The Bet with the Elf - 3

"Right now...! Get me out of here...! Hnghh!"

The hole we had dug was roughly one meter deep. It was shallow enough that an average elf's physical abilities should have been more than sufficient to climb out. Yet the relentless stimulation from the triangle wooden horse against Cattreya's pussy had completely drained the strength from her legs. She fell again, landing back atop the device. Once more her body shuddered violently with pleasure. It seemed we wouldn't need any extra restraints to keep the bait from escaping.

"Haah! Y-you people! Once I get out of here... Mmmh! Ah, ugh! I-I'm not going to let you get away with this!"

Cattreya, still fighting the waves of ecstasy, clawed desperately at the dirt walls with her nails. She clearly possessed the willpower to crawl out no matter what, but her body refused to obey. The fact that she still found the strength to glare up at us from the bottom of the pit actually made me laugh. Yes. Wail and scream so the kidnappers can hear you and come running.

"But disciple, aren't you moving a bit too hastily? We don't know when the kidnappers will ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠arrive."

"They'll come."

"What makes you so certain?"

"The spirits told me."

Spirits preferred clean natural environments, so they were rare in the Empire. From my perspective—having operated mainly inside the Empire—they were beings I had almost never encountered. The elf forest, however, was home to countless spirits. It appeared my pheromones worked on them too. Their voices kept ringing constantly in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my ears.

"Haa...♥ This person's scent... it's addictive...!"

"Hehe! Rubbing my crotch while hanging like this feels incredible♥"

"I want to stay stuck to him forever!"

"The humans who entered the forest earlier smelled awful, but this one is so good!"

All kinds of spirits clung tightly to my body like cicadas. One was even grinding its genitals against my thigh. Please, at least refrain from going full sumata.

"You can see the spirits?"

"I can make them out faintly with the naked eye, and I can clearly feel their presence. Their words... or rather, their intentions are being transmitted to me."

"You definitely possess spirit affinity. It seems the talent hasn't fully bloomed yet, so the connection remains somewhat vague for now."

Since I was already absurdly multi-talented, discovering yet another gift wasn't particularly surprising. Even my Void Aura, the pinnacle of my current abilities, still hid many secrets. With limitless growth potential, I held the firm belief that given enough time to awaken my powers, I could overcome any enemy.

"If I studied under a knowledgeable spirit mage, could I awaken it properly?"

"...Probably."

Scarlet nodded, yet her gaze drifted elsewhere. She clearly disliked the idea of me taking another master besides herself. Still, she was making an effort to hide her personal feelings for the sake of her disciple's growth.

"I have no desire to learn spirit magic at the moment. I don't know any spirit mages personally, either."

"Is that so?"

"Besides, trying to learn spirit magic before I've even properly mastered the skills I've already acquired would be like having too many captains on one ship. We'd just end up sailing into the mountains."

"Exactly! That's true."

When I indirectly stated I had no intention of taking another master, the corners of Scarlet's mouth twitched upward. She was trying hard not to show how much her mood had improved. She probably believed she was concealing her emotions, but it was all too obvious. I liked that she was straightforward and without ulterior motives.

"Anyway, the spirits informed you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that the kidnappers have entered the forest?"

"More precisely, I learned it by overhearing their conversation. I'll ask if they can provide more details."

My spirit affinity was still half-baked. It was uncertain whether my voice reached them clearly or whether they would willingly grant my request. Nevertheless, I focused on their whispers and tried.

It was already early evening. The setting sun was painting the surroundings in orange hues. I estimated the sun would set in roughly one hour. It was unfortunate that spirits had no concept of precise time, making an exact arrival prediction impossible.

"It seems they'll arrive this way in about an hour."

"That's soon. We should do one final check on the trap's condition."

"You know it must activate only after the bait is taken, right?"

"Of course!"

If we didn't draw them deep enough inside, some would surely escape. We needed to capture ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every single one to truly claim success. Half-measures were unacceptable. To transform the Yudica Kingdom into a true powerhouse, there could not be a single stain on my record.

"But can the bait endure an entire hour inside that pit? Won't she collapse from dehydration first?"

"Don't worry. Everyone knows elves have far more water in their bodies than humans, right? In the worst case, she'll fill the bottom with her own juices and climb out."

Even though I said it myself, the absurd hypothesis made me chuckle. Setting aside such ridiculous scenarios, I believed Cattreya would endure for an hour. If she lacked even that much mental fortitude, she would not be qualified to become queen, and I would simply have to find another successor.

"Kyahng! S-stop it now...! Nnghoh!"

"Besides, even though her mouth says she hates it, her expression clearly shows she's enjoying it, doesn't it?"

"I'm starting to worry she'll install a personal masturbation horse in her bedroom later..."

Cattreya's cries echoed through the forest, a fair distance from the village. Although we had predicted an hour, if any of the kidnappers possessed sharp hearing they might arrive sooner. Taking that variable into account, we moved quickly to the next phase of the plan.

"Brother, don't you hear a woman's voice coming from somewhere?"

"A woman's voice? I don't hear anything."

"I'm talking about a woman's moaning."

"You're hearing things again! Last time you tried to scare me into screaming and got beaten for it. Haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

"No, this time it's real! I swear I hear it!"

Voices full of grievance echoed through the forest. It wasn't nonsense meant to create fear; they had genuinely picked up on a faint noise. Because he was serious, he pointed toward the source and urged the others to check it out.

"Just checking wouldn't hurt."

"You're really going to trust this guy?"

"It's not a waste of our route—just a slight side path, so it's fine. Besides, if the elf we're looking for is there, it's a net gain."

"If big brother says so..."

Accepting the suggestion, the kidnappers headed toward the origin of the sound. The closer they drew, the louder the moans became. Once the sound was clear enough for all of them to hear, they realized it was no false alarm. Moans coming from the middle of an elf forest? They concluded the likelihood it was an elf was high and quickened their steps. Since Cattreya had fallen into the hole, they soon encountered her.

"What incredible luck! There really is an isolated elf here!"

"But why is she stuck in a pit? And what's that triangle wooden horse?"

"Must be some secret elf fetish!"

"Pull her up. We'll knock her out afterward."

Cattreya was still climaxing endlessly atop the triangle wooden horse. The kidnappers reached down, grabbed her clothing, and hauled her upward. She was already limp and exhausted from the endless orgasms, so no separate knockout was necessary. They simply stuffed her into a burlap sack.

"This is free real estate! Let's head back, bro...ther?"

They turned around with wide grins, celebrating their good fortune. That was the exact moment a rope suddenly coiled around both arms of the youngest male among the kidnappers. At the same time, someone yanked him upward from above, leaving him dangling from a tree branch with his arms raised high.

"W-what the hell is this?!"

The completely unexpected situation caused the man visible panic. He shouted and thrashed violently, trying to free himself from the rope. Fortunately the rope lacked strong elasticity and looked ready to snap at any moment.

"How dare you pull such a pathetic prank! When I get out of here...!"

"Hey, hey! Look down!"

"Huh? Look down?"

Just as he prepared to cut the rope and escape, he finally noticed the forest floor beneath him was filled with sharp wooden stakes. If the rope broke and he fell, it would result in an irreversible, bloody impalement through his rear. The man who realized this too late paused his resistance.

"H-help me!"

"Wait, I'll clear the stakes right now...!"

Thwack—!

Crackle—!

The moment the woman reached out to remove the stakes, a dagger flew in and buried itself deep in her shoulder. The electric rune engraved on the blade activated instantly.

"Abubububer!"

Electrocuted, she convulsed while making bizarre noises. After the first shock passed, her panties were soaked through. The current running through her body had caused her to shamefully lose control of her bladder. But before the first shock fully faded, another surge struck her.

"Kyaaaaah!!"

In an instant two of his comrades were neutralized. The lone remaining kidnapper leader realized everything had been a trap and wore a grim expression.

"They predicted our arrival and prepared all this? That's impossible...!"

Realizing he had walked straight into an ambush, the man fiddled with the watch on his wrist. He felt sorry for those who had called him brother and big brother, but escaping this place took priority. Convinced he would be next, he swiftly shouldered the burlap sack containing Cattreya. He twisted the second hand on his wristwatch, activating the artifact. His body and the sack turned white, dissolving into particles. The finely ground particles reassembled elsewhere, restoring their original forms. He had used a one-time, ridiculously expensive artifact to transfer to another location. He had returned to the border—their original starting point.

"I-I made it! I escaped!"

The kidnapper leader clenched both fists and began laughing, celebrating his successful flight. His joy lasted only a moment.

Clap, clap, clap—!

At the sudden applause, he whirled around.

"Welcome back."

It was the wind spirit that had coincidentally overheard the kidnappers' conversation. Naturally it had relayed the contents and even shared the exact location of their starting point. Having predicted the emergency escape, I had been waiting here atop Scarlet's pet griffin, Aquila.

"Shall we have an honest conversation?"

It was checkmate.