“Look, you’re already wet.”

The candlelight flickered, giving off a warm, amber glow.

But these were not magic stones meant for illumination. They were only candles, meant to set the mood, and could not possibly cast any especially bright light.

And yet even so, under that candlelight, the glistening sheen on Muen’s fingers was still so clear and dazzling.

Muen even deliberately brought them closer, close enough for Ariel to catch that lewd scent clinging to them.

“Take it away... get it away from me...”

Ariel’s face flushed red instantly. She could resist the corruption of any negative status without a problem, but her resistance in this area was pitifully low. With only a few teasing words from Muen, she was already overwhelmed with shame.

“Stop talking nonsense... I’m not...”

“Just denying it won’t do any good, because facts always speak louder than words.”

Muen still refused to let her off. He leaned close to her ear and said in a low voice,

“Looks like An was right. You really are a little bitch in heat.”

“I-I’m not!”

Ariel flushed with humiliation and anger. She clenched her small hand into a fist and pounded hard against Muen’s chest, but that little fist, which could normally crush even steel, now seemed as if it couldn’t even break tofu.

All her strength had long since flowed off somewhere with the heat rising through her blood. Ariel’s earnest struggle only ended up looking more like flirtatious horseplay between lovers.

“You were looking forward to this, weren’t you...”

“Mmph... I wasn’t...”

“I didn’t restrain you like I did An...”

“Mmph... that’s not true...”

“If you wanted to run, you definitely could, right?”

“Don’t...”

“You’re Ariel Bugaard. If you really wanted to leave, who in this world could stop you?”

“Mm... ah...”

Ariel let out a dazed little moan that was intoxicating to hear, because Muen had already gently bitten her earlobe.

“But you didn’t run. Which means you like this, don’t you?” Step by step, Muen broke through the defenses of Ariel’s heart, which had long since stopped guarding against him.

“Mm... you bastard... pervert... damned Muen...”

Ariel’s little mouth kept cursing at him, but her eyes had already gone so unfocused they could barely find a point to rest on. Her body was getting hotter and hotter, and every place Muen had touched felt as though it had caught fire, turning flushed and burning warm.

She had tried to run too, but she couldn’t even separate her long legs, because one of Muen’s wicked hands had already gone into the place where no grass grew. She could only use her legs to block his further advance, but at a time like this, that kind of entangling only made it seem as if she didn’t want him to leave at all.

“And you still say you’re not a little bitch in heat?”

Amid the faint, delicate sound of trickling water, Muen delivered the final blow.

“Mmph!”

It was like a bolt of heavenly lightning crashing down from above, piercing straight through Ariel’s entire lovely body. From her fingertips to her heart, from the ends of her hair to the soles of her feet, every inch of her was spasming and trembling. Under the double assault on both body and mind, she experienced a strange sensation she had never felt before.

It was as if in a single instant she had risen into the heavens, only to plunge into the abyss the next.

With the soles of her feet braced against the edge of the table, all ten lovely toes stretched tight with force. Her slender, powerful waist arched high, and the white jade python wrapped around Muen’s arm could no longer spare any attention for stopping him, only parting to either side in shame.

“Mmm... ha... ha...”

Ariel was breathing hard, so hard it was as if her soul still had not fully returned to her body. She could only let the tip of her little tongue slip out unconsciously.

So Muen lowered himself over her and, without the slightest restraint, tasted the sweetest nectar at the moment the flower bloomed.

A soft, wet sound replaced the girl’s cry. By the time that long taking, stretched over several minutes, finally came to an end, she lay amid the disarray like a flower branch left tender and limp after rain.

“How was it? Did you like it?”

Muen gently stroked Ariel’s cheek, brushing aside the damp strands of hair clinging to her forehead with sweat.

“I-I didn’t like it at all!”

After resting for a while, Ariel finally recovered a bit of clarity. She fiercely drew Muen’s finger into her cherry lips and bit down hard... and when she saw the pained look on his face, a smug little expression of serves you right appeared on hers.

But in truth, Ariel no longer had much strength left even for biting. To Muen, it felt less like a bite than a lingering suck, and the slight furrow in his brow had come only because the touch of her soft little tongue was far too intoxicating.

At this point, Ariel was soft all over, with only her mouth retaining even a trace of defiance.

“It seems my punishment isn’t over yet.”

The corner of Muen’s mouth tilted, a cold smile appearing.

Ariel’s expression changed at once. Her lovely body twisted as she tried to struggle again, only for Muen’s hand to find the fastening at the back ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) of her dress.

With a soft rustle—

Her complicated dress, which Ariel herself had painstakingly spent several minutes putting on, didn’t last even three seconds in Muen’s hands before it slipped away. Even the cute white undergarment had already slid down onto her perfumed shoulders, leaving only a glimpse of soft curves that carried their own dangerous charm from above.

As for the rest, it had long since been whisked away by Muen in passing.

“No... don’t...”

Ariel shook her head hard. Though she had sworn that one day the tables would turn and she would be the one in control...

she also knew perfectly well that there was still a gap between her and Muen. In her current state—especially after everything she had just been through—there was no way she could endure what came next...

“S-stop... don’t... not now... not now...”

Tears clung to the corners of Ariel’s eyes as she reached out and braced both hands hard against Muen’s lower abdomen.

But with the arrow already set to the string, how could it possibly not be loosed?

Muen’s formal clothes came off even faster than Ariel’s. He directly lifted her legs to either side of his waist, then smoothly caught both her wrists in his hands.

“I already told you...”

Muen stared into Ariel’s frantic, trembling eyes.

“This is punishment!”

Boom!

A heavenly stone plunged into the sea.

The earth shuddered and split apart.

Lightning shattered the sky.

The volcano roared.

Ariel’s lovely body, which had only just begun to relax, suddenly went rigid all over again. Even the clean, sharp lines of muscle across her lower abdomen stood out clearly.

Unlike the pain of that first exploration the night before, this time, with the clear spring-like wetness soaking her through, the path that had just been opened was much smoother. Muen was able to press all the way to the deepest part without trouble, and without pain interfering, Ariel could feel more clearly than ever the lingering pleasure each of his thrusts left behind.

“Mmm... mmm... ah...”

Before long, the soft moans she had been suppressing could no longer be held back, gradually rising into a clear, lilting cry.

Ariel swayed helplessly, feeling as though she were a little boat adrift on the ocean, able only to rise and fall with the waves.

Her consciousness was gradually turning hazy. Her little head tipped back slightly, as if nothing else mattered anymore...

And just then, from the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of An beside them.

“N-no... no!”

The shame of being watched in the middle of something like this finally let Ariel briefly seize control of her body again. Her legs kicked wildly, trying to shove that bastard away.

But she had already been powerless before, so what could she do now?

Instead, Muen let out a small hiss.

“You actually bit me.”

A wicked look appeared on Muen’s face.

“So being watched actually turns you on, does it?”

“I-it doesn’t!”

As always, Ariel shook her head and denied it.

Bite?

What bite?

She hadn’t bitten anything at all.

But how could Muen possibly believe that? After all, he wasn’t talking about that bite.

“You say that, but your body’s being pretty honest.”

Muen suddenly flipped Ariel over, making her lie facedown on the table, her little face pressed against the cold tabletop and turned toward An’s side.

Now it was no longer just a glimpse from the corner of her eye. She was positioned perfectly to meet An’s gaze directly.

At that moment, An’s hands were still locked above her head in shackles, and her dress had already fallen half open, leaving broad stretches of skin exposed to the air. Denied the touch she longed for, she was already flushed and trembling all over.

Her beautiful eyes, hazy with moisture, were wide as she glared fiercely at Ariel. Especially when she saw what should have been hers being given so completely to someone else, the fire in her gaze seemed fierce enough to burn Ariel to ashes.

But before that blaze could rise much further, it was overwhelmed by something even harder to resist. Twisting helplessly where she was bound, An breathed out in longing, “Young Master... love me...”

Muen paid no attention to her.

He didn’t even spare An a glance.

He only leaned close to Ariel’s ear and asked teasingly,

“How does it feel?”

“Hmph...”

Ariel refused to admit that being watched by An was stirring some strange new feeling in her body, so she simply shut her eyes.

“Open your eyes!”

Smack!

Muen suddenly struck her sharply, the sound crisp in the candlelit room.

“Hurry up.”

“Mmph... don’t... it hurts...”

Ariel trembled and, with no other choice, opened her tear-bright eyes.

In the past, Ariel had suffered wounds that would have been unimaginable for ordinary people without even so much as frowning. Yet now, under Muen’s hand, her body shook violently once more, as though this kind of torment was far harder for her to endure.

Smack.

Muen clearly had no intention of letting her off. Each sharp strike landed cleanly, sending a shudder through her body.

“Are you still going to keep acting stubborn?”

“Mm...”

“Still going to be this arrogant?”

“Mmph...”

“Still going to fight and tear the house apart?”

“Mmm...”

Pain and pleasure had already become hopelessly entangled, to the point that Ariel could no longer tell where one ended and the other began. That relentless hand came down again and again, until color spread across her skin and her whole body trembled in a dazed haze.

Her trembling grew stronger and stronger, as if she were about to reach that limit again...

“Answer me. Are you going to get along properly or not?”

“Mmph...”

Ariel clung to the last shred of her reason and bit down hard, refusing to answer.

But Muen had clearly already sensed the crack in her defenses. His hand came down again—

and at that same moment, the pressure from the other side surged forward as well.

“Ah...”

A cry slipped from Ariel’s throat, impossible to tell whether it came from pleasure or pain.

“...Don’t... don’t hit me...”

Ariel—always so fearless, so stubborn, so strong and unyielding—finally lowered her head and surrendered under Muen’s relentless assault.

“I’ll get along properly... I will... I’ll get along properly... just don’t hit me anymore... mm... please don’t hit me anymore...”

...

...

The night stretched on—

unusually long.

After Ariel finally surrendered through tearful eyes, Muen’s advance became much smoother.

Whether it was the startling sensation beneath his hand or the rare sight of Ariel yielding at last, both only drove him on all the more.

Before long, Ariel could no longer endure it. Amid some unknown, soaring cry, she was driven once again to that threshold she both hated and craved.

“Hah...”

Muen let out a long breath as well, his body shuddering once before the sweat covering him seemed to vanish into heat.

Behind him, the alchemical core burned hot, clearly already operating at full force.

As expected of Ariel. Even if she lacked experience in this area, and even if he had managed to seize the upper hand, her physical resilience was still no joke. Truly overwhelming her had still taken real effort.

But for the current Muen, that was hardly anything difficult. After all, what he had faced before had usually been the savage siege of several women at once. Compared to that, a proper one-on-one contest like this was already something he could handle with practiced ease.

It could only be said that no hardship was meaningless. Without those past days of walking out barely able to keep his waist straight, how could he be enjoying this moment of triumph now?

But for tonight... this battle was not over yet.

Leaving Ariel there, flushed and dazed, still lost in the lingering aftershocks, Muen rose to his feet and walked to An’s side, where she had already been waiting for a long time.

“Young Master...”

An’s usually composed, elegant face had already begun to fall apart. An even deeper flush than Ariel’s had spread across her skin, and she was breathing hard, her long legs rubbing restlessly together, her whole body taut with unbearable strain.

“Please... love me...”

“An... my dear An...”

Muen bent down, stroking her cheek, her neck.

“Do you understand what you did wrong now?”

“I do... I understand... I know I was wrong...”

An shook her head hard, clinging to the touch of his palm and rubbing against it as if that alone might bring her some relief.

“Young Master... please love me... I can’t take this anymore...”

“Then will you still treat Ariel like some pest that has to be cleared away?” Muen asked, staring into her eyes.

“I...”

An suddenly fell silent, biting down hard on her lip.

“Then it looks like the punishment still isn’t over.”

Muen suddenly pressed down and sealed her lips.

The moment their lips met, Muen immediately felt that frantic little tongue push its way into his mouth, rubbing insistently, tangling with him without restraint, exchanging each other’s breath as though it were the only thing that mattered.

An had been waiting far too long. To her, Muen’s kiss was like a traveler lost in the desert for ages finally tasting sweet morning dew.

It was so wonderful that her whole body trembled from it.

But...

dew alone could never quench thirst.

If anything, in a way, it only woke a body that had already gone numb, sharpening every sensation and leaving it hotter, more restless, and even more desperate than before.

“Young Master...”

When the kiss ended, An rubbed herself against Muen in his arms, her hazy eyes full of moisture, pitiful and pleading.

“Please...”

“This is only the beginning.”

Muen refused her again with deliberate cruelty.

An’s love was fierce and violent. She did not fear the storms he brought her, and in truth welcomed them. Within the bounds she could accept, the rougher he was with her, the more deeply she sank into it.

So if he gave in to her now, it would no longer be punishment.

Ignoring An’s pleading, Muen let go of her slender waist, drew back slightly, and caught one of her feet in his hand.

Fresh from her bath, it was smooth and lovely, carrying a faint fragrance, still perfectly wrapped in silk. Even through the stocking, he could see the polish on her toes—a vivid, daring red.

Muen carefully tore the stocking a little, then began to caress that foot, from the sole to the spaces between her toes to the tips themselves, not overlooking a single detail, as if he were handling some extraordinary work of art.

“Mmm...”

A soft sound escaped An, as if she wasn’t used to being touched like that. All five toes curled tightly together.

“Don’t be nervous.”

Muen placed a light kiss on the top of her foot.

An trembled.

Muen kissed her again, then slowly worked his way upward from the arch of her foot.

Her calf, her knee, her thigh... and as he kissed each place, his hands followed too, stroking over every inch of her skin.

Through the stockings, the sensation never fully reached her, but that only made it worse. The heat already burning inside her found no release at all. Muen was like a master stoker feeding a furnace—adding fuel again and again, yet carefully controlling it so that she could never quite break.

“Don’t...”

An pressed her legs together hard, trying to seek some kind of relief, but Muen held her firmly in place, not even allowing her that small comfort.

The fire kept burning. His kisses reached the top of her thigh, only to bypass the place she longed for most and fall instead on her flat lower abdomen, then travel upward from there—first across gentle plains, and then toward rising heights... a landscape completely different from Ariel’s.

It did not have Liya’s overwhelming grandeur, towering into the clouds, but it still possessed the charm of a famous range. When Muen brought both hands together, he gathered that whole landscape into his palms.

At that moment, he truly experienced the artistry of nature. With every movement of his hands, those peaks seemed to shift and change beneath his touch.

“Young Master... don’t...”

An’s expression had already begun to blur. The heat Muen’s hands and kisses spread through every part of her body still found no release at all.

His hands continued their slow torment, while his kisses traveled higher, past her long neck, until they returned once more to her lips.

Muen bit lightly at An’s lip.

“Are you still going to ‘clear out the pest’?”

“...”

An squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to answer.

“As expected of you, An...”

Even now, at this point, she still refused to give in?

Then he really had no choice but to be serious.

Muen shifted her posture more firmly, forcing her open and leaving all of her hidden vulnerability exposed before him.

But faced with such a shamelessly revealing position, An showed no embarrassment at all. On the contrary, she was full of expectation.

She knew what was supposed to come after this.

So unlike Ariel, she did not resist violently. Instead, she tried with everything she had to respond to him, urging him on, hoping he would hurry, hurry, hurry...

But...

“Huh?”

A confused sound escaped An.

She waited and waited, but the thing she expected never came. Instead, Muen kept lingering right at the edge, making the fire already raging inside her burn even hotter.

“Young Master...”

An looked at him, her voice full of pleading.

“You want it?”

“Mhm...”

“You can have it.”

A wicked little smile touched Muen’s lips.

“Same condition as before. Get along properly with Ariel. Stop trying to treat her like some pest that has to be cleaned up...”

“...”

An bit down on her lip again, so hard it seemed she might bite it open.

How could she possibly stop clearing out pests? As his personal maid, getting rid of the pests around him was supposed to be her first duty.

But...

But...

She really was at her limit.

That fire kept raging through her body, and she could not find the slightest release.

Especially if she counted from the time they had left Belrand for the Abyss—just how long had she already been enduring this?

Enduring... enduring... she had long since endured as much as she possibly could. At this point, she wanted nothing more than to throw herself at him and devour him completely.

“Still not answering?”

Muen continued his slow torment. He knew exactly where An’s limit was, so every time she was about to reach it, he would suddenly draw back, denying her even the smallest touch.

Again and again.

No one could endure that kind of stop-and-start torment forever.

“I...”

At last.

An could not bear it anymore. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Clearing out pests was important, yes, but... if it was only a temporary truce... yes, if it was only temporary...

“All right...”

An’s lips parted softly as she finally answered.

“I’ll get along properly with Miss Ariel. And for now, I won’t treat her like a pest either. So... Young Master...”

“You’re such a good girl, An.”

The instant An gave her answer, Muen finally granted what he had been withholding. A heavy sigh of pleasure escaped her as she at last found satisfaction.

And yet that was only the beginning.

The night was still long, and she would be much more thoroughly satisfied before it ended.

...

...

“Mmph... damn you, Muen... doing something like this to me...”

Who knew how much time had passed before Ariel finally came back to herself from that dazed state. As the lingering aftertaste of having been carried so high gradually faded, what remained was only the burning shame and humiliation.

But before Ariel could grit her teeth and start plotting revenge, her attention was drawn by the sounds of overwhelming pleasure coming from nearby.

“Mmm... ah... Young Master... faster...”

Ariel secretly turned her head and saw a struggle far more intense than her own had been just now. She saw An, who was usually so composed and capable, now desperately demanding more as if she were a bottomless pit.

“T-that’s way too shameless... doing that right in front of someone else...”

Ariel instinctively wanted to cover her eyes, only to suddenly remember that she herself had just been in exactly the same position. Her little face turned red, her eyes widened, and in the end she refused to cover them at all. Instead, she stared right back.

If you watched me, then I’ll watch you. That was only fair.

But fire, after all, was very good at setting nearby things alight. After watching for a while, Ariel’s long legs began rubbing together unconsciously...

Time passed again, and Ariel suddenly snapped out of it when she realized Muen, carrying An in his arms, was walking toward her.

“W-what are you trying to do now?”

“Didn’t I say I was going to make you get along peacefully?”

Muen pressed the bare, breathless An down onto Ariel and smiled wickedly.

“What could improve a relationship more than complete honesty with each other?”

“Wh-what do you mean improve a relationship? Someone who’d poison people whenever she pleases, I—”

“Hm? But don’t you like beautiful girls?”

Muen asked in puzzlement, “Isn’t An beautiful?”

“That’s different!”

Ariel shouted, “Get off me, she’s heavy!”

“Hmph. Looks to me like you still haven’t really surrendered.”

Muen gave a cold snort. “If that’s the case... then we’ll continue tomorrow.”

“C-continue?” Ariel’s expression froze, and the humiliating images from before instantly resurfaced in her mind.

“Of course. I told you I’d make you get along peacefully. So until that’s truly accomplished, no matter how many times it takes, I’ll stay with you both...”

He leaned in and softly breathed those words against Ariel’s ear.

“So do look forward to it.”

“Who... who would look forward to that, you pervert! You shameless bastard!”

Ariel pounded weakly at Muen’s shoulder. “Damned blond bastard!”

Of course, Ariel’s resistance accomplished nothing. If anything, it only gave Muen another opportunity to press his advantage.

What had begun as a supposedly fair one-on-one showdown had, by the second half of the night, finally turned into him taking them on one after the other.

And facing these two already-defeated opponents, his victory was all but certain.