Chapter 25
The new dungeon attracted challenges from many adventurers precisely because it was so dangerous.
The dungeon that had appeared this time was located on the border between the Obern and Trilli districts.
After the expedition team conducted its initial reconnaissance, the Adventurers' Guild opened the place for the first time.
Since it had only just opened, the dungeon's difficulty had not been precisely determined.
That was why only adventurers who were truly confident in their abilities had gathered today.
“There are more people than I expected.”
“Ah, Livnil. Please watch where you're going.”
“What happens when the line is this long? Are all these people going in?”
The line to register for the new dungeon was extremely long.
At least several hundred people had gathered since morning.
It was hard to tell whether we'd even be able to enter the dungeon today, let alone whether any treasure would be left by the time we did.
Some groups even left one party member behind to hold their place while they went to get something to eat.
“Then, sir. Why don't you go get something to eat? Aris and I will stay here and hold our place in line.”
As expected, the good-natured Claude stepped forward and suggested it to the three of them.
The party members gathered here were Livnil, Chris, and Griff, whom we'd met before.
Having heard rumors about the new dungeon, countless food stalls and vendors had gathered in front of it.
Griff spoke.
“Hmm, can we go first? Are you all right with that, Miss Aris?”
Was Griff older than Claude? I gave a small nod.
“There are three of you, so please go and come back quickly.”
“Aww~ I want to go with Miss Aris. Griff can stay behind.”
Livnil said it playfully, but Claude answered firmly.
“Livnil. Even so, it would be better to leave at least one man with the group.”
“No, well... you might be right.”
Livnil was about to protest, but then looked around and nodded.
Aside from the people standing in line, there were plenty of rough-looking men peering around here and there.
Apparently, some people were trying to cut in line, pick fights, and cause trouble.
If only women were left behind, we'd definitely end up getting dragged into some kind of trouble.
Griff nodded too and said,
“Especially if only Chris and Miss Aris are left, they'll look like easy prey.”
“Hey, why are you leaving me out of that?”
“Because it's rare to find a swordsman who looks as tough as Livnil.”
“That's not a compliment! Do you want to die?”
The two men decided it would be better to keep Chris and me separated while we waited in line.
Well, I had to admit Chris was cute and delicate, an innocent young girl.
Anyone would want to strike up a conversation with her, and when your eyes met hers, it felt as though stars were sparkling.
But I hadn't expected them to include me in that category too.
Those three had already seen my strength once, before they even reached the dungeon.
They'd all stared open-mouthed in amazement, then clapped and cheered.
I watched them leave to get food, then spoke to Claude.
“Master. Aris is strong, so you don't need to worry.”
“Yeah, Aris is strong. But because you're so strong, you attract everyone's attention.”
He turned to me and pulled the hood snugly over my head.
The robe Claude had given me fit perfectly. A cool breeze came from it, and it smelled nice.
And then, a little later.
“Hmm. Hmmm... mmm...”
“Master. Are you all right?”
While we were waiting in line, something seemed wrong with Claude.
He had his eyes closed and his arms folded, swaying from side to side with an uncomfortable look on his face.
“Th-that is...”
“Please, tell me. If you're hurting somewhere...”
“The bathroom. I want to go, but...”
I thought something serious was wrong.
“Aris will hold our place in line. Please go.”
“But... leaving Aris alone would be dangerous...”
“No, it isn't. Your pants—and the people behind us—are in danger right now.”
Then the man standing behind us glanced at Claude's face and said,
“Hey, brother. We'll keep an eye on the young lady, so go on. I'm about to die here!”
“Hahaha. What are you doing worrying about a woman? Go on! Go!”
While standing in line, we'd exchanged names with the people around us and grown somewhat friendly.
Claude checked the faces of the people in front of and behind us again before speaking.
“If any of you lay a hand on Aris, there will be trouble.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go already. You're making this harder for the rest of us.”
Claude went to look for the bathroom. The men behind me didn't try to talk to me either.
We continued waiting in line without incident until....
Sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff. A sharp, intense smell drifted over.
“Ah, damn it. Why is the line so long? It never ends!”
“It's a new dungeon. Of course the line's freaking long.”
“Hmm, can we get in today? Sniff, sniff. All I smell is something irritating.”
“Sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff... huh?”
Bushy tails. Bare upper bodies. Pointed ears standing straight up.
A group of wolf beastmen with strikingly sharp claws on their hands and feet.
“What are they, beastmen?”
“Shh, shh! Those guys are Red Wolves.”
“Ah... that famous Wolpi party?”
At the appearance of the wolf pack, the people around us began to murmur.
It was a group of four male Wolpis, with fur in various colors—black, red, blue, and silver.
“Don't you smell something sweet?”
“Yeah, uh... what is that? A female. It's a female's scent.”
“A female in a place like this? Aww~ No way.”
“Are your noses broken? Where is she? Sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff.”
When the male Wolpis appeared, I froze and pulled my hood deeply over my head.
The robe's hem would mask some of my scent, but what should I do? They were Wolpis I didn't know, but they scared me.
Male Wolpis came on strong as soon as they took a liking to a female.
Could I beat them again this time? What if they attacked me? What if I... killed them?
What if people caught me again and did horrible things to me...?
I swallowed hard and hunched down. My tail drooped, and my heart pounded.
Please don't recognize me. Please let me go. Please... please just pass by....
“Sniff, sniff. Sniff, sniff. She's somewhere around here.”
“Yeah, fuck, what are you looking at? We're not trying to cut in line. Let me see your face!”
The Wolpis began pushing their way through the people standing in line.
No one wanted to pick a fight with beastmen for no reason.
“Eek! What are you doing!”
“Not this bitch. She's human.”
They were getting closer. Then one male Wolpi approached me.
“Oh, that's an unusual smell. You're a female Wolpi, aren't you?”
I stayed still without moving. Would it be all right to beat him down the moment he came closer?
I could hit him before he had time to react... But would we still be able to enter the dungeon?
What if I failed to stay in line and ruined everything?
“Sniff, sniff. Inhale... yeah. A female.”
He approached me and grabbed my arm. Then he lifted it and said,
“It's a scent exchange. Don't resist.”
“Don't touch me. I'll kill you.”
“Oh, you're feisty. Are you in heat? No? Your scent...”
A scent exchange. Wolpis had a custom of sniffing each other's scents to size each other up.
Refusing it meant refusing to show respect to the other party.
It was tantamount to saying they weren't worth smelling and should be killed on the spot.
It was always better to comply with a scent exchange.
“Oh, oh... you smell good. I fucking love this bitch.”
The men in line behind me who had said they would protect me were all... facing away.
The terrifying male Wolpi was much larger and stronger-looking than they were.
“Now smell me too. What do you think? Are you in heat?”
I had no choice. I put my nose to his hand and sniffed.
The smell was... just the ordinary, overpowering scent of a Wolpi.
“Hey! She's here. A fucking sexy female.”
One by one, the male Wolpis approached and surrounded me.
“Can you smell what's coming from beneath this bitch's robe?”
“Heh heh... a female, for the first time in ages? Oh, she's the finest of the fine.”
“So? Is this bitch in heat? Or is she just a dud?”
“We'll have to make her go into heat somehow. If that doesn't work... should we kidnap her?”
Fortunately, male Wolpis would never touch a female unless she was in heat.
However, they could use their own scent to induce heat in her.
Females could make males become erect, so there was no reason males couldn't do the same.
“It's disgusting. All of you, get lost. I'll kill you.”
“Hey~ She's got a nice personality too, huh? If she's walking around out here, she must be a strong female.”
“Excellent. She'd be perfect as my wife.”
“What? She's silver-haired. This female is mine. All of you, back off.”
Sniff, sniff. They grabbed both of my arms from either side.
Then they lifted the hem of my robe and pulled my tail out.
What should I do? Should I fight them? Was it all right to fight?
“She smells good. Is she in heat? She is, right?”
“I don't know. My dick is reacting, but weakly. Something's... weak.”
“Doesn't that mean she's about to start her heat? If we wait, she'll go into heat.”
The males decided something among themselves, then yanked on my arms.
“Hey, let's go. You're going to be our female. It's boring with only males in the pack.”
“No. Let go of me. If you don't, I'll kill you. That's a warning!”
“Scary. Come... here! Hey~ This bitch is strong.”
Two of them tried to grab me. They moved lightly, swinging their palms to strike me.
I dodged them and tried to hit them too, but they were fast.
They felt much faster and stronger than the Wolpis who had lived in my village.
“Grrrrrrrr...!”
“Ooh, she's feisty. I fucking love it!”
“Should we bite her? Or just knock her out and take her?”
Two of the four charged at me. They really seemed intent on starting a fight.
I was so angry that I couldn't think straight. I was about to swing my claws with the intention of simply killing them when....
‘Aris.’
Flash—! Blue light shimmered before my eyes.
Then, accompanied by the fluttering hem of a robe, Claude appeared in front of me with a gentle smile.
He stroked my head, then turned around.
Swish—!
“Ugh...?”
“Wh-what the hell! Where did this bastard come from?”
Claude caught the fists swung by two male Wolpis in both hands.
He twisted their arms as he held them and said,
“You want to die?”
The two Wolpis hurriedly backed away from him.
The expressions of the others with them twisted. Some of them were even staggering backward and falling over.
Something cold and chilling poured from Claude, and I felt it pierce my skin.
It felt as though something was slowly freezing from beneath my feet, leaving me unable to move.
The sensation rose to just below my throat, choking me as though I were about to sink underwater.
“M-Master...?”
“Aris?”
The cold, suffocating silence vanished in an instant.
The moment Claude turned back toward me, I let out the breath I'd been holding.
“Hah... huff...!”
Claude examined me with a startled expression.
My legs gave out and I sank to the ground, while the other people around us also....
“Huff... huff....”
“Wh-what was that? I suddenly couldn't breathe!”
“I thought I was going to die...!”
I had no idea what had happened.
“Aris. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I was late.”
“No, Master... I could have handled it myself.”
He embraced me. Buried against his chest, I breathed in his scent.
Claude's scent was so much better than those disgusting creatures'.
“What the hell... was that? Th-that human is holding the female!”
“Hey, human. I don't know what you did, but hand over that female.”
“Don't interfere in the Wolpis' business. I'll kill you!”
“Fuck. I thought my arm was going to freeze off. What the hell?”
I glared at them from Claude's embrace.
“Grrrrrrrr...!”
“Don't worry about them, Aris.”
He straightened my robe again, then turned toward them.
“She's my female, so all of you get lost.”
Naturally, they tried to object to what Claude had said.
But they flinched and didn't open their mouths.
Instead, they slowly backed away and said,
“I-I'll... challenge you fair and square later. I didn't know... there was a male... with her.”
They tucked their tails between their legs and ran away.
A human who was told ‘I didn't know there was a male.’ by male Wolpis?
Honestly, it was such an absurd situation that I stared blankly at their retreating figures.
“Whew~ That was scary.”
Claude said that as he turned back toward me.
“Are you all right, Aris?”
“Ah....”
I reached out toward him.
Then I took a step closer and grasped his hand.
“You're so cool, Master....”
“Hm? Haha. You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?”
I nodded and gazed at his face for a long time.
A human who drove off male Wolpis. A human they had recognized as a male.
That person was my master, Lord Claude. My male.
“Aris?”
Until now, I'd told him that I liked his cock and that it felt good, but....
I'd never said anything like this before.
“Master. I really like you.”
My heart was really pounding.