Chapter 55: To the Labyrinth! (1)
Chapter 55: To the Labyrinth! (1)
Dawn.
In the underground space beneath the ruins of what used to be the Thief Guild, a woman cracked her neck from side to side before hurlng a dagger at the wall.
Thwak!
The blade embedded itself precisely beneath a man’s crotch.
The hooded man trembled, his legs turning to jelly as he struggled to stand his ground and swallowed hard.
"I-I give up! Master! Please, spare me!"
"Hmph."
The woman, Yurdias, twirled another dagger in her hand.
Several men lay collapsed around her, and the other onlookers—all thieves—swallowed nervously at the sight.
"Arrogant bastards. Did you think I’d become a pushover just because the Young Lord had his way with me?"
"N-No, ma'am!"
"I went as far as selling my body to the Young Lord to get you lot out of prison one by one, and this is how you repay me? By trying to betray me?"
"T-That’s..."
"I get it. That’s how it works in this world. If you look weak, you get eaten or fucked over. That’s just the way of things."
Yurdias gripped the dagger tight.
"But not anymore."
Thuck.
Yurdias let the dagger fall. Infused with navy-blue mana, it pierced the thief’s nape with unerring precision.
"There’s no need to keep a man alive who dares to get a hard-on for a woman who belongs to the Young Lord. I’m sure the Young Lord will agree that he deserved to die."
He was dead.
The man Yurdias had been pinning down with her foot expired instantly.
"Make your choice. Will you bow your heads to me, or will you keep your cocks stiff and rebel? Any son of a bitch who thinks of me as a common whore just because the Young Lord claimed me will be sent straight to the afterlife by my own hand. But to those who trust and follow me, I will show you the truth."
Yurdias flicked another dagger to the side.
With a sickening squelch, another thief coughed up blood and drew his last breath.
"I’ll show you just how well an organization run by a woman who has sworn loyalty to the Young Lord can function. If any of you bastards badmouth me, saying I’m just selling my pussy to get ahead like a whore, I’ll rip your tongues out. Well? Are you still in?"
"M-Master..."
"What?"
"Will our work... stay the same as before? Will we keep operating as a Thief Guild, stealing goods, fencing them, and trading information?"
"Hmm."
Yurdias scanned the men who were still alive.
"There will be additional tasks for the sake of Fermaton, but we have our own specific role. We’ll be handling the 'dirty work' involved in the Young Lord’s affairs."
"...What kind of work?"
"Like, maybe passing around the women the Young Lord is done with—"
Shit!
A dagger thudded into the wall right next to the thief’s neck.
"Do you really think the Young Lord is that kind of man?"
"A-Ah, well..."
"The Young Lord doesn't just throw women away. I know because he’s had me; he’s not that kind of person. However..."
Yurdias gripped her dagger lightly.
"What if some bitch receives his grace and then betrays him by spreading her legs for another man?"
"......I-I see."
The thief with the dagger inches from his throat raised a hand.
"So you're saying we become the sanitation workers who clean up the trash the Young Lord discards?"
"Something like that. Whether we tear the rags to pieces, dump them as they are, or throw them into the labyrinth—that will depend on the Young Lord’s will."
Yurdias shrugged.
"Though, I doubt there’s any trash out there foolish enough to get discarded by the Young Lord."
* * *
After the drinks with Serica.
The Sword Maiden, Serica, officially became the technical advisor for my knight order.
And then.
"You can act freely in this room. Don't think of me as Count Fermaton or the Young Lord, but as Ruji, your comrade who will conquer the Infinite Labyrinth with you."
"Is that really alright?"
"You’ve seen Laura. You should know by now."
"Hehe."
Laura was sprawled beside me in a position similar to when she first met Serica yesterday.
The only difference was that she wasn't in restraints; wearing nothing but her bunny girl outfit, she was freely licking my cock.
"I’m a tyrant out there. But in here, there’s no reason for that. There are no eyes watching."
"Ah..."
"Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"That this is a place where the Young Lord can completely let his guard down."
"Exactly."
As expected of Serica.
Her intuition was as sharp as the skills that allowed her to reach the 50th floor as a solo adventurer.
Therefore.
"If you ever want to have sex, you’re free to ask. If not, well, I’ll leave that to your discretion."
"......."
She acted as if we hadn't had sex yet.
"Then... I have a request."
"What is it?"
"I can't let my guard down and drink in public."
"And?"
"I feel like I could drink in peace here. As long as I'm by the Young Lord's side."
Ding, ding, ding.
Game over.
She was okay with sleep play, but she wouldn't engage in sexual acts while awake in public.
"Understood. If you ever want a drink, just say the word. Actually, I should put a wine cellar in here later. So you can help yourself whenever you want."
"...Yes."
So I can claim her whenever I want.
Slurp.
Of course, Laura understood the subtext as well and was expressing her dissatisfaction against my cock, but I simply grabbed the back of her head and gave it a light shake up and down as my answer.
"...Didn't you say things were different inside and outside?"
"I'm making them different. Besides, she likes this kind of thing."
Treating her like a living onahole, so to speak.
Since she was swallowing my cock from the side, the angle was a bit awkward compared to usual, but if I just moved her enough to slide between the glans and the middle, she was as good as any onahole.
"Mmmph..."
And Laura herself seemed to enjoy it.
"Now, we have something important to discuss. About that gem you had stolen."
"Yes."
"Given the current situation, I can't return it to you. I'm being honest since we're in private, so keep that in mind."
I pulled a bead from the white tail on the back of Laura’s bunny girl outfit.
"...That isn't the gem I found, though?"
"It changed once Laura funneled her mana into it. Laura, go ahead. 'Release' it."
Schlup.
Still keeping my cock in her mouth, Laura took the bead and extended her hand to the side.
Whirrr.
As soon as Laura’s golden mana flared, a magnificent bow appeared in her hand. Serica’s eyes widened in shock at the sight of the weapon.
"A weapon...?"
"It was originally a weapon. I’m not sure if it’s exactly what I’m looking for, but I seem to have found something similar."
"What the Young Lord is looking for... could it be?"
Serica frowned, covering her mouth with her hand.
"...Was the bounty on the gems just a cover? Were you actually trying to find things like this?"
"Yes. You caught on perfectly. By collecting the 12 designated gems and other items, I set things up so that what I truly want would flow toward me. I wondered if there was a better way... but this was the only way to collect these things without being detected."
I had been impatient. My greed to secure the Mythstones without any information had been excessive.
"That’s why I can't give you this gem—this thing I’ve tentatively named a 'Mythstone'—right now. I plan to use it as a weapon for Laura’s survival."
"I understand what you mean. And I can guess what you're going to say next."
"Oh?"
"That if another Mythstone turns up in the future, you'll give one of them to me instead."
"...Hmm."
That was a tough one to answer.
"I can't give you a definite answer on that right now."
"Why not?"
"Because the only women I’ve decided to give Mythstones to are those who intend to carry my child."
"P-Pregnancy...!"
Serica was flustered.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course."
I didn't even need to ask Laura.
If I decided to get her pregnant, she’d get pregnant.
"Laura is the captain of my knight order, but she’s also a woman who might one day become Countess Fermaton. That is, if she stays with me until we see the end of the Infinite Labyrinth, and even after that."
"Countess... pregnancy... So the knight order is just a front, and in reality, they're your wives...?"
"They're my women."
Calling them wives was a bit much for now.
"I don't care if your motive is money. Or power. Or breaking a curse, or seeking honor, or even using me to achieve your own ambitions. As long as you stay with me until the end and remain my woman, that’s enough for me."
If a woman intends to use a man, she should at least be prepared to offer her body whenever he desires.
"I will be sincere with those who offer me their loyalty and love. That is the rule I made for myself when I was reborn, and it is my conviction."
"......."
"So, from now on, we must begin our preparations in earnest."
The team was assembled.
"Laura, Serica, Yurdias. With just these three, we can sufficiently enter the Infinite Labyrinth."
With someone who could solo up to the 50th floor right here, what was there to fear?
"And there’s one more."
"Is it the magic advisor, Astarotte?"
"Ah, then two more. I’m not sure if Astarotte will go in, but I should at least make the offer."
If 'that preparation' was complete.
"Laura. Serica. Yurdias. Astarotte."
And.
"Ruji Fermaton."
* * *
About a week later.
In front of the old Castle Fermaton.
Which was to say, the current entrance to the Infinite Labyrinth.
A piece of parchment arrived at the Infinite Labyrinth checkpoint, where Fermaton’s knights and soldiers stood guard.
"It’s finally here."
The Gatekeeper of the checkpoint clicked his tongue as he looked at the parchment stamped with the official seal of House Fermaton.
"...I suppose he has some shame, entering at dawn when no one else is around. Hah, how meticulous. Let’s see. The number of entrants is... four?"
The Gatekeeper smacked his lips as he looked over the names.
"The Sword Maiden is... ah, I guess she’s not a maiden anymore. Anyway, with the Sword Maiden attached, there’s nothing to worry about, but..."
One strange name caught his eye.
"What the hell is [LewdMan]...? Is that even a person's name?"
A mysterious entity, LewdMan.
"Ah, whatever."
The Gatekeeper’s lips curled into a smirk.
"Probably some Living Armor hired from the Magic Tower."
Stamp.
"Approved. ...Well, it’s not like I could refuse an entry request from Castle Fermaton anyway."
Thud.
"They’re finally coming to the labyrinth. ...The Female Knight Order."