Chapter 12 - Snowy Mountain (4)

Hornlake was a spirit of the lake that had fallen from the King's ring finger.

A direct descendant of the Spirit King, as they say.

True to that name, she could wield various authorities denied to other spirits.

This current reaction was also due to one of Hornlake's authorities.

'Rot, it reeks of rot...!'

Hornlake can see the history of souls.

She can smell the emotions contained within life and hear the songs of souls.

Although it is a characteristic of spirits to love purity and cleanliness, Hornlake, who was particularly sensitive to cleanliness among them, could not stand the smell wafting from Agnes.

'Th-this is the master of the Yeonghwa?'

Hornlake looked at Agnes with a bewildered face.

In her eyes, Agnes's form was a lump of pitch-black filth, her scent was the rot of a corpse, and the song of her soul sounded like a wail of ghosts.

Not only that, but there wasn't even a trace of purity to be seen.

It was horrific.

"What did you say?"

[Hiiik!]

But amidst that, a treacherous emotion rose up.

'S-sweet...'

Everything is impure.

Existence itself is a lump of impurity.

Yet, Hornlake felt a sweet temptation from her.

The Demon Flower Extrias.

That was likely the cause.

Agnes descended from Deltain, lifted only the corners of her mouth to smile, and took a step closer.

Hornlake jumped in surprise and stepped back.

And then she shouted.

[D-don't come. You monster!]

Hwik!

She waved her hand, but nothing else happened.

It was just that a few snowflakes that had fallen from her arm embroidered the air.

Hornlake made a tearful face.

'I can't do it!'

She didn't want to harm her.

Just the thought of doing such a thing made her soul feel like it was crumbling.

The scent was that intense.

A sweet rot.

What a contradictory concept!

Hornlake's body trembled.

Amidst that, Agnes approached and grabbed Hornlake's wrist with a 'thwack!'.

That moment.

Zzzzt!

[Nngooooh...!]

Hornlake's eyes rolled back.

Her waist arched like a bow.

Immediately after her body shuddered, snowflakes fell thud-thud from inside Hornlake's dress made of frost.

'Th-this kind of... I don't know...!'

She didn't know such pleasure existed.

Hornlake had never imagined in her long, long life that such pleasure could exist.

It's just a fake body made of snow, so how could her mind go blank just because it was grabbed? It shouldn't be possible, but since it was happening, she felt like she was going crazy.

[Kkeu-heut...!]

Agnes flinched.

Her expression was twisting into a strange shape.

To put it precisely, it was a form that should be called unsettling.

"...."

Agnes let go of Hornlake's hand and stepped back.

It was an instinctive movement.

The moment she retreated to where Deltain was, Hornlake felt an indescribable emptiness.

As the pleasure that had been violating her just moments ago vanished, the question that emerged without passing through her thoughts was this.

[W-why?]

"What?"

[Why? Why not... do more?]

Hornlake was already in a position crawling on all fours.

Without even realizing that she was currently begging a 'non-virgin'.

[Y-you made me so desperate...!]

Thwack!

Hornlake crawled one step forward.

[Y-you made me all weird like this...!]

Splat!

As she stretched one arm forward again, the arm melted.

[If I find out about this...!!!]

At that moment, Deltain flicked his finger with an expressionless face.

<1st-tier magic: Activating Ignite.>

Whoosh!

[Hyaaaaah!!!]

Hornlake's body melted.

Orga and the Chief's faces went blank at the sight.

"Wh-why is the Spirit acting like that?"

When the Chief asked, Deltain replied.

"I don't know, how would I know?"

It wasn't that he couldn't guess the reason at all, but even so, the thought that came to mind was this.

'Isn't that woman completely crazy?'

Affinity or whatever aside, it seemed like there ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was a serious disorder in that spirit's mental state.

Setting aside the fact that it made his head spin, the previous situation had quite a lot to think about.

From the fact that Agnes's affinity stemmed from the Demon Flower, to the fact that a direct descendant of the Spirit King has a distinct self-consciousness unlike other spirits.

And the fact that spirits cannot be eliminated by harming their manifested bodies.

...No, there was something more important than that.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

<Complete all items.>

<Complete all items.>

'...Order.'

The second quest of 'Memories of First Love', which had been locked until now, was unlocked.

In a form Deltain hadn't even imagined.

'Why is this a linked quest.'

Deltain wiped his eyes with his hand.

Naturally, it was because of the throbbing headache.

Deltain hadn't had the idea that each item of the Main Quest was a linked quest.

It was because every quest he had obtained so far had reached a standalone conclusion.

Besides that, if you think about it, isn't it?

'Memories of First Love'—of the six items, weren't all the items revealed so far focused solely on the individual Agnes Levadein?

It was a quest that looked like it was talking about Agnes's love, after all.

But why did a spirit suddenly pop out and take the spot?

'...This is troublesome. This was a quest where the order was important.'

If things went on like this, he might fail ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the quest.

Well, that's because there are tricky elements involved in a spirit's contract.

As mentioned earlier, spirits are a race that sensitively considers purity and cleanliness in contracts.

Of course, the standards for purity and cleanliness differ for each spirit, but in this situation, that 'different standard' was becoming a problem.

The words 'non-virgin smell' that the spirit named ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hornlake spat out as soon as she saw Agnes.

That meant that physical purity held a high proportion in the standard of cleanliness that the spirit thought of.

In other words, it meant that the 4th item, sleeping with Agnes, was a quest that should have been done after the spirit's contract was finished.

'How...'

How should he overcome this difficulty?

Deltain looked at Hornlake, who had rearranged her body while having such thoughts.

She seemed to have regained some of her reason after he set her body on fire once.

[Ahem, a-ahem... I have made a spectacle of myself for a moment.]

The sight of her clearing her throat as if nothing had happened was quite despicable.

Deltain narrowed his brows and asked.

'First, start with what I can solve.'

"Forget it, I want to ask something first."

[Yes?]

"I heard you were waiting for me."

[Ah, that?]

Hornlake laughed.

[Yes, I waited. Father wants to meet you.]

"The Spirit King."

[Yes, that person.]

Deltain asked next.

"Why?"

[Well? I don't know the reason either...]

"Then can you call him?"

Hornlake flinched.

Her pupils rolled and turned toward Agnes.

[...Uh, it's difficult.]

She was even hesitating and stepping back.

[Th-the... we have to make a contract, you see? To serve Father. But...]

He didn't need to hear the rest to know.

She doesn't want to contract with a non-virgin.

That must be what it means.

Deltain narrowed his brows sharply.

"For someone who says that, you were dying of pleasure when this woman got close..."

[Nooooooo!!!]

Rumble!

The snowy mountain shook.

Orga and the Chief were startled by the vibration.

Hornlake trembled and continued.

[Th-that's not it! I was trembling because she was so filthy! I absolutely hate non-virgins! Even if I die! Absolutely!! I won't contract with a non-virgin!!!]

What a strong expression of will.

Hornlake was speaking with her eyes open so wide that the snowflakes forming her eyelids were falling off one by one.

It was grotesque.

Deltain glanced at Agnes.

She was staring at Hornlake with an inscrutable expression, not knowing what she was thinking.

"She says that."

"Hmm..."

A cold smile bloomed on Agnes's lips.

Deltain fell into a strange state where he was curious about her thoughts but simultaneously didn't want to know.

Amidst that, Agnes said.

"Deltain."

"Yeah."

"You need a contract, right?"

"...Right. Because I have to call the Spirit King."

"Can you go down there for a moment? Take Orga and the Chief too."

Deltain tilted his head.

Then Agnes, who chuckled, came up to Deltain and said.

"You know what?"

"...What."

"Strong denial is strong affirmation."

It was clearly a voice tinged with laughter, but the air was too cold.

Deltain felt a chill for some reason.

"...Can you do it?"

"Wait and see."

Deltain could say for sure that it was the first time he had heard her voice like this.

"It won't take long."

Perhaps this was her anger.

Deltain inadvertently thought so.

Hornlake swallowed dryly as she watched the three people leaving and Agnes remaining.

For some reason, she felt anxious.

[Wh-wh-wh-wh-what is it!]

Thud-thud-thud!

As she stepped back quickly, snowflakes fell with every step.

What appeared on Hornlake's face was an expression of blatant wariness.

'I-I hate it...!'

Hornlake clearly remembered the spectacle she had made just moments ago.

My goodness, to kneel before a non-virgin and beg her to touch me!

This was a spectacle and a mistake that would never happen again in the life of Hornlake, the master of the frozen lake.

But that was the end of it.

Hornlake would not repeat the same mistake again.

Even if her scent was sweet!

Even if pleasure surged the moment they made contact, making her mind go blank!

Even if just thinking about it made her body twitch!

Even if her heart was weakening!

[I-I will not be conquered!]

Hornlake said that and clenched both fists tightly.

Agnes smiled.

"Is that so?"

Crunch.

As Agnes took a step, Hornlake's pupils trembled as if there were an earthquake.

"Are you sure?"

Crunch.

As she took another step, Hornlake held her breath and covered her nose with a 'hup!'.

But that didn't mean the deepening scent would disappear.

In the first place, this body only had the shape of a human, and none of the human's physiological functions were implemented.

What she felt as a scent now was just the resonance of her soul being transmitted.

[D-don't come...]

"Then try running away."

Crunch.

Agnes took another step.

The scent became a bit deeper.

She should have stepped back, but Hornlake couldn't move her feet at all.

'Th-this...'

Her body was twitching.

The pleasure of the moment she made contact with her was already surging.

The thought that she had to run away was fading.

Filling that empty space was the thought that if she just stood there, she could feel that pleasure again.

The distance getting closer.

And the sweet rot that was deepening.

As Hornlake was trembling, unable to do this or that because of it.

"Why aren't you running away?"

Agnes reached her front.

Thwack!

She grabbed Hornlake's shoulder.

[Nngooooh!!!]

Hornlake's waist arched like a bow.