Volume Four
Jailhouse Blues for This Princess!
Prologue
"Line up, prisoners! We haven't got all day!"
A red demon with one eye and four arms yelled at the fifteen of us bound up in chains.
Rori-san was two prisoners away from me, while senpai was at the far end of the line. Among us were a mix of men and women who probably got caught by the demons.
"I am your warden and you will obey me and the guards at all times! You will not be allowed to leave your cell unless you are working in the mines! All meals will be brought over to your cell! Oh, I'm sorry, I mean all meals, if you're lucky enough to get meals for the day, will be brought over to your cell! You do not have rights, you don't even have a name when you're in here! You will be assigned a number shortly! Do you understand, my cute little prisoners?!"
He stopped in front of me and yelled full volume at my face, spittle flying all over me.
I tried not to react or show weakness. Princess Iris Belzerg won't be intimidated by a lowly demon!
As for our mission, the initial goal was to infiltrate the base. We didn't mean to get caught, but we still successfully accomplished the first part of our mission. We made it inside the base without revealing our real identities as spies.
"We will assign your numbers to you shortly! These brands will be assigned to random parts of your body, so you better hope we don't brand your butt! Hahaha!"
While letting out a sadistic laugh, I heard the prisoners who were first in line yelp out in pain as a searing hot brand was pressed against their skin.
"The numbers will start from 200! That's because there have been a total of 200 prisoners in our lovely prison up to now! Most of them die after the first month or so. Try to live and stay healthy as long as you can, alright? Hahaha!"
When It was my turn, I saw the brand that was waiting for me. All the while I was thinking, not the face, not the face…
I felt the brand make contact with the area below my neck, around my chest. I gritted my teeth as the pain coursed through me.
I saw the scarred mark on my skin. I was prisoner number 206.
I wasn't worried about the scar, since it could be repaired with simple healing magic.
That is, if I had an opportunity to use it without giving myself away.
"Alright, prisoners 200 to 215! Follow your guards to your jail cells! And remember, let's have fun and enjoy our time together! If I like you, I'll even hold a funeral service for you when you die. Most of the time we just eat the corpses! Hahaha!"
The warden's sadistic cries rang out as the guards shoved us into our cells.
All the while, I was looking around, looking for vulnerabilities in this prison.
Unlike the powerless prisoners all around me who had already given up, I resolved to somehow, someway, escape this demonic prison…!
Chapter One
We left the castle before Revi and Komekko-chan woke up for their trip to the Crimson Demon village.
"Oh? You don't want to say goodbye to the boya?"
Regina-sama asked, as she saw me packing up all the supplies we'd need for the espionage mission.
"What's the point? We're only going to be separated for a few days. It's not like our espionage mission will take a long time, too. We just need to see if there's anything suspicious going on in one of the caches."
A part of me was telling myself not to raise any flags, as onii-sama would say, but I truthfully didn't think that anything could possibly go wrong.
"If you say so. I'll be going back to Axel to pick up some research materials, then. I'll be spending my time researching here in your lovely home, Iris-chan."
"Make yourself at home."
The faster Regina-sama finished a potion to turn me back to normal, the easier it would be for me to face any of the threats that waited in the future.
I also wanted to get rid of this blue hair as soon as possible.
"Serena will hope you in your mission, though. She's my disciple, so I trust her to assist you well in all kinds of things."
Serena-san was a Demon King general who was in charge of infiltration. If anything, I felt like she was qualified to lead the whole mission instead of merely assisting.
It kind of put the pressure on me to do the job well with a pro constantly looking over what I was doing.
Rather, it's not like I had any experience doing this kind of thing.
Does going to the guild to listen for Revi's love life gossip count as espionage?
Rori-san was packing her things as well. I noticed that she was packing all kinds of cute clothes and underwear.
"Um… Rori-san, we're going to be spying on demons, not going to a ball."
"Tsk, tsk… You're a beautiful girl, Iris-chan… You need to understand how to use that as your weapon."
She wagged her finger at me in disapproval for what I said. For some reason, Regina-sama was nodding along with her.
"Here's a little quiz. If you need to gather information from a corrupt noble, what should you do?"
I thought about the thief group that big boss was a part of.
"You sneak in at night and find incriminating evidence…"
"Wrong! You wear cute clothes, seduce him and steal the information once he invites you inside! You can even plant evidence of another corrupt noble doing the theft, or you could look for blackmail while inside."
As expected of a succubus, her main method was seduction.
I imagined big boss relying on those methods instead of the usual thieving…
No, I couldn't imagine it at all.
Regina-sama, who was nodding so much that I thought she looked like one of the bobble head toys that onii-sama developed, had this to add on,
"Yes, that's the way I trained Serena, too. With her ability to enslave people and make them puppets by doing favors for them, of course seduction is an efficient way to meet the ability's requirements…"
I was pretty sure that a beautiful woman like Serena-san could enslave any man even without her powers if she seduced them…
I wonder how much of her influence over guys had to do with her powers or her looks.
Really, men were such simple minded creatures.
Take Revi, for example.
He got better recently, but if it was him before, if a pretty girl told him she'd spend the night with him if he jumped off a building, he'd actually do it.
And the idiot would do it before he got the reward, too.
"There will be no seduction or anything like that! Besides, I have a thing with Revi now, so I wouldn't use those methods, anyway."
Regina-sama smirked, then leaned in and said with a lowered voice,
"Speaking of that boya… are you not worried about sending him alone with Komekko?"
I glanced away, avoiding her gaze.
"Why would I need to worry?"
"Oh, come on. It's not a secret that she likes him a lot. Plus, he was practically wagging his tail for her before you made the first move, Iris."
I shook my head as Regina-sama tried to get a rise out of me.
"You don't know that guy, Regina-sama. He's smart only when it comes to lewd things. He's happy with what he currently has with me. He wouldn't want to ruin it by cheating with some other girl…"
"Would you consider it cheating? I mean, Komekko-chan is Komekko-chan…"
Rori-san said, giving me a meaningful look.
I thought about what we talked about in the closet, the night of the sleepover.
She asked me to keep an open mind about the possibility of sharing Revi with Komekko-chan… Well, with the whole group, actually.
According to her, it was a way to keep the group together.
…After that talk, she proceeded to make out with me to show just how beneficial, and pleasurable, such an open relationship would be.
I was tempted, for sure, and I began to consider it.
However, it wasn't something that I could just readily accept.
It's one thing to confess to a guy, it was another matter to let him form a harem with you in it.
"I'd consider it cheating if they do it behind my back, I guess."
I'd at least like to know first.
"...Then would it be cheating if we did it together?"
"Eh?!"
Rori-san said, leaning in to look closer at my face, while giving me an innocent smile despite what she just said.
"...W-Well, it's a different matter between girls, isn't it? Rather than the real thing, it's more like playing around."
"I wonder why you think that? It's the same act, isn't it? It's a different thing because of the genders…"
"I'm a Devil, so I don't have a gender, though…? Although I am physically in the form of a human, I can't breed or reproduce, and I don't have any concept about the matter. I find you as physically attractive as Revi-san… Perhaps maybe more…?"
"...?!"
I almost forgot the fact that Devils didn't have things like gender, both in a biological sense and societal sense.
If Revi somehow did lewd things with a guy, I'd just laugh at him since I knew it would be due to an accident or a misunderstanding, or something. Likewise, if I did it with a girl, I'd just consider it as playing around or experimenting.
However, Rori-san would consider both acts to be intimate, regardless of the genders involved.
I stepped back away from her, trying not to blush from the way she was looking at me.
"S-Sorry, I forgot about that…"
Regina-sama laughed at my predicament.
"Well, this seems like an amusing conversation, but I should get going now. Good luck on your journey, you two…"
Regina-sama bade us farewell as she left.
The way she said 'journey' was a bit weird. I wondered what kind of journey she was talking about…
Regina-sama only needed to go to a teleportation circle, while we had to physically travel to the Demon King army's cache location. In order to prevent foreign nations or terrorists from getting into the capital, or the castle, there were many additional steps to the teleportation process. It took a bit longer for the spell to cast while inside the castle walls, so Regina-sama didn't want to delay her appointment.
While we were alone, I watched Rori-san looking over her luggage once more. We were bringing our things in travel packs, so she made sure to fold her dresses and things carefully. My eyes drifted over to the panties she packed.
While I was looking at her cute, pink panties, something came to mind.
"Say, Rori-san… If you don't really care about things like gender and gender roles, why is it that you're obsessed with the ideas of princesses?"
Since she had a princess fetish, even going so far as to requesting that we stay in the castle forever, I wondered how that fit into the whole no gender preference thing…
"Hmm… I don't think about princesses in a gender sense, more like the concept of a princess, I suppose? I probably like princes as much as I do princesses… Rather, I like the concept of special existences, foremost. Princesses are considered to be an existence that ranks higher than the common person. They're bred and raised to fit such a high and lofty expectation. If one were to admire someone based on the traditional standards of beauty, personality and social status, then wouldn't you say that princesses are the most admirable people in the world?"
Onii-sama talked about a similar thing, during one of our lengthy talking sessions when he visited the castle. He said that there was a group of people back in his country called 'Idols', who were treated like princesses. Actually, the stories he shared about the obsessive way their fans treated them probably meant that they were held on a much higher pedestal than princesses.
He also talked about celebrities, singers and actors… people who are in a profession where they are adored by many fans. Perhaps this feeling of admiration for exceptional people that Rori-san was talking about referred to this concept of a celebrity.
"I see… I think I understand a bit."
"I'm glad you do!"
"So Rori-san is surprisingly a simple minded fangirl who worships celebrities, huh? I see."
"T-The way you said that is a bit insulting?!"
It felt a bit refreshing getting a rise out of Rori-san, since I was usually on the receiving end of her teasing.
Part Two
The carriage was waiting for us outside.
Instead of an ordinary coachman, Serena-san was taking care of the transport.
Obviously, we couldn't use the usual royal carriage since we were supposed to be incognito.
"We'll be in your care…"
I said, while bowing to her, showing my proper respect to a senpai.
"...Having a princess act like a subordinate. Just talk to me casually."
"How can I do that?! You're not only older than me, but I'll be relying on you in this mission, too!"
"Fine, I get it, I get it…"
She seemed to give up when I insisted. She didn't seem like a very strong willed person, which was strange considering her powers allowed her to bend other people's wills.
"Then, once more, I'll be relying on you, senpai!"
"...No matter how I think about it, having a princess call me senpai is really weird?!"
"You'll get used to it, senpai!"
"Now I think you're just making fun of me… whatever. Go and put your stuff in."
She sighed and muttered something under her breath, before letting us put our stuff inside the carriage.
Once we placed our things away, we went inside the carriage and made ourselves comfortable.
"Wah… The seats are really uncomfortable…"
I said, while shifting around in the hard benches. They didn't even have any cushions.
"I'm used to a certain standard of living after spending all that time in the castle. How unfortunate…"
Rori-san was also squirming as she sat down on the hard seats.
Our bums will probably get sore after spending hours sitting on these things.
While I was complaining, I saw Claire and Rain approaching the carriage. Claire had an apologetic look on her face.
"F-Forgive me for the uncomfortable travel accommodations, Iris-sama! However, this lady insisted that your carriage needed to look as inconspicuous as possible to avoid any unwanted attention…"
She glared at Serena-senpai, as if blaming her for my discomfort.
"...I'm prioritizing your charge's safety over her comfort, so I apologize for any inconvenience. However, please rest assured that no harm will come over to her."
"...I suppose you're right to think about her safety more than anything else. Sorry for accusing you like that… I-I'm yours to command, master!"
Serena sighed and waved her hand. Claire blinked, then looked around.
"Eh? Why did I feel like I wanted to serve you just now…?"
"Don't worry about it."
Serena-senpai's powers activated by mistake after Claire felt gratitude for senpai valuing my safety.
It must be inconvenient having that skill affect your daily life, even if you don't want it to.
Perhaps that was why Serena-senpai had a neutral expression and mannerisms most of the time. Even a smile from a beautiful woman would make a random guy having a bad day feel better. Then they'd feel grateful to Serena-senpai and become her slave.
I thought that she had a useful skill, but it was surprisingly a pain in the ass.
"Iris-sama, I hope you stay safe."
Rain said, while giving me a small but assuring smile.
"Keep Claire in line while I'm gone, alright? And make sure to encourage her to see some guys when she's free. She's getting to that age…"
"Will do, Iris-sama."
"W-Why is Iris-sama bringing that up, now?! And most of the guys I do see make me do lewd things but don't ask for a second date when I don't go all the way with them on the first date! Men are scum! They only want one thing, and it's disgusting!"
"It's hard to date nobles, huh?"
I nodded in understanding. Due to her position and family background, Claire didn't have a lot of options when it came to men. Most noblemen were the conceited and self-absorbed types. I could see them acting in the way Claire described.
"Promise to stay safe, Iris-sama!"
"Alright, let's go in, now… I swear, acting like this at your age."
"Rain, you keep mentioning my age, but we're not that far apart in that department, right?!"
I watched Rain drag Claire away, who was crying while reaching her hand out to me.
"They sure love you, huh?"
Serena-senpai watched, with some amusement, as Claire was dragged out.
"...Perhaps that one loves you a bit too much. I always sense lust coming out from her when she looks at you."
Rori-san said something that I wanted to ignore.
After a tearful goodbye, on Claire's part, at least, we were set to leave on the carriage.
Serena-san took her place at the front and ordered the horses to move.
The road was already proving to be a bumpy one.
I sighed as we went through three bumps in the first minute alone. I took out a book and tried to read it, even with all the bumping and moving around.
…That only made my motion sickness worse.
After an hour or so of travel, I was already bored.
I thought that I'd be able to read some books, but the constantly bumping made that impossible.
"I'm bored…"
I leaned back on my seat, not finding comfort at all from the hard wood seating.
"Ah, I know… how about this?"
Rori-san took out a chess board from her bags.
"...I can't read while the carriage is moving, and you expect me to play chess? Besides, the pieces will just fall off and we don't have a place to put the board on."
"We don't need to use the pieces. Besides, we can just do this…"
Before my eyes, I saw illusory pieces appear on the board.
Rori-san was using her illusion magic to create the chess pieces.
"Just tell me where you want to move the pieces and we can play that way!"
Rori-san only took out the board for reference. She took the board back and the illusory pieces remained in the air, floating like little ghosts.
"...I have to admit, you sure find creative ways to use your illusion magic, Rori-san."
Back when we were pursuing Sonia, she used her illusion magic to show us Sonia's location without having to speak and alert Sonia with the noise.
"Hehe… It feels good to be praised. You can go first."
"Alright, then I guess I'll move my adventurer piece to c3…"
"Then I'll move my Crusader to f6!"
We verbally used algebraic notation to play the game.
I wasn't at a chase where I could play chess in my head. I still needed some kind of visual reference.
…Come to think of it, Revi was somehow able to play chess with me even if he was already reading a book.
That kind guy is kind of unexpectedly smart at times, isn't he?
While I was thinking about Revi's surprisingly good memory, I occupied the time playing illusion chess with Rori-san.
Part Three
After several hours, we finally reached our first stop.
A fortress located near the Demon King army territory.
"...What's that doing there?"
I pointed to a rather large mural of Aqua-san that was painted on the castle's walls.
Maybe it's meant to scare away the demons?
"Apparently, that lady on the mural is the one who repaired the walls, back when Wolbach was trying to siege this place."
Serena-senpai explained to me, as we looked up at the mural.
"Oh, so they decided to create a mural for her as thanks?"
"I think she made it herself."
It takes a special kind of person who'd make a mural of themselves.
Then again, Aqua-san is special in all kinds of ways.
The soldiers stationed at the fort gave me a nod and let us inside.
They were only informed that they would house us on the night and treat us respectfully, but they weren't told about our identities.
It was already close to nighttime by the time we arrived.
There wasn't anything remarkable for dinner, since we were in a military base. I ate my soup with hard bread and cheese, and washed it away with cheap wine.
After waiting for the men to finish their turns in the communal bathhouse, us ladies took our turns.
"Wah… This feels kind of not bad, right?"
"Well, hot water is hot water, I guess."
The baths weren't anything remarkable, either, but the bath still felt nice after hours of sitting on a hard seat. I felt my exhaustion slowly melting away.
Serena-senpai, who worked hard the entire time, seemed like she was close to passing out into a deep sleep. She was already nodding off in the bath.
"Senpai…if you're gonna sleep, do it in your room."
"Just a little nap…"
"I'm telling you that you can't sleep here…"
I gently shook her shoulder, trying to keep her awake.
As I did so, I saw her large breasts bouncing from the motion.
I looked down at my own chest.
"..."
Even though it was just a temporary body, Regina-sama chose to give me small breasts.
She could have at least made them a bit bigger.
"...The artificial body needs to have the same body type in order for it to function."
"Why are you explaining this to me?"
I didn't ask.
After a few more minutes of soaking in the bath, Rori-san and I helped drag Serena-san out of the bath.
She was too tired to get dressed, so we wrapped her up in a towel and led her out to her room.
While we were walking down the halls, we saw a pair of soldiers who looked like they were doing their rounds, walking around the base.
They saw the half-naked senpai and blushed.
"...What are your orders, master?" x 2.
They immediately got charmed by senpai.
"Senpai, tell them to go on with their business…"
"Go away."
She tiredly mumbled.
…This power of hers was really inconvenient in a lot of ways.
After dropping senpai off at her room, I gave a tired smile of my own to Rori-san.
"Well, I guess we'll see each other tomorrow."
"Oh? I thought we could play a bit in my room?"
She gave me an innocent smile.
But underneath that smile, there was a trace of naughtiness.
"W-What kind of 'playing' do you have in mind?"
"Oh? Well, that depends on you? We could just do each other's hair, or tell funny stories to each other… Or…?"
"Or…?!"
"Well, we already had the dinner, we already had the baths, so that leaves…"
She giggled while leaving it off at that.
I felt a bit bad now for all the times I teased Revi and did nothing.
What a blue balling tease!
I accepted her invitation and followed her to the room she was assigned.
We were both wearing our pajamas. She sat on the bed and gestured for me to join her.
After a minute or so of awkward silence, she said,
"Are you missing Revi-kun already?"
She gave me a knowing smirk. I blushed, but slowly nodded.
"You two have been… experimenting with each other's bodies for the last few days, right? Have you gone all the way yet?"
"N-No…"
"Ah, I see. But after doing all that, it'll be a bit lonely for you to go to bed without doing anything, right?"
"W-Well…"
Before, I didn't really think about it, but after doing all kinds of lewd things with Revi, the thought of going to bed alone seemed kind of disappointing.
In fact, I was planning on getting myself off back in my room.
However, if Rori-san was implying she'd help…
Then why should I stop her?!
"Yes, I suppose I would like some company in bed…"
She giggled at my straightforward response, then placed her hand over mine.
"...Please don't take this the wrong way, but you're becoming more like Revi-kun, did you know that?"
"What do you mean by that?!"
I couldn't help but feel offended.
"It's just that your responses and mannerisms are starting to mix. You have the same blushing but expectant look he gets when I tease him… It's honestly cute…"
"Eep!"
She suddenly pushed me down on the bed, then straddled my waist.
I saw her lick her fingers.
"Don't worry, princess. I'll service you until you're satisfied…"
She leaned in and took my lips…
…Then proceeded to have her way with me for the rest of the night.
Part Four
When I woke up, there was a naked succubus next to me on my bed.
The memories of last night flooded into my head.
…What can I say, as expected of a succubus.
She was really skilled.
She started stirring awake shortly after I did.
"...Morning, princess."
She gave me a cute smile while nuzzling me.
She was still wearing my panties on her head though…
What can I say… this is not a bad way to wake up!
I never thought that I'd be attracted to another girl but… cute girls are justice!
Yes, the concept of a cute girl transcends gender.
It doesn't matter who or what you are, the sight of a cute girl next to you in bed will make your heart beat faster…
"T-Thanks for last night, Rori-san. That was great… Um, about us…"
"...Are you worried about what'll happen to our relationship now?"
I looked away as she gave me an understanding look.
I felt like an inexperienced child compared to her.
Then again, she probably had decades of life experience over me as a devil.
"...I told you before, Iris-san. I love you. I love the party. Even if it's not with physical intimacy, I want to express my love in any way I can. Of course, for a succubus like myself, things like this are the most natural way for me to express my love. It feels good, too, right?"
"Y-Yeah, it feels good."
"Then that's all there is to it, isn't it?"
"...How can you define our relationship, though. F-Friends with benefits…?"
"Uwa… I can't believe the princess of this nation just said such a dirty term like that…"
"...! I-I didn't mean to…?!"
"Relax, I'm just teasing!"
She giggled, amused by my reaction. She was totally having fun teasing me.
"How about… friendly lovers?"
"...Is that even a thing?"
"Friends with benefits just sounds like we're after each other's bodies. You love me, but not in a completely romantic way, right? That kind of love is reserved for Revi-kun."
"Well… I guess…"
"Then, I don't mind occupying just a bit of your heart. I want you to look at me as a friend that you can have some romantic affections for, without being a full-time lover. In other words, I'm fine being second or even third place in your heart!"
I found it a bit disconcerting how Rori-san could talk about our relationship in such an objective manner. Since she was a devil, she had different values than us.
While a normal girl wouldn't want to play second place, she was saying that she was alright with being in the bottom of the hierarchy in a polygamous relationship.
"...I assume you'll want this kind of relationship with Revi, too?"
"Of course, I want it with everyone!"
When it comes to Rori-san doing it with Revi… I found myself surprisingly alright with the idea.
Perhaps it was because I just spent all of last night getting intimate with Rori-san. I couldn't exactly say that she couldn't do the same with Revi after all we did.
"I think I'm fine with that, then."
"Great! Now, how about Komekko-chan?"
She took me by surprise, suddenly asking about Komekko-chan.
"...I promised to be open-minded, but I still don't know how I'd feel about that."
"What makes Komekko-chan different from me?"
I looked away, feeling an ugly feeling welling up in my chest.
I still wasn't entirely over my inferiority complex with Komekko-chan.
With Rori-san, I felt comfortable letting her do all kinds of things with Revi. It might sound cruel, but I didn't see Rori-san as a threat.
She even said that she was fine with the role of being third place.
With Komekko-chan, I still felt as if I was inferior to her in a lot of ways.
I couldn't see us as equals, not yet.
She was beautiful, smart, powerful… a genius among geniuses.
She'd probably ace the magic license exam without any problems, that was just how talented and amazing she was.
Adding to all that, she was big boss Megumin's sister.
…It wasn't Komekko-chan's fault, but I couldn't help but feel old wounds opening when I thought about her stealing Revi away from me.
First there was onii-sama… then I'd lose Revi to the little sister?
I couldn't help but get irrationally angry when I thought about that.
Rori-san seemed to sense my internal turmoil.
"...It's alright. We'll figure something out. I just hope we can all get along."
"I'll try to keep an open mind, Rori-san."
…
…
After dressing up, we met up with senpai at the mess hall for breakfast.
We were getting all kinds of looks from the soldiers. Since most of them were stationed out here in the middle of nowhere, it was probably a while since they saw girls like us.
Some of them were giving us lewd gazes and undressing us with their eyes.
Rori-san was quite happy with the build up of lust in the air. She patted her tummy.
"Thanks for the food!"
After finishing our breakfast, which was pretty much just leftovers from last night's dinner, senpai started talking about our plans for the day.
"After a few hours of travel, we'll probably find the Demon King cache… somewhere around here, if your intel is correct."
She unfolded a map and pointed at the location Sonia told us about.
If the Demon King army were making their move, it was best to be one step ahead of them.
"Remember, we shouldn't take too many risks on this espionage mission. We will only observe if it looks like the Demon King army is preparing for an assault. If it looks like they're amassing a great amount of supplies, rations and equipment, then that tells us that they're preparing for something big."
I nodded along to senpai's orders. As expected of an espionage expert. She sounded like she really knew what she was doing.
"Our goal is to take a quick peek, observe them for an hour or so, then we'll head back to the capital with our findings. Any questions?"
"No questions, senpai!"
"I think I understand what we're doing!"
Senpai gave us a skeptical look after we gave a casual response.
"Look, we're not going on a field trip here… If something goes wrong, we could get captured by the Demon King army…"
She was worried about our apparent lack of urgency.
"Well, like senpai said, this is a simple recon mission, right? If we take it too seriously, we might do something unnecessary. If this weren't a simple mission with low risks, then Claire wouldn't have felt comfortable letting me go on this mission."
If even the paranoid and overprotective Claire felt confident enough to let me go on this mission, then there probably was no risk of anything going wrong.
Senpai didn't really know how paranoid Claire could be when it came to my safety, though. She must have thought that Claire was just being irresponsible, letting the princess go off on a recon mission to a Demon King army military base.
"In any case, please focus on supporting me, since I'm the most experienced one here. Rorisa, use your illusions if need be. And Iris-sama…"
"...Just call me Iris, senpai!"
"...Iris, you're here in case we need you to use your [Shadow Thread]."
"Eh? I'm not here for my intelligence and wit in the face of unexpected situations?"
"...Are you really that kind of character? I thought Revi-san was more like that."
Rori-san seemed surprised by my self-assessment.
"E-Eh?! Does Revi really give you that kind of impression, Rori-san?! Rather, what kind of role do you think I have in the party?!"
"...Iris-san is more like the hotblooded warrior type that fights in the frontlines, no? You have a priest class, but you still use a sword and you always find your way fighting head to head."
I gave her the impression of a meathead?!
"I have a lot of problems with that assessment, but what I want to know is why Revi is the smart one in the party that is good in unexpected situations!"
I wanted that kind of role from the start, and I even asserted myself as the party's leader.
The reason being, that was onii-sama's role back when he was an adventurer.
"Well… I don't know if you noticed, but he's actually really good at controlling the pace of the battle. Whenever you and Komekko-chan attack, there are always openings when Komekko-chan is vulnerable after using a spell, or when you take too much damage from using your damage-reflecting abilities. Revi-san always times his attacks to cover for you guys in those moments. It's like he memorized your attack patterns and does his best to coordinate his attacks with you."
…I didn't even realize that he was doing that.
Since Komekko-chan and I have an aggressive fighting style, and the both of us weren't traditional frontliners who wear heavy armor, there were lots of times when we were vulnerable to counterattacks.
If Revi was really timing his attacks to make sure that we could fight aggressively, then I had no choice but to agree with Rori-san's observation.
…He really was filling onii-sama's role in our party, as the one that keeps everything together.
Well, rather than getting jealous of him, I'm starting to like him even more somehow.
Which is weird, since I'm pretty sure I was already head over heels for him.
It's still strange to think that I really did fall in love with that dork.
"Hehe… Iris-san is blushing?"
Rori-san giggled after seeing me blush.
While she was watching us, senpai sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Please, let's focus on the topic."
"R-Right, sorry about that."
In the middle of our operation planning, Rori-san and I started talking about boys.
It was actually a bit embarrassing. Senpai was looking at us like we were both immature little girls.
"You said something about my [Shadow Thread], senpai?"
"I'm glad you're listening. Now, you've probably seen Regina-sama use a technique that uses puppet strings similar to [Shadow Thread] to control dolls, yes?"
"Yeah, it was pretty effective during the Makemake fight, since it allowed Regina-sama to create a lot of distractions to occupy Makemake's attention."
I did remember a skill like that.
"That skill is a variation of [Shadow Thread]. It allows one to control and create living dolls, as long as the threads are connected to them. These dolls can then be used as dummies in a fight, or can be used for the purposes of reconnaissance, since the user can see through the doll's eyes."
"...That sounds cool! So, will any doll work?"
"Yes, any doll works… but you wouldn't happen to have a doll right now, do you?"
I blushed and avoided her criticizing look.
"...I keep this one just as a good luck charm of sorts. It's from Regina-sama's first fetch quest she gave us."
I took out the Crimson Demon doll that looked a lot like Komekko-chan. Regina-sama had us go on a fetch quest just to prove worth to her.
It was fun for the first adventure we went through.
"...! This doll is actually custom made to be used by the puppetry skill. Or rather, the materials for it are perfect. It seems Regina-sama wanted you to have this on purpose."
She custom ordered this doll for me to use in combination with [Shadow Thread]?
Or rather, that whole fetch quest actually had a purpose to it?!
"I see… So how do I use this skill?"
"I'll teach you, and you should be able to use the skill once you unlock it with skill points. I think ten skill points should be enough."
"Ten skill points?! Why is it worth so much?!"
"It's a unique skill that's similar in function to [Golem Creation], with less utility and combat power. However, it does have special functions, like the vision sharing ability. I'd say that ten skill points is actually pretty cheap."
"Oh… I don't think I have enough skill points right now…"
"...Eh? I was informed by Regina-sama that you went out to do some quests to level up, though…"
"...My assistants who were supposed to be helping me out took all the kills instead."
I went on that Horned Goblin quest with Revi and Komekko-chan, and that one with the Swordbeak bird thing, but Komekko-chan and Revi took most of the kills during the Horned Goblin quest, and I only leveled up once after fighting the big bird with a sword for its beak.
"...I see. I thought it would be useful to bring you along since we can use the [Shadow Puppetry] skill together, which will allow us to observe our targets from afar. Perhaps we can help you level up with the high-level monsters around here until you have enough skill points?"
Since we were near the Demon King territory, most of this land was unoccupied, aside from the military posts.
Since there was a lack of Adventurer Guilds around, and soldiers had their hands full fighting demons, the monster population around this area was allowed to breed and become powerful apex predators.
In exchange for their low intelligence, monsters had the ability to quickly evolve and develop traits that would help them survive harsh environments.
"Alright, that sounds good."
We didn't have a deadline on the recon mission, anyway. We could spare a day or two of hunting monsters.
Plus, in case things went wrong, it wouldn't hurt to raise our levels.
As we were preparing to leave the cafeteria, we noticed some soldiers had stood up and gathered around us. They had lewd grins on their faces.
"Hey, ladies, care to have some fun with us?"
"It's rare for us to see beautiful girls like you! Or any girls, really!"
"Come on, we'll make sure you have fun, too…"
An event like this happened. I couldn't say that I didn't expect this.
In fact, I would have been insulted if they didn't approach us.
However, I'm sorry, but I'm already interested in someone else~
If they had approached me earlier, I might have been tempted.
After all, I almost did it with Makemake that one time.
…I wanted to forget that ever happened.
Still, these soldiers were pretty handsome, in a rugged sort of way.
If I wasn't such a loyal person, I might have been tempted.
"...I'm sorry, gentlemen, but we are not interested…"
Senpai said, as she bowed and tried to slip away.
"Oh, come on, don't be like that…"
One of the soldiers grabbed senpai's arm. He even took the opportunity to grope her bum.
Uwa… What a creep…
Senpai didn't react to it, though. In fact, she had a calm look on her face.
"...I'm sure you were made aware by your commander here that we are guests that are meant to be treated with respect? I wonder what will happen if I report this incident?"
"...! U-Um…"
These soldiers seemed to suffer from short-term memory. They forgot that they were ordered to not bother us.
Our identities weren't revealed, but Claire, ever the paranoid type, wanted to take every precaution before sending me over to a military base filled with pent up soldiers.
"W-We're sorry for offending you…"
The soldier's face paled and he immediately let go of senpai.
"...Well, it's fine. Since you're all cooperating nicely, I won't report your poor conduct."
Senpai gave them a charming smile. Since I was a fellow girl, I knew that the smile was fake.
However, the soldiers' expressions were filled with awe and gratitude.
"T-Thank you so much… master…!"
Senpai's skill took effect on them.
However, instead of dismissing them like she did before…
"Actually, if you want to make it up to us, you can help us out…"
"We'll do anything you ask, master!"
Senpai gave us a thumbs up.
"Now we have some grunts that can help you gain levels."
What a manipulative person…
Part Five
"...Eh? What are we doing here? I feel so tired!"
"...Why am I covered in monster blood?!"
After a few hours of making the soldiers hunt monsters for us and letting me have the finishing blow, the soldier's gratitude towards senpai gradually wore off.
As they were starting to come to, senpai sighed and turned to her slaves,
"...If you promise to keep working for us, we won't tell your commander."
"Huh?! What do you mean, bitch?! I don't know what you did, but it seems like you took us away from our post!"
"Our commander won't take kindly to that, you know?!"
They didn't know that I outranked their commander and were mouthing off to us.
Senpai looked like she was thinking of what to do.
"Alright, how about this, then?"
She lifted up her skirt.
…So she's just gonna default to that, huh?
Is that her hidden trump card, or something?
The soldiers blushed and drooled as they received an eyeful of senpai's black lingerie underwear.
"Now, get to work."
"Yes, master!"
The soldiers were quickly influenced by senpai's ability again and set off to work for us.
Since we were here anyway, we decided to have Rori-san level up as well.
I had enough skill points to learn [Shadow Puppetry].
While Rori-san was gaining levels as well, I went ahead and practiced the new skill.
I practiced controlling the doll with my threads. The skill only allowed to learn how to use it, but properly controlling the puppet was another matter.
It was similar to how a mage still needed to have talent and knowledge before using Advanced Magic.
While senpai was watching me practice, she said,
"You need to make the threads less dense… You're putting too much mana into it."
I looked at the threads of shadow connecting my fingertips to the doll. I remembered Regina-sama's threads looking thinner, almost invisible.
I limited my mana output and saw that it was easier to control the doll.
"Oh, it's much better to control now!"
"Indeed. Practicing this skill will also let you use [Shadow Threads] more effectively. You can even pick up heavy objects with [Shadow Threads] if you practice it enough. Regina-sama is a master at using that skill in combat…"
She had a look of admiration on her face while talking about Regina-sama.
"Come to think of it, how did you become the main disciple of Regina-sama, senpai?"
I was curious about it. Regina-sama isn't exactly a major goddess, and she was a fallen goddess, too.
Senpai seemed to consider it a bit, but she ended up shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, out of the two main religions in the country, I didn't feel like I resonated with them at all. You see, I used to be a top courtesan before…"
"E-Eh…? Really?!"
"...What, did you think that I was a baker or a florist, or something?"
She did have the body of something like a top courtesan, and she was oddly used to having men hit on her.
She didn't even react when the soldiers groped her.
"...I guess being a courtesan does kind of fit the image of senpai. Ah, I'm not saying that you look like a whore, or anything!"
"...Whatever. In any case, the Eris order seems to look down on courtesans, while the Axis cult accepts them and allows more freedom… but they're a bit too fanatic for me."
Even though the Axis-cult promoted freedom and individuality, no sane person would want to join them.
"Since there was a lack of religious groups that fit my ideology, instead of just blindly conforming, I did research for other, lesser known religions that might fit my outlook in life."
"...Is joining a religion really that important? You could have just chosen to not be affiliated with a religion."
"...When there's a higher being out there other than yourself and you're sure of their existence, I find it a bit foolish to not at least associate with them."
She had a point there.
It was like not paying taxes to the lord of the land or the king, for that matter.
M-Maybe I should pray to Eris-sama one of these days.
…Wait, since I'm a Battle Priest that's affiliated with Regina-sama, should I pray to her instead?
"So how did you find out about Regina-sama?"
"I asked for a favor from one of the nobles who used my services. He had a bunch of ancient tomes on forgotten civilizations and their deities. There are a lot of deities that have been forgotten in time, along with the civilizations that worshiped them. One of those goddesses was Regina-sama."
"Did her story interest you?"
"Yeah… It did. A lot of the other deities had a sort of mythical, unobtainable feel about them, but Regina-sama's story felt like she was closer to us humans than other gods. She made mistakes, fell in love, was harmed and harmed others. She wasn't a perfect, almighty being… she seemed to me like a scared little girl."
The Regina-sama I knew was confident and bossy, I couldn't imagine her in the way senpai was.
But senpai knew her longer than I did, so I had to take her word for it.
"When I started worshiping her, it seemed that I woke Regina-sama up from her dormant state. Imagine my surprise when a naked, purple haired little girl suddenly appeared in my room. It was quite a shock. I became her first disciple from then on… and I received a majority of the power that's normally split evenly among followers."
Something about what she said alerted me about something.
"...Hmm, senpai, you said that you originally viewed her as a scared little girl when you read about her story, yes?"
"Yeah, that's right…"
"...Since deities, especially minor deities, are formed by the perception of their followers, doesn't that mean that your image of her from the start shaped her childish form right now?"
Senpai's eyes widened when she heard me say this.
"E-Eh?! I-Is that possible?!"
She started panicking and sweating, likely imagining how Regina-sama would react if she heard this.
…After all, Regina-sama was spending hours in her laboratory, finding a way to reverse her childish form.
"You said that she was in a dormant state until you started worshiping her, yes? She even appeared in your room as a little girl. Doesn't that mean that your imagination influenced her physical form?"
"...T-That is…"
Her eyes darted about. She tried to find a way to argue, but she couldn't think of a way to counter my points.
"...P-Please don't tell Regina-sama about this."
"I-I won't…"
Faced with a deeply bowing senpai, I couldn't find it in me to refuse her request.