Helius (3) - Sedatives Aren't My Style
Helius (3) - Sedatives Aren't My Style
[ Squeeeak- ]
The iron door leading to the basement opened with a grinding sound.
As Malus descended the dark, damp stairs, his mind raced, ignoring the feel of the blade pressed against his back.
'Calm down. There's no need to panic.'
The opponent had no intention of killing him right now.
If they had intended to kill him, they would have done so already.
For now, identifying this red-haired woman who held his life in her hands.
Malus realized that was the first key to escaping this crisis.
He lightly raised both hands, and turning his gaze slightly over his shoulder, he spoke.
"The Lord of Deluna... Is this a Guardian sent by Balthazar?"
"Well. Think what you like."
The woman neither affirmed nor denied it. Her attitude was utterly relaxed, showing no surprise at having her identity exposed.
But that answer alone was enough.
A moment ago, the rapier that had cut through the air and aimed at his neck.
Considering the dense mana infused in that sword, there was no doubt that the woman behind him was a Guardian.
Moreover, he was on his way back from meeting Lord Taleman.
The plan to assassinate Balthazar had failed.
Theodore was imprisoned in Deluna with both wrists severed.
An enraged Balthazar had sent a chilling warning that he would make them pay for this.
All the circumstances aligned.
This woman was either Balthazar's Guardian,
or she had infiltrated Helius at Deluna's behest.
"It seems there's a serious misunderstanding."
Malus let out a sigh, feigning injustice.
"What business does a mere Guardian like me have in a dispute between Lords, that you've come all the way here to point a sword at me? I just want to quietly conduct my research, you know."
"It's a bit late to claim you're not involved now."
A sneer was mixed in the woman's voice as she retorted.
"Because of that aphrodisiac you made, I had quite a rough time."
"...What?"
The moment Malus's eyes widened imperceptibly.
[ Thwack-! ]
"Aargh!"
A merciless kick landed on his back without warning.
Malus tumbled down the remaining stairs and crashed onto the stone floor of the underground laboratory.
"Cough! Hack...!"
When he finally managed to lift his head, spitting out dust,
the woman had already descended the stairs and was pointing her rapier at his chin.
Malus's mind, sprawled on the floor, became clearer, as if doused with ice water.
'As expected, this woman came from Deluna. Not Risolde, the black-haired Guardian said to protect Balthazar, but another Guardian.'
And most importantly, he gained a very positive clue.
'I don't know why that idiot Theodore used the aphrodisiac on this woman... but from her saying she had a "rough time," it means my drug's effect worked on this Guardian.'
Recalling the given information in his mind, Malus quickly began calculating how to turn this unfavorable situation around.
But-
"It looks like you're racking your brain, but now I'll ask the questions."
Rose, with her rapier still pointed, knelt on one knee before Malus.
"Just as you said yourself. Why is a Guardian like you getting involved in human power struggles?"
"......Because I believe Lord Taleman of Helius has a just cause."
"Hmph-. So you're helping the First Prince, who wants to kill his father and seize the throne, and following the Lord's 'just cause' to secure a high position later, is that it?"
"......"
As Malus, whose true thoughts had been laid bare, frowned,
Rose, who had been smiling at his expression, revealed her true objective.
"Second question. That aphrodisiac you gave Theodore—that terrible drug that disrupts mana and makes lust boil over. You must have also made something with the opposite effect, right?"
"...What did you say?"
"You made a drug that scrambles mana, makes one lose their reason, and intensifies lust. Then, conversely, wouldn't you have also made an antidote that calms disrupted mana and suppresses rampant lust? A researcher would naturally prepare means to control side effects, wouldn't they?"
Malus felt confused for a moment.
What on earth did she want in this situation?
The aphrodisiac he had made back then was intended to temporarily incapacitate an opponent by disrupting their mana.
After its duration, it was normal for lust to subside, mana to recover, and the effect to disappear.
But why would she specifically break into the heart of enemy territory to look for an antidote? Why?
Malus's gaze slowly swept over Rose.
Alluring features revealed beneath her red hair,
a voluptuous figure that even leather armor couldn't fully conceal.
'Could it be... not a side effect of my aphrodisiac, but that this woman herself has a defect related to mana or lust?'
If that were the case, this was an opportunity.
If he exploited her desperation, he could create an opening.
"...Well, I wonder."
Malus shrugged his shoulders, feigning nonchalance.
"Drugs that suppress surging emotions and calm the mind like that aren't really to my taste, you see. I didn't feel the need to make one."
"Hmm- It seems you're not quite grasping the situation."
[ Shiiing- ]
As the tip of the rapier dug into Malus's neck,
a drop of red blood welled up along the thin blade.
"Do I look like I'm here to haggle with you? You'd better think carefully before you answer. If you really don't have it, I'll just clean this place up and be on my way."
"...Ah, alright! Just... calm down!"
Malus frantically waved both hands, declaring his surrender.
With a terrified expression, he glanced at Rose,
then cautiously extended one hand and sent mana towards a shelf on the laboratory wall.
[ Woooosh- ]
With a faint ripple of magical power,
a glass bottle containing a blue liquid that had been in the corner of the shelf floated into the air and flew towards Malus's hand.
"...This is it. What you want... a stabilizer that prevents mana from running wild and calms lust."
Malus held out the glass bottle, but.
Instead of taking it, Rose gestured with her chin towards the bottle and commanded.
"You drink it first."
"...What?"
"If it's a stabilizer, there's no harm in you drinking it first, is there? Did you really think I'd just take your word for it and gulp it down?"
While he thought she wouldn't,
he had hoped she would.
Malus clicked his tongue inwardly,
with a flustered expression, he quickly shook his head.
"Ah... no, this is... I think I got the bottles confused in my panic. This was a different medicine. The real one is... over there."
As Malus extended his hand again and cast a spell,
this time a glass bottle containing a transparent, reddish liquid flew towards him.
"This is... the real stabilizer. I'm sure."
"Oh really? Then you should drink that one first too, shouldn't you?"
Rose glared at him with a cold expression, her rapier still unretracted.
Malus, receiving her gaze, hesitated for a moment,
then with a resigned expression, he opened the glass bottle and swallowed the liquid.
[ Gulp- Gulp- ]
"?? Hey, if you drink all of that, what will I take..."
Just as she was about to reach out to stop Malus, who was continuously gulping down the liquid.
[ Crackle-! Crunch! ]
From Malus's emaciated body, grotesque cracking sounds of twisting bones and muscles erupted.
His pale skin instantly flushed dark red,
and his veins swelled as if about to burst, covering his entire body.
"What in the..."
"This isn't a stabilizer."
Not only Malus's appearance, but even his voice had changed, becoming thick and hoarse like a beast's growl.
"It's a drug that enhances the body beyond its physical limits!"
"You crazy..."
Rose thrust her rapier without hesitation, but.
[ Clang-! ]
As if hitting steel-
With a loud clang, Rose's arm was painfully repelled.
In that fleeting moment when her stance was broken,
Malus, instead of rushing forward with his enhanced physical abilities-
"Take this!"
From where he extended both arms,
black chains hidden in the corner of the shelf flew out-
[ Clatter-! Clank! ]
They bound Rose's arms and legs.
"Ugh...! This damn...!"
Rose tried to gather mana to break the chains.
But the mana that had been surging within her felt like it was chilling and scattering, as if a lie.
"Hehehe. It's no use. Those chains are special restraints forged from mana-blocking magic stones."
Malus, with a relaxed expression, directed a leering smile at Rose, who was bound by chains and half-suspended in the air.
"Now you've become an ordinary girl who can't use magic. That means the tables have been completely turned."
"You... cowardly bastard..."
"Cowardly? I don't think that's something for a bitch like you, who hid and then suddenly put a knife to my throat, to say, is it?"
Malus roughly grabbed Rose's chin and met her gaze.
"Now, shall we hear all about who you are and what you're after here? It doesn't matter if you keep your mouth shut. I have mountains of drugs that can force the truth out of you."
And then, leaving Rose as she was,
reveling in his excitement, he muttered to himself.
Malus walked to a desk and gathered syringes and vials.
"Should I take her to the Lord? No, that lecher will only think of coveting this woman's body, so I'll postpone handing her over. First, I should call Lloyd and the Knights to report the intrusion and strengthen the defenses."
Then suddenly, a question flashed through his mind.
"...But where did that Ailan go? Did this woman spirit him away? If so, it means she has companions..."
Malus, who turned his head to ask about her companions, felt a sense of unease.
Rose's expression, bound in chains, was strange.
A Guardian captured by the enemy, unable to use mana.
But there was no sign of despair, fear, or anger.
Instead, her red eyes held a burning intensity as they stared intently at him.
It's a bluff-
Malus frowned and scoffed.
"It's no use acting tough. I'm not interested in your pretty little body, but the Knights of Helius will go absolutely wild for it, won't they?
With that fragile body of yours, unable to use mana, I wonder how long you'll last against a bunch of horny men."
No sooner had Malus's mocking threat ended-
[ Passive Skill: Lewd Voice Activated ]
"Haa... Why aren't you interested?"
A sweet, seductive moan flowed from her red lips - Rose's Lust Skill, unrelated to mana.
"You hold me. I don't want those sweaty, ignorant knights... I want a smart, sensitive man like you."
"......!!"
In that instant, Malus felt his heart sink.
The moment Rose's voice struck his eardrums,
from his abdomen, an uncontrollable, fierce lust surged up as if exploding.
'...What is this...!'
Malus stumbled backward in a panic.
He was a man who had researched drugs and trained his resistance to countless forms of mental domination.
He was confident he wouldn't even bat an eye at the temptations of most succubi or Magical Beasts.
But now, with just one sound from that woman bound in chains, his reason was shaking, and his lower body was swelling as if it would burst.
"Haa... Come here quickly, these chains..."
"Shut up!!"
The moment Rose tried to continue speaking,
Malus frantically extended his hand and cast a spell-
[ Thwack-! ]
A leather gag from a corner flew through the air and was forcibly clamped onto Rose's mouth.
As the buckle was fastened tightly,
Rose's sweet voice changed into suppressed moans.
"Haa... haa... What the hell is this..."
It was dangerous.
If he had been even a little bit slower,
he would have done whatever that woman told him to.
Another thing that shocked Malus was-
"I don't know what trick that was... but I absolutely detest bitches like you."
"Mmph..."
He was a homosexual who felt no sexual desire for women.
But just by hearing that woman's voice,
his pants felt like they would burst as his penis grotesquely swelled and throbbed.
"Now that her mouth is covered, that dirty trick should be over."
But even if she couldn't pull any more tricks,
the lust that had ignited in his body did not subside.
"Damn it..."
Malus shook his head as if he had no choice,
and turned towards Rose's defenseless back, bound in chains.
Towards the prominent curves of her voluptuous buttocks, visible above her leather pants.
"No choice, then. I'll just have to imagine she's a man."
"...!! Mmph?! Mmmph-!!"
Extending his hands, now large and thick from the enhancer, Malus roughly tore open Rose's pants.
< Illustration - I hate women, but... >
