The Banquet of Blood (1)
Gratitude. That was the feeling that came to mind whenever I thought of Sieg.
He had effortlessly lifted the curse that had plagued my family, and in doing so, changed a bleak future into something brighter. On a personal level, he was my salvation.
To stand against the Demon King’s army, I had no choice but to use magic. But every spell I cast shortened my lifespan. The sight of my parents coughing up blood and dying before my eyes. A body that ached with every single breath. My little sister who had left home out of a misplaced sense of responsibility, simply because her curse was the weakest among us.
As the eldest daughter, sacrificing myself to protect my family had been the only path available. So I gave up on my own happiness. All that remained was revenge. Killing Lucifer and the rest of the Demon King’s army—that was the sole purpose my remaining life would allow.
But that path was anything but easy. Almost no one stood with me. The Demon King’s forces had laid their groundwork meticulously, and pro-demon sentiment had spread across the continent. In fact, my extreme hostility toward the demons often made me the one who was treated like the oddity.
In the end, I could only rely on myself. Every breath felt like my body was burning alive, yet the hatred and resentment I felt toward Lucifer kept me going. I chased them with pure venom in my veins.
And that was how I met Sieg.
I first learned of him through my little sister, Soho Baekya. She had always carried a heavy burden on her shoulders, her expression perpetually dark and strained. So when I finally saw her again after a long time and the first thing out of her mouth was talk about a man, it came as quite a shock.
Has the time come for her to get married?
I wasn’t sure whether to call it good luck or bad. Soho had no talent for the Baekya family’s magic. That meant she wouldn’t suddenly drop dead from overusing it. Because of that, I had always assumed that if anyone were to inherit the family, it would be her. After all, getting my hands dirty with blood would be entirely my role.
I should cheer her on.
Since my sister had never shown interest in men before, just seeing her excited made me smile. That was why I felt grateful. Grateful to this man named Sieg that Soho spoke about so enthusiastically. At the same time, I was curious how he had managed to change my gloomy, anxious little sister so completely.
When I actually met him, my impression was… strange.
I have a keen eye for observation and am usually good at reading people’s emotions. But the moment our eyes met, his expression was a chaotic swirl of feelings—affection, surprise, pity, expectation, sympathy, excitement, delight, and more. Every human emotion seemed to flicker across his face at once.
Why does he look at me with all those feelings?
It wasn’t just the first meeting. Whenever he looked at me after that, he would often stare as if drunk on that same mixture of emotions. And the way he acted… it was as if he already knew everything about me. When he behaved like that, I sometimes felt truly understood.
In a world where no one seemed to understand me, it felt…
Weird…
Still, since I had decided to support them, I focused on helping Soho and Sieg grow closer. I believed it would be for the good of all of us.
But then…
Why does it feel so disappointing?
The first time he mentioned being able to use healing magic, the wager had been that he could touch my breasts. In the end, because he really could use healing magic, Sieg had been allowed to touch them. It turned out to be a prank, and Soho stopped it before anything happened, but I still wondered what might have occurred if she hadn’t intervened.
At the time, once I came back to my senses, I made a firm resolution. For the sake of keeping Sieg tied to the Baekya family, I would do everything I could to help him end up with Soho.
However—
“That guy… why is he so handsome? If I climbed on top and shook my hips, how good would that feel? I’m getting so turned on.”
“He looks like he’s alone. Should I go talk to him?”
“Why not? Any man will fall for it eventually.”
The voices of the noblewomen at the banquet I had infiltrated to hunt demons were grating on my nerves. They were openly plotting how to seduce Sieg as he stood there by himself. I couldn’t just stand by and watch.
Sieg belongs to Soho…
He was my little sister’s man! As her older sister, I couldn’t allow this. As her older sister!
“Men always say they like breasts. With a chest like mine, I should be able to seduce him, right?”
“What are you talking about, you brat? Mine are bigger!”
These women with their tiny breasts were trying to use their chests to act superior toward Sieg?
That was the moment I approached him and asked for healing magic. I had planned to ask once we left the banquet hall, but since the opportunity presented itself and I could protect him at the same time, I made the request—while deliberately emphasizing my enormous breasts.
That was why I showed him far more of my underboob than was strictly necessary.
He’s blushing…
I could see it. The way Sieg kept subtly averting his gaze, only for his eyes to keep locking onto my chest. It was amusing. In the end, he was still a man. It bothered him after all.
But the joke ended there. From now on, I had to protect him for Soho’s sake. With that thought in mind, I received his healing.
“Hngh…”
That was how it should have been.
But something was wrong. Whether it was my body or my mind that had gone strange, an impulse to cross a line that should never be crossed began to dominate me. Unlike other men, his hands were thick and massive.
I wonder if they could hold them in one hand…?
The question arose as my eyes were drawn to Sieg’s hands. If those hands were larger than most women’s, could they possibly envelop my own enormous breasts all at once?
Before I knew it, the words had left my mouth.
“Would you like to touch my breasts for real this time?”
I used gratitude as an excuse, hiding my vulgar desire behind the suggestion and pushing it forward.
What had those women said earlier? That breasts like theirs could seduce Sieg?
Ha?
I couldn’t even laugh. Surely it would take at least this much?
“Mine are the biggest here, you know.”
With that, I grabbed Sieg’s hand and pressed it against my chest. He could only stare at me in a daze. It had happened so suddenly that he simply watched it unfold.
I’m curious too!
As a healthy adult male, wasn’t he curious what it would feel like to be buried in something so massive?
Heavy… and so soft…
That was my impression of the two mounds yielding under Sieg’s touch. The soft flesh seemed to swallow his hand whole. It was hard to tell whether his hand was touching them, or whether they were touching his hand. They were that enormous. One hand couldn’t possibly cover them entirely.
And every time he touched them, I saw the expression on his face. Even though I kept my eyes closed and tried to look proud and unbothered, the way my breathing grew slightly ragged and my lips trembled seemed to delight him.
How long had it gone on?
Neither of us stopped. The touching continued until—
“S-S-S-Sieg… sir?”
Nero approached and witnessed the scene.
“W-What exactly… are the two of you… doing…?”
At Nero’s horrified reaction, Sieg and I sprang apart at the same time.
“I-It’s healing magic, Lady Nero. I asked him for it. As you know, my magic demands a price, so it couldn’t be helped.”
I was the first to explain. Despite my panic, I spoke calmly and clearly.
“Ah… s-so that’s healing magic…! I see.”
Nero nodded at my explanation. As far as she knew, healing magic didn’t require physical contact. But since Sieg was a man, perhaps his method was different. Still… why did it have to be…
He was touching her breasts?
Did it really require such sticky physical contact?!
I-I’m jealous!
From what I had read in books, being touched by someone else—especially a man—was supposedly far more pleasurable than touching yourself. Nero suddenly wanted to receive that so-called healing too.
If Sieg touched my breasts…
Magic originates from imagination. So said a great sage once called the greatest mage of all time. While the basic principle of magic is to infuse mana into a spell formula, the caster’s imagination greatly affects the power of the spell. That great mage had emphasized this point.
Nero, who had always taken those words to heart, possessed an imagination of the highest caliber. The moment she closed her eyes, she pictured Sieg touching her breasts. And he was doing it so gently that it felt incredibly—
“Haa…”
Nero collapsed on the spot.
“Are you alright?”
Sieg approached and reached out a hand. She looked exhausted from overusing her unique magic.
Nero took his kind hand and stared at it intently. Then she made up her mind.
I-I will definitely get my breasts touched too… No… I will receive healing…!
She hoped that day would come soon.
The Banquet of Blood has begun.
“Thank you all for gathering here.”
The embarrassing scene with Nero was quickly forgotten as Diana, the Empress, made her appearance. She ascended the platform and greeted the nobles.
“As you all know, today is a joyous occasion filled with many happy events.”
She delivered her greeting with dignity. Applause from everyone present swept through the banquet hall.
“Silence. There is one announcement I wish to make. You may not all be aware of it. Morgan, come here.”
At Diana’s call, Princess Morgan stepped up beside her. She seemed nervous. Or perhaps she was broken. Her body trembled violently, and her face was filled with terror.
“Look at Princess Morgan. Why is she like that?”
“She’s just a spoiled brat full of arrogance. It’s obvious. Hehe.”
Given Morgan’s usual poor reputation, mocking laughter broke out all around her.
“The present that does not prepare for the future is no different from death! Today, at this very gathering, I wish to make one declaration. For the prosperity of the Arcadia Empire, I shall select a husband candidate for Princess Morgan. Now, Princess Morgan, before that, please share your thoughts.”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
Morgan gave a small bow and stepped forward. Or at least, that was how it appeared. Suddenly, she spun around and lunged toward Diana.
“Ugh…”
She swung a hidden weapon and pierced the Empress’s throat.
“Kyaaaaa!! M-Mother!”
Nero’s scream rang in my ears.