Chapter 38
Splish, splash.
Her smooth, bony legs stuck out of the bathtub at irregular intervals, kicking up splashes.
Each droplet she splashed up held a scorching heat.
A private bathtub filled with steaming hot water.
It was a luxury the commoners of this world could not enjoy.
A privilege reserved for nobles and royalty.
The one enjoying that privilege was none other than Alice Stanasilla, princess of Tiranis.
“Ohoho……”
She let her golden-blonde hair, a symbol of royalty, hang down as she seemed to enjoy a half-body bath.
Her clear blue eyes glistened with moisture.
“Heehee. You seem to be in an especially good mood today. Has something nice happened?”
The jester massaging Alice’s arm as she enjoyed her half-body bath asked.
It was the Masked Cat.
“Of course! You asked at just the right time, Kitty. You know, I recently heard that the Hero in the kingdom had fallen into corruption! Kyahahaha!”
She was so happy that her splashing grew even more vigorous as she spoke.
“It seems he’s finally accepted demonic energy! Kitty, aren’t you happy too? Hmm?”
“Oh! So that contract is finally coming to fruition!”
Contract.
It was a non-aggression pact formed through Alice’s Authority on the day the Hero was first summoned.
The terms of that contract were as follows.
‘If you kill the Demon King, you can return to your original world.’ That was what it said. And……
The Hero’s skills.
It also stated that Alice held control over them.
“Hehehe, that’s right! I tampered with his memories a bit, too! Now, every time those strange abilities are unlocked, demonic energy will gradually eat away at the Hero, until in the end……”
Roar!
Alice made a gesture as if she were devouring someone.
The Masked Cat trembled with excitement at the sight.
Demonic energy was a power that killed a person’s heart.
If the Hero were consumed by that power, his heart would eventually turn to ashes, and he would become a monster that cut down everything in his path.
“Oh, wait a moment.”
But what if the contract were broken?
Wouldn’t everything end up being for nothing?
“Heehee. But is there any chance that such an unfair contract could be broken?”
The Masked Cat asked anxiously.
Alice snorted as if to laugh at its concern.
“Not at all! It can’t be broken unless the contractee dies! And once demonic energy starts to consume someone, it’s not something they can easily escape, you know? Unless there’s a demon by their side, that is!”
“Oho, then that’s a relief.”
Alice was displeased by the oddly condescending attitude.
“Hmph! And you! Why don’t you hurry up and go to the Holy Nation? You still haven’t reached an agreement with those succubi? Why haven’t I heard anything!”
“Oh dear, then I’ll be off……”
“Get out of here already!!”
The Masked Cat bowed.
The Masked Cat withdrew with a gentlemanly air.
‘I wanted to spend a little more time with you.’
***
Se-on sat up, his body aching, and first shook Riella, who was sleeping beside him, awake.
Because Riella was the only one he could see.
“Hey, Riella. Come on, wake up.”
“Mmm, whaa……? Eek!”
Fortunately, she came to.
After confirming that Riella was all right, Se-on breathed a sigh of relief and began looking around.
He couldn’t remember why he had collapsed.
So first, he needed to figure out what was going on.
But then.
“Ugh! Kgh, why does this keep happening, ugh……!”
His body would intermittently grow hot, and his head would turn hazy.
It was like he’d been hit with an aphrodisiac.
Because of it, the thought that he needed to ‘relieve’ this strange state kept filling Se-on’s mind.
“Phew…… Calm down……. Now’s not the time.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t unbearable, but it had been like this ever since he woke up, and it was driving him crazy.
He forced himself to lift his head and look up at the sky, trying to think about something else.
“Huh? Se-on, someone’s collapsed over there. Follow me!”
“Hm? Oh, wait up!”
Riella hurried away.
He hurried after her.
“Jeez, Riella. You should wait for me!”
Had they finally arrived?
Riella had stopped near the lakeshore and was standing there blankly.
Come to think of it, while running over, he had suddenly realized something.
Even though his body had only just woken up, he felt full of energy.
And his running speed seemed to have increased explosively.
It felt as if his whole body had become superhuman.
Could this be what people called a sense of omnipotence?
Anyway.
He lightly tapped Riella’s shoulder as she stood there silently, then opened his mouth.
“What on earth is this about…… Huh?”
What he saw was a girl covered in wounds.
She didn’t look like she was about to die, but shallow cuts covered her entire body.
Yet one word flashed through Se-on’s mind at the sight of her.
‘……Demon King?’
No. What was he thinking?
Looking at the woman lying there, that word had instinctively come to mind.
A wounded girl with horns and a tail, seen from behind.
For some reason, she was wearing a revealing bikini.
……It was embarrassing to admit, but he felt a slight stir.
“No, this isn’t the time.”
He jerked his head away, shaking off his perverted fantasies.
Now was the time to take care of this injured girl.
“Um…… Please, come to your senses.”
“……Se-on?”
“Hm?”
As he crouched down
and carefully tapped the girl’s shoulder to check if she was conscious, a slightly chilling voice came from behind him.
Turning around and looking up to his right, he saw Riella’s eyes, full of shock.
‘What’s wrong?’
“S-Se-on…… What are you doing right now?”
“W-What’s wrong?”
By now, it was starting to scare him a little.
Why was she looking at him like that?
When he asked Riella, his voice full of unease, she finally managed to speak through trembling lips.
“That’s Yubel…….”
Yubel?
Who was that……?
Ah.
He turned the fallen girl over to look at her face.
“W-What in the world……?”
A face so beautiful it left him dazed.
An unforgettable expression, her brow furrowed.
And even the scent of her skin, like flowers.
He knew this girl.
How could he have forgotten her until just moments ago?
It felt as if something inside his body had changed, and even his memories had grown hazy.
“A-Ah……! Yubel!!”
Lunge!
He hugged Yubel tightly.
Along with the familiar sensation, as if he’d just been holding her this way, memories began overflowing through his mind like a panorama.
The memories he’d made with Yubel.
That was what they were.
“Ugh……”
Thankfully, Yubel’s embrace was warm.
Her body still retained its warmth, telling him that Yubel was alive.
Her embrace is warm. I can’t breathe. What is this feeling? I don’t want to let go. Soft skin. Sweet lavender scent. Swaying hair. Mine. My wife. I want to take her to bed. I love her. I want to ravish her. I’ll ravish her.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Perhaps that reassured him a little, because he sobbed and hiccupped like a child.
Even he thought he looked utterly pathetic.
He couldn’t see it himself, being so out of it, but he heard loud sobbing from behind him as well.
Seeing him come back to his senses seemed to have eased Riella’s tension, too.
But he couldn’t just keep crying like this.
Something had to be done right now.
“Riella.”
“Y-Yeah……”
“Let’s go to the Holy Nation right now.”
The Holy Nation.
A neighboring country of Tiranis, ruled not by a king but by a pope.
He had decided to go there to have Yubel treated.
And if possible, he needed to recruit the ‘Holy Maiden’ there as a party member.
That way, they could get treatment if anyone got hurt.
Perhaps she understood his intentions, because Riella nodded without complaint to show her agreement.
And so, they rode in a carriage straight toward the Holy Nation.
They had to get there as soon as possible, so they skipped visiting the kingdom.
After all, Yubel might be in critical condition right now.
-Clip-clop, clip-clop.
Even inside the carriage heading toward the Holy Nation, Yubel showed no sign of waking up.
And a problem arose along the way.
Smack!
“W-What did I just do……”
On the night of the second day of their journey to the Holy Nation.
While the coachman and Riella were sleeping quietly,
Se-on had absentmindedly used [Undress] on Yubel.
Why?
Because his lust had suddenly surged.
“Ha.”
Even he thought it was a pathetic reason.
How could he harbor such a lewd thought toward an unconscious Yubel?
Fortunately, he came to his senses.
So he didn’t touch her after using [Undress].
After some time, Yubel’s panties were back on her, too.
What a shame.
Anyway.
From that day on, he started sleeping far away from Yubel.
And he put the skill window somewhere far away, too.
Ever since what happened in the dungeon, this thing had made him a little uneasy.
“If only I’d done that from the start, when Yubel told me not to use my skills……”
Sigh.
It was pointless to think about it.
[Pheromone] was already working passively, and [Undress] was essential when Yubel went to the bathroom.
-Rustle.
Ugh, damn it. Just thinking of the word undress had made my lust rise again.
Tsk, I’d better just go to sleep.
After a little over ten days, they finally arrived at the Holy Nation.
There was a brief altercation with the gate guards, who eyed the Hero wearing only bottoms and the girl in a bikini suspiciously, but fortunately, the coachman vouched for their identities, and they were allowed through.
Even so, they couldn’t meet the Holy Maiden right away.
There were several complicated procedures required to meet her, and they were told she was away due to her busy schedule.
And so, they arrived at the nearest clinic.
But……
“Pardon? W-What exactly do you mean?”
“This is the first time we’ve encountered a case like this, so I’m not sure how to explain it…… The patient named Yubel. Divine power has absolutely no effect on her. In fact, she’s resisting it violently, so…… If we continue treating her carelessly, her life could be in danger.”
The healer bowed at the waist, delivering the painful news.
When Riella and Se-on pleaded with them, ‘Please, please save her,’
the healer gave them a sympathetic look and handed them a map, saying, ‘It might be best to go here.’
It was a large church building in the center of the Holy Nation.
The healer said that they might be able to find the reason divine power wasn’t working there.
“Hmm, please wait a moment.”
A nun who seemed somewhat elderly took Yubel into a secluded room.
“W-What if we can’t see Yubel again like this?”
“……That won’t happen.”
I’ll save her, no matter what it takes.
With that resolve, he waited for good news.
Time passed, and night fell, so he tried to sleep on the cold church floor.
That night, he had a truly awful dream.
It was a dream of…… raping Yubel, who couldn’t wake up.
The first thing he saw upon waking was his own cock, hard as a rock.
‘Have I finally gone mad?’
Ever since that day, it felt as if his lust had exploded.
It was almost as if he’d become a knight who’d suppressed his desires for hundreds of years.
“We have the results…… First, I think you should prepare yourselves before I tell you.”
The nun came out of the room and spoke to them with a stern expression.
They swallowed and nodded quietly.
What on earth had happened?
“Your companion, Lady Yubel……”
But.
They should have prepared themselves more.
Because what came next was shocking enough to drive them insane.
“It seems she’s been corrupted by a demon……. And a powerful archdemon at that.”
His mind went blank.