No Trace of an Exit
I held Sharnell every single day.
The women of the dream world might have looked different on the outside, but their cunts were all more or less the same — mass-produced pussies with a slightly altered shell. Sharnell's, though, had character. Hers had been broken in to fit my cock, and for that reason alone it had become a pussy tailored to my tastes.
Priscilla had figured out what was going on between Sharnell and me. It would have been stranger if she hadn't, given how openly we fucked around the manor. She never interfered. She simply watched, as if it had nothing whatsoever to do with her.
I'd been hoping for a more dramatic reaction. The indifference was a little disappointing.
"It's finished."
Priscilla spoke. In her hand she held a regular hexagonal box — a search magic tool forged with a Dragon Heart.
"You finished sooner than I expected."
"Things went smoothly."
She said it as if it were nothing. We'd originally estimated half a month; she'd knocked it out in ten days.
"As expected of Master!"
"Sharnell. Your help was considerable as well."
Priscilla praised her. Honestly, I had to wonder what exactly Sharnell had contributed. She'd spent the better part of those ten days fucking me.
"So now we can find the exit without much trouble. But what if there isn't one near here?"
This world was at least the size of a continent. The magic tool's search range covered roughly a kingdom — about a tenth of the continent. That meant the remaining nine-tenths lay beyond its reach. And any magic tool crafted in this place would vanish like a mirage the moment you left the fixed location where it was made.
"Then we go elsewhere and craft a similar tool to use there."
"There won't be a Dragon Heart elsewhere, will there?"
"A Dragon Heart isn't strictly necessary. A top-grade magic stone would be more than sufficient to make this tool. Using a Dragon Heart for something like this is closer to extravagance. If this weren't the dream world, the thought of spending a Dragon Heart on a tool like this would never have crossed my mind."
We rose into the sky on Priscilla's magic. Standing in the blue open air, I marveled at the cool wind — and that marvel didn't take long to curdle into bewilderment. Far off in the distance, a stretch of space was warping in rainbow colors.
"What the hell is that…?"
"It's nothing of consequence. That is simply space that has not yet been observed by us."
She said it as if it truly were nothing, then activated the magic tool resting on her palm. Mana surged inside the hexagonal box — not thrashing wildly, but racing along fixed circuits without the slightest hesitation, triggering the spell.
The box lifted into the air and began to unfold. At the same time, waves of mana spread in every direction. Five holographic rings appeared above the hexagonal box. Priscilla and Sharnell stared fixedly at them. Near the rings, something glittered like stars.
"Master. There are a lot of powerful beings. And they're all similar."
"Those are likely versions of me manifested by this world's power. Ignore them."
"This reaction to the east… it's moving. Hard to call that an exit."
"Do not bind yourself to common sense. An exit need not take the form of a door."
"True. Looking at how it moves, though, it doesn't seem human… more like a monster."
"A monster of considerable power… I have a guess. Likely a Twin-Headed Drake."
"I'll ignore that one, then. There aren't many reactions nearby."
"If we eliminate the relatively weak reactions here… and strip away the ordinary ones as well… three locations remain. Those three will have to be confirmed in person."
I kept my mouth shut. There was no opening to insert myself into their conversation. I could tell they were reading information off the magic tool and discussing it — I just had no idea how they were extracting any of it. In situations like this, the smart move was to stay quiet and keep my head down.
"Should we split up?"
"The dream world shifts. There is a risk of becoming separated. Better that we move together."
"Understood."
The moment the decision was made, we moved. Priscilla flicked her fingers, and my body took off after her and Sharnell of its own accord. I didn't bother resisting.
We left the fishing village behind. The magic tool the two of them had spent ten days crafting vanished without a trace. Sharnell pouted; Priscilla didn't show so much as a flicker of attachment.
Flying like this is ridiculously fast. Is this how Sharnell found Priscilla in the first place?
We arrived at the first point.
It was a mage's workshop deep in the mountains. A mage who looked one breath away from death was conducting magical research on people and monsters alike.
"Ugh… a dark mage?!"
Sharnell glared at the mad mage with pure revulsion.
"Look carefully, Sharnell. He is no dark mage. He is simply a madman."
The mad mage drooled as he stared at Priscilla.
"Heh heh heh heh… two fine specimens. Especially you… a dragon, are you?"
Without preamble, he cast a spell at Priscilla. A sphere of mixed fire and ice shot toward her.
Priscilla gave a light wave of her hand. That alone erased the mad mage's magic without a trace.
"A dud from the start. An elemental orb assembled from the life force of people and monsters must have tripped the tool's search."
Priscilla sighed.
"I remember you. You were the fool who, without knowing your place, ran about boasting that you would hunt and kill a dragon…"
Crack. Crrrack!
Space froze solid.
The mad mage died without even managing a reaction to Priscilla's magic.
"On to the next."
The second and third were duds as well.
At the second, a vampire who had collected the blood of more than ten thousand humans was preparing an evolution ritual. At the third, a top-tier demon had appeared and was wrecking a city for sport.
"It seems we will have to craft another search magic tool elsewhere."
"Mmm. How many days this time?"
"Gathering materials will not be difficult. And having made the tool once already… roughly a week should suffice."
And so we changed lodgings.
There was nothing for me to do. They built the magic tool; whenever time allowed, I fucked Sharnell.
A full month slipped past that way.
In that time we crafted the tool four times and searched for the exit — and every attempt came up empty. We never found it.
We've searched more than half the continent… and not only is there no exit, there's not even a trace of one. At this point, something might be wrong.
I scratched my cheek. Something felt off, but I couldn't pin down what. So I did what I always did — I fucked Sharnell.
"Hhk, nngh… haaang! Master! Don't look… hwaaaang!"
Sharnell was naked and face-down on the floor. I gripped her hips and drove my waist hard. My thick, rigid cock slammed into her pussy without mercy. Every thrust sent her juices spilling out.
"…You look as though you're enjoying yourself, Sharnell. Pay me no mind. I have little interest in human sexual acts."
"Th-that's not— this is… kkeuuugh?!"
I seized Sharnell by the throat from behind. Priscilla's brow twitched in response.
For someone who claimed no interest, she was staring straight at us.
"Khhk, kkeuk… ghhhk!"
Sharnell made choked, pained sounds and thrashed. The grip of her pussy tightened another notch. She squirmed a little, but she didn't resist. Somewhere along the way she had grown used to being choked during sex. I eased the pressure in my hand. Sharnell, who had barely been holding her posture, collapsed flat onto the floor — but her ass stayed raised. I took hold of it and kept working my hips back and forth.
Slap slap slap slap!
The wet smack of flesh on flesh was the only sound filling the room.
"How long do you intend to continue? Sharnell has fainted."
Priscilla spoke.
"Ah, so she has. Still, I haven't finished yet."
I answered with perfect nonchalance. Of course I'd known she'd passed out. The reason I didn't stop my hips was to provoke Priscilla — and the plan worked. She was paying attention.
"…Show some restraint. Sharnell could die. You don't actually believe only men die of sexual excess, do you?"
"Come on. As if I'd let Sharnell die. This is all part of the pl— oh, I'm cumming!"
I'd been insisting on finishing inside her, but conscious of Priscilla's gaze I deliberately pulled my cock free of her pussy. I laid the shaft — soaked in her juices — across Sharnell's ass and stroked it with my hand. My cock pulsed and I came, fouling her ass, the small of her back, even her red hair.
It didn't stop there. Semen splattered all the way to Priscilla, standing some five meters off.
With a face gone cold and rigid, Priscilla wiped the cum from her cheek with her thumb.
"…No different from a beast. Is the act truly that pleasurable?"
"Of course it is. You enjoyed it yourself last time we did it, Priscilla."
"I did not enjoy it. At the time I had no choice, if we were to leave the dream world."
I stood. My cock, still aimed at Priscilla, throbbed vigorously.
"Priscilla. Want to have sex with me? For all we know, fucking again might make the exit appear, same as before."
"The situation is not what it was then. And unlike the two of you, I have no interest in the sexual act."
"Ah. I see."
"……You appear to be enjoying the present circumstances. As if it would not matter to you if you remained in this world forever. …Is this world, by chance, more enjoyable than reality?"
Priscilla knew what I'd been doing. When I got bored, I sometimes went outside, killed people, or grabbed women and raped them. Sharnell didn't know — but Priscilla did. The reason she never stopped me was that she understood better than anyone that this world was fake.
"No. Reality is obviously more fun. The people and women here are all the same… they feel less like people and more like dolls."
"Dolls… not an inaccurate description."
"What about you, Priscilla? Do you find this world enjoyable?"
"I would not call it enjoyable. But it is true that this world is comfortable for me. It is familiar. …Perhaps that is simply age speaking."
A thought struck me without warning. Priscilla might want to stay in this world. That might even be why we couldn't find the exit.
…Time to revise the plan. This is no longer the moment for leisurely needling Priscilla.
Fortunately, I had a justification ready.
"Priscilla. I came here to save you, and for all practical purposes, I already have."
"What is this, all of a sudden? Are you fretting over a reward? If so, set your mind at ease. I shall give you the money I have accumulated over the years, and a few relics. As for your maid, a portion of my research materials should satisfy her."
"I don't need money or relics. I have enough of both. As for the reward… do it with your body, the way Sharnell did."