Chapter 88. Banging the Field Agent (1)
Chapter 88. Banging the Field Agent (1)
'I didn't see him in any of the intel I gathered.......'
An overwhelming sense of déjà vu struck her the moment she laid eyes on the man. But no matter how hard she racked her brain, nothing concrete surfaced.
And no wonder. According to the information she had collected on the hero party, every single member of this generation's party was female.
'...He's not a full party member, then.'
Her gaze shifted subtly toward the luggage piled in a corner of the dining hall.
The backpack, clearly the man's, accounted for a significant portion of the group's belongings compared to the others. Tucked among it were items that seemed to belong to the rest of the party.
'He looks like a temporary porter they hired... but not anyone important.'
Right. At the very least, he was not among the priority human targets she had profiled.
Meaning he was neither one of the Ten Greats, an S-rank adventurer, nor a descendant of any famed lineage.
'Have I actually seen him before?'
Why then? This uncanny sense of familiarity.......
No, it wasn't just familiarity. Unlike the wariness the other party members inspired in her, what she felt toward him was closer to relief.
Relief? She had already steeled her resolve. Why in the world would she feel such a thing toward a total stranger?
"Um, may I excuse myself to the restroom?"
"Ah, sure. Go ahead."
"Then allow us to continue our discussion. The species of demon beasts to be subjugated this time are......."
As the conversation flowed, the man rose from his seat.
The other party members paid him little mind.
It was only natural — stepping away to use the facilities during a discussion was nothing out of the ordinary. Yet watching this scene, Katarina couldn't help but feel a surge of impatience.
'It's about to begin.......'
Yes. Any moment now, the confidants of the one who had given them their orders would execute the operation targeting the hero party.
She hadn't been briefed on the specifics, but she'd gathered enough to know it would be anything but pleasant.
In that light, leaving the dining hall — even by chance — could be seen as an opportunity to evade danger.
'I need to confirm.......'
But that would only mean escaping immediate peril. It also risked being branded a variable outside the operation and suffering an even worse fate.
They'd consider execution just to cover loose ends, beyond simply sparing a life. If she were in charge, she would certainly dispose of anyone exempted from the plan that way.
'I have to confirm this.'
Normally, she might have let this slide.
But Katarina decided she needed to identify the source of the déjà vu she felt from this man.
Because this might be her only chance to figure it out. She couldn't shake the thought that if she missed this moment, she would regret it.
"Where is the restroom?"
"It's this way, sir."
The man headed off, asking a servant for directions. Katarina, still cloaked in the shadows, continued to tail him.
She revealed herself only after the man had entered the restroom and let out a long breath. The fact that he hadn't gotten straight to business suggested he needed a moment to decompress — which suited Katarina just fine.
"Stay still."
No one could see her right now. She could uncover his identity.
"Keep your mouth shut. Slowly turn around and face this way. If you cooperate quietly, I won't harm you."
She materialized behind him, pressing her blade to his throat. As if sensing the threat, the man slowly raised both hands into the air.
But there wasn't a hint of a tremble in him.
As if he were used to having his life threatened...... No, almost as if he had been waiting for this situation all along.
"......The Anti-Human Coalition's primary objective is to topple the current human alliance's central pillar, the Arhen royal dynasty."
"!"
Katarina flinched involuntarily at the words that suddenly tumbled from his lips.
Of course she did. The Anti-Human Coalition's very existence was known only to a select few even within human forces.
'This man... he knows about the Anti-Human Coalition?'
Even within the Demon King's Army, there were elements hostile to humanity.
If that fact became widely known, all sorts of rebel factions would risk defecting to the Demon King's Army. To prevent such chaos, the human alliance went to great lengths to keep it hidden.
At best, it circulated as an unsubstantiated rumor no one took seriously.
"Infiltration is covert, but their demonstrations are always spectacular. The human alliance's strength is drained just from trying to conceal those exposed activities, you see. The Anti-Human Coalition seizes that chance to collapse the alliance's backbone."
Yet the man before her casually laid out not only the Coalition's existence but even its operational doctrine, as if such delicate power dynamics meant nothing.
Even though he was ostensibly a member of a hero party solely dedicated to its own mission, albeit hired as a porter.
"Given that kind of strategy... attacking the hero party seems like too great a risk for a mere declaration of war, don't you think......?"
"......You are."
Katarina's expression grew increasingly rigid at his behavior.
But it wasn't just because her cover was blown.
The atmosphere, and the voice.......
Yes, she had most definitely encountered the man in front of her before.
He'd been wearing a mask then, which was why it took her so long to recognize him.
"No, you're......!"
Dave.
The Chief Secretary of the Anti-Human Coalition. The man who had served as her father's adjutant.
-Smack!!
The instant she realized it, his fingers snapped up. A bizarre force radiated outward, crushing her consciousness, and Katarina felt the strength drain from her body.
'Fight... I have to fight.......'
And yet, in that final moment, a chance arose to scrape together the last dregs of her will.
'Fight... do I need to?'
Even as that chance came, Katarina couldn't muster the will to throw off the power taking hold of her.
Rather, in this moment as she was swallowed by his influence, what settled in her heart wasn't wariness, but something that could only be called relief.
"...Seeing as my power works properly, it seems you recognized me."
Dave smoothly withdrew his raised hand and began to study Katarina as she stood there, dazed.
An air of aloof nobility, her navy-blue hair tied back. Dave remembered that aura as well.
They simply hadn't had many occasions to cross paths, given their positions.
"The Chief's daughter, aren't you?"
"...Yes. I am Katarina, the (former) head of the Anti-Human Coalition. Successor to Raven."
Katarina answered him without hesitation.
Once her mind was dominated, she had no right to refuse, but there wasn't a shred of reluctance in her voice either.
Did that mean she was unconsciously accepting him?
"...I hadn't hoped for a reunion like this. But my own circumstances are less than ideal, so I'll get straight to business."
Whatever the case, things would proceed smoothly now that she was hypnotized.
Steeling his heart, Dave gave her a directive.
"Katarina. If you don't mean me harm, then prove your trust by undressing. This isn't an order; it's a request."
Not an order, but a request.
She was free to refuse if she didn't want to. Even with her ego stripped away, if she truly felt revulsion toward his words, she would immediately state her refusal.
"......Yes."
But even given that option, Katarina began to slowly remove her gear.
"Understood, Master."
Without the slightest doubt about her actions.
Rather, as if she had been looking forward to this very moment.
***
Raven.......
The Chief of the Anti-Human Coalition. To me, he was more than just a superior — you could call him a benefactor without exaggeration.
Because before he built his faction within the Demon King's Army, humans who ended up under the Demon King were treated as little more than slave laborers or meat shields.
That I, a man with nowhere left to go, could safely settle within the Demon King's Army and even rise to a proper rank as a "secretary" — that was only possible thanks to his patronage.
And Katarina was the only daughter of that man to whom I owed so much.
"Ah, ngh, aaah, ahn...!"
I never imagined I'd ever see such a person leaning against a wall and masturbating before my eyes.
The same hand that had been holding a dagger to my throat just moments ago was now plunging into her own cunt.
"... Ah, ngh, ahn."
But the moans that leaked from beneath her mask were drenched in distress.
Rather than shame at being forced, she seemed utterly unaccustomed to the act of masturbation itself.
"Ah, ngh, nnggh! Nngh......."
Her pussy was faintly wet, but there was no way she could truly feel anything from just that. If she grew frustrated by the ambiguous sensation and jammed her fingers in harder, it would only backfire.
"...This is painful to watch."
If she couldn't even manage to pleasure herself, wouldn't the main event become that much more difficult?
I stepped closer at once, placed my hands on her modestly swollen breasts, and applied pressure, attempting to stimulate her erogenous zones.
"Ah, nnggh...♥"
Her clit gradually stiffened, and arousal fluid trickled down freely. Maintaining that state, I slid a finger inside her slit and began to stir its depths this way and that.
"W-Wait. Ngh, nnngh...!"
Was she startled by the unfamiliar sensation?
She had been cooperative up to now, but she tried to block my actions with her own hand. Yet that was ultimately just a reflexive, unconscious act.
Now that her mind was already under my control, defying me was impossible.
-Squelch, squelch.
Katarina convulsed the moment I started working her cunt in earnest.
Twitching, she clutched at my body and began to gasp for breath.
So that was the general area of her sweet spots.
Good thing I had gotten those drugs from Ymir before coming here.
With hypnosis, I could even adjust her erogenous sensitivity, so I wouldn't need to drag this conditioning out for too long.
"Ah, ah, ah, aahn! W-wait. M-my body feels strange.... Ngh, nnggh!"
Katarina began to feel it fully now, spraying her juices. Sensing her reactions growing more intense, I dug harder against her vaginal walls and whispered into her ear.
"No need to hold back. This place is well soundproofed."
"Ah, aaaahn...♥"
Releasing even the voice she had been suppressing, Katarina arched her back straight. A surge of fluid gushed out, soaking my hand, and then, overwhelmed by her climax, she slumped forward in exhaustion.
"...Haaah, ngh, nnggh...♥"
Was it because she had no tolerance for the afterglow?
The aloof charisma she had displayed earlier had completely vanished from her wilted form. Beneath her mask, her face was likely drenched in sweat, but I made no move to remove it.
Just meeting her eyes was enough to naturally summon the image of her father's face. How could I possibly keep my mental composure if I properly faced her any further?
"...Katarina. Let me ask you just one thing."
But I couldn't afford to back out now, either.
It was confirmed that the goddamn whore was plotting something against the hero party, which meant I had to account for the possibility that my own coalition members might turn hostile toward me, too.
Thus, securing Katarina's submission — she who held a fair bit of power within the faction — was a necessary task.
"Are you a virgin?"
Still... I sincerely hoped this wouldn't add any more weight to my sins.
To the question I posed with that sentiment, Katarina steadied her climax-wracked body and managed to gasp out an answer.
"......Yes. In all my life, I have never... once... had relations with a man."
Damn it. It would've been a lighter sin if she at least had experience.
If I meet the Chief in hell later on, the first thing I'll have to do is recite a prayer begging him to just kill me and get it over with.