86. The Poisoned Holy Grail (2)
86. The Poisoned Holy Grail (2)
- 1 -
"Tail...?"
Echidna's eyes widened for a moment, unable to hide her surprise, then she nodded with a puzzled expression.
"... This is the first time I've gotten this reaction. Alright. Touch it."
Of course, no one would dare touch the body of the swarm's leader and queen.
Even among queens of equal standing, no race would have found her tail so appealing.
But I was different.
Well, it was just so tempting.
"Eut... cha."
Echidna, having accepted my request, deftly coiled her tail up under the table.
That supple, sinuous movement was quite captivating.
After that, she placed the tip on my lap.
She did so carefully, as if worried about putting too much weight on me, and with a tense attitude.
'How cute.'
A cautious attitude that hinted she was worried I might harm her.
And at the same time, her demeanor—as if she felt her own body might be too heavy for me—was more feminine than monstrous.
Thus, a reptilian tail so clean and beautiful that one would never believe it had just been on the dirt floor a moment ago was now in my hands.
"It's... very pretty."
"Is that so...?"
She probably didn't understand.
How much this large, thick body part she'd had since birth could captivate the beholder.
Sure enough, she just shook her head as if she truly did not understand my words.
"I've never thought of it that way, so I wouldn't know."
"Hehe. Well, you'll find out now."
As you might have guessed, I am rather fond of snakes.
It wasn't that I ever wanted to keep or tame a snake or a large serpent on Earth; I'd only ever touched snakes that had been tamed by other keepers.
The reason was simple. It was too dangerous for a beginner.
"I'll begin. Like this. Wait a moment..."
"...Why is mana...?"
But touching Echidna's tail was not dangerous at all.
Because if she attacked me right now, it would mean war between us.
Ah, it might be dangerous for the heart, though.
"It's okay. You can tell just by looking that it's not an attack, right?"
"That's true, but..."
My hand slowly moved upward against the grain of the scales on her tail.
I smiled at Echidna, who was watching me with nervous eyes.
It was also clear that she had almost never left her body in someone else's hands like this before.
After all, monsters wouldn't have a culture of entrusting their bodies to ladies-in-waiting or maids.
'So, am I becoming the pioneer of that culture?'
Somehow, it felt pleasant.
Sarak...
"Relax."
I extended my mana as delicately as possible to probe the inside of her tail, then applied force to the areas where the muscles were tense and simply stroked the rest.
As you might have noticed, this was nothing more than a simple massage using mana.
A massage that used mana to relieve tense muscles from within.
"Mmm..."
The Lamia queen's eyes, which had initially been watching me with caution, gradually softened and then half-closed.
Before long, one of her hands was gripping the chair while the other fidgeted in front of her chest.
She seemed to be at a loss for what to do, her feelings plain to see.
It was obvious just by looking. 'The handling was going well.'
"How does it feel?"
"It's refreshing... I've never felt this way... before."
It's said that snakes have poor eyesight but highly developed senses of smell and touch. Though at the Elite rank her eyesight likely wasn't poor, she probably still retained some serpentine traits.
If so, she would feel the stimulation from my hands stroking her tail even more strongly.
Chiik.
"Wait a moment. You... what are you doing...?"
Then... what remained was the sense of smell.
"It's okay. It's just a simple fragrance. You, of all people, can tell if this is poison or medicine, right?"
"Relaxation... and strengthening of recovery... herbs. And this scent..."
Deureureuk...
As her body relaxed, the chair's back, which had appeared to be made of stone, slowly reclined.
Since she kept dwarves, it seemed their technology had been applied to this chair as well.
"It's the perfume I use. How is it?"
"It's good... No wonder... your body scent was so pleasant..."
"That's right. Just keep relaxing."
While inwardly expressing gratitude to them, I slowly swept my hand up her tail until it reached near the point where her body began.
The part where the scales disappeared and the senses became more sensitive.
"Wait."
Naturally, when I reached that part, she came to her senses.
Echidna's eyes, slightly widened, held a wariness that was visible even through their pitch-black color.
An attitude that was the polar opposite of the open Alraune Queen.
For some reason, that made me feel more pleased.
"Is there a problem?"
Of course, I had no intention of going any further from the start.
My interest was in her tail and fostering friendship with her, not some sort of destined relationship.
... Did that sound a bit trashy? Only being interested in her body and influence.
Still, since she was originally on guard around me, she probably wouldn't wish for that anyway, so it should be fine.
"No, it's nothing. I was mistaken..."
When my hand slowly moved back down again, she appeared relieved and closed her eyes once more.
Her outward appearance was still eerie and mysterious, but her reaction was unexpectedly cute.
'It'll be worth the effort.'
She was a target with whom it was enjoyable to get closer.
Unlike with Alraune.
"Mmm..."
I kept moving my hand up and down to the edge of that body part, stimulating the internal muscles with mana repeatedly.
Each time, the voice of this queen, who had gradually let down her guard, began to carry a sense of comfort as she started to enjoy the unfamiliar stimulation.
"Does it hurt?"
"Hmm... It feels... good."
Saak... saak...
For a while, the only sounds in the queen's chamber were the sound of a hand brushing against scales and the queen's reactions.
In that way, I enjoyed interacting with the queen and witnessing her reactions.
- 2 -
The snake queen's first pleasant experience soon passed.
Afterwards, Echidna's gaze toward Libertas was accompanied by a tail that curled much more gently than before.
It was a face that had shed much of its wariness and arrogance, now revealing a sense of familiarity.
"How was it?"
"It was quite good."
To Libertas's question, Echidna readily affirmed.
'It was a wonderfully sensuous fragrance...'
For her, it was an unfamiliar touch—or rather, since she wasn't very familiar with touch itself, it was an entirely novel experience.
At any rate, she was pleased with the presence of the one who had provided such an experience.
Even though she had been a little reluctant at first.
"It's a feeling I've never experienced in my life. Do you know what this sensation is called?"
"Humans tend to use words like 'refreshing' or 'soothing.'"
"I see... I like 'refreshing.'"
Since she herself was a being close to water, Echidna had chosen a word that evoked the image of water.
Soon after, she noticed the state of the food that had been laid out on the table and made a regretful expression.
"The food has gone cold. I had it prepared with reference to human and dwarf cuisine, since your body resembles a human's."
In a life in the wild, the most important thing was survival.
And in survival, the two things considered most crucial were food and violence, so it was only natural to feel regret when the value of one dropped.
"It still looks delicious. I'll enjoy it."
"I was just about to have it reheated..."
Therefore, Libertas's reaction was both perplexing and pleasing to her.
Because the fact that Libertas happily accepted the food even though it wasn't perfect seemed to reveal a desire to become close with her.
"It's fine. My body isn't as weak as a human's. As long as it tastes good, that's all that matters."
"In that case... try this. My head chef was most proud of it."
Nodding a few times, Echidna offered the food to Libertas, who accepted it with a pleased reaction and savored the lingering afterglow of their time together.
"I've heard that your dungeon is close to here. Is that true?"
"That's right. In a way, we could even call each other neighbors."
"My abode is also not on the surface, so that might be even more true."
During the meal, Echidna voluntarily revealed the location of her secretly hidden palace and hinted at an invitation.
"So it's underground?"
"There is a cave inside this lake that touches the water. That is my palace. Come by for a viewing sometime."
"Certainly. I look forward to visiting."
She was now feeling a desire to get closer to Libertas.
Toward the being with whom she had, for the first time in her life, put aside formality and wariness and made physical contact.
"You must be visiting another queen now, I suppose. I will look forward to your next visit."
"Me too."
However, Libertas was already sensing the faint signs of the feelings Echidna had concealed behind her words.
Though she showed no strong outward reaction, there were signs like a slight trembling at the ends of her eyebrows and somewhat downturned corners of her mouth.
Signs that she was gradually growing restless.
And at the question that finally came out, the Dungeon Lady smiled inwardly.
'She's truly a snake that makes the handling feel worthwhile.'
From Libertas's perspective, it was clear that this arrogant snake queen had rarely, if ever, needed to hide her emotions.
This was to some extent understandable.
After all, a monster queen more often displayed wisdom in being responsible for her swarm's survival, or showed a combative and imperious side, rather than taking a political stance.
The Alraune Queen she had met before was a rarer case.
"What is it? You granted my rude request, so it's only natural that I return the favor."
"Then I shall also speak comfortably. ... May I consider you a friend?"
But even in such ignorance, she was capable of the tact not to state her wishes immediately, so if she began learning to hide her feelings, she would pick it up quickly.
But who could teach her that right now?
Libertas felt that the opportunity to manipulate Echidna at will would soon come.
"Of course, Echidna. Please feel free to be more casual with me from now on."
"A joyful answer. Libertas. You may also be casual with me."
On the surface, a scene of sharing friendship.
But the feelings they actually held toward each other behind that facade were similar yet different in nature.
One felt a desire to tame, aiming to make handling familiar; the other felt the sentiment of a monarch embracing a capable subordinate.
'Becoming a subordinate under a Dungeon Lord doesn't suit me. But if I become closer to her...'
Echidna, who had never failed to command subordinates, was expecting that Libertas would soon fall under her influence, reversing the typical relationship between a Dungeon Lord and a monster.
'A poison that seeps in during a comfortable time is the most lethal of all. I wonder how well this queen, who deals in poison and medicine, can resist an unfamiliar poison.'
Conversely, Libertas believed that Echidna would soon fall under her thumb.
According to what she had heard from Serha, this queen who handled the powers of healing and poisoning would have no immunity whatsoever to the poison of interpersonal relationships.
'I'm starting to want to make her wish to serve me of her own accord.'
'Soon, she will find it hard to endure without me.'
The two queens, sharing thoughts that were similar but slightly different, had quite a resemblance to each other, though they themselves might not know it.
Except for the fact that one side's superiority was already determined.
Tak!
"As a token of friendship for you, whom I now consider a friend, I would like to give you a gift."
In this situation of "same bed, different dreams," Echidna smiled and summoned her subordinate.