NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 86
– 1 –
“Tail…?”
For a moment, Ekidna opened her eyes wide in surprise, unable to hide her astonishment, then nodded her head with a puzzled expression.
“…I’ve never seen such a reaction before. Good. Go ahead and touch it.”
Of course, no one would dare to touch her body, as she was the queen and a powerful being.
Even if she was a queen herself, there wouldn’t be any species that would find her tail charming right now.
But I was different.
And with good reason; it looked so tempting.
“Ugh… Oh.”
Ekidna, having agreed to my request, skillfully coiled her tail under the table.
That supple and flexible movement was quite alluring.
Then, she carefully placed the end of it on my knee.
Cautiously, and with a nervous demeanor, to ensure no overwhelming weight was placed.
‘So cute.’
There was a hint of wariness in her eyes, as if she was worried I might harm her.
And at the same time, a distinctly feminine attitude, as if she was concerned about whether her body felt heavy.
And just like that, a tail of a reptilian creature, which was clean and beautiful to the point of disbelief considering it had just been stuck to the muddy ground, lay in my hands.
“It’s really… pretty.”
“Is that so…?”
She probably didn’t understand.
How captivating this thick and large body part she had since birth was to those who looked at it.
Sure enough, she shook her head, genuinely unable to grasp it.
“I’ve never thought of it that way, so I don’t know.”
“Hehe. Well, you will now.”
As you can guess, I had a fondness for snakes.
I’ve never wanted to raise or tame a snake or python in the world, but I had touched snakes that other caretakers had tamed.
The reason was simple. It’s dangerous for a novice.
“I’m going to start. Like this. Wait a moment…”
“…Why is there magic…?”
However, touching Ekidna’s tail wasn’t dangerous at all.
If she were to attack me right now, it would mean declaring war between her and me.
Ah, it might be dangerous for my heart.
“It’s fine. You can tell just by looking that this isn’t an attack, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
With my hand slowly running against the scales and the ridges of her tail.
I smiled at Ekidna, who was watching me with tense eyes.
It was clear this was almost her first experience letting someone touch her body like this.
There wouldn’t be a culture among monsters where maids or handmaidens let someone touch them like that.
‘So, am I becoming a pioneer of that culture?’
I felt strangely pleased.
Swoosh…
“Relax.”
I extended my magical power as delicately as possible, feeling the insides of her tail, applying pressure where muscles were knotted and gently gliding over the other areas.
You might have noticed, but this was just a simple massage using magic.
A massage that relieved tight muscles from the inside using magic power.
“Ugh…”
At first, the eyelids of the Lamia Queen, who had been watching with vigilance, gradually lowered until they were half-closed.
Before long, one of her hands gripped the chair while the other fidgeted in front of her chest.
I felt her emotions were on full display, as if expressing uncertainty.
It was obvious.
‘The handling is going well.’
“How does it feel?”
“It feels refreshing… I’ve never experienced this feeling before.”
They say snakes have poor eyesight but developed scent and touch. Given she was elite-level, her eyesight probably wasn’t bad, but she still wouldn’t lack the characteristics of a snake.
So, she must be feeling the sensations from my hand on her tail even more intensely.
Sizzle.
“Wait. What are you trying to do…?”
Then… there’s the sense of smell.
“It’s fine. It’s just a simple fragrance. You’ll know if it’s poison or medicine.”
“Relaxation… and enhancement of recovery… it’s an herb. And this scent…”
Gradually…
Following her body, which was relaxing, the formerly rocky-looking back of the chair slowly descended.
I heard she was accompanied by dwarves, so it looked like their craftsmanship applied here as well.
“I use this perfume. How is it?”
“It’s nice… somehow… you have a good scent…”
“Yes. Just relax.”
As I expressed my gratitude to her inwardly, I slowly swept my hand up along her tail, reaching near where her body began.
The part where the scales disappeared and sensitivity increased.
“Wait a second.”
Predictably, she regained her senses at that spot.
The blackness of Ekidna’s eyes widened in surprise revealed her anxiety.
It was the complete opposite attitude of the Alraune Queen.
Strangely, that made me feel more pleased.
“Is there a problem?”
Of course, I had no intention of going up from there in the beginning.
My interest lay in her tail, and in the relationship with her, not something like a romantic connection.
…Was that a bit trashy of me? To only care about body and influence?
Still, she wouldn’t be wishing for that kind of expectation in the first place, considering she had originally been on guard against me.
“No, no. It was just my misunderstanding…”
As I slowly brought my hand down, she visibly relaxed, closing her eyes once more.
Though her appearance was still chilling and mysterious, it revealed an unexpectedly cute reaction.
‘This is rewarding.’
She was an engaging subject to approach.
Different from my time with Alraune.
“Ugh…”
I continued to raise and lower my hand along her body part, repeatedly stimulating her muscles from the inside using magic.
With every occasion, her voice carried a sense of increasing ease as her wariness gradually diminished.
“Does it hurt?”
“Mm… it feels… good.”
Swish… Swish…
For a while, only the sound of my hand brushing against scales and her reactions filled the Queen’s chamber.
I enjoyed the interaction and her responses with the queen.
– 2 –
The snake queen’s first enjoyable time passed quickly.
After that time passed, Ekidna’s eyes turning toward Libertus now held her tail more gently than before.
The shades of wariness or arrogance had melted away, revealing a sense of friendliness.
“How was it?”
“It was quite nice.”
Ekidna readily agreed to Libertus’s question.
‘It was a feast of wonderful sensations…’
Her tactile experience was unfamiliar… No, to put it frankly, she wasn’t familiar with contact at all, so it was an entirely new experience.
Regardless, she felt grateful for someone who provided such an experience.
Even if she had hesitated at first.
“It was a feeling I’ve never felt before. Do you know what such a feeling is called?”
“Humans often say it’s refreshing or invigorating.”
“Yeah… I like the term refreshing.”
Since she herself was close to water, Ekidna chose words that evoked images of water.
Then she noticed the state of the food laid out on the table and made a regretful expression.
“The food has gone cold. I had instructed to make it similar to human and dwarf cuisine since your body resembles a human.”
In the wild, the most crucial aspect of life is survival.
Thus, survival’s essential elements are food and violence, and it’s unavoidable to feel sorry if the value of either is diminished.
“It looks delicious. I’ll enjoy it.”
“I was going to have it reheated…”
Thus, Libertus’s reactions were a combination of surprise and joy.
Accepting the food happily, despite it not being perfect, seemed to reveal her desire to grow closer to her.
“It’s fine. I’m not a weak-bodied human. As long as it tastes good, that’s all that matters.”
“In that case… try this. It’s what your chef was proud of.”
After nodding her head a few times, Ekidna offered Libertus the food, and Libertus received it with a delighted reaction, passing along the aftertaste of their shared time.
“I heard your dungeon is close to here. Is that correct?”
“That’s right. In some ways, we could call it neighbors.”
“Since your residence is also underground, that could be more so.”
During the meal, Ekidna naturally revealed the hidden location of her palace, subtly hinting at an invitation.
“Underground, huh?”
“Inside this lake, there’s a cave that meets the water. That’s my palace. You should come take a look sometime.”
“Indeed. I’m looking forward to visiting.”
She felt a desire to grow closer to Libertus right now.
Towards the first being she had let her guard down with and made contact.
“You must visit another queen now. I look forward to our next meeting.”
“I’m looking forward to it as well.”
However, Libertus had already sensed the hidden intentions of Ekidna behind those words.
While on the surface she showed no grand reactions, the twitching of her eyebrows and the slight downturn of her lips hinted otherwise.
Her growing restlessness was revealed.
“My lady, may I ask a favor this time?”
And at that question finally raised, the Dungeon Lady secretly smiled.
‘What a snake that truly feels fulfilling to handle.’
To Libertus, this arrogant snake queen clearly hadn’t experienced the need to hide her feelings much in her life.
This was somewhat to be expected.
The queen of monsters often revealed wisdom responsible for the survival of her group, rather than a political stance.
The Alraune she previously met was a rarer case.
“What is it? Since you granted my rude request, it would only be natural for me to grant yours as well.”
“Then I will speak comfortably. …May I consider you a friend?”
However, even amidst that naivety, the level of social skill not to outright reveal desires was present, so if she learned how to conceal her emotions, she would soon master it.
However, who could teach her that now?
Libertus sensed that the opportunity to have her way with Ekidna would soon approach.
“Of course, Ekidna. Please feel free to treat me more comfortably from now on.”
“That’s a delightful response, Libertus. You too may treat me freely.”
On the surface, they exchanged friendship.
But within that exchange, the emotions they each felt while engaging with one another were similar yet bore different strains.
The feelings of affection wishing to familiarize themselves with one another and the feelings of a ruler embracing a capable talent.
‘Being under the Dungeon Lord doesn’t suit my temper. But if I strengthen my ties with her…’
Ekidna hadn’t failed managing her subordinates before, and she anticipated Libertus would quickly fall under her influence, reversing the typical relationship between dungeon lords and monsters.
‘A poison that swells during comfortable moments is the most lethal. Just how well can this queen, who deals with both poison and medicine, resist unfamiliar poison?’
Conversely, Libertus believed Ekidna would soon fall under her control.
Having heard from Serha that this queen wielded powers of healing and poisoning, she likely had no immunity against the poison of social relationships.
‘I want to make her desire to serve me.’
‘Soon, she won’t be able to endure without me.’
The two queens, sharing yet slightly differing thoughts, had aspects that reflected each other, even if neither of them realized it.
Except for the fact that one of them already had the upper hand.
Clap!
“As a token of friendship towards you, I want to give you a gift.”
In that moment of shared dreams, Ekidna smiled and called her subordinate.