The Dragon of the Pleasure City - 5
It was a fresh, invigorating morning.
The kind where a light overnight drizzle had left dewdrops sparkling beautifully across every blade of grass.
Yet, quite apart from that beauty, a woman rose from bed with a thoroughly unpleasant feeling.
"I got played…"
She was Sestia, daughter of the Blue Dragon and ruler of Yuran.
Completely naked, she sat up and looked around the room.
Traces of the previous night's duel met her eyes.
Sestia lightly touched between her legs.
There, the marks of her deflowering remained.
"So my first time ends like this…"
Clutching her head with one hand in agony, she soon burrowed back under the covers.
Bang! Bang!
Then she began kicking the blanket with all her might.
It was the classic blanket-kick phenomenon often seen in those who had just suffered something mortifying.
"Ugh! I was crazy! Completely insane!"
Even if she had been blinded by the duel, she had set absurd conditions.
And she had made the mistake of casually accepting the man's choice of duel format.
As a result, Sestia had lost her virginity and the duel as well.
Not a fight to the death, but a messy coupling between man and woman.
Moreover, the first to climax lost—a contest overwhelmingly disadvantageous to her.
I didn't even get a proper fight! I lost my virginity! And even a wish ticket…!
Once called the impregnable merchant of the iron fortress, she had suffered a triple loss.
Naturally, from Sestia's perspective, she could only writhe in shame.
If there's any silver lining, it's that my first time felt pretty good… No, what am I thinking!
Sestia blushed recalling her first experience, then buried her face in the blanket.
She gripped the covers tightly with both hands as if to tear them apart.
"I will never forgive that bastard who humiliated me like this. I'll make him pay for this…!"
Sestia began sharpening the blade of revenge in her heart.
Though she seemed unaware that no matter how much she sharpened that dulled blade of vengeance, it would never change.
If she had truly resolved to take revenge, at least her ears would not have turned red.
How should I approach him next time…
Already thinking of her next meeting with Bern, just then—
Knock knock!
"Lady Sestia, are you still asleep?"
A woman's voice came from beyond the door as it was knocked.
It was the maid who always helped Sestia with her grooming.
Only then did Sestia return to her senses and put on a cold expression.
"I'm awake. You may enter."
"Then, excuse me."
The moment the head maid opened the door, a fishy scent of bodily fluids spread through the room.
Sestia's nose had already adapted and did not notice, but the maid flinched and shuddered.
Still, as a professional with pride in her work, she did not show it much.
"It would be best to bathe before grooming."
"Huh? Do I smell that bad?"
"I regret to say so, but yes."
"Ugh…! Prepare a bath immediately."
"Yes, right away. But first, there is a letter to deliver to you, Lady Sestia."
"A letter?"
"Yes. The distinguished guest you brought last night insisted I deliver this letter to you."
"Give it here."
The maid respectfully handed Bern's letter to Sestia.
Though she received it with a cold demeanor, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.
For a man, he at least has the sense to leave a romantic gesture?
After consummating their relationship, Bern had left the bedroom without a word.
That had slightly displeased Sestia.
But the fact that he left a letter soothed her dissatisfaction.
Like opening a gift box, Sestia tore open the envelope and unfolded the contents.
Her eyes widened as she confirmed what was written.
Boss lady's virginity—thoroughly enjoyed. If I start missing it, I'll come back to fuck you again. Chomp~!
"I-I'll kill him…! I swear I'll kill this bastard with my own hands!"
Sestia resolved never to show any mercy.
Yet her honest lower abdomen was growing wet.
"Haaawn!"
I yawned widely as drowsiness washed over me.
Probably because I'd been thrusting until dawn and snuck out of her mansion early in the morning.
I'd make up for the lack of sleep back at the inn.
You used to be a pure, fresh-faced youth full of bashfulness, yet before I knew it you've become a promiscuous manwhore…
You don't get it because you don't know, but guys like me with vigorous blood, when we get a chance with a pretty woman, we go for it.
And then when the woman stabs you in the gut with a sword, you'll have nothing to say, will you?
Don't worry. I only go for it after making sure she's a woman I can safely put my hands on.
If she had been a dangerous woman, I never would have gotten close in the first place.
But Sestia was one of the characters who appeared in the original work—a heroine who became captivated by Kang Junhyuk's strength.
I knew her personality better than anyone.
She was proud and warlike, but those traits were only the surface.
Deep down, Sestia was a female who longed for someone to pin her down and dominate her.
When she lost to Kang Junhyuk, she finally realized that truth.
At first she denied it fiercely, but no matter how hard she tried she could never defeat him.
Only then did Sestia admit it.
She had been nothing more than a dragon waiting for a strong male to appear.
After that, she wanted Kang Junhyuk to always suppress her and treat her roughly.
In short, she desired to be subordinate to the strong.
That's why I put my hands on her. I'm not some guy who just goes around thrusting his hips at random.
No matter how I look at it, you are exactly the kind of man who goes around thrusting his hips at random.
Shut up.
Honestly, I put my hands on her because Sestia was hot.
But more than that, I couldn't endure the side slit of that short cheongsam.
The slit that brazenly exposed her thighs all the way up, with the string of her panties draped across it.
How could anyone abandon the romance of being able to pull only the underwear down while still fully clothed?
Besides the cheongsam, there was the kimono that left her completely naked the moment you untied the sash, and the short jeogori and skirt of a hanbok that revealed the underside of her breasts.
If any of those appeared in front of me, I was confident I would dive right in.
Still, I should lie low somewhere quiet for a while.
I had even thrown out childish provocations I normally never used, just to match Sestia's tastes.
By now she was probably furious enough to tear the sky apart.
If I vanished from her sight for a while, she would start missing me.
That was how I planned to train her little by little and conquer her.
Come to think of it, somewhere along the way I've gotten serious about stealing Kang Junhyuk's heroines.
From Hesha all the way to Sestia, I was reaching for women who were supposed to get involved with Kang Junhyuk.
With Hesha I was content just to sever her connection to him, but with Sestia I had gone deep.
Now that I was her first, even if I tried to refuse she would cling to me.
Once I finish conquering her, I'll have no choice but to keep her by my side forever.
Not only the mad dragon mother and daughter, but the Blue Dragon's heart as well… You are well on your way to becoming a true Dragon Slayer. Limited to females, of course.
Once I take down Ignite, that "females only" part gets cancelled.
If you manage to take him down, that is.
If I didn't want to keep hearing Frach's scolding, I would have to defeat Ignite soon.
Of course, I had to bring down the Magic Tower first.
A month in Yuran is going to feel both short and long.
Come to think of it, the deadline of the promise you made with Hesha is one month, is it not?
Right. About three weeks left now.
Then by the time you obtain the Mermaid's Tear, the deadline will already have passed?
That's fine. The Mermaid's Tear is a material used when resolving Hesha's curse, but it isn't an ingredient you add to the Curse-Breaking Potion itself.
I have no idea what you are talking about.
Simply put, the Mermaid's Tear suppresses the side effects of the medicine. So even if I get it a little late, it's no problem.
Drinking the Curse-Breaking Potion didn't immediately improve Hesha's condition.
Like antibiotics fighting a virus, it battled the deeply rooted curse and drastically worsened her physical state.
At that point, crushing a Mermaid's Tear, dissolving it in water, and drinking it stabilized both body and mind.
People of this world think of Mermaid's Tears as mere jewels, but they have a hidden efficacy.
To think such an effect existed… Contractor's knowledge never fails to draw admiration no matter how many times I hear it.
I had loved Adokchoe enough to remember every scrap of trivia.
In the end it became a work I despised, though.
I loved you, you fucking bitch.
Anyway, all I have to do is quietly make medicine for a month…
That seems rather impossible.
Thud, thud—!
Click, click—!
I had only just left Sestia's mansion, yet clear footsteps approached from both sides.
If they had been ordinary passersby I would have ignored them, but both were the sort I needed to pay attention to.
On the left was a swordsman wearing a splendid turban; on the right, a female mage wrapped in a magic robe.
The Western General and a mage of the Magic Tower, respectively.
Their footsteps were heading straight for Sestia's mansion.
It looked like the pleasure city was about to turn into a chaotic hellscape.