Chapter Sixty: Liek

Suddenly asking to get close, I really had my hopes up.
“Liek… call me Liek. That’s the name Master gave me.”
Why in the world would I turn down a gorgeous girl who was this forward with me? There was no way in hell I could, even if I wanted to.
The carriage kept moving steadily. She leaned toward the coachman, calmly explaining where we were headed next. I couldn’t think straight for a while, my thoughts jumbled in a storm of excitement and confusion.
Sure, it could have been a trick to lure me in, but her gaze was too steady, her voice too calm, her eyes too clear. I felt no malice from her at all. Against all logic, I trusted her. My heart thudded violently, drowning out even the sound of her words. The anticipation was so intense it made me stumble over my own speech.
Just how is this going to end? Some part of me whispered the dangers, but I didn’t want to hear it. This moment felt too precious to ruin with suspicion. This—this was something I could record as one of the few good things that had happened to me in this world.
The distance between us vanished when she slid closer, gently moving the bag of loot aside to sit right at my side.
“You seem awfully excited… no, too excited. Or am I wrong~?” Her soft breath tickled my ear, followed by the faint nip of her teeth.
“Hoo~” An unguarded sound escaped my lips before I could stop it.
A few minutes later, the carriage stopped at a large barn at the edge of town. The coachman explained that the noble district was only fifteen minutes away on foot. Oddly, he seemed unaware of our earlier conversation, as though muffled by some spell Liek had cast.
The barn loomed before me—broad, painted red at the base and white above, sturdy wood holding its frame together.
“A barn?” I muttered.
“Don’t feel down. Don’t you think it’s exciting meeting in a place like this? Besides, all the animals were cleared out two days ago, and the place tidied. Think of it as our secret little pla~ce.”
A secret little place? I was already convinced.
“Thud!” I landed on a pile of hay by the window, gently pushed by Liek as we entered.
“Hehe~ it’s fun, isn’t it?” she teased, her mischievous smile glowing in the dim light.
“I-It is…” I stammered.
The barn was wide inside, with wooden stalls for creatures as large as dragons and as small as cows. A massive container filled with apples rested by the door—dragon feed, most likely. The ceiling stretched high, easily four dragons stacked atop each other. The hay I lay on was only a meter off the ground, soft and clean.
“You’re so cute…” She crawled onto the hay, her movements slow and deliberate. She settled astride me, and though her closeness was overwhelming, there was a playful spark in her eyes more than raw hunger.
“You seem really energetic. I like that in a man. Why don’t we dim the light? It might help you relax.”
I only nodded. Instantly, the windows closed of their own accord, save for one that left just enough light to paint the room in shadows.
From above me, she leaned close, chest pressing against mine, her presence overwhelming. Her lips brushed my neck as she whispered, “You’ve never done this before, have you? Just… leave everything to me.”
Those words sent a shiver through me. My heartbeat surged, and though my body reacted instinctively, my mind was tangled between thrill and fear.
Clothes fell away with a grace that left me exposed, save for the pendant still hanging at my neck. My sword lay within reach nearby, though in that moment it felt like a distant thought.
Her touch was delicate, her hands tracing across me in patterns that burned with intensity but not cruelty. The way she looked at me—half playful, half serious—made me feel like she was testing not just my body but my very resolve.
I reached toward her, but she caught my hands, placing them firmly at my sides.
“No… I’m supposed to lead this time, remember~?” she said, smiling slyly.
Her movements were teasing, lingering, more about closeness than anything else. The dim light wrapped around her form, giving her an almost otherworldly aura.
I… can’t take much more of this.
“Do you like kissing?” she suddenly asked, leaning closer, her lips shimmering in the faint glow.
“K-Kissing…?” My eyes widened. Reality crashed down like a bucket of cold water.
She looked straight into me, her lips only centimeters away. “You don’t want to?”
“No… that’s not it.”
“Then…”
Her lips drew nearer, her gaze locking me in place.
Damn it!! What do I do!?
I had so many firsts I hadn’t experienced, but kissing was one that never went well for me. Each time, something disastrous happened. What if she fainted? What if it became dangerous again?
As her lips touched mine, the barrier burst forth on its own, enclosing us in shadowed light. The barn quivered with the force of her reaction.
“MMHHGGG!!??” Her muffled cry echoed as her body shuddered.
“UUU—NNHHH!!” she moaned louder, the windows slamming open and shut as if battered by a storm.
Her body convulsed with frightening energy. Sparks of raw power burst out of her, tearing apart the hay beneath us and shattering the wooden wall behind. I clung to her desperately, terrified of what might happen if I let go.
This is bad! She’s overflowing! She’ll destroy herself if this continues!
The darkness of the barrier deepened as I held her tighter, absorbing as much of the backlash as I could. Her spasms shook through me, rattling my bones until I went numb.
Time blurred. Finally, the vibrations subsided, and she slumped against me, unconscious.
It was night now. Hours had passed since we arrived. Sweat glistened across her overheated skin, her body dangerously hot to the touch.
I carried her down gently and rushed to the well outside, pulling up bucket after bucket to cool her fevered body. Only after several drenches did the heat finally subside.
Minutes later, her eyes fluttered open.
“Hmm…?” Her voice was weak, fragile.
“Are you alright?” I asked, propping her head on my lap.
“I feel… strange… I’ve never felt like this before. How many times… did we do it?”
My face froze. Do it? That wasn’t what had happened at all. But seeing her peaceful smile, I couldn’t bring myself to shatter her illusion.
“We did it, right? I’ll never forget this feeling. It felt… godly. You’re the best…”
Her words pierced me, not because they were true, but because she believed them wholeheartedly. I stroked her dark hair gently as she rested.
Moonlight spilled through the broken wall, the barn now half-ruined from her unleashed energy.
“You should go home. It’s late. I can sleep here—this barn belongs to my Master,” she said.
I hesitated, but she insisted. Even so, I gathered hay into a pillow and covered her with a blanket I found. She still couldn’t move well.
“I’ll be fine. My sister is coming here soon. She’ll look after me.”
That gave me some relief.
“Also… I’d like to see you again, if possible. Do you think we can… meet again?”
Her sincerity struck me.
“Sure…” I replied, though doubt gnawed at me.
She had no idea what had really happened during the kiss. She thought we had gone further than we actually had, her memory blurred by the overwhelming energy release.
Why does this always happen? Every kiss seemed to trigger an uncontrollable reaction. Could it be connected to whoever brought me here?
Liek had told me her level was forty—stronger than most. Yet even she had nearly destroyed herself from that kiss. My thoughts spun with possibilities. Maybe it’s like pouring water into a flask. The weaker girls—Meila, Taht, Etis—they get filled to the brim but stop. Liek, being stronger, simply overflowed.
The theory made sense, but it only left me with more questions.
“Thanks…” she whispered faintly before drifting into sleep again.
I gave her a final smile, picked up my bag, and left under the moonlight.
The city was quiet as I made my way home. The noble side was more congested, while my side of the city was calm, houses lined neatly until mine appeared at the very end.
Meila pretended to be asleep when I entered, though it was only 9 p.m. Duddul, faithful as always, greeted me warmly.
I hadn’t eaten all day, but hunger didn’t matter much anymore. What weighed heavier was the disappointment—once again, my cursed ability had ruined what could have been happiness.
I needed to find a cure. Otherwise, every girl I grew close to would suffer.
The next morning, I woke to an even bigger shock. Two succubi sat calmly in the living room, their gazes sharp. Meila looked furious.
“We’ve come to take you to our master.”
“Why in the world would he go!?” Meila shouted.
Their master—the infamous one surrounded by deadly magical fog that drained the life of men and women alike. Was it suicide to go? Maybe. But then again, her magic hadn’t harmed me before.
“Our master wishes to thank you for helping her, though she didn’t need it,” Aera said curtly.
“Please don’t mind her,” Baera added, smiling warmly. “Our master is very excited to meet you. Please… grant her wish.”
Meila slammed her fists on the table. “Are you insane!? Even you succubi can barely endure her magic. How can a human survive it!?”
But Aera’s eyes were sharp as she replied, “Because he isn’t ordinary. I can feel it—his aura surpasses even our master’s. It’s the same as the Demon Queen herself.”
The Demon Queen? Could it be true? If succubi could sense such things, then perhaps they held the answers I sought.
“Meila… please believe in me. I’ll come back, I promise. There are things I need to know, and this master of theirs may hold the truth.”
Meila clenched her fists, anger flashing in her eyes. “Fine! Do what you want!” she yelled before storming off to her room.
I exhaled slowly. If it meant uncovering the truth behind all these mysteries… then I had no choice but to face the Demon Queen herself.