Rebecca
Jun pressed Firmus against Rebecca's neck as if the sparring match had only just begun, and spoke with calm finality.
"Five times."
Thud.
At that utterance—as absolute as a reaper's death sentence—Rebecca's legs, which had been barely holding her upright, finally snapped free of their last thread of tension and gave way.
"Hah! Hah! A-are you a monster?"
Collapsed on the floor, Rebecca still managed to force out a single question even as she gasped for breath, on the verge of blacking out. She simply could not leave it unasked.
That I, of all people, would be so one-sidedly dominated...
From the moment the young human before her had revealed his full power, Rebecca had been unable to mount a single proper counter. She had been forced to take five consecutive blows that would have been fatal—exactly like a powerless female.
Does he truly carry dragon's blood?
Even accounting for the use of aura, the raw force he displayed exceeded all reasonable understanding. Abilities that hammered down without pause before she could even blink. The crushing pressure of wind and electricity that weighed her entire body down like a thousand tons. It felt less like a metaphor and more like she was genuinely locked in mortal combat with a dragon.
Rebecca sincerely began to suspect that dragon's blood flowed through the young human standing over her.
There's no other explanation.
Her suspicion did not stem solely from the fact that his power resembled a dragon's. In truth, the power itself was only a relatively small part of the reason. If one held a dragon as an ideal or template within one's mental image, it was possible—to a degree—for one's power to take on similar qualities. Extremely difficult, yes, but not entirely impossible.
But...
Even then, building martial skill superior to mine would be impossible.
The young human before her had only just completed his coming-of-age ceremony. That meant he had not lived even a fraction of a fraction of her lifespan. And yet he possessed martial skill that surpassed her own. It was utterly absurd.
If it had only been swordsmanship, I might have found a way to accept it. But...
The young human was not limited to the sword. Blade, spear, staff, bow, fist and foot, blunt weapons—he had mastered every one of them to an expert level. Though his techniques leaned heavily toward fundamentals, he drew out the unique characteristics of each weapon so thoroughly that they felt more troublesome than most advanced techniques.
No matter how much of a genius one might be, mastering so many weapons to that degree at such a young age was impossible. There was, however, exactly one race free from that rule: the dragonkin. They inherited knowledge sufficient to dominate the world from their parents at birth, and possessed talent superior to any other race on the continent.
The young human before her looked thoroughly human, but who could say? Perhaps the faintest trace of dragon blood still ran through his veins.
Throb. Throb.
"Nngh♡"
The instant she concluded that dragon blood must flow through him, a faint vibration began deep in her lower belly. A vulgar moan slipped from her lips of its own accord, but Rebecca had no mind left to care. She had realized what this sensation—something she was experiencing for the first time in her life—meant.
I-I'm going into heat!
Unlike the proud yet gentle elves, dark elves possessed a proud yet cruel temperament. As a result, dark elf society was every bit as ruthlessly meritocratic as the adventurers' guilds, and dark elves of marriageable age naturally sought strong partners capable of siring or bearing superior children.
Consequently, a dark elf's love prioritized the throbbing of the lower belly over the fluttering of the heart. Even if someone's presence made the heart race, if the lower belly throbbed for another, they would unhesitatingly choose the latter.
This was the chief reason elves scorned dark elves as vulgar. A few dark elves agreed with the elves and tried to prioritize the heart's fluttering, but the results were almost always poor. Given a dark elf's nature of loving only one person for life, the love itself never faded and they never strayed—yet unconsciously they would try to reshape their partner into the image of the one who had first put them in heat, or constantly compare the two, leading to frequent marital strife.
Even after hearing the explosive sound of her heart, Rebecca had refrained from actively pursuing Jun for precisely this reason: fear of future arguments. Her mania for bombs had allowed her to cast off the dark elf worldview, but the instincts carved into her very cells were beyond her control.
I-I have to catch him, don't I? We've only known each other for about three hours, but I have to ask him to marry me, don't I?
Originally Rebecca had intended to keep their relationship as strictly professional as possible in order to cool her feelings toward him. That was no longer necessary. On the contrary, she now found herself in a position where she would have to set aside her pride and beg him to marry her.
It was only natural. Cases in which the one who made the heart race and the one who made the lower belly throb were the same person were vanishingly rare. Even the most fastidious elders would tell you that if you ever met such a person, you should throw away dark elf dignity and pride and cling to them first, then figure out the rest later.
"Miss Rebecca, I'm curious where you live. Could you show me the way starting now?"
Eyes gleaming with naked desire. His purpose in wanting to visit her home was painfully obvious.
"Y-yes. F-fine. Follow me."
Even so, Rebecca obediently began to lead the way—because she intended to keep the promise she had made.
Born into a powerful house and having built an impressive career and skill set, Rebecca possessed a pride stronger than that of most dark elves. She had not yet decided whether she would abandon that pride and cling to him, but she was determined to keep any promise she herself had spoken in order to preserve that pride.
Even if that promise meant offering her breasts to a man who was still essentially a stranger.
Yes. Guiding him to my home is not for the sake of seduction. I-it's solely to keep my promise. Mm-hmm.
Rebecca continued leading the way while desperately consoling herself with that thought. Contrary to her intentions, however, her hips swayed with lewd invitation, as if deliberately trying to entice a male.
That... no matter how you look at it, she's seducing him, right?
Yeah, yeah. That's what it looks like to me.
To disregard time and place so thoroughly... education appears necessary.
Rebecca's hips, swaying with seductive invitation. The motion was not large, and the wide cloak hid it from everyone else—but to Jun, walking directly behind her, every movement was perfectly clear. It would have been impossible if it were unintentional.
What kind of change of heart did she have?
From the moment the sparring match ended, Rebecca had begun sending him subtle, suggestive glances. Before the match she had insisted she was not a woman who fell easily. What he had assumed would be temporary continued even after they finished registering as a party, and Jun—bemused yet hopeful—had asked if he could visit her home.
Honestly, he had expected her to refuse. From her perspective, a man who had just gained the right to freely enjoy her breasts through a promise was the last person she should ever allow inside her house. In a sealed space free of prying eyes, would a man who had obtained the right to enjoy her breasts stop at just her breasts? Even a child could easily predict otherwise.
And yet, to his genuine surprise, Rebecca had accepted his request. Not only accepted it—she walked ahead as if urging his steps, hips swaying in open invitation. It was a sexual appeal on par with "Want to come up for some ramen?"
He was curious about the reason for her sudden change in attitude, but Jun decided to think about that later as well. From the standpoint of a man who had already decided to claim her, it was a welcome development either way.
A short while later, Rebecca stopped in front of a three-story house that looked far more rough-hewn than the surrounding buildings—and correspondingly sturdier. On closer inspection, numerous reinforcement marks were visible. It had "bomb maniac exclusive" written all over it.
"...Nice house. Did the Order provide it?"
"They did. It's small, but I can manufacture bombs to my heart's content without issue, so I'm quite satisfied. I've grown rather attached to it and would prefer to keep living here if possible, but..."
"Why? Is the Order going to reclaim it or something?"
At Jun's question, Rebecca gave a bitter smile and nodded.
"Yes. They said that if I continue remaining on the lower floors as I am now, they'll have no choice but to take it back."
"Is that so? Then there's no problem anymore."
"Hm?"
Rebecca turned to look at him with a puzzled expression. Jun answered,
"Within a few days I'll be leaving the lower floors with you, so you'll be able to keep living here from now on."
As he spoke, he casually slipped an arm around her slender waist. Given the situation, it somehow felt like a threat, yet Rebecca only flushed and showed no displeasure at all. Instead she leaned lightly against him as she unlocked the front door.
"Rebecca."
The moment the door closed, Jun gently drew her into his arms. The springy feel of dark elf flesh set fire to his heart.
"W-wait! Your summons—"
Startled by his sudden action, Rebecca flailed in something between struggle and coquettish protest while glancing around. She seemed concerned about Fortuna and Dohwa's presence.
"They went out to play for a bit."
In truth they had entered Dowonhyang, but since Rebecca had not yet become a concubine, he lied. Feeling guilty about the lie, Jun began peeling off the things she was wearing one by one so he could bring her in as a concubine all the sooner.
"W-wait!"
After removing her cloak, Jun's hands were unfastening the storage pouches and belt that secured her various weapons and bombs when Rebecca's hands stopped them. Half-aroused already, Jun could not help responding curtly.
"What now."
"Th-this is only because of the promise, so... according to the promise, y-you can only touch my breasts. Understood?"
...She's saying that now?
Jun was so flabbergasted he lost the ability to speak. Even seeing his reaction, Rebecca paid it no mind and continued saying what she wanted to say.
"And let's fulfill the promise after washing up. Of course, you have to wash as well."
Oh, for the love of—
His half-erect shaft wilted with a soft deflation. In its place, anger began to bubble and boil in his heart.
Fine. So you're going to put on an act that you're only doing this because of the promise and have no choice. Let's see how long you can keep that up.
Jun made up his mind. He would make this prideful dark elf howl and beg for his cock like a bitch in heat.