Dark Moon

"You're saying you're not the Resistance?"

I asked the bound man again.

The man kneeling before me was covered in blood from head to toe. Three corpses lay sprawled around him — the result of an hour of crude torture. Three dead, two singing.

"N-no, sir! I've told you over and over — we are absolutely not the Resistance!"

"Then what are you?"

"W-we're with the Blaig Organization…"

I listened in silence.

This was the fifth time I'd heard the same answer. The men had cracked within five minutes of the torture starting. All that talk about enduring pain to protect secrets had been empty noise.

The reason I'd spent a full hour torturing them and repeating the same questions was verification. You don't just swallow whatever information an enemy spits out for free.

Blaig. The organization running smuggling operations with Major Vague of the 105th Unit. Drugs and illegal goods brought in from the Hapail Republic, sold into the Freesel Kingdom… They're too sloppy for this kind of work. Is the Republic looking the other way?

Having narcotics flood the Freesel Kingdom wasn't a bad deal from the Republic's perspective. An enemy's misery is your happiness, after all.

I was about to put them through more. The Resistance was famous for its tight bonds — this level of torture wouldn't be enough to crack them if these men really belonged to it.

Crack.

Sparks leapt from my hand, and the man's face twisted in despair.

"I've told you everything I know! P-please, stop!"

I ignored him and reached for his head — then Instructor Lexy caught my shoulder.

"Number 211. That's enough. These guys aren't the Resistance."

"Instructor. Isn't it a little early to be sure? If what they're saying is true, there should be smuggled goods here — but we searched the place and found nothing."

"Ah — the goods haven't arrived yet! They come next week!"

The man cut in. I gave him a cold look, then turned back to Instructor Lexy.

"It's a little suspicious, sure, but the others are all saying the same thing. Let's wrap it up here."

"Understood."

"You and I both suck at interrogations, huh."

"I did it the way I was taught."

"Torture them until they die? Instructor Vinous taught you that, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"That old man, I swear…"

Lexy clicked her tongue, shook her head, and drew her pistol. Two sharp cracks rang out, and the two surviving men dropped dead where they sat.

"What should we do with the cabin?"

"Leave it. It's useless to us anyway. You check the second floor? Reeked of sweat and cigarette smoke. Sleeping on the bare ground would be better than staying here."

Instructor Lexy stepped outside. I left the bodies in the cabin and followed her. The sun was slowly sinking.

"Instructor Lexy."

"Call me noona."

"Yes. Lexy noona. I think… Major Vague and these people have some kind of communication channel."

"Yeah. They already knew about us. But they never told us what that channel was. Said they got orders from higher up four days ago."

"They knew we were coming. These guys seemed like the lowest of the low — didn't know anything useful, but…"

"The Resistance, Major Vague, the Blaig Organization. Maybe they're all in bed together?"

"Yes. So you were thinking the same thing."

Instructor Lexy let out a long sigh.

"…Our top priority is survival. The mission comes second. Don't forget that."

"Yes. I know."

It had been three days since we entered the Rumel Forest.

Instructor Lexy seemed to have completely lost interest in a mission that hadn't had much appeal to begin with. Normally she was strict about her assignments. For her to act like this…

Because the mission was rotten from the start.

A mission built on intelligence Major Vague had cooked up and reported. Of course she had no motivation.

The problem was that once she lost interest in the mission, she started having fun teasing me instead.

She'd drop dirty jokes out of nowhere, or casually strike suggestive poses ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠with that voluptuous body of hers, testing my reactions. She'd figured out I was aware of her.

Telling her to stop did nothing. The thought of just pinning her down once and for all crossed my mind — then I remembered the gap in our ranks and dropped it.

"Grrrrr."

Instructor Lexy bared her nails and growled at me, mimicking the jaguar we'd just taken down. I fought desperately to keep my eyes from drifting below her neck. Her T-shirt was soaked with sweat, clinging tight to her body.

"…Lexy noona. Aren't you getting tired of this?"

"Why? It's fun. If you want to look at my body, go ahead."

"……"

Instructor Lexy deliberately swayed her upper body. Her full breasts bounced with the motion. I snapped my gaze away.

She snickered.

Before evening, we found a stream.

Clear, clean water trickled between the trees. We followed it upstream and discovered a small waterfall cascading down.

Found it. Barely any different from the scenery in the game.

The timing worked in my favor, too.

"Lexy noona. We should camp here tonight. The waterfall's loud, so let's set up a little ways off."

"Agreed. Three days without a shower and I thought I was going to die of the grime — and then we find a perfect spot. I'm showering. Don't try to stop me."

"Yes. I'll prepare dinner in the meantime. Take your time."

I had business at this waterfall myself, but that could wait.

The moment I turned to go fetch the rations, Instructor Lexy grinned wickedly, grabbed me, and hurled me into the stream.

I almost reacted, then stopped. I'd realized it was just one of her pranks.

Splash.

I went under. The water below the falls was just deep enough for my feet to touch. The cold, clean water snapped me wide awake — the stickiness washed off, and my mood lifted.

"In a place like this, water play is mandatory."

Using mana to temporarily boost her physical ability, she leapt high and dove. A massive spray exploded in front of me. I blocked the droplets with my forearm.

Lexy bobbed with only her head above the surface, laughing her head off. I felt mana flowing from her — and that mana became magic.

Wind… is it?

Water and wind mixed. Water shot up in every direction and came crashing down on me. Even the current was affected — the stream shoved my body around. I managed a wry smile. Instructor Lexy's idea of water play was pretty rough.

Using a Barrier would kill the romance. Wind.

I answered with the same wind magic. Her smile deepened.

"Ooh. You're putting some real power into it."

She cast Bubble. Dozens of watermelon-sized water orbs rose around her and locked onto me. Even with the force dialed way down, there were just too many of them.

"…Are you seriously going this hard?"

"It's fine. You can take it."

The orbs came pouring down. I dove under. With my water affinity, I could breathe freely underwater and move however I wanted.

……!!

Through the clear water, I could see Instructor Lexy's body. Soaked through, every curve on full display. I was just thinking that was at least something — when I felt a spell formula forming below me.

Water Wall?

Nothing dangerous. This was still within the bounds of play. I abandoned defense and let the water take me. A column of water surged up, launching my body skyward.

"Ahahahahahaha!"

I deliberately ignored the information floating in front of my eyes.

After the water play with Instructor Lexy ended, I prepared dinner. I foraged edible plants and grilled jaguar meat. I couldn't cook, so I couldn't guarantee the taste — but at least we wouldn't go hungry.

With two portions ready, I waited for Instructor Lexy. The sun had set and the moon was up.

…She's not coming. Something wrong?

I shouted toward the waterfall.

"Lexy noona! Dinner's ready!!"

No answer came back.

I can still sense her presence. Still playing in the water?

Instructor Lexy was a soldier and a 4-Class combat mage, but she was only twenty-three — still young. I didn't know the full story, but I knew she'd enlisted at fifteen, had her talent recognized, and received all kinds of support.

Twenty-three. Fair age to still want to play around.

I understood — but watching the food go cold made it hard to just sit there. It didn't taste good, but I'd put the effort in. I'd rather she eat it while it was still warm.

Is this what a chef feels like?

Cold food tastes even worse. And then Instructor Lexy would complain about how bad it was. I went to fetch her myself.

Instructor Lexy was standing near the stream. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Completely naked — not a scrap of clothing on her. Her pale skin shimmered under the moonlight.

Without meaning to, I widened my eyes and took in her body. Her ankles and calves were hidden beneath the water's surface. Above that, white thighs — and above those, her sex. Similar to No. 31's, yet different. She'd shaved, so the shape of her pussy was fully visible. A neat pink slit, closed in a straight line.

A little bigger than No. 31's…

I couldn't help comparing. The only pussies I'd seen with my own eyes were No. 31's and Lexy's.

My gaze climbed higher. A smooth lower belly and a deep navel. The well-defined muscle made her look like a sculpture. And above that, breasts so full they made No. 31's look like nothing — pink areolas and nipples far larger and more erect than No. 31's.

A droplet fell onto her chest. For a second I thought it was rain — but it was water falling from her wet pink bob.

"Number 211. You're staring way too hard."

"S-sorry!"

I spun around in a hurry.

"It's fine. I get it. Technically it's partly my fault for not answering."

Instructor Lexy's voice didn't sound flustered in the slightest.

"Perfect timing, actually. Come over here and scrub my back. Washing your own back is harder than you'd think."

"Y-you could use magic…"

"Washing a back isn't that hard. Or what — you don't even want to touch me?"

"……As you command."

I turned back and approached her. Her naked body filled my vision again. She glanced at my lower half and grinned — so she'd noticed I was hard.

Instructor Lexy handed me a towel and turned her back. The curve of her breast peeked out past ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her upper arm. It was a moment that made the sheer size of her chest hit home.

I wrung out the wet towel once and pressed it to her back. Even through the fabric, I could feel how soft and smooth her skin was.

"Mmm…. The towel's too rough. Not great. Use your bare hands."

I knew arguing wouldn't break her stubbornness, so I slung the towel over my shoulder and set my hands on her white back. Smooth skin under my palms.

"…Aren't you embarrassed at all?"

"If it's you, it's fine."

"……"

I turned those words over, trying to figure out how to take them. Was it fine because I was a slave and a test subject? Or did she mean something else?

I quietly worked my hands over her back. The notification from earlier floated back into mind.

Her erogenous zone was her back, right?

……So detecting erogenous zones ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wasn't the full effect?

Instructor Lexy's body reacted immediately. She twitched, then let out a pleased sound.

"Hnnngh. You're pretty good at this. Feels nice."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it."

Ten seconds in, I was already pouring sweat. The cause was obvious. Vitality drain. With Erogenous Amplification active, it felt like I was sprinting at full power. At this rate, I'd barely last a minute.

Around the forty-second mark, my head started spinning. I pulled my hands off her back.

"Nn? Already done? Do a little more. Honestly, I'd like you to do the front too."

"I can't."

"You're worn out from that little bit? If you don't want to, just say so. That's cold."

"I'm genuinely exhausted."

I could have canceled Erogenous Amplification mid-way, but I'd gotten too absorbed in testing the new ability.

Erogenous Amplification did exactly what the name said — it heightened sexual sensitivity. Some kind of ability that raised sensory responsiveness. Judging by Instructor Lexy's relatively calm reaction, the effect didn't seem that dramatic.

"…Lexy noona? Are you just going to stay like that?"

"I'm not done washing. Go eat dinner first."

Instructor Lexy stood still without turning around. So even she was a little embarrassed about being naked in front of me.

I put cold food in my mouth. It was terrible. Twenty minutes later, Instructor Lexy appeared looking somehow refreshed and sat down across from me. She'd taken longer than expected, but I didn't ask. Experience had taught me that women's showers tend to run long.

The moment she put the meat in her mouth, her face twisted.

"This is awful."

"Can't be helped. We don't have any seasoning."

"Even so, this is way too bad. Emergency rations would taste better at this point. Let's do emergency rations for breakfast tomorrow."

"Yes."