The City of Roses
The Thorn Rose Legion had lodged a formal protest against the A-Plan Legion.
The reason: they had detained merchants and mercenaries from Zone 970, the City of Roses.
It was fairly startling. We hadn't expected the Thorn Rose Legion to come at us this openly. We'd figured they would build up a bit more justification before making a move.
There's only one reason they'd react like this. They're looking down on us.
There could have been several reasons. The A-Plan Legion's actual strength was modest compared to its reputation, and it had grown gently without major friction against other legions. The way we'd withdrawn so easily from the Mechanical Park last time was probably another factor.
The A-Plan Legion settled for fining the detained merchants and mercenaries and letting them go.
There was no other choice.
The Thorn Rose Legion was more aggressive than expected, and the A-Plan Legion's war preparations still weren't finished.
Then the next day, another problem cropped up. One of the mercenaries we'd released got into a fight with an A-Plan Legion member. The mercenary was wrecked. Every tooth smashed, one eye gone, both arms severed—forced into early retirement from the mercenary trade.
…I did that.
I couldn't help it. The bastard had dared throw sexual harassment at Yu Seo-hee, my woman. A man harassing my woman right in front of me—was I supposed to just sit there and take it? I smashed him flat on the spot. Watching him blubber and beg for his life had felt pretty good at the time. My mood had been excellent—right up until the Thorn Rose Legion used the incident as a pretext to slam the A-Plan Legion with fierce condemnation.
"Seong Yujin. I want you to go to the Thorn Rose Legion and apologize."
"…Go apologize in person? Are you serious?"
"We have no choice. The Thorn Rose Legion named you specifically."
"Their scheme is obvious."
The odds that the Thorn Rose Legion would pull some underhanded move were high. Given the way they'd operated so far, it was a hundred and twenty percent certain.
"I know that too. But we still don't have enough time. I won't send you alone. Go with Ju Seo-hyeon."
Having Ju Seo-hyeon along would reduce the risk somewhat.
"I still don't want to go. You're not planning to throw me to the Thorn Rose Legion, are you?"
"It's natural you'd be suspicious. But I swear on everything I have—I have no intention of abandoning you or Ju Seo-hyeon."
Kang Myeong-jin put real weight into his voice.
He looked like a man without blood or tears, but for all that, he was still a web novel protagonist. Once he said something, he kept his word. More than that, looking long-term, my value and Ju Seo-hyeon's were higher than the Thorn Rose Legion's.
"I won't ask you to endure for long. One day. Hold out for just one day there. From the day after, you can act however you want."
"Faster than I expected. Did you find the mercenaries you wanted?"
"Turns out there are more than a few people who became mercenaries after getting screwed over by the Thorn Rose Legion. I should be able to hire them for a reasonable sum."
"Their own karma coming back around, huh. But the way you're talking, it sounds like you've got a surprise attack in mind."
"You read it correctly. We strike in one week."
"One week from now… that's while I'll still be in Zone 970. So that's why you told me to hold out for a day. What's the justification?"
"Once we win, I plan to share the spoils with the surrounding legions. The Thorn Rose Legion's bad reputation should help with that."
"So you're manufacturing the justification with money after the fact."
"Do you have a problem with that?"
"No. That's the more rational approach. Though we do have to win the war first."
"We will win. I've already assessed the Thorn Rose Legion's combat strength."
"I did my own assessment separately, and they're absolutely not an easy opponent. …Did you already persuade the other legions?"
"Not yet. I'm heading out to persuade them now."
Kang Myeong-jin rose from his seat with a confident look and prepared to leave.
I stared at him with a face full of disbelief. Only a week left until the raid. Time was tight, and he was going off to persuade other legions?
…If this is web-novel logic, then sure, it's a web-novel development…. But isn't this usually impossible?
Separate from the absurdity of it, I had a feeling that if it was Kang Myeong-jin, he would succeed. Say what you want—Kang Myeong-jin was a web novel protagonist.
You have entered Zone 970, the City of Roses.
I arrived in Zone 970 with Ju Seo-hyeon.
True to its name as the City of Roses, the moment we entered the city, roses were everywhere. Flower beds along the streets, walls—roses filled every surface. The colors ran the full spectrum, starting from the basic red roses and branching into pink, blue, yellow, white, black, and more. The whole place was thick with the scent of roses.
I rubbed my nose. The rose fragrance hit hard. Even a pleasant scent, piled on this thick, turned unpleasant.
"Hmm."
Ju Seo-hyeon standing beside me looked around with mildly startled eyes. A city overflowing with roses seemed to fascinate her. To me, she looked prettier than this whole damn city.
Sensing my gaze, Ju Seo-hyeon slightly furrowed her brow and looked back at me.
"What? If you've got something to say, say it."
"That outfit. It suits you. You look pretty."
"Th-this is only because you told me to wear it."
Ju Seo-hyeon spoke as if making an excuse.
Right now she was wearing a black one-piece dress. A white belt drew the eye. Her full chest and narrow waist made the cut of the dress pop. The skirt fell to her knees—neither too short nor too long. She'd equipped her sword at the belt.
"Want to look around the city a bit before we go?"
"Did you forget the mission? We didn't come here to play. We came to apologize to the Thorn Rose Legion."
"It's fine. It's fine. We've got plenty of time."
I draped an arm over her shoulder. Ju Seo-hyeon was on the tall side, so it sat a little awkwardly.
"…I'll say it again. We came to apologize. Even if it's only an apology in words, the proper thing is to meet the other party first and greet them."
"I said it's fine. If they complain, we just throw out some excuses."
I tightened the hand on her shoulder and pulled her into my arms. Eyes around us turned our way. Ju Seo-hyeon flushed slightly and scowled. As she tried to pull free, I spoke.
"You're the one who lost the sparring match. You have to listen to me, right?"
"Kh…. Next time, I swear I'll…."
Ju Seo-hyeon muttered. Having lost the spar, she had no choice but to follow my words. I walked the streets with her. Whenever I got bored, I pulled the remote from my pocket and pressed the button.
Bzzzzzz.
"Hhk?!"
Ju Seo-hyeon, who had been walking fine, flinched and trembled at the waist.
Right now, by my mercy, she wasn't wearing the chastity belt. Instead, a dildo was buried deep inside her pussy—one linked to the remote.
"You just going to stand there frozen? You need to walk."
"Y-you despicable bastard…! Hhk, haah…."
Ju Seo-hyeon staggered as she walked. Right beside her, I could hear the dildo's bzzzz vibration in my ear.
A stall selling chicken skewers came into view. I was getting hungry, so I headed over. The smell of meat made my mouth water hard.
"Welcome! Chicken skewers, lamb skewers, pork skewers! We've got them all!"
"One chicken skewer. What do you want?"
"L-lamb."
The male merchant taking the order tilted his head.
"The young lady seems to be shaking quite a bit. Is she unwell?"
"She said her condition's off today. She's fine with me beside her."
"Haha. Her husband is truly reliable."
The merchant said this and headed into the kitchen to grill the skewers. He seemed to have taken us for a married couple. For a native of the Atlantis continent, that wasn't strange. Continentals typically skipped dating and went straight to marriage.
"Wife. You feeling okay?"
"Th-this is all your fault…!"
Ju Seo-hyeon ground her teeth. I took her restless self and sat her down. Not across from each other—side by side. From beside her, I lifted her skirt. Inside the soaked white panties, the vibrating dildo was visible.
"Not as good as my cock, but it feels nice, right?"
"Th-this is way better than your cock."
She put on airs despite the fact that she couldn't even move once my cock was in her. Mildly annoyed, I worked the remote and cranked the dildo's vibration to maximum.
Bzzzz! Bzzzz!
The dildo thrashed roughly. If the panties hadn't been holding it in place, it would have dropped right out.
"Hnnnnngh!!"
Ju Seo-hyeon went rigid and bit down hard on her lip.
I checked our surroundings. The merchant was in the kitchen grilling chicken skewers, and aside from us there were no other customers. I took hold of Ju Seo-hyeon's face and kissed her. My tongue invaded her mouth.
"Mmph…. Nngh…."
Our saliva mixed thickly. Sensing movement from the kitchen, I pulled my mouth away and stopped the wild vibration.
"Skewers are ready!"
The merchant bringing the skewers looked startled when he saw Ju Seo-hyeon.
"P-please enjoy."
He walked to the counter, glancing back at her. Fair enough. Ju Seo-hyeon was sitting there dazed with flushed cheeks, and it looked strangely lewd. I put the lamb skewer in her hand. She slowly put it in her mouth.
Ordinary chicken skewer. Not particularly good, not particularly bad.
What was certain was that it wasn't my taste. I wouldn't eat it twice.
After filling up on skewers, we browsed various shops.
True to the City of Roses, they sold rose-related goods. There were quite a few tourists. Couples in particular were flaunting their affection all over the place. Well—I was the last person to talk, given that I was playing couple with Ju Seo-hyeon myself.
I figured out the three most popular shops. Walking around, you picked it up naturally.
One was a flower shop. Roses of every color were for sale.
Specialty product of Zone 970.
Gives off a pleasant fragrance.
With proper care, it will not wilt for a long time.
Rank: F
Even an ordinary-looking rose had a rank attached.
The second shop was a gift store for tourists. They sold rose-made soap, rose-made sweets, and so on.
The third, surprisingly, was a gold-and-silver shop with no rose connection. Apparently Zone 970 was as famous for accessories as it was for roses. While I was at it, I bought Ju Seo-hyeon a necklace.
A pendant necklace. The chain was gold, the ornament a rose. The rose was rendered in red ruby. It was fairly expensive. Five hundred thousand pennies. Converted to Korean won, about five million won.
"Wh-who do you think would accept a gift from the likes of you?"
Ju Seo-hyeon refused, of course. She even turned her body away from me to signal she wouldn't take the necklace. I followed after her.
"Hey now. When someone gives you something, you take it."
I fastened the necklace around her throat. Surprisingly, Ju Seo-hyeon stayed quiet.
"…This is… only because I lost the spar and have no choice."
"It's expensive, so take good care of it."
"…The moment I win a spar against you, I'm throwing it away."
"Go ahead."
"……."
After that, Ju Seo-hyeon offered no further resistance. The way she casually touched the necklace suggested she liked it.
Before entering the Thorn Rose Legion building, I took Ju Seo-hyeon into an alley. Even in the damp backstreet, a faint rose scent lingered.
"Lift your skirt. Let me see what state you're in."
"…Pervert bastard."
Ju Seo-hyeon cursed me once, then lifted her skirt. Soaked white panties and the outline of the dildo sticking out. I stripped the panties off, pulled the dildo free, and tossed it carelessly into a corner of the alley. I spread her pussy with my fingers. The hole, full of sticky love juices, fluttered open and closed.
"I can't hold it. Mind if I put it in?"
"…Even if I told you not to, you'd put it in anyway. Do what you want."
Ju Seo-hyeon said it curtly.
Maybe the necklace gift was having an effect. Her attitude was oddly more compliant than usual. I dropped my pants, pulled out my cock, and pushed into her pussy.
"Ah, aah…."
Her pussy clamped tight. I pulled her shoulders and waist into my arms. The squeeze of her pussy grew stronger. After a brief hesitation, she soon wrapped her arms around my back.
Schlick, schlick.
"Hhk, haaang…!"
Ju Seo-hyeon's stifled moans, kept as quiet as she could manage, softly filled the alley.