The Plague Returns to Beliac
The plague began to spread through Beliac Village once more.
All of Yuria's efforts—treating the infected, holding the contagion at bay with the Purification Rune—were undone in an instant. The hopeful atmosphere that had been building collapsed into freefall.
I ran through the possibilities. We had isolated the infected from the healthy with absolute precision. With the Purification Rune in place, airborne transmission was impossible. Food? The infected and the uninfected ate separately. There had been no mistakes in the management of any of it.
"I investigated the newly infected," Berika said. "They never once left the houses under quarantine. The Guardian Corps provided their meals. There was no contact among the infected either."
"No contact, no common ground among the infected," Elena declared, her face drawn with exhaustion. "The most likely culprit would be the food—except that if the food were the cause, far more elves would have fallen ill, and they haven't. This is neither food nor air. Someone is spreading this plague deliberately. Most likely a plague curse designed to pass from person to person."
I and a few of the elves started at that. Yuria and Berika, however, showed no reaction at all.
If someone had manufactured a plague and unleashed it on Beliac Village—who?
The first thought that came to me was the Vitrase army. The force advancing on Beliac Village for its ancient relics. The village's greatest enemy.
But I shook my head almost at once and discarded the idea.
They sent twelve thousand troops and then seeded a plague into their own destination? That would be insane.
An army lived in close quarters. Nowhere was more vulnerable to disease. And this was a world with barely any concept of hygiene. A handful of infected soldiers would be enough to ravage the entire force in short order.
"Elder. Is there any enemy that comes to mind? Someone with both the means and the motive to spread a plague through this village. …It doesn't even have to be an enemy."
"None. Our Beliac Village never leaves the Forest of Polemp. The only place we ever dealt with was Randle Village. And Randle Village is…"
"Already empty. They either fled the plague or something else intervened."
"……"
A heavy silence pressed down on the room. I spoke into it, shaking the weight from my shoulders.
"Elder. What about proceeding with my plan? The Vitrase army is advancing. Close enough that you can feel the heat of the burning forest. It's time to make a decision."
"Yujin. There is a strong chance this plague is a curse. Isolating people on an island will not make it disappear. We have to resolve the source of the plague here."
"I agree with Elena. Somewhere there is a clue to this plague. We must find it and deal with it before we can move forward. The real problem is the Vitrase army bearing down on us. We will hold them. We should be able to buy at least two weeks."
Berika and the Guardian Corps left with grim faces.
And the next day—
The plague hit the Vitrase army. Nearly five hundred of the twelve thousand soldiers collapsed where they stood. Black spots bloomed across their skin. The Vitrase army halted its advance.
"This is the worst possible outcome. Damn it all."
The curse came from Berika, who until then had carried herself with such noble composure. The ease of yesterday was gone; she was all agitation and urgency now. She was fighting to hide it, but despair filled her eyes as well.
My tongue itched. I wanted to ask her why. But the sunken mood of the council chamber made it difficult. I have always been good at reading a room.
The meeting dragged on without direction and finally ended. There was no clear solution.
Everyone left to their assigned duties. Elena went to treat the patients. I took Yuria with me to the rear of the village—the outermost edge. From past experience, the elves never came out this way.
"Yuria. Why is Berika like that? The Vitrase army stopped. Shouldn't she be glad?"
"Because the cause is the plague. A plague is no ordinary matter—within days the rumor will spread through the entire kingdom. That a plague is raging in the Forest of Polemp. That the elves of Beliac are plague-ridden elves. And if it gets worse… that elves are a race that carries plague wherever they go."
"I see…"
It was serious.
The people of this world believed rumors and superstition with alarming ease. Even a capable lord feared the spread of gossip.
Berika is worried about the future of the elves.
The moment the idea that "elves equal plague" took root, the elves were finished. They would not be able to operate openly for decades—centuries, even. Their future looked bleak.
Curiosity satisfied, I checked our surroundings out of habit. No one. Not even a hint of presence.
I moved quietly behind Yuria. She stayed still. A sweet fragrance rose from her silver-blue hair—a scent I knew intimately. I wrapped both arms around her waist and pulled her close. Her waist was slender but firm. My hands climbed higher until they found the full weight of her breasts.
"Mmnh…. Husband…."
A soft, nasal sound slipped from Yuria. She turned her head. Our eyes met. She closed hers and tilted her chin up slightly.
I kissed her. As always, her tongue came out to meet mine. Soft lips and a yielding tongue, sweet as ever.
While we kissed, my hands never stopped. They slipped under her top, under her skirt. My cock, already hard, pressed insistently against her ass.
How long has it been?
For the past several days I had not been able to touch a woman's body. Elf watchers had been assigned to us—day and night, without rest. Only today had the surveillance finally vanished. Whether they had decided to truly trust us, or whether the plague hitting the Vitrase army had simply left them no capacity to watch us, I didn't know.
I'm not letting this chance slip.
I wanted to fuck. Badly.
Squelch.
"Ahn—ah…!"
My middle finger slid into Yuria's pussy. Easily. The walls clung to it. The more I moved, the more sticky nectar spilled out like honey. She had been as pent up as I was.
Makes sense. Before we came here, we were fucking almost every day.
After Yuria lost her memories, I had held her even more diligently. There had been a hope that sex might somehow bring them back. Unfortunately, hope had remained only hope.
"Ahnn…. Husband…. I can't wait. Please put it in me."
Yuria's voice was pleading. She braced one hand against a tree and lifted her skirt with the other. What lay beneath was pure obscenity. White stockings that climbed to her thighs, a garter belt, and between the white panties pulled aside—her wet pink pussy, glistening. The sheer frankness of it made it filthier still.
I was just about to free my cock from my pants when—
"So this is what you were doing."
Elena appeared beside us. She must have used magic; I hadn't sensed her at all. Arms crossed, she glared at me and Yuria. I ignored her, pulled my cock free, and drove it into Yuria's pussy.
Schlick—!
"Aaaahn…!"
Yuria braced with both hands. Her head dropped. Her pussy fluttered and clenched tight around me. The sheer volume of her juices made them drip steadily even when I held still. She had come from nothing more than the insertion.
…It's been so long I nearly came just from putting it in, myself.
I glanced sideways. Elena looked flustered.
"Wait. Have you lost your mind? We're outside. There are houses nearby. If someone sees us— mmph?!"
Her voice was too loud. I grabbed her by the hair and kissed her. My hips kept working, thrusting into Yuria, wet sounds rising and falling below.
Honestly, I had done it on impulse.
"Mmph…. Nnh…."
Elena's response was not bad. Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the kiss. Her hand found the back of my neck. Pleasure surged up from below, and I came.
"Ah—aaaahn!"
White fluid filled Yuria's pussy to overflowing and spilled out in thick drops. Days of buildup made the load several times stickier and heavier than usual. If I hadn't turned off the pregnancy function, she would have been pregnant for certain.
…Oh.
One climax cleared my head.
If I stop here, Elena will sulk.
I considered for a moment, then took Elena by the waist and lifted her onto Yuria's back.
"Hnn…."
Yuria, bent over with her hands on the tree, swayed briefly—but she bore Elena's weight without difficulty.
"……Yujin?"
This time I ignored her voice on purpose. The moment I engaged her in conversation, she would seize the initiative. I had learned that the hard way more than once. Unlike Yuria, Elena always tried to take control even in bed.
Fine. I'll be a beast instead!
I stripped Elena's skirt and panties in one motion. Before she could react, I buried my face in her pussy and sucked. Her smooth, hairless pink folds were delicious to work with. They grew wet fast. Maybe it was my imagination, but she tasted faintly of grapes.
"Ahk! W-wait! Wait just a moment! D-don't lick—!"
Too late. I focused on her clit, rolling the little bud with my tongue and sucking hard. Determined to break her quickly, I even activated Erogenous Amplification—and a fountain burst from her pussy.
"Hieuk…. Aauuuh…."
I checked Elena's face. Completely blank. No surprise there. We had already shared our bodies before. I was simply seeing that expression again after a long time.
Not missing this.
I drove my cock straight into Elena's pussy.
Thrust.
It forced the narrow passage open and bottomed out.
"Nnh."
Elena furrowed her brow. She glared at me, fighting to keep her expression under control. If not for those unfocused eyes, I might actually have believed she was angry.
Schlick, schlick.
My cock gave her no mercy, pounding into her. Elena let out the breath she had been holding and tipped her head back. Her blue bob swayed with every thrust.
I raised a hand and brought it down.
"……!"
Yuria's ass. She had been catching her breath, riding out the aftershocks of pleasure—and she jumped. Her pussy clenched hard and shot out a stream of cum like a water gun.
I can't just leave Yuria alone.
I pressed my index and middle fingers together and pushed them into her.
"Haaaahk!"
I scraped out the sticky semen. The walls writhed and wrapped around my fingers. A genius of a pussy, truly—determined to pleasure even a pair of fingers.
"Yu—jin…! Focus on me…! Ahn!"
Elena grabbed my face. I gave her what she wanted and focused on her.
Two women's moans and two women's wet sounds rose together in harmony. The pleasure climbed higher and higher. My body shuddered as I came a second time, deep inside Elena.
When I finished, I stepped back. My cock slid free of her pussy—which clung to it to the very end, as if reluctant to let go.
What a sight.
Elena's pussy rested atop Yuria's ass. Cum welled from both of them. The knowledge that I had claimed them both filled me with satisfaction.
One more round. This time I'll fuck them in turns.
I took hold of my cock, still hard—
And felt a presence.
Someone approaching from the village. I clicked my tongue. Elena snapped back to herself and went rigid. She cast an illusion. Thanks to her, we slipped away from that place without anyone discovering us.