A Blatant Lie
A thick, filthy scent.
With every breath he drew, the smell of Dragon's arousal fogged his mind into a daze.
Squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch♡
"Feels so gooood...♡ Ohh...♡"
I can't let her know I'm only pretending to sleep.
If she finds out... she'll be so embarrassed...
...I feel like I'm going to drown in her juices.
Psssh—♡ Spurt, spurt—♡
"Hngh...♡"
It was the third time her love juices had sprayed all over his face. At last, Dragon seemed satisfied. She lay down beside him, pulled him into her arms, and fell asleep almost at once.
Finally... he could sleep too.
I'll be back from hunting
Dragon ate the breakfast he had made for her and left to hunt.
All that remained was to slip away and visit Lamia.
"I can't show up empty-handed..."
He packed a few chunks of dried meat and some fruit into a bundle and set off toward the mansion.
The moment he stepped out of the cave and into the forest, the air changed with a soft rush. The damp smell of packed earth, the resin warmed by morning sunlight, and the distant sound of a stream running through the valley—all of it settled around him.
The first time he had walked this path with Dragon, it had frightened him a little. Now, on his second trip, it felt almost familiar.
"Right... last time we went this way."
He carefully retraced the route he had taken with Dragon to the mansion. It wasn't far. Halfway along the forest path, you crossed a small hill and the valley appeared; follow that valley a little farther, and the mansion's dark brown roof peeked through the trees.
"Hmm... right turn here... yes."
The shapes of the tree trunks, a round protruding boulder, the broken scatter of fallen leaves—the path was simpler than he had expected. Pine needles crunched underfoot, and the sound of running water drew steadily closer.
"Oh... the valley."
A small stream of clear water sliding over rock. The ripples glittered in the sun, and tiny fish darted through them. He followed the narrow trail beside the valley a little farther, and at last it came into view.
Standing alone in the middle of the forest—the abandoned mansion.
As always, damp, clammy air clung to the grounds. Moss plastered to the walls, broken railings, a half-closed front door. And yet... today it felt quieter, more oppressive somehow.
But he had already made up his mind.
"I have to ask Lamia... I have to."
Dragon couldn't control her sexual urges because she was still hurt—so he had to find a way to heal her body. No matter what.
He gripped the bundle tight, pushed open the mansion door, and crossed the damp air down the stairs to the basement. Then he opened the library door.
Creeeak—
The moment it swung open, the library's distinctive smell of damp paper washed over him. A few small lamps cast yellow light that faintly lit the spaces between thousands of bookshelves.
"Lamia...?"
No answer.
"Lamia...? Are you... here...?"
A flicker of unease. Was she gone? Unlike last time, there wasn't even a trace of her presence today.
He walked carefully farther in. His footsteps clicked softly against the stone floor. And then—just slightly—a shadow between the shelves stirred.
"...Lamia?"
He approached cautiously—
Swoosh—
Right beside him, from behind a bookshelf, Lamia's face suddenly popped out.
"Kyaaah?!!"
A scream tore out of him.
"Ah... aah... I startled you, didn't I... Yuan..."
Lamia clasped her hands together and bowed slightly, as if apologizing. But for the briefest instant—a grin flickered across her face, as though she were barely holding back how happy she was to see him.
"I... I'm sorry... I was looking for a book... and got a little too focused..."
She was slightly out of breath. No matter how he looked at it, she seemed like someone who had been caught mid-act. Whether she had been exercising or something else, her body was slick with sweat, and a sticky, sweet scent hung thick in the air.
He spoke without thinking.
"Were you... working out?"
Lamia's expression collapsed with a flop. Her ears flushed bright red as she frantically shook her head.
"A-absolutely nooot!! I... I wasn't working out at aall!! Just... just... that is... uhh... heh... no, I mean..."
Her words tangled worse and worse. He even caught a glimpse of her tongue flicking out and back in.
"Anywayyy... hah... in any case... welcome, Yuan... What brings you here...? You seem to have come... alone..."
As she spoke, her tail unconsciously tapped the floor—tap, tap, tap—in a quiet, restless rhythm.
"Ah...! I... I came because I wanted to talk to you about Dragon!"
Lamia's eyes lit up for an instant.
"About Dragon...? Eheheh..."
A strange smile that hadn't been there a moment ago began to crawl slowly up the corners of her mouth.
And so, in the middle of the library, surrounded by books, he went on.
"You... you said that dragons have trouble controlling their impulses when they're hurt, right...? And because of that, I can feel that Dragon can't control her sexual urges either..."
"Heheh...♡ Tell me more...♡ What has Dragon been doing...?"
Lamia trembled with laughter.
"Well... Dragon has been... asking me for a lot of... lewd favors... and I've been granting all of them... Things like massaging her thighs, massaging her breasts, whether she can squeeze my butt, and so on..."
"E...heheh... I see...♡"
"And... every night, Dragon... masturbates... She rubs her... private parts against my face, and she... well... pushes my fingers into her vagina, and she steals my underwear to smell them..."
"Ah...♡ Pff... And then...?"
Lamia flicked her tongue, listening intently to every word.
"So... for Dragon to get her sexual urges under control... her body needs to heal quickly... Could you teach me how to make her better? Dragon still says she's in a lot of pai—"
"A blatant lie."
Lamia's eyes curved as she said it.
"W...what?"
"It's a~ll lies. Eheheh... Every last one!"
He scrambled to respond to her incomprehensible words.
"W...what is? What lie did I—"
"Not you, Yuan... Eheheh...♡ Someone as kind—ah, no... as good-hearted as you would never lie...♡ Eheheh..."
"Then... what on earth are you talk—ah."
"That's right. Heheh... Dragon has been telling you blatant lies. To pure, kind Yuan...♡"
Lamia's tongue flicked as she drew closer.
"Th...then..."
"The idea that Dragon is hurt is a blatant lie! And the claim that dragons lose control of their impulses when they're injured... When I tried to say that Dragon looked perfectly fine, she smashed one of my bookshelves. She threatened me! Told me not to tell you the truth. So I covered for her the best I could...♡"
It was absurd. Then... why on earth... had Dragon been doing this to him...
"Dragon simply lied to you so she could satisfy her lust, Yuan... Was my answer... enough for you...?"
"Th...that can't be... Dragon would never..."
"Dragons are different from humans, Yuan. Looking at you, all she can think about is going into heat and fucking you senseless... Eheheheheh...♡"
"Huh...?"
Clang—
Something inside him shattered to pieces.
Then all this time... what have I been...
"Hmm... Since I've given you a consultation... I'd like a little something in return, you know...?♡"
"Ah, here... as thanks for the advice... I brought a little food."
He untied the bundle and held out what he had brought. Lamia looked distinctly unimpressed.
"This isn't what I want, Yuaaan... Heheh..."
"Huh...? Then what—"
Lamia surged toward him. She brought her face right up to his ear.
"If you just suck my pussy once... that'll more than cover the consultation fee... But... you'll have to keep going until I climax five times...♡"
"Ah."
Whoosh—
He fled with every ounce of strength he had. That sudden shift in her voice left him so terrified he had no choice but to run. In an instant he burst out of the mansion, tore through the forest, and made it back to the cave.
Fortunately... Lamia didn't seem to have followed.
"Hah... hah... hah... hah..."
He caught his breath inside the cave and tried to think. Now that he knew the whole truth, the thought of facing Dragon terrified him. His heart kept pounding—thump, thump, thump—right beside his ear. His hands shook so hard he could feel his fingers, pressed against his chest, crumpling the fabric of his clothes.
"Wh...what do I do..."
In his head, he knew. He ought to ask Dragon directly.
Is it true? Is what Lamia said... real?
He knew he should ask that. But he couldn't find a scrap of courage.
Everything Dragon had done to him, everything she had said, every expression she had worn—it all came flooding back at once, and in his mind every one of them seemed to rewrite itself into the word lie.
"Hhk..."
His breathing turned shallow. His throat felt like it was closing. He couldn't stay here. If he waited in this spot for Dragon to return, he was certain he would either break down crying without a word—or, worse, smile the way he always did and say, "Welcome back," as if nothing had happened.
That... would be even worse. Because it would mean lying to himself.
"Can I... just run away for a little while..."
The words that left his mouth were so cowardly he almost couldn't stand himself—but right now, this felt like the best he could do. He couldn't face Dragon. Couldn't face her coming back from the hunt. Couldn't look at that face. Not now.
He frantically scanned his surroundings. There was still quite a while until evening. If he left now, he could put a good distance between himself and this place before Dragon returned. Just a few days to think... then he would come back.
He walked toward the cave mouth. His legs trembled so hard his ankles nearly buckled, but stopping felt impossible, so he kept walking. Then, suddenly, he looked back.
The spot where the campfire had gone out. The wooden table where they had eaten together. The place where Dragon had lain and slept. Everything was so familiar that leaving felt like committing a crime.
"...I'm sorry."
He murmured it softly. Then, with a small scrap of wood that came to hand, he hastily scratched words into the cave floor.
I'll be back soon
I just want a little time alone to think
He traced over the letters again and again so they wouldn't fade. A tear fell with a soft plip, leaving a blot across the words.
Dragons are different from humans, Yuan. Looking at you, all she can think about is going into heat and fucking you senseless... Eheheheheh...♡
Lamia's words rose up again, and it felt like his heart was being torn open. The fact that Dragon had been deceiving him... it hurt too much...
Maybe I was just a fool. Naive... stupid me...
"Hhk... hhkk..."
Before he could cry any harder, he turned and bolted out of the cave.
"..."
He thought he had run free. It was only a moment later that he realized someone was holding his wrist.
He didn't even need to look back to know who it was.
"Dragon..."
His heart began to race like mad.