl stands up from the bed and
disappears from my field of vision. "You're-"
Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. I sit up while Senka lies down
immediately, to act like a lifeless doll again. Whoever is outside could have
heard us talking, though.
"Who is it?" I ask cautiously, but at the same time with enough dignity to
make the person beyond the door aware of the fact that they're asking to
intrude on my private space at a pretty late time in the night.
"I-it's me." The thick wood muffles the voice, but I could never mistake
that gloomy tone. It's Lady Nightwane.
She's paying me a night visit?
"Please no..." I hear Senka whisper next to me with an annoyed expression,
but I stand up from the bed and walk over to the door to open it anyway.
"What brings you here, Lady Nightwane?" Even though she's almost as tall
as I am, it somehow feels like she's looking up at me with upturned eyes from
quite a bit lower than that.
"Um..." Her amethyst irises are glowing in the dimness of the hallway, an
incredibly mesmerizing light I can't help but feel drawn towards. Is it some
kind of magic or the dark elves' innate ability?
"Oh, where are my manners. Please come in." Making way for my visitor, I
step aside and gesture into the room. She looks inside with an anxious
expression, before accepting the offer and entering reluctantly.
I close the door behind her audibly on purpose, upon which she flinches
and spins around. Her eyes show fear and restlessness, but I give a radiant smile and guide her in.
All rooms in the tavern have two beds, which are quite a bit cleaner than
the ones I've slept on in the small villages so far. There are a table and one
chair, but obviously no TV set or an Internet connection. I sit down on the
bed next to Senka, and point at the free one across from me, offering it as a
seat to Lady Nightwane.
"So..." I look into her almost hypnotic eyes, and she averts them to avoid
my gaze almost immediately. "... what are you hoping for by coming to my
room this late at night?"
With a shocked gasp, the dark elf looks at me in surprise but isn't able to
keep eye contact for long before she turns away again. Restlessly fiddling
with her dress, she fumbles to try and find a response. For some reason, she
acts more like a young girl rather than the mature woman her appearance
suggests.
"I... wanted to speak to you." Finally gathering her courage, she looks
directly at me with an unexpectedly focused gaze. Even her stutter seems to
have disappeared, so it must be something important. "I'm cursed."
"Huh?" That's not what I expected at all.
"E-eh? D-did I make some kind of m-mistake?" Losing her confidence and
growing flustered, the stutter returns. Her eyes begin to swim around as if
searching for a way out of this situation.
"No, sorry. Please go on." I shake my head and sigh. Why is she so cute,
despite looking more adult-like than I ever will?
Even though she does continue, she doesn't immediately regain the
confidence she had at the beginning and keeps her stutter.
"T-the curse made my body grow into t-this unsightly form." She cups her
voluptuous breasts with a downcast look on her face. What do you mean,
unsightly form?! That's a body people would kill for! "A-and at the same
time, it also made my touch d-deadly to those who aren't also corrupted."
"Then how were those men able to capture you?" If she had a deadly touch,
she could have just grabbed their exposed arms and killed them. Maybe it's
not instantaneous?
"I... let myself get captured on purpose." The dark elf lowers her gaze and
reveals this with a somber expression. There's a hint of remorse in her gaze,
but it's mostly just her usual gloominess.
"Why would you do that?" Was she really that lonely? "If they had found out that your touch is dangerous, they wouldn't have had any need for you.
You would have been killed."
"I... I know, but it was the only way!" She raises her voice for all but a
moment before her body begins to shiver. Avoiding eye contact with me
again, she seems to be looking for the right words. "I wanted to infiltrate
them..."
"To do what?" Wait, this will take ages. Why do I have to ask for every
little detail myself? "You know what, just tell me your story in one coherent
sentence of no more than twenty words!"
"H-huh?" Lady Nightwane is at a loss for words from my sudden outburst
and the more than unreasonable demand. "Hauu..."
Woah, what's that cute noise you just made?!
"I-I'll try. Umm..." Nervously playing with her sleeves, she seems to be
thinking of a way to convey what she wants to say concisely and directly.
Watching her intently seems to put unnecessary pressure on her, so I do it
on purpose. Her glowing amethyst eyes are incredible, and I can't even begin
to imagine how being on the receiving end of a love-filled gaze from them
would feel like. I just want to make her mine right now.
But if her touch is deadly to everything that isn't corrupted, that's out, isn't
it? On the other hand, didn't the humans say that corruption is spread by
demons? Is the origin of spreading corruption also corrupted?
"O-okay..." Taking a deep breath, Lady Nightwane signals that she's ready
to convey her story in the requested brevity. "Someone very important to me
was kidnapped by slave traders long ago, and I found out that they're here in
Hovsgaerden."
"That was twenty-one words." I don't know how, but I was able to tell the
number of words without even trying.
"H-huh?" And the dark elf starts to repeat her sentence while counting on
her fingers. "Y-you're right!"
She looks at me with an expression that mixes shock and dejection into
such a perfect amalgamation that I'm impressed. She then lowers her head in
helplessness. Is she actually a child in an adult's body?
"Alright, I get it. But what does that have to do with visiting me at night?"
Tilting my head, I can't make the connection between that and her telling me
her life story.
"... the fact you didn't react with disgust when I told you that I'm cursed is proof of what I saw in you." Suddenly, she looks into my eyes with
conviction. Her stutter is gone again, replaced by a resolved steadiness in her
voice.
Alarm bells ring in my head. Did she realize that I'm a demon?
"You're different from any human I have ever met." She says, a smile
playing on her lips for the first time. In other words, she doesn't know what I
really am and only saw a trustworthy person in me or something like that. "I
want your help."
Bowing her head before me, she finally gets to the point of her visit. It's
clear that the help she wants is from Rolan and the others, rather than from
me. I have no idea why she wouldn't ask Luna then. Maybe because she
thinks I'll be able to mediate between her and the party? Didn't she pay
attention to what just happened in the guild hall earlier?
Well, this is an opportunity to get closer to her.
"What do I get out of this?" You better not tell me that having sold me
Senka was already a big favor or something like that. Though I doubt she
would do that, she's too timid to make such a demand.
"I-I can pay you." Apparently, she didn't expect that I wouldn't act from the
goodwill of my heart. She clearly didn't prepare any bargaining chips other
than the money she got from me for Senka.
"It will cost you a lot." I stand up and look down on the dark elf with a
sinister grin. She begins to quiver and shrink before my gaze, but wills
herself to respond.
"H-how much?" But then she suddenly shakes her head and gathers her
resolve once more. "No, it doesn't matter. I will give you anything you want."
"Hoh? Anything, you say?" Oh, she just flinched at my words and her
determination wavers. No taking back now~
I grab Lady Nightwane's face with both my hands and make her look up to
me. There's a prickling sensation in my skin where I touch her, but it neither
hurts me nor do I feel any discomfort. Maybe her 'deadliness' is a slow-acting
poison, but I doubt it's more powerful than a Crawling Chaos' power of
corruption.
In fact, this tingling is becoming quite enjoyable.
"W-what are you doing! You'll-" She tries to struggle, but I don't let go of
her.
"I heard you're a lonely woman. And earlier I saw that you truly are." From up close, I stare into her eyes with mine. She blushes when she realizes what
I'm referring to and tries to avert her eyes, but I shake her to force her gaze
back.
"Ahhh..." She trembles with embarrassment.
"Then give me your everything. Become mine, and I'll help you with
whatever you need." After all, you're making a contract with a demon, even if
you don't know it. Of course, I don't say that out loud.
"My... everything?" Her questioning frown makes it clear that she doesn't
understand what I mean, so I spell it out for her.
"Your body and soul. Your life and love. Everything." I push her down
onto the bed and move my face so close to hers that I can feel her breath
tickling my nose. "And we'll start with your body."
Fear fills Lady Nightwane's expression, but I glimpse something else
underneath it, too. There's a mix of anxious anticipation and excited
expectation, waiting and hoping to see what I'm about to do with her.
"Could you not?" Senka's voice echoes through the room. Oops, I
completely forgot about her. Turning my head, I see that she's sitting up on
the bed and looking at me with an annoyed expression.
"H-huh?" The dark elf underneath me sees her, too. "Wh-what?"
"Shocking, right? As you said, I'm a cursed doll. And I bring death to those
who mess with my body." Standing up with a creaking sound in her joints,
the doll girl tilts her head and cracks her neck.
Lady Nightwane's goes pale at Senka's menacing undertone. Then her
entire face flushes reddish-purple when she remembers all the things she did
with - and to - this girl, whom she had thought of as a lifeless doll all along.
"... I was just getting to the good part." I stand up, loom over the doll girl
and bring a fist down on her head. "Why did you stop me, Senka?"
"Because I don't want to watch you two going at it." Holding the top of her
head with both hands in what I can only describe as a cute gesture, to show
that my hit stings, she responds with a pout. Picking up Senka, I hug her to
my chest. "Argh, stop it! I don't need a reminder that I'll be flat forever!"
"Y-you were a-alive all this time?" Lady Nightwane is close to tears, as she
tries to make sense of this situation.
"I wouldn't call it alive, but yes." Senka stares at her in irritation. "All this
time, everything you did to me... I was aware of it all."
"Ahhh..." And upon hearing these words, the dark elf faints.
"Way to clam jam me..." I grab the doll girl's shoulders and push her down
on the bed, before leaning over her with an irked grin. "I don't feel like doing
it with a passed out person. That's basically like doing it with a sex doll."
I pause for a moment and look at Senka in silence.
"... will you take her place, then?" I ask, half-serious.
"I refuse." She instantly replies with a straight face, as if she had expected
that question. Then she somehow slips out of my grasp and disappears from
underneath me. I look around the room but find that she's gone. Does she
have an ability to go invisible or something?
I plop down on my bed and look over to the unconscious Lady Nightwane.
It seems she slipped into slumber at one point, and her chest is heaving
rhythmically now.
"Some other time then, I guess." Shrugging, I sigh and stand up, to cover
her with a blanket.