Flustered
A few minutes before the Demon King reached out.
After fobbing off Weller, who had been relentlessly grilling me about what Pitra and I had discussed, I finally lay down in bed to get some sleep. The night was already late, and I was exhausted.
The moment my head hit the pillow, Muriel, Rebecca, Cacciola, Latipi, and Pashtra encircled the bed with grimly determined faces.
"...You guys are kind of terrifying right now."
Their eyes were flushed with feverish heat, their bodies radiating a warmth far hotter than usual. And their attire... to put it bluntly, screamed that they were fully prepared.
Though the colors and designs varied slightly, every single one of them wore a sheer nightgown—so skin-tight it accentuated every dip and curve of their figures, and so thin the pale flush of their skin peeked right through the fabric.
"......"
The visual assault of that utterly exposed spectacle, combined with a sweet floral fragrance far more intoxicating than usual, was practically an act of violence against my senses.
Reining in the surge of lust was turning into an agonizing ordeal.
...Wait, do I even need to hold back anymore?
Even if it was only half the equation, I had broken free of the vessel known as 'Stanasila Alzen.' On top of that, I could freely dictate the terms of conception, and none of these women would ever reject me. If I felt like it, we could spend the entire day tangling our bodies together without a single care in the world.
"...Haaah..."
To tell the truth, ever since undergoing my total bodily reconstruction, my libido had skyrocketed to a genuinely troublesome degree.
It was almost certainly the aftereffect of assimilating the divinity of Beast God Kubel.
Kubel's authority was the physical manifestation of bestial symbols and concepts. Yet even when I wasn't consciously drawing upon it, a faint trace of that power constantly coursed through my flesh. An uncanny instinct bordering on precognition, sheer physical resilience, an absurd appetite, superhuman digestion... and, apparently, raw sexual appetite fell squarely under that umbrella as well.
Honestly speaking, every time I caught sight of their gorgeous figures or caught a whiff of their scent, I grew fiercely erect at the drop of a hat, just like an animal in heat.
I couldn't even count how many times I had forcibly suppressed that raging lust on the journey from the barbarian plains back to the Duke's Castle. It certainly didn't help that every woman by my side was stunning, brimming with charm, and smelled incredible...
"...L-Look, girls. I get where you're coming from, but don't you think doing this right now is a little inappropriate?"
Even so, I had no intention of acting like an actual beast.
Now that I was liberated from the cage of 'Stanasila Alzen,' I refused to treat them like disposable tools for my physical urges. More importantly... it had only been a few hours since Pitra knelt right here, weeping her heart out in utter desperation.
If I could jump straight into bed right after witnessing something so harrowing, wouldn't that make me a complete monster?
"It cannot be helped. If we do not press the issue like this, Hangil-nim, you will never even think of touching us."
"She's right! Just because we're women doesn't mean we don't have desires!"
"A-And... having seen Pitra break down like that, shouldn't we be the ones to relieve Master's stress...?"
"P-Please treat me well, Incarnation! It is my first time, but I shall serve you with all my heart and soul...!"
"Hangil-nim~ Please make me feel good, just like last time~"
Watching them creep closer without yielding an inch, it was obvious their minds were firmly made up.
"......"
Tracing the smooth, steep curves of their bodies with my eyes and filling my lungs with their inviting scent, I felt my rational thoughts slowly drown in a haze of pink. As if a match had been struck, my heart pounded violently against my ribs, and my groin swelled rock-hard against my trousers.
"Haah..."
Well, when they were throwing themselves at me with such total devotion, turning them down would practically be a crime.
Hiding behind an excuse meant for no one in particular, I gave them a slight wave of my hand.
"Fine. Come here."
"Hangil-nim...!"
"The front is mine!"
"Ah! Cacciola! Not again...!"
The instant I gave permission, they swarmed forward in a rush, pressing their firm, supple warmth against me from every angle.
Fine. If that's how it's going to be, I'm done holding back.
Tonight, I'm pouring it all out until my balls are completely empty.
Just as that thought crossed my mind and I was on the verge of turning into a wild animal, a familiar ringing sound echoed inside my skull.
Ringgg! Ringgg!
"...Wait. Hold on a second."
A brief, agonizing inner conflict tore through me, but ignoring a Demon King's call at a time like this was pure idiocy. Letting out a heavy sigh, I unwrapped the Silk of Atonement from my left arm. As I focused my consciousness, a faint click resonated through my senses, and eyes, a nose, and a mouth abruptly sprouted across the grotesque surface of my demonic limb.
—Kang Han-gil. Death and Life have begun to move.
"...Couldn't you give me a little breathing room?"
Clutching my throbbing forehead, I let out a low groan. Just when I thought I could finally blow off some steam, another disruption had to butt in.
—Hmph? Wait, what is this spectacle...
Rubias's eyeball rolled around frantically in its socket, narrowing into a slit as she took in the sight of the women clinging to me in sheer, revealing nightdresses.
—Kang Han-gil. Did I happen to reach you at a bad time?
"...Yeah. Spot on."
—To show not an ounce of guilt... what an outrageous brute. Your wandering eye knows no shame! How long has it even been since our date ended that you are already philandering like this?
"Hey... do you actually think of yourself as my lover or something...?"
—Isn't that obvious? You belong to me, and you are my companion. For all eternity! So get away from those women this instant!
A thick, dark jealousy seeped into the eye sprouting from my left arm. It was almost impressive how much emotion she could convey with a single eyeball.
"Cut the nonsense. Tell me how Otiliv and Annus are moving—mmph?!"
Before I could finish, Muriel launched a surprise attack, clamping down on my mouth.
With her own lips.
—...Ha! What do you think you are doing? Are you trying to take revenge for earlier?
"Mmm... nnh... chu..."
As Muriel aggressively pressed her lips against mine, sliding her tongue deep and swirling it around, the Demon King's glare grew terrifyingly sharp.
—Are you not afraid of the consequences, servant of Kang Han-gil? The sole reason your breath remains in your lungs is that you are an acquaintance of his. Were it not for that, you would have been torn apart long ago...!
"Haa... chu... slurp..."
—Listen to me! You insolent wretch!
When Muriel completely ignored her and focused entirely on the kiss, Rubias blew her lid, shrieking in fury. Her demonic lips curled back over grinding teeth, and the bloodshot eyeball flared with a murderous glint that sent chills down the spine.
"Phaaah..."
"Huuu..."
When Muriel finally pulled back, a thin strand of saliva breaking between us, Rubias panted heavily, glaring back and forth between me and the maid.
—Kang Han-gil! Step away from that woman this instant! Do so, or you will not receive a shred of information!
"What are you blabbering about? If you do that, our future dates are off the table. You fine with that?"
—K-Krrgh...!
Grinding her teeth in frustration, she glared daggers at Muriel and the other women as if burning their faces into her memory forever.
—Impudent pests...! You do not even realize by whose mercy you draw breath, yet you dare covet what belongs to another...!
"Keep dreaming. Master belongs to us, you damn demon bitch."
Scoffing derisively at Rubias, Cacciola immediately captured my lips, locking me into a sticky, deep kiss just as Muriel had done.
—Khh, damn you...!
Rubias had no choice but to watch the display unfold right before her eye. And naturally, the line didn't end with Cacciola.
"If anything, you are the one intruding upon our time, Demon King. You are hardly in a position to raise your voice."
—Y-You wretched vixens... stop it! Do not sully Kang Han-gil!
Next in line was Latipi. In stark contrast to the deferential way she treated me, she snapped at the Demon King with icy disdain before blushing furiously, leaning in to tenderly capture my lips.
—Stop! Stoooop it...!
Even as the Demon King screamed in despair, the women showed no signs of slowing down.
"Haa, haah... Hangil-nim...!"
Rebecca, clearly in the throes of heat, didn't stop at kissing; she pressed her entire body flush against mine, rubbing herself against me with frantic pants.
"Hangil-nim~ It's my turn now~ Mwah~"
Pashtra brought her greatest weapon—her voluptuous, heavy curves—bearing down on me, offering an endearing and surprisingly innocent kiss. Personally, seeing someone with such an obscenely lewd body display such pure, adorable innocence was the biggest turn-on of all.
—Aaaaargh...!
Forced to bear witness to this blatant display of infidelity right in front of her single eye, Rubias looked as if her mind had completely shattered. Her pupil trembled violently as she let out agonized shrieks.
—Eeeek! Kang Han-gil! Shouldn't you at least push them away?! This great one is watching you with wide-open eyes!
"Phew... That's enough. Let's get down to business. How are the two Demon Kings moving?"
—You heartless, two-timing scoundrel...! Hah, hah... We cannot yet fathom their true intentions. However, it is not merely the two of them. The high demons under their command are mobilizing as well. Whatever they are plotting, it is on a massive scale.
"Tsk, that's bad..."
Two Demon Kings were already a nightmare to deal with, and now their high demons were joining the fray?
"Wait."
Hold on. With that kind of military firepower, couldn't they just launch a frontal assault and wipe the entire duchy off the map?
"......"
I could feel the color draining straight from my face.
"Oh my... Hangil-nim. It shrank in an instant."
"Heh, I had no idea this part could shrivel up so quickly."
"Even shrunken, it's still quite sizable... but it looks rather cute like this. Soft and drooping..."
Before I realized it, the women had slipped off my trousers and were idly fondling my lower half, whispering among themselves, but I had no bandwidth to care about that right now.
The Duke's Castle was facing a literal end-of-service crisis.
I had never expected them to move so overtly, and on such an overwhelming scale. It caught me completely flat-footed. Usually, isn't it standard villain protocol to operate from the shadows, quietly and in small strike teams? My plan was to use Rubias's intel to disrupt their schemes and take them out if an opening presented itself... but if the entire Stanasila Duchy got leveled to the ground, what was the point of any of that?
"Did someone cast a curse on this castle...? Well, I guess a curse really did drop on us. Demons, Demon Kings, the whole package..."
A bitter smirk tugged at my lips at my own grim humor, but my brow furrowed deep.
"...So, what you're saying is we still don't know what they're scheming right this second?"
—Precisely.
"Where are they right now?"
—A short distance outside Terabaon.
"Is that so...? Everyone, prepare for battle."
Now that things had come to this, sitting on our hands and waiting for them to strike would be utter foolishness. Striking first and tearing them apart before they could finish their preparations was the only rational move.
At my command, the women showed hints of disappointment, yet they stood up with resigned sighs as if they had anticipated this all along.
"I supposed it would come to this..."
"Two Demon Kings and high demons... Do we even stand a chance, Master?"
"Obviously, our group alone isn't going to cut it. That's why..."
Pushing myself up from the bed, I turned my gaze toward the wing of the castle housing the Duke's office.
"We need to bolster our ranks."
Since things had devolved into this mess, it was about time I saw what the Stanasila Duchy was truly capable of.