An Unforeseen Crisis
I couldn't recall what it was about, but my sleep had felt thoroughly unsettled.
"Ugh, argh...!?"
Gasping for breath as though bursting through the surface of deep water, I jolted awake. I found myself drenched in cold sweat, my limbs stiff and heavy as if pinned down by sleep paralysis.
What gives? The whole trip had been fine, so I figured I was cured, but here it was again. Was I truly just incompatible with beds? Had I been cursed with a constitution where waking up refreshed required a lifetime of carriage travel?
"Mmmph..."
"Hss, whew... Hss, whew..."
"Hm?"
As if cutting through my solemn yet utterly useless musings, unfamiliar breathing tickled both my ears. Glancing to either side, I found Muriel and Rebecca fast asleep, staking claim to my flanks.
"...What the hell are you two doing?"
The sheer absurdity left me at a loss for words.
"......"
I tried to sit up, but with two women clinging tightly to my arms, I couldn't budge an inch.
"...Muriel. Rebecca. Wake up right this instant."
I grumbled with no shortage of annoyance, but neither showed any intention of stirring.
"Muriel. I know damn well you're awake. Get up and get Rebecca off me."
"...Good morning, Lord Alzen."
"Ha, you really were awake. You cheeky little..."
"......"
Knowing she could sleep standing with her eyes open and even hold a conversation while unconscious, I'd thrown out the bluff assuming she was already awake—I just hadn't expected to actually catch her red-handed. Realizing she'd been baited, Muriel met my gaze expressionlessly, then serenely shut her eyes.
"Hey. Don't tell me you're pretending to sleep? You think that'll work? Cut the crap, get up, and do something about Rebecca."
"I am currently asleep. I have yet to satisfy my required rest duration."
"You don't talk this smoothly in your sleep. Stop talking nonsense and get up."
"...It is sleeptalking. Sleeptalking is not considered proper conversation; therefore, fluid speech remains possible."
"......"
What had gotten into her all of a sudden? When I glared down at her through narrowed eyes, she cracked one eyelid slightly to gauge my mood. Catching my look, she finally rustled out of bed.
"Conscious awakening complete. I have now risen. Did you rest comfortably, Lord Alzen?"
It seemed she was determined to stick to her sleep story no matter what.
"Haaah... Just peel Rebecca off me."
"Understood."
Replying in a faintly weary tone, she moved with an uncharacteristic sluggishness, beginning to pry apart Rebecca's tightly tangled limbs one by one.
"Mmh... Hehe..."
The moment my arm was finally freed and I went to stretch it out, I noticed a peculiar stickiness on my hand. Looking down, my palm was slick with a colorless, translucent liquid that smelled faintly of sour lemon.
"...Wait, don't tell me."
"C-Could it be saliva? Rebecca appears to possess dreadful sleeping habits."
I stared blankly at Muriel, whose flustered tone was palpable.
"Why are you defending Rebecca? Are you an accomplice in this?"
"Under no circumstances. This has nothing to do with me."
"Right? Wake her up."
"Yes."
THWACK!
"Guh—!?"
A savage blow slammed into Rebecca's flank with what sounded like an awful lot of personal grievance behind it. Snapping awake in an instant, Rebecca coughed and sputtered before venting a wave of bloodlust.
"Which motherfucking son of a bitch—gah...?"
The moment she registered the twin gazes fixed upon her, her eyes darted wildly, assessing the atmosphere. Scrambling to her feet, she frantically smoothed down her disheveled hair and clothes, then offered an awkward smile as she slid onto her knees.
"Uh, ahem... Erm... Did I... do something wrong?"
"Yeah. At least your wits are sharp. Hey, Rebecca. See this?"
I thrust my dripping hand toward her. She tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Uh... What is that?"
"What do you think it is? Care to take a sniff?"
When I shoved my palm near her face, her nose twitched a couple of times—and all the color drained from her face.
"My, my... Is it the current trend among adventurers and mercenaries to masturbate using their client's hand?"
"Th-That's, ah, well..."
"Have you lost your damn mind, Rebecca? Because I haven't the faintest clue what on earth is going on here."
"I-I am terribly sorry! I think I drank too much last night and lost my senses!"
"Hah, so that's what you do when you're drunk? I didn't think you were that kind of person, Rebecca..."
"No! That's not it! It's not like that at all! I'm a maiden! Last night was the first time I've ever slept in the same bed with a man...!"
Mid-sentence, her face flushed crimson. She clamped both hands over her cheeks, groaning in sheer mortification. At least she had the decency to feel ashamed.
"...Muriel. Did I just hear that right?"
"Yes. You heard correctly."
"A maiden, and I'm the first man she's ever shared a bed with... What, is this some sort of honeypot?"
"...I wonder."
"Good grief. Just fetch me a drink."
"Right away."
I took the glass she handed me, and after a moment's wait, it filled to the brim with gleaming spirits.
Gulp, gulp!
"Phew...!"
Emptying the glass in a single draw, the fiery heat surging down my throat wiped away every lingering trace of drowsiness.
"Whew, now my head is clear... Rebecca."
"Y-Yes..."
"Explain this in a way I can understand—and tolerate. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to punish you."
"P-Punishment...!? Wh-What kind of punishment...?"
"Why do you look happy about that...? Well, normally speaking, you'd probably be sent to the guillotine."
"Eh?"
"Or rot in a dungeon for the rest of your life..."
"I-I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
Realizing the gravity of the situation at last, Rebecca turned pale as a sheet and spilled every secret she'd been keeping. And the truth was... bewildering, to say the least.
"So, let me get this straight... In that illusion, you were my sex slave?"
"Y-Yeeees..."
Blushing furiously to the roots of her hair, Rebecca buried her face in her hands, prostrating herself as she squeezed out an answer.
"And you were trained by me over the course of several years?"
"That's right..."
"And even though the illusion broke and you regained your sanity, those memories and physical sensations remained etched into you so deeply that merely looking at me sends you into heat."
"Kghhh..."
Having surpassed her threshold of embarrassment, Rebecca was practically weeping.
"Hmm... Is that a type of mental attack? Or an aftereffect? Muriel. Bring me some holy water."
"Yes. Here you are."
"Where did you just pull that from...?"
"From your Subspace Pouch, Lord Alzen."
"Ah, you were holding onto that? Well, whatever... Rebecca. Drink this."
"...Yes."
Downing the entire bottle of holy water, Rebecca timidly looked up to meet my eyes.
"How is it? Did it work?"
"...No."
"So you're saying that just looking at me still turns you on and makes your body burn?"
"...Yes."
"......"
I reached out and lightly brushed the nape of her neck.
"Hyaaah...! *Gasp*!?"
Letting out an astonishingly sweet, coquettish cry, she clamped her hands violently over her mouth, glancing at me in utter panic.
"Unbelievable. It really is an aftereffect... Muriel, have you ever heard of anything like this?"
"No. Never."
"Hrm... Should I consult Weller about this...?"
"N-No! That's quite all right! Please! Don't tell her!"
Watching her cling desperately to the hem of my trousers like a pathetic mess on the verge of tears, I let out a sigh.
"I get that you're embarrassed, but are you really going to live the rest of your life like this? Surely not."
"...I-I wouldn't really mind, honestly... It's not like this happens around anyone other than you, Lord Alzen..."
"Muriel. I think Rebecca has developed a genuine mental affliction."
"It appears so to me as well."
"I'm truly fine! P-Please, show mercy!"
"Haaah..."
After pondering for a moment, I gave a small nod.
"Well, if you're fine with it, it's not my place to meddle too deeply. Besides..."
I trailed a finger along her skin again.
"Hee-yaaah...!?"
"To be frank, this is pretty entertaining. Heh. Guess I can play around with you from time to time."
A gorgeous woman who could outshine modern idols, driven wild with lust and coming undone at a single touch—it made for a splendid drinking pastime. Setting arousal aside, the rush of dopamine was downright intoxicating.
"Ah, aaah...! That sadistic look in your eyes... it's the best...!"
"......"
Though watching her pant in such a depraved manner was a bit much. Rebecca's dignity seemed to be crumbling more and more by the day... Could I really be the cause of this?
"So? What do you plan to do about that Zeb guy? Won't it be tough handling him on your own? Want some help?"
Breakfast commenced with the sun already hanging high in the sky. While everyone ate in silence, still weary from the previous day, Weller suddenly spoke up.
"Hm? What brought this on? You scheming something?"
"You little brat... Hmph."
Shooting me a glare, she gave a haughty sniff and crossed her arms.
"If you were the only victim, I wouldn't have lifted a finger. But that bastard Zebran put Vivian in danger as well as me. How could I possibly let that slide?"
"Ah, fair point... But do you really need my permission? Knowing your temper, I wouldn't have been surprised if you'd already mobilized a hunting squad."
"You really are an idiot. In operations like this, coordination is paramount—if only to avoid unforeseen variables and catastrophic mix-ups."
I nodded at her words, which clearly stemmed from experience.
"I don't mind, but... can you catch him? With all his schemes thwarted, wouldn't he have bolted already?"
"Ha, you'd do well not to underestimate the reach of the Duke's Castle. How far could a mere merchant possibly run? Tracking him down is child's play."
"Well, if that's the case... I'll leave it to you."
"Good."
The moment our conversation wrapped up, she reached into her cleavage, rummaged around, and pulled out a peculiar, oversized communication artifact. It was all well and good, but I had no idea why she kept stashing things in there.
"What's that? Don't tell me you can contact the Duke's Castle with it? From this far away?"
"Heh. Naturally. Why else would I take it out?"
"...Make one for me too."
"Ha, as if it's that easy. If you heard the sheer quantity of resources and budget poured into crafting just a single set of these, you'd faint on the spot. Now shush, I'm establishing the link, so don't talk to me."
Smiling haughtily and stroking the artifact with pride, she nestled it against her ear and began whispering commands.
"Hmph..."
Well, she was probably just telling them to hunt down Zeb. Paying it no further mind, I returned to my meal. Accompanied by alcohol, of course.
Having eaten my fill with nothing on my agenda, I intended to spend the entire day unwinding with liquor and cigarettes, but Vivian wasn't about to let that happen. Where on earth did she find such boundless stamina? Having completely wiped yesterday's hardships from her memory, she tugged at my hand, whining and pestering me incessantly.
"Orabeoni! Let's go tour the city! Hurry, hurry!"
"Huh? Mmm... Why don't you go with Rebecca or Cacciola?"
"They're coming too, of course! But you have to come with us, Orabeoni!"
"No, I'd rather..."
I prepared to refuse, but catching sight of Vivian's desperate, pleading eyes, I let out a heavy sigh. Well, since the whole point of this trip was to bond, I might as well see it through properly.
"Fine. Let's go."
"Yay~!! Go get ready quickly!"
"Yeah, yeah..."
Watching her scurry out of the room with a tired expression, Muriel chuckled softly beside me.
"You laughing?"
"Yes. I am laughing."
"......"
Wow, completely speechless. I was so caught off guard by her brazen honesty that I couldn't even formulate a reply.
"...Go ahead, laugh all you want. They say laughter is good for your health."
"Is that so? That is news to me. I shall endeavor to practice it."
"Sure..."
Getting ready to go out didn't entail much. It was merely a matter of letting Muriel tidy up my attire.
"Lord Alzen. Since you are stepping outside, perhaps we should purchase some new clothes?"
Smoothing out the creases on my shirt at point-blank range, close enough that our breath mingled, she floated the suggestion. I snorted dismissively.
"Clothes? Don't talk nonsense."
"Is that your stance? As expected."
Releasing a soft sigh, she locked her gaze with mine—and abruptly threw her arms around me in a sudden embrace.
"...What is this?"
"I simply felt like doing so. Is it forbidden?"
"Get off."
"Why?"
"What do you mean, why...? You're seriously going to get disciplined if you keep this up."
"Lord Alzen. Your heart is racing."
"...That's just because I'm annoyed."
"Is that so? Yet when we are pressed this closely together, one can discern many signals transmitted by the body. Fufufu... Now I understand."
"Understand what?"
"The reason you rejected me yesterday."
"......"
I hadn't expected her to bring up that topic herself, and a scowl twisted my face.
"You were serious about me, whereas you were not with Rebecca, were you? Was turning me away truly that difficult for you? Were you afraid... of what you might actually do if you gave in?"
Struck squarely on the mark, I couldn't muster a single retort, left only to glare daggers at her.
"You may truly do whatever you wish with me... In fact, I am fully prepared to welcome it with open arms."
"...Back off."
At my dropped, stern tone, she obediently stepped back.
"Your preparations are complete, Lord Alzen. Shall we depart immediately?"
The whispering, sultry enchantress from moments ago had vanished without a trace, replaced once more by an emotionless, businesslike doll. I wondered if this was what it felt like to be bewitched by a fox.
"I truly will never understand you, Muriel..."
"The sentiment is mutual, my lord."
"You always have an answer for everything..."
Shaking my head, I went to step out of the room when the door was flung open with tremendous force.
SLAM!
I nearly took a blow to the head, but fortunately, Muriel stepped in and blocked it. Wondering who could possibly be barging in like that, I frowned—only to blink in surprise as a small head poked through the doorway.
"Orabeoni! We have a disaster on our hands!"
"Vivian. What is it now?"
"It's huge! An absolute disaster! They say a monster has appeared out in the Wasteland! A gigantic one, as big as a house!"
"Hoh?"
Now that was a piece of news well worth paying attention to.