Chapter 35
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Fleta Lulu - Oral Body Search (1)
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Fleta Lulu.
As expected, she started moving busily from the morning of day four.
It meant the girl who had come all the way west to lay low, hiding from her other sisters, was finally on the move.
I opened the quest window under the desk.
[Quest Information Activated: Fleta Lulu]
[Objective: On 'West Day 5', refuse entry to Fleta Merchant Guild.]
[Objective Complete: Begin 'Quest: Fleta Lulu'.]
I'd already gathered the intel, so I knew she'd show up this morning.
She had to leave the west now if she wanted to retrieve her guild's goods.
She'd probably need to head out immediately to make it back just before inspections wrapped up tomorrow.
"Oh? You..."
Lulu seemed to recognize me.
She probably never dreamed the soldier living next door was the gatekeeper.
And just like that, she cut herself off and whipped her head away.
As if begging me not to recognize her.
"Huh? Shasha, you're all done up here."
But I approached with a smile right away.
It had to be the last thing she wanted to hear right now.
Sure enough, Lulu's pupils started shaking like there was an earthquake.
"You're... from next door?"
"That's right. But Shasha, what happened to you?"
"Ah... I fell into a ditch by accident..."
Lulu hung her head in embarrassment.
Her tail wrapped tightly around her body as she did.
She looked exactly like a drowned squirrel.
Her hair was a mess, and water dripped from the tail covering her.
As a squirrel beastkin, her tail was as big as her torso, but it still seemed a bit small to fully hide her figure.
True to her hopeless sense of direction even in the game, she'd ended up like this just coming from the inn thirty minutes away.
"You plan to go through inspection like that?"
"I'm in a hurry..."
Lulu did need to hustle if she wanted to load up her goods and get back on time.
She was shivering hard, probably from the cold.
There wasn't any cloth inside the gatehouse to dry her fur.
There had been some, but I'd used it yesterday to wipe up Malus's blood.
And even that was wrapped around Malus's eyes now.
"Hold on a sec."
Then again, I did have one thing.
I went back to the desk and pulled out my leather bag, opening it.
My military uniform, reduced to just the back panel.
I'd changed into the clothes from the Hero and stuffed it in haphazardly.
A ragged sackcloth of a thing.
It might smell since I hadn't washed it, but better than freezing.
I grabbed the sackcloth in one hand and walked back to Lulu.
"This is..."
"Put this on at least until the inspection's done."
I draped the sackcloth over Lulu's back.
It wasn't big enough to properly dry her off, so this was the best I could do.
That should help with the cold, at least.
Lulu flinched at the unfamiliar feel, squeezing her eyes shut and shrugging her shoulders.
A moment later, she peeked at me, realizing it was clothing.
"Ah... thank you."
I flashed another friendly grin at her reaction.
"Um... could you maybe make this quick? I'm really in a rush."
Lulu spoke haltingly, her voice trembling.
But despite her words, she kept avoiding my eyes.
"Sure, Shasha. Before we start the inspection, let me go over a few recent changes to the procedures."
I picked up the two sheets of paper from the desk and approached her again.
"Starting today, there's an official directive to perform oral probes on all women."
"Inside the mouth...?"
A wanted poster and an official document stamped with the imperial seal.
I held them out slowly for Lulu to see.
"As you can see, we've received reports of wanted criminals and their accomplices operating near the west."
"Yes..."
Lulu bit her lower lip slightly.
She was in a desperate hurry, and now inspections were taking longer.
"Fugitives like them are likely using fake names and disguises. I'm not suspecting you specifically, Shasha, but as a beastkin, I have to follow protocol."
"......"
Here in the west, body searches were mandatory anyway, so no real justification was needed.
But the wanted notice made things smoother.
Lulu furrowed her brows, struggling to accept the situation.
She'd picked a rundown inn to avoid prying eyes, only for a soldier to move in next door.
And that soldier turned out to be the gatekeeper, with strict new inspection rules popping up the day before her plan.
It must all seem too suspicious from her perspective.
"I'll keep the inspection light. You look busy, so we'll make it quick."
"...Okay."
I stepped back from Lulu and sat at the desk, pulling out a single sheet.
"Name, please."
"......Shasha."
Lulu hesitated when I asked her name.
She ultimately gave a fake one, not her real name.
If no one at the inn could track down one of the squirrel sisters, she'd just give her real name here and pass through.
The Fleta Merchant Guild was big enough that a lowly gatekeeper couldn't hope to stop them.
But things were different now.
I knew her alias, and with the wanted notice, inspections were tightened.
Even if she revealed her real name here, I'd have grounds to detain her.
Hiding your real name from a soldier in the west screamed guilt.
Plenty of reason to interrogate.
Even if she proved she was the Fleta Guild master's daughter, she'd probably be stuck in questioning until lunch.
Lulu, who was short on time, would never risk saying her real name.
So she made the worst possible choice.
For the record, hiding your real name from a soldier normally wasn't as bad as falsifying your identity during inspection.
Falsifying identity mid-inspection was a serious crime.
In other words... with evidence, I could arrest Lulu as a major criminal right now.
Not that I had any reason to.
I continued with the questions.
"Age."
"23..."
The rest of the inspection went smoothly.
.
.
.
"...Alright, last up is a quick oral probe, then you're free to go."
I folded the inspection checklist in half and stood.
Glancing at the clock: 6:11.
To throw off her schedule, I needed to stall her until at least 6:30.
"Once the probe's done, grab your exit pass and head out."
I pointed to the paper labeled "Exit Permit" on the desk.
With no travel pass while laying low, she'd have to return it on her way back in.
"We'll start with the oral exam. Uh... have a seat on the desk, please."
Lulu's height didn't line up well even if I sat.
Plus, it was easier to do the probe standing.
Lulu walked slowly toward the desk.
Still shivering from the cold.
"Um... could you lift me up?"
Lulu glanced at me nervously, lips twitching.
Turning her back would expose her underwear, so she kept her body covered while stealing looks.
"Of course."
As requested, I grabbed her waist with both hands and hoisted her up.
I braced expecting weight, but she shot up effortlessly.
Had carrying the Saintess built up my strength? She felt twice as light as the Saintess.
"...Kyaa!"
Higher than expected, Lulu panicked, and her tail went slack.
Revealing the figure she'd been desperately hiding with it.
Sophisticated black lace underwear, a skin-tight dress turned sheer from the wet fabric clinging to her.
And breasts absurdly large for her petite frame.
"Sorry! You're lighter than I thought."
I hurriedly set her down on the desk.
Now our eye levels matched, more or less.
"I-It's fine... Just hurry, please."
Lulu quickly covered herself with tail and arms.
Her face flushed red, tears beading at her eyes from embarrassment.
But she was too pressed for time to dwell on the humiliation, urging me to speed up.
"Alright, oral probe starting now. Open wide."
Lulu slowly parted her lips as instructed.
She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to meet my gaze.
I first gripped under her chin and peered into her mouth visually.
-...!
She snapped her eyes open when I grabbed her jaw.
Her pupils trembled, lost.
I ignored it and kept inspecting her mouth.
Neat teeth, her squirrel beastkin front incisors a bit larger than a human's.
And... acorns? A nutty scent wafted out.
Made sense if that was her staple diet.
"Now I'll check inside."
"Y-Yes? Isn't a visual check enough...?"
Her eyelids fluttered at the mention of fingers.
"The directive says full manual inspection, as you saw."
"But..."
That's why I'd shown her the official notice myself.
Of course, her mouth looked fine visually.
Naturally—there was nothing wrong with it.
But I needed to drag this oral probe out to kill time.
"No talking during the oral probe."
"......"
Lulu squeezed her eyes shut tighter, bracing for what was coming.
So I placed my left hand flat on her cheek.
Her soaked body shivered, but her face was already burning hot.
-Flinch.
Her shoulders trembled again.
My cold hand on her cheek made her clamp her eyes even harder.
I hooked my left thumb into her mouth and stretched the left side wide.
Like sticky rice cake, her squirrel cheek stretched elastically.
"Ahh... Eh!"
"No talking! Keep your mouth open, or I'll bite down."
She seemed annoyed, wanting to protest.
But I commanded her more forcefully.
Keep yapping like that, and she'd snap my finger when I stuck it in.
I hadn't realized during the game, but oral probes were scarier than they seemed.
Sticking your finger in a mouth that could close anytime was tense.
Tears welled in Lulu's eyes.
"If it's hard, just keep your eyes closed. It's just my job."
"......"
Finally, I slipped my finger into Lulu's mouth.