The Jailer's Bargain
I checked the female elf's expression, already rehearsing excuses in case she lost it. Contrary to my worries, though, her eyes glittered with anticipation.
"Is it torture?"
"Not quite. It's a verification process. Even those shadows won't hold out long against the witch's plague."
Disappointment flickered across her face. Looking at her, I decided I could rape Bella right in front of this elf and she wouldn't mind—she might even enjoy it.
"Verification process?"
"A demon contractor always carries a mark of the pact somewhere on their body. In Bella Hutris's case…"
I looked at Bella, now stripped bare. She was still fighting the shadow men—swinging both arms, kicking without hesitation, and spewing plague the whole time. The shadows melted under the influence, bit by bit.
Her massive H-cup breasts bounced and swayed with every thrash. My eyes kept snagging on the pink nipples at their tips.
"…There, under her right breast. See the green magic circle?"
"There really is a magic circle."
"Every demon contractor has one without exception. Proof of the pact with a demon."
The shadows began tormenting Bella in earnest—pinning her shoulders, squeezing and yanking her breasts, forcing her legs apart and shoving her around. I knew Yuria was doing this for me. I watched Bella's body with open pleasure. Her pussy was thick with platinum pubic hair the same color as the hair on her head. There was a fair amount of it, but the strands were fine and pale enough that her pink folds showed through easily. From a distance it almost looked like bare skin.
A tightly closed vertical slit. High odds she was a virgin. I quietly licked my lips.
"Kyaaaaah! You bastards…!!"
Bella swung her open palm in irritation, trying to fight them off.
"……"
I glanced at the female elf. Her gaze hadn't changed—still locked on Bella with murderous intensity.
…What is it?
Her stare bothered me. I followed it. Bella's crotch… she was staring at the pussy with open hunger.
"……"
I fell silent, thinking. The conclusion came quickly.
This female elf… is a lesbian!
"Kyaaaaah!"
Bella screamed again. Her body hit the floor with a heavy thud—conveniently ass-up toward us. Her pink anus and pussy were on full display. The pussy was clean. The outer lips were plump and parallel, pressed so tightly together the entrance itself was hard to see.
"…Mm."
I checked the elf's face. Her expression was blank, but the corners of her mouth were trembling. Arousal, most likely. Bella might be a demon contractor, but her beauty was in a league of its own.
The shadows faded soon after. Bella sat on the floor, panting, and glared at us outside the cell with pure irritation and hatred.
"What's your name?"
"Ah—I haven't introduced myself. Demithera Whist of the Guardian Corps, Third Squad."
I looked her over with fresh interest. Pale green hair, blue eyes. The long ears proved she was an elf. The tight leather outfit left little to the imagination. Her breasts were small—A-cups—but her hips were outstanding.
"My main duties are prison management and torture."
"…So you're a jailer, then?"
"Yes. Normally I work as a jailer. If you're reluctant to torture that witch yourself… leave it to me."
She said it calmly.
I suddenly felt less certain. I'd pegged her as a lesbian, but maybe not. A professional torturer's job included working over human genitals, after all.
"…Demithera. If you were the one torturing Bella… how would you go about it?"
I asked with open interest.
"That witch has a strong spirit. She looks fragile under pain, but her personality is vicious. Types like her rarely break cleanly under torture alone. If it were me, I'd start by raping her—break her pride first."
The blunt answer caught me off guard.
"…Rape? You're a woman. Ah—you'd call in a man to do it?"
"No. I'd do it myself. Thinking a woman can't rape another woman is just prejudice. Women can rape women. In some ways it's more effective than a man doing it. After the mental shock of the rape, then the real torture begins. Less physical pain, more psychological… Yes. Start by slowly stripping away her dignity as a human being."
Demithera clenched her fist. Not from rising emotion—more like her hands were itching for the work.
I grinned and set a hand on her shoulder.
Demithera flinched and looked up at me.
"…Lord Yujin?"
My instincts lit up.
Demithera was a pervert. No one casually talked about raping a woman like that otherwise. I liked her.
"Demithera. Want to work under me?"
"…Elder Verica said that once this is settled, our people will settle in your territory, Lord Yujin."
"That's different from working directly under me. Higher status, you could say."
"…I'm not good at much. I can swing a sword, but it doesn't suit my temperament. I…"
"I intend to hire you as a torturer. Our territory has no shortage of people who don't know their place. There are also slaves who need special education."
"…I see."
"If you come under me… it won't just be Bella. I'll hand you other beautiful women as well. No—not torture. Let's call it training."
"Training…?"
Demithera's eyes lit up. The word clearly appealed to her.
I've got a few rebellious women on my hands. I don't have time to train them myself. Hiring a trainer saves time.
A male trainer was out of the question. I could tolerate a lot, but not another man's scent on my women.
My woman training my women—that I can allow.
My hand slid slowly down her shoulder, past the small of her back, toward her ass.
"There's one condition, Demithera. You become my woman."
"…I understand your meaning, Lord Yujin. I have a condition of my own. Bella. Leave that woman's training to me. Then I'll become your torturer… no, your trainer."
I grinned.
"Of course. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do, Demithera."
"Just leave it to me."
I stripped off Demithera's lower clothes. Underwear came with them in one pull, exposing her pale ass. I freed my cock and rubbed it between her cheeks. Demithera's expression didn't change. Instead she bent her waist slightly and pushed her hips back, making it easier for me.
Good thing Elena isn't here. She'd be nagging if she were.
My cock slid between her thighs. With one hand I spread her ass. A clean anus came into view, and the pink pussy pressed against my shaft. No hair visible from behind, but I felt the soft brush of it against the head.
"How are you going to train Bella? You can't even get close because of the plague."
"I can command a lesser water spirit. A spirit should withstand the witch's plague to some degree. If I set time limits and rest properly between sessions, it should be doable. …Nngh…!"
I pushed in. She wasn't a virgin, but the grip was excellent.
"You have a fine piece of equipment."
"Your pussy's pretty tight itself."
"I don't use the lower half this way. Putting something inside… it's been almost eight years."
"…Then how do you use it?"
"I prefer a strap-on for raping other women. Nngh. I don't care much about a man's equipment, but… yours, Lord Yujin… feels good…"
Wet sounds filled the air. Of course it felt good—I was using Erogenous Amplification. I stripped her top and fondled her small breasts. Pink nipples stood out sharply against the modest curves.
Demithera stared straight ahead. Bella was right there. Demithera was getting off on looking at her. It was obvious what kind of fantasies she was spinning about the witch.
"I'm coming inside."
"Yes. Please do."
"What if you get pregnant?"
"It's a safe day."
I came inside her and pulled out with a sticky sound. Demithera calmly pulled her panties and leather pants back up as if nothing had happened.
"Demithera. I'm leaving this place to you, then. All right?"
Her eyes sparkled.
"Yes. You won't be disappointed."
Trusting her, I headed back to the surface with Yuria.
"Filthy creatures."
Bella's contemptuous voice followed us. I ignored it. I was already looking forward to seeing what kind of Bella I'd meet next time.
The next day.
The forest burned.
It burned far more fiercely than before.
The army that had halted under the plague was moving again—faster than ever.
An army already doomed by the plague. Trying to rack up some merit before they die?
Maybe the commander wanted to complete the mission and dodge responsibility for the soldiers lost to the plague.
Idiots. Even so, that army will never reach Beliac Village. Once Verica steps in and uses the ancient relic, she'll buy a few more days—and a few days is more than enough for the plague to run wild.
One whole army, wrecked like this.
I took my time over breakfast.
I sensed a crowd outside. Elves swarmed in and surrounded the house. Frowning, I opened the door.
Dozens of armed elves stood with Verica at their head.
"Elder. What's the meaning of this sudden show? It looks an awful lot like a threat. Didn't you call us guests—benefactors, even? Is this how the elves of Beliac Village treat their guests?"
Yuria, Elena, and Elnoa took positions behind me. Reading the atmosphere, they quietly began circulating mana.
"I know this is lower than the beasts. I have no face to show you. I'd offer this old life if I could. But… understand that the lives of my people rest on my shoulders."
"……What exactly have we done wrong?"
"You've done nothing wrong. The wrong is ours."
I scanned the surrounding elves' faces. None of them looked openly hostile. If anything, they looked like they hated themselves.
"…Explain the situation."
"At dawn a man named Veint Hutris came. Said he was that witch's younger brother. He promised that if we killed you and handed Bella over unharmed, he would lift the plague and leave us alone. He even staked his own mana on it."
Veint Hutris.
I belatedly remembered—Bella's younger brother. I'd forgotten him because he was a man.
"……And you believed him?"
"You know the Bitras army is advancing, yes? He was the one pulling their strings from behind. Just as he said, the army started moving."
"Elder. It's not too late. If we join forces we can handle both the Bitras army and that treacherous demon."
"It's too late. The entire village is already infected with the plague. And that includes… me. They released the plague long before you arrived. Our fate was sealed from the start. That witch appearing last night… was just her toying with us."
Verica held out her hand. Black spots were spreading across the back of the Archmage's hand.
So the plague had already spread through everyone and was sitting in its incubation period. …No wonder Bella was so well-behaved.
I wanted to slap Bella across the face, but there was no time. I had to deal with the situation in front of me.
"Elder. Bella is in our hands. Isn't rescuing her your goal? Move carelessly and I'll kill her."
"…Surrender and hand Bella over to us. I'll renegotiate our lives and yours on the condition that we deliver her."
"And how the hell am I supposed to believe that, you damn old hag?"
I dropped a bolt of lightning on Verica's head.
KRA-KOOM!