Vol 4 Chapter 54: The Chase Ends

I forcibly broke free from the elves’ restraints and was about to act purely on my impulses when Kaguya, the ninja maid, shouted. A strong wind dispersed the mist, followed by a sharp cracking sound.

I couldn’t see her, but I could clearly hear the voice of a trusted companion, resonating directly in my foggy mind. Without hesitation, I followed her instruction and immediately held my breath.

Around me, the elf women continued to breathe heavily, clinging to me. However, one by one, their breathing slowed, they staggered, and eventually, they collapsed.

It was likely Kaguya’s ninjutsu—although I couldn’t see anything, it must have been a special substance in the air.

Unlike the overwhelming pressure of lust earlier, the sheer weight of Grace-san and the other elves’ bodies was now a different kind of burden. Gently, I pushed them aside and finally escaped the flesh prison I had been trapped in.

Several naked elves lay sprawled on the ground, their faces slightly flushed, but they seemed to be peacefully asleep, breathing softly.

The mist that had surrounded us had cleared, revealing the familiar scenery of the forest depths.

“Shin-sama, I’m relieved to see you’re safe. There’s still some sleeping powder lingering here, so please, step away and come over here.”

Kaguya, who had been perched in a tree, leaped down before me. Her maid uniform and long black hair fluttered in the air as she landed. She steadied my still-dazed body and led me away.

My thoughts, muddled until now, began to return thanks to my release and freedom from the elves. That clarity also made me painfully aware of the apologetic expression on Kaguya’s face.

“I rushed over because I feared something might have happened when you didn’t return…”

Her expression revealed frustration at putting her master—in my view, a comrade of equal standing—in danger. Seeing her face filled me with both gratitude and a deep sense of inadequacy.

“No, thank you for coming and saving me. I don’t know what I’d have done without you, Kaguya…”

If Kaguya hadn’t arrived, I might have resorted to violence against the elf women in desperation. The thought of that possibility made me feel deeply relieved.

“The mist around here earlier seems to have had an aphrodisiac effect. And the likely culprit behind spreading it is—there!”

Kaguya’s sharp voice interrupted her explanation. She hurled a throwing knife into a dense patch of tall grass.

“Eeek! H-how did you know I was here?!”

A scream filled with both surprise and fear echoed out. The voice was identical to the one that had resonated in my head earlier.

“Dammit!” it hissed, and the unseen figure began rustling through the grass, trying to escape.

“You won’t get away!”

Kaguya was about to pursue, but having quickly dressed myself and enhanced by support magic, I managed to take the lead.

“Kaguya, take care of the unconscious elves! I’ll handle this!”

I left the elves in Kaguya’s capable hands. If they woke up and saw me, it might cause unnecessary confusion. Sensing my intentions, Kaguya stopped in her tracks.

“Understood. Please be careful, Shin-sama!”

With her words of concern behind me, I sprinted like a released arrow.

The branches swayed, leaves rustled, and the sound of something moving across the exposed ground came from ahead.

Despite running at full speed with my enhanced body, I couldn’t quite close the gap with the fleeing figure.

The thick forest and uneven terrain were partially to blame, but the main issue was—

“Damn it! What’s with these plants?! They’re in my way!”

It was as if the plants themselves were sentient, deliberately tripping my feet and slapping my face with their vines.

Though the strikes didn’t hurt, they were more than enough to slow me down.

The unpredictability of these attacks, devoid of any malice or intent, also disrupted my focus.

Even though I should have caught up by now, I couldn’t. Frustration burned inside me as I kept up the pursuit.

Slashing branches with my sword and tearing through vines with Stone Bullet, I pressed on, keeping the fleeing figure within sight.

As I ventured deeper into the forest, the plants grew larger and the atmosphere denser. After what felt like an eternity, I sensed the target come to a stop.

Ahead was a clearing, as if a natural gap had formed among the trees. Sunlight poured directly into the space, illuminating it.

However, the clearing wasn’t open or inviting. It was filled with waist-high plants, their dense growth threatening to swallow anyone who ventured in.

At the center of this area, I could hear the rustling of leaves and felt the presence of my quarry.

Pointing my sword at the sound, I called out.

“Give it up! This chase is over!”

My voice echoed into the clearing, but there was no response.

The silence was unnerving, as though I were speaking to the wind. The lack of a visible foe made me feel oddly uneasy.

Shaking off those thoughts, I focused on the spot. Then, I heard a soft giggle, like that of a child.

Suddenly, as if cued by the laugh, the plants before me began to transform.

“W-what is this?!”

Flowers burst into bloom from the previously budless plants—not just one or two, but hundreds.

Red, blue, yellow, purple, pink, black—the clearing transformed into a surreal sea of colors.

From the flowers, a fine powder began to rise, carrying a familiar scent.

“This smell… It’s the same as that mist…”

The sweet, honey-like fragrance that had earlier clouded my mind and aroused both Grace and the elves wafted toward me once again.

“Look, it feels good, doesn’t it? Such a gentle, lewd scent… Just breathe it in♡”

At close range, a lovely voice that seemed almost hot in my ear—identical to the one I heard just after I had ejaculated. In response, I—

“――[Support Magic]… Magical Enhancement! [Wind Wall!]”

“Wh-what… No way, why⁉”

I unleashed a wind magic that disrupted the sickly sweet air, shaking the flowers from their roots on the ground.

Originally a basic magic to create a barrier of wind around myself, my enhanced powers transformed it into a storm, shredding flowers, uprooting grass, and violently shaking the trees, replacing the tainted air with purity.

The astonished cry from my opponent, who hadn’t anticipated such resistance. I continued to expand my [Wind Wall], making a thunderous noise, and shouted back with equal force.

“Never underestimate humans! The same trick won’t work on me twice!”

If inhaling is dangerous, just like Kaguya, I should dispel it. And if there’s a source, I should eliminate it. I realized that there are countless ways to handle this, even for an inexperienced adventurer like me—I’m not foolish enough to fall for the same trick twice.

I don’t feel good about recklessly cutting down flowers, but given their unnatural growth, it’s likely not natural. This thought allowed me to cast my magic without hesitation.

“Sto――”

The grass and flowers swayed and danced in the air like a wave, vanishing and leaving the bare ground exposed. As it advanced, I finally reached the central area where the enemy’s presence was strongest.

“Charge!”

The storm cleared, and all the plants disappeared—except for one large object that remained rooted to the ground. It was a huge green… bud?

It was as tall as an adult and had an odd resistance to the storm. As I eyed it warily, it trembled.

“Uhh… that’s cruel…”

A whimpering complaint emerged, seemingly from the bud.

The bud vibrated as if trembling in fear, then cracked open like a blooming flower.

The enemy approaches. Tense, I readied my sword, prepared for any attack, as the bud revealed its inner peach color, splitting wide open.

There appeared a creature with green skin, wavy peach-colored hair, and several blue flowers neatly placed atop its head. It had a face indistinguishable from a human or an elf.

Peeking out timidly from the split bud, it looked around.

“…A monster?”

“Ahh… All my flowers are gone…”

Though its skin color was monstrous, it had large crimson eyes and a face with a youthful innocence, very well-formed. The creature looked at me with tearful eyes, seeming resentful.

Her adorable appearance almost took my breath away, yet I couldn’t let my guard down against a being that had shown hostility.

“What are you? Why did you harm us!”

“Eeek! I-I’m sorry!”

The creature, resembling a frightened girl, apologized timidly. It’s difficult to act tough against such a lovely face showing fear.

And perhaps due to its fear, the bud that had been covering its body suddenly spread wide like a fluttering dress.

Thump♡ — Another shock hit me.

“What⁉ Is that, naked⁉”

What was revealed inside the opened bud was a beautiful upper body, human-like except for its skin color, and a massive flower-like lower body. The opened flower spread like a skirt.

And more shockingly, jiggle♡ — It was a stunningly beautiful woman with a plump body and breasts as full as fruits.

Larger than Grace’s and comparable to the enormous breasts of my comrades, the monster swayed its assets unashamedly. An enemy—a monstrous form, yet my eyes were captivated by its bewitching body.

Disturbed, my body shivered. Thinking my movement was a threat, the monster wrapped its arms around itself.

“Stop… Don’t be rough with me…”

Its frightened appearance and trembling voice evoked guilt in me, as if I were bullying a weak creature.

And really, when it hugs its body like that, the large green breasts and flower-like protrusions are crushed, making it hard to look away.

“If you don’t want to fight, why did you do all this?”

It was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t just let it go. I pressed for answers as if interrogating, and the monster responded.

“Edgar threatened me! He told me to lure you into attacking the elf women with the [Aphrodisiac Mist]. If I didn’t, he said he’d do horrible things to me… I’m sorry.”

Edgar’s command. That resonated as truth, especially since I felt something was off when Grace apologized to me, likely all part of Edgar’s plan.

And using Grace and the unrelated elf women as bait to trap me…

Had Kaguya not helped, and had I attacked the women…

Edgar would’ve used that as an excuse to blame humans, possibly expel us from the village, or even hold Shirley-san accountable, maneuvering things to his advantage.

The regret of falling into a trap and my self-reproach swirled with anger in my chest, primarily directed at Edgar for his callous manipulation of people for his own ideological ends.

“So… you were coerced by Edgar, is that it?”

“Yeah. I don’t need to attack humans to survive; I just want to live quietly…”

Her voice, subdued as if she were being scolded, echoed sadly.

“I won’t harm humans or elves anymore! So please, let me go… I’ll tell you everything about Edgar’s schemes.”

It’s hard to forgive her for instigating the women, but if she’s also a victim, there’s room for sympathy. After all, it doesn’t seem like she indiscriminately attacks humans or elves.

And if I listen to what she knows about Edgar’s plots, I might be able to hold him accountable and even have Grace and the other female elves apologize.

“Alright. Will you tell me about Edgar then?”

“Thank you! You’re really kind—”

As she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and bloomed a big floral smile, I lowered my sword.

“――Kiss. And now… You’re such… a fool♡”

Her mischievous smile bloomed like that of a playful child.

Caught off-guard by her sudden declaration, the ground beneath us shifted dramatically.

The ground cracked and bulged in several places, and from those, something emerged at an incredible speed.

A massive array of plant tendrils, like tentacles, surged toward me all at once. I quickly readied my sword and began slicing through the approaching mass.

“Don’t underestimate me!”

I had been deceived. Enraged, I swung my sword, ready to make a break for it—but that was not to be. A pulling sensation at my ankles stopped me, and I couldn’t move.

My feet felt as if they were stitched to the ground. Looking down, I saw tendrils like those before wrapping around my legs, binding them.

“You think these vines can stop me—”

I tried to cut them with my sword in my right hand, but suddenly, new tendrils sprouted from the ground and seized my wrist with incredible force.

A groan of pain escaped me, but I still had my left hand and mouth free. I tried to use my strength or magic to break free, but right before my eyes,

“No matter how strong your sword or magic, once this happens, it’s over, teehee♡”

The monster had approached unnoticed, peering at me with round eyes and curly hair, smiling mischievously.

I attempted to swing my left hand, but it was tightly bound by vines. Then with magic—

“You’re so sweet♡ Here… kiss♡”

Before I could even tremble, my lips were seized. Reflected in my wide-open eyes was the monster’s grinning face, its long eyelashes unusually noticeable.

My lips were licked, and a tongue twisted inside my mouth, moving around my tongue, teeth, and inner membranes, planting a lascivious pleasure.

Suck, lick, slurp. This was no time to be disturbed by a monster’s kiss. I tried to keep my resolve, but I became aware of her kiss—the familiar sweetness, like honey.

A sticky liquid, like saliva, filled my mouth, seeking a place to go—or perhaps I had wished for it, as it slid down my throat.

My body jolted. The honey passed through my mouth, throat, and stomach, heating up. And like a plant absorbing water, that heat quickly spread throughout my body.

Delicious. Sweet. I wanted more. Despite sensing the danger, my mouth ceaselessly sought her honey, desperately absorbing it into my body.

The heat finally spread to my head, and like the time I was surrounded by Grace and the elves—no, even more pleasurable—it took away my thoughts.

“Pff. You were enjoying that mist earlier, right? Well, my body can produce it too. And it’s even more potent♡ If you drink it directly… you can’t resist anymore♡ Mm—kiss♡”

A pleasure so intense it felt like losing consciousness. When my lips were finally freed, I couldn’t even think to cast a spell; I just stared vacantly, drooling a mix of saliva and her honey from the corner of my mouth. Her amused voice was all too clear in my ears.

“…Haha. You’re completely smitten, aren’t you? Even a strong swordsman like you is just a human after all. Funny, isn’t it? You were shouting so boldly, ‘Don’t underestimate humans! The same trick won’t work on me twice!’ But here you are, melting and defeated by the same trick♡. Isn’t that hilarious? —Kiss♡”

Her mocking voice, sweet and dripping with amusement, invaded my brain like honey, eroding my will to resist. My strength drained away, my resolve dissolved, and just like fingers slipping apart, my consciousness sank deeper into darkness.

“Oh, right, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Aster, an Alraune♡. I’m not Edgar’s subordinate—I’m his collaborator♡. Nice to meet you, foolish human♡. And now… goodnight—kiss♡.”

Her parting kiss sealed my fate as my consciousness was pulled entirely into the void.

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