《Sunshine Night》 1. On A Sunny Day I, Locus Suria, 24 years old, am a man who, despite being an orphan from the slums, have, through circumstances, become court mage. What can I say, life has been exceedingly good to me, and I thank my friends and compatriots who¡¯ve always supported me, my mother and father for having given birth to me, and most importantly, the Goddess, for giving me the strength of heart to strive to where I am today. Truly, I have too many people to thank. I feel that it is imperative to give back to the world what the world has given to me. It is this that motivates me to do my best every day. The dazzling morning light I am greeted by convinces me that today too, I would live a fulfilling day. ¡°Good morning, Master, will you be checking on the experiment before breakfast?¡± ¡°Ah yes, thank you Julia, and good morning. Do go have breakfast with the others, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re waiting.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly. And the other maids aren¡¯t so crass as to dine before their master either. I shall accompany you today, Master.¡± Julia is such a kind girl. Of course the others are also very good girls. Maria, Cynthia, Sophia. I¡¯ve been blessed with such good help. Loathe as I am to admit, I lack any and all ability for housework. So as I was granted a mansion by his Majesty, I was honestly at a loss. The experiment was progressing well. As I withdraw my palm from the orb, the many values pertaining to its progress leaves my mind and I open my eyes. I¡¯m actually quite proud of this little project. I¡¯ve been working on this for the better half of this year. When this is complete, I have hope that this contraption will not only boost the kingdom¡¯s economy, but also improve our relations with the empire and the republic. Or at least, that¡¯s what Matin, a good friend and successful merchant told me. ¡°Master, Cynthia has told me that valve 32 may be in need of some tuning. She¡¯d apparently discovered the issue last night whilst you were still at the castle.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Oh, oh dear. That won¡¯t do. Right, haha, I suppose I¡¯ll have to reward Cynthia for her effort.¡± ¡°Master... I beg your pardon if I¡¯m out of line but, I, all of us live and find happiness in our servitude towards you, Master. I¡¯m sure Cynthia is more than satisfied just to be of use.¡± Julia does say the darndest things. While her chief talent lies in cooking, she performs her duties as head maid perfectly. Still, I think she can be a bit too selfless sometimes. She¡¯s strict on herself and on others. I have her to thank for keeping track of my regular schedule with such finesse. That being said, the younger maids are more free spirited, and I¡¯m sure they¡¯d be delighted upon receiving an apt reward for a job well done. I am of the firm belief that positive reinforcement always leads to the best outcome. ¡°Oh come on, call her over. I absolutely must reward my assistant for her keen eye.¡± ¡°... As always, I am in awe of your kindness, Master. I will get her at once, please wait just a moment.¡± ¡°No hurry, I¡¯ll be busy with this delicious coffee in the meantime.¡± Julia, being the considerate girl she is, had already prepared a few sandwiches and coffee in the laboratory since I had a tendency to forget myself during my morning checks. As the rich flavor of the dark coffee tickles my nose, I think on my day. Today, being the 8th day of the week, is a rest day. Meaning that I can potentially spend my entire day away in the laboratory¡­ but that isn¡¯t healthy for my mind or body as Sophia says. If I remember correctly, I am supposed to go out to the new orphanage with her at around noon. After that, I was planning to investigate the sewers under the castle town on the matter of those mysterious disappearances that have been happening as of late. Oh, and I have to go meet Charlie in the forest. I promised to go see him when I get the time, but I¡¯ve just been so busy with the new coronation and everything¡­ ¡°M-Master, you, needed, something?¡± ¡°Ah, Cynthia, good morning. You look a bit pale today, have you been eating well?¡± ¡°Ah, um, the experiment...¡± ¡°She¡¯s just awful, Master! No matter how I try to pry her away from the laboratory, she keeps sneaking in here. I swear, she¡¯ll fall ill if she¡¯s like this.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Julia looked frustrated with her subordinate maid, but I could understand how Cynthia felt. As a fellow seeker of knowledge, we research types simply cannot function if we leave our work hanging. ¡°Well, I suppose you and Sophia have your work cut out for you.¡± ¡°Like you wouldn¡¯t know, Master.¡± ¡°Uh, uhh, that¡¯s a, problem...¡± ¡°Well enough about that. Cynthia, I wonder if you know why I called you here? It¡¯s about valve 32.¡± ¡°...!!¡± Cynthia opened her eyes in surprise. She may be my assistant, but I don¡¯t have her do much without my supervision. She mainly notes down data in my place when I¡¯m out on my usual duties. ¡°I¡¯m, sorry, I didn¡¯t, mean to, but...¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not angry with you, if you¡¯re worried about that. No, how can I be? If you hadn¡¯t discovered that issue, half a year of progress would¡¯ve gone down the drain in a matter of days. You¡¯ve not only done a service to me, but the kingdom as a whole. How can I not be thankful about that!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Julia yelped and I let out a similar but more awkward sound, as I spread out my arms to express my joy. In my jubilation, I noticed too late that the coffee cup was still in my hand, and the contents within were now all over the wall, desk¡­ and some important documents. Documents that Cynthia worked hard to compile over the past few weeks. Oh no. How could this be? I feel so awful having ruined so much work. Right. No time to sulk now, I need to try and salvage as much as I can before the ink washes out. Darn, I should¡¯ve casted a ward on them just to be safe. No, enough excuses, I need some tissues, quick¡­ ¡°Ah, Master, I can...¡± ¡°Huh, Cynthia!? Oh, I¡¯m so sorry, but, right, Julia, where are the tissues again!?¡± ¡°M-Master, I, can, fix this!¡± Cynthia raising her voice, quite a rarity for her, threw cold water over my panic. But, huh? She can fix it? Wait, what¡¯s she doing? ¡°Time is my master but not my chain, flows eternal but no course maintained. I speak the truth, I know what is, I know what was. Kahla hear me, answer, realize my wish = Minute Reversal!¡± As the words flowed smoothly out of Cynthia¡¯s mouth, time magic, one of the 3 great magics, was invoked to return the stained wall and papers to their original state, along with the coffee, which was now once again inside my cup. Time magic deals with dangerous forces. If the caster cannot appropriately limit their area of effect, this type of magic can cause the structural integrity of its target to become very unstable. The risk is even deadlier on living targets as having only part of a body reverse can cause blood to clot in the vessels, and skin to tighten and tear. Thankfully, Cynthia is a genius in her mana control, a trait I envy as a fellow mage, but am in awe to every time I have a chance to witness it. ¡°Well, that was interesting, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d already learned that spell, Cynthia. What can I say, good work?¡± ¡°Master, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve been spending time, practicing, in my spare time.¡± ¡°Oh I know about that, but it¡¯s still fast. You continue to amaze me. So let¡¯s get you that reward, already. Not only for finding the issue with the experiment, but also for just now.¡± ¡°Ah, um, thank you, Master.¡± ¡°Hey, I should be the one thanking you¡­ where did I keep it?¡± I put the coffee cup on a desk, carefully, and went to the other side of the room to search. ¡°You know, as much as I know how you¡¯re so absorbed with the arcane, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re at least showing some interests befitting your age. I¡¯m, of course, talking about that boy at Craven¡¯s place, the apprentice tailor.¡± ¡°Wha!? Mast-, but how!?¡± ¡°Haha, Let¡¯s just say I have a source in the wives¡¯ network. They sure love their gossip. Anyway, I wanted to give this to you once you two were a few more steps into the relationship, but I think this is a good an occasion as any. I¡¯ll be out for the whole day from noon, so go see him.¡± I turn around and give Cynthia a pair of leather gloves. ¡°Good on you, Cynthia. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll love them.¡± Julia chimed in. ¡°M-Master, I can¡¯t, accept these...¡± ¡°Sure you can. Look, I know this is way above something you can afford, but it¡¯s been lying around in my storeroom for ages. I¡¯ve even recharged the dexterity enchantments on them. I¡¯m betting he¡¯ll find these very useful in his line of work.¡± ¡°T-thank you, so much, Master...¡± ¡°But it does make me a little sad. After all, you¡¯re such a great assistant. But you deserve your share of happiness just as much as anyone. Well,¡± I gave her a wink, ¡°you¡¯re welcome to come visit anytime.¡± ¡°Master, you tease her too much, look how red she¡¯s gotten. She¡¯s a long way off from leaving to get married. I believe she told you that she wants to be a full fledged mage under Locus the Dazzling on the day you two met. And that surely hasn¡¯t changed, isn¡¯t that right, Cynthia?¡± ¡°That title is a bit¡­ well, I suppose she did. But do you still feel that way, Cynthia?¡± ¡°...¡± Cynthia fidgeted for a few seconds, ¡°... Yes. I do. I want to, become a strong, wise, mage, like Master!¡± What can I say, being told that brought a sloppy grin to my face. I know I should learn to maintain a more stoney expression what with my position and all, but I just can¡¯t help it in a situation like this. Truly I¡¯m blessed even for the sole fact that these girls are a part of my life. After that, Julia, Cynthia, Sophia and I had breakfast. Julia had prepared a feast as usual, since Sophia was such a big eater. Maria wasn¡¯t feeling well today, and was resting in bed. Julia said she will take care of it and told me not to worry. I spent the rest of the morning in the laboratory, making various preparations before Sophia came in to remind me about the visit to the orphanage that I¡¯d completely forgotten. I put on my outside robes, Sophia got her sword, and we headed out. 1. On A Sunny Night I, Julietta Ojias, 20 years old, am a woman who, despite being born to a prestigious ducal house, have, through circumstances, became enslaved to a madman. What can I say, life absolutely sucks, and I want to kill myself every single day. I can¡¯t physically do that however, as the enslavement collar will inflict enough pain to knock me out whenever I go so far as to even try it. But more importantly, I¡¯m not the worst off in this filthy mansion. I have to stay strong for the other three who suffer much harsher maltreatment from our Master. Truly, this is no life I imagined myself having into adulthood. I used to dream of salvation, I used to have hope in the early days, but not anymore. Not after everything, everyone I¡¯ve lost. I open the thin drapes covering the frameless window in my master¡¯s chamber, letting in the horrid light that shines in the perpetually black sky. It convinces me how there is no justice in the world and how today will be another miserable day. ¡°...¡± ¡°Ah yes, thank you Julia, and good morning. Do go have breakfast with the others, I¡¯m sure they¡¯re waiting.¡± As usual, Master interprets my silence however he wishes. Does he think we haven¡¯t? Well, we have. As usual, it was thin, tasteless soup with hard black bread. As usual, Master had made sure to spread his ejaculate all over the stock. Regretfully, I am very used to the putrid taste, but this time, I managed to find a loophole in his commands and feed Madelin a small amount of untarnished food I hid away. She deserves so much more after what this man did to her upon his return last night, but this is the most I can do. ¡°Why are you not speaking, speak.¡± ¡°... Yef, Mafher.¡± ¡°Follow me to the laboratory.¡± ¡°... Yef, Mafher.¡± My throat and face hurt. After his session with Madelin, he had made me clean his disgusting member. And when my teeth barely brushed against it due to him pulling my hair and driving it into the back of my throat, he began punching my face over and over. His command of never defending myself against him became active and I was prevented from even easing the blows with my arms. I followed after him with tired legs through the halls lit blindingly bright with mystic blue flames. I noticed the smell of rotting flesh. He must¡¯ve brought another body to torture and mutilate. He never cleans up. Who was it this time? Mrs. Penny, who once gave him breadcrumbs, or perhaps one of the Parkins brothers, who tried to teach him the sword? Of course he interprets past events such as these as completely negative and malicious towards himself, and will go on occasional prowls in the night to cull off his revenge targets if they¡¯re misfortune lands him in one of his errand thoughts. The laboratory was a scene of nightmares, one that even I, in my two years serving this creature in the vague semblance of a man, will never get used to. There is a constant cacophony of screams coming from disfigured bodies and other places I¡¯d rather not think about. There is a red hazy smoke covering the room and the usual bright lighting makes it feel as if I¡¯m drowning in a sea of blood. Master lifts his palm from the contraption made of metal, flesh and glass, and turns to glare at me with bloodshot, reproachful eyes, and a deep scowl causing his facial lines to become dark. Shit. ¡°There is something wrong. You know something right, head maid Julia?¡± ¡°...¡± Pain assaulted me. ¡°Speak the truth, that is an ORD¡­ I suppose I can fix your mouth first.¡± Master pulled me by the hair, and shoved one of his skinny hands inside my mouth. He chanted a spell, and I began smelling an intoxicating odour of dried sewage. ¡­ I must¡¯ve lost conscience for a moment, and when I came to, the pain in my face was gone, and it felt cool. However, that relief was only momentary as my mind caught up to the fact that I was being violated up the ass while bent over on a metal desk. Master must¡¯ve injected an aphrodisiac while I was out cold, as I soon began letting out moans in spite of the pain and humiliation. Once he was done, perhaps ten minutes later, he turned me around, ripped away the remainder of the maid uniform covering my chest, and rubbed his flaccid thing against my ruefully moist nethers while fondling my breasts. ¡°One more time, who did it? Who tried to sabotage my experiment?¡± ¡°It was¡­ Selma¡­ haah, she¡­ last night¡­ nhh...¡± I betrayed Selma in between sharp gasps. I feel awful. I hate this. I hate this. I think I¡¯m crying. My eyes feel hot. Dammit. I didn¡¯t want to cry anymore. I promised not to show any more weakness. But what choice did I have? I only saw it accidentally, but I saw it. Yesterday, at noon when Master slept, I was making my way to the kitchen when I saw Selma come out of the back door to the laboratory. She didn¡¯t say anything, since that would increase the risk. She had simply retreated to her room silently with her dark, baggy eyes. ¡°Hm¡­ Oh, oh dear. That won¡¯t do. Right, haha, I suppose I¡¯ll have to reward Cynthia for her effort.¡± ¡°Master¡­ I beg you, please, she, nh, she did it by accident, please don¡¯t hurt her. Please.¡± It¡¯s not like me begging and grovelling at his feet is going to cancel Selma¡¯s punishment, but doing this, as I¡¯ve learned, lessens it. And as expected, he stepped down on my head with his grimy boot. He sniggered softly, and then yelled at the top of his lungs. ¡°CYNTHIAAAA!!¡± The craggy voice carried and echoed across the mostly boarded up mansion. But after a minute, it seemed that Selma wasn¡¯t coming. Shit, shit. Stupid Selma, you¡¯re only making it worse. Sure she had a few more freedoms since most of her slave commands were used up on magic related things, but she should know better than to blatantly disobey like this. ¡°Go get her!¡± ¡°... I¡¯ll be, just a, kh, moment.¡± As I left the horrid room, I heard Master¡¯s mad screams and glass breaking. Hope as I may that he injure himself from those outbursts, he never does. In fact, he finds ways to make us suffer for any losses he might suffer due to his own fault. I walked quickly, knowing that the more time I take, the worse it¡¯ll be when I get back. I take a shortcut through the kitchen and descend to the basement where us maids have individual rooms. I want to check up on Madelin, but I don¡¯t have the time. I walk further in. I hear the sound of a shower turning off, and Lorelai comes out of the common bathroom at the back of the narrow corridor. As always, she¡¯s completely naked, revealing tanned, taut, and muscular skin with water dripping off her.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Hey. I heard him yell for Selma. What the fuck is going on now?¡± ¡°She, Selma did something in the laboratory. And I, I told him¡­¡± I shuddered. Why did I tell her that? Am I feeling weak? Do I need comforting words after all this time? No, surely¡­ ¡°Sigh, It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t say it¡¯ll get better, but you¡¯ll live through it. The fuckface likes us enough not to kill us, for better or for worse. Though, I guess that¡¯s more worse than anything...¡± Lorelai gently held my head to her chest. She stroked my hair, the light blond that my mother used to braid for me, now dirty, dry, and torn in various places, Lorelai stroked it like an older sister, even though I¡¯m supposed to be older. She¡¯s dirtying her body with my filth and tears. ¡°... Geez, I¡¯m not good at this. Look Julietta, you¡¯re stronger than this. One day we¡¯ll get out of here, but not now, now we bide our time. Isn¡¯t that what you told me on the night I was captured? You¡¯ll lead us out of here, I believe in you. So go.¡± ¡°... Of course.¡± As her damp warmth left me, I felt something like a spark inside my heart. It¡¯s tiny, but my flame of hope hasn¡¯t been extinguished yet. There is still hope. There will be a chance. Someday, somehow. Selma wasn¡¯t in her room. I found her in the attic cowering behind a box after 5 precious minutes. She resisted a little, but I managed to get her to walk with me back to the laboratory. ¡°M-Master, you, needed, some-shing!?¡± Master clutched Selma¡¯s pale cheeks from under her chin, digging unkempt, yellowed nails in. ¡°Ah, Cynthia, good morning. You look a bit pale today, like you went without sleep to try your little scheme.¡± ¡°Uf, Shorry, I¡¯m, Sho--¡± ¡°Master! Punish me instead of her! I, I told-- allowed her to do it, it¡¯s my fault, she didn¡¯t know!¡± that it¡¯d be this severe. I tried my best to shift the blame toward myself. Due to one of my commands, I¡¯m not allowed to lie to Master. Even attempting it caused severe pain in my head. ¡°No can do. As a good master, I need to reward my maids for individual effort. And this time, I got something special in store that I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll enjoy more than you can, Julia.¡± ¡°...!!¡± Selma opened her eyes in despair. She was Master¡¯s so called assistant, but the only thing she was used for was her genius speed in calculations and for performing spells that Master couldn¡¯t do. Master made a toothy grin, revealing an uneven set of yellowed teeth and blood red gums. He grabbed my hair with his other hand and dragged us deeper into the laboratory, the room of unceasing horrors and screams. I couldn¡¯t shut off the sounds, but I could still close my eyes. It somehow made the shrieks and cries sound even more anguished but it¡¯s better than having to look at them. I used to feel bad for these now abominations trapped in various implements, but this was the only way I could think of to maintain my sanity. Moments which felt like hours later we came to a stop. ¡°You know, as much as I know how you¡¯re so absorbed with the arcane, which makes me sad that you¡¯re showing interests befitting your age. I am, of course, talking about that boy at Craven¡¯s place, the apprentice tailor.¡± ¡°N-No, No no!!¡± Selma was screaming. I quickly open my eyes, and¡­ I see it. I see what he¡¯s done. This is awful. This is awful. This is awful. I feel sick. ¡°Did you think I didn¡¯t know? Did you think I don¡¯t have eyes following you when you go out? Well, do you? You¡¯re smart, so perhaps you do. But you ignore it. You knowingly cheat on me. My love, I give you so much love every day, and you repay me with this, you bitch, you whore! You spread your legs for any man who looks nice at you now, is that it? Dammit, fuck, FUCK!!¡± He kicked the bloody, mangled, dismembered, disfigured young man. ¡°Every time, every time I think¡­ but no¡­ they¡¯re always, always. Ah, but Maria is the exception. She¡¯s the only one who truly loves me. Even me.¡± Master kept kicking the body which hadn¡¯t died only because he kept it alive. Selma was unable to look away from her childhood friend whom she tried to avoid ever since she was hired by Master. She¡¯s hyperventilating. I can only imagine how she must feel, knowing fully well the heinous ways Master tortures his captured. I at least didn¡¯t have to witness my family be killed and home burned down by this man, but I can only pray that they are reborn far away from this kingdom. Master took out a vial with a black liquid inside from a coat pocket and popped the cork. Immediately I was assailed by a pungent, acrid smell. This is¡­ poison! ¡°And there, now the coffee¡¯s all over him. Seeping into him. This is strong stuff, you know? Injecting this into the bloodstream will almost definitely kill him, even with all the regeneration crystals I¡¯m using.¡± ¡°HaAH-hAAh-HAah-haaH-HaAh...¡± Selma¡¯s eyes bulge as her fast and heavy breathing intensifies. She holds her chest in pain, sweat coating her forehead. ¡°But, owing to your usefulness, I will allow you to save his life. I already removed his lips, teeth and dick, so you¡¯re allowed to keep him as long as you don¡¯t slack on work¡­. I¡¯m sure you know what to do.¡± This is no kindness, it¡¯s a trick. It¡¯s always a trick. Always. But Selma, she, with determination... ¡°Time is my master but not my chain, flows eternal but no course maintained. I speak the truth, I know what is, I know what was. Kaala hear me, answer, realize my wish = Minute Reversal!¡± She chanted a spell, magic words I had no way of understanding, and a miracle happened. The black ¡®coffee¡¯ that had dyed the boy¡¯s shredded flesh flowed back up from whence it came and was once again inside the vial in Master¡¯s hand. Selma fell on her knees looking exhausted. She was still breathing roughly, but seemed to calm down. I may not be able to make head or tail of this mysterious thing called magic, but even I could tell that what Selma has just done is nothing short of a miracle. A feat so spectacular, for an instant, I just stared in awe. Well, before Master started speaking again. ¡°Well, that was interesting, I didn¡¯t know you¡¯d already learned that spell, Cynthia. What can I say, good work?¡± Selma crawled on her knees towards the childhood friend she loved, and saved. She raised a hand to touch him, but hesitated as she couldn¡¯t find a place without meat and gore. She balled her hand into a fist, and shed tears for many, many reasons. ¡°Aww, how sweet. But. As a researcher, you should know that doing something once isn¡¯t nearly enough data. That time magic could¡¯ve been a one time fluke. And since you seem to have the energy, do it again.¡± He poured the vial of black on the boy once again¡­ ¡°It¡¯s somehow sad seeing her grow up and try to leave me. Julia, you and Maria are the only ones who didn¡¯t. But I don¡¯t think I need to put her down like I did Gloria and Adelia. Well, I suppose you and Sophia have your work cut out for you. Train her better so that she doesn¡¯t even think to try something like this again.¡± ¡°... Yes, Master.¡± Selma lay unconscious on the floor. Her long black hair is in disarray and blue blood vessels are bulging out of her skin. She had lasted 3 turns repeating the time magic, in the end, screaming out with all her strength until she coughed up blood and collapsed. Her hand was stretched out towards the now dead boy, touching him on¡­ I can¡¯t even tell where. ¡°Julia, go ready breakfast. And tell Sophia I¡¯m going out. Make sure she knows what will happen if she tries to betray Locus the Dazzling. You have until I¡¯m finished pumping some fresh mana to replenish Cynthia here.¡± ¡°... Yes¡­ Master.¡± I exited the laboratory to the sounds of clothes tearing. I stopped myself from imagining the goings on inside that room. I instead made my way back to the kitchen to ready the best meal I can. Those are the standing orders for me, and no matter how I hate it, I have to use my familial talent to make delicious food for that man. After all, that is my only use. I can¡¯t fight, I can¡¯t use magic, I can only cook. That¡¯s the only reason I¡¯ve been kept alive so far. Even my mind is being manipulated in a way that I can¡¯t even think to insult him. Even in the privacy of my head, I am compelled to call him Master. I can¡¯t lead the charge against him. I¡¯m sorry Lorelai but I just can¡¯t do it. I¡¯m not strong like Garnet or Anna. They were close, but they couldn¡¯t kill him in the end. I still don¡¯t know why they hesitated at the last moment, but they did, and this is where we are. Lorelai and Selma came after that incident, so they don¡¯t know. Madelin is¡­ she¡¯s broken already. I¡¯m sorry Garnet. I couldn¡¯t protect your sister. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can last like this. I don¡¯t want this. I don¡¯t want this. I hate this. I want to kill myself. But I can¡¯t. At midnight, Master left with Lorelai in tow. She was still under the command of remaining stripped bare, but she was allowed to carry her sword. I suppose it¡¯s time I wake Madelin. I have to feed her lunch as her arms are currently in a state of being impaled on the bed. She will surely keep rambling on about how much she loves and adores Master. I hate this. 2. Tea with Alice ¡°So, boss,¡± Sophia said with her mouth full of steaming stick of meat, ¡°What are we supposed to do with the kid? City guards?¡± ¡°I suppose we can take him with us to the orphanage for now.¡± To describe the gist of the situation, Sophia and I are currently sitting at the front of my carriage. Sophia is driving with one hand while holding a large meat skewer in the other, making small talk to pass the half hour journey. I sat next to her as I replied while waving back at a housewife (Penelope, if I¡¯m remembering correct) hanging some laundry from a second floor window who happened to notice me. The smile on my face is not quite what I can call cheerful, as I kept thinking of our small passenger in the back of the carriage. Allured by the smell of fresh fried meat from a nearby stall, Sophia had started staring at the direction with a perfect poker face with a slow line of drool crawling down the side of her mouth. She did this every time she had to wait for food, but wouldn¡¯t ask for it. In deference to her pride, I handed her a few coins saying I wanted a few kebabs and telling her that she could get something too. She had dashed off without a moment to waste. As I waited, I heard someone shouting ¡°Thief!¡± As I looked around to find the source of the commotion, I saw a blur, then heard a thump. A few seconds later, Sophia came carrying the aforementioned skewer and kebabs, along with an extra. ¡°How did it come to this...¡± I sighed. ¡°To what? Picking up an unwanted kid from the streets? Isn¡¯t it a daily occurrence for you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not daily! But I admit it¡¯s been happening a lot.¡± ¡°Sure sure.¡± Sophia said dismissively, then, making a sly smile, ¡°well, good thing we have Hope.¡± ¡°Yes yes, mock my naming sense more will you. It¡¯s the only word I could think of at the time. Hope is the only thing that kept me going in my worst years, and I¡¯m doing my part so that the little ones can have some too.¡± ¡°Nah, I get it. A lot of new adventurers used to come from the old slums. Couldn¡¯t even hold a knife right, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°You mean the ones you picked fights with right after they finished registering?¡± ¡°Geez, you know I did it to toughen them up. Got a bit of pocket change from the guild too. Said that I lowered the death rate or something.¡± ¡°Haha, then I suppose I did a disservice to the adventurer¡¯s guild buying you off. You suppose I should go apologise?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this now? Bored with me already?¡± Sophia leaned up close, shoulders and hips touching. She whispered in my ear, ¡°I remember you getting red ear to ear the first time we met.¡± ¡°T-that¡­ was because you were in bikini armor, and I-I had no idea where to look. That¡¯s all.¡± I rapidfired. ¡°So you do know where to look now?¡± Sophia¡¯s sultry words made my eyes reflexively turn toward her face, and then a little below¡­ which I instantly corrected, dragging my eyes upwards, only to find her licking her lips like a carnivore. The confident smile on her bronzed skin, her sparkling emerald eyes, and the mystifying glamor of her wavy pear green hair felt captivating every time I saw them. Surely, I of all people wouldn¡¯t dare stare at a female warrior just because their choice of armament resembles under garments. Sure, due to their low surface area and highly mana conductible material, they are not only easy to enchant with a wide range of buffs unavailable to traditional armor but are also long lasting, as they rarely suffer physical damage. As such, there is absolutely no shame for a woman such as Sophia who chooses to use a superior means of defence, despite the fact that it leaves almost nothing to the imagination. Actually, one should simply appreciate her tall, toned and tough body, her defined abs, biceps and quads which do not at all detract from her feminine charms but enhances them! And I didn¡¯t even mention those massive... ¡°Uh, boss?¡± ¡°Huh!?¡± Oh no, what was I thinking about? Oh right, how to deal with the child, a boy of around 10, that we picked up. But I should consult with Sister Alice about that before coming to a decision. She¡¯s the expert on things like this after all. And we¡¯ll be at the orphanage soon. I hope she¡¯s in. She has this tendency to go on strolls around this time of afternoon while the children are napping. ¡°So boss,¡± Sophia said looking in front of her, ¡°you done the deed with Maria yet, you like her right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I mean no! I mean, wait, why the sudden change in topic?¡± ¡°I mean, you look at her and the rest of us completely differently right? And you spent all of last night with her too¡­ so yeah...¡± ¡°Oh, huh...¡± ¡°Wait, what¡¯s with that reaction? Holy shit, don¡¯t tell me you two really did it?¡± ¡°Wh-, no, no, that¡¯s-¡± ¡°Man, you know, I kinda wanted to be the girl you pop your cherry with. Ah well, congrats. I¡¯m happy for you two!¡± Sophia said slapping me hard on the back. ¡°Oof!¡± ¡°I wonder if Julia knows. I¡¯m guessing she does. She kind of knows everything, it¡¯s scary sometimes haha.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m trying to say-¡± ¡°Cynthia¡¯s gonna cry. I don¡¯t know if you know this, boss, but she keeps a diary with all sorts of stuff written about you. How I know, you ask? I sneaked into her room and read it.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°W-What? I got curious.¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Hey, c¡¯mon boss, say something!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± Looks like the silent treatment worked.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Sigh, you kind of ruined it, but no matter. I was trying to say that it¡¯s not like that between me and Maria. And the reason I was in her room yesterday was because-¡± ¡°We got company.¡± Sophia said, her eyes turning sharp. Seeing that, I also switched gears to ready myself for combat. Looking around, I saw that we had arrived at the Hope Orphanage. It was a wide, two-story building surrounded by green. Located just outside east of town, the orphanage had its own well and food cellar. It was apparently repurposed from a noble¡¯s mansion so the construction had an aged luxury to it. I negotiated with the king to make this place exempt from taxes, with the argument that it¡¯s part of the church and he had given me the go ahead. Although, convincing the prime minister took some more effort¡­ Sophia got down from the carriage and drew the adamantite bastard sword from her back, pointing it low to focus her senses. ¡°5, 15, 18 of them. Mostly behind us, a few flanking each side.¡± I also got down, ¡°Do you sense any mages among them?¡± ¡°One, behind us. And there¡¯s one of them strong enough to be gold ranked. Guessing that¡¯s their chief.¡± I honestly saw no reason bandits might have to attack this place. There are no valuables and the money they¡¯d find inside is negligible. They might want to sell the children as slaves to the Empire, but they¡¯d suffer a loss with just transportation and food costs. Sophia and I visit the orphanage every week. If this is a premeditated attack, they would¡¯ve attacked on another day. Sister Alice is often out around this time, but she never goes far. And her talents should let her come to the rescue if anything dangerous happens. Maybe she¡¯s inside, moving the children to a safe place? I have no way to tell. So what difference is there from today and any other day. Wait¡­ ¡°Sophia, is there any chance of them being an advance party?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think so. They don¡¯t come close to towns in large groups.¡± ¡°Alright. Can you take that mage? If you can, I¡¯m taking the carriage to the building.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, can do¡­ Looks like they¡¯re coming out.¡± ¡°To attack?¡± ¡°Seems they wanna talk.¡± ¡°Figured.¡± ¡°Ay you. Hand over the kid you¡¯s got in there.¡± barked a large man. One of his eyes had a discolored pupil with a scar running down it. He had a hand on the sword at his waist, signifying that he would make no room for negotiation. ¡°Sophia.¡± ¡°Yeah, boss?¡± ¡°Go easy on them.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t promise that!¡± A green aura surged from Sophia¡¯s body and she disappeared in a blur, startling the horse. I pacified the horse and climbed into the carriage. The boy was holding his knees and glared at me. ¡°Want a kebab?¡± I offered him a wrapped kebab. ¡°...¡± I opened the wrapping slightly, letting the scent permeate the enclosed carriage. The boy¡¯s stomach grumbled. He snatched the kebab from my hand and began scarfing it down. He was quickly finished and I offered him another one. He choked on it and I offered some water and rubbed his back until he calmed down. Strange grunts of pain, clashes of metal and thumps of rugged men dropping to the ground, some even begging before getting ¡®thumped¡¯, could be heard outside. I ignored it. ¡°Are they with you?¡± ¡°... No.¡± ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°... I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Are they after you?¡± ¡°... I guess.¡± ¡°Alright-¡± ¡°What. Handing me over?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°... What do you want from me?¡± What do I want with this kid? I hadn¡¯t thought much about it. Perhaps I saw a little of myself in him. Life may be good for me now, but that¡¯s because I was lucky. A lot of people I knew, weren¡¯t. Back in the slums, kids died every day. I couldn¡¯t do anything to save them back then. I had my hands full taking care of myself. Maybe, that¡¯s why. I want to¡­ ¡°...Hey kid. Do you know the story of the sad dragon?¡± ¡°Huh? What are you getting at¡­?¡± ¡°Just hear me out on this. It goes something like¡­¡± There was once a dragon, flying high in the sky. He loved to play tricks on his friends, often surprising them. One day, he separated from his flock inside a cloud. Thinking he could pop out from under them. The cloud turned into a storm and lightning struck him. The dragon fell into a dark forest with broken wings. No matter how much the dragon cried, no one approached him. And he cried, and he cried, and he fell to sleep. It was a story told to children. The moral of it being, not to stray too far when playing, or the saying mischief begets misfortune. It¡¯s a story I remembered from my own childhood, though I can¡¯t remember who told me. But the thing about this story, children don¡¯t want to learn anything from it. They¡¯d rather not give up their fun. So it¡¯s usually told to a child who made a mistake. ¡°Yeah, I know it.¡± The boy said. ¡°Got nothing to do with me.¡± ¡°It might not, no. But I wonder, did that dragon really deserve it?¡° ¡°Didn¡¯t he? He got lost all on his own. Hey, uh, what¡¯s going on outside?¡± ¡°You know, I think everyone deserves a chance to make things right.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± ¡°And that¡¯s what I want from you, kid.¡± I reached a hand out to him. ¡°I want to give you a chance.¡± There was a trick to my hand which made the boy also reach out for it. I¡¯m of course talking about the bag of kebabs which I was still holding. ¡°And I¡¯m not ¡®kid¡¯, my name¡¯s Alex!¡± We got down from the carriage to find 16 battered and bruised men tied up all together. Unconscious, but still breathing. The mage was stripped down to his underwear, because you can never be too careful with where they¡¯re storing little tricks, and was tied up separately. He was conscious and showing signs of mana deficiency. Sophia was standing in front of us with a cheeky grin, the large man under her boot. ¡°All done, boss. Made sure not to kill any of ¡®em.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sophia. Alright.¡± I looked at Alex, ¡°Alex, do you recognize any of them?¡± ¡°N-No...¡± Alex said, face red as a tomato. ¡°Ha ha, you don¡¯t need to be scared of Sophia. She¡¯s really nice to kids.¡± ¡°¡®Course I am. You said it,¡± Sophia smiled and gave me a light punch on the shoulder, ¡°Boss.¡± ¡°Oof!¡± I of course knew that the boy wasn¡¯t red and fidgeting like that because he was scared of the tall, brown beauty. After all, I was barely managing to not do the same. ¡­ I wonder if she¡¯s holding a grudge about that pseudo-confession on the ride here? I won¡¯t think about it too deeply. ¡°Ah, I¡­ I think I know that guy.¡± Alex pointed at the half naked mage. ¡°He was the guy Father was...¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I asked the boy. ¡°What about your father?¡± ¡°...¡± Looks like we¡¯ll have to take our time with that one. Well, one thing¡¯s clear. These ruffians were after this boy and tailed us until we were out of town to attack. Which might mean that Alex knows something they don¡¯t want anyone else to know. And it¡¯s got something to do with his father too¡­ It¡¯s getting complicated. Was it really a coincidence that he ended up with us? ¡°His name is Jean Vritta. First prince¡¯s faction. And the boy you have there is Alex Gaja. He¡¯s the son of Count Richmond Gaja who went missing 5 days ago.¡± I turned to the familiar voice who nonchalantly revealed some crucial information. Black, tight fitting nun¡¯s habit on a slim body going all the way down to the ankles but with slits along both sides up to the widest point on her hips, revealing white, trained legs and the neatly made bows of a pair of red, side-tie underwear. Those hips had company, as Republic-style black sheathed katanas hung from them, a pair at each hip. A loosely worn veil that let out her long, lemon-green hair that curled in on itself. Short tapered ears that told of her elfen ancestry, and a wide fox-like smile that could make anyone reveal their deepest secrets. ¡°Good day to you too, Sister Alice.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been 7 whole days, Lucky.¡± She walked up to me and pulled me into a tight hug. ¡°Would you like lunch, some state secrets, or perhaps¡­ my special tea?¡± 2. Alcatraz Relishes her Catch My name¡¯s Lorelai. Also called Riley by some. Been in this god forsaken world 17 years now, and went from daughter of a knight house, to one of the best adventurer¡¯s in the kingdom, to maid/sex slave/bodyguard/whatever the bastard is in the mood for. Speaking of¡­ ¡°Oh yeah, your tits are the best, Sophia! I¡¯m about to cum, open your mouth.¡± He said, prying my mouth open with one greasy hand. ¡°Grrlblgrr.¡± You in a hurry?, I meant to mock the pencil-dicked quickshot, but the inside of my mouth was currently occupied by an hour¡¯s worth of his spunk. His recovery rate is ridiculously fast, but it¡¯s always watery so it¡¯s not as bad as it could get. From the corner of my eye, I could see the boy, cuffed to a seat, watching on with a painful expression as a few of his teeth were recently punched out by yours truly. You¡¯d think that it being past midnight, kids his age should be in bed sleeping, but the pipsqueak did attempt to assassinate Locus while I was getting a skewer and some kebabs. He keeps me fed, but only because he knows I can¡¯t do my job right without energy. Right, current situation. Me, the scrawny bastard slapping his sweaty hips on the underside of my boobs, and the bloody mouthed assassin boy are in a carriage being pulled by an undead horse¡­ sleipnir, I guess. We¡¯re headed to the Hope Orphanage, an organization run by the bastard and one of his devil associates. He¡¯d paralyzed me to relieve himself so I was lying on my back on the floor of the carriage, unable to move, or feel anything for that matter. On the positive side, it also removed my taste and sense of smell so I could¡¯ve felt worse. He doesn¡¯t even dare use my pussy or mouth anymore since my subconscious reflexes have a tendency to make it pop like a balloon. I also have the skill Sharkskin, but I¡¯d need to willingly invoke it, which I obviously can¡¯t due to the slavery collar. As a result, whenever he needs to relieve himself with me, he¡¯d use my tits, thighs, armpits, hair, feet, or navel. As for why people on the streets aren¡¯t in chaos about the undead, 8-legged horse beast, it¡¯s probably the same reason why they don¡¯t notice that the sky has been fucking black for the past 6 months. In other words, some sort of mind magic. I think Selma explained it to me once, something about astral alignment, hexcraft, and some other magic bullshit I can¡¯t bother remembering. The reason why me and the 3 girls notice it is due to staying too long in faux-spark and¡­ Yeah, I can¡¯t do this. As another load of watery jizz went into my mouth and covered my face and hair, I heard the carriage stop. He pulled up his pants and got off. I was still lying prone on the carriage floor with my legs slightly bent cramped for lack of room. My mouth was open and I was breathing through my nose. Dammit, he didn¡¯t undo the ¡®don¡¯t move¡¯ command! How long am I supposed to stay like this? I fucking swear, the day I take this collar off is the day¡­ ¡°...¡± The boy stared at me for a few seconds. He then took off his shoe with the one hand that wasn¡¯t cuffed and produced a thin iron dagger from inside. Trying to kill me? Or is it suicide? Maybe both? Unlucky for him, I¡¯m pretty much immune to iron blades at this point. Should¡¯ve brought mythril or orichalcum. The boy raised his knife above my mostly naked chest, putting both palms on the butt of the knife he, thrust it down. It didn¡¯t penetrate. He was shocked. I was frankly prepared for him to aim for my eyes next. My eyes aren¡¯t as tough. He doesn¡¯t know that, but it shouldn¡¯t be a hard guess. But he didn¡¯t. He put away the knife and sat down roughly on his ass, staring at his hands for a while. He looked at me again. ¡°So. Uh, Sophia?¡± My name is Lorelai but sure. It¡¯s not like I can talk right now. ¡°You¡¯re his slave right? That collar...¡± Yeah, mine¡¯s the highest grade collar from the empire, unlike the other girls. It¡¯s got 10 absolute commands along with general obedience. Not to brag, but the bastard had to use 9 of those commands just to make sure I don¡¯t ¡®accidentally¡¯ kill him. I came close a few times. As a top rate warrior, I have more than a few tricks to try even with my whole body paralyzed. Apparently he saves the last command for each of us (except Madelin) in case he needs us to kill ourselves. ¡°Why didn¡¯t he kill me? He was almost about to, but then he just stopped...¡± Well, I wasn¡¯t there, I donno. But judging by how he¡¯s bringing the boy here, to the orphanage, it won¡¯t be anything good. ¡°Fuck, fuck! I never should¡¯ve left the base. Dammit, Father was right, that man is a monster!¡± Can¡¯t disagree. Just yesterday he ordered me to kill 20 men and 1 girl after they were drugged and mind controlled into fucking for 16 hours straight. The corpses all melted into a big magic circle that started glowing all of a sudden, he came in, took some notes and told me to clean the whole room. I needed a long shower after that... ¡°H-Hey, maybe I can help you. We have a guy who¡¯s good at removing curse items...¡± Locus opened the door to the carriage. He cast a short spell. ¡°Sophia, I¡¯ve done away with the paralysis, you can move now. We have some company I need you to deal with. Don¡¯t forget to swallow.¡± I swallowed the disgusting jizz as all of my senses returned to me. My body was cold. I was wearing, well, it¡¯s called bikini armor, but it¡¯s nothing but some thin pasties over my nipples and pussy, and a long line of anal beads containing all the enchantments. I¡¯m basically naked with a bunch of metal balls up my butt. I focused my ki until the throbbing in my ass became a minor itch I can ignore. I strapped on my sword and jumped out of the carriage. 5, 15, 18 of them. They were all in rough leather armor, but had the face of knights. One square jawed man with plate armor and a scar over his eye barked furiously. ¡°Hand over Master Alexander, devil worshipping bastard!¡± So they¡¯re after the boy, Alexander, I¡¯ll call him Alex for short. He had his glare pointed at Locus but I noticed his pupils twitching toward the carriage a few times. The back door was open and the boy was visible to them. They must¡¯ve also seen the blood covering his shirt as I felt their murderous rage toward us multiply. ¡°Where and how many. Do you sense any mages among them?¡± ¡°18. Mostly with the group over there, a few flanking each side. One mage, with the group.¡± ¡°Is that large man strong?¡± ¡°Only gold ranked.¡± I answered truthfully. The mage might be around mythril but that wasn¡¯t the question. There are 6 adventurer ranks in the kingdom¡¯s guild: Copper, Silver, Gold, Mythril, Orichalcum and Adamantite. The only adamantite rank party in the kingdom fled to the empire 6 months ago, so as an orichalcum, I am the strongest adventurer in the city right now. I can¡¯t boast too much; after all, I¡¯m in a situation where I¡¯m being forced to help a bastard bent on blackening the sky over the whole world apparently. ¡°Kill them all except those two.¡± Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I can make fine use of them.¡± I didn¡¯t need to look behind me to know who that was. Wearing all black with 4 black katanas at her hips. She looked like an elf, but her real identity is that of a pagan of the western continent, a devil. ¡°Good day to you to, Alice.¡± ¡°Come on, Lucky, you don¡¯t visit nearly enough. And all you do is bring children. How am I supposed to raise a strong brood without a strong man¡¯s seed? ¡­ Unless you¡¯re offering.¡± ¡°... No thank you, I prefer my head well attached to my body. I suppose I can give you the large one with the scar.¡± ¡°I will be taking all of them.¡± ¡°Fine. But extract what they know first.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± After their little exchange, my order was amended. It¡¯s at this point that I¡¯d want to resist. Maybe intentionally lose so that the scumbags behind me can deal with their own enemies. But it¡¯s a damn shame because one of my commands make me do everything I can to complete the objective. Another command makes it so that ¡®anything¡¯ doesn¡¯t include putting the Master or any allies in harm. Focusing my ki, I first dash behind the mage. Before I drop him with a chop to the nape, ¡°Guillotine!!¡± I dodge to the side, as a saber passes by where my head was. ¡°That green hair and skin¡­ you¡¯re Riley the Gust!?¡± said the eye scarred man pointing his saber. I stay silent. ¡°W-What in Bram¡¯s name are you wearing!¡± The mage who had turned around readied an earth spike in his hand and got red cheeked, seeing my body from up close. I mean, they say some wizards practice celibacy but this is ridiculous. I draw the sword on my back and leaped away. An arrow pierced the ground where I was just standing. ¡°Multi.¡± I invoke a martial art that lets me create illusion clones. 10 of them with a basic level art but they should be enough. I share sight, sound and smell with all of them. ¡®I¡¯ scattered in different directions, sending 3 of me to the scarred man and mage duo. The clone me¡¯s can¡¯t hit anything, but they can create the illusion of dodging and were great for distraction. Real me ran toward ranged attackers like that archer. I was done with 5 of them before a rock spike flew past me and hit a tree, causing the bark to splinter and graze my arm. Not an injury since my skin is tougher than that, so I ignore the mage who discovered my position and knock out 11 other attackers before coming back to face the two strongest ones. The mage looked nervous and was sweating bullets, while the big guy was fuming. ¡°Are you mocking me, Francis Raaga, vice captain of the royal knights!¡± ¡°Lord Raaga, *gasp* there¡¯s no use *gasp* talking to a slave.¡± Said the mage. I mean, I want to say something, but one of my commands seals my voice for everything other than saying skill names during combat. I was letting them talk. I was hit with an enchanted poison needle, and my body¡¯s currently dealing with it. It¡¯s one of those moments in fights where both sides come to a mutual pause to heal up. ¡°What do you mean, Jean? She¡¯s not one of his minions? Clearly, she¡¯s just as perverted.¡± ¡°Uh, that¡¯s¡­ no. She¡¯s likely one of the women he keeps along with the princess.¡± ¡°Are you saying she¡¯s also in need of rescue? That Riley the Gust? Just how powerful is that man...¡± ¡°Gulp...¡± The mage downed a small mana potion and said, ¡°She¡¯s a difficult enemy yes, but if it looks dire, I apologize lord, but I know too much.¡± ¡°What do you-¡± ¡°Burst.¡± Break time is over, so I pull up another art. This one¡¯s what got me my title. Power swelled up from within me and time seemed to flow at half speed. I ran toward the big guy first this time, and sweeped him across the legs. Before he fell, he managed to twist himself toward me in an attempt to stab his saber into my stomach. My sword cut his like butter and the top half of the saber was sent flying. I then stabbed him deep in the shoulder as he fell. Suddenly, I sensed something big was coming, along with a heat on my back. Behind me, I saw the mage a distance away quickly mumbling a spell. His hands and arms were burned and boiling red, and between then, a small white ball of fire. Shit. I won¡¯t make it. ¡°Burst III!¡± This skill makes me go 8 times faster. ¡°Prominence Ultima!¡± The mage shouted and light filled the area. I covered the light with my body. ¡°Stone X!¡± I wonder, why do I fight so hard? Do I want to prove something? To Dad, to my brothers who always treated me like a princess? I don¡¯t know. My memories are fuzzy. Most of my emotions are dulled too. I only feel anger from time to time; it must be just that strong. I wonder what¡¯ll happen to me if all the emotions are released one day, when I take off this collar. ¡°Are you awake? Get your armor on, and follow me.¡± ¡°Fucking hell...¡± My head hurts. My stomach too. I feel the buffs and protections taking effect as I shove each bead up my ass. My pasties are gone, must¡¯ve burned up. Whatever. As I follow behind Locus along the long, dark corridor, I notice that he¡¯s fidgety. Must be because of the lack of light. This fuckface goes into a panic whenever any of the torches in his mansion go out. But this orphanage isn¡¯t completely dark, the windows are just small and few in number. The 2 pairs of footsteps are sometimes accompanied by a few more. The orphans. All wearing nothing other than a bandana with strange markings covering their eyes. They¡¯re all skinny to the point where I can count their ribs. They were doing menial chores like cleaning or carrying something. But most of them aren¡¯t here. They¡¯re at the altar at the basement of this building, which is where we¡¯re headed most likely. My guess was wrong. We went to another room. It was Alcatraz¡¯s room apparently, or, obviously I should say. Locus picked up a torch from the wall, changed the fire to the blue flame he uses in his house and entered the room. ¡°Alice, I¡¯m coming in.¡± ¡°My, you¡¯ve gotten so rude Lucky. I told you I¡¯d be busy. nhh!¡± The room is dark. It has no furniture or windows. The light of the fire shone silver on the layers of webbing inside that coated the walls, floor and ceiling, and lit up the red pairs of eyes of the creature that turned her head at us. Alcatraz, called Alice in her elf form, is an arachne, basically. I¡¯ve fought some in dungeons but this resident of the western continent was no dumb monster. She¡¯s currently having her way with a number of the knights I fought and beat, gagged and tied with web. I could see that most of them were in web cocoons and hung on the ceiling, only their heads out. 3 men were inserted in three of her holes: one at the base of her human upper body, one under her her spidery middle, and the last one behind her sticking his rod in the place an arachne shoots web. I¡¯d later learn that her spider pussy is below her, while her anus is right above the spinneret, and that she isn¡¯t like ¡®some¡¯ arachne who get off on having their web hole fucked. ¡°Sophia, chair.¡± Locus said, pointing downwards. ¡°Yeah yeah.¡± I put my hands on the floor and got on my knees in front of him. He sat on me, then commanded me to crawl toward the spider devil. It¡¯s annoying to walk on web, but this level of binding only slightly slows me down. ¡°Where¡¯s the boy I brought over? He wasn¡¯t at the altar when I last checked.¡± So he went there before I woke up. ¡°Haah, haah, nhh... the control charm didn¡¯t work, and, yes, ahn, that¡¯s it, yes, nhh, nhhhhh!!¡± ¡°And? And what? Arrgh, fuck!¡± I felt Locus shuffling on my back, and turning my head, I saw that the asshole sitting on me had already taken out his dick and had started stroking it. His slimy ball sack was touching my skin¡­ and I decided not to think about it, and wait it out. Alcatraz came, along with 4 others. In a lustful frenzy, she bit down on the man in front of her, her lower jaw splitting in two. Blood sprayed out from the decapitated neck, causing the man¡¯s body to twitch uncontrollably. Meanwhile, Alcatraz started on his shoulder, never minding the blood drenching her naked body red. She ate the arm fast, then slowed down while eating the other arm. She bit and chewed his chest and stomach, eating meat, and organs alike, but not the bone which she spit back out. I noticed that she didn¡¯t go for the heart, skillfully aiming her fangs at the rest of the man from head to waist. At last, she picked up the heart with both hands, licked it a few times and then put it in her mouth with an expression like she was eating a delicious dessert. At this point, Locus slipped on his own spunk and fell off my back. He was stuck on the webbing on the floor, but unable to resist the lust in the room, he jacked off a couple more times while the arachne was having her meal. Me? The lust didn¡¯t affect me at all. Resistances. I just watched with a faint feeling of disgust. ¡°Sorry about that, you know how I get.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Now about the boy.¡± ¡°Ah yes, where was I? The control charm wasn¡¯t working, so I put him in the well to drain his mana... Where did you even pick up this kid? His mana stores are massive.¡± ¡°It was honestly a coincidence. He attacked me, I was going to kill him, but I stopped when I noticed his mana.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s never a coincidence with you. And? What are we doing with him? He¡¯ll be a good battery for your little project, but we¡¯ll need to do something about his natural resistance.¡± ¡°That I¡¯m sure of. But in light of today¡¯s events, I think I have a better use for him first.¡± ¡°Oh? Enlighten me.¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to be bait.¡± A ¡®quest¡¯. Just peachy.