Chapter 17 - An Unexpected Predator
Although the night was deepening in Ironforge, the heat inside the Steel Anvil Inn showed no signs of cooling down.
Having agreed to set off for the Capital early the next morning, the three of them were raising their glasses to celebrate the beginning of their journey.
Naturally, it was a bottle of high-grade wine that Dean had generously treated them to.
"Now, to Miss Lia joining us! Cheers!"
With his face already flushed bright red, Dean raised his glass high, and Leon smiled shyly, clinking her glass against his.
Sitting across from them, Elena slowly savored her wine while staring intently at Leon.
"So, Miss Lia."
Elena spoke, resting her chin on her hand.
"How does a woman end up traveling all alone with such a heavy shield? It seems like you have quite a story."
Leon took a brief breath and brought out the lie she had prepared in advance.
She let her eyes grow moist, her voice trembling faintly.
"Actually... this shield is a keepsake from my late older brother. His final wish was for me to deliver this shield to our family home in the Capital... That is why I braved my fears and set out on this journey."
As Leon pretended to wipe away a tear with her sleeve, Dean, listening beside her, sniffled, deeply moved.
"Sniff... What beautiful sibling devotion! Do not worry, Miss Lia! I, Dean, will risk my life to ensure that promise is kept!"
But Elena's reaction was entirely different.
"Hmm... Is that so?"
She curled the corner of her red lips, flashing a peculiar smile.
"What a good little sister."
Elena emptied her glass without pressing any further.
At her unreadable reaction—neither confirming nor denying belief—a chill ran down Leon's spine.
What is this... Does she believe me or not?
As if trying to break the awkward silence, Dean leaned in even closer to Leon.
"Miss Lia, as I said earlier, you truly look like a goddess. Once we reach the Capital, I shall treat you to the finest restaurant. And I would love to tell you more of my heroic exploits..."
"Oh my, I would gladly listen to your stories anytime, Sir Hero."
Leon replied in a soulless voice, pouring more wine to fill Dean's glass to the brim.
It was then.
"Ah, I feel great... Miss Lia... Tomorrow... I will..."
Dean's eyes lost focus mid-sentence, and his head slumped forward.
Thud!
Dean slammed his forehead straight onto the table and passed out, immediately starting to snore, completely dead to the world.
"Oh? Sir Dean?"
Leon shook Dean in confusion, but he remained as motionless as a corpse.
"Pfft."
At the sound of a short chuckle, Leon turned her head to see Elena lightly swirling her wine glass with a seductive smile.
"Can't even hold his liquor, yet he wants to show off. Pathetic fool."
At that moment, Leon instinctively sensed danger.
It didn't seem like Dean had collapsed simply from being drunk.
Did she... spike his drink?
Just then, Elena stood up and walked over to Leon's side.
"Now that the nuisance is out of the way."
Elena naturally wrapped her arm around Leon's shoulders, pulling her close.
"Shall we have a little chat of our own?"
Along with the scent of strong perfume, a wave of body heat washed over her.
"You were lying, weren't you?"
"Pardon...? W-what do you mean?"
"That whole story about your brother's keepsake."
Elena's voice was filled with absolute certainty.
"It's all bullshit. Your eyes are far too steady. Those aren't the eyes of a woman consumed by grief."
Leon's heart skipped a beat.
Did she catch on? Damn, she's sharp.
While Leon scrambled to think of an excuse, Elena's hand slid down her waist.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Whatever your story is."
"Lady Elena...?"
Elena's hand was relentless.
Her hand swept up the hem of Leon's skirt and slid straight between her inner thighs.
"Eek?!"
Leon squirmed in surprise, but Elena's grip was beyond imagination.
She subdued Leon with a strength far greater than Dean's—indeed, stronger than most male warriors.
"Hold still. Let me check something."
Through her underwear, Elena's fingers unerringly found Leon's most sensitive spot, her clitoris, and began to rub.
"Ah-hng...!"
A high-pitched moan escaped Leon's lips at the stimulation—something she had never experienced from another woman in her life.
W-what is wrong with this woman! What on earth is she doing to another woman!
Leon's face flushed red with sheer bewilderment. It felt entirely different from when a man touched her.
Her body trembled involuntarily under the delicate, persistent touch.
"Hmm, your reaction is quite honest. I like it."
Seemingly pleased, Elena licked Leon's cheek, leaving a wet, hot sensation trailing down her skin.
"You see, I absolutely detest crude men like Dean."
She continued nonchalantly.
"They only pretend to be tough, they have no style, and they're completely inconsiderate. If he weren't my relative, I wouldn't have even spared him a glance."
Elena's eyes gleamed with raw desire.
"I prefer pretty things like you. Soft, fragrant... the kind of girl who looks even prettier when she cries."
Leon went blank.
Is this... a lesbian? The kind of woman who likes other women?
Back when she lived as a man, it was just a topic of idle tavern gossip.
To think she would become the target of it. She had only ever planned to seduce men and drain them of their essence; she had never imagined she would be devoured by a woman.
"How about it? If you give your body to me, I'll escort you to the Capital safely and in absolute comfort. I'm far stronger than that idiot Dean, after all."
Elena nibbled on Leon's earlobe as she made the offer.
"If you refuse, I can strip you naked and throw you out right here. Choose."
Faced with a proposal laced with both threat and seduction, Leon let out an awkward laugh.
"Ah, ahaha... Um, Lady Elena... I think this is a bit too fast..."
She had no excuse to refuse, she was completely outmatched in strength, and her weakness had been seized.
Above all, there seemed to be no escort more reliable than this woman for the journey to the Capital.
"I'll take that laugh as a yes."
Without even waiting for an answer, Elena captured Leon's lips.
"Mmph!"
A soft tongue slid into her mouth, tangling with Leon's. It was a sweet, sticky kiss, entirely different from the kisses of men.
Mwah... chu.
As their lips parted, Elena stood up and effortlessly scooped Leon into her arms. She lifted her as easily as if carrying a princess.
"Now, let's leave this useless man to sleep here... and head to our room to have a much deeper conversation, shall we?"
Elena looked down at Dean, who was snoring with his face buried in the table, as if he were an insect, before carrying Leon up to the second-floor guest rooms.
"U-uh...?"
Leon flailed her legs in Elena's embrace, but she couldn't break free.
Caught in an unprecedented situation with an utterly unpredictable turn of events, she was dragged into Elena's room like a rabbit caught in the jaws of a predator, completely at a loss.
If I sleep with a woman... can I still absorb essence?
Her mind was in utter chaos.
And only then did one crucial detail belatedly cross her mind.
The name Elena—the Red Butcher. She was a figure who had earned infamy not as an adventurer, but as a ruthless mercenary. Having lived as an adventurer himself, it was no wonder Leon hadn't immediately recognized the name.
Once inside the room, Elena threw Leon roughly onto the bed.
The plush mattress dipped as Leon's body sank into it. Before she could even gather her senses, Elena crawled on top of her.
"Now, shall we see the true colors of our little liar?"
Ignoring Leon's resistance, Elena grabbed her pale legs and draped them over her shoulders.
Her clothes had already been stripped away, and with a single flick of Elena's hand, her thin underwear was swept aside.
"Hieek! W-wait! Lady Elena! Please don't do this!"
Panicked, Leon tried to squeeze her thighs shut, but Elena's physical strength was beyond belief.
Where on earth did such power come from those slender-looking arms? Leon's legs were pinned as if locked in steel shackles.
This strength... it's almost on par with my past self.
Leon was horrified as she gauged Elena's raw power.
"Shh. Quiet. The only sound you're allowed to make on this bed is a moan. Got it?"
Elena placed her index finger against Leon's lips, whispering softly. Then, she slowly lowered her head.
Her red lips approached Leon's most intimate crevice, the narrow slit where her plump mound and delicate petals met.
"Ha-ahhh..."
The moment Elena's hot breath brushed against her sensitive vaginal membrane, Leon's body jolted as if struck by an electric current.
And immediately after, a wet tongue descended upon her pussy.
Slurp.
"Ah...!"
A short gasp escaped Leon's lips.
This was on a completely different level from a man's clumsy touch or rough penetration.
The sensation of a soft, warm tongue sweeping over every single fold of her flesh was incredibly delicate, like silk brushing against her skin.
Elena's tongue moved as fluidly as a living serpent.
She tapped the tip of her tongue against the closed entrance of her pussy to coax it open, then licked up the tender red flesh inside.
Sluuurp... chp... squelch...
"Hnghh... Th-there... it feels too strange...!"
Leon tightly gripped the bedsheets.
Elena smiled as she observed Leon's reaction.
She flattened her tongue, licking down to envelop her entire labia majora.
Slowly and thoroughly, as if melting and savoring ice cream.
"Haa... ah... nnh..."
Leon's hips arched on their own. Even as she tried to resist, her body reacted with absolute honesty. A burning heat flared up wherever Elena's tongue passed.
Elena now began her full assault. The tip of her tongue targeted Leon's clitoris, which was starting to swell and harden.
Flick... flick... flick...
"Hyeek! Ah! Ah-hnng!"
As the tip of Elena's tongue lightly flicked the pea-sized bud, Leon's body jolted upward. A sharp, electric current surged up her spine, striking her brain.
"So this is your weak spot? You're incredibly sensitive here."
Elena chuckled mischievously, and this time, she began to swirl her tongue around the clitoris.
Clockwise, then counter-clockwise.
Squish... slurp... sluuuurp...
"Ah-aaah! Stop... it's too... it's too intense...!"
Leon thrashed her head from side to side, moaning in protest. But Elena did not stop.
She firmly gripped Leon's buttock with one hand to hold her in place, while using her other hand to part her vaginal opening, coaxing her love juices to flow even more freely.
"Feel it more. Let me show you just how lewd your body is."
Elena rapidly vibrated her tongue, stimulating the clitoris.
Lick... lick... slurp...
"Kyaaaah! Haa! Ha-aaahnng!"
Leon's screams grew louder. Every time the rough papillae of Elena's tongue grazed her hyper-sensitive bud, it felt as if fireworks were exploding behind her eyelids.
Her mind went completely blank, and the sensations between her legs became her entire world.
Elena admired Leon's distorted expression. Her sweat-drenched, flushed face, her half-lidded eyes, and her lips parted as she gasped for pleasure.
Every single detail fueled her sadism and desire for conquest.
"So beautiful. You look even prettier when you cry like this."
Elena suddenly raised her head slightly and nipped Leon's clitoris with her front teeth.
"Hyeek?!"
Suck!
"Kyaaaaaah!"
Pain and pleasure exploded simultaneously.
Leon's hips bounced off the bed. In the wake of the sharp sting, an even greater wave of ecstasy rushed in like a tidal wave.
Elena did not miss her chance.
Satisfied with Leon's reaction, she now took the entire clitoris into her lips, sucking on it so hard her cheeks hollowed out.
Sluuuurp! Schluuup! Chp!
"Hngh... No... I-I think I'm going to come...!"
"Let it out. Right into my mouth."
Elena mumbled without breaking her suction.
Her tongue moved relentlessly inside her mouth, rolling the bud, while her lips created a tight vacuum that pushed Leon's sensitivity to its absolute limit.
"Ah... Ah-hnng! I can't hold it! Nnngh!"
Uncontrollable moans spilled from Leon's mouth. Her lower abdomen tightened, and the muscles of her inner thighs began to spasm.
She felt hot fluid welling up from deep within her womb, ready to burst.
It was different from the heavy sense of fullness she felt when absorbing a man's essence. This was a pure, sharp pleasure boiling up entirely from within her own body.
Sluuuuurp! Schluuuuup! Chp! Slurp!
Elena made her final push.
She pried Leon's thighs even wider, burying her face completely between them. She inhaled Leon's sweet, feminine scent with her nose while greedily devouring her honeyed nectar with her tongue.
"I'm coming! I'm coming! Ah-aaaaahnng!"
Leon's head threw back, her neck arching like a bow.
Squirrrrt! Spluuurth!
Clear, viscous love juices sprayed like a fountain from Leon's vagina.
The hot fluid poured directly into Elena's mouth, filling it completely.
"Mmph... Gulp."
Elena didn't spit out the mouthful of fluids; instead, her throat worked as she swallowed it down.
She swallowed Leon's sweet yet tangy essence.
"Haa... haa... hah..."
As the aftershocks of the climax rippled through her entire body, Leon's legs trembled weakly before dropping limply onto the bed.
Her head spun, and she was left utterly drained of strength.
Elena slowly raised her head, her mouth and chin glistening wetly with Leon's juices.
Her red tongue swept around her lips.
"So sweet. Quite an honest taste for a little liar."
She wiped a stray drop of fluid from the corner of her mouth with her finger and licked it off right in front of Leon's eyes.
"Well? Aren't I much better than any man?"
Leon stared at Elena with hazy, dazed eyes.
Though her face burned with intense shame, she couldn't deny it.
This woman's technique... was dangerously good.
