Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: How a Sheep Survives in a Lion's Den #2
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Monarch City, the king's city.
The Lioness family’s villa there, Lion’s Rest, had a fairly large training ground.
A training ground dotted with wooden planks, scarecrows, straw bales, and trenches filled with ditch water.
Originally a place to train the Lioness family’s private soldiers, it had become Elga’s personal space ever since she took up the sword.
For me, it was a place full of all sorts of ‘memories.’ Military service kind of memories.
“You know that too, right? Even if you scream here until you’re on the verge of death, no one will come. No one will interfere if I scold you or rough you up.”
In the empty space devoid of a single soul, Elga lifted her chin arrogantly, as if she were truly a queen.
“So, if you don’t want to get in real trouble, apologize to me right now.”
Seeing her like this brought back old memories.
Back when I had just become a slave.
I had been assigned as an attendant to the spirited Elga.
Every day, it was routine to get knuckle-flicks to the forehead, have my cheeks pinched, or my ears yanked.
That’s how it was for a slave with no human rights.
Especially since so many things had happened here on this training ground, it was a place I could never forget. This was where Elga had forcibly stolen my first kiss, too.
Remembering that suddenly made me angry.
“What am I supposed to apologize for?”
When I asked, Elga scowled even more fiercely, as if she were getting angrier.
“That attitude of yours! And you’ve been looking at me all weird since earlier! Admit it!”
Weird how?
Thinking about it now, Elga had always been a bit like that.
A shut-in warlord, maybe? Different outside, but once home, bursting with even more confidence and ferocity.
Of course, since she was a warlord even outside, calling her a Super Saiyan at home might be more accurate.
Boosted by her home ground advantage, Elga was the epitome of insolence, ignoring everyone as she rapid-fired words at me.
“You... did you tell anyone else or not?”
“Tell them what?”
“What do you mean, what! That I teach you and discipline you like this when we’re alone.”
“Of course not. Who would even believe me?”
“Yeah, that’s how it should be.”
Only then did Elga relax her scowl a little.
Elga hated the idea of anyone finding out we met alone. After all, she had some common sense compared to Aira.
Raised as the lady of a great noble house like Lioness, she’d eventually have to enter a political marriage.
Rumors of being alone with a man would ruin any good match. High society was a place where gossip spread like wildfire.
That’s why nobles in this world raised their sons and daughters to be utterly ignorant of sexual matters, like pious Puritans. As if that were possible.
They were fundamentally ultra-conservative.
The problem was that Elga was more active and curious than most—like a Bengal cat.
And right by her side was a tight-lipped guinea pig who could satisfy that curiosity.
Whether that was good luck or bad, it was me.
“If you don’t apologize soon, I’ll leave you out here all day. You know I, Elga, do what I say.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, that’s all it takes. But since you’ve been so stubborn, I can’t help but punish you... What?”
“I’m sorry. I apologize for giving you that weird look. Is that enough now?”
“...”
Elga raised one eyebrow as if caught off guard. Her lion-mane ponytail whipped in the wind with a whoosh.
Finally, as if she’d sorted her thoughts, Elga spoke.
“Fine, then. You apologized. You listened well. And when you listen well, you get a reward. Right? I treat those I consider ‘mine’ nicely.”
With that, Elga rummaged in the small pouch at her waist and pulled out something small and round, holding it out to me.
“What’s this?”
“Bashkir honey candy. Real Bashkir honey candy made from honey stolen from the nymphs of the honey springs. Not fake. You’ve never had anything like this, right?”
Candy.
I’m not a kid.
But then something strange happened.
My body suddenly burned with desire for the candy. It was a scorching thirst, like a desert craving rain.
“Wha...?”
“Yeah, you want it, don’t you? I knew it. I heard you’re a half-nymph? Your nymph blood is craving the candy.”
“How did you know that?”
That I was a half-nymph was a secret between just Aira and me, back when it happened.
Curious how Elga knew, I asked, and she answered.
“Don’t underestimate the Lioness family. I know what you and Aira get up to.”
“Even after purging spies from other houses, some must’ve slipped through.”
“More importantly, a half-nymph. Turns out I bought quite the exotic specimen. My eye for talent never fails.”
Elga pretended to offer me the candy.
Then she popped it straight into her own mouth.
“If you want it, come take it.”
Like a dragon with a yeouiju orb in its jaws, a gleaming golden candy sat pristine in Elga’s mouth. It felt like it was calling to me.
Maybe my brain craved sugar after all that thinking.
With that thought, I slowly stepped forward and reached toward Elga’s mouth.
Fingers to steal the candy from inside.
But Elga slapped my palm away hard, looking furious.
“Hey! Who said you could use your hands? No hands or feet.”
“Then—”
“No tools either.”
“Tch.”
“Hey, did you just click your tongue? Whatever. You want it, right? Even great nobles have to reserve months in advance for just a few pieces. Nymphs go crazy for it, I heard—from Biernoy.”
Ah, Biernoy.
Guess that’s where she learned I was a half-nymph.
A candy worth 5 silvers—50,000 won—each.
What extravagance.
Watching that luxury melt away in the mouth of that wicked girl Elga infuriated me for some reason.
Wicked girl. Born into wealth, spending money like water, no wonder she’s so arrogant.
“Take it from me. You want it, don’t you? Huh?”
Elga opened her mouth wide with an ‘ahh.’ Inside, her red tongue rolled the sticky, marble-sized candy around.
“What are you waiting for? Don’t you want your reward? It’ll melt away at this rate.”
Better than those throat-scorching mana cigars, probably.
Resigned, I steadied myself, approached Elga, and pressed my lips to hers.
I felt her soft breath rush in, and as I slipped my tongue past her lips—
“Eek!?”
Thud.
Elga, clearly not expecting it, stumbled back and fell.
I worked my tongue furiously to steal the candy from her half-open mouth.
Slurp, smooch, slurp.
But the candy was big, and it wouldn’t transfer to my mouth easily.
Tastier than I thought?
As the sugar touched my tongue, my body’s fatigue melted away, worries dissolving from my mind. I wanted more.
“Ow, hngh, hngh... Wh-what the hell, suddenly, haaah—!?”
Elga kept trying to push me away.
Even though she’d kissed me here several times since promising to teach me the taste of a woman’s lips.
She still couldn’t handle a tongue entering her mouth? Her mouth seemed like a bigger weak spot than expected.
Taking revenge for all I’d endured, I savored every inch of Elga’s mouth.
Her sharp tongue was always biting, but inside, it was sweet as honeyed fruit.
Smooch, slurrrp.
Honey flavor.
We kept at it for a while until Elga whipped her head aside, gasping for the breath she’d held.
“Haa, haaa, haa, y-you... suddenly, what... G-get off...!”
Get off?
After promising me the honey candy, was she planning to swallow it herself?
Unforgivable nymph discrimination.
I grabbed Elga’s head to stop her escape.
She resisted at first, but I felt her strength fading, her body trembling in spasms.
“Ngh, hngh. Y-you bastard—, mmph, hngh, who said you could do this..., haa—.”
Just as I finally snagged the candy—
“Sis...?”
“...!!!”
A small, fragile voice like a sprouting seedling came from somewhere, and Elga shoved me away like I was trash.
“Sis...? What are you doing there...? You okay...?”
“R-Richard! What are you doing here? I told you not to come here—it’s dangerous for you! There’s lots of dangerous stuff!”
Elga scrambled up and rushed toward the boy approaching from afar.
His blond hair neatly combed, white shirt with suspenders and shorts—he looked about four or five.
That must be Duke Reinhardt’s treasure, Richard.
He’d come here instead of the main estate in western Barza?
It was my first time seeing Richard too, and the strange excitement boiling in me until moments ago settled right down.
Then a fierce wave of post-nut clarity—or something like it—washed over my mind.
What the hell had I been about to do over some candy?
Nymph discrimination?
Keywords I’d never considered flashed through my head like lightning. My mind hadn’t felt like my own.
I spat the insanely sweet honey residue onto the ground and caught my breath.
Then I filed away the new info.
First, nymphs literally went mad for Bashkir honey candy.
Second, the nymph blood in me was thicker than I’d thought.
An unexpected trait after a year here—it sent chills down my spine.
Gotta be careful.
“Hey—”
Then I heard small footsteps approaching.
Turning, I saw a delicate little kid looking up at me.
“You’re Sir Gospel, right...? Thank you for saving my sister.”
“Saving her...?”
“I heard my sister was choking on candy. You just saved her from that.”
What’s this nonsense? Looking up, I saw Elga next to Richard gesturing at me to play along.
So, our tongue battle for the candy wasn’t that—instead, I’d done the Heimlich on choking Elga?
Smart move for Elga.
“I’ll tell Father and ask him to reward your bravery. He’ll definitely repay you for saving my precious sister.”
Pure, innocent eyes.
He seemed genuine.
He truly adored his tomboy, rude sister and was sincerely grateful to me for saving her.
Is this what innocence is?
I could see why Aira didn’t stop kids from approaching her. Though it stung my heart a bit.
“Young Master Lioness, no need. It was just what anyone would do. It’s emergency aid, but stealing Lady Lioness’s lips is a grave sin. If it got out, I’d be in deep trouble.”
“I see...? Okay, then I’ll keep this a secret.”
Smart kid.
No lack of qualities to succeed Aira.
In ten years, he’ll be breaking hearts left and right. Lucky bastard.
Turning away with that thought, I saw Elga panting “Hoo—.”
Her face was drenched in sweat, the red dress clinging to her chest, revealing a glimpse inside—lewd more than seductive.
I’d just shared an intense kiss with a girl like that.
Had she already swallowed the candy?
As I wiped sweat from my brow, someone came running up, shouting at us.
The old butler.
“Lady Elga! Big trouble! Aira—Her Majesty the Queen—has come to our villa...!”
Aira here?
Elga ground her teeth.
“Why’s she suddenly come here? I invited her a million times, and she never showed once in her life.”