Romeo and Julietta -5-: Whips of Ecstasy and Orc Annihilation

-Clop clop!! Clop clop!!

And so, having been hired by Tybalt, my group and I swiftly turned our horses around and headed toward the orc village.

The ghost carriage normally had its own coachman handling the reins, but I decided to join him on the driver's seat for some conversation—and to gather the latest intel. And just as planned, I chatted with Tybalt's crew.

"Still, for a nobleman's daughter to run away out of the blue... She must have everything she could want. Quite unexpected."

"It's like a curse that's plagued our family for generations... That's why we deliberately raised Julietta locked away in the house..."

I kicked off the conversation, and Tybalt began his tale with a heavy sigh. Julietta hadn't known it, but the family's ancestors included a pair named Romeo and Juliet—two lovers who eloped despite already being betrothed to others, only to both die tragically. That turned the Capulet barony and Montague barony into bitter enemies. Whether it was some genetic quirk or an actual curse, every so often, someone from each family would fall into a forbidden romance and elope, deepening the grudge between the houses. There were plenty of silly details like that, but sprinkled in were some crucial bits of info.

"Kuh... If only I'd returned from the front lines a little sooner..."

"That's not your fault."

"Kugh... Thank you..."

According to Masa's memories, Tybalt had been serving on the front lines ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠against the northern monsters alongside the baron himself. So how was he here now?

"Monsters suddenly poured out like a flood from behind the rugged Demon Mountains in the north, but then flashes like the sun erupted, followed by dozens of mushroom clouds rising up. That broke their momentum. Even the Archfiend leading the front lines, the Naga Lord, vanished without a trace..."

"Hoo..."

"The priests say the Goddess worked a miracle, but even the Saint, who's closest to her, has no idea what happened."

"Hmm..."

"Anyway, thanks to that, we had some breathing room on the northern defenses. The baron sent me back to check on the territory—and to see Julietta's face."

It seemed our undead pals had done a bang-up job. The Roman Empire could even spare troops from the northern fortress now. Good sign.

'Hmm... Naga Lord? The material I used for Masa was naga-like, but... Nah, couldn't be. No Archfiend's that weak.'

At the level of that Flamma guy I'd met before, even boosted by a general's power, it'd be tough for mid-tier undead to take him down in a swarm—they'd probably have to retreat once it got dicey. And besides...

"The atmosphere around the Daradul Great Swamp has been off lately... As soon as the front lines eased up, the Saint's making full preparations to head there soon."

"Hoo... I see. By the way, as heirs to a barony, shouldn't you have private soldiers or knights in the territory? Why just the three of you?"

"Soldiers and knights exist to protect the territory and its people. With northern conscription already leaving us short-handed, we can't just pull them for personal matters."

Tybalt, being a battle-hardened noble, knew more than I'd expected. And as predicted, he had a solid, upright character—rare for nobility.

'Huh, the emperor I met before was like that too. Are isekai nobles cleaner than I thought?'

Too early to judge, but who knows.

"Your build is so imposing, you could be called a great warrior without exaggeration. How does a magic (job) holder end up with a body like that?"

"That's something I'm curious about too. Never seen muscles as beautiful as ours on a non-dwarf!!"

Of course, they fired questions back at me midway.

"Sure, I have the Mage job, but I've always admired tough heroes and warriors from way back. So I trained my body."

"Impressive..."

"Even among our long-lived kin, few train both magic and body to that degree. You're exceptional."

"Haha!! Thought all mages were scrawny weaklings, but here's a real one!!"

The dwarf especially roared with laughter at my answer.

"I'm a Scavenger at heart, but that's just a side gig. Really, I'm on a holy pilgrimage of sorts, hunting down the graves of heroes and villains."

"Hmm, I get it. As a kid, I idolized heroes too and visited their final resting places."

"It brings fresh insights and sparks new drive for magic and training. On that note, know any graves of such figures?"

"Hmm..."

Tybalt, the elf, and the dwarf all pondered my question and shared what they knew. Mostly male heroes and villains, so nothing that really piqued my interest. I was about to move on when...

"Oh yeah."

"Hm?"

"Speaking of villains, before our territory even existed, way back in ancient times, there was a famous phantom thief around here called the Silver Flash."

And with that, Tybalt launched into the tale of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Silver Flash.

"They say he was notorious in a great city that fell to the Demon King's army, back when Emperor Maximilion—the first emperor and Hero two generations ago—was at his peak."

The Silver Flash had a unique trait: unlike petty thieves, he only targeted nobles' and rich merchants' warehouses.

"And get this—when he was caught and executed, turns out he was a cat beastkin. A rare half-beastkin at that."

(Note: In this world where beastkin are mostly full furries, kemonomimi types are called half-beastkin.)

"Legends say she was a stunning silver-haired beauty. But despite her looks, her resistance was so fierce after capture that restraining her was a nightmare—they rushed the execution."

"Hoo."

"Her head was put on public display in the market square to appease the vengeful rich, but right after, the Demon King's invasion destroyed the city. Legend has it her head remains in the ruins, eyes still open, cursing the city."

"Whoa..."

"Folks around ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there steer clear of those ruins. Might be nonsense to me, but with ghost monsters actually spawning there, better safe than sorry."

Sounded like a righteous thief—tragic and a bit like a horror movie opener. But hey...

"So where are those ruins exactly?"

Can't resist a catgirl. And just like that, I had the prime intel. Before hitting the Daradul Great Swamp after wiping the orc village, I knew our first stop.

-Whip!!

-Crack!!

"Mmph!!♥"

"Mmmph!!♥"

"Mmmphh!!♥"

Once the chat wrapped up, whenever things got boring on the road, I'd take over whipping the horses from the coachman.

"Man, this is more fun than I thought."

"Hehe."

The coachman was showing me how to crack the whip for maximum sting on the horses. I'd learned whip techniques in my past life, but those were for killing people—not horsing around. This was new territory.

-Whip!!

-Crack!!

"Mmmph!♥"

-Crack!!

"Ommph!!♥"

-Crack!!

"Mmmphh!!♥"

-Wriggle wriggle, squirm squirm.

Every lash left whip marks on those plump, porcelain or chocolate asses like fresh canvas, and even mid-gallop, the horses lewdly shook their hips, begging for more like bitches in heat.

-Gurgle gurgle.

-Spurt...

Endless pussy juices were a bonus.

-Clop clop.

"Hoo, your horses are exceptionally well-trained. So obedient to their master."

"Your friend's right. Even forest-bred horses rarely show this level of loyalty."

"They're a bit dumb and foolish, though."

-Whip!! Crack!!

I swung the whip again while listening to Tybalt and the elf praise them. To their eyes, these three were just super-obedient mounts.

"They are loyal."

"Mmph mph!"

"Mmmph!!"

"Mmph mmph mph!!"

-Drip drip.

-Spurt spurt.

Pleased by my praise, even more love juices gushed from their pussies, soaking the road behind us.

Anyway, we reached the orc village without issue.

"The orc village is just ahead."

"Humans said it's deep in the forest. Can't ride horses much farther."

"Right."

The path dead-ended midway, so we parked the horses and carriage just outside the woods for now.

"You sure you're okay leaving them? Even with your coachman, that flashy carriage could attract monsters..."

"My horses are strong. No worries."

No offensive powerhouses, but high-tier undead weren't pushovers.

"Lechash chazir adom—this way."

And so we entered the forest, following the elf's tracking until we found the orc village. Plenty of them—at least a hundred. They'd cleared a clearing by chopping trees and pitched dozens of crude tents as a base.

"Human prisoners too..."

And among them, humans captured from somewhere.

(Note: These orcs could impregnate women through rape.)

"Tch... Tricky. Too many for us four. And the prisoners complicate things."

"At least they've gathered the prisoners in one spot, like a breeding pen."

"Revolting... But still too many. This isn't small-scale anymore."

I watched Tybalt's group huddle for strategy before the raid. More orcs than expected—they were stumped.

I could've charged in right then, but hey, hired help listens to the boss a bit.

"Can you thin the orcs with a wide-area annihilation spell?"

"Not a problem."

"Then blast them hard without hitting the prisoners. We'll retreat after, rally troops, and come back."

I nodded at Tybalt's plan. But really, necessary? Just wipe 'em out.

Thinking that, I activated my magic.

-Whummm!!!

-Shwoooom!!!!!

Death began raining from the sky.

◆ ◆ ◆

Meanwhile, rewinding a bit—to the monster homeland in the Northern Great Demonic Realm, where the snake horde of Gunda Naul was commanded by an Archfiend. Nagaroon possessed power that ranked among the top three among Archfiends, along with serpentine cunning. He was also the commander tasked with conquering the Roman Empire's northernmost frontline, the Ryurak Archduchy.

"Why... What the hell happened!! Why did it turn out like this!!!"

Such a being was now screaming in desperation, facing off against three knights clad in morale-draining armor.

Nagaroon's aura was stronger, but not overwhelmingly so. The knights' presence was formidable too, and three against one? The outcome was obvious.

'How did it come to this?'

Nagaroon recalled the past. Everything had been going smoothly. Human resistance was fierce, but this revived Demon King was stronger than ever, and even with one Four Heavenly King down, they had mighty forces. Victory seemed certain. The northern terrain was rugged, limiting troop numbers to reach their strongholds, but the Demon King was churning out monsters like never before, letting him amass an army. He was about to smash their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠defenses.

That's when it started.

'Disgusting. Pathetic. Purge them with atomic force.'

-Click.

-KABOOOMMM!!!

Dozens of sun-like blasts erupted at once, birthing mushroom clouds that wiped out his stockpiled monsters. Attacks rivaling the previous Demon King's power against the Hero—dozens of them, out of nowhere.

But that wasn't the issue. With the Demon King mass-producing cannon fodder, he could replace them easily.

The real problem came next.

'1st Platoon to Sector Q, 3rd Platoon to Sector E. Annihilate enemies. 4th Platoon, harass foes...'

Sudden enemy offensive. He tried countering, but...

"Impossible! This can't be!!"

Even with his "evil serpent wisdom," Nagaroon couldn't match their tactics. Every response went up in smoke. Send reinforcements? They vanished. Dig traps? They counter-trapped and slaughtered his troops. Like they owned the battlefield, every strategy of his was checkmated.

"What in the...?"

Fear-inducing mechanical precision, ironclad execution, nauseatingly nightmarish from the enemy's side—these tactics unfolded across his front.

"Nagaroon!! Enemies here!!"

"No way!! Me!?"

His fellow Archfiends fell one by one, picked off individually like prey.

"N-No!!"

Unlike grunts, Archfiends took serious Demon King effort to make—not quick replacements. Like a spider tightening on web-caught prey, the enemy squeezed, severing limbs one by one. Finally, as they closed on his legion's heart, Nagaroon saw their true nature.

"Th-This can't happen!!"

Vast numbers of undead, each with mid-commander-level might. The Immortal Legion under a lich Archfiend was bottom-tier among legions—this was impossible, blatantly wrong. Worse, most Four Heavenly Kings and Archfiends were tied up against the stronger Jin Empire or internal ops in human lands. The Roman front lacked elites to counter. (It hadn't needed them with record troops, so they were redeployed—now a dagger in the Demon King's back.)

'Checkmate.'

And now, the current mess.

"I-I won't be defiled!!"

-Whirl!!

Nagaroon's petrifying evil eye—one of his aces against living foes—failed against near-inanimate undead immune or resistant to curses and paralysis.

"I, Nagaroon!! Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Western Conquest Army!!"

Still, he gripped his magic swords in four hands, channeling mana for dazzling dance-like swordplay in defiance, but...

'Defeat must not exist before the Great One.'

The result? As you know.

"Offer this to the Great One."

-Clang!!

He made fine material.