The Parasite's Neural Connection
Aww, no matter how much of a slut I am, pulling an all-nighter of sex is still exhausting. It drains the mind far more than the body. I wiped down Master’s knocked-out form—he had burned through both body and soul—with a damp towel and straightened the bed, which was an absolute wreck of semen and love juices.
In the bathroom, I glanced at the mirror and noticed the tentacles running along my spine had burrowed even deeper. Unlike yesterday, when they had simply clung to the surface of my skin, they had now sunk beneath it, as if they had burrowed inside. When I reached back to touch them, the sensation was exactly like stroking my own flesh. What was happening? The feeling of touching the tentacles was identical to touching my own skin. It was as if the nerves had fused.
If it had been Master, she would have examined it herself, but I was only a half-formed Abaddon Queen and lacked that ability. That left only one option.
“Tya, come out.”
Kyu?
“Hmm?”
Normally Tya only conveyed her thoughts after extending a tentacle from my anus, yet this time her intent reached me without any visible appendage. A subtle shifting sensation stirred along my spine. The tentacles attached there brushed against my spinal nerves, sending a ticklish ripple through me.
“Did you… connect nerves to my spine?”
Kyuu.
The affirmative response reminded me of something Isabel had once explained about predator-parasite type tentacles—one of the traits of a T-12. They were supposed to erode the host’s nervous system to take control. That ability had been deleted when Tyriel was converted into a bio-suit, but Tya, born through reproduction using my own eggs, still possessed it. She would never do anything harmful to me, the mother and host she recognized, yet I couldn’t help feeling startled.
“This is nerve erosion, isn’t it? Could you move my body if you wanted?”
Kyuung.
With her affirmative, the ticklish feeling returned to my spine. Both arms moved on their own, fingers shaping themselves into a heart.
It felt strangely similar to the way Master used to control my body.
“I trust that you won’t do anything dangerous to me, but you should have told me before doing something like this.”
Kyukyu.
“Yes, I know holding back your instincts is difficult. I also know you’re trying your best.”
Kyuung.
“You want to help me? Ah, you mean you’ll move my body for me? But how do you know what I see and hear?”
Kyuuu.
“What? You’ve already connected to my brain too? You naughty child.”
In just one night she had already extended nerves into my brain. The intense sex with Master must have kept me from noticing anything. Tyriel had always been obedient and listened carefully to Master’s words. Who on earth did this one take after to cause so much trouble?
Kyuu.
“You only wanted to help me?”
Tya confessed that she hated simply staying idle inside my belly. While helping her host and mother, she had pondered ways to become more active and arrived at this solution.
“Your intentions are good, but the method was terrible. Sigh… what’s done is done.”
Kyuu.
Tya made my hand draw a circle in the air. Hmm. Perhaps because it matched my own tastes, I didn’t feel particularly angry about her manipulating my body. I liked the current me who was separate from Master, yet there were still times I missed the sensation of her moving me at will.
“When I think about it, Abaddon as a whole is far superior, but T-12 seems to operate in a similar way.”
Kyu?
Before I knew it, Tya had taken control of my body and was showering. Her movements were still a little clumsy, but she was clearly doing her best. This was more convenient than I expected. I finally understood why Master sometimes left showering to me.
“Ah, do it like this over there.”
Kyu.
I occasionally taught her proper technique, and she followed along well. Unlike Tyriel, who had only done exactly what she was told, Tya actively tried to learn and absorb new information. It seemed her intelligence and sense of self were higher.
While I taught her how to shower, the ticklish sensation I had felt in my spine gradually faded with each movement. My body must have been adapting to the signals Tya sent.
After she finished drying me with a towel, Tya drew another circle in the air as if asking for praise.
“Yes, well done. Now turn into underwear. I’m going out.”
At my words, a tentacle emerged from my anus, connected with the one on my back, and began forming the shape of lingerie. The bra now exposed far more of my upper breasts than before, increasing its revealing nature, while the panties had become so thin they barely covered my crotch.
“Why did my underwear become so lewd?”
Kyuung.
“Your control has grown stronger?”
Kyuu, kyukyu.
“I see.”
Tya explained that when she connected to my brain, she had begun using a previously dormant region. She had not taken complete control like a full Abaddon, but she could utilize it enough to be helpful.
“Is it perhaps the area Master once controlled?”
The brain containing my current ego and memories was a small new one Master had created by imitating an Abaddon. The original human brain Master once used had fallen dormant after she separated from me. If I had been a complete Abaddon, I might have been able to use it myself, but as a half-formed being I could not remodel my own body the way Master could, so I had never even considered it. To think I would gain access to that unused brain in this manner left me with complicated feelings—both glad and uneasy.
Anyway, I put on the underwear Tya had formed and then threw on the first pair of jeans and t-shirt my hands found. Master and the Queens loved dressing me in pretty or provocative clothes, but I still preferred simple, comfortable ones.
I left the still-sleeping Master behind and stepped outside, only to find an unusual sight: Blackmen gathered in the lobby. Roughly forty massive, dark-skinned men sat on the lobby chairs or stood in the corridors—a spectacle in its own right. Their uniformly black attire only heightened their intimidating presence.
They had been chatting among themselves when one of them spotted me approaching and called out.
“Uhh? Elisha, where’s Lord Havid?”
“He’s still sleeping.”
“Lord Havid is?”
“He’s still asleep?”
“Did something happen?”
The murmuring swelled rapidly. The atmosphere felt off, so I simply stood there until the first man asked again.
“Hey, what happened? He’s not sick or anything, right?”
“No, he’s healthy. He’s just tired and sleeping in.”
“Tired from what…”
“Wait, you don’t mean from sex, do you?”
“No way. Would Lord Havid really be wiped out by something like that?”
“Well, back in his prime he could handle four slaves without breaking a sweat.”
“But he’ll be in his thirties next year…”
“His stamina is still better than yours, kid, and you’re still in your teens.”
Well, Master’s stamina really was impressive. Based on the Queens’ stories, he ranked first among all the Blackmen in Eden. The biggest proof was the fact that he had lasted an entire night with me even while I drained his vital energy.
“Excuse me, yes, he collapsed from sex. But why are you all gathered here waiting for Master?”
“For real? Did you bring in another woman besides Elisha yesterday?”
“I thought he was lasting unusually long with just one. So he finally added more, huh?”
“Elisha’s pretty amazing too, handling Lord Havid’s needs alone for months.”
“My Queens say she doesn’t lose to him even in sparring. Apparently she even wins sometimes?”
“This is a secret, but the first time Lord Havid and Elisha met…”
I had noticed it before, but these men were incredibly talkative for their size. Come to think of it, Master had always been quite chatty too. No, more importantly—
“It was just me yesterday. And could you all move aside? You’re all so big and clustered together that you’re completely blocking the corridor.”
“You made Lord Havid pass out all by yourself?”
“You’re a scary woman. Well, you are the unofficial number one in combat strength.”
“As expected of Lord Havid’s Queen. Spar with me next time.”
“Ugh, please step back a little.”
“Ah, right. A Queen needs her space.”
This lodging was specially ventilated because of the nature of pheromones, so I usually didn’t sense other Blackmen’s pheromones. But with this many gathered in one place, the mixture of various pheromones created an intensely unpleasant feeling.
“So we’re disbanding for today?”
“Looks like it.”
“What should I do now?”
“I’m going to go play with my Queens.”
“Mine are all at work.”
“That’s why I told you to make them quit.”
“I tried. But all three of them begged me in bed, saying they wanted to keep working. I couldn’t win against that.”
“Yeah, three of them ganging up on you is hard to resist.”
Fortunately the mood had shifted toward dispersal, and they were gradually heading outside. I left through the entrance where the lingering pheromones were dissipating and headed for the train station.
It was still early morning—the Queens would still be asleep—and since I was heading to the underground city, taking a private car with Brianna would be inappropriate. The train before rush hour was nearly empty, occupied only by cleaners and a handful of tourists.
I spent the peaceful ride watching Eden’s tranquil morning, painted in the light of the newly rising sun, and soon arrived at my destination. The closest entrance to the underground city from the entertainment district was in the commercial district. The dome entrance at the garden I used to visit was too far, so I had looked for a new one. Strangely, there was no entrance in the entertainment district itself despite it seeming the most likely; they only existed in the other zones. Among them, the elevator located in the commercial district—right next to the entertainment district yet technically on the outskirts—looked like an ordinary clock tower from the outside.
People who passed it every day paid it little attention. If you went around to the back of the clock tower, however, there was a door that never opened. When I stood in front of it and stated I was going to the underground city, the security system scanned my ear tag, confirmed no one else was nearby, and opened the door.
Inside the clock tower was an elevator with a familiar iron door and a single android. After the usual verification procedures, I rode the elevator down to the underground city.
The underground city was still dark and chilly. Countless android eyes glittered like stars.
“It feels like their numbers keep increasing… Just how many androids are there?”
It was only an impression, but the density of androids moving about was clearly higher than when I had first come to the underground city. They might not be high-end models, but if you gave them weapons they would make an excellent army.
On the path from this entrance to the laboratory stood one particularly large building. Armed androids stood guard in a line along its high surrounding walls. They wore visored helmets that hid their eyes, but I was certain they were scanning me. This structure, larger than our laboratory and the racetrack combined, was the Chimera Research Lab.
It was the facility Faust hated most among all the laboratories. Its basic work involved fusing humans and monsters, then using genetic manipulation to create bizarre yet useful creatures. Come to think of it, the slime collar installed in my core was from here, wasn’t it?
The Chimera Lab’s goal was the creation of combat organisms, so I had heard most of its creations were ferocious. Yet the slime had taken root in my core and produced only crystals so obediently that it was hard to think of it as ferocious. The slime milk in Master’s breasts was probably a chimera too, but its gentle nature made me wonder if it was simply a characteristic of slime-based organisms.
Recently, researchers who highly valued my instinct-control ability had been adjusting the growth of my core. They increased the growth limit every week and observed the effects. The meaningful result was that my Succubus abilities strengthened alongside the core’s growth. My charm eye grew stronger, physical abilities rose, and my horns and wings developed further. The side effect of my instinct to absorb vital energy also increased, but it was still within tolerable limits.
“Ah, is this why Master can’t endure as long as before?”
His total vital energy was still appropriate for my current desires, but I had a feeling that once the core grew further, I would crave even more. It felt like the more my power increased, the more I needed to consume—like how larger animals require larger meals.
Only now did I understand why Mother sometimes caused incidents. Living off the meager vital energy of the frail laboratory staff must leave her terribly frustrated. I wondered whether I should introduce her to a Blackman as I passed the Chimera Lab and walked down the street lined with identical buildings. The structures, all dark and empty, felt like gray walls hemming in both sides of the road. After walking down the not-very-long gray corridor, I reached our laboratory.
Just as I was about to enter, a voice called from behind me.
“Eli!”
Oh, calling me Eli must mean it was the Trainer. When I turned, sure enough, the Trainer and the woman she called her friend were approaching.
“Hello. Are you on your way to work?”
“Yeah. What about you?”
“I have business at the lab.”
At that moment the Trainer’s friend stepped forward boldly, grabbed my hand, and shook it.
“Hi, long time no see.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
“When are we going to breed? I’m all ready on my end!”
“Ah, that’s going to take quite a while.”
“A while? How long?”
“At least a year?”
At the word “year,” her face fell visibly. The Trainer also looked puzzled.
“A whole year? What’s going on?”
“It’s a personal matter.”
I made an awkward face, but the pair pressed persistently.
“Did you catch some disease? Want my vet to check you?”
“I’m perfectly healthy.”
“Did your Master forbid breeding?”
“I’ve received permission from my Masters.”
“Masters? You have more than one owner?”
“Yes, well… two of them.”
“What do you usually do?”
“Um, I manage various businesses I’m in charge of.”
“Businesses? What kind?”
“Primarily a courtesan house, but I also manage a café and a trading company.”
“Wow, pretty impressive for an angel.”
The questions seemed to be drifting further and further off topic. The pair appeared to have forgotten about breeding entirely and were now chatting enthusiastically.
“By the way, what’s your connection to the Duke family in Tarykin?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Someone came looking for you before. We didn’t know much, so we only told them you came by occasionally. They left without saying anything else.”
“Ah, we had some ties in the past.”
“Does it have to do with that pattern that was on your lower belly when you first arrived? I thought you were under a noble’s patronage because of it, but I guess not.”
“I don’t really pay it any mind, but I’m not sure how they feel about it.”
His name had been Edward Duke Dreculle, if I remembered correctly. It was such a long time ago that my memory was hazy. More than half a year had passed since then. Since I had been with Master for nearly five months now, the timing roughly matched.
“Well, there hasn’t been any further news since he visited.”
“Anyway, may I go now?”
“Ah, right. You said you had business. Sorry for holding you up so long. Go ahead.”
“You have to give birth in a year, okay? It’s a promise!”
I watched the two of them wave cheerfully as they headed into the racetrack, then continued on my way.
Inside the laboratory, in addition to the bathrooms attached to each research room, there was one large bathroom. The researchers, who were basically lazy except when it came to their experiments, never used it, so it had become something like a private bath for Mother, me, and Master.
“Has the time finally come? How many angels have you taken control of?”
“About 1,600 out of roughly 2,100.”
“That’s more than I expected.”
Of those 1,600 Abaddon, only about 100 had been created by me. The remaining 1,500 had spread from the offspring of those 100.
“Do angels all have good stamina? They gave birth to so many in such a short time.”
“They receive an average of five guests per half-day. Since sex is also exercise, they can’t help but develop good stamina.”
I only learned later that Senior Stella had rather poor stamina despite her experience. She had passed out after handling three middle-aged men, after all. When the symbiotic children told me stories about the angels actually working on the front lines, I had been genuinely shocked. Linda, who now worked at our courtesan house, had apparently been gang-raped by as many as nine men at a time during her peak as a sex slave. Of course, now that she had regained emotions and developed clear preferences, she only took an average of three guests per day.
“Stella said the Merchants’ Association has promised to support Master.”
“That child really worked hard. Far more than I anticipated.”
“Those uncles turned out to be surprisingly capable.”
The three middle-aged men married to Stella had listened to our plan and created an association of foreign-born businessmen. What began as a loose gathering had been consolidated and expanded until it now boasted over a hundred member businesses—a massive organization.