Chapter 134: Harvest Day [R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 134: Harvest Day [R-18]
Cassia scowled at the four soldiers surrounding her. If I’d known this would happen, I would have paid my adventurer escorts extra to come with me. She slapped away the hand of a soldier reaching for her.
“Get out of my way. I’m not some woman you can just put your hands on.”
“Oh? You must be expensive. On your way to see some fancy knight, are you?”
“A knight? Ha! Do I look that cheap to you?”
Me, a first-class dancer?
“How absurd.”
She saw no more value in dealing with them. Cassia ignored the soldiers and tried to walk away, but they blocked her path.
“Hey, now. We’re not done talking. Where do you think you’re going…”
Cassia drew a dagger from the holster on her thigh and pressed it to the soldier’s neck.
“Move. Unless you want a hole in your neck.”
“…”
The soldier with the dagger to his throat was silent for a moment.
“Pfft-hahaha!”
Then he burst out laughing.
“Hey! She says she’s gonna kill me if I don’t move. What should I do?” he asked, turning to his comrades. He sounded so cheerful you’d never guess he had a blade to his neck. The other soldiers reacted similarly.
“What do you mean, what should you do? Just die. You’re always saying you’re just living because you can’t die, right?”
“If you don’t want to just die, why don’t you grope those amazing tits of hers first? Then you won’t have any regrets.”
Most of those who volunteered as soldiers for the Alitia Kingdom were from the slums.
They were men who had risked their lives to steal a single loaf of bread since childhood, and then had to risk their lives again to protect it.
To men like them, the short, stubby dagger held by a delicate woman was little more than a toy.
Suddenly, the soldier at knifepoint turned serious and grabbed the blade with his bare hand.
“Go on, stab me if you’ve got the guts. Let’s see what happens after you do.”
As he finished speaking, his comrades jutted out their chins and cracked their knuckles, putting on their best tough-guy act.
Cassia bit her lip.
“…You will all regret what you’ve done today.”
“Regret? I don’t know. I think I’d regret letting you go more.”
The soldier grinned and reached for Cassia. But a hand shot out from the side, grabbing his wrist and stopping him. He frowned and turned his head.
“What the—AAAAAAGH!!!”
An instant later, he was on his knees, overwhelmed by the crushing pressure and pain in his wrist.
“What’s this now?”
“Who the hell are you?!”
The soldiers tensed at the sight of the man who had suddenly intervened. Cassia, on the other hand, stared at him with wide, surprised eyes.
“Hero Cloud? What are you doing here…”
She revealed his identity on purpose. Achievements and fame were always more effective coming from someone else’s mouth. And just as she intended, the other three soldiers froze.
“What? What hero?”
“He’s Cloud, you idiot!”
“No, fuck. Isn’t he the hero from the next kingdom over? What’s he doing here?”
“They sent reinforcements from that kingdom, you moron.”
“Dammit… Just our luck…”
They began to back away, planning to make a run for it. But Cloud spoke far faster than they could act.
“I’ve memorized all your faces. I won’t say it twice. Bring me your superior.”
“Sir?” came the dazed reply, as if the threat had short-circuited his brain.
Cloud barked at them.
“Bring me your commanding officer. If you don’t want to die right here.”
“Yes, yes!”
The three soldiers scrambled off. A short while later, they returned with a man who looked to be in his early middle age.
“A Decurion? Are you kidding me? Get me the Centurion.”
At his single command, the Centurion and his subordinate Decurions gathered. Without a word, Cloud slapped the Centurion across the face.
The Centurion staggered.
Even though their superior had just been struck, the Decurions were busy looking away, pretending they hadn’t seen a thing.
The Centurion quickly regained his composure and bowed his head respectfully.
Cloud’s voice was low and menacing as he addressed them.
“You must be wondering why I hit you without warning. Am I right?”
The Centurion answered quickly.
“…I was told my men caused some trouble. It seems they made a small mistake due to the stress and fear of having to fight orcs. I will apologize to the young lady personally, so if you would please not make this a bigger issue, Hero—”
Smack—!
The Centurion’s head snapped to the side again.
His well-oiled tongue came to a halt.
Cloud spoke.
“I have no problem with soldiers playing dice or cards amongst themselves. Hiring prostitutes is technically forbidden, but I can understand it. Soldiers’ morale will drop if they can’t relieve their stress.”
However.
“But soldiers committing crimes? During wartime? Is this how the army of the Alitia Kingdom normally maintains its discipline?”
Cold sweat began to trickle down the Centurion’s back. A Hero was a position far, far above a mere Centurion. Even if he was a hero from another kingdom, a single word from him could easily get a Centurion dismissed.
Being reprimanded by such a person was anything but pleasant.
“Of course not all of them are like that. It was just those few…”
“For that to be true, not a single person tried to stop them, did they? Most of them hushed it up, and some even tried to join in.”
The Centurion’s mouth clamped shut.
Cloud sighed.
“To think I have to fight alongside such a disorderly mob… It’s giving me a headache.”
“…I apologize.”
“If you understand, then get your act together. Make sure your shitty discipline doesn’t get my soldiers hurt. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I will see to it immediately. You have nothing to worry about.”
The Centurion bowed deeply. The Decurions standing behind him followed suit.
“I certainly hope so.”
Cloud turned his back on them and walked away. Cassia hurried after him.
“You’re more authoritative than I expected. Different from the rumors,” she said, a look of fascination on her face.
“It’s a fact that their discipline is lax. On my way here, I saw a guy drinking before his guard duty. It’s driving me crazy. And the reason I called the Centurion was because I believe there’s no more effective punishment than a top-down reaming.”
“A top-down reaming?”
Cassia narrowed her eyes at the unfamiliar term. But her expression soon softened into an alluring smile.
“In any case, thank you. You saved me a lot of trouble. Well, I should get going. I have urgent business to attend to.”
“Gis?”
She froze, having just turned away with a smile.
“You won’t like what you find if you go. You know that, don’t you?”
“…That’s none of your business.”
She shot back coldly and started walking again. Cloud watched her go, his arms crossed.
*
Near the Alitia Kingdom’s military camp, there was a clear river. On a dark night, where not even the cry of a beast could be heard, a woman sat staring blankly at the water.
The woman’s reflection in the river was beautiful. A face that boasted mature beauty and a curvaceous body veiled by a single thin layer of cloth. But despite possessing features that could change the very atmosphere around her, she seemed faded and dark.
“I knew it.”
A man sat down beside her.
He was a man whose beauty surpassed the woman’s, yet his colors had not faded.
“See? I told you not to go.”
Cloud handed Cassia a wine glass. She stared at it blankly for a moment before accepting it.
“Did you see his face?” Cloud asked as he poured her some wine.
“Yes. Somehow.”
“That’s surprising. I thought you’d be kicked out without even hearing his voice, let alone seeing his face.”
“I gave a different name. They thought I was the woman he had called for and let me in.”
Cassia’s lips touched the wine glass. Without savoring it, she downed the contents in one gulp.
“That’s strong stuff.”
Ignoring Cloud’s comment, she held out her glass for more. He shook his head slightly and tilted the wine bottle.
She let out a small laugh as she watched the red wine fill her glass.
“Isn’t it funny? A mother having to make up a name just to see her son’s face?”
“I don’t know about that, but letting a woman in without even checking who she is seems pretty funny to me. What if you were an assassin?”
“Hehe. That’s true. I should have mentioned that before I left.”
“So you got to talk, at least?”
“No. He kicked me out the moment he saw my face. The only words we exchanged were the few I got in as I was being thrown out.”
Cassia downed the wine in one go again. She frowned when she saw the look on Cloud’s face.
“…You don’t have to look at me with such pity. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. You were speaking so formally, and now you’ve suddenly dropped it.”
“If it displeases you, I can go back to being formal, Hero.”
“It’s fine. It’s more awkward getting formal speech from a woman twice my age.”
“Oh, how harsh. It’s a bit too soon to be called an old lady, you know. Look. Do these look like an old lady’s breasts to you?”
Cassia cupped her breasts from below with her palms and kneaded them with her fingers. With every touch, the thin fabric trembled, precariously covering her breasts and nipples.
Cloud watched the swaying breasts intently before shaking his head.
“You’re right, Cassia. It’s far too soon to call those an old lady’s breasts.”
“Hehe, right?”
Cassia smiled triumphantly. But the corners of her lips soon fell again, settling into a neutral line that was neither drooping nor upturned as she feigned composure.
“I’m fine. I only came because I heard he was injured. I’ve confirmed he’s safe and I even saw his face, so that’s enough. Wanting anything more would be greedy.”
“…”
Seeing the slight tremor at the corner of her eye, Cloud silently tilted the wine bottle again.
Cassia unconsciously moved to drink the wine, then stopped with a flinch.
“By the way, why am I the only one drinking?”
“I’m participating in this war. I can’t drink during a war.”
“Hmph…”
Her eyes curved like a fox’s.
“You weren’t planning on doing something naughty to me while I’m drunk, were you?”
“Darn, you caught me.”
“Oh my, were you really? Too bad for you, then. I have no intention of being with anyone. You’d be wise to give up quickly, dear.”
“What a shame. You’re quite my type, Cassia.”
Cloud chuckled.
“I’m kidding. I just came to be your drinking buddy.”
“A drinking buddy who can’t drink? That’s quite a contradiction.”
“It’s better than nothing, isn’t it? In my experience, there’s nothing better than a drinking buddy when you’re feeling down. You drink, you talk, and before you know it, you feel better. So go on, drink. I may not be able to drink with you, but I can at least talk with you. That way, at least you won’t be lonely, right?”
“…”
His words, delivered with a gentle smile, left her with a blank expression. She stared at her reflection in the glass and muttered.
“Lonely…? Maybe…”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Well then, I’ll gratefully accept the wine.”
When Cloud asked again, Cassia composed herself and moved the hand holding the wine glass. Not toward her lips, but toward Cloud, who was sitting to her right. Specifically, she poured the wine right onto his crotch.
“Oh my, what do I do? It’s all wet. I’m sorry, I’m so drunk, my hand slipped.”
“I didn’t know a hand could slip in mid-air.”
“Since I’m the one who got you wet, I’ll take responsibility and clean you up.”
Cassia wriggled over and crawled between Cloud’s legs. Brushing aside a lock of hair that had fallen over her face, she licked the wine-soaked fabric of his pants with her tongue.
Slowly, Cloud’s cock began to react.
It grew, pressing up against his pants.
Cassia began to focus her attention on the hardened area.
Lick… slurp… schlick…
She licked and lapped at the fabric, making soft sucking sounds.
When his cock was fully hard, too large for his pants to contain as it pressed against his stomach, she ran her tongue all the way up from the base to the tip.
Cassia sucked on the part of his cock straining against his pants and looked up at him.
“You know, you were right. I think I’m going to be very lonely tonight. So… will you stay with me? I can’t go all the way, but I can get you off with my mouth as much as you want…”
Before he could even answer, she was pulling down his pants, swallowing his cock the moment it was free.