Chapter 22 - Side-Effects

 

Suffice it to say, the day after that event was awkward for the crew.

 

Out of all the things they've expected to happen whilst they're here, they certainly weren't expecting that. Hell, they didn't even know that a woman of that caliber was being kept here, and the fact that all of them got affected by her seductive charm certainly didn't help.

 

"Man! I'd hate to be those guys right now. They look like they're in pain."

 

"Who?"

 

"The visitors, I mean."

 

"What happened?"

 

"Emilia happened." One of the convicts laughed out loud.

 

The fact that most men around him immediately understood what he meant was hilarious.

 

"Oh, so that's why I couldn't see her around. Where did they take her, anyways?"

 

"My guess is probably the Isolation Chambers. Don't worry, she's used to it by now. It's the first time she'd be in there anyway. If anything, that'd just make her crazier than before."

 

"Did you hear what she do to them?"

 

"No, but it's Emilia so I think everyone knows that already."

 

"Yep. She probably visited them in all of her naked glory. From the faces of our dead visitors, it seems that they're very affected too. They probably got blue balled by the wardens though."

 

"Well, that's for the best." One of the convicts replied while smiling wryly. "If they went all the way, they'd probably be sucked dried at this point, reduced to nothing but dried corpses."

 

Right, this is something that Emilia would do. Her class was a rare one but not in a good way.

 

'Seductive Dominatrix' that's the name of her class. It's the Humans' version of a Succubus. Her powers are borderline irresistible for men and men at heart.

 

This wasn't the first time that she capitalized on her womanly charms to get what she wanted. In fact, that's what she did for a living before she got admitted here.

 

Her class, as one might've already realized at this point, isn't fit for combat at all. Emilia herself can fight but against Demons? She's helpless. Her seductive charms don't work on Demons either. If anything, it only angers them even more.

 

The one thing factor that Emilia wanted to capitalize on, was the skill 'Essence Drain' that she got from her class. Each time she consumes her victim - by sucking them dry of their manly essence, she can raise her stats permanently. This meant that she had an effective way to increase her Aptitude Rating without needing to buy elixirs or train like there's no tomorrow.

 

That being said, the higher she wants her aptitude rating to be, the more victims she needs. What makes her worse is the fact that she's a known sexual offender, a deviant through and through. She's also a little insane on the head, so most men avoid her like the plague.

 

Her information was widely known here because of her loose lips, not the lower one of course.

 

She makes no effort to hide who she is. In fact, if you straight up ask her, she would explain it to you in clear detail while making you uncomfortable. That's just how she rolls.

 

"But how did she exactly get close to them? I can't imagine the wardens simply letting her through them."

 

"Well, they certainly didn't. I heard that she used the vents to go to their room. She actually nearly succeeded too, truly a frightening woman!"

 

"Really? The wardens didn't block those? And here I thought they already learned their lesson..."

 

"Except that they actually did...you know, block those vents." One of them replied, "I heard that they even placed alarms that will be triggered should those blockages be disturbed."

 

"Right, that's what I heard too. The wardens also have no idea how she did it. They only knew that she did somehow manage to bypass their alarms to traumatize our poor visitors."

 

"Damn! She's really too fierce. What a woman!"

 

"Hey, do you think we should tell them about the side-effects of Emilia's charm?"

 

"Eh, I don't think there's a need to." One of the convicts replied while scratching his bald head. "I mean, that wardens must've already informed them."

 

Unfortunately for the crew, the wardens completely forgot to tell them about that specific thing.

 

On the side of the crew, Captain Gustavio was rubbing his temples in stress and irritation while looking at his absent-minded colleagues...

 

"Guys! What the fuck is up with you!?" He roared to get their attention. "First, you all wake up late! Second, you keep forgetting your tools and finally, you keep messing up even with the simplest orders! What's happening to you? Why are you acting like an old man who's experiencing dementia!?"

 

His team couldn't help but lower their heads in embarrassment. None of them could even refute his words because every single one he said was true.

 

The worst part about this is that they don't know what's up either. All they could tell was that their bodies seemed to have something against them.

 

On a more embarrassing note, the truth is that they keep remembering what happened last night. Really, it's so shameful but they just can't seem to keep Emilia's figure out of their minds.

 

Each time they closed their eyes, they could see her silhouette. Her bewitching voice kept echoing in their ears and tantalizing eyes kept them from functioning normally.

 

What they didn't know is that this was the side-effect of falling to Emilia's charms.

 

Once they're hooked, there's very little they can do to keep their hands to themselves. Their body and mind will continuously keep searching and yearning to be with her. The stronger their attraction was, the crazier this gets.

 

The only way they could flawlessly resist her is if they were stronger than her or if they used some medicine that could clear their mind of any outside influence. But judging by how they're reacting, it's clear that they're not the lord's strongest soldiers.

 

Captain Gustavo wasn't affected because he was a certified Tier 3 expert. Emilia was only at Tier 2 Lv.8, so her passive charm didn't have any effect on him. Sadly though, because nobody informed him so far, he too doesn't know that Emilia's charm was still affecting his team.

 

"You keep messing up like this and we will prolong our stay here! Don't tell me you actually want that!?" He yelled at his crew.

 

He seems to think that they're lowering their heads because of their poor performance. If only he could see the way their eyes gleamed when they heard about the prospects of staying here longer, they'd probably know that something was up....both mentally and physically.

 

"We will take a 10-minute break." The captain sighed, "I want you all to clear your heads properly. When we return here, I expect you all to do your jobs properly. Am I clear?"

 

"Loud and clear, Sir!"

 

After that, the team then dispersed to take care of their business. Captain Gustavo remained at the site while the others were scattered off to different places.

 

Their minds were so muddled that they failed to notice how everyone else was acting weird, save the Captain of course.

 

Unbeknownst to them, they're starting to scheme against each other. Their ultimate goal was Emilia...to touch her, bed her, and be with her for as long as they could.

 

Try as they might, deep down they can't fight what they feel. They can't resist her allure, especially not when she obviously begged for them unabashedly in the middle of that room.

 

The one who had it the worst was that one guy who nearly took action last night. His name is Fallon.

 

In his hazed consciousness, he was feeling extremely bitter. His inner alpha was wailing in despair. Why did that warden have to enter that time? He was about to claim her as his right then and there!

 

Why did that warden have to hit her and take her away? His poor omega woman who's longing for his touch and warmth...he wondered about her horrible state at this wretched place and couldn't help but feel extremely bitter.

 

'God! Why wasn't I born with a good nose! If only my sense of smell was strong, then I might've been able to track where they took my woman! Her smell...ooh! Her smell!'

 

Fallon wasn't aware that his face already become extremely lecherous as he recalled what Emilia smelled like. He even subconsciously shifted in his seat, trying to make his hardening problem a little more comfortable.

 

His mind already wandered far from what he was supposed to do when all of a sudden, he saw something at the corner of his eyes.

 

He narrowed his eyes and looked outside the window. They're inside the walls right now and are pretty high up, allowing him to see the majority of the scenery below.

 

Down there, just behind the lush forest, there was a clearing. Fallon saw a man wearing the same clothes as the convicts here. The blonde man was swinging his sword repeatedly.

 

Fallon's eyes gleamed. This wasn't the first time that he had seen this guy. And from his observations so far, this man always stays up late from his practice.

 

An idea blossomed in his mind, a creepy smile appeared on his face as he whispered:

 

"Good, you would do just fine as a sacrifice to my reunion with my beloved."