At this point, I’d made it as far as the fourteenth floor in the dungeon with two hundred eighty-six days left to go. Within that time frame, I aimed to reach the fifty-sixth floor, retrieve a certain resource my AI partners would identify for me there, then return to the modern world. But the deeper one explored the dungeon, the further one descended into madness. For the moment, I was still sane, but whether that’d hold up in the future remained unclear.
“Remain cautious, play it safe. Remain cautious, play it safe,” I constantly repeated to myself, but in the end, we just had to work with what we had, facing every new danger as it came up. There was no such thing as a “safe” adventure. And the best way to alleviate these kinds of nerves? Get in that dungeon. How’s that for irony?
“Hmm?”
The previous night, I’d stayed up late putting together our strategy, but my memory was hazy. I must’ve fallen asleep halfway through planning. Once my senses returned to me, I could feel the first rays of the morning sun warming the tent. The tablet in my hands and the AI mini kettle resting by my pillow were both in sleep mode. Annotated, hand-drawn maps and memos lay scattered about.
Right in front of me, I saw her face, fast asleep—Lana, the woman of this dimension whom I’d married under false pretenses. Blond and elven, the mage had a beautiful baby face almost too sweet for her surprisingly voluptuous chest, to which her slumbering younger sibling was now clinging. Éa, Lana’s sister, was also blond, drop-dead gorgeous, tall, and lithe, the picture-perfect example of a typical elf. Perhaps starved for motherly affection, Éa absolutely loved her big sister’s breasts so much so that she could not sleep without holding them. Both sisters wore T-shirts and spandex shorts for pajamas. I’d seen them like this so many times you’d think I’d have grown used to the sight, but looking directly at them always made me burn up inside.
Instinctively, I brushed my fingers through Lana’s bangs—only to realize I could not move. Our bodies had warmed so perfectly to each other I had not noticed, but someone was clutching me from behind as I lay on my side, and I had only just realized the extra set of hands on my chest. My goddess, the most likely culprit, was currently in her feline form, sprawled out in a corner of the tent with her stomach exposed. That left only one person.
“Lanceil?” From out of the corner of my eye, I saw a silver tail wag. Come to think of it, the soft bust pressed against my back felt familiar. “……Lanceil,” I whispered as quietly as I could so as not to wake Lana. Just two days ago, we had forbidden our newest member of our household from sneaking into my bed, unless given Lana’s permission—and yet here we were. I didn’t want to start my morning watching the two of them fight. Moreover, I dreaded getting in between them. My body simply could not take it.
I wanted to treasure Lana, but complicated circumstances beyond my control prevented me from flatly refusing Lanceil’s advances. Personally, I didn’t necessarily dislike the would-be princess, either. But no one in my close circle could empathize with my struggle, with this man’s tortured heart.
“Lanceil…… Lanceil…… Lanceiiiiil,” I continued to softly call her name. My annoyance at the situation and the warmth from her body seesawed fiercely on the scales of good versus evil in my mind.
Maybe I could stay like this a little longer. No, no, no, that would be no good. Shit would hit the fan.
“Mmmm.”
“Ungh!” A sultry moan escaped Lanceil’s lips as she tightened her grip on me. Her arms around my neck, she slid one leg over my waist and held me close. Supple mounds pressed against my shoulder blades.
I—I can’t shake free. Who’d have thought Lanceil would put both physical and psychological binds on me—? Talk about a terrifying vixen.
“L-Lanceil, please, wake up,” I pleaded somewhat feebly.
“Ahm.”
“Ah!” Instead of responding, Lanceil nipped my earlobe playfully. That alone sent an electric shiver down my spine, but still, she kept nibbling, inflicting some serious, lasting damage on my willpower.
“Wai— Ms. Lanceil!”
“Mm? Yes?” Her warm whisper brushed against my ear. Had she been awake the whole time? Was she just pretending to be asleep?
“What are you doing?”
“I came to wake you as I’ve finished preparing breakfast. I have every confidence you’ll thoroughly enjoy the rolled omelets and soup I made today,” my captor explained.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Yeah, sure, but before we get to that, what are you doing right—?”
She bit down again gently. “This is all part of my endeavor to become more intimately acquainted so that you will take me as your lover as quickly as possible. I thought I’d try a few things to see what works for you, sire.”
“I appreciate that. Wait, no, you should really think about when and where you—”
“Do you not care for this kind of affection, my lord?” She ran the tip of her tongue along my ear, tracing sensitive corners impossible to defend. It dipped into the canal, instantly giving me a mind-numbing sensation I’d never felt before. I almost passed out. Sure, Lana was my wife in name only, but it didn’t feel right letting another woman put the moves on me in front of her, except that it did feel really—
“……Mmngh.” Lana blinked her eyes awake. “Hmm?”
Lanceil paid her no mind and, if anything, revved up the heat of her seduction. Her beastmaid blood was in a feverish frenzy.
“……Huh?” Though usually very quick on the uptake, even Lana struggled to comprehend a scene this ludicrous. She sat up and took a deep breath in. After surveying the situation once more, she nodded to herself a couple times—then rammed her fist straight into Lanceil’s face.