by Fujino Omori
“…”
One girl stood alone amid the swirling madness.
Determination swelled within Haruhime’s eyes.
One look down the corridor and she turned her attention to an iron grate just beside her. She could see an unconscious human girl lying on the floor just beyond the iron bars.
The guards had been called to search for Bell, leaving the prisoner unattended. Haruhime looked over her shoulder one more time to make sure she was alone. Then she tossed a bunch of keys into the chamber through the space between the bars.
“You have my deepest apologies.”
She whispered under her breath into the chamber, but she was needed elsewhere.
Fox ears fully extended, she wasted no time in leaving the corridor.
Blood drains from my face as two bulging eyes loom over me.
“Welcome to my little love chamber.”
A voice so gruff it shakes me to my very core. Two short and stubby muscular arms are sticking out of red and black hunting gear. At least ten keys are dangling from a ring hanging from meaty fingers.
“And it’s all because Daedalus Street is so close. There’s a secret tunnel from home that leads out here.”
It still bears the name of the insane architect who designed it. Thanks to him, she can do whatever she wants in here.
Phryne takes a step closer, deep voice echoing around the room.
“This is where I bring all my favorite men. Bit annoying having to drag them all the way out here, but even Lady Ishtar doesn’t know about this place.”
My mouth goes dry at the knowledge that she’s the only one who knows about this room. Despair sets in; no one is going to save me.
I don’t even have to ask what she’s planning to do now.
I’m well aware—the “hunt” through the Pleasure Quarter was only four days ago!
Not good, not good, NOT GOOD!
I shuffle my feet backward in a desperate attempt to gain some distance, but my back hits the wall immediately. I’m stuck!
“Who would settle for sloppy seconds? You have to have the first bite, the first smell, to truly enjoy the feast! Ain’t that right?”
Her eyes narrow as her lips stretch from ear to ear in a menacing smile. “Ge-ge-ge-ge-ge-ge-geh!” Another round of croaking laughter.
Another step closer at her shadow falls over me—I can’t control the panic anymore.
“HYYE—HYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
Even the clatter of the shackles can’t mask my pitiful scream! I thrash around, desperate for any kind of window to escape.
Pulling against the restraints in every direction, I try again and again. But the chains just won’t break.
“Give up already. Those are forged mythril. Even top-class adventurers can’t snap ’em.”
Mythril is also very magically conductive. If I tried blasting it with Firebolt, the explosive reaction would tear my hands off at the wrist and send them flying. She gloats and tells me as much.
Phryne brings the ring of keys up to her face and jangles them in front of me. One of those pieces of metal can set me free. I watch in horror as she tosses the entire thing halfway across the room, landing with a metallic clink on the table. She grins at me and—leans in close to my face.
“Ahhh, deliciousss.”
“”
A long tongue emerges from her mouth and licks the side of my face.
My entire body goes numb. I’m pretty sure I could die right here and now.
It’s exactly the same effect as getting licked by a frog shooter in the Dungeon. Every hair on my body stands on end, consciousness drifting toward next week. My head flops backward, my eyes rolling back as I lose sight of the ceiling.
The top-class adventurer turned me into nothing but a shell with a single lick. My sight comes back into focus for a moment, but I wish it hadn’t for the simple reason that I see her wetting her lips with that tongue.
“To the bed or to get out the toys…”
“S-stop, please, I’m begging you, please stop—!”
“Ge-ge-ge-ge-geh! Looks like you need to learn who’s boss first.”
Her right hand reaches forward and grabs hold of my face, just over my mouth. Then her left hand takes hold of what’s left of my shirt and starts to tug.
My teeth are chattering. Tears are leaking out of my eyes. I can’t stop shaking.
I heave back and forth in a desperate attempt to break free of her grip, but it’s no use. The trembling becomes too intense and my ability to struggle disappears.
Phryne leans in closer, clearly enjoying every second of my agony. Then—
“…Haa?”
She looks at my legs.
More specifically, my…groin that seems to have shriveled up from fear.
“Tsk…That’s the problem with brats. Can’t be helped. Got a supply of love juice around here somewhere…”
She drops my shirt and stands up. Maybe she’s lost interest? Stepping away, she looks down at me and says:
“Wait right there. I’ll serve you like a bunny stew. Yeah, I’m gonna take real good care of youuu.”
She starts laughing at what she no doubt considers to be a cute expression of terror on my face and disappears back into the darkness. I hear the iron grate slide shut and try again to break free.
“…I-I-I-I-I have to get out of here!”
The crackling of chains once again echoes throughout the room. My wrists are screaming in pain, pinched between the chains, but I don’t care. Getting out of these things is a matter of life and death.
I’m on borrowed time as it is!
Then, with my whole body quivering like a trapped rabbit—creak.
“S-so soon?!”
The iron grate opens again.
Tears pouring down my face, I catch a glimpse of the human figure approaching through the darkness.
It’s all over. The darkness of despair overtakes me. And the last things I see are two fox ears…and a golden bushy tail?
Light fills my vision once again, my eyes flying open. The thin figure is clearly wearing a kimono.
“Are you hurt, Master Cranell?”
She sounds out of breath but rushes to my side.
“MI-MISS HARUHIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?!”
“Shh, shhh, shhh. Be still, Master Cranell.”
Tears of joy erupt from my eyes as my voice roars from deep within my throat. Startled, Haruhime places two fingers over my lips.
But I can’t hear a word she says.
It’s a goddess! A goddess has arrived!
A goddess from the Far East is here right now!
I’ve been saved from the brink of despair. Haruhime quickly inspects the shackles binding my wrists before looking around the room. She spots the ring of keys that Phryne left on the table and grabs them without a second thought.
She’s back at my side in an instant, trying key after key in the lock just above my hands.
“You are free.”
CLICK. The mythril shackles release their grip.
Blood comes rushing back into my limbs as they fall to the floor. A new wave of tears flows out of my eyes, but this time they’re tears of joy at my newfound freedom.
I jump toward the girl in front of me.
“UWAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
“EEKK!”
I wrapped my arms around her.
She can’t keep her balance as I bury my head in her chest, and she falls backward.
There isn’t a calm nerve in me. Every muscle, every fiber, every cell is rejoicing after being released from the most unyielding fear I’ve ever experienced. I clutch her close as I can, my face diving into her chest like a traumatized kid reunited with his mother.
I was scared, so scared.
She’s so warm and soft, I can’t help but nuzzle my face into her over and over again.
“Miss Haruuuuuhimeeee…!”
I finally raise my head. Seeing my face with tears running free
ly, her own cheeks redden.
Then she sits up, pulling my head back into her chest and embracing me with both arms. “It’s okay now,” she says softly as she runs her fingers through my hair. Shifting her balance, she brings up her tail and wraps it around my waist.
A rabbit seeking refuge finds comfort from a lone fox.
“W-well, Master Cranell. We should leave at once.”
“Uhnnhg!”
She blushes again and pushes my shoulders up and away. Climbing to her feet, she grabs hold of my hand.
I wipe away the tears with my right hand, and she pulls me to my feet as if she was a friendly neighborhood girl consoling a lost child.
I must look absolutely pitiful right now. Luckily, it’s dark in the interrogation room. We pass through the iron grate and into the even dimmer hallway.
“S-s-sorry, Miss Haruhime…”
“I-it’s nothing…Please pay it no mind.”
She leads me past more magic-stone lamps.
I’ve finally calmed down enough from the explosion of euphoria to realize what I’d done and apologize to her.
Only then do I notice she’s still holding my hand. Her cheeks blush pink and she lets go.
“But…how did you know where I was?”
I’m extremely grateful, grateful beyond words, for what she’s done for me. But considering what Phryne told me, it’s a little strange.
If her goddess didn’t know the location of the room, how did Haruhime find me in time?
I turn my red eyes—they’re red to begin with, but not like this—onto Haruhime.
“The truth is, I have witnessed Lady Phryne use this passage in the past.”
We keep walking as she tells me about the time she saw the Amazon sneaking away.
“I was found out and threatened. That is why I’ve never said a word to anyone before…”
“So…that would mean that…”
If she hadn’t told anyone about this passage, then Phryne knew that only Haruhime knows about it. Haruhime’s put herself in a very dangerous position to help me.
She reads the look of concern on my face but only smiles.
“There is no need…to worry about me.”
It’s the same smile as before, empty and distant. There’s nothing I can say.
Lost in my own thoughts, I follow Haruhime out of the passage.
“……Huh?”
Muscles in Phryne’s body twitched as she surveyed the scene with a jug of aphrodisiac in her hand.
An open lock was sitting on top of the pile of mythril chains on the floor. The white rabbit was nowhere to be seen.
Phryne’s face warped into a mask of rage as she looked at what remained of her prize.
“The only other one who knowsss…”
The pupils of her eyes shrank as they locked in on one long strand of golden hair.
“—HARUHIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
A thunderous roar erupted, her rage rocking the entire chamber.
At the end of South Main Street, there was a building that stood out from all others in the Shopping District.
It was a solemn palace that had the air of an old temple, surrounded by a spacious lawn and high walls on all sides. Controlling this amount of space in the Shopping District spoke volumes about the wealth and power of its owner.
It stood proudly in Orario’s fifth district, sandwiched between South Main and Southeast Main. This commanding structure was the polar opposite of Loki Familia’s home, Twilight Manor, in the north. Its name: Folkvangr.
However, everyone knew it as the home of the most powerful familia in Orario:
Freya Familia.
“Lady Freya. Ishtar Familia is behaving strangely.”
The highest level of the palace was coated in silver and designed to resemble the moon. Freya sat at the very back of an open chamber, her overwhelming presence filling the room as her eyes found the speaker. One of her followers, a young human girl, made her way across the room with haste before kneeling in front of her goddess.
“Details?”
“A large number of prostitutes are running around their home, as well as the Pleasure Quarter.”
“Tell me…are Allen and his team watching them?”
“Yes, My Lady. Ottar has taken up position on Daedalus Street. Allen and Grale have infiltrated the Pleasure Quarter.”
“I see. You may leave…Thank you, Helen.”
The human had come to deliver the message in place of Freya’s favorite, Ottar. She thanked the girl and lovingly ran her fingers through the human’s long hair.
The girl trembled, overwhelmed by a compliment she’d never expected to receive. Coming back to her senses, she thrust her head close to the floor, claiming she wasn’t worthy of such praise. Hiding her blushing face behind her hair, she left the room as quickly as she had arrived.
Freya watched her go for a moment before looking skyward.
The window far above her head showed the western skyline.
“…”
He was looking out the window on the top floor of the brothel at the same moment that Freya received the message.
It was still early afternoon and yet he could see groups of prostitutes walking up and down the streets in groups of two or three. A long, thin tail lazily swished back and forth as he watched them through narrow eyes. Each of the prostitutes looked nervous, their heads on swivels as if desperately searching for something.
He was a catman, standing only about 160 celch tall and covered in sleek black and gray fur.
Looking away from the streets, his gaze fell on a palace in the distance.
“Allen!”
Hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway before a beautiful prostitute arrived at his door.
The catman, Allen Fromel, slowly turned away from the window to face her.
“The Little Rookie was taken to our home after all. But now he’s missing and everyone’s out looking for him.”
She was a very attractive human woman who shared his stature that was mismatched with her ample figure.
She was also a noncombatant belonging to Ishtar Familia.
She gave the man information that only the familia’s adventurers and commanders knew.
“Captured by a bunch of prostitutes…Worthless rabbit.”
Cat people were generally known for their gentle appearance and friendliness. However, Allen’s rough words and tone betrayed that reputation.
He clicked his tongue, black eyes flashing in disgust.
“Allen, I’ve done everything you’ve asked. This was enough to become your woman, right?”
Her cheeks blushed bright pink, eyes moist as she stepped closer to the man.
She came within arm’s reach of the catman.
While she didn’t try to reach out, she had put herself in great danger to fulfill his wishes. She’d betrayed her own familia for the man she loved.
Opening her shoulders to him, the longing in her eyes was palpable. However, Allen took one glance at her before pushing her away.
“Don’t touch me, slut. You’ll dirty my goddess’s favor.”
She stumbled backward. Allen’s harsh rejection put her in a state of shock.
“As if I’d take a liking to one of you. You’re a common whore, consumed by lust.”
He looked at the woman’s exposed cleavage with the same disdain as rotting flesh before making eye contact.
Becoming the preferred companion of an upper-class adventurer, or becoming his woman, was the goal of every prostitute in Orario. A connection with the right person or familia would give her more power within their world.
All of them were desperate for an influential patron to back them.
They all held dreams of becoming a queen of the night.
Allen knew she was one of them and coldly spat out his next words, saying that a parasite that would give herself to any man for the right price was unworthy of his affection.
“Monster…I-I loved
you.”
A different type of tears leaked out of her eyes the moment she realized she had been used.
Allen took his eyes off her and stepped past her quivering shoulders.
He was almost out the door when the prostitute spun around with fury in her eyes.
“You ungrateful bastard!”
Her voice shrieked as her hands fumbled around in search of anything not attached to the floor.
She hurled pillows, random objects, and insults at him—Allen dodged them all without so much as a peek over his shoulder. Then he reached to his waist, withdrew a dagger, spun, and pressed the blade to her throat in less than a second.
“—Ah.”
“Shut it.”
Her rage was frozen by terror, lungs refusing to breathe.
The blade hovered just above her skin. Luckily, she fell backward onto the floor. Allen flipped the weapon in his grip before returning it to its sheath. He turned his back once again and walked toward the door.
The girl sat on the floor, her head in her trembling hands. “So…cruel…” she said weakly. Allen didn’t respond as he took a small pouch of coins off his belt and tossed it in her general direction.
Leaving behind the crumpled mess of a woman, Allen left a room to which he would never return.
“…”
The catman exited the brothel without a sound, heading for the rooftop.
Once there, he spotted several other shadows standing over the red-light district and other brothels.
They belonged to an elf, a dark elf, and four prums who looked similar enough to be quadruplets.
Then Allen turned his attention back to the streets of the Pleasure Quarter, his team watching their every move.
She awakened to the sound of hundreds of hurried footsteps.
“Uhh…”
Mikoto groaned softly as her eyes slowly blinked open.
“Where am I…?”
She suddenly realized her arms and legs were bound when she tried to get off the floor. Her eyes quickly glanced up to her hands and down to her feet. Both sets of limbs were restrained by silver shackles.
“It cannot be…In the Dungeon, I was captured?”
Attacked by mysterious adventurers, practically forced by Lilly and Welf to pursue Bell, nailed by a tall Amazon’s counterattack—memories flooded her mind as twinges of pain flashed throughout her body. Mikoto started connecting the dots.