“Huh?”
Soulgros woke up suddenly. She remembered clinging to something warm and comforting, but now that warmth was gone, leaving her to hug herself tightly.
“Ouch… my head…”
As she tried to sit up, a throbbing pain coursed through her head. It was definitely the aftereffects of alcohol. Soulgros quickly analyzed the toxins in her body.
“Ugh… I really shouldn’t drink,” she muttered, beginning to purge the toxins from her system. For most people, detoxifying their body this way would be impossible, but for someone like Soulgros, who could turn her own blood into a potent poison, it was a simple task.
“Ah… much better.” She sighed, feeling the effects of the alcohol disappear completely. She sat up, and the blanket that had been covering her slipped off. Soulgros picked it up, brought it to her face, and sniffed it deeply.
“Hmm, Master’s scent lingers faintly. He must have left not too long ago,” she deduced, calculating how long her beloved Master had been away based on the remaining scent. Looking around, she saw the aftermath of their celebration. Apollo was snoring loudly, a bottle of alcohol clutched in his hand. He must have given up on using a glass and drank directly from the bottle.
Ligg, who was groaning under Apollo’s weight, had clearly been a victim of the larger man’s drunken collapse. It was no wonder Ligg was reluctant to join these parties. Nearby, Pelorro was wrapped in a blanket, sleeping soundly.
Not seeing Lucil and Lucika, Soulgros used her senses to locate them and found they had returned to Lucika’s room, sleeping peacefully together. Given her curse, even slowed by Master’s magic, it was best for Lucika to rest in bed.
“So, where is Master…” Soulgros murmured, expanding her senses to locate him.
As she expanded her sensory net beyond the guild, Soulgros detected something outside. Determining that she had no further business here, she disappeared without a trace.
✦ ✦ ✦
Master was sitting on a small hill, gazing up at the starry, moonlit night sky.
What could he be thinking about? Soulgros wondered, watching him from behind. Although she had purged all the alcohol from her system, just seeing his back filled her with a drunken euphoria. Observing Master from behind was her greatest joy.
Sure, standing next to him or holding his hand were wonderful too, but nothing compared to admiring him from behind.
“Master,” she called out softly.
She wanted to look up at his face, not from behind but from his side. When he turned to her, he gave her a warm smile and spoke in a gentle voice, filled with concern for her.
“I’m fine, Master. I’ve completely detoxified the alcohol,” Soulgros assured him, nodding firmly.
Still, I feel like I’ve forgotten something wonderful. Soulgros often lost her memory when she drank too much, but her sixth sense told her something incredibly pleasant had happened. She cherished these rare sensations, even if she couldn’t remember them. If it had been something unpleasant, she would feel uneasy, but now her heart was warm and content.
Hmm, it feels like I’ve forgotten something precious… She squirmed in frustration, but Master looked at her with concern, interrupting her thoughts.
“May I sit next to you?” she asked.
“Of course,” he replied without hesitation.
“Then, excuse me…”
Soulgros sat down next to Master, pressing herself close against him. He smiled wryly but didn’t seem to mind, so she continued to stay close. It wasn’t too warm tonight, so this much should be acceptable. To ensure his comfort, she lowered her body temperature slightly.
If any of the others see this, it’s going to be trouble, she thought, knowing it would definitely lead to conflict. She was ready to defend herself, though. As she thought about this, she glanced at Master’s profile. He was gazing up at the night sky with a smile.
When we first met, he didn’t smile this much, she remembered. Back then, Soulgros couldn’t even take human form. Master had always worn a much sterner expression.
He was handsome then too, but I like this warmer side of him.
Of course, opinions differed among the members of Yerkchira. Members like Laladie and Soulgros preferred the kinder, more indulgent Master of today, while those like Ritter and Leiss, with a more masochistic bent, sometimes missed the sterner Master of the past.
However, it wasn’t as if Master had been harsh or cruel back then either, so it was a matter of slight preference. Regardless of his demeanor, they would follow and serve him—such was the way of Yerkchira the Messianic Legion.
“May I ask what you were thinking about?” Soulgros broke the silence, eager to share anything with him.
Master explained that he had been thinking about Lucil and the others. He was moved by how they spared no effort or expense for Lucika’s sake.
Ah… that’s something we could never manage, Soulgros thought, recalling the faces of her comrades and chuckling softly.
Because we could never be like Lucil’s guild. If someone were afflicted with a deadly curse in our guild, it would likely turn into a celebration instead. Of course, the members of the Messianic Legion of Yerkchira would likely neutralize a curse like Ragel’s before it could take hold. Even if it did, those who could withstand Master’s magic would be able to counteract it.
Master smiled gently at the ninja girl.
“I’d like our guild to feel more like a family too.”
“Yes, indeed,” Soulgros replied, though she doubted it would ever happen as long as Master was with them. Yet, without Master, Soulgros and the others wouldn’t have any reason to be together, so he was absolutely essential.
“Do you have any worries?”
Is he trying to make our guild homier already? It’s hard to imagine a warm, family-like dark guild.
She didn’t have any real worries. Following Master around and being his shadow—his stalker, some might say—was enough to make her happy. But as she thought, something came to mind.
“It’s the size of my breasts,” she said.
Master’s smile froze slightly, but Soulgros didn’t notice. She grabbed her chest through her ninja outfit and continued, “I think my size is perfect, but Laladie and Krankheit treat me as if I’m one of them, and it’s troublesome.”
Laladie and Krankheit, the renowned Flat Chest Duo of Yerkchira, were always trying to find solidarity among the guild members with less prominent chests. Among the many well-endowed members of the Legion, these two were keen on recruiting allies.
Typically, members of the Flat Chest Alliance would say things like, “Huh? Who needs comrades? Just leave Master behind and go,” but when it came to breast size, they sought camaraderie. Soulgros found herself on the verge of being inducted into their ranks. Although her breasts were neither too big nor too small, in the eyes of Laladie and Krankheit, she qualified as flat-chested.
If that were the only issue, Soulgros might have considered joining them. However, she could change her breast size at will, which made it hard for her to accept being labeled as flat-chested.
“What do you think, Master?” Soulgros looked up at Master’s face from beside him. Was it her imagination, or did his cheeks seem a bit strained?
“For me, this size is the most practical for moving around. But if Master desires, I could make them larger,” Soulgros said, entwining her arm with his, implying she could adjust her body as he wished. In truth, having no breasts at all would be most practical, eliminating the need for chest bindings.
However, covering her entire body with her ninja outfit would make her lose almost all of her feminine allure. Besides her ponytail and eyes, everything else was covered.
If that happens, Master might not see me as a woman.
While she found happiness in watching him from behind, she naturally wanted his affection too. Therefore, she couldn’t bring herself to transform her breasts and hips into something more masculine. After all, Soulgros, despite being a stalker, was still a woman.
“So, what do you think?” Soulgros asked, squeezing her breasts together to create some cleavage under her ninja outfit.
Of course, Master couldn’t see the explicit details through the fabric, but he could imagine. Soulgros’s perfectly sized breasts pressed together, forming tantalizing cleavage.
She looked up at him confidently, but…
“Mmm…”
With a gentle pat on her head, Soulgros’s desires were extinguished in an instant. She looked up at him, and he smiled softly, stroking her head.
“Mmm…”
It seemed today wasn’t the day. Soulgros puffed her cheeks adorably under her face cover but accepted it. If Master were easy to win over, someone would have already succeeded in earning his affection.
After all, the members of Yerkchira were relentless in their efforts to gain his favor. Some, like the alraune, had even plotted to abduct him for a decadent life together.
So, for now, Soulgros rested her head on Master’s shoulder, content to be close to him.