The Witch's Coercion (9)
The Witch's Coercion (9)
#
"This is a dream."
Reni murmured it to herself.
She had no choice. Yoo-jin and her child were right in front of her.
But Reni had no memory of giving birth.
Of course, he had poured so much into her that her belly had felt heavy, but that didn't make months of pregnancy compress into a single day.
Even though she could not see the baby's face because Yoo-jin held it so carefully, Reni could tell from its red hair that it was hers.
Therefore, this could only be a dream.
Still, what did it matter if it was a dream?
It was going to be reality soon anyway. He had declared last time that he would give her a baby. That was why he had poured his seed into her so much. Reni even felt as though she now understood what it felt like for a belly to swell.
Something seemed to have happened involving the Goddess, but Reni didn't care about that. She couldn't quite remember it either.
Reni gently stroked the baby's head. In response, the baby nestled even deeper into her arms.
"...."
The child was unusually heavy for a baby. For some reason, its hair color was a little strange too.
The baby's hair wasn't Reni's blonde or Yoo-jin's black, but a blazing orange.
"...."
Reni suddenly felt a twinge of doubt. Was this really her baby?
No matter how much she thought about it, mixing blonde and black didn't seem like it would produce orange.
The laws of heredity were not known in this world, but people had learned from experience that hair color generally followed the parents. Then where had this hair color come from?
While Reni's doubt lingered, the red-haired baby gradually crawled up her body, fidgeting. As if crawling weren't enough, it began to grope her breasts freely.
"Nngh..."
Reni moaned. The baby's groping somehow resembled his—the same wicked hands that tormented her lewdly. It truly seemed to be his child after all.
"Ahng?!"
The baby possessed unimaginable strength and weight. Yet Reni couldn't resist, because her limbs felt strangely heavy and would not move.
"What are you doing?"
Suddenly Yuri appeared and pulled the child away from Reni.
"No... no! Give it back! Give it back!"
Yuri looked at Reni and spoke expressionlessly.
"Reni. Look closely. Does this look like your kid? The hair color is different."
"No... no! My baby! It's my baby!"
"What are you talking about? I’m telling you, it’s my child, okay?"
It was the same black as Yoo-jin's and Yuri's hair.
Reni felt like she was about to cry.
Why was Yuri taking the baby away from her? Reni had yielded so much to her so far, so why was she doing this? Was Yuri as greedy as Reni? But to take even her child away? This was truly too much.
"Wha, why... why...!"
Reni flailed her arms in the air, but she couldn't reach the baby.
"Euhhik... euhhng... hik..."
Reni wept, forgetting even the fact that this was a dream.
Maybe that was why. The baby in Yuri's arms struggled, then burrowed back into Reni's embrace.
"Baby... my baby..."
As if she could never let it be taken away again, Reni hugged the baby tight. The baby hugged her back as if responding.
This baby was Reni's. She couldn't give it to anyone.
Mysteriously, the baby's hair was changing back to red.
The baby wriggled and burrowed into Reni's chest. But as if that wasn't enough, it opened its mouth wide and then, at Reni's breast...!
"Kyaaaaah!!!!"
#
Reni sat bolt upright.
Looking around, she saw Yuri frozen midway through opening the door, wearing a startled expression. But something else mattered more. Where was Reni's baby?
In Reni's arms wasn't a baby, but the Holy Sword.
Reni's robe was pulled up almost to the point of being stripped off. And the Holy Sword had burrowed inside and was... at her breast...!
Reni felt heat surge to her face.
"Holy Sword!!!!!!"
#
"Holy Sword! I told you before! Th-this is only allowed after receiving permission. You must not touch someone else’s body without asking!"
The Holy Sword pouted.
"Tch. That guy said it. That when you say 'no,' it actually means 'yes'..."
Reni felt a vein bulge on her forehead. She had stayed with the Holy Sword because she disliked the dark and cold, yet the sword was behaving this rudely!
"Holy Sword! If you keep this up, there'll be no more candy! I'll forbid it!"
"What?!"
The Holy Sword looked as though the world had ended. Seeing her face, Reni felt that she might have said the wrong thing, but she still believed this much was necessary. The Holy Sword had terrible wandering hands; who knew whom she had learned that from?
Yuri, who had been watching the two bicker with a stunned expression, cut in.
"Reni. Leave it at that and get up. We said we'd go find that guy."
"Ah. Y-yes."
It was nearly daybreak. Reni hurriedly prepared to go out.
There was a reason they were heading out so early in the morning.
In the end, Yoo-jin hadn't come back. The two of them, worried, had said they would leave the mansion before dawn, but Ariel had stopped them, saying it was dangerous.
"Dungeons are dangerous, and even more so after dark. At this hour, you would be lucky merely not to get lost. Besides, you don't even know where he is, do you?"
Yuri rattled off a rapid reply, as if she had already thought it through.
"I know where he went. He said he was going to the Witch’s House in the middle of the Unicorn Forest. I've been there once. Even if he went elsewhere, it doesn't matter. I may not look it, but I grew up in a hunting family. Tracking him would be easy."
Yuri looked at Ariel with her eyes slightly narrowed, as if asking if she had anything else to add. But Ariel, seemingly paying no mind to Yuri's impolite attitude, spoke in a calm tone.
"I see. But how do you intend to get there?"
"...What do you mean, how. We walk?"
"That's not what I meant. Do you intend to go while killing all the unicorns?"
"What are you talking about?"
Ariel closed her mouth and looked back and forth between the two of them. After silently watching them for a moment, she spoke in an explanatory tone.
"I don't know whether you're familiar with unicorns. They are extremely aggressive toward women who have had relations with men. Did you not both do that with him the night before last? Or do you have another way to avoid them?"
"....Ah."
The two of them turned bright red. Now that they thought about it, they had done those things to the point their bellies had swelled. To say nothing of how much had flowed out when they washed...
Anyway, if they went as they were, they would clearly be attacked by unicorns. Especially since the unicorns had a history of going into a frenzy at the sight of Reni.
When the two of them fell silent in embarrassment, Ariel continued first.
"I will accompany you. This body is still pure, so I should at least be able to open a path. But it is late now. We should leave at daybreak."
"But..."
"I think it's good to rest a little and let your excitement settle. Haven't you already forgotten the unicorns' nature?"
Ariel spoke in a slightly admonishing tone. Perhaps because she had already made a mistake once, Yuri couldn't argue against it.
After taking that short rest, the three of them set out for the dungeon.
# # #
Naturally, the Guild didn't control entrance to the dungeon at night or anything of the sort. As long as you were registered, entering and leaving the dungeon was completely free.
However, the reception desk was empty. Receptionists were people too, so of course they needed rest.
Therefore, they couldn't ask Lize about Yoo-jin's whereabouts either. They had no choice but to set out blindly.
Passing by the jet-black armor that sat crumpled near the dungeon entrance, emanating an eerie aura, the three stepped into the dungeon.
...
Between the beginner zone and the Unicorn Forest, Yuri stopped the group and sniffed the air.
"....I smell blood. It's a scent I've smelled before."
Saying that, Yuri ran ahead.
"Wait."
Ariel called to the group, as if she had discovered something.
"This is..."
"It is a sword passed down in my family."
Fragments of a sword, shattered to pieces. What on earth could happen to make a sword break like this? Surely something hadn't happened to him?! Reni felt her heart sink. Her legs were even trembling.
No. She couldn't collapse here. She had to save him!
Wordlessly, the group's footsteps quickened.
And soon, traces of battle and a gruesome sight were revealed.
"....!"
Goblin corpses were everywhere. Horrifically mutilated goblin corpses.
Yuri bit her lip. The metallic taste in her mouth helped her focus. She needed to determine what had happened. That would help them track him down.
"Good heavens..."
The goblins had been slashed in a chaotic mess. The goblin corpses had something in common.
"....Ughk."
They were traces that only someone harboring considerable malice could have left. The goblins' crotches dangled as though they had undergone horrific torture.
"Whoever did it, they are not someone with what I'd call an admirable taste."
At Ariel's words, the two wanted to hide in a rat hole. Because they both already knew that Yoo-jin conducted this kind of battle.
"....Looks like he's okay, right?"
"Yes..."
At any rate, the two felt their tension ease. If he'd been relaxed enough to perform this kind of sexual torture, then no major threat could have befallen him.
"...This way."
Yuri led the group again.
...
They finally arrived at the Unicorn Forest.
Reni spotted Yoo-jin quicker than anyone. He was circling the mansion, scattering something. The moment she saw him, Yuri shot out first and smacked him hard on the back.
"Wh-what the? When did you all... ack!"
"You said you'd come back in the evening, so what have you been doing up until now!"
"Ah, well. Things just happened to turn out that way..."
Even while Yoo-jin was being struck, he fidgeted restlessly in a way unlike his usual self. Reni suddenly grew anxious. Why was he acting like that? Could it be...
"Y-Yoo-jin. Are you perhaps injured somewhere?"
"No. I'm fine. But never mind me, what's going on with you all?"
"What do you mean, what's going on. We thought you'd gone missing in the dungeon, so we came looking for you. What, you don't like it?"
Yuri's words were brusque, but at the same time she was gently rubbing Yoo-jin's back. An attitude that suggested she felt sorry for smacking him right after seeing him. Not wanting to be left out, Reni hugged him too. Only then did she feel like everything had returned to normal. It had been pointless anxiety, but still, seeing him and confirming he was all right made her feel good...
"Daddy?"
A voice suddenly came from behind them. When they turned toward it, they found a child who looked exactly like the Witch watching them.
"Daddy? Who are those ladies?"