by J. J. Pavlov
After talking to Ingrid once more about how to proceed with Lady Nightwane, it was decided that she would stay in the guild's guest room, which is usually only used by other guild masters when they come to visit. Apparently, it's a pretty luxurious place.
We're having a meal in the guild hall now, though I'm holding myself back for the sake of Rolan's wallet; after all, I'm still a freeloader who doesn't do work and thus, doesn't earn any money. Luckily I can sometimes get food for myself and stockpile it; the sheep I swallowed along our journey are still not entirely used up, and I gained three more bodies earlier, too.
Rolan and Luna are sitting across the table, while Lady Nightwane is on the bench one seat removed from me. She already had dinner, so she's only having a cup of water. Even now, she keeps glancing at me, most likely afraid that I might blurt out what she was doing when I found her.
Is masturbation taboo in this nation? I know that there were religions in my previous world which considered it a grave sin. Maybe the same is true for the church here? I'd ask Senka, but now isn't the best of times to be secretly conversing with her. The dark elf could notice something since her senses are focused on me.
Maybe I can use this to my advantage and deepen my relationship with her. According to Senka, Lady Nightwane is a lonely woman, so I'm sure I could tip her over the edge and bring her to my side of the river. Leaving her for men would be a huge waste.
"Oh, there they are already." Just as our group is about to finish dinner, Gram's loud voice resounds through the guild hall.
"Lady Nightwane, I presume?" Unexpectedly, the bard is behaving himself and not trying to flirt with her. Taking off his feathered hat and nodding to her in a greeting, he sits down on my other side. "I see, you are still carrying that doll, Lady Marcott."
I almost burst out asking if there's something wrong with that again, but hold myself back from doing so.
"How's it looking?" Rolan asks the big man, who plops down at the end of the long table. When a waitress comes over, he only orders a jug of ale; he must have had dinner with his friends in the city guards.
"I asked Jannike to let me see the inspection records from all the times when Sveinn was inspected." Scratching his chin, Gram begins to explain his investigation results. "There's nothing out of the ordinary in the records."
"No leads there, huh?" The leader sighs and leans back, despite the fact that there's no backrest. He's exercising his abs rather than relaxing as if showing off before the ladies.
"Not quite. You see, when I talked to Gunner and asked about that, he told me under the breath that Sveinn was always giving out samples of his regular cargo." The waitress returns with the ordered ale, so the big man goes silent for a moment, to not implicate his friends in what can only be described as accepting bribery.
"So he was never actually searched?" Rolan has a serious expression when he presses the matter.
"No, he was searched quite often, but only superficially. One barrel on each cart would be opened to see what's inside - and it was always Sveinn himself who did the opening, as he would give the guards some of the expensive fruits or spices he transports." Taking a swig from his jug, Gram wipes the foam from his mustache with his sleeve and burps out alcohol-laden fumes. "Excuse me... err, where was I? Oh, right. It's quite possible that he was transporting slaves in any number of barrels on each of his carts."
"Then we can just have the guards do a full search when he leaves the city." Rolan's proposal sounds like the best course of actions, but the big man's frown shows that it's not that simple.
"It's not like searching every crate or barrel is part of the regulations since it's peacetime right now. Forcing a full search is something only the guard captain can do, and I don't know him well enough to be able to tell whether he's trustworthy or not." Placing the jug down on the table, Gram crosses his arms with a thoughtful expression.
They're thinking this through really carefully. In fiction, such a group of adventurers would have snuck into the place where Sveinn is storing his cargo, and searched for evidence on their own, without consulting law enforcement. And that would always lead to a battle, during which things always turn out perfectly.
Reality isn't that simple, though. These people don't have plot armor, and neither do I. While I always think to myself that these humans are weak, their magic certainly isn't. If there are others far more proficient at it than Luna, and they shoot something like her Elemental Overload at me in an instant, I would most likely just die.
In a world where such things can happen, being cautious leads to longer and safer lives. I can certainly learn from them in that regard.
"Well, Ingrid said she would send Vigi to investigate tomorrow after he returns from his request." Rolan leans back again and ponders. "But if he doesn't find anything, our last chance would be when Sveinn makes his way out of the city, and the cargo will definitely be loaded on his carts."
"Then we could stage an accident at the gates and make some barrels fall from the carts." I suggest with my arms crossed and all four adventurers turn to stare at me in surprise. "H-huh? What is it?"
"Hahaha, as expected of the missy!" Gram laughs heartily and slaps his thigh.
I look around in confusion, as Luna buries her face in her palm, Rolan has an eyebrow raised in silence, and the bard chuckles to himself. Did I say something funny?
"You included yourself quite casually there." The leader is the one to point out what everyone is reacting to in their own ways, but his tone makes it sound like he doesn't want me to think of myself as a member of their party.
"I see." They don't yet think of me as a comrade, huh? "I apologize, I got ahead of myself."
Acting hurt, I stand up and step over the bench to leave. It's not like I really care whether they consider me one of them or not since I'm practically destined to become their enemy eventually. This way, I can gauge their opinions of the current me, though.
"Oh no, that's not what I meant!" Rolan jumps up from his seat and calls out to me. I don't turn around immediately but stop in my tracks to listen. It's not like I have anywhere to go since I've been staying at inns with these guys so far - though my room is still paid for until the day after tomorrow.
"Then what did you mean?" I look down at Senka and wink at her. The guild hall is practically empty at this time of the night, so nobody sees what I'm doing. She responds by rolling her eyes at the unnecessary drama I'm creating.
"I thought you might want to find a way back to your old life, instead of journeying with some adventurers." His response touches a nerve, although he could never imagine in what way. But saying that to someone he should know as having lost their parents is a mistake.
"... there is no going back for me, Sir Rolan." I make him aware of how insensitive his words were and walk away, not turning around to look at his reaction. Moving towards the door of the guild hall with Senka in my arms, I can somewhat feel them staring at my back in shocked silence.
In the end, I returned to the Dancing Dragon and went straight to my room on the second floor. There are a few things I want to discuss with Senka, and whispering at a barely audible level is quite tiring.
"Don't you think you brought down the mood a little too much there?" The doll girl remarks, lying sprawled out and unmoving on the bed where I placed her. That appearance makes her look like a talking toy.
"It's alright. People of this world are quite simple; they take everything at face value." I lie down next to her and stare up at the wooden ceiling. "I'm more interested in Lady Nightwane..."
I hear shifting next to me and the sound of wooden joints creaking, even though Senka doesn't look like she has doll joints. I've heard her neck produce that noise as well, but I doubt she's made of wood underneath that skin of hers. She wouldn't be that squeezable otherwise.
"What's so interesting about her?" Her face enters my vision, a deep frown carved into her features.
"I know you don't like her, but it doesn't really matter anymore
now, does it?" I stroke Senka's cheek and sweep a rogue strand of her gradient hair behind her ear. The stitched scar on her cheek extends all the way to her molars and look even messier up close than it had at first glance. What did she live through to end up looking this?
"Hmph." Brushing me off, the doll girl stands up from the bed and disappears from my field of vision. "You're-"
Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. I sit up while Senka lies down immediately, to act like a lifeless doll again. Whoever is outside could have heard us talking, though.
"Who is it?" I ask cautiously, but at the same time with enough dignity to make the person beyond the door aware of the fact that they're asking to intrude on my private space at a pretty late time in the night.
"I-it's me." The thick wood muffles the voice, but I could never mistake that gloomy tone. It's Lady Nightwane.
She's paying me a night visit?
"Please no..." I hear Senka whisper next to me with an annoyed expression, but I stand up from the bed and walk over to the door to open it anyway.
"What brings you here, Lady Nightwane?" Even though she's almost as tall as I am, it somehow feels like she's looking up to me with upturned eyes from quite a bit below.
"Um..." Her amethyst irises are glowing in the dimness of the hallway, an incredibly mesmerizing light I can't help but feel drawn towards. Is it some kind of magic or the dark elves' innate ability?
"Oh, where are my manners. Please come in." Making way for my visitor, I step aside and gesture into the room. She looks inside with an anxious expression, before accepting the offer and entering reluctantly.
I close the door behind her audibly on purpose, upon which she flinches and spins around. Her eyes show fear and restlessness, but I give a radiant smile and guide her in.
All rooms in the tavern have two beds, which are quite a bit cleaner than the ones I've slept on in the small villages so far. There are a table and one chair, but obviously no TV set or an Internet connection. I sit down on the bed next to Senka, and point at the free one across from me, offering it as a seat to Lady Nightwane.
"So..." I look into her almost hypnotic eyes, and she averts them to avoid my gaze almost immediately. "... what are you hoping for by coming to my room this late at night?"
With a shocked gasp, the dark elf looks at me in surprise but isn't able to keep eye contact for long before she turns away again. Restlessly fiddling with her dress, she fumbles to try and find a response. For some reason, she acts more like a young girl rather than the mature woman her appearance suggests.
"I... wanted to speak to you." Finally gathering her courage, she looks directly at me with an unexpectedly focused gaze. Even her stutter seems to have disappeared, so it must be something important. "I'm cursed."
"Huh?" That's not what I expected at all.
"E-eh? D-did I make some kind of m-mistake?" Losing her confidence and growing flustered, the stutter returns. Her eyes begin to swim around as if searching for a way out of this situation.
"No, sorry. Please go on." I shake my head and sigh. Why is she so cute, despite looking more adult-like than I ever will?
Even though she does continue, she doesn't immediately regain the confidence she had at the beginning and keeps her stutter.
"T-the curse made my body grow into t-this unsightly form." She cups her voluptuous breasts with a downcast look on her face. What do you mean, unsightly form?! That's a body people would kill for! "A-and at the same time, it also made my touch d-deadly to those who aren't also corrupted."
"Then how were those men able to capture you?" If she had a deadly touch, she could have just grabbed their exposed arms and killed them. Maybe it's not instantaneous?
"I... let myself get captured on purpose." The dark elf lowers her gaze and reveals this with a somber expression. There's a hint of remorse in her gaze, but it's mostly just her usual gloominess.
"Why would you do that?" Was she really that lonely? "If they had found out that your touch is dangerous, they wouldn't have had any need for you. You would have been killed."
"I... I know, but it was the only way!" She raises her voice for all but a moment before her body begins to shiver. Avoiding eye contact with me again, she seems to be looking for the right words. "I wanted to infiltrate them..."
"To do what?" Wait, this will take ages. Why do I have to ask for every little detail myself? "You know what, just tell me your story in one coherent sentence of no more than twenty words!"
"H-huh?" Lady Nightwane is at a loss for words from my sudden outburst and the more than unreasonable demand. "Hauu..."
Woah, what's that cute noise you just made?!
"I-I'll try. Umm..." Nervously playing with her sleeves, she seems to be thinking of a way to convey what she wants to say concisely and directly.
Watching her intently seems to put unnecessary pressure on her, so I do it on purpose. Her glowing amethyst eyes are incredible, and I can't even begin to imagine how being on the receiving end of a love-filled gaze from them would feel like. I just want to make her mine right now.
But if her touch is deadly to everything that isn't corrupted, that's out, isn't it? On the other hand, didn't the humans say that corruption is spread by demons? Is the origin of spreading corruption also corrupted?
"O-okay..." Taking a deep breath, Lady Nightwane signals that she's ready to convey her story in the requested brevity. "Someone very important to me was kidnapped by slave traders long ago, and I found out that they're here in Hovsgaerden."
"That was twenty-one words." I don't know how, but I was able to tell the number of words without even trying.
"H-huh?" And the dark elf starts to repeat her sentence while counting on her fingers. "Y-you're right!"
She looks at me with an expression that mixes shock and dejection into a perfect amalgamation that I'm impressed. She then lowers her head in helplessness. Is she actually a child in an adult's body?
"Alright, I get it. But what does that have to do with visiting me at night?" Tilting my head, I can't make the connection between that and her telling me her life story.
"... the fact you didn't react with disgust when I told you that I'm cursed is proof of what I saw in you." Suddenly, she looks into my eyes with conviction. Her stutter is gone again, replaced by a resolved steadiness in her voice.
Alarm bells ring in my head. Did she realize that I'm a demon?
"You're different from any human I have ever met." She says, a smile playing on her lips for the first time. In other words, she doesn't know what I really am and only saw a trustworthy person in me or something like that. "I want your help."
Bowing her head before me, she finally gets to the point of her visit. It's clear that the help she wants is from Rolan and the others, rather than from me. I have no idea why she wouldn't ask Luna then. Maybe because she thinks I'll be able to mediate between her and the party? Didn't she pay attention to what just happened in the guild hall earlier?
Well, this is an opportunity to get closer to her.
"What do I get out of this?" You better not tell me that having sold me Senka was already a big favor or something like that. Though I doubt she would do that, she's too timid to make such a demand.
"I-I can pay you." Apparently, she didn't expect that I wouldn't act from the goodwill of my heart. She clearly didn't prepare any bargaining chips other than the money she got from me for Senka.
"It will cost you a lot." I stand up and look down on the dark elf with a sinister grin. She begins to quiver and shrink before my gaze, but wills herself to respond.
"H-how much?" But then she suddenly shakes her head and gathers her resolve once more. "No, it doesn't matter. I will give you anything you want."
"Hoh? Anything, you say?" Oh, she just flinched at my words and her determination wavers. No taking back now~
I grab Lady Nightwane's face with both my hands and make her look up to me. There's a prickling sensation in my skin where I touch her, but it neither hurts me nor
do I feel any discomfort. Maybe her 'deadliness' is a slow-acting poison, but I doubt it's more powerful than a Crawling Chaos' power of corruption.
In fact, this tingling is becoming quite enjoyable.
"W-what are you doing! You'll-" She tries to struggle, but I don't let go of her.
"I heard you're a lonely woman. And earlier I saw that you truly are." From up close, I stare into her eyes with mine. She blushes when she realizes what I'm referring to and tries to avert her eyes, but I shake her to force her gaze back.
"Ahhh..." She trembles with embarrassment.
"Then give me your everything. Become mine, and I'll help you with whatever you need." After all, you're making a contract with a demon, even if you don't know it. Of course, I don't say that out loud.
"My... everything?" Her questioning frown makes it clear that she doesn't understand what I mean, so I spell it out for her.
"Your body and soul. Your life and love. Everything." I push her down onto the bed and move my face so close to hers that I can feel her breath tickling my nose. "And we'll start with your body."
Fear fills Lady Nightwane's expression, but I glimpse something else underneath it, too. There's a mix of anxious anticipation and excited expectation, waiting and hoping to see what I'm about to do with her.
"Could you not?" Senka's voice echoes through the room. Oops, I completely forgot about her. Turning my head, I see that she's sitting up on the bed and looking at me with an annoyed expression.
"H-huh?" The dark elf underneath me sees her, too. "Wh-what?"
"Shocking, right? As you said, I'm a cursed doll. And I bring death to those who mess with my body." Standing up with a creaking sound in her joints, the doll girl tilts her head and cracks her neck.
Lady Nightwane's goes pale at Senka's menacing undertone. Then her entire face flushes reddish-purple when she remembers all the things she did with - and to - this girl, whom she had thought of as a lifeless doll all along.
