Never Touch
Never Touch
On the road leaving the city and heading towards the Lord's castle.
Guardian Bain and his party did not bind or restrain Rose's hands and feet.
'...Well, there's no need for that, is there?'
Rose stroked her wrist and gave a bitter laugh.
She had seen Khan's arm, over two meters tall, snap like a dry stalk of corn right before her eyes.
Considering that overwhelming power of Mana, she couldn't even dare to escape, even without ropes.
Khan's broken arm was no different from an invisible leash around her neck.
The party's formation was simple.
The taciturn middle-aged Guardian led the way, and Rose followed behind him.
And three rowdy Mercenaries walked, surrounding Rose on both sides and behind her, more like guards than escorts.
"Hehe, noona. Look at your hips sway with every step. It's truly a work of art."
"Hey, isn't your skirt too long? Should I just rip it for you to make it easier to walk?"
"With the three of us, we could really show you heaven, you know. Front hole, back hole, and even your throat. The numbers match perfectly, don't they?"
The Guardian didn't say a word, as if his mouth was sewn shut, but the Mercenaries following behind him incessantly spewed dirty jokes.
Their gazes stickily licked over Rose's ample breasts and the curves of her body revealed beneath her thin dress.
An overt lust, as if they would pounce on her, strip her clothes, and violate her at any moment, was palpable.
Yet, they merely kept their distance, indulging in lewd chatter, and didn't lay a single finger on Rose's body.
'...So there were orders.'
Rose, who had initially walked trembling with fear, gradually regained her composure and calmed her mind after about half a day.
Not to mention her days as a plaything for the men of the rural village.
Even while working at 'Women of the Rose,' she had dealt with countless perverts.
She didn't know what kind of person the Lord was.
But if he was bringing her because he'd heard rumors of a beautiful red-haired prostitute, there was no reason to be afraid.
After all, Rose's body couldn't feel pleasure.
But she was a woman who knew how to satisfy a man better than anyone else.
If she cooked him up with her fully ripened body and bedroom skills, the Lord would fall for her and lose his mind.
If that happened, the comfortable life she had imagined before, enjoying the favor of a noble and living in luxury, would no longer be just a dream.
Although the gazes and voices of the Mercenary group surrounding her now were threatening, Rose steeled her resolve.
'Those bastards can't touch me anyway. Don't be scared.'
Rose forced her gaze forward and quickened her pace.
As they left the towering city walls, a desolate and rugged land unfolded before them.
This was her first time leaving the city since settling in the Entertainment District.
'This world must be teeming with Magical Beasts and monsters....'
The thought that the monsters she had seen in novels could pop out at any moment filled her with dread.
Before long, the Guardian turned off the well-maintained main road and onto a dense, dark forest path.
It seemed he had taken a shortcut to the Lord's castle.
As they entered the forest, it grew dark even in broad daylight, and unpleasant animal cries echoed from afar.
Rose harbored one question throughout their walk.
'That Guardian is so strong... why did he bother hiring such third-rate Mercenaries?'
That question was naturally answered as they walked through the forest and prepared for their first night's camp.
"Hey, quickly light a fire! Unpack so the master can eat!"
"Woman, you sit quietly under that tree. If you try any funny business, I'll break your legs."
While the Guardian leaned against a tree, resting his eyes.
The Mercenaries, with practiced movements, gathered firewood, prepared food, and kept watch over their surroundings, all while monitoring Rose.
In short, they were errand boys.
Since a noble Guardian who wielded Mana couldn't possibly get covered in dirt preparing camp himself, they were expendable tools hired for the purpose of serving him and carrying his luggage.
Preparing camp and spending the night was no different.
Bain fell asleep with Rose nearby, and it was the Mercenaries' job to stand watch and survey the surroundings.
'Can he really sleep so defenselessly?'
She worried that the Mercenaries might try something while Bain was asleep.
But perhaps the sleeping Guardian was still just as terrifying a presence, as the bastards couldn't approach Rose.
"Fuck... I'm so fucking horny, seriously. Haa... if only I could suck those tits just once."
Listening to the vulgar murmurs of the Mercenary on night watch, Rose forced herself to try and sleep.
"Enemy!! Everyone wake up!!!"
At the sudden shout in the middle of the night, Rose sat up.
[ KIIIEEEK! ]
What burst out of the darkness, with flashing red eyes, were six hideous wolf-shaped Magical Beasts, 'Blood Wolves,' each the size of an adult man.
"Sh-shit! It's a Magical Beast!"
"Form up! Draw your weapons!"
As the Mercenaries turned pale and drew their swords, the Guardian commanded in a low voice.
"Fall back. And protect the woman."
No sooner had he spoken than the longsword drawn from his waist emitted a blue light.
SWISH! CRUNCH!
Each time the Guardian's sword sliced through the air, the Magical Beasts' tough hides and bones were severed.
[ KWOOOOOH! ]
[ KIIYAAAK!! ]
A bloody wind raged and horrific screams echoed through the forest, but
the Guardian's movements were flawless, like an elegant dance.
He parried the Magical Beasts' attacks with minimal movement,
and each time he swung his sword, the enemy's flesh was torn apart.
The sight of the blue Mana enveloping his sword, slicing through enemies, even seemed beautiful.
Just one minute.
In that short time, the entire pack of Blood Wolves was turned into chunks of meat, strewn across the ground.
Bain's breathing was calm, even.
He merely checked his surroundings with his usual indifferent expression and sheathed his sword.
Meanwhile, all the Mercenaries did was surround and protect Rose, as per his instructions, to prevent any variables.
'...That's the power of a Guardian...'
Rose tightly clenched her trembling hands.
Then, a question suddenly arose with that thought.
What kind of person is this Lord, who commands such a powerful human?
***
On the second day of their journey, while resting in a forest clearing.
Due to walking on the rough road, beads of sweat formed on Rose's forehead, and
her thin dress, soaked with sweat, revealed the voluptuous curves of her body even more explicitly.
If she used her [Cleanliness] Skill, she could keep her body clean, but.
she didn't want to show such a sight and attract attention from the Mercenaries who were watching her from all sides.
Though Rose's current appearance was attracting their attention in a different way.
"Haa... haa..."
The heavy sway of her chest was palpable just from leaning against the tree and taking rough breaths.
Gulp.
The sound of someone licking their lips while watching her was even audible.
Eventually, the Scarred Mercenary who had been most stickily ogling Rose stood up.
"Excuse me, Guardian-nim."
"What is it?"
"Anyway, isn't that bitch a whore who spread her legs for men for money? The Lord-nim must know that she's a slut...."
The man fiddled with his pants and smiled vilely.
"We've had a tough time getting here, you know. Can't we have a little fun with that bitch? The Lord-nim won't know, and I'll handle her gently so as not to leave any marks on her holes. Eh?"
Rose bit her lip unconsciously and flinched.
It wasn't unusual for a prostitute to accept men... but somehow, she didn't want to give herself to those vile men.
Nor did she want to pretend to feel pleasure while acting in front of them.
At that moment. The Guardian's eyes, which had been closed, opened.
Shring.
No one saw the sword being drawn.
But when they came to their senses, the tip of the Guardian's sword was already aimed at the Mercenary's Adam's apple.
The murderous aura emanating from its tip turned the Mercenary's face deathly pale.
"Uh... um...!"
"The Lord-nim's orders are absolute."
The Guardian's voice was as cold as ice.
"He ordered her to be brought back untouched and in perfect condition. The moment your filthy hands touch the Lord-nim's property, your limbs will become fertilizer for this forest."
"Ah, I understand! S-sorry! It was just a joke!"
As the Mercenary turned deathly pale and prostrated himself on the ground, the Guardian finally sheathed his sword and leaned back against the tree, closing his eyes.
"Fuck... that fucking bastard."
But the Mercenary, returning to his spot, cursed under his breath, wary of the Guardian's gaze.
The other bastards were no different.
Judging by their faces, which licked their lips with sticky gazes directed at Rose, the Scarred Man's sudden request must have been the true desire of all of them.
One of them stared intently at Rose's sweat-soaked chest,
his tongue flicking out as if coveting it, and his hands twitched.
Another bastard even placed his hand on his crotch over his pants and began moving it up and down obscenely.
Since they were told not to touch her under any circumstances, these were gestures to try and release their desires without actually laying hands on her.
"..."
Rose sat with her knees together at the base of the tree, deliberately ignoring them and casting her gaze downwards.
But there was one more thing she couldn't understand.
'Why on earth would the Lord order a prostitute like me to be brought back completely untouched?'
If he merely intended to use her as a plaything for his nightly pleasures, would there be any reason to send a Guardian to ensure not a single hair on her head was touched?
After all, she was a prostitute's body that had received countless men.
An inexplicable unease trickled down Rose's spine.
What awaited her at the end of this journey might not be the comfortable position of a 'noble's concubine' she had naively imagined... but a far more terrible and horrific hell.
< Illustration - On the Way to the Lord's Castle, Sticky Gazes >
