Alisa Interlude: The Blade's Embrace
After parting ways with Gloria in the Imperial Capital, I arrive at the seaside city in a single day aboard a vehicle called the Holy Train. I gaze at the massive throng of soldiers clad in uniforms arrayed before me.
"Welcome, Lady Alisa. We will escort you from here on."
"..."
This level of lavish treatment isn't really my style.
I think that, but there's no real reason to refuse, so I flash a smile and nod. Some lose themselves staring at my face, entranced; others eye me with wary suspicion. Being blessed by a goddess is great and all, but becoming something that inspires fear? Not so much. Gloria's subtle wariness, the common soldiers' reactions—there's this weird distance. If they fear me so much they won't even let monsters touch me, that'd be a problem in its own right.
"This way, please."
The spot where I disembark from the train lies in the east of what was once the kingdom—no, now the empire. Unlike the western regions around the succubus's magic tower, this is straight out of a textbook fantasy world: verdant fields and ordinary foliage everywhere. I sweep my shoulder-length hair back and climb into the carriage the imperial soldiers indicate.
We're heading straight for a massive ship next. Nearly a hundred death-row inmates as escorts? Sounds promising.
"...The vibe here doesn't look great, though?"
This is supposed to be the empire's premier coastal city, yet what stretches before me is a nightmare of plague, famine, and blight. Emaciated elders sprawl in the gutters as a baseline; prostitutes, begging children, thugs, the stench of rotting corpses. The port, which should buzz with life, wears a grotesque pallor.
"......It's because the powerful nobles in every region except the center rose in rebellion. War broke out, flooding the lands with starvation and shortages. And furthermore..."
The soldier trails off there. Gloria's reckless capital expansion, the massive labor drafts for her own palace—that has to be part of it. With the shift to empire, laws changed wholesale; the streets now crawl with crime cartels, mafias, and organizations peddling every flavor of sex slaves, narcotics—the dark underbelly thriving.
"Well, splendid."
I don't know exactly what ruin Gloria craves, but it'll make for a spectacular finale in imperial history. Part of me wants to stick around and watch, but I've got my own agenda piling up.
"......."
Exciting. Blissful. How did I get so lucky?
Coming to this world, receiving the goddess's "blessing" (curse)—it's the pinnacle of fortune across my past and present lives.
At the bustling harbor where soldiers scramble, I behold the colossal ship before me. An old trade vessel that once plied routes to the Black Continent, refurbished by Gloria. For a ship swarming with death-row scum, she's in prime shape. No—magnificent. Outfitted with magitech engines and cutting-edge gear, she gleams divine, like a mythical sea beast prowling the waves.
"Makes sense she'd need over a hundred crew for something like this."
"The waves in the Black Sea blocking the far continent are ferocious; only a vessel this massive can push through. Her Majesty prepared her specially."
I turn my gaze to the deck, spotting several burly men shackled at the ankles.
"The crew?"
"Yes. Most were seafarers—former pirates, originally."
"Handy. But what if they steer us off course?"
I'm sharp-sensed and superhumanly fit, but the ocean? Total novice.
"Our escort warships will guard us until we enter the Black Sea. After that, we'll form a wide blockade with detection barriers to stand watch and prevent any turnaround."
That thorough? I shiver slightly at Gloria's hospitality. We raided her magic tower, sure, but it nearly ended in self-destruction. Building an empire and ruling as absolute empress for twelve years? All her own power. Fine, whatever—good is good. I don't get horny for seawater (barring some female-ravaging sea beast), so maximum convenience suits me just fine.
I wear a pleased smile. A nearby imperial soldier eyes me and speaks up.
"Why head to a continent cut off from the world for a century?"
"For a grand purpose."
The man tilts his head at my words. I lean in with a faintly thrilled expression.
"Want the details?"
".....No. Better if I don't."
Does he sense the ineffable ecstasy in my face? He shakes his head, looking faintly queasy. Guess humans are starting to treat me like a full-on monster now. A perfect onahole is closer to a toy than a person, after all.
...Whatever. Human or monster, who cares? I just need to board and set sail for the Black Continent. Grab some tasty food first. Take in this scenery I'll never see again.
I look to the sky and draw a deep breath. The wind carries the reek of rotting meat.
The ship pierces the dark fog of the Black Sea in a straight line. The escort warships peel away behind us. I watch the crew: some rowing, others checking winds, manning the helm. Gloria handpicked them—they're clumsy, but they handle the ship competently enough.
One pulling the sails has veins bulging fiercely on his arms. Not orc-level, nor great hobgoblin, but raw masculine power. My eyes drift there unbidden.
If those arms strangled my neck full-force...Crack. Crunch.
I imagine the sound and feel of my neck snapping. Long time in this world, but I've yet to experience it. What would it be like—spine shattering, the spinal cord's nerves snapping clean?
The crew notices my lingering stare and shrinks back warily. Think I'm surveilling them? To let them sail in peace, I head to my cabin for a nap. The captain's quarters: warm bed, soft pillows. I don't lock the door, just flop down and close my eyes.
Even a hopeless monster masochist like me was human once. It's been ages since I lay in such cozy comfort. Sleep claims me instantly; I surrender without resistance.
The wildly rocking ship doesn't faze me—no seasickness. I slumber for hours.
Sensing a presence, I crack my eyes open slightly.
"Got her pinned."
By the time my eyes fully open—well, they'd been waiting, really—burly crew hands restrain my entire body. And they've stuffed a cloth gag in my mouth.
"......Mmph?"
In the dimly lit captain's cabin, lit by a single lantern, half a dozen men surround me, tense as bowstrings.
"Hey, she's awake. Kill her quick."
Gagged, I can't speak. Pinned down hard, no resistance possible. Thick forearms bulge with veins; below one wrist gleams a fish-gutting knife, its cold edge pressing my skin. I swallow.
"But killing her's a waste, no? Let's have a little fun fir—guh!"
The short, stocky one leering at my chest and licking his lips crumples, gut-punched by who looks like the ringleader.
"Looks like a mage bitch. What if she sinks the ship? You taking responsibility?"
"N-no, sir..."
Even among fellow death-row inmates, there's a pecking order. Makes sense—they'd need days of drilling to handle a ship this well. Plan's probably kill me, turn tail for the continent. Empire patrols or not, plenty of coastline to beach on. Food stores are solid, and there are emergency lifeboats aplenty. Escape's feasible.
But flipping sides in less than a day? Impressive. No sarcasm—genuinely so. Thank goodness they aren't bound by slave contracts or the like. If they were, mutiny'd be a pipe dream.
As I bask in the sweetness, the inmate boss strides over, gripping a slaughter knife.
"And any bitch crawling to the Black Continent ain't right in the head. If you're that horny, fuck the corpse."
".....Mmph? Mmmph! Mmmmmmph!!!!!"
The sharp, heavy blade slams into my neck. Slicing, then crushing down. Grrrrrind♡
A stinging jolt flashes, then searing, razor agony erupts in my throat. The slaughter knife's buried halfway into my neck—not mere pain, but the bizarre sensation of unanesthetized surgery: neck bones sawing apart, spinal nerves and tendons severing.
"Glurk! Gack! Hrrk!Hngh!Hrrghk!!"
Foam-tinged blood bubbles from my mouth; vision floods crimson. The blade grinds harder, sawing clean through. With a wet snap and pain that obliterates consciousness, my head parts from my body.
My headless torso slumps limply. Lewd breasts and ass twitch obscenely against the deck. Severed windpipe and esophagus spasm, spewing gore and innards in twin gouts.
...Perfect. This world is truly the best♡