Risk Level <7>: Dorothy
"It's right in front of us! Why the sudden halt to the operation?"
The woman in the sleek biker suit, her long black hair whipping about as she stormed forward with a furious protest, glared at the suited figure wearing a clown mask. The masked leader stood with arms crossed, silent for a moment as if considering, before finally stepping aside to clear her path.
"Well... if it's merely to confirm the situation on-site, I can permit it. However, I strongly advise against it."
"What are you talking about? Isn't the Counselor in danger? He's one of your subordinates!"
"Hmm..."
Thud...!
"If you're just going to stand there with your arms folded, then do as you please. I'll go alone if I have to."
She deliberately slammed her shoulder into him as she passed, heading upstairs. The clown-masked leader shook his head with a weary sigh. Rather than chasing after her immediately, he turned to the field team member beside him.
"Has the Alchemist arrived?"
"Yes, she reached the lobby floor just moments ago. I'll have her brought up right away."
"Haa... Only a few days since she woke up, and she's already causing trouble. I suppose we really should call her a witch."
The magic of witches, who delve into the principles and concepts of the world to bring about mysterious changes, is as dangerous as it is versatile—coveted by all. Among them, alchemists who wield magic in even more advanced ways to produce tangible results are exceedingly rare and valuable personnel.
That was why we had prepared a workshop for her and minimized restrictions on her actions despite the risk of Stigma possession. And yet...
"Once she joins us, we'll head up together. I expect an explanation at the very least."
"Understood!"
Meanwhile, the curvaceous woman in the biker suit who had arrived alone at the scene followed the wet, rhythmic sounds of flesh slapping together—audible even from outside. The sharp, familiar scent assaulting her sensitive nose left no doubt.
Creak...
She carefully opened the door. The sounds grew clearer, and a wave of hot, sticky air hit her face.
Slap! Squelch! Slap! Slap! Splurt...! Slurp, squelch! Gluck gluck! Gulp...!
"Ahn, hah... ngh... that outfit... hng... ahh..."
She had rushed here the moment she heard the Counselor was in trouble, only to find...
"Hah, hng... hah... ugh..."
Moans melted into sticky, syrupy pleasure. The vulgar scents stung her nose. On the bed lay two females already reduced to rags, limbs sprawled limply. Behind the sweat-drenched Counselor, slender legs protruded from either side of him, twitching and flailing in the air with every thrust of his hips.
"...Ugh."
She frowned at the embarrassing sight and turned her head, but the thick mix of sweat, bodily fluids, and hot breaths in the air had already affected her before she realized it.
Determined to separate them first, she stepped forward—only to stagger as if struck by an invisible force.
"Ah...?"
Confused by her suddenly weak legs, she instinctively drew up her energy to expel the chaotic force that had invaded her body. She quickly backed out of the bedroom.
"Ugh, did they release some kind of aphrodisiac scent?"
She had already inhaled a shallow breath, but fortunately her suit minimized exposed skin.
"That is not the case."
"?!"
"As someone who confirmed the scene earlier, I remain perfectly fine."
Startled by the unpleasant voice behind her, she turned to find the Management Team Leader in the clown mask. Beside him stood a white-haired witch in handcuffs, wearing an awkward smile and rolling her eyes as if struggling to come up with a better excuse.
"Our current policy regarding the Counselor's situation is to wait until the effects wear off."
"What? What do you mean...!"
"Alchemist? Please give the same explanation you gave me."
"U-um, yes, of course."
The witch flinched when addressed by her codename, then began speaking in an oddly mismatched tone. But under the sharp gaze of the Field Team Leader, who clearly expected a convincing explanation, her voice grew smaller and more uncertain.
"W-well, you see... this aphrodisiac was one of my failed experiments. It had such severe side effects that I recorded the recipe as forbidden. But it's been a while, so I... I must have made a mistake..."
"An aphrodisiac... with severe side effects?"
"There are... various effects, but primarily: enlargement of the male organ, excessive increase in ejaculate volume, an uncontrollable state of heightened arousal, memory confusion..."
"And?"
Under the sharp questioning, she swallowed nervously before confessing everything.
"A-and... it releases a special scent through bodily fluids that induces a hypnotic effect. Prolonged exposure risks turning the surroundings into complete chaos."
"Not an aphrodisiac, but...?"
"It's not something so vulgar! Ahem, it merely makes one honest about their existing desires."
The Field Team Leader turned to peer into the bedroom. The Counselor, completely oblivious to any outside gaze, was lost in his own world—rutting relentlessly against the female in front of him.
"So you're saying... they're doing this because they both want it?"
Thrust thrust thrust thrust...! Squelch squelch, thrust thrust...!
The two unconscious females on the bed had clearly collapsed after failing to endure him first. Now he had lifted the only remaining awake female, gripping her slender waist like a tool as he slammed his hips upward with enough force to break her pelvis. Whenever he seemed close to climaxing, he released inside without hesitation, then pressed down on her swollen belly to roughly empty her before starting all over again.
No—this wasn't even mating. It was nothing more than him using a woman's body to masturbate. The vulgar sight left her momentarily speechless.
Yet the greater problem was the female enduring it all. Her face was even more broken than the Counselor's, twisted in ecstasy and bliss.
Because all four of them had secretly desired physical relations with one another, this scene had unfolded. Had they been enemies filled with hatred, blood would have been spilled instead.
Perhaps the Management Team Leader was right—waiting until the effects wore off and the Counselor exhausted himself was the lowest-risk approach. They should consider it fortunate that things had only gone this far...
"...Wait, hold on."
The reason her legs had given out. It was because of that throbbing, aching, yearning sensation rising from her lower abdomen. She had assumed it was the aphrodisiac scent and fled immediately—but that wasn't it?
Honesty about one's deepest desires... Did that mean... she had wanted to do that with him?
"No, that's impossible...!"
"??"
Leaving the Field Team Leader muttering and shaking her head in agitation, the Management Team Leader questioned the white-haired witch. His gloved finger pointed to the illusory dark-purple horns floating above the head of the petite woman currently being lifted and ravaged by the Counselor.
"Are those horns also part of the side effects? They resemble a demon's, yet they're clearly different."
"Hmm... No, I don't believe they're from the aphrodisiac. And as you said, I can't sense any demonic energy either."
As a witch clan that had once summoned and hunted demons for magical ingredients, she possessed considerable knowledge of them. Yet the dark-purple horns gave off none of the usual unpleasant, sticky demonic aura. The reason they still felt similar was simply because they radiated primal malice.
"Perhaps... the stress he's been holding back has manifested in the most familiar form. To me, it appears as a release of that concept."
After blinking several times to extinguish the rainbow shimmer in her eyes, she voiced her thoughts. The Management Team Leader organized his speculation based on her words.
In that case, the Counselor's own report pointed to the most likely cause: the malice accumulated over a long time in the Inquisition's basement, where he had been fed demon blood that gradually corrupted his mind. The physical remnants of the demon had already been erased, leaving only its authority. It wouldn't be strange for the malice etched into his memories to remain deep within his psyche.
This was the most plausible explanation.
"It seems he's kept that mass of malice sealed away in his heart all this time... but if he doesn't release it occasionally, it could become dangerous. We should maintain our current policy after all."
"...Tch."
The Field Team Leader gritted her teeth, her face twisted as she glared into the bedroom. High-quality energy flowed out, rippling at her feet and begging to be absorbed, yet for some reason it made her nauseous. It was like witnessing something distorted—completely unlike his usual self. So different from the somewhat masculine figure who had saved and worried about her...
The sight of him treating females as nothing more than vessels for his lust left her shocked.
"I did warn you that I wouldn't recommend it."
"...Shut up."
She hadn't needed to respond to the Management Team Leader's knowing remark, yet anger surged and the sharp words slipped out anyway. His small, amused laugh only fueled her irritation further.
She had only ever thought of repaying the Counselor for saving her life. There was no other meaning to her concern. Making one honest about their desires? This feeling... it couldn't possibly be that.