Chapter 458: Demon’s Deal

A deal.

The knight order found themselves in a difficult position.

The deal they'd struck with the so-called Legion of Wrath had only been a stopgap measure to smooth over the public opinion that soured because of the witch Levis. Depending on how the Legion of Wrath behaved, the knight order had all preparations in place to reclaim the barony at any time.

But now, a new deal? This was dangerous. They lacked proper justification, for one thing, and more importantly, they couldn't trust the avian demon called Halphas standing right before them.

A demon sitting atop the belly of a charred orc in front of a heap of mangled demon flesh, toying with his dick using her feet. What kind of deranged, obscene demon was this?

The deal with the Legion of Wrath had been possible because the elves mediated. They'd agreed to it hoping the elves might eventually come back to the humans' side. The heartfelt gift the Legion Commander of Wrath sent to the Marquis had helped, too.

But none of that gave them any reason to strike a new deal with a different demon, a different legion.

"Nonsense."

Andaihal drew his sword and leveled it at Halphas. The sharp tip of the blade pointed directly at the orc's member she'd been playing with.

"There's no reason to make a deal."

"You're going to say that without even hearing what the deal is?"

"It's bound to be a deal not worth hearing."

"Why don't you hear me out first and then decide?"

Halphas raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. But the lewd sounds still tickled the knights' ears alongside the crackling of burning corpses.

"How about we just pretend we never saw each other?"

"As expected, worthless... what did you say?"

"I thought we could at least communicate a little, but I guess not. Let me say it again. I'm saying let's not fight each other right now."

Halphas gripped the glans with her toes and started spinning it around. The knights involuntarily swallowed at the sight of her handling the member so casually. Watching those expensive stockings soak through with precum left the knights both frustrated and, at the same time, swallowing hard.

"We've initiated a Seizure Battle against this dungeon. We killed Astaroth, and we're planning to shut the dungeon down. Which means you'll all be trapped in here, right?"

"...!!"

Anthonius rushed forward.

"A, a Seizure Battle?! Is that true?!"

"Yep. Looks like you all got here through a different entrance... Too bad. We already cleaned the place out. Hahaha."

"Seizure Battle...? What is that?"

"Your Excellency, it's...."

Anthonius briefly explained it to Andaihal, then immediately grasped the implications of what Halphas had said.

"If they decide to shut this dungeon down, you're saying we won't be able to get out through the exits?"

"Correct. Otherwise, the only way out is through their dungeon."

"Is that even physically possible?"

"That's what makes it a dungeon, sir. And the demon who makes it possible is none other than the Demon King."

They had no choice but to make a deal. The deal Halphas proposed to the humans was simple.

[Neither of us wants to fight right now, so let's just back off from each other.]

From the knight order's standpoint, it wasn't a bad deal. A demon was voluntarily avoiding a fight, so there was no reason to shed blood, and having rescued more than ten dark elves, the knight order had fulfilled its duty.

On top of that, a dungeon only two to three days from the marquisate would disappear? The marquisate would naturally welcome that with open arms.

"I have a condition."

But Andaihal insisted on attaching a condition. Halphas, who had been kneading the dick with her sole like she was shaping pottery, furrowed her brow.

"Picky, aren't you? Say the wrong thing and you might end up fighting us, you know?"

"I want to know how many dark elves you've rescued."

"What do you need that for?"

"To inform the Legion of Wrath. We came to this dungeon on behalf of the Legion of Wrath, or more precisely, the elves, to rescue the kidnapped dark elves. Naturally, we'll report this situation to the elves when we return. That way, the elves can decide whether to negotiate with you. Wouldn't you agree?"

Andaihal's reasoning seemed logical on the surface. Hearing it, Halphas simply smiled.

"...Hmm, well, fair enough. Fine, I'll tell you. Around thirty."

"...Tch."

Just as he'd suspected. While clearing the first floor, Andaihal had noticed the number of captive elves was suspiciously low. He'd suspected the dark elves might be deeper inside the dungeon, and sure enough, they had been.

"Do you know what happened to the rest?"

"No idea. Well, actually, maybe I do. They're probably dead, right? From what the ones we saved told us, they were treated pretty roughly. Those damn incubus bitches."

Halphas waved her hand with a grimace. Andaihal brought up one last question to settle his curiosity.

"Why did you rescue the dark elves?"

"Huh?"

"Did you save them simply because they're women...?"

"Pfft. This is the problem with you dickheads."

Thwack! Halphas flicked the orc's dick hard with her toes. She hit it so hard that the knights felt a phantom sting in their own groins.

"Simply? Hey, even if I'm a demon, there are still lines you don't cross. No matter if they're elves, no matter if they're prisoners, treating them however you please is garbage behavior. Before race, we're the same sex. We're women. Get it? The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off."

Crrunch. Halphas began pressing down on the orc's testicles with her heel. Andaihal silently offered an apology and a moment of condolence to the charred orc now suffering because of his poor choice of words.

And he understood Halphas's words, at least a little. Humans and orcs may be different species, but the phantom pain of watching genitals being crushed underfoot was something he could definitely relate to as a man.

"...Understood. We'll make the deal. But make sure you keep your word. If you mistreat the elves, we won't stand for it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say."

Halphas's nonchalant attitude actually put Andaihal at ease. If the Legion of Pride mistreated the elves the same way, the Legion of Wrath's next target would be the Legion of Pride. Halphas seemed oblivious to the veiled blade hidden in Andaihal's words.

"Then we're done, right? Get out before the dungeon closes. I'm going to have some fun watching the rest of this burn."

Whether she was simply stupid or her mind was elsewhere. There were traces of the former, but the latter seemed to have the stronger hold on her. Halphas slid down the orc's belly like it was a playground slide and gripped the dick between her inner thighs.

"Or wait... you want to watch? Me with my personal dick? Ehehehe."

Halphas covered her lips with a wing and giggled. The glans peeked out above her thighs, and the knights turned their heads away while sneaking sideways glances.

"Just kidding. But seriously, once this all burns up, the dungeon closes, so you'd better run. I made myself clear, right? If we cut the portal on our end too, you'll be stuck here forever. Oh... and there's also that."

Halphas spread her legs in an M-shape. She stroked the orc's dick back and forth with her sharp nails before rubbing it against her crotch.

"Or maybe you want to become demons? Hehe, I wonder. Who'll be the one to inherit the name of the dead 'Astaroth'?"

"What do you..."

"Your Excellency."

Anthonius whispered into Andaihal's ear, his face drained of color.

"There's a rumor that the moment the dungeon owner's lingering grudge latches onto someone still inside, that person is hit with a curse that can never be broken."

"That's just a rumor, isn't it? ...No, wait, the curse means they become the dungeon's owner... Tch!"

Andaihal sheathed his sword. The knights still had their blades drawn, but they were ready to pull back.

Gurgle. The orc's body lifted slightly off the ground. Halphas leaned back casually, using the dick to cover her crotch. Part of her stocking, visible from the side, was slightly torn.

"Bye-bye, then~ I won't see you out. I'm a little busy. Ahahaha!!"

When Halphas snapped her fingers, a curtain of water unfurled before her. From the knights' vantage point, the angle was carefully calculated to hide where they connected, and the water curtain was opaque enough to obscure what lay beyond.

"...Let's go."

Andaihal barely managed to hold onto his composure and turned away. The knights all turned as well, though they seemed to regret not getting to see more of Halphas and her brazen intent to openly engage in the act right before their eyes.

"Don't be disappointed. You all rescued the elves, didn't you? Let's head up. The elves we saved should be waiting above."

At Andaihal's encouragement, the knights all turned away for good.

After every human had left, the only sounds echoing through the remaining cavity were the crackling of burning corpses and the lewd, wet slapping of flesh against flesh.

***

A garden.

Flowers bloomed in lush profusion, and I opened my eyes at a lake where tiny pixies flitted about, squealing with laughter.

"This place is...."

"It's nice to meet you, orc."

In the center of the lake, a woman who looked undeniably divine smiled at me. She looked like a fairy queen straight out of a storybook, and my dick instinctively...

[Fairy Queen Titania:, ★★★★★★, Lv.248]

...went limp. I got up and immediately bowed.

"It is an honor to meet you, Your Majesty the Fairy Queen."

"Oh? You know who I am?"

"I've been finding myself in these situations a lot lately."

Ever since Estu, bowing immediately upon meeting a six-star absolute being had become a habit. And there was a good reason my dick needed to bow along with me.

"First, let me ask one thing. Are you the Demon King's wife, by any chance?"

"Calling me his wife would be a stretch. I've had his seed, but never his heart."

Of course. The Demon King. He'd already gotten to the Fairy Queen, too.

"Hehe, you're dying to have me, aren't you? But my body and heart already belong to him. And... you've already figured it out to some extent, haven't you?"

"Your daughter?"

"That's right. Asmodine. She who became the Seal of Lust is the daughter of him and me."

"Wow. What. A. Truly. Surprising. Fact."

I'd already been picking up on it since the divine tree incident. Otherwise, there'd be no reason for someone like the Fairy Queen to summon me like this.

"But how did you summon me here? Did I sleep for a long time, or...?"

"No. The moment you lost consciousness and returned to your dungeon, I sought 'his' permission and connected to your mind."

"...How did you time it so perfectly?"

"I was watching the whole time. It was a battle that could decide who my daughter's new master would be. How could I just sit still and not watch?"

"...In real time? All of it?"

The Fairy Queen nodded. At the same time, I felt defeated.

"...You were really watching."

"It was a battle between legions, after all. It was my first time seeing one, but it was quite entertaining. You're the first to fight like that. I'll be keeping a close eye on you from now on."

The Fairy Queen's hand glittered. Golden dust sparkled, its particles fluttering like butterfly wings.

"This is my blessing. It won't help with experience points, and it won't help with running your legion... but it will be of great help to you."

"What is it?"

"The blessing of the Fairy Queen."

Titania spoke of a "blessing" with a stern gaze, but I could see what the blessing actually was.

[Spirit Crystal: The one who inhales it becomes imbued with spirit energy.]

"Drink, orc. And be reborn as a spirit."

"...."

The golden dust swayed gently before me, as if wagging its tail. I was tempted for a moment by the offer to be reborn as a fairy, but I politely declined.

"I'll live and die as an orc. No, even if I could be reborn, now is not the time."

"Why?"

"There's a certain bitch I absolutely need to get revenge on as an orc."

I would never abandon my orc body until I'd slapped her across the face with my orc dick.

"Instead, I ask for your permission on one thing."

"What permission?"

"I'd like to take your daughter as mine."

The. Grand. Bow. I bowed to yet another mother-in-law. I might have only one father-in-law, but I had multiple mothers-in-law, and I had to bow to each of them separately every time we met.

"I'll make her happier than she ever was under Astaroth, at the very least."

"You're not just going to pound her womb with your dick and make her go 'Ahhhn, orc dick is amaziiing!' are you?"

"...."

I couldn't bring myself to answer. The Fairy Queen smiled and stroked my cheek.

"It's fine. I used to go 'Solomon's dick is amaziiing!' too, after all. Of course, these days... Hehe. Anyway."

Titania patted my head with a gentle smile. A warm energy radiated from her palm resting on top of my head.

"Even if you don't want to be reborn as a spirit, helping spirits be born should be fine, right? I'll bestow my blessing upon you. It will help with any Sowing involving spirits from now on."

[Fairy Queen's Blessing: Minimum ☆☆☆ bonus when Sowing with spirits.]

"If that's what it is, I'll gladly accept."

"Good. While you're at it, give me countless fairy grandchildren with my daughter. Fairies these days don't want to have kids... Tsk tsk."

The world slowly began to distort. I felt my consciousness floating away, and Titania waved at me.

"Take care now. They say bald men have great stamina, so please take good care of my daughter."

"Of course, I..."

Wait, what?

Before I could finish my response, my consciousness slipped away.