Ch.86Smoke (3)

    Virzoneh wasn’t particularly strong for a Demon Lord Army executive. Her true power came not from personal combat ability but from commanding her legion.

    She sprayed pheromones of heat and enchantment that bewitched not only males but females as well. Those under her spell would gladly sacrifice their lives for her.

    Absolute obedience, indeed.

    This was why Virzoneh, who had only reached the position of division commander, was called the Queen.

    [“Forbidden spell. I beseech the demon of the south, let those directly addicted to my pheromones be unable to escape by any means as long as I live.”]

    It was power she had gained by selling even her soul to demons in the past. As long as she didn’t die, those who had smelled her enchanting fragrance would forever be her servants.

    “Ugh, my body feels strange…”

    “Urrrgh!”

    “Everyone, keep your wits about you…! Argh!”

    Look. The women were already swooning.

    Even that nun with holy healing power couldn’t control her body. Purification with Sephiron had its limits. That’s how powerful this poison was.

    Quite an amusing sight. In about an hour, they would completely become her servants, following only her commands.

    They weren’t important right now.

    Securing the fresh vital energy of men—males—was the priority.

    The Queen’s gaze fell to the ground.

    “Ugh, uh, ah.”

    The mage was crawling on the floor. He looked miserable, as if he had thrown away all human dignity.

    [“So there was nothing special after all.”]

    She had thought he must be extraordinary since he had annihilated the Hornet Unit, but that was a needless worry. He wasn’t weak, but he wasn’t superhuman enough to withstand the pheromones.

    Just in case, if he had mastered ‘Precision,’ she might have lost.

    Of course, he wasn’t that strong a human. His skill in handling magic seemed excellent, but he lacked absolute magical power. He had fallen just short of reaching that level.

    That spider woman would be quite disappointed if she saw this.

    With that thought, Virzoneh flicked her tongue and spoke.

    [“Rise.”]

    At those words, the man stood up. The command through pheromones was working properly.

    [“Come here while taking off your clothes.”]

    The man followed that order mechanically as well. When he discarded even his pride and removed his top like a male prostitute, Virzoneh didn’t hold back the laughter that was about to escape.

    Everyone was like this.

    It had always been this way.

    No matter how high one’s prowess, once captivated by sexual desire, intelligence dropped and one became a beast. This was the conclusion she had reached after living for hundreds of years. All living beings could only be faithful to their instincts.

    [“How foolish.”]

    How stupid could one be?

    Anyway, it had been a while since she’d tasted a human man. His appearance passed muster. She would first have a little taste, then take him to her new nest and slowly extract his essence.

    [“Now, stick out your tongue.”]

    At Virzoneh’s instruction, the man opened his mouth.

    And spat out a stone.

    [“Fire, rise.”]

    A storm of flames engulfed the queen bee’s face.

    ***

    Is deception and lying a virtue for mages?

    At first glance, it seemed like a frame. A story spread by the Holy Spirit Kingdom to emphasize that mages were evil.

    But thinking carefully, it also contained an exquisite truth.

    To become an excellent mage, mastering theory and mana training is basic, but one also needs fox-like tricks. The ability to improvise skillfully even in crisis situations. Only with such ability can one truly fulfill their role in that field.

    Discarding my pride and taking off my shirt in front of the queen bee was a masterstroke. Thanks to that, she was completely fooled.

    [“Kyaaaak!”]

    The queen bee’s head crackled as it burned. It worked perfectly. Gone was the confident and seductive voice from earlier, leaving only a monster screaming in agony.

    How noisy.

    I spat out the remaining magic stone.

    [“Cut it off.”]

    Slash!

    Mana honed like a blade swept past the queen bee’s neck.

    Splash!

    A fountain of blood gushed out. Sparks and blood mixed, creating a terrible burning smell. I covered my nose and kicked the queen bee’s body. The headless body staggered and fell backward.

    Just to be safe, I cut off all her limbs and divided the torso into three parts. It was cruel, but necessary. By doing this, we would be that much safer.

    The twitching limbs soon stopped moving completely.

    “What a futile death.”

    Buzz!

    Several wasps, seeing their leader’s death, gritted their teeth and charged.

    Having taken off my clothes, I had no magic stones readily available. This was bad.

    With things as they were, I had no choice but to dodge.

    But then.

    “Mage!”

    “Get out of the way!”

    From the left came the Valkyrie, and from the right came Riyo. They stabbed and slashed the two wasps charging at me.

    “Haa, haa!”

    “…Are you okay?”

    Riyo and the Valkyrie both reached out their hands at the same time. I grabbed them both and barely regained my balance.

    Both the Valkyrie and the fox sisters had flushed faces. The nun in the back was already in a daze, her limbs going numb. Everyone looked terrible.

    “Ms. Kasten! Are you alright?”

    “Uh, y-yes. I’m fine.”

    The nun shook her head and formed a halo above it. The holy power that had been suppressed spread widely. I could feel my excited body gradually regaining stability.

    I looked at the burning tree. The remaining wasps were flying around trying to extinguish the fire. They probably didn’t even know their leader was dead.

    Having just defeated their leader, we couldn’t die at the hands of the remnants. I surveyed everyone and urged them.

    “Let’s end today’s exploration here. Let’s return to the base and regroup.”

    “Yes, that would be best.”

    The nun nodded weakly. The battle hadn’t been intense, but everyone’s mental strength had been greatly depleted due to the charm magic. Especially me—I was on the verge of mana exhaustion after using magic repeatedly.

    I asked David, Kalon, and Miyo to share some of their magical power with me, then prepared a teleportation spell.

    “Ms. Kasten, aren’t you going to say those things this time?”

    “What things?”

    “I like you. I love you. You’re a kind person, Erich.”

    “Eeeeek—!!”

    With the nun’s cute scream, we returned to the base.

    “…Ah.”

    My strength drained completely at the sight of the shabby hut. I never realized how comforting it could be to have a home to return to and rest.

    The four of us collapsed onto the bed. Though the stone bed was hard, it also felt cozy. Just having a place to lie down gave me hope.

    I looked up at the ceiling and asked.

    “How is everyone feeling?”

    “Um, Mage.”

    “Are you hurting somewhere?”

    “No. It’s just…”

    The nun got up and climbed on top of me.

    My thoughts stopped momentarily before returning.

    “W-what are you doing?”

    “I, I definitely purified myself, right? But my body still feels hot…”

    “Hmm,” the nun exhaled. The warm air tickled my nose. She brought her face close with eyes as intense as a lotus flower.

    The nun’s nose touched mine.

    I know something about Lumina and Elven culture. When they touch noses like this, it means the following in pan-Elven culture:

    I want to have sexual relations with you.

    In the old days, elves were more conservative than humans when it came to sex. Since suddenly kissing might surprise or offend the other person, the custom of touching noses as a preliminary step emerged.

    “…”

    I couldn’t help but be flustered.

    Looking at it another way, isn’t this somewhere between a kiss and a confession?

    “…May I?”

    The nun asked in a voice wet with desire. Before my thread of reason could snap, I sat up.

    “No, you may not.”

    The nun’s eyes turned purple. The emotions I felt were worry and anxiety.

    “D-do I displease you?”

    “No.”

    “Is it because I’m not Erich’s type…?”

    “That’s not it either. Honestly, you’re beautiful enough to fall for at first sight. Who would reject someone like you?”

    “…Then why?”

    “Because right now, Ms. Kasten, you’re not doing this of your own free will.”

    I’ve tried my best to live as humanely as possible since birth. I’ve been careful with every action and avoided doing things that seemed wrong. Thanks to that, even if I couldn’t enjoy blessings, I was able to avoid major disasters.

    It’s the same now.

    The nun isn’t normally like this. It must be due to the poison still lingering in her body.

    Since I’m the only man here, she’s reflexively clinging to me.

    I can’t touch her here. It would be immoral. Abandoning morality brings karmic retribution.

    “It seems even Ms. Kasten’s holy power couldn’t completely neutralize it. You should rest well today.”

    “No, I…”

    “You’re not normally like this, Sister.”

    If the nun were in her right mind, it might be different.

    No, even if she were in her right mind, it would be dangerous. If I made a mistake, I might end up being hunted by the Holy Spirit Order.

    Spending the rest of my life under the surveillance of the Holy Spirit Church?

    No thanks. I’d rather die.

    All I could do was calm the nun down. I carefully laid her down from her head and took off my clothes to cover her instead of a blanket.

    “Sniff, sniff.”

    The nun hugged my clothes and smelled them.

    “So this is what a man smells like…”

    I was horrified. This is a serious level.

    That queen bee. I thought she was weak for a leader.

    To think her magic could reduce even the nun to this state—she must have been quite skilled. Fortunate that we eliminated her in advance.

    Next, I checked on the Valkyrie and Riyo.

    “How are you two? Your condition.”

    “…Itchy.”

    “Hot.”

    What’s wrong with these two?

    Actually, given the nun’s state, it’s natural that these two would be affected as well.

    It’s significant that I alone am normal.

    I’ve already shaken off the effects of the pheromones. Is it because I’m a man, or because I’m a mage? Or simply because my constitution is different?

    I couldn’t tell. If I knew that, I’d be a doctor.

    Still, the Valkyrie and the fox sisters acted within the bounds of what I knew of them.

    The Valkyrie only tried to hold my hand, while the fox sisters wrapped their tails around my waist and rubbed against me like animals.

    [“Mage, there’s something I haven’t told you.”]

    [“What is it?”]

    [“We’ve been in heat since two weeks ago?”]

    [“…What am I supposed to do about that?”]

    [“Tail.”]

    Is she asking me to touch it?

    No. I can’t. How important is the tail for beastfolk?

    Thump.

    The fox sisters wrapped their tails around my forearm. It’s stiffer and harder than usual. A sweet scent is also rising strongly.

    [“Touching our tails during this period has a very special meaning. So if you want an extremely special relationship with us… you can touch them anytime.”]

    What would happen if I grabbed this?

    I shook my head.

    [“Let’s talk about this later.”]

    I did think the fox sisters were lovable. I wanted to take care of them, be with them.

    But it’s still not enough.

    Even if I were to confess love to one of the three, it would be after finding an escape route.

    Until then, I’ll prioritize survival even if I have feelings. If I fall in love with one person, things might become awkward with the other two, and my judgment might be clouded momentarily.

    It was then that the Valkyrie, who was holding my hand, fidgeted.

    A look as if asking me to look at her.

    Although our eyes met unexpectedly, it’s still burdensome.

    “Erich.”

    The Valkyrie said.

    “…Tomorrow, want to go hunting together?”

    At least you’re saying the most normal thing. Did you develop immunity from being stung by bee venom once?

    “What hunting? Can you even go out in your condition?”

    “Yes.”

    “Don’t push yourself unnecessarily and rest while you can. Don’t complain later that you’re in more pain.”

    I gave the Valkyrie my t-shirt as well. The Valkyrie seems particularly prone to fevers and colds, so she needs to be watched carefully.

    As I turned on the light stone and was picking up stones for next time, four golems approached me one by one and each said something.

    “You trash.”

    “How are you trying to seduce three women at once? Are you perhaps a playboy?”

    “Erich, it would be better to choose just one bride.”

    “If you continue like this, you’ll have a very difficult time when you get married.”

    What are these people saying? Bride? Marriage?

    That’s still too far off.

    ***

    In fact, Tiria had already completely removed all the negative energy accumulated in her body with holy power.

    She just wanted to use the excuse of being intoxicated to kiss Erich once like Rachel did.

    Although she failed, he did say she was a beauty he could fall for at first sight, so there was hope. Tiria grinned.

    In fact, the fox sisters had secretly violated the rules of the love battle that Tiria had proposed on the previous island.

    Asking a human to touch the tail of a beastfolk woman in heat was equivalent to a marriage proposal in beastfolk culture, and this constituted a direct confession.

    Although Erich didn’t touch their tails in the end, he had considered it, so there was hope. Riyo and Miyo swished their tails.

    Also in fact, Rachel had lied about her body being hot when it wasn’t.

    It was because of… an unconscious desire to receive a little more attention from Erich.

    Although she only ended up being told to rest instead of going hunting, Erich didn’t remove his hand from hers and even took off his clothes to cover her, so there was hope. Rachel writhed in guilt and embarrassment.

    Indeed.

    All three had pretended they couldn’t help themselves, using the bee venom as an excuse.

    “…”

    “…”

    “…”

    And everyone except Erich had noticed. Women’s hearts are best understood by other women, after all.

    The battle of wits between the three had only just begun.


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