[V5C11] Cold Fury

Two and a half years ago, Louis had arrived at Monica’s mountain hut with the mission of guarding the second prince. The trembling Monica had wondered, “Ugh, why is this happening?”

Looking back, that year was a series of “why is this happening” moments.

After surviving that tumultuous year, Monica had grown a little. She wasn’t as easily swayed as before… or so she thought.

(Why!? Why is this happening…!?)

She was in a spacious hall illuminated by exotic lamps. Ladies and gentlemen wore what looked like luxurious outfits, lounging on sofas and enjoying conversations while picking at fruits and drinks.

Incense burned at several spots in the room, and a sweet-smelling white smoke wafted through the air.

Seated on a small sofa in the venue, Monica was accompanied by a black-haired man wearing desert-style attire. Despite being male, he wore a revealing dancer-like costume with a veil covering his mouth.

“Is this your first time in a place like this? Did your big sister bring you here?”

“Uh, well…”

“I’m Michel. And you are?”

The man who introduced himself as Michel embraced Monica’s shoulder as she glanced around uncomfortably.

“Um, uh…”

Monica was not good with people she met for the first time, so she was frozen stiff. However, Michel took no offense, smiling beneath the veil and picking a grape from a plate.

“Aha, you’re blushing; it’s cute. Here, aahh.”

“Mmguh.”

Michel’s slender fingers pushed the grape into Monica’s mouth.

Chewing on the grape, Monica glanced sideways at Melissa, who was sitting next to her.

Melissa was leaning back on the sofa, having a chestnut-haired youth pour her a drink. Her skill at having others entertain her was truly masterful, like a painting depicting a “villainess served by a handsome man.”

(…I wonder what Melissa-oneesan is planning to do.)

According to Melissa, the owner of this establishment, a person named Throth, was the villain tampering with the goods Melissa sold. To retrieve those goods, Melissa threatened a man named Theodore and infiltrated this establishment as a customer.

According to Melissa, this was supposed to be a reconnaissance mission… but Melissa was drinking so enthusiastically that one might suspect she just came here to drink.

The interior was filled with the smells of alcohol, tobacco, and an oddly sweet fragrance. Simply inhaling deeply was enough to make one nauseous.

As Monica swallowed the lukewarm grape, the chestnut-haired man sitting next to Melissa opened the lid of a small pot on the table. It seemed to be a pot filled with hard round candies.

“Milady, please have some candy. I prepared special ones for tonight.”

“Oh, how delightful. I’ll have some. Little One, you take some too.”

Melissa picked two candies from the pot, put one in her mouth, and held the remaining one in her hand. With her other hand, she covered Monica’s cheek.

(…Huh?)

Melissa’s fingers had performed a quick shuffle.

She had dropped the white candy into her sleeve, replacing it with a pink candy that she apparently had in her hand from the beginning, which she pinched with her fingertips.

Seeing Monica about to reveal her unease, Melissa brought her face closer.

“…Listen, don’t eat any candy those men give you. If you want something, try this candy instead.”

After whispering in a voice only Monica could hear, Melissa shoved a pink candy into Monica’s mouth.

“Here you go, Little One. Open up.”

“O-Okay…”

“Oh wow, this candy is just sooo delicious! Let me get another one. Come on, Little One, you take some too.”

The overly excited Melissa grabbed three candies from the candy pot.

She dropped the candies she grabbed onto the sleeve of her dress, quickly swapping them with other candies from her hand, and handed them to Monica.

In other words, Monica should eat these instead whenever someone tries to give her candy.

(Is that to say… the candy in this shop is dangerous?)

The pink candy in Monica’s mouth revealed a syrup filling as it melted. It was a thick, sweet syrup with a strong rose fragrance.

Once the scent filled her mouth, strangely enough, she didn’t mind the fragrant smoke anymore.

(So this incense is…?)

As Monica stared at the incense burners placed everywhere, Melissa leaned against the chestnut-haired man.

“Aah, looks like I’m getting a little tipsy. Hey, would you take me to your room?”

The chestnut-haired man grinned, saying, “Sure,” and lifted Melissa into an embrace.

“Um, um, Onee-san…”

“Little One, you stay here for a bit… you get me, right?”

Despite her sweet, cat-like voice, the last few words were much lower.

Monica nodded slightly, so Melissa nodded back and stood up.

Then, swaying as if truly intoxicated, Melissa draped herself over the chestnut-haired man. He led Melissa out of the hall while hugging her waist.

Monica watched their backs, wondering where they were going. Meanwhile, Michel, the black-haired man sitting next to her, pulled Monica’s shoulder closer.

“Aah, big sister left, huh. Lonely?”

“Um… h-huh!?”

As Monica hesitated to speak, Michel pushed her shoulder.

Monica’s back slid against the sofa’s backrest, making a poof sound as she sank into the cushion.

Michel smiled lustfully, grabbing Monica’s wrist.

“Hey, let’s do something fun. Is this your first time in a place like this? Don’t worry, I’ll be very gentle.”

＊　＊　＊

Chasing after Monica, Raul and Cyril stepped foot into the seemingly shady shop, and were guided to the sofas in the hall.

The hall was spacious, resembling a small party venue, with prosperous ladies and gentlemen enjoying smoking pipes, drinks, and meals here and there.

These guests were entertained by young men and women dressed in exotic costumes. The desert dancer-like attire was practically underwear, yet the young girls didn’t hesitate to expose their ample bodies.

“What’s with this place…!?”

Deep wrinkles were etched between Cyril’s eyebrows as he sat next to Raul.

“Hey, Cyril. Did Monica really go into this shop?”

“Yeah, no mistake.”

Cyril returned a firm nod as he scanned the surroundings. He was searching for Monica’s figure.

However, the interior of the shop was dimly lit, and the smoke from the several incense burners released a white haze that made visibility poor.

Raul raised an eyebrow at the peculiar sweet scent of the smoke.

(Huh, this smell… could it be…)

If Raul’s guess was correct, this fragrance contained a magical potion.

It had effects similar to aphrodisiacs, inducing a kind of loss of control over emotions and reason.

While the effects were weaker inhaled compared to oral ingestion, prolonged exposure was not advisable.

“Cyril, let’s step outside for a moment. This incense is dangerous…”

Before Raul finished his sentence, Cyril had stood up. In his line of sight was a petite girl pushed down on a sofa, and a black-haired man leaning over her.

From Raul’s position, he couldn’t see the girl’s face, but the light brown hair and ribbon dangling from the sofa looked familiar.

Cyril walked briskly toward the sofa. His face was expressionless, but his blue eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.

Raul went completely pale.

(Wait a minute. Come to think of it, Cyril has mana hyperabsorption…)

Cyril’s body was prone to absorbing mana more easily, so the incense would have a much greater effect on him.

There would be no problem with ordinary incense, but this shop’s incense contained a magic potion. Cyril would absorb the mana from the potion faster than the average person.

“Cyril! Wait! Stop!”

Raul hurriedly tried to chase after Cyril, but…

“Kyaa, what a charming guy!”

“Hey, won’t you buy me for tonight?”

“No fair! I found him first!”

Women started flocking to Raul’s table, surrounding him and offering various fruits and drinks.

Due to his regrettable behavior, it was easy to forget, but Raul was said to have inherited the beauty of the First Thorn Witch. The hostesses swarmed him with glints in their eyes, pressing their ample bodies against him.

Now surrounded and unable to move, Raul let out a scream.

“Wai-wait a minute! Right now, my friend is in trouble…!”

＊　＊　＊

“I can’t hold it in anymore… Hey, shall we go to my room?”

Michel, the black-haired man covering Monica, pushed her wrist down with one hand, and took out what seemed to be the key to the room with the other. The key had a small tag attached via string, and the room number was engraved on it.

Michel jingled the key ring with his fingers, and approached Monica’s ear with a seductive smile…

“Shhh, make sure to stay quiet, okay?”

“…Huh?”

“You’ve been forcefully brought here by your big sister, right? I’ll secretly let you escape from my room, so come along.”

Saying that, Michel withdrew his alluring charm, and put on a friendly smile.

As Monica hesitated whether or not to believe Michel’s words, he winked playfully.

“Tonight is going to be a bit noisy, you see.”

(…Huh? Where have I heard that line before…)

As Monica tried to recall where she had heard those words, Michel let out a surprised “Whoa!” and fell off the sofa.

Someone had forcefully grabbed Michel’s shoulder from above and dragged him away.

“Pardon me.”

Recognizing the low voice echoing from above, Monica’s heart skipped a beat.

Cyril stood before Monica, looking down on her. She was still lying down on the sofa, completely dumbfounded.

“…Eh, ah…”

As Monica tried and failed to mumble out a “why”, Cyril grabbed her wrist, pulling her up from the sofa. He went on to give Michel a sharp glare.

“She’s with me.”

“Oh… ahaha, I see. So she has a boyfriend, huh? Well then, guess I’m out of luck. If you want, feel free to use my room.”

Michel offered a key, which Cyril snatched with excessive force. Seeing this, Michel offered a faint smile.

“Just a friendly suggestion from me. It’s best not to leave that room tonight.”

“…”

Without a word, Cyril walked away while still clutching Monica’s wrist.

“Um, uh, Cyril-sama…”

Monica called out hesitantly, but Cyril didn’t look back.

She couldn’t see his face, but she knew that he was furious.

Even though the hand holding her wrist was warm, a chilling cold emanated from Cyril’s entire being, biting into her skin, as if expressing his intense anger.

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