Chapter 45. Shall We Swap?
Shall We Swap?
The frenzy of the arena had ended, and the venue shifted to the palace banquet hall.
The trade treaty proceeded without a hitch. The overwhelming martial prowess and virility Lucian had displayed were more than enough to leave a deep impression on the Kurkan people, who revered strength above all.
"Kahahaha! Count Eckhart, you truly are to my liking!"
King Barkan drained his massive golden goblet and slapped Lucian on the back.
Beside him sat the queen, who had returned from the arena in disarray, now changed into fresh clothes. Yet her glistening eyes clung lewdly to Lucian rather than her husband.
"Count, in Kurkan, we have an ancient and sacred ritual of friendship."
Barkan's eyes gleamed as he wrapped an arm around his queen's waist with a peculiar smile.
"To become true brothers, we must share what we hold most dear. Wine, meat, and... even wives."
"...What exactly do you mean?"
"Exactly as it sounds. Tonight, let's swap partners and enjoy ourselves."
Barkan licked his lips as his gaze raked over Sophia beside them.
"Your pure, holy priestess... I've been driven mad with desire since seeing her in the arena. In exchange, I'll lend you my queen. This one's quite the ride in bed. A real Meiki, I tell you."
The queen offered no resistance. Instead, she subtly parted her thighs toward Lucian with expectant eyes. It was a primal, unabashed proposal befitting this land of savagery.
"Ah..."
Sophia's face drained of color.
Beneath the table, her fingers clutched desperately at Lucian's sleeve until her knuckles turned white.
'Lucian... please...'
Though she trusted him, anxiety gnawed at her.
They were deep in enemy territory. What if refusal offended the king? The treaty could collapse, their lives forfeit.
If Lucian chose to sacrifice her for the greater good, she had no grounds to refuse.
"Haha, if she doesn't suit your taste, you can pick from my other queens. Plenty of flavors to choose from."
"Hmph!"
The queen beside Barkan glared at him for the suggestion.
Lucian covered Sophia's trembling hand with his own large palm, his warmth steady and reassuring.
He slowly set down his goblet.
"Your Majesty. It's a fascinating proposal."
"But in the Eldonia Kingdom, such acts are considered capital crimes."
Lucian's voice dropped low and measured. The banquet hall's noise seemed to hush instantly.
"Laws aside, more importantly..."
Lucian's crimson eyes locked onto King Barkan's with unshakable, steel-clad resolve.
"Violating another man's wife violates my principles. And... I've no interest in sharing my woman with other males."
"Therefore, I must respectfully—and firmly—decline."
King Barkan's expression hardened.
A murderous tension filled the hall. Guards nearby gripped their sword hilts.
Refusal meant insult. In this savage land, the fate of those who spurned a king's offer was predictable.
Yet Lucian didn't so much as blink.
One hand still clasped Sophia's, while the other hovered near a table knife.
'Try me. Even if you're king, I'll take you down with me.'
Those crimson eyes spoke volumes.
Just as the tension reached its peak—
"Tch."
King Barkan clicked his tongue loudly.
"Pity. She looked delightfully firm."
His boisterous laughter broke the tension.
"Hahaha! Fine, fine. You Eldonian men are such sticks in the mud. Passing up a taste of my queen—you'll regret it."
With one last longing glance at Sophia's chest, the king pulled his queen closer.
"Very well. Can't force a man who refuses. I'll respect the guts it takes to decline my offer."
Barkan had once again acknowledged Lucian's martial prowess and unyielding spirit.
Only then did Lucian's hand leave the knife. He offered Sophia a faint smile as she exhaled in relief.
'I'll surrender you to no one. You're mine.'
At that silent gaze, Sophia bowed her flushed face in quiet joy.
Though no swapping occurred,
Lucian spent that night dreaming of vigorous lovemaking with the Kurkan queen, waking the next morning with weary eyes.
[Several days later]
With the blood-soaked arena duels and breathless diplomatic negotiations concluded, the party finally embarked on their return journey.
The hard-won treaty felt all the more precious for its difficulties.
Even the rattling carriage vibrations felt like a victory march—a light, unburdened homecoming.
Inside the carriage, the bittersweet scent of chestnut flowers hung thick.
"Haah... haah... my Count..."
Sophia panted heavily in Lucian's embrace, her belly scalded hot by his seed.
Lucian was more exhausted from fending off the wolfish gazes fixed on Sophia
than from the treaty's intricate bargaining.
The moment they boarded, his tense body had given way, leading to immediate lovemaking.
Lucian slowly withdrew from Sophia's pussy. Splurt. White turbid liquid trickled down her thighs.
"So... so shameful... Lucian... with others..."
Across from them, the slave gladiator Kara blushed and turned away.
"Kara, apologies for the indecency. Your injuries haven't fully healed... But seeing Sophia like this, I couldn't resist..."
"N-no, please don't mind me."
Though Kara spoke flatly, the moans and heat filling the carriage left her flustered.
Just as Lucian collapsed atop Sophia after their second round—
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion shattered their peaceful return.
The carriage jerked to a halt as screams and clashing steel erupted outside.
"Bandits?"
Lucian straightened his clothes, calmly drawing his sword to investigate.
Ordinary bandits would be easily handled by his elite guards. Though these fought surprisingly well, they fell one by one.
Yet an uneasy feeling grew. The bandit numbers swelled beyond normal raiding parties.
The skirmish became a chaotic melee, with Kara and the Count joining the fray.
Faced with endless waves of attackers
and numerical disadvantage, Lucian made a swift decision.
"Captain! Take Sophia and go ahead!"
"Yes, my lord! Stay safe!!"
The guard captain obeyed without hesitation, swiftly mounting the carriage horses.
"My Count! No, I won't leave you!"
Sophia wailed, but Lucian forced armor onto her, assigning most guards to escort her away with the captain.
Only a handful of soldiers, Lucian, and Kara remained.
"I told you to go too."
"But... I can still fight."
Lucian worried more about Kara—her duel injuries not fully healed—being a liability.
"GROOOAR!"
A massive shadow tore through the forest. An orc battalion.
A colossal axe swung toward Lucian's exposed back as he caught his breath.
CRASH!
"Guh!"
Lucian blocked with his sword but was sent flying from the impact, slamming into a tree. Other orcs rushed to brutally kick his fallen form.
Normally, mere bandits or orcs would be no match, but between the palace ordeal and carriage activities, he'd expended too much energy.
Seeing Lucian motionless, Kara charged in rage.
Swish! Swish!
Her slender, razor-sharp blade pierced an orc's heart, then another's throat.
She rushed to Lucian—
Only to be shoulder-checked by another orc, sending her flying.
THUD!
Kara collapsed, coughing blood.
"S-sorry... my lord..."
As both lost consciousness, small, grotesque shadows crept from the forest darkness.
Goblins.
Ignoring the fallen warriors, they targeted the carriage's remaining maids who'd failed to flee.
Three maids were dragged screaming into the forest's deepest, darkest lair.
Hours later, Lucian awoke to a gruesome scene—most soldiers dead or bleeding. Though half had escaped with Sophia, the losses stung.
Examining a dead bandit, Lucian's eyes flashed.
Hidden beneath leather armor—the black scorpion crest of Kurkan.
'That savage bastard targeted Sophia!'
But why spare the Count?
Even the barbaric Kurkan king couldn't recklessly kill Eldonia's diplomatic envoy—
especially the northern iron wall beloved by Eldonia's king, as it would mean instant war.
Barkan's plan was simple:
First, soldiers disguised as bandits would ambush. If they failed, orc mercenaries would kidnap only Priestess Sophia.
Thus, he'd strictly ordered:
"Destroy the Count's forces, but under no circumstances kill the Count himself."
Lucian steadied himself, surveying the area. A few soldiers clung to life,
and Kara, though bloodied, still breathed faintly.
Survivors reported maids taken by goblins, but pursuit was impossible now.
They needed time to regroup.
After recovering, Lucian's remnant party would track the goblin lair,
gathering supplies before leaving the battleground to camp.
Kara marveled at the Count risking further danger for mere maids after such losses.
Thanks to the capable guard captain, Sophia safely reached Eldonia's southern border,
then traveled further north to stay temporarily with wealthy Baron Richard—
family of Lucian's fiancée, Rachel.