131. Do You Trust Merk?
131. Do You Trust Merk?
If there was a silver lining in this misfortune
[I'm not going]
[But it's a gathering where everyone is—]
[Get lost]
[........]
Mars did not participate.
She made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with anything involving Ter.
Judging it better to gather the people who were already there rather than try to persuade her on the spot, they left Mars behind and headed to the banquet hall.
"Women...!"
"Gr...oooooh!!!"
And, if there was a misfortune within the misfortune
"...This is...!"
"Looks... very dangerous, doesn't it?"
It was that Mars, the only one capable of melee dealing and tanking, was not present.
For Yuno and Merk, it was the worst of bad situations.
'What should I do...'
What should she do?
There was no need to think deeply.
"For now, that way!"
"Let's run!"
The two quickly got in step without any extra communication.
As if their teamwork during the intern period was not for nothing, they swiftly grasped the battle situation and began identifying an escape route——but
"......."
"Yuno! What are you doing not following Merk!"
Ter.
Ter, who had followed the succubus, weighed on her mind.
'If we run like this, Ter will...'
He could be in danger.
She had to save him. She had to go help him.
Just as that feeling was gently rising from deep within her heart
"Do you wanna die right now??"
"!,...Sorry. I'll follow right away!"
At this moment, Merk's words were right.
Yuno immediately snapped to her senses and chased after Merk.
"Haa... haa...!"
Ter, he'd be fine.
In the first place, the succubus that had been with Ter was friendly toward him.
It was obvious without even looking what kind of process that was, so the reason he was dragged away was probably 'that kind' of reason.
But what about herself?
If she were caught, she would immediately be mobbed by the men enthralled by the succubus's charm.
No, beyond simply being defiled, even the deepest, innermost part of her divinity might be sullied.
"Heuut... hoo... ooo..."
If it were her old self, she might have stomped her feet and not known what to do at Ter being dragged away, but
"Yuno! Here! This way!"
"Yeah! Got it, Merk!"
Her current self was different.
You could say her priorities had changed.
The everyday moments with Ter.
The moments she'd had with Chrono.
The times she'd spent with Mars all combined, and as a result
Ter did not consider her his top priority as much as she thought.
So then, wasn't there no reason for her to consider Ter her top priority either?
On top of that, he was a playboy.
A man bewitched by a succubus, of all things...
...No, that was a bit harsh after all.
'Because she's the Queen. Because it's the Queen's charm.'
Lilith had initially approached him as a lower-rank succubus.
But knowing the truth, she was actually a 'true Succubus Queen' descended from the 'Queen's bloodline'.
Ultimately, all the guild members were like that, unable to put up any resistance and falling into her charm; would Ter be any different?
'...Though Merk and I seem fine enough, all things considered.'
Yuno wouldn't know this, but
The Flame of Hera that Yuno possessed was a sacred flame that erased wicked things.
That was how she had been able to erase the charm of the succubus that approached to violate her.
"Yuno, wait! Up ahead... no. It's crawling with danger...!"
In Merk's case, it was thanks to the Bond Rank she had built with Ter.
Additionally, as someone who served Hermes as her main god, she possessed some resistance to mental attacks.
Hermes was the god who presided over the cunning of thieves and liars.
Would a thief who deceives others fail to notice a sly tongue that tries to enchant her?
—Thud thud thud thud!
[There they are! They ran that way!]
[Catch those bitches!]
"Ugh...!"
However, no matter how much the two endured the charm, it was because the other guild members were in an indescribable state.
Watching the encirclement gradually closing in, Merk and Yuno put their heads together.
"Yuno... do you trust Merk?"
"...........?"
A look asking what she planned to do.
Merk quietly whispered toward Yuno.
"Buy me some time. Just once."
"...Merk..."
A decoy role.
An act that was impossible unless they had considerable trust in each other.
Moreover, asking her to be 'bait' in a situation where it was painfully clear she'd be mercilessly gang-raped by those countless men the moment she was caught.
On top of that, what if the one asking was the 'thieving cat' who had taken Ter from her, anyway?
"Honestly... I can't trust you."
"........."
Did she trust her? What was there to see to trust her?
Trust was something born from keeping basic promises.
Seen from that perspective, the word 'trust' wasn't well-suited to blooming between Merk and Yuno——but
"But, I'll do it."
"...Yuno..?"
Yuno quietly let out a breath.
"'Merk, Ter's girlfriend,' is hard to trust... but 'Merk, the party's thief,' I can trust."
"........Yuno."
Among their history up to now,
if you looked at the days she spent with Ter, she was certainly nothing but an untrustworthy thug,
but at least the moments they had coordinated in the dungeon weren't a lie.
"What should I do?"
"...Listen closely."
Yuno placed her trust.
She trusted Merk, the party's thief.
—Kuuung!..Kuuung!... Kwaaaaang!!!
"A woman! Where is the woman!"
"Ugh...!"
Trust.
"!,...That bitch is...?"
"A virgin! Brand-new virgin pussy!"
"She's even lifting her skirt up!"
"Hey hey, is that a signal to shove it in!!"
"...Mer,k...!"
"Now! Cover your ears, Yuno!!"
The result of the trust Yuno showed Merk.
"[Liar's Paradise Lost]"
""""────!!!""""
Merk did not betray Yuno's trust.
...
..
.
Flight.
Escape.
And the subsequent fatigue from repeated evasion and vigilance.
"He-eok...! hek, heuup... haaaak.....!"
"...Let's rest here for a bit."
Merk was somewhat physically conditioned as a close-quarters class, but Yuno had nearly reached half her limit.
Ultimately, the two entered an unoccupied room to catch their breath for a moment.
"S...orry... I should have trained harder during Stamina Training normally..."
"Don't be sorry. It's because Merk wants to rest too."
".....Okay."
Merk answered curtly and turned her head away.
Before, she would have seen that sight and thought how rude she was, but
"You're embarrassed, aren't you?"
"Uht...! I'm not embarrassed!"
Now, she felt like she knew.
She felt like she understood a bit about the person named Merk.
Yuno let out a small smile and spoke toward Merk.
"Thank you, Merk. I lived thanks to you."
"...It's just because if Yuno gets hurt, it causes trouble for me too."
"Ah, you're doing that because you're embarrassed again?"
"I said I'm doing it not because I'm embarrassed!"
Piyyaaak!
She seemed to be shouting but didn't do it too loudly in case it leaked outside.
'She's... really cute.'
She was also clever.
Should she say mischievous like a little devil?
In many ways, she was a person who knew her own strengths well.
'In contrast, I'm...'
...She felt like she understood why Mars was so frustrated?
"Ahaha..."
A smile mixed with various emotions naturally flowed out of Yuno.
At the half-sighing laughter, Merk casually asked Yuno.
"You're not asking?"
"Huh? About what?"
"That thing from earlier."
"Ah, aah..."
[Liar's Paradise Lost]
At first, she didn't know what she was planning to do, telling her to be bait...
[Don't resist, you fucking bitch!]
[Kuh... this bitch is so damn tight!]
[Is it because she's a virgin? So good...!]
[....Heueht?]
"Suddenly doing that... to the empty air.... uugh....!"
People who were earnestly air-thrusting into empty space right in front of her.
She took that opening to escape the spot with Merk, but in many ways, it was a scene impactful enough to leave a deep impression.
"The main god I serve, Hermes, is the god of liars."
Merk's words.
Hermes was the god of liars.
"And a lie, because a 'lie' is telling someone the words they most want to hear while taking what I want."
Words that are best for others to hear,
and most advantageous for oneself.
"Making them see only what they want to see, and hear only what they want to hear. Taking that opening, I also take what I want...
...It's the iron rule of liars, you know?"
"Whoaa!"
A heartfelt admiration.
At the pure, innocent exclamation, Merk's shoulders seemed to shrug upward.
"Ehem! Anyway, it means Yuno just has to follow this Merk!"
"Yeah. I'll trust only Merk."
"...Don't trust me too much."
"You're embarrassed, right?"
"That's why I said it's not because I'm embarrassed!"
"Soooorry~~"
The atmosphere became a little more relaxed.
Her breath had returned to some extent.
""..........""
After the laughter died down,
the two nodded to each other.
It was time to move again.
The goal was simple.
"We're going back to the Ares Guild to request backup."
"Backup... who from?"
Most of the combat personnel who had been inside the branch were already inside here with their minds consumed.
But to get support from another guild, at the moment, there was no way there would be someone who could withstand the Queen's mental attack...
"There's one person, isn't there? A super duper strong red-haired Demon King."
"Who...—Ah."
...There was exactly one person; she was the only key to resolving this situation.
Mars.
Ares' Apostle.
Additionally, a powerhouse capable of Advent, who could chew up and spit out a succubus's charm.
"If we just bring that Demon King, we can end this, don't you think?"
"...If it's Mars, definitely."
With Mars, it might be possible.
Adding in Yuno and Merk's supporting, they figured it wasn't impossible just then——
"——You're thinking of doing something quite amusing, aren't you?"
"".....!""
Something like black mist gathered in the air.
What appeared, taking on the form of a person, the form of a demon, was—— Lilith, the true Succubus Queen.
"Mars... You're speaking of that woman with formidable power from back then, right? Certainly, if a powerhouse that crazed appeared, even I might get a little tired out."
"".....Ugh..""
The plan had been blown.
Their location had also been found out.
But how? They had clearly been constantly wary of their surroundings...
"Succubi are monsters that seep into dreams and hearts; we can erase something like presence at any time, you know?"
Above all, this was her palace, was it not?
Impurities that entered her palace... If she wanted to find where they were, she could do so at any time, you know?
"Now... then, you troublemakers? Isn't it about time you fell asleep?"
".....Fuuu...!"
The plan had been exposed.
Escape was impossible.
If so, the thing she could do in this situation, she...
"...Merk, I trust you."
"? Yuno...?"
"Hmm?"
Sure enough, there was only this one thing.
Yuno slowly moved Merk behind her.
—Fwooosh...!
"This flame is the sacred flame. The Holy Flame that burns away wicked things."
"This is...!"
The Flame of Hera.
She created an inescapable prison around the Queen with it.
—Chiiiisss!!!
"A pointless act..."
In an instant, the Succubus Queen was confined.
However, without any stir of emotion, she merely looked down on Yuno as if it were laughable.
"I saw this too, didn't I? The sacred flame that erases wicked things... But, you have a limit, don't you?"
".........Kuh..!"
A limit.
Of course it existed.
Every time it erased something wicked, the power of the Holy Flame decreased, so it had to be replenished constantly.
Moreover, the power consumed to maintain it in the meantime was also quite a burden.
Ultimately, it was an act that was nothing more than a type of stalling, but
"Merk! Mars!"
"! Got it, Yuno!"
"............"
Even a stall was fine.
Because they needed that 'time'.
Merk escaped outside through the brief opening Yuno created.
Lilith merely watched the process, not interfering or resisting.
"..............?"
Just as the question 'why'
rose up over her head,
the Succubus Queen quietly asked.
"Do you know how many succubi are currently in my mansion, and around my mansion?"
"............"
A tone implying that even without stepping in herself, her subordinates would handle it.
'No, that's not it. If it's Merk...'
If it were Merk, she could do it.
She would be able to escape through the gaps among all those succubi.
Yuno believed this without a doubt, and even if she did doubt, the die had already been cast.
Right now, she just gave her all to what she could do.
"Even if by some luck she brings her back... how long would that take? Until then, do you really think you can remain unscathed?"
"...I'm prepared for that."
"Is that so? Then... yes."
I like that look in your eyes.
Eyes filled with the conviction that you will never break.
The pure eyes of a virgin, possessed only by a purely pure soul,
"They are the most optimal eyes for becoming a succubus."
"What...?"
Lilith smiled a fresh smile and asked.
"Become a succubus."
If you will not, I will kill you.