A Humiliating Leak
It was all well and good that I swallowed my pride and tried my absolute best to walk back. Thud. What the actual fuck?
"Are you alright?"
"I don't know. My legs just won't..."
Like a newborn calf, I repeatedly tried to stand only to collapse right back down. I couldn't muster a single ounce of strength in my thighs or my ass.
"Ugh..."
Wait, wasn't my recovery rate supposed to be top-tier? Or was it just my healing magic that was good?
"Get on."
Kneeling in front of me, offering her back, was Lu... what was it again? Her name was too complicated. Ah, Luremir. Before I could even utter a refusal, Luremir effortlessly scooped me up and hoisted me onto her back.
Hold on, hold on. I was wearing a skirt with absolutely no underwear underneath.
"U-Um, sorry about this."
"You're light as a feather. Sis, do you even eat properly?"
It felt a bit rich coming from me, but I didn't think I was that light.
And so, carrying Luremir's spear on my back in her stead, I experienced being piggybacked for the first time in over a decade. ...My body was comfortable, sure, but my mind was in absolute agony.
"Aside from your legs giving out, is the rest of your body okay? Slimes have different traits depending on the region, so there's no telling what might happen to you."
"No, uh... I'm fine, mostly."
I didn't know if it was the slime's toxicity or my own damn succubus blood, but I was still feeling incredibly aroused. Why the hell do I know absolutely nothing about my own body?
"Are you sure you're okay traveling alone when you can't even handle a slime properly?"
"I only got caught because it caught me off guard. I usually hunt them just fine. I just never expected a slime of that size to be lurking on the ground."
"True enough."
Deprived of all strength, I rested my chin on Luremir's shoulder as I answered. I felt a bit guilty for making myself so comfortable, but it wasn't like I was in any position to do otherwise. At first, with her sharp yellow eyes and blunt tone, I thought I'd run into a real piece of work. But looking at the subtle kindness woven into her words and actions, she didn't seem like a bad kid.
Is it because we're only two years apart that she treats me like an older sister? It wasn't an unreasonable thought, especially since she kept calling me "Sis, Sis" all the way back to the village. It was a novel feeling. I'd never had such a tall younger sister, so it was both fresh and incredibly awkward. I rarely had to deal with younger kids at the Academy, but it had been a common occurrence back at the church, which always made me feel like I had to look after anyone even slightly younger than me.
"You can speak casually to me. I'm older anyway."
"Well, if you say so..."
"I-I'd like to as well, if that's alright."
"Since I was young, I've always just existed around the nuns at the church, so speaking casually to a sister feels a bit... off. If it's okay, I could just call you Helien."
"Ah... yes..."
I had only stated the truth without thinking much of it, but seeing her look so downcast made me feel like I was drawing too harsh a line. It felt like looking at a timid little puppy.
"Even if it's a dwarf village, there should be a place to rest. You look fine on the outside, but the organs that the slime fluid entered need rest. It varies by person and slime, but for a few days, your stomach might feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or upset."
Looking at her words and actions, she seems closer to a doctor, nurse, or healer than a nun.
"Ah."
"?"
"?"
Helien suddenly stopped with a short gasp. Luremir and I turned our heads toward her at the same time.
"Ah... um... Syaruen, please bear with me for just a moment."
What is it suddenly? You're making me anxious.
"Mgh!?"
Suddenly, Helien wiped my butt with a cloth that looked like a handkerchief. She didn't stop there, though—she shoved the cloth right into my anus.
At the foreign sensation invading my insides, I instinctively squeezed Luremir tightly. At the exact same moment, Luremir let out a sharp gasp and stumbled.
"The slime is still leaking out. It might be a bit embarrassing, but please bear with it."
It's not just embarrassing, I feel like dying of sheer mortification, Sister. Having someone wipe slime that was actively dripping from my ass while I was piggybacked on someone else was the absolute worst. If I got it on Luremir's clothes...
"Haa..."
Maybe because of the intense shame, I couldn't put any strength into my legs, but my arms clenched tightly around Luremir again. Is this what it feels like to have someone clean up after you in a nursing home?
"......!!♥"
The only key difference was that I was a total pervert who was actually getting turned on by having her ass poked, especially in this highly aroused state. I tried my absolute best to hold it in, terrified that Helien would notice my trembling or Luremir would notice how tightly I was clinging to her.
But that resolve didn't last long. It wasn't something I could just hold back, so I ended up whimpering as I hugged Luremir from behind.
"Haa... hngh! Ugh..."
This was basically whispering directly into Luremir's ear, so I felt incredibly guilty, but my body was in no condition to care. I wanted to tell her to put me down, but whether I stayed like this or got down and spread my legs again, the humiliation would be exactly the same.
"There, all done."
"Thank... you. Haa, ugh..."
Earlier I had shown Helien all sorts of unsightly things, and now I was showing Luremir a bunch of unsightly things too. I was going to lose my mind.
"Sorry... for moaning right in your ear like that."
"No, it's... yeah."
Luremir couldn't even speak properly either, giving a strained, half-hearted reply, which made me feel twice as miserable.
After many twists and turns, we finally arrived at the dwarf village, Clanfaltrun.
"Oh, aren't you the lady I met this morning? When did you bring two more friends?"
"I went out to gather materials and ran into trouble, and these two saved me."
It was definitely the tall dwarf I had shown the letter to this morning. Seeing him carrying luggage alongside two other dwarfs this time, his height was definitely noticeable. He was a whole head taller than them.
"Be careful. You can have dozens of weapons in a lifetime, but you only have one life."
I replied with a light nod, while Helien and Luremir kept looking around in fascination. I found it fascinating too, but since my goal wasn't sightseeing but finding the dwarf I was introduced to, I didn't have time to gawk.
"It's my first time here too. I had to find the dwarf as soon as I arrived for work, so I couldn't look around. If you'd like, we could look around together."
"I'd li—"
"I'd love to!"
Helien answered so loudly and excitedly that Luremir's voice right next to her was completely drowned out. She hadn't even cut her off on purpose. Looking at Luremir's mouth, she had clearly started to say "I'd like to," but it was completely inaudible.
And so we arrived at Mr. Barental's blacksmith shop. Earlier, I had just been following along and couldn't look around properly, but it was definitely larger than other blacksmith shops, and that purple flag was incredibly eye-catching. Slide... Maybe because it was my second time here, things I had passed by without a thought earlier were now visible and audible. The sound of the old blacksmith shop door opening smoothly without a single creak was actually quite impressive. From the tea drinking to the appearance of the blacksmith shop and its location, he was a very delicate dwarf.
"Oh, you're back. Even if it's just hunting a few slimes, it's a place crawling with beasts and monsters, so I thought it would take you some time."
"As you can see, I'm not exactly in perfect shape."
"I didn't say anything because you looked like that after just catching a few slimes. Surely you're not a novice who can't even handle a slime?"
Just a slime my ass, that thing was big enough to fill this entire room.
Having regained some strength in my legs and body, I sat on a chair and explained what had happened. Mr. Barental tapped his beard with his fingers, falling into deep thought.
"I've been there a few times to gather materials myself, but I've never seen such a mutant, even among other monsters."
It seemed Mr. Barental hadn't just been drinking tea earlier because it was daytime; even now, as darkness fell, he was drinking tea instead of beer. The three of us were handed tea as well.
"This might be rude to ask, but those are very luxurious teacups and a bottle. And it's interesting that you're drinking tea instead of alcohol."
Helien, probably the most polite among us, spoke up first.
"These are things I received as payment for a request in the past. A clear mind yields clear results. Drinking beer only clouds the mind."
"Are you sure you're not half-blooded?"
"Luremir."
Luremir was scolded by Helien for her rude remark and turned her head, pretending she hadn't said anything. I can tell who's the one following whom on this journey.
"Even if I weren't a dwarf at all, let alone half, my skill with a hammer and forging weapons is flawless. Giving a sword to the savior of our village is the least I can do. If you two have anything that needs fixing, I'll take a look at it too."
"Syaruen, did you save a dwarf village too?"
"It's complicated to explain..."
Helien's eyes widened as she looked at me. Feeling like I'd been explaining my past and circumstances way too much lately, I reluctantly explained the situation to Helien and Luremir.
"Anyway, the southern forest is a problem for our village and the neighboring village to solve, so you don't need to worry about it. Thanks for letting me know."
"Is there anything else you need?"
"The rest of the materials are sufficient, so just look around the village. Syaruen, you have something else to do, so come by tomorrow morning, and then return with those two around lunchtime. Since many outsiders have been visiting lately, there are lodging facilities and restaurants that cater to outsiders' tastes, so you won't need to go back to your village."
With that, Mr. Barental quickly finished what he had to say and shooed us out. For the second time today, I was kicked out of the blacksmith shop.
Growl...
It wasn't just one person's stomach. It was the sound of all three of our stomachs growling in perfect unison.
"...Shall we look around and grab some dinner then?"