8. Rescue (2)
Dark elves are famous for their mastery of poisons. Put another way, they possess remarkably extensive medical knowledge, so Lumentar quickly pinpointed the cause as he examined his sister's condition. With no external wounds or marks, her dilated pupils unresponsive to stimuli—there was only one explanation. It was drugs.
Fury surged through him once more as he turned his head. He fixed his gaze on Ram, the ratkin half-blood managing this basement.
"What drug did you give my sister, you filthy mongrel?"
"Drug? I-I don't know anything! I just manage the pigs down here..."
Ram tried to play dumb, insisting he knew nothing. Just as Lumentar's hatred was about to explode at the obvious evasion—
The mercenary holding Ram, Eugene, drew his dagger and sliced off the ratkin hybrid's right ear clean.
Schwick... plop.
"Gaaahhh!"
"Spit it out now, or the left one's saying goodbye to your skull too."
"Kkhuhk— I really, really don't know... I just vaguely remember the drug name Igor mentioned once."
"Then if you want to save at least one ear, cough it up fast."
"Got it! Okay! It was some flower—ah, Portrin Flower! Portrin Flower!"
As Eugene's blood-smeared dagger touched his left ear, Ram finally blurted out the name. Lumentar's face twisted even further.
And for good reason. Portrin Flower was an aphrodisiac. A vicious one that could turn the user into an idiot if mishandled.
****
Portrin Flower. I knew this infamous aphrodisiac well. A blue variant rose that grows only in the Portrin region in the continent's southeast. The concentrated extract processed from it is Portrin Flower, and its potency as an aphrodisiac is overwhelmingly superior to any other drug. It doesn't just arouse the user and amplify pleasure—it can even turn the agony of dismemberment into ecstasy.
That's why, on battlefields without priests or healing potions, it's sometimes used on the severely wounded instead... The problem is its severe, irreversible side effect. If the overwhelming pleasure doesn't burn out the drug's components from the body before its effects wear off, nine out of ten users suffer total mental collapse, leaving only an empty shell of flesh.
So the moment "Portrin Flower" slipped from Ram's lips—
Grind!
Lumentar's teeth ground together audibly. At the same instant—
Schwick!
My hand moved, severing the ratkin's remaining ear with the dagger.
"Grahhhh!! I even told you the aphrodisiac's name—why?!"
Ram thrashed and wailed in agony at losing his left ear despite the "deal." I looked down at him with pure disgust, no pity whatsoever. I'd never bought his excuses to begin with, and I knew full well this horrific basement scene was all his doing.
'He played dumb, but this bastard's the one who fed her the Portrin Flower too. Fuck, this rat scum just complicated everything.'
Right then—
Thwack!
"Khk—"
I chopped the nape of his noisy neck, knocking him out cold. Then I approached Lumentar, who was draping his cloak over his sister.
"How's your sister holding up?"
"Luckily, it hasn't been long since the drug was administered, so she's just unconscious for now. The problem is... awakening will start within ten minutes."
Awakening. In other words, the heat from the Portrin Flower was imminent. Lumentar shook his head slightly as he confirmed it.
Their eyes met mine by chance. Realization flashed across his face again, and he spoke in a voice laced with expectation, doubt, and complex emotions.
"You... confident in bed?"
He was euphemistically suggesting I take his sister.
"Not a single woman I've bedded has gone unsatisfied."
I revealed my confidence with a subtle edge. A strange silence settled between us briefly.
Then, as if resolved, Lumentar sighed and opened his mouth.
"Then get us out of here and help my sister. It won't be a bad deal for you either..."
"Gladly. Fate brought us together, after all."
His proposal hit my ears, and I felt my heart stir as I nodded. Sure, part of it was completing the "Fate's Scale" quest. But the real reason pounding in my chest was something else.
'I thought it'd always be an impossible dream...'
Sex with a dark elf—practically impossible for a human. That once-in-a-lifetime chance had come knocking.
. . .
First, as emergency treatment, we fed Selene a delaying agent to slow the aphrodisiac's effects.
"I'll take point until we escape the building. You carry Selene."
At Lumentar's insistence, I hoisted her up—wrapped tightly in the cloak—onto my back.
With Selene secured firmly against me, I headed to the corner where we'd dumped the unconscious Ram to check for any secret passages.
"Handy, water right here. Splash him awake and—huh?"
That's when shit hit the fan. In place of Ram's limp body was just the blood trail from his severed ears on the floor.
The moment I spotted it—
Shing! Clang!
Swords whipped from our belts. Lumentar, more mobile, blocked the room's only exit. As I scanned the floor for traces—
Thud!
A dull noise echoed from the shadowy opposite corner beyond the light. My eyes caught a fleeting glimpse at the source—something vanishing into a blacker-than-dark hole in the corner.
Before we could react, another thud, and the secret passage reverted to a plain wall.
Thump! Thump!
"Damn it..."
Too late, I reached the wall, groping and kicking, but nothing budged—no catches, no openings.
Crisis spiking, heart hammering, I stared at the dim stone for a moment before facing reality over faint, foolish hope. With that half-breed rat escaped, lingering here only dropped our survival odds.
. . .
Lumentar navigated forks without hesitation. Following with Selene on my back, we hit the stairs to the surface in under a minute—a door appeared.
The same one we'd paralyzed the burly guard at earlier.
Next instant—Lumentar cracked it open swiftly but quietly, reversing his grip on his sword. His arm shot out—
Squelch! Spurt...
Blade sinking into flesh, the sound brief and fading. Familiar coppery blood scent filled my nose. In my peripheral, blood trickled from the paralyzed brute's side.
Screeeee!
A shrill whistle pierced from afar.
Scree! Screeeee! Tweet tweet!
"Run, you bastards! Seal the front gate quick!"
Whistles erupted everywhere, followed by shouts ordering men. My grip tightened on my sword, legs coiling with power. We had to bolt before the gang locked down the building.
Just then—the parlor at the corridor's end, and beyond, the still-open front door.
No need for words—Lumentar and I accelerated into the parlor.
"It's those fuckers!"
Four of Igor's goons burst from the opposite hall, charging us.
In that moment, Lumentar stepped forward, his form blurring faintly. His sword's arc became a silver thread, slicing their torsos.
Splat!
Four bodies hit the floor, upper and lower halves separated, wet thuds echoing.
"H-Huh?! Wha-what?!"
"Gaaahhh!"
In the precious seconds left, they screamed at their spilling guts. Lumentar, displaying power beyond my expectations, turned and shouted.
"Keep running straight out of the building! I still have unfinished business..."
Unfinished business, he trailed off. Turning back, his face was etched with sticky murderous intent and vengeance.