Hall of Fame (3)

A long, rattling clatter swept through the arena — and the battlefield began to change.

The floor and walls folded like the faces of a puzzle cube, collapsing inward and blooming outward in turn.

Looks like Inception.

It was exactly like a scene from that movie I'd enjoyed so much in my previous life. Click, click, click — space compressed and expanded, over and over, until the second battlefield had taken shape.

A guidance window bloomed in front of my eyes at the same time. Our second opponent was a four-star monster called Mighty Rakabishu — an orc, that old fantasy staple that always showed up right alongside ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠goblins.

"Yay! Master, did you see? Huh? Did you see? Did you see?"

"Yeah. You fought really well."

"Hehe!"

Oralisa, summoned back to the waiting area, came scampering over with her eyes shining and asked if I'd watched her fight. I ruffled her hair and nodded, and she lit up like a child.

The gap in physical specs had been so enormous that Oralisa losing would have been the strange outcome — but she wanted praise that badly, so I couldn't exactly recite the facts at her.

"So why'd you pick that bow?"

I pointed at the small bow in her hands. It had belonged to her opponent, Banum the Unyielding, and it had been custom-built for his frame. Oralisa's arms were too long for it; it didn't suit her at all.

She puffed out her cheeks and grumbled.

"Master, that guy was a beggar. A total beggar. This bow was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠best thing he even had."

"Ah."

So there really hadn't been any other reason.

I'd been hoping there might be some kind of hidden piece in there... I was an idiot for expecting that.

Montblanc had given me the reward list you could earn from winning these matches, and I'd gone over it before we even entered the dungeon. Still, a part of me had wondered if there might be a hidden piece waiting. No such luck.

"Anyway, good work, Oralisa. Take a breather. Now then... who should I send out..."

"Master."

"Hm? What is it, Aquaril?"

I still had to pick a fighter for Mighty Rakabishu. I was turning the options over when Aquaril called my name.

"I would like to go, if I may."

"You?"

"Yes. I really — I truly want to go."

"....."

Her eyes were burning. She wanted this badly.

Hah... she's so damn cute.

I knew exactly why she was on fire. When I'd been praising Oralisa earlier, Aquaril had watched the whole thing with naked envy in her eyes.

In other words, she wanted to bring down Mighty Rakabishu and get the same praise Oralisa had gotten.

Whose fairy is this adorable? She was so precious and cute I wanted to pump her womb full of my cum.

What was her level again?

I opened her status window to check.

Aquaril was level 78.

Hmm...

That epithet — Mighty — told me everything I needed to know. The Rakabishu about to be summoned was a monster with a massive Strength stat, which was why I'd been planning to send out someone who could match that raw power. Nothing got a man's blood up quite like a pure contest of force.

In our party, I had the highest Strength at 102(+8). Abraham was next at 80.

It was way too early for me to step in myself, so I'd been ready to send Abraham... but with Aquaril this eager, I didn't have much choice.

"All right. You're up."

"Thank you, Master. I will win. I swear it."

"I know you will. I'll be watching."

Aquaril bowed to me with a face carved from resolve, then stepped out onto the field.

Aquaril took her place at the center of the dueling ground, and across from her an orc materialized — a full head taller than she was.

Khh. Khh. Khh.

Mighty Rakabishu was already rolling his shoulders, breath tearing in and out of him, battle-lust boiling over before the match had even begun. In each of his fists he gripped a blood-red axe — weapons so massive they should have taken two hands, and he was holding one in each.

Shiiing—!

Aquaril said nothing. She simply closed her fingers around the hilt of her sword and drew her own killing intent up to meet his. It was the blade I'd bought her — the Abyssal Rapier, four stars.

"Hah!"

KRAAAAAAAAGH—!

The instant the window announced the start, Aquaril and Mighty Rakabishu exploded into motion.

"You okay, Aquaril?"

"...I'm sorry, Master."

"Sorry? You won. What are you apologizing for? More importantly, let me see where you got hit."

"....."

Aquaril fidgeted, then ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lifted her arm. I pushed her clothes aside and grimaced at the bruise blooming blue-black along her ribs.

"Tsk. I already used a healing skill and the bruise still hasn't gone down. Aish... what a waste, putting a mark like that on such a pretty waist."

"...I'm sorry, Master."

"I told you it's fine. I'm just pissed off about it, that's all."

I laid my hand over the livid bruise and cast the skill.

Healing mana soaked into her side, and the bruise receded a little.

The fight between Aquaril and Mighty Rakabishu had been on track to end as her complete domination.

Rakabishu had been an orc strong enough to earn that epithet — genuinely, monstrously strong. His fatal weakness, though, was that his feet were slow, and Aquaril's Agility was high. She danced around him, pressing and pressing, and the green-skinned monster was a bloody wreck in no time. He flew into a rage and hammered the air with those axes like a madman, and she slipped every swing as if it cost her nothing.

With a display of martial supremacy like that, Aquaril beating Rakabishu had been a foregone conclusion.

But maybe that was exactly why she let her guard down — because the fight had been going precisely according to her plan.

The instant she took the orc's head, he landed one last blow. A fist hard as a boulder slammed into her ribs. Her Durability sat at 60 points, and 60 points was not enough to eat an orc's monstrous strength. The hit launched her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sideways, and Rakabishu died with a grin on his face.

"....."

Aquaril had been hanging her head ever since. She'd wanted to win the way Oralisa had — not a single hit taken, a clean and beautiful victory, and praise from me at the end of it. She hadn't gotten that. So even though she'd won, she kept apologizing.

Is this Oralisa's influence? Because Aquaril is starting to look an awful lot like a spoiled brat.

This hadn't been her personality originally. In front of other people she was ice, but in front of me she was shy and quick to smile — that was her charm, the reversal. Ever since Oralisa joined us, though, Aquaril's temperament had been shifting by degrees. She wasn't aware of it herself, but she'd learned how to act spoiled.

Not that I disliked the change. If anything, this version suited me better.

Comforting a fairy is a master's duty!

Tonight, I was going to have to comfort Aquaril nice and thoroughly. Sticky, even.

That was when Oralisa, who'd been checking her bow and arrows nearby, wandered over to us.

"Aquarin, you okay? Does it hurt a lot?"

"Hm? Ah... Master treated me, so I'm fine..."

"It's okay! If Aquarin just works a little harder, she can get as strong as Oralisa!"

"....."

Aquaril's face went rigid.

Oh, boy.

I grabbed my head. Oralisa hadn't said it out of malice, and she hadn't been trying to twist the knife. I knew her better than anyone alive. She'd said it purely to comfort Aquaril.

In this particular moment, though, those words were not comfort. Not even a little.

"Oralisa will help you lots! Ahem! If you just follow Oralisa's teachings, Aquarin can get as strong as Oralisa too!"

"....."

Aquaril knew Oralisa wasn't mocking her. She also couldn't get angry at a friend who was trying to make her feel better.

"Haaah..."

"Cheer up, Aquarin!"

In the end, all Aquaril could do was pout and let out a long, defeated sigh.

After Kanisia and Abraham, it was my turn on watch. I pulled Aquaril down onto my lap.

"Aquaril. Let me see that wound again."

"Hm? Ah... yes. Of course, Master..."

She'd been staring blankly into the campfire. At the mention of the wound she lifted her clothes with that same hangdog look. I'd been recasting Multi Heal every hour, and the bruise had faded a great deal from what it had been.

"I should put another heal on it."

"Thank you, Master... haah~"

The words broke off into a sudden, indecent little moan — because I'd closed my right hand around her breast.

Color flooded Aquaril's face, and it wasn't long before her eyes went soft and unfocused. Physical contact with me in those secret places was the trigger that flipped every fairy's switch.

"Here...? Are you going to do it here, Master?"

As a rule, I never had sex or even fool around on a dungeon run — not until we were back in the city. I didn't want to burn stamina I'd need for the raid on something so frivolous. Looking back, the self-control I'd shown in those days was almost impressive.

I couldn't manage it now. More precisely, I hadn't been able to manage it since the Catacomb, since Gigaesingwan's curse had sunk its hooks into me.

They say the first time is always the hardest — and while there are people who've never watched porn, there's no such thing as someone who's only watched it once. Once I'd started having sex on dungeon runs, my body had lost all ability to hold back.

"What, you don't want to?"

"No... I want to, Master."

She shook her head quickly. I smiled, kneading that exquisite softness while I pushed another Multi Heal into her bruised side — and then I pinched the fruit hanging at the tip, hard.

"Haaahh... nn, nngh..."

"Oh dear. Did that hurt that much? You're making all these noises..."

"Th-that's... hhk, hnnngh..."

I kept pinching, and Aquaril clamped a hand over her own mouth. Kanisia and Abraham were asleep. A moan at the wrong volume might wake them.

I stroked the side where the healing mana had soaked in, slow and gentle, and went on working her breasts. Then I turned her to face me and put my mouth on her in earnest. That pink nipple tasted just as good as it always did. Aquaril looked down at me with eyes full of something like love.

My hand went lower. I stripped her pants away, slid my fingers inside her panties, and found a filthy little pussy that was already pouring wet for me.

"Hhn... haaahhn...!"

Her ripened body twisted, a moan spilling out of her.

Squelch. Squelch. Squelch.

"M-Master, I— I...!"

The faster my fingers moved, the more she gave me. The hand I'd pushed into her panties was already soaked through.

"M-Master! Hnnnnngh~!"

When the climax hit, Aquaril threw her arms around me and bit down on my shoulder — a desperate little effort to keep the sound from getting out. I waited until the shaking stopped, then pulled my dripping hand free and held it up in front of her face.

"Wow. No matter how many times I see it, you really do get soaking wet, don't you?"

"Ah... aah..."

She couldn't meet my eyes. I put my tongue out long and slow and licked her juices off my own fingers while she watched.

"Ah..."

Aquaril stared at me swallowing like she'd been put under a spell.

"Nngh..."

I kissed my lovely fairy. Her lips parted as if they'd been waiting for it, and that soft tongue came out to meet mine. Our tongues tangled the way mating snakes do.

After a long, deep kiss, I pressed a lighter one to her mouth and whispered against it.

"You've been doing well, Aquaril. All this time."

"Ah... do you truly mean that?"

"Of course. On the battlefield or in bed — you're always the best."

"...I'm glad, Master."

"So from now on, don't say you're sorry to me."

"What? But... today I disappointed you..."

"Master..."

Aquaril's eyes welled up. She wiped the tears as they ran down her cheeks, and then she was beaming, leaning in to whisper against my ear.

"This time, allow me to serve you, Master."

"Yeah? Your side okay?"

"This much... I can endure. No — it doesn't hurt at all anymore."

"All right... then I guess I'll let Aquaril take care of me."

"I will give it everything I have."

She nodded with a look of grim determination. A moment later she took my cock into her mouth. She wrung the cum out of me with her lips, then again with her pussy.

Hmm... at this rate I might just get a taste for outdoor sex.