“Hmm, so you came to this school after your childhood friend dumped you, huh? You’ve been through your fair share of troubles, boy,” Demon Queen Erinyes said in between drinking straight from her fifth bottle of wine.
She’d loosened the front of her dress, and the length of pale thigh visible in the slit of her skirt added to the alluring image. A rich spread, including thick cuts of ham and steak, lined the table before her. Though I’d handed her the gifts that the headmaster had given me before my venture into the Seventh Sealed Prison, she’d complained that “bread and wine are far from enough food” and so had forced me to make several trips between the school and her cage.
“Come on, boy, drink up! Or are you trying to say you don’t want my wine?!”
“I-I’ll have a glass.”
According to the empire’s laws, I was already an adult, so I could legally consume alcohol. I’d just never imagined the Demon Queen would be my first drinking partner... I threw back the wine, feeling it burn all the way down my throat.
“Whoa! A heavyweight, are you? Come on, come on, have some more!”
The Demon Queen topped off my glass again. She was in an awfully good mood. In that case, I’d succeeded in my mission of buttering her up, but I had no idea when she would allow me to leave. It didn’t seem like her makeshift banquet would end anytime soon. A conversation I’d once had with my father came to mind.
“Eugene, I’ll be late coming home tonight. I have a meeting with the empire’s top brass. What a pain in the ass...”
“Do you have to attend that meeting?”
“Yeah, some social events are unavoidable as an adult. You’ll understand when you’re older.”
“Huh. Sounds like being an adult’s pretty hard.”
Back then, I hadn’t understood what he was talking about. Though I’d felt bad for him that he had to work extra hours, I’d also found such adult-specific bonds cool and envied him the experience.
“You know, you’re really something,” the Demon Queen said. “Normal people faint or fall ill if they spend too much time near me and my miasma. Are you still feeling all right?”
“The headmaster said something similar. I’m still fine. I can use Barrier Magic, so...”
Demon Queen Erinyes hummed, staring at me with keen interest. She didn’t stop there either. She started poking my cheeks and patting my hair. Her hands were soft and warm.
Once she had touched me to her heart’s content, she continued the conversation. “So you haven’t contacted that childhood friend of yours since you came here? I’ll lend you my ear—tell me all about it!” She was grinning at me.
Yeah, this really is a pain in the ass. “Before I dropped out, she said she wanted time apart. I haven’t seen her since, and she hasn’t sent me any letters. I’m sure she’s already forgotten about me.”
Bringing up Airi depressed me all over again. I’d thought that I could forget her if I enrolled in a school far away from the empire, but apparently I needed more time.
“Oh, that expression of yours is so precious! Here, let me offer you some comfort! ☆”
“Huh? Wai—”
The Demon Queen pulled me in close and pressed my face against her chest. Her skin was unbelievably smooth.
She giggled and said, “Sweet boy, feel free to cry into my chest.”
“Um... My name isn’t ‘boy.’ It’s Eugene,” I managed to mumble as the Demon Queen Erinyes started stroking my hair. It felt like she was treating me like a kid whenever she called me “boy,” and I didn’t appreciate it.
“Yes, you told me that earlier. I know your name. Eugene, I’m sure you’ll grow into a fine man.” She smiled and narrowed her eyes, her expression so bewitchingly beautiful that she looked like an oil painting. “Hee hee... Well then, Eugene, if you’re no boy, how much do you know about women? How far did you go with that childhood friend of yours?”
She slid a long finger down my cheek and gently traced my lips. My heart skipped a beat at the contact.
“N-Nothing happened between us.”
Airi and I had never really behaved like young lovers during our time together at the military academy. We’d simply spent our days training and studying to improve our grades like proper students. In retrospect, I regretted not doing something, at least.
“Huh? You two didn’t even share a kiss?” the Demon Queen said, face slack in genuine surprise as she peered into my eyes.
The memory caused me to lose control over my temper, and my voice came out a lot harsher than I’d meant it. “Yeah! That’s right! How many times will you make me—” But something cut me off. Huh?
It took me a moment to register the Demon Queen Erinyes’s mouth pressed against mine.
Time passed as I sat there in shock. I was losing myself in the soft sensation when the Demon Queen finally pulled away.
Grinning, she licked her lips and said, “How did you like your first kiss?”
“Wh-Wh-Wh-What was...?”
“My, what an adorable reaction! ♡ It really was your first kiss. Let’s do it again! ☆”
Erinyes leaned toward me. I hurriedly tried to push myself backward, away from her, but she’d grabbed my arm while I was distracted and now shoved me down onto the mattress. She moved exceptionally fast.
“Um...”
“Don’t worry. Just leave everything to me.”
“L-Leave everything to you?”
What was she talking about? I couldn’t even guess at what this Demon Queen was trying to say. I just had an awful feeling that something crazy was happening right now. My heart was beating so fast it was practically hopping out of my rib cage.
“Oh? The military academy trained you well. You’re quite muscular.”
“Huh? H-Hey!”
I didn’t even realize she’d unbuttoned my shirt. But with her still pressing down on me, I couldn’t move.
“You must be lonely, what with your childhood friend dumping you and all. I’ll help you forget about her,” she whispered into my ear.
Her sweet voice sent a shiver down my spine, and she pulled me into another kiss. I stopped resisting. The Demon Queen’s hands were all over me. Despite this being our first time meeting, she knew exactly where to touch to draw out the most pleasure.
“I grant you the privilege of calling me Eri,” she said. “Take pride in that.”
It took great effort to simply murmur, “Eri.”
With a soft rustle, the Demon Queen slipped out of her dress, and her naked body was so exquisite, I felt my breath catch in my throat. Slowly, she climbed on top of me.
“I’ll bring you to Heaven. ♡”
At that moment, all thoughts of my childhood friend completely fled from my mind.
And that was how I ended up offering my body to the Demon Queen Erinyes.