The Witch's Coercion… (1)
The Witch's Coercion… (1)
#
The Witch asked.
"Where in the world do you come from?"
-Clack.
Before I could say anything, I heard the door lock behind me. The Witch watched me steadily with a faint smile, her expression pressing me for an answer.
Where did I come from?
Up until now, hardly anyone had asked me that, so I had managed to gloss over it, but this Witch didn't seem like she'd let it slide. Locking the door too—she wasn't joking around. Every bit of her attitude said she absolutely had to get an answer out of me. Damn it, of all times to be caught alone!
I had no choice but to prattle off the cover story I'd cooked up earlier.
"Uh, you wouldn't know it even if I told you. It's a long way from here..."
The story was that I'd been born the illegitimate son of an uncivilized eastern tribal chief beyond the Kingdom and somehow drifted all the way here.
Even as I spoke, I broke out in a cold sweat. I'd made it up myself, but in hindsight, it was a flimsy cover. Way too many holes. If she started asking for details, I wouldn't be able to answer. What unsettled me more was that I had no idea what this woman's real aim was.
The Witch only smiled with her eyes, staying silent. Damn it to hell. Just sitting there with that inscrutable smile.
Looking at that smile, for some reason I kept feeling like I ought to spill the truth.
Would it be all right to tell this woman? But what if she sold me out for some reason? And if she did, would those bastards in the palace ever let me go?
If I got dragged back there, I'd be separated from my girls too... No! That can never happen!
The moment my thoughts reached that point, a slightly belligerent remark slipped out before I could stop myself.
"I'm not sure why you're so interested in where I came from. My background isn't going to be a problem for the job, is it? I just have to complete the request you made, don't I? Does where I'm from really matter?"
"No. It does matter, black-haired Otherworlder."
Fuck! She had known the whole time!
Whether I was horrified or not, the Witch continued at her own pace.
"I had been thinking it was about time for the Hero of this cycle to be summoned, so I was waiting for news. Then, my, my... a rare black-haired foreigner appeared at just the right time. You achieved things no novice adventurer should have been capable of, thought in an unusual way, and even carried that rare and adorable sword. Was it not rather obvious?"
Shit. Shitshitshit... Had I really been that careless about revealing myself?! Should I have dyed my hair blond as Reni suggested? But I hated the idea of looking like one of those blond, tanned NTR bastards!
While I was chewing on curses in my head, the Witch kept murmuring bewildering things.
"I do understand the royal family's position, mind you. The heroes of ages past were... yes, they did tend to get a bit willful."
"Things like soap, double-cropping, that sort of talk. And those bizarre pickled red vegetables too... Those were on the adorable side, I suppose. But when some of them tried to transplant rather distinctive political systems, the royal family could no longer tolerate it."
"Yet they couldn't give up summoning heroes either. The dimensional passage must stay open, after all. Not that the royal family can do much about it to begin with..."
"So they kept the Heroes bound to them in their own ways... but after enough time passes, even something like this can happen."
"..."
I couldn't understand what the Witch was saying. Heroes from the past? A Hero was summoned every few decades—how many cycles had she witnessed? Was she an elf? No, she did not seem like one...
"Ah, forgive me. I've been prattling on about things you wouldn't know. When you contemplate the world for a very long time, you end up talking to yourself a great deal like this."
Contemplate the world for a very long time? Is that the sort of thing a living being can even say? A shiver ran through me at the vast flow of time—the ancient... observing this world since the moment primordial single-celled organisms became multicellular, since the very first amphibians took that first step onto land to claim the world...
The Witch pouted her lips out slightly.
"I haven't lived quite that long."
She read my mind?!
"I didn't read your mind. It's that your face is so terribly expressive. The moment I mentioned it had been a long time, you started making the strangest expressions—how could I possibly not tell?"
"Ah, s-sorry, I'm sorry..."
"It's quite all right."
The Witch gave me an understanding smile. Was she not offended? If so, that was a relief. She folded her arms and sank deep into her chair.
"Even so, I'd rather you understood that just because one has lived a long time does not mean one's heart grows old along with it. The age of the heart follows the age of the body, after all. Or don't tell me... Do I truly look that old to you?"
Not holding a grudge my ass! She was completely hung up on it!
"No, no! Old? Definitely not! Not at all!"
I felt like a frog before a snake. I hadn't said a word, yet she tossed my emotions around as she pleased. I'd never faced this kind of seasoned experience. As expected, the aura that came with age...
-Tap.
The Witch set her teacup down with an audible clink. Damn it. She definitely did that on purpose. Now I couldn’t even think to myself freely!
"Let us stop talking about age."
"Ah, yes, yes. Of course. Actually, I don't care about that kind of thing at all. Age doesn't matter to me so long as the looks are good..."
"Pardon?"
"...Never mind."
I clamped my hand over my own mouth. Right. The title of "Witch" wasn't just for anyone. It felt like she'd done nothing at all, yet before I knew it, I was snared tight in her web. Damn it! Why did I come alone!
The Witch giggled to herself. Had her mood recovered a bit? But I wasn't in any state to laugh along with her. I'd already been through far too much today, and now to cap it all off I'd fallen right into this trap.
The Witch spoke again.
"So... Hero. What ability do you possess?"
"..."
Would it be all right to tell this woman? She had already seen through everything else anyway.
But I still couldn't be sure.
My buff ability really was incredible. That was not self-flattery; it was objectively true. But could I safely tell her that I possessed such a power?
Maybe I could bluff my way through with some other story, slip out of this somehow...
The Witch opened her mouth and shattered my ruminations.
"It doesn't matter if you refuse to speak. I'll simply ask your body."
"...Huh?"
Ask my body? That sounded suspiciously similar to what the black-armored chuunibyou had said earlier. Was that expression fashionable around here?
At any rate, "ask my body." Dangerous words. Don't tell me she intended to use my body for experiments? Like a true witch?! No. I couldn't let that happen. Payment or not, I'd just run—
"...What the?!"
With a flick of her hand, the Witch made my body freeze as if it had been nailed to the chair. Goosebumps rose from sheer terror. This woman was a genuine man-eating witch!
"There's no need to be so frightened. Do you honestly think I'd eat a person?"
"N-no, it's just..."
I had meant to say that I wouldn't taste good, but she beat me to it!
The Witch rose, came around the table, and perched sideways on its edge before me. The slit of her dress exposed one dazzlingly pale leg all the way to the hip. It was not quite on Yuri's level, but the line of her leg was still almost inhuman. D-don't tell me...!
"Hrk."
The Witch stroked my chin with the tip of her finger.
"W-Witch. What on earth is this!"
"Don't worry. I did say I would give you compensation, didn't I? And seeing as you came here all alone, leaving those adorable companions of yours behind... had you not already been harboring expectations of that sort?"
"No, I honestly had no such intention...!"
The Witch's implication was far too blatant.
Okay, fine. To be honest, her body was ridiculously hot. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious what those inhumanly massive tits felt like. But was this really okay? Was it honestly all right?!
I stole a glance out the window. It was already late afternoon. If the Witch got hold of me here, there was no telling when I'd be able to return to the mansion. No. I had to get back to my girls. I couldn't just discard my principles like this. I steeled my resolve.
"Witch, please don't do this. It's true that I'm a Summoned Person, but I was cast out because I had no ability. I only came this far to earn a living—"
"Shh."
The Witch brought her finger to my lips.
The sensation of that cool, slender finger stroking across my lips stirred up a considerable amount of excitement. Above all, every time her arm moved, I caught glimpses of her pink areolas!
"I have no need for a mouth that keeps trying to make excuses. I shall investigate for myself, so do keep still for me."
"?!! Mmph! Mmph-mmph! Mmmph!"
I truly couldn't speak! Th-this Witch! Was I going to lose my principles like this? Still... if I was being forced, there was nothing I could do about it, right? Guilt and arousal surged through me at the same time.
"Fufufu."
Before I knew it, the Witch had started stroking my thigh with her bare white foot, back and forth. Every nerve I had was focused there, and I could no longer entertain any useless thoughts.
That sole was so soft, as if it had never once stepped on hard ground. The plush, supple sole was cool to the touch, and with every caress along my thigh, a fresh wave of goosebumps raced over my body.
And on top of that, such bewitching and fluid motions.
I'd tried a similar sort of play with Yuri before, but the level of expertise was worlds apart.
"Oh my. You look to be in quite some distress. Let me make you more comfortable now."
The Witch used her toes to undo my belt buckle and pull down my pants. At this point, it was difficult to refuse outright. Pretending to give in reluctantly, I relaxed my body.
For now, I would let the Witch have her way and look for an opening. Until then, we could both enjoy ourselves...
"...Oh my."
The Witch flinched at the sight of my erect cock.
She studied it closely, as if sizing it up from several angles, then smiled serenely and tickled my chin again.
"It seems you no longer mean to refuse. Are you looking forward to it, perhaps?"
"..."
"Should I take your silence to mean yes?"
"..."
You were the one who sealed my mouth, you wicked, lewd, wonderful Witch!
I immediately retracted the 'wonderful.'
"Mmph! Mm-mm! MMPH!!!"
"Stay still now. It will feel good, you'll see."
'Y-you fucking bitch! Put that thing in your hand away!'
With a mere gesture, the Witch produced some object.
The thing was a pinkish jelly, with a single round hole pierced straight through the middle.