Monster (11)
"Almost there."
"Are you about to come?"
Poison Human, who had buried her face between my legs, peeked her head out and spoke. I poked her cheek, slick with saliva, and said this.
"I meant we've arrived home."
"Ah...."
Poison Human wore an awkward expression at my words and blushed, then sprang up and stuck her head out the window. I, too, didn't wait and stuck my head out the opposite window. The village I was returning to after so long exuded the warmth of a hometown coming back into view.
"Aigo, isn't that Sect leader! Where have you been off to this time!"
A farmer who met my eyes greeted me with an eager, ingratiating tone. I waved to him and said.
"I had a bit of business and took a short trip. Has everything been quiet in the village while I was away?"
"Aigo, what trouble could there possibly be? Thanks to you, Sect leader, the village is perfectly peaceful."
Listening to our conversation, Poison Human's eyes sparkled behind me. The farmer glanced at Poison Human behind me, then lowered his head and spoke with practiced quickness.
"Aigo, this old man has taken up too much of your time, Sect leader. I'll be off to my work now."
The farmer said that and hurried off into the rice paddies. It felt like harvest season was just the other day, yet here they were planting rice again—it really drove home how fast time flew. Poison Human wriggled her fingers and spoke.
"Mister. I've reassessed you."
"In what way?"
"I thought you were just a pervert, but you're actually someone really important."
"Not important. Impressive, though, that's fair. But anyway—you thought I was a pervert?"
I said this and leaned back against the seat. The carriage, which had paused briefly for the conversation, began rolling again. Poison Human stared blankly at my lower half. Since I hadn't tidied my clothes after she'd spent the last while licking and sucking to her heart's content, my rigid member was plainly visible.
"......"
Sometimes silence says a great deal. I straightened my pants wordlessly, reflecting on the journey I'd shared with Poison Human. Once I was neatly dressed, Poison Human belatedly tossed out a single word.
"Yeah."
"I appreciate the honesty."
I said that with a smile. Poison Human, perhaps meaning no malice, rested her head on my shoulder. And then, wriggling her fingers, she spoke.
"Mister. I heard you're married."
"I am."
"Is that why you never went all the way with me?"
It was a question that felt new in this moment. What had been a vague fact while we were in Sichuan had apparently grown heavy once we actually arrived in Shaanxi. I could see why she'd think that. I'd touched Poison Human's pussy, caressed her breasts, made her suck my cock, and let her fondle my cock as much as she pleased—but in the end, we'd never had intercourse.
All the way from Sichuan to Shaanxi, teetering on the line without crossing it, Poison Human had apparently been mulling over the reason I'd held back. Of course, it wasn't for the kind of trite, moral reasons Poison Human was likely imagining.
"Do I seem like the type of man who tiptoes around his wife?"
Poison Human shook her head at my question. The fierce way she shook it conveyed a certain conviction about me. Poison Human trusted and loved me in a vague sort of way, but she was still the type who could see people objectively. I laughed at Poison Human's firm answer and said.
"That's right. My wife doesn't refuse when I bring women home, and I respect her for that. If anything, I hope you'll get along well with my wife."
"Huh? D-do you think I can do that well?"
At the suggestion of befriending my wife, Poison Human looked flustered. She was a woman who'd never met a proper person in her entire life. Being told to get close to someone was clearly just as daunting a prospect as handling a cock.
"Don't worry. My wife is a good person, and everyone at the estate is a good person too. You'll adjust quickly."
Poison Human cautiously asked me.
"And, um, after I adjust?"
"Once you've gotten close with all my wives, then you'll become a wife yourself."
In the end, if I brought a woman into the estate and formed a relationship with her, naturally I had to take her as a wife. Upon this declaration of marriage, Poison Human's mood brightened—her face flushed bright red, she grinned goofily, and wriggled her fingers. I was in a good mood too, because Poison Human was showing more enjoyment and enthusiasm than I'd expected.
"We've arrived!"
The coachman's voice rang out. The moment the carriage stopped, we both got out without needing to be told. Poison Human had been full of spirit right up until she stepped out of the carriage, but then she slipped behind the carriage with a hesitant expression. I wrapped an arm around Poison Human's shoulders and called out toward the main gate.
"Wife. I'm back. Open the door, please!"
"Yes~."
As I stepped back, the main gate rattled and then swung wide open. Even the servants holding the gate beamed at the sight of me. Poison Human kept her head deeply bowed, studying my expression, while beyond the gate sat Seon-go, as beautiful as ever.
"You've had a hard journey. You must be exhausted."
Kkirik-kkirik—the sound of the wheels on her chair moving could be heard. Startled by the sound, Poison Human lifted her head and met eyes with Seon-go, who was seated and moving on her wheeled chair. Seon-go raised both hands in a wave and said to Poison Human.
"Nice to meet you. I can't walk, you see. I hope you'll understand me receiving you like this, seated."
Poison Human's face was deeply flustered. Her pupils wavered and her fingers wriggled. She must have had some idea of how this first meeting would go, but an unexpected variable had thrown her off, and she didn't seem to know how to handle it.
"...Ah, uh.... Mm...."
Poison Human kept darting glances at me. She'd never been taught how to handle this kind of situation. Seon-go must have noticed Poison Human's bewilderment, because she put on a display to help ease her tension.
"Oh dear, there's no need to feel so uncomfortable just because I can't walk. Watch this. Yap!"
And then, right before Poison Human's eyes, Seon-go launched herself up off the chair using the strength of both arms, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and supported her entire body with one arm as if performing an acrobatic feat. I nodded in admiration at the sight.
"You really have improved considerably. Your sense of balance is better, and your arms have gained more muscle. At this rate, achieving mastery in martial arts won't be difficult at all."
"Ehehe.... I practiced hard because I wanted to show you. I'll show you other things later, too."
"......Misterrr..."
But for Poison Human, who had no experience conversing with a proper person, it seemed to have had the opposite effect. Dangling there with an expression of utter helplessness, she looked at me with a face that was half-tearful. I stroked her head and said.
"Just treat her normally. Exchange normal greetings."
Only then did Poison Human finally relax. And, cautiously lowering her head, she said.
"H-hello."
"Yes. Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm the first wife, Seon-go."
Awkward greetings were exchanged, stiff and halting. Seon-go was reasonably composed, but Poison Human still felt the awkwardness in the air. Seon-go had a tendency to grow more adept the more intimidated the other person was. Seeing Seon-go now, it seemed I could leave Poison Human with her and she'd handle soothing her just fine.
I patted Poison Human on the shoulder and said.
"Wife. Would you mind showing the young lady around the house for a bit? I have something to attend to briefly."
"Understood."
"Ah...."
"Come, this way. I'll show you your room first. I've heard a lot about you from my husband."
Poison Human hesitated, then was tugged along by the brightly smiling Seon-go. Chattering voices trailed after the two of them. While the two of them were occupied with conversation, I moved my steps toward a secluded corner of the estate. Once I reached a spot hidden from Poison Human's sight, I called out the name I'd missed.
"Sannyeo."
"...What?"
Sannyeo poked just her head out from the underbrush, her posture halfway between gladness and awkwardness. She seemed partly pleased that I'd sought her out the moment I arrived, and partly exasperated, as if asking whether I seriously came looking for her the instant I got back. I gazed at Poison Human in the distance, conversing with Seon-go.
And I spoke toward Sannyeo.
"I'd like you to get acquainted with the guest who arrived today."
Sannyeo paused at my words, then hardened her expression and said.
"...You want me to get acquainted with someone from the Tang Clan?"
"Just hear me out. She's not just someone from the Tang Clan."
Sannyeo, whose eyes had been glinting murderously, listened as I explained—that Poison Human had been locked in the Tang Clan's underground until now. That the Tang Clan had tried to turn her into a Jiangshi and use her as a weapon. That her family had gone missing, and she now had no ties to the Tang Clan whatsoever—and only then did the light in her eyes subside. Somewhat calmed, she blinked and caught her breath, then looked up at me again and said.
"...So, you're telling me to just be on friendly terms with her?"
"She's going to keep living here from now on. Are you going to live out in the mountains?"
Sannyeo had no sharp retort for that. But putting Poison Human somewhere else was out of the question, too. As if resigned, Sannyeo rose from the underbrush.
"....Fine. If those are the circumstances, it can't be helped. More importantly."
Sannyeo stopped mid-sentence and looked at me. Then she poked my chest with her manacled hand, and swept it over my shoulders and arms. She smiled an odd smile and said to me.
"....You've gotten stronger."
"I made a promise, after all."
Sannyeo didn't answer my words. Instead, she moved her steps in the direction where Seon-go and Poison Human were, and cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ahem..."
Hearing the awkward and pointed cough, the two who had been chatting turned their heads. Poison Human looked at Sannyeo, awkwardly lowered her head, and said this.
"H-hello. A-are you the second wife, by any chance?"
Seon-go turned her head away, stifling laughter. Sannyeo twisted her lips in a subtle expression and shook her head as she spoke.
"...I'm not."
"O-oh, m-my apologies. Th-then, what should I call you?"
"I'm Docheol's master."
Poison Human paused briefly at the word 'master,' and her gaze drifted to Sannyeo's manacles. Then she looked over Sannyeo's clothes and face once more, and glanced at me as I followed out behind them. Her gaze returned to the manacles, and she nodded as she spoke.
"Ahh...."
"...Martial arts master. Martial arts."
Sannyeo was quick on the uptake.