Don't Let Your Guard Down
Clearing out the ones inside the den hadn't been particularly difficult.
There was no need to go in ourselves. All we had to do was fill the place with smoke and let them suffocate. The ones that couldn't stand it and came charging out, we simply cut down.
Fortunately there were no hostages deeper inside. Goblins, once a mother gives birth, devour the child right there on the spot. That girl had been pure bait all along. They can breed with animals just fine, after all.
"Looks like we get to skip sleeping outdoors tonight."
The handful of hostages who'd survived led us back to the village. We could have taken a reward, but Sloan, true to her role as a Hero, refused it.
So why the hell am I sleeping in the same room as them?
One problem had cropped up. Swept along by the mood, I'd ended up sharing a room with them… The place was big enough that I didn't really mind, of course.
Somehow I get the feeling these women don't see me as a man at all.
Hard to blame them. My body is small, and my face looks feminine. People used to say that if I just grew my hair out I'd pass for some noble young lady. Even among my own kind I was considered the most beautiful, so maybe it was only natural.
It's a little strange, though. Not being treated like a man. Have I been classified as some harmless little animal?
I'd heard women like cute appearances. The kind of cute you get from rabbits or cats—small, soft creatures.
Maybe Sloan recruited me more for my looks than my skill. Like a mascot.
I'd heard more than once that keeping a cute pet helps relieve stress. Maybe she was applying the same principle.
I'd pulled my weight pretty well today… either way. All I really needed to do was keep showing them what I could do, so it didn't matter much.
"Vali! You sure you're fine sleeping on the floor?"
Sloan called over while she was tossing bedding down onto the ground.
"I'm comfortable here."
"Come on, why not take a bed while you can? These mattresses are soft."
One big bed and two smaller ones. We could have split them without trouble.
That woman definitely groped my ass earlier.
I had a pretty good idea what she was after. But I had every reason not to let her get away with it.
"Want to sleep with me? You're small enough you'd fit in my bed just fine."
"No."
Camilla flung the covers back and patted the mattress with both hands. It looked warm, sure—but climbing in there felt like the start of something very bad.
"Why not?"
"Well… because I'm a man."
"So what? I don't mind. Get in already."
What the hell was she saying? This crazy bitch… had all her brain cells migrated into her tits?
"I'm the one who minds."
"And?"
Camilla stopped mid-sentence and stared straight at me. The vacant look was gone; her face had gone completely blank.
"You're not getting up here? I even made the offer."
She kept staring. Those eyes felt like they were boring straight through me. Talking to her was useless.
Something about it made my skin crawl. Why was she looking at me like that? I hadn't even done anything wrong…
"…Fine. Understood."
Only then did the empty-headed smile return to her face.
Something was going very wrong here. I approached carefully—
"Got you!"
Those long legs of hers snaked around my waist and yanked me in. She dragged me under the covers in one smooth motion. It happened so fast I never even had a chance to react.
"Hhk—!"
"Awwww… you're so soft. And your skin's so smooth."
Once she had me on the bed she started caressing me all over, beginning with my face and working her way down.
"Th-this is sexual harassment…"
"Hm? What was that?"
"Nothing—just let go of me."
She was straight-up groping me! I thrashed and tried to wriggle free, but it was useless.
She's stronger than me!
How was that even possible? A mere mage outmuscling me—a Demon King?
"Stay still. If you just lie there, nobody will think anything of it. Look—those three aren't batting an eye even with you trapped like this. Heh… maybe they just see you as a doll."
"Mmph…"
"Hnnngh, haaah… what kind of man's body smells like lavender? That's actually amazing."
She used every limb she had to lock my small frame against her. Her massive breasts crushed against my face while both arms wrapped around my back.
Those long legs clamped my lower half tight. There was no way out.
This texture…?
Something hard and pointed brushed against my face. Curious, I rolled my eyes upward just a little and found Camilla's face flushed bright red.
"Hee."
She rocked her chest back and forth, dragging those stiff tips across my face. They jabbed against my mouth and cheeks without fail.
"Ah, they're wet. What a mess…"
"Nngh."
"Can't devour you on the very first night. We'll leave it here for today. Night-night."
And just like that I was trapped inside Camilla's embrace. While she claimed she was going to sleep, her shameless, crawling hands never stopped. I gritted my teeth and waited for the hours to pass.
After what felt like an eternity of minutes and seconds, Camilla's lecherous hands finally went still.
She just straight-up sexually assaulted me.
Was this woman really a member of the Hero Party? What the hell had Sloan been thinking when she brought her on…? Skill or no skill, she barely qualified as a human being!
Alright. Time to get up.
I quietly pushed myself free. The Hero Party, who'd been chatting earlier, were now fast asleep. Perfect chance to start laying some groundwork.
Huh. Where'd Elisa go?
Where on earth had that woman wandered off to? Hmm… maybe she'd run off into the forest. No real reason she would, but my kin always used to say never trust a woman with long ears. Maybe they'd been right.
I wasn't getting any sleep tonight anyway. I decided to go look for her. Simple enough for me—just follow the trail.
Don't even need to bother with that.
I focused my senses and felt the air trembling, ever so faintly. Someone was loosing arrows nearby. Careful not to wake Camilla, I slipped free and headed outside.
I tracked the source of the vibrations and after a short walk found myself at the edge of the woods. True to her elven nature, she seemed to love trees more than anything.
"…Who's there."
I'd only drawn a little closer when Elisa sensed me and swung her bow around. I really wished she'd calm down. One hit from that thing at this range and I was dead on the spot.
"It's me, Miss Elisa."
"Oh. You."
Confirming I was an ally, she lowered the bow. Whew. Good. A cold sweat had broken out on my back. Even so, Elisa's arrows were terrifying. At this distance there was no dodging—instant death.
"Why'd you follow me?"
"Ah. Just… you suddenly disappeared, so I wondered where you'd gone."
"As if I'd just leave."
Did elven magic include mind-reading? I was a little surprised, honestly.
"Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't. I still haven't repaid my debt to Sloan."
"Debt?"
"Haa."
Elisa pushed her sweat-damp golden hair back and set her precious bow down beside her.
"It was two years ago already. When the Demon King's army invaded, the forest my tribe lived in burned to the ground. We were on the outskirts, so the allied forces never reached us. We were wiped out."
A common enough tactic. Send troops into the enemy's rear and cut their supply lines. Basic strategy.
They don't burn villages for fun. Once soldiers at the front realize their homes have been torched, their resolve starts to crack.
"My father was run through by an enemy spear and died horribly. My mother was forced into the river and drowned. Watching a forest I'd lived in for decades go up in flames like that… it felt so empty."
Elisa's face was dark as she spoke. Her fists trembled. Was that why she'd suddenly lost it in front of the goblin den? Seeing that dying girl's face must have dragged the trauma back up.
It was only speculation, so I let the thought go.
"If I'd just stayed there… I would've died too. Probably ended up as one of those skull drums they use for decoration. Or maybe I would've been reborn as a dark elf."
"So Sloan was the one who saved you."
"Yeah."
The rest of the story was fairly predictable. Cornered and about to die, Elisa had been rescued by Sloan, and she'd joined the party to repay that debt.
"So I have to repay Sloan. I have to get stronger and help her fulfill her mission."
…Was she a lesbian? Well, Sloan did have a rather masculine air about her. Falling for her wouldn't be that strange.
"I don't like you."
Excuse me? That came out of nowhere. I couldn't help but push back.
"What? I don't want to sound like I'm fishing for credit, but I did save your life."
Irritation flared up in me all at once. Without me, this arrogant elf would have been torn apart by goblins or left with some permanent injury.
Honestly! If she weren't so strong, I'd have punched this irritating elf right in the face for that attitude.
"Before you showed up, my role was reconnaissance. Find everything that could hurt the party and stop it before it happened. Without me we would've been wiped out ages ago."
Not a chance. Sloan was the strongest Hero I'd ever seen. Strong enough that I sometimes wondered if she might grow to match even me.
Still, I had to admit Elisa's skill. Those vicious arrows of hers were the real deal.
"I can't use magic. I can command a few spirits, but that's it. I can't heal anyone, and I can't swing a sword like Sloan."
"You're an excellent archer."
"So what? Anyone can do that."
No, they really can't… Archery is a more advanced skill than people think. Not just anyone can draw a bow, and almost no one hits every single shot the way Elisa does.
"Because of you… I've become dead weight. I used to think I was pulling more than my own weight. Not anymore."
Ah. So that was it.
This ridiculous woman hadn't wanted me in the party because she was afraid her own position would shrink. Inferiority complex?
Elves are a prideful race. They especially can't stand the idea of being useless.
Pathetic.
Not knowing how to use your own strengths is unfortunate. Knowing and still claiming you can't is just garbage.
Humans would kill themselves training every day just to get a fraction of this woman's talent—and still never reach it. Elven marksmanship is the best in the world.
"Miss Elisa. I hate to say this, but… are you just being modest?"
"…What?"
"Anyone can see your archery is outstanding. Even if I practiced for over a hundred years I doubt I could match even a quarter of it."
Elisa's delicate brow furrowed. I could see her neat teeth clench tight.
Don't fall into despair here.
She needed a push. My goal wasn't just to bring down Sloan and the Hero Party—it was to kill every Demon King other than myself.
Elisa might not reach Sloan's level, but she had the talent to become one of the strongest around. I still didn't know exactly how strong, but she was already more powerful than me—a Demon King—in her own way.
And the archer who puts an arrow through the Hero's back can't be weak.
She had to get stronger. So leave the boring scouting to me and focus on that bow. That way, when the day came that she truly hated Sloan, she'd be able to put her down.
"You don't know a damn thing… and you dare say that to me?"
"No, I'm saying you shoot well. Why do you think this party doesn't need an archer?"
"Because…! When it comes to long-range attacks, Camilla is far better!"
She didn't understand. Sure, sweeping enemies away in a wide area from a distance looked powerful.
But it had limits. You couldn't lock onto a specific target properly, and some creatures had resistance to magic.
"Then why aren't you training your scouting skills? Why practice with the bow?"
"Th-that's…"
"See? You're just being modest. People like you are everywhere. They show talent better than anyone else's and still insist their gift is nothing special…"
That should do it. She'd understand from that much. She wasn't stupid. She'd figure the rest out on her own.
I walked slowly past her.
"Think about why I risked my life to protect that bow of yours."
A little carrot never hurt. Push too hard and her hostility toward me would only grow.
I might've been a bit harsh… she won't take it too hard, will she?
Women these days acted more like men used to. Words like that probably wouldn't wound her.
If you actually listened, most of what I'd said was just praise for her archery anyway.
Her closeness with Sloan is still a problem, though. How do I drive a wedge between them?
I'd think about that later. The journey was still long.