Chapter 131: Nightmare (1)

Chapter 131: Nightmare (1)

Ellie
stared blankly at the woman before her.

The
dark-haired female held him tightly, the mound of her pussy pressed
against Balkan’s hip.

She
buried her nose in his neck and inhaled deeply.

“Master…hmm…hmm…master…sniff.
It’s the real you, the real, real you, I’ve missed you, Master.”

She
looked at the woman savoring Balkan’s body scent with an ecstatic
expression.

-Tuduk.

Ellie
felt something snap in her head.

-Hmph!

The
tips of Ellie’s hair burned slightly.

It
was a minor side effect of the sudden release of magic but not
something to worry about right now.

There
was a more important matter at hand.

In
an instant, two fireballs formed in Ellie’s hands.

Right
after.

-Kududududud!

The
sound of a bowstring was heard from inside the cave where the
dark-haired woman had emerged.

The
arrowhead glowed in the darkness and was aimed at Ellie’s brow.

The
party recognized it as the signal for battle, and they raised their
weapons.

“Stop!”

Balkan
shouted urgently as he looked up at the woman with her cheek pressed
against his chest.

Ellie’s
body, which had been filled with thoughts of firing a fireball and
burning the woman in front of her into a handful of ashes, stiffened
like stone at Balkan’s words.

Her
mind was filled with other thoughts, but her body was obediently
following Balkan’s orders.

Questions
immediately followed.

Why?

‘Why
do you want me to stop? She’s the enemy, she’s a bad, perverted
bitch who touched oppa’s body and molested him!’

The
relationship with her adoptive mother was something she could accept
and understand.

Whether
her stepmother and oppa were sharing a steamy, heartfelt copulatory
kiss, or whether they were going to have sex someday, if not now,
then someday⋯

⋯ she
was a little bit jealous, a little bit envious, and a whole lot
wanting to do it herself.

For
Ellie, it was all within acceptable limits.

Her
foster mom and oppa were sharing affection with each other before
her, and she was grateful that she was included.

The
other female, however, was another story.

“Balkan.
Explain.”

Joy
Hog asked, shield raised.

Balkan
sighed and shook off the dark-haired woman in front of him.

“⋯She’s
a member of my old party.”

“Yes,
old times. Master, I’m still one of your – kekk-!”

-snap!

Balkan
casually snatched the leash from around the woman’s neck.

“And.”

“⋯Heheh⋯Master⋯Keheh⋯Master⋯hasn’t
changed⋯”

The
dark-haired woman, her throat naturally raised, choked out, her face
wet with joy and delight.

“She’s
my slave.”

-Grrrr.

The
party dropped their weapons, dumbfounded by Balkan’s declaration.

The
flame in Ellie’s hand quickly lost its power and went cold.

“⋯?”

Only
Ellie’s desperate voice echoed in the sky.

***

To
our relief, Grumpy let us into the cave.

Considering
how territorial most explorers are, this was a huge concession.

The
cave was quite cozy and the warmth of the bonfire melted our frozen
bodies.

“Chirp
Chirp of Wind Valley?”

“That,
yes. This is it!”

The
party member accompanying Grumpy was none other than the tiny Chirp
Chirp⋯no,
the one I had met earlier.

It
was the mid-level explorer, Wind Valley’s Chirp Chirp.

“Isn’t
she a spirit archer who acts based on trust? Why with someone like
that…?”

“No,
it probably means that she’s a decent enough person to be with that
Spirit Archer.”

“Perhaps.
No matter how good a woman is, she’s still biologically female.
They’re instinctively drawn to men⋯”

“A
woman can also be a bitch in front of a man⋯
but that⋯”

Joy
Hog, Hitolis, Lammel, and Jubeel’s gazes turned to me.

Or,
more precisely, to Grumpy clinging to my side.

“Heheh……”

The
expressions on the faces of the party members grew subtle as they
stared at the happy, smiling Grumpy, leashed to me.

“⋯But
isn’t there something wrong with that?”

“It’s
like meeting someone from another world, with a leash on and walking
on all fours by itself.”

“⋯Is
it too early for the criminal’s common sense⋯”

“I’m
afraid of slaves.”

Her
behavior would make even Jubeel shake her head.

“Master.
Other people are looking at you and me. This thrilling feeling I
haven’t felt in a long time⋯
Hehe, ah, here I go, here I go⋯”

Grumpy
head jerked up, her back rattling.

It
was a natural masochistic perversion, lightly aroused by the scornful
glances of others.

Whatever
had happened in the meantime, she looked even worse than before.

The
party members shook their heads and turned away from Grumpy who had
climaxed.

The
atmosphere at the first meeting was tense.

Grumpy
behavior was not particularly hostile, and Chirp Chirp status as a
spirit of the Wind Valley gave them considerable credibility.

They
are not particularly dangerous.

The
party members have begun to relax their guard against them, though.

However,
there were still some who were still wary of them.

“⋯Oppa.”

Ellie’s
elf ears pricked up incredulously, and she glared at Grumpy.

“Really,
are you okay?”

I
laughed bitterly at Ellie’s overwhelming concern.

“I’m
fine. We had a party back in the day. She’s pretty good, and she
listens to me.”

-Tsk
tsk.

I
stroked Grumpy’s head, and she whimpered again, her face pale.

Ellie’s
gaze sharpened again as she watched her. She couldn’t look away.

“Still,
I think we should stay away from her, just in case.”

“Hey.
You little fire starter.”

As
she listened to Ellie’s words, Grumpy’s face turned sour.

Her
piercing purple eyes reflected Ellie’s confused expression.

“Fire
starter?”

“Yes,
you. Don’t cross the line. I could have kicked everyone out of the
cave except for master, but I didn’t. I let you in and you should
have bowed your head and thanked me, not telling others that I’m
dangerous. You know what you’re talking about, you little bitch!”

-Hmph!

With
a single tug on the chain collar, the ferocious snarl softened into a
grimace.

“Ellie.
Go back and rest, warm up.”

“Ha,
but…”

“Ellie.”

“⋯⋯⋯.”

I
said it over and over again, and Ellie bowed her head.

Grumpy
next to me smiled triumphantly and hugged me tighter.

Ellie
glared at her with a mixture of anger and humiliation, but she
finally obeyed me and left to join the rest of the party.

She
looked like a puppy left behind by a moving family after being told
they’d be back later.

I
decided I’d have to talk to her later, but for now, I focused on
Grumpy.

I
had a lot of questions to ask her.

“You.
Where the hell have you been all this time?”

“Well,
it’s a bit of a long story.”

With
a look of reminiscence on her face, Grumpy slowly recounted her
story.

When
I was dropped to the fifth floor by a reformed explorer named
Derucio, Grumpy realized her own shortcomings.

“Then,”
she says, ”I heard a voice asking me if I needed strength.”

“You
heard a voice in the labyrinth?”

“No.
Jeremy, who was with me, didn’t hear it. It was in my head.”

A
mysterious voice that targeted only Grumpy.

I
don’t know who the voice belongs to, but I have a rough idea of what
it is.

[◆
The Curse of the 30th Puppet]

The
first time Grumpy was cursed the number was in the thousandths but
now it’s up to the thirties.

Something
must have happened to change her.

“I
went to the place the voice told me to go, made a connection with
someone ⋯and
did a lot of things to get stronger⋯
but it’s still not enough.”

Grumpy
looked at me with a pleading face and said.

“Again,
I don’t want to be separated from my master like that.”

“⋯⋯”

“So,
I want to get stronger, strong enough to protect my master.”

⋯Have
you been struggling a lot?

She’s
always been bold before, but not to this extent, and somehow she’s
become a bit more aggressive.

Maybe
the breakup was more traumatic for her.

“I
wanted to come to you when I was strong enough to protect you⋯when
I was strong enough to do so without offending you.”

To
me, of course, this was positive news.

What
other slave could be so loyal and devoted to his master?

“⋯I
suffered.”

“Heh.”

I
patted her on the head, and she grinned and hugged me tightly.

-Kadadad.

I
heard a thin sound in the distance.

I
turned to see Ellie, her long elven ears stretched to the limit,
listening in on the conversation.

“⋯⋯”

-Kwuuk-

With
trembling hands, Ellie clutched the coat I gave her and buried her
face in it.

“Hooooo.”

I
forced my eyes back to Grumpy and got back to the point.

“So,
who are you working for now?”

The
‘voice’ was trying to nurture her by giving her a teacher.

Although
she didn’t know it, I could tell that the voice had some expectations
of her.

“You’re
always in my heart, master.”

“Don’t
talk nonsense.”

“Hmph.”

The
grin on her face returned to a serious expression.

“Master.”

She
turned back to me.

“By
any chance, do you know of a curse by the name of Puppet?”