27. Emergency? (3)

Perhaps… this might actually work?

Lily gently stroked her soft, slightly protruding lower abdomen.

Just below her navel, an unfamiliar energy squirmed and flaunted its presence within her womb.

Though it was something Jane had secretly planted inside her while she slept…

Since the Master had sacrificed (now fully recovered) the Heart’s Ring to implant it, this power felt precious to her.

“No, ugh, this feels a bit weird…”

It gave her the same feeling as when a boyfriend secretly removes a condom.

But Lily shook her head vigorously to dismiss the unnecessary thought.

What mattered now wasn’t sensing the traces Jane left behind.

The top priority was regaining the ability to subdue all the kidnappers outside the carriage at once.

“Huu…”

Exhaling a long, thin breath, Lily slowly closed her eyes.

Then she began focusing all her nerves on the wriggling energy.

Had the kidnappers checked inside the carriage, they would have been horrified.

The drug used to knock Lily unconscious was a powerful anesthetic strong enough to put even a massive behemoth to sleep.

Though the dosage was adjusted, normally she shouldn’t have woken up for at least a week.

But Lily was already awake and had begun her task.

The drug resistance she and Jane had meticulously built up was now proving its worth.

-Clunk clunk

The carriage shook violently as it traveled over the poorly maintained road.

Yet external factors couldn’t disturb Lily, who had begun her deep focus.

While absorbing aphrodisiacs, narcotics, and poisons, whenever handling this rapidly grown ability, Jane always said:

‘Don’t rush. Take it slow.’

Following her vividly echoing voice, Lily moved slowly.

Steadily, without stopping, she approached the energy within her womb.

‘Shoo-, good girl.’

Then, very carefully, she grasped the reins of the bridled horse.

“Huu…”

Though she hadn’t mounted it, nor had she been brought to her knees, Lily sighed in relief.

But the moment she did, trouble abruptly arose.

-Thump

This was the first time she’d moved the power alone without Jane by her side.

Perhaps because it went far more smoothly than expected?

Lily had let her guard down.

“Ah.”

The chains of desire that tightly bound Lily’s tiny belly-Jane Bathory’s control spell-had been strongly suppressing her power.

And this created a rebound force, like a compressed spring.

Now that the control spell had weakened, when Lily touched the power, it snapped back like a released spring.

“Hwuek?!”

The energy that had been crouching inside instantly spread throughout her entire body.

Without distinction between blood vessels, nerves, or muscles, the sticky supernatural ability encroached everywhere.

“Ugh!”

Unable to hold back the nausea, Lily eventually vomited.

“Hueu.”

A foul smell slowly spread through the cramped carriage interior.

But Lily had no time to care about that.

The energy, now wildly surging with newfound freedom, was far more urgent.

“Wh-what do I, ugh.”

This was an emergency that needed immediate handling.

She had trained with Jane for situations like this.

But Lily couldn’t regain control of the slipped reins.

With Jane not beside her and the Master’s warmth absent, her mind went blank.

“Ugh!”

Lily emptied her stomach once more.

The faint metallic taste rising from her throat seemed to signal the severity of the situation.

At that moment.

-Huh

Lily heard a laugh-unnatural, detached from reality.

A laugh that resonated not in her eardrums but directly in her mind.

A fragment of joy she tried hard to swallow but ultimately failed to contain.

Lily’s mind snapped back to attention.

She recognized that this paradoxically familiar yet unfamiliar voice belonged to the Demon King.

Why was she laughing now, in such a desperate situation?

She didn’t know the reason.

But even Lily could tell that this power surge was beneficial to the Demon King.

“D-damn it…”

It was painful and agonizing.

Yet, despite it all, Lily steadied her collapsing posture and closed her eyes.

Her driving force was sheer irritation and a rebellious spirit.

After all, Maylily was someone who defied and provoked even the terrifying Jane Bathory.

“Hueu.”

The chaotic energy thrashing inside made her nauseous.

But Lily remembered that this ability itself originated from Jane.

She slowly inhaled air into her lungs, shriveled in pain.

“Huu…”

Then exhaled a thin, steady breath.

***

“That was almost a disaster.”

She wiped the cold sweat beading on her forehead with her sleeve.

Then tentatively moved the now smoothly flowing energy.

Even without closing her eyes or focusing intently, it obeyed her will.

She had finally succeeded in controlling the power.

“Huu.”

In the process, Jane’s control spell had also collapsed.

But the ability, now firmly reined in, had become utterly obedient to Lily.

-Tsk

A clicking tongue echoed in her mind.

The Demon King’s mischievous nature was palpable.

“Why? This isn’t a dream…”

It was strange to hear the Demon King’s voice in reality rather than a dream.

But Lily soon turned her attention elsewhere.

There were more pressing matters at hand.

The carriage still clattered and shook.

With the unsealed power affecting all her senses, she could perceive the outside without even straining her ears.

-Huh, hehe, just a quick look. Just a peek.

-No.

-Hehe, why? I’ll just glance and come right back.

-No. 3, do you really think you’d stop at just looking?

-Huh, we can’t touch her anyway because of the protection magic.

-Ah, damn. You horny bastard.

Three men guarding the moving carriage-No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.

Their robust physiques were vividly perceptible.

Normally, she would have trembled in fear, swallowing hard.

Her weakened body couldn’t handle even a slender woman like Marie, let alone a burly man.

But now was different.

The overwhelming power surging through her body bolstered her confidence.

“Which poison should I use?”

She almost felt giddy.

Like a child given a toy sword, eager to swing it around.

Suppressing giggles, she considered which poison to unleash.

Even if she chose the most vicious and lethal kind, she felt no guilt.

They had already crossed the line.

“Huu.”

Her heart pounded.

Taking a deep breath, Lily bit her pinky finger.

-Crunch

“Kkhii…”

It hurt far more than expected.

Tears welled up from the sharp pain in her fingertip.

Of course it hurt-she’d bitten hard enough to draw blood.

In movies, people wrote blood oaths so easily, so she thought drawing blood would be simple.

The euphoria from her power must have dulled her sense of reality.

“Huing.”

Her nose reddened as she examined her trembling finger.

Through her dark-adapted Jewel Eye, she saw blood dripping from the wound.

She deliberately squeezed her finger, letting the blood drip.

Crimson petals bloomed on the carriage floor, gradually turning transparent.

Soon, the interior filled with a fishy yet strangely sweet scent.

“Hmm.”

Confirming the intended toxic reaction, Lily absentmindedly took a shallow breath.

Then felt her head grow light.

“Eeek?”

It was far more intense than she’d expected.

Had she used something too potent?

***

-Kyaaaaah!!!

A sharp scream pierced the air as the carriage slowly came to a halt.

“Tsk, we need to hurry.”

“Damn it.”

“Hehe, even her screams are cute.”

No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3-all from the Empire-reacted differently.

Though they’d served on the frontier, their exceptional skills had allowed them to rise quickly through the military ranks at a young age.

But that was all in the past.

The three were now condemned criminals, awaiting execution for murder, robbery, and rape.

After barely escaping, they’d worked as fixers for an anonymous noble ever since.

They preferred this dirty work to military service.

Assassinations, arson, kidnappings-though dishonorable, they could indulge their desires and were well compensated.

This job was no different.

The request was unexpected, but they’d done worse. They planned to leave the country afterward.

Breaching the Imperial Palace, which they’d expected to be the hardest part, was surprisingly easy.

The client had prepared thoroughly, but the palace guards were also far laxer than anticipated.

Of course, there were hiccups.

During the escape, the slave’s collar activated a protective spell, burning No. 2’s hand.

But they’d succeeded.

Strangely, there was no pursuit, putting them further at ease.

“Haah, keep watch.”

No. 1, his face masked, sighed and opened the carriage door.

“Huh?”

The little brat must have gotten sick-the carriage reeked of vomit.

Mixed in was a strangely sweet scent.

She must have eaten something sugary before being kidnapped.

No. 1 exhaled softly and peered into the dark corner of the carriage.

He didn’t know why she’d woken up so soon, but the girl who’d presumably screamed was trembling violently.

Reaching out slowly, he growled:

“Scream again, and I’ll kill you.”

Terrified, the girl shrank further into the corner.

Then nodded and pointed deeper inside.

“Th-there’s s-something in there…”

“Huh?”

“Hueung.”

Lily crawled toward him like a frightened animal.

No. 1, initially wary of the slave collar’s magic, soon confirmed it wasn’t active.

To prevent another scream, he moved to cover her mouth.

But Lily dodged, insistently pointing inside.

“Inside, h-huh, there’s something inside!”

Moonlight illuminated her face.

Tears glistened in her yellow Jewel Eye.

“Tsk.”

More afraid of something inside than her kidnapping, she seemed like a genuine child.

No. 1 let his guard down completely.

He scooped up her small frame and stepped out of the carriage.

“No. 2.”

“Yeah, what?”

“Check inside the carriage.”

“Damn it.”

Grumbling but obedient, No. 2 complied.

No. 3, who’d been eyeing Lily, sidled closer.

“Heh, hehehe.”

“Weren’t you supposed to keep watch?”

“Hehe, there’s no pursuit anyway.”

“Tsk.”

No. 3 leaned in, locking eyes with Lily.

His lecherous gaze gleamed with desire.

“Hehe, h-hi there.”

“Eek!”