Chapter 46: Even a Lamia is a Beast in the End
Quite some time had passed. With gold beads scattered in every direction, maintaining any semblance of an orderly inspection line became utterly impossible. Realizing the futility of the situation, the guards reached a compromise: instead of trying to restore order, they would simply collect the gold and wave everyone waiting in line straight into the city.
Normally, visitors would have to endure a tedious process, including thorough baggage inspections, so they were thrilled to bypass the hassle. From the guards' perspective, it wasn't a bad deal either.
Today's commotion could easily be smoothed over by presenting the gold beads to the Sultan, the ruler of the city. On top of that, they loved the fact that pocketing a few of the gold beads meant for the Sultan as a little "bonus" wouldn't technically count as embezzlement. After all, the money had no rightful owner.
With a "whatever happens, happens" attitude, the underpaid guards scooped up handfuls of the gold beads and stuffed them into their pockets.
However, in this situation where the visitors, the guards, and even the absent Sultan were all making a handsome profit, there was only one person who was utterly miserable.
"I am so sorry."
It was the very woman Echidna had dismissed as a "pathetic bitch." This brown-skinned woman usually wore loose, flowing dresses that wrapped around her entire body. The breathable fabric kept her skin healthy, and she was used to being showered with compliments about her beauty on a daily basis. But now...
"I will never again commit the foolish mistake of interfering in the amusements of the Sage of the Desert, Lady Echidna, or trying to argue right from wrong."
Now, she was like this. She had neatly folded her signature loose dress and set it aside on the desert sand. She was prostrated so flat against the ground that one might worry sand would find its way into her pussy, desperately begging for forgiveness. Her face, which had just been drenched in Roen's saliva, was now caked with hot desert sand.
"Please, show mercy just this once to a foolish, brainless bitch like me. Allow me to live through today, and by your grace, see tomorrow..."
However...
"Is this really something you should be apologizing to me for?"
"Huh...?"
"This fucking bitch still doesn't get what she did wrong, does she? Because of you, my Roen had to apologize to a piece of trash like you, when she should have been quietly enjoying my caresses, squirting her sweet juices, and melting into my arms. Do you understand? My female—the female who exists solely to serve me—wasted her precious emotions on a nobody like you."
"Ah, ah..."
The woman wanted to die. For a moment, she hadn't been able to comprehend the absurd sophistry spewing from this fucking snake-eyed bitch, but now she understood all too well.
"H-Heek..."
I have to apologize to that brainless-looking bimbo who was just getting her pussy eaten by a snake, crying out like a whore, and squirting until her eyes rolled back? She could accept bowing to a Lamia with the terrifying power to transmute sand into gold, but to a cheap desert slut like that? Such rebellious thoughts filled her mind, but...
"Do you want me to split your skull in two and feed your brains to the desert vultures? Are you trying to play mind games with me? Right now? Why aren't you answering?"
Echidna had cast a wind barrier around Roen's face so she couldn't hear a thing, allowing her to unleash a torrent of uncharacteristically foul language. Perhaps because she had instinctively learned how to curse while suppressing her lust for Roen, Echidna was surprisingly good at it.
"N-No, that's not it! I will apologize to your lady as well! Please! Give me a chance to apologize!"
"Good. You'd better watch your mouth. And keep your eyes submissively lowered."
Fucking snake-eyed bitch... Who does she think she is...
"Yes, ma'am!"
"What?"
"A-Ah, nothing! I'm sorry! I was wrong!"
For a split second, the woman's inner thoughts had almost slipped out of her mouth. Terrified, she slammed her forehead into the sand so hard that grains stuffed her nostrils. Echidna scowled in disgust at the pathetic sight, but...
"Whatever. Just make sure you behave yourself from now on."
"Yes! Understood!"
Seeing the pathetic creature beg so desperately for her life, Echidna decided there was no need to spill blood on such a fine day. Her expression softened. She deactivated the spells on Roen—who had been floating in the air via telekinesis with her ears magically blocked—and pulled her back into her arms.
"Roeeen."
"Hehe... Echidna-nim."
Echidna's voice was sweet and melting, and Roen snuggled into her chest with pure delight. The affection they shared was palpable. As they held each other, basking in their warmth, Echidna gently nudged her.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"Take a look at her."
"Ah..."
Only then did Roen, cradled like a doll in Echidna's arms, notice the woman performing a naked dogeza directly beneath them. Between the telekinesis, the wind barrier, and the overwhelming waves of pleasure that had left her completely dazed, her mind had been half-gone. She hadn't had the capacity to spare a thought for the woman.
"Why is she doing that?"
"Tsk, 'she'? Don't use such polite words for her. Does a piece of evolutionary trash who couldn't even get chosen by a male deserve such respect?"
"Eek..."
Echidna's sharp words drove a dagger straight into the woman's pride, but she could only let out a choked gasp. Having already slipped up once, she knew that another mistake would mean certain death.
"I am deeply sorry. I failed to respect your intimate time together and committed the grave insolence of casting judgmental looks."
The woman briefly met Roen's eyes before burying her face back into the sand, begging for mercy.
"Ah, yes... Well, it's fine. I didn't mind, but Echidna-nim is really scary when she's angry, so please don't do it again."
"I will keep that engraved in my heart!"
Roen wondered if all this was truly necessary, but since Echidna was clearly displeased, it would look ridiculous for her—powerless as she was—to play the magnanimous savior. So, she used Echidna as the excuse. Then, she turned her head back to look at Echidna. It was a silent signal, asking if this was enough.
"How is my Roen so incredibly kind-hearted? Forgiving trash like her."
Fortunately, Echidna seemed satisfied. She lifted Roen high in her arms, playfully swooping her through the air like an airplane as they finally departed.
"Ha... Haa..."
Only then did the woman lift her head. Realizing she had survived, she wept silently. Tears streamed down her cheeks, washing away the mixture of Roen's spit and desert sand caked on her face.
"I need to get my clothes on, quickly."
For her, the terrifying ordeal was finally over.
"Roen."
"Yes?"
"Let me turn you around."
"Okay."
Echidna spun Roen around in her arms so they were facing each other. And then...
"Wrap your legs around my waist."
"What?"
"Hurry."
"Ah, yes...!"
Echidna commanded her with an authoritative edge. Roen, vaguely realizing that another round was about to begin, hesitated for a brief second before wrapping her legs around Echidna's waist. If only Echidna could retract her penis-covering scales and pull out her forearm-sized jaji, she could have sat Roen right on top of it. She felt a deep pang of regret that the public setting prevented her from doing so.
"Mph, chp..."
"Chu, chuuuut...♡"
Supporting Roen's buttocks with one hand, Echidna gently caressed Roen's fully exposed pussy with her fingers as they glided through the city gates. A few guards were still stationed nearby, but none of them dared to stand in Echidna's way. Even though Echidna and Roen's entry was practically the physical manifestation of public indecency and bound to cause a massive stir in the city, the guards valued their lives too much to interfere.
"Whoa, holy shit... What the hell is that?"
"That's the Sage of the Desert, you idiot. The Sage of the Desert."
"Seriously? That's her?"
"Yeah, dumbass. Can't you tell? There are rumors of centuries-old dragons coming down to play and chase girls, so why would a snake be any different?"
"I guess that's true..."
They muttered a few more words once Echidna and Roen were safely out of earshot, then turned their attention back to their duties. It was time to resume normal inspections and restore order to the chaotic gate.
Echidna and Roen drew eyes wherever they went.
"Mnh, nnh..."
"H-Heek, hyah..."
Echidna carried Roen around like a front-facing backpack. Whenever she felt like it, she would slide her fingers into Roen's pussy, flick her clitoris, leave dark hickeys on her collarbone and neck, or steal deep, wet kisses, thoroughly enjoying her stroll through the Great City.
"Hmm, pack up everything from here to there. All of these ingredients look quite useful."
"Y-Yes, of course... Right away, milady..."
Even amidst her public play, Echidna didn't forget to stop by shops whenever she spotted something she needed. She bought various alchemical ingredients, revealing outfits for Roen, luxurious bedding, and a multitude of items that looked perfect for sexual conditioning. In essence, she had brought her prey along to shop for the very tools she would use to skin, butcher, and dissect her.
"Hngh, haaaah..."
Yet Roen, who should have felt the greatest sense of danger, was trembling helplessly as her pussy continuously leaked thick ae-aek. She was completely oblivious to the fact that she needed to escape. Meanwhile, Echidna carried their shopping baskets with the tip of her serpentine tail, gliding effortlessly from place to place with Roen in her arms. Until...
"You wretched beast! What kind of disturbance do you think you are causing in my domain?!"
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, they were surrounded by the Sultan and his personal guard. However...
"How persistent... and incredibly annoying."
Echidna despised this kind of unwanted attention. So...
"Hup."
"Wh-What...?"
"G-Gold!"
"It's gold...!"
She instantly transmuted the silk robes the Sultan was wearing into solid gold. Unlike before, where she had crafted neat little gold beads, she had turned his entire outfit into heavy, rigid gold.
"Y-You monster! Turn it back this instant! Argh! I can't move!"
"Roen, do you like it?"
"Hauuung..."
"I'll take that as a yes."
"H-How dare you?!"
Leaving the struggling Sultan behind, Echidna glided back toward the Desert Mansion, her fingers buried deep inside Roen's pussy the entire way.
Consider it payment for the commotion we caused today.
Echidna was, if nothing else, meticulous when it came to settling her debts.