[S1] Chapter 11: Special

"She'll turn up, don't worry."

"How can she afford to behave like that?"

"She can just do it, and now stop talking about her."

It is Sami, the guild leader who lost half of his members in this tragic incident some weeks ago, who has to calm down the representative of the Ministry of Magic.

"You can tell you're new. Your first time at a meeting like this?" Wace, the co-leader of the current mage king's guild, asks.

"Yes, it is. Do you have a problem with that?"

Wace laughs and waves it off. "No, no. Not me. But you better leave the behavior for when Lilith gets here."

"What's so special about her anyway?"

"Are you talking about me?" a woman with long, wavy white hair enters the private room of the restaurant where the meeting of various guild leaders is taking place today.

All eyes are on her, some admiring her incomparable beauty, others doing it for their sense of security. Lilith enjoys a special reputation, especially as one of the most powerful witches of them all. The unknowing would say that she doesn't show it, but anyone who can sense her aura is literally overwhelmed and crushed by it.

"Absolutely right. Did you get the time wrong?" Jora, the king of mages, asks as if he's telling her off. The man with long platinum-blonde hair and bright red eyes is probably the only one who is not afraid of Lilith in any way.

But the only person who gets up and greets the witch with a hug is an elderly man with a long gray beard dressed in a rather odd-looking robe.

"How are you?" he asks as she wraps her arms tightly around his back.

"I'm good, and you? How are the old bones?"

"They're still carrying me, so I can hardly complain."

"Heartwarming, but could we maybe start soon? I don't have unlimited time." The only one who dares to interrupt this lovely scene is a serious businesswoman. Even if you would never recognize her as such at first glance. In spite of the restaurant's classy appearance, she marched in wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt with an anime character on it. But she is also the leader of an influential mages' guild.

Now that all the participants were present for this meeting, everyone took their seats and ordered something to eat before getting straight to the point.

"While we wait for our food, I'll summarize again so that everyone is on the same page." The ministry employee begins to speak somewhat meekly. All the fire he had earlier has died out with Lilith's arrival.

"Sami's guild encountered true, non-mana-made monsters in a regular C-rank dungeon. Lilith's guild was called in to help treat the injured. Afterward, the ministry was informed of all this, and a decision had to be made on how to proceed with the still-active dungeon. Jora, who, as King of the Mages, was present at the conference for this decision, put forward a proposal not to simply destroy the dungeon but to find out how it was possible that the presence of these beings could not have been detected in advance. This mission was written out, and the participating parties met here today to make further preparations."

Lilith applauds for a brief moment. "Very well presented." Wace, among others, chuckles briefly before the old man, who had hugged Lilith earlier, takes the word.

"Some of you may be wondering what I'm doing here as a school principal. After all, I don't have a guild, but I do have a number of highly talented students who I would like to give the opportunity to explore a dungeon and its hidden mysteries. To prevent them from holding back the mission, I contacted a former student of mine who now runs a very successful guild to send one of her best witches to make up for the inexperience of my students."

He throws a warm smile at the woman wearing the anime-printed T-shirt, inviting her to say something.

"It's just like he said. As you may know, my guild is more active in show business, but some of our girls have a considerable history in dungeon guilds."

"I offered to help, of course, since it was my suggestion to explore the whole thing," Jora explains without further ado.

"Our guild will participate again because we already know the dungeon, and we don't want to leave it to you just to clean up our leftovers," Sami says with a grim expression, his thoughts fully with all the members he has lost, but right now he is determined to stand strong.

Lilith looks briefly at the faces of the others and sighs a little. "I have to say something now, too, don't I? Um, I'm sending my little guild along because our dear Jora has been campaigning for some time to finally give my sweet Miko a chance to prove herself and get rid of this ban that prohibits her from working inside dungeons."

"With regard to Miko, we have agreed to lift her ban if this mission is completed successfully and without incident," mentions the ministry employee, handing Lilith a piece of paper across the table. "The details are on here."

"Thank you." She gives him a gentle smile, and his heart skips a beat. "Maybe you can make an effort to loosen my ban as well. If you can manage that, I'll arrange to meet you alone next time, okay?" she winks at him and rests her chin on one hand.

Lilith knows that she won't achieve anything with her flirting. In fact, she's making things worse, but she's almost lost all hope that she'll be allowed to enter a dungeon again, let alone be near one anyway.

"What about the payment?" Lilith asks after she realizes how everyone is a little shocked by her proposal to the ministry guy, who then starts to rummage nervously through his notes before he finds the right one.

"Basically, you get the standard rate for a C-rank dungeon, but there are several bonuses available. For instance, securing the corpse of a monster to study it. I will send you the complete list by e-mail."

"Lovely, thank you so much," Jora says, winking at the poor employee of the ministry. Whether he ever wants to attend a meeting like this again is highly questionable.

KAYLA

"If we get lost in this forest and are stuck there for days, I'll eat you if I have to."

"The paths are waymarked, and I doubt the forest is actually that big."

"Boo, how boring."

"But if, against all odds, we do get lost, you're welcome to eat me."

"Deal."

The temptation is there, but I won't get lost on purpose, don't worry. And, of course, I have no intention of eating my dear partner, at least not literally. Oh my gosh, get those thoughts out of my head.

"Let's go," Miko says and jogs off. The sun is still up, but the temperatures are relatively bearable today, which is why we have decided to explore the first running trail today. While we were stretching at the starting point, several students in sportswear had already made their way onto it.

Somehow, it was a different feeling than in the gym, which was to be expected as you can't really compare the ground we were walking on, but I mean the general vibe. The crunching under our shoes, the fresh wind, and the sounds of the forest make the whole experience more stimulating than I expected.

"Overtake me," Miko says after a few minutes. So far, I had been running slightly behind and occasionally next to her.

"Why? Do you want to check out my ass?"

"There's nothing to see anyway. No, I want to see your running form from behind." How can she insult my only pride like that? I'm definitely missing something in certain places, but my butt is beautifully shaped.

I increase my pace and pass Miko. She doesn't really deserve to see something so fine, but it's not too late to convince her of my qualities.

"Looks pretty good."

"Told you."

"Your running form, you idiot."

"Sure, what else should I talk about?"

We take our first break at a point that marks the halfway point of the track. It didn't feel particularly exhausting, but I am still soaked in sweat. Meanwhile, Miko looks like she has driven here in a car; her face is just a little shiny, and her clothes are completely dry.

"Can you actually sweat?"

"Sure. But that tends to happen when I use a lot of mana. I generally don't reach my limits when I'm exercising."

"I'm really jealous."

"You're not the only one," Miko says, nodding with a sense of satisfaction on her face.

"Don't be so proud of it."

"You look pretty wet, though."

"Want a touch?"

"May I?"

Huh? May I? Why would she want to touch my body right now?

"Be gentle. Please." I mutter.

Miko takes a step towards me, and when she stands in front of me, I avert my gaze when she's so close I can't just look her in the eyes. I feel how she slips her hands under my top and holds me by the waist on both sides. My heart is pounding like crazy. This must look a bit kinky from the outside. I hope no one is coming by now. And suddenly, the spots where her hands are resting turn ice-cold. I shriek and tear myself away from Miko.

While I'm on the verge of a heart attack, she's laughing her head off. A thousand insults go through my head as I stare into her stupid face before I realize that her ears are glowing red. That wasn't the case just a moment ago... don't tell me she got a little turned on by touching me?

"Why are you grinning?" oh yes, Miko doesn't like my reaction. It irritates and annoys her. That's better than any insult I could have thrown at her. With a disgusted look, she wipes my sweat off her top and starts to stretch.

"You're really special, you know that, don't you?"

"Is that a compliment?"

"I haven't decided that yet."

Only shortly after we set off again did it sink in how disgusting this situation actually was. I would never want to touch someone who was so soaked in sweat like I was… on top of the idea that it turned Miko on a little? Could it be that she has a quite exceptional fetish? Was her prank just an excuse to touch my slippery body?

No, no, no. I should quickly say goodbye to that idea. She's never given such hints before, so why now? Because we're in the middle of the forest? Kayla just run... just stop thinking and keep running.

Less than an hour later, we arrive back in our dorm room. Although I tried, I couldn't let go of the thought. I just have to check it out. I have to put Miko to the test. Instead of disappearing straight into the bathroom as usual, I start undressing in her presence.

"Is this a desperate attempt to seduce me? You know I've already seen you naked in the shower."

"You're right." I casually throw my sweaty top onto the bed and memorize exactly how it looks lying there before I disappear into the bathroom. When I come back, and this wet piece of clothing is no longer lying there, it is confirmed. I get goosebumps at the thought of her sniffing or, even worse, rubbing it against herself.

Almost hesitantly, I return and take a look at the bed, and I can't find my top. Miko, who is ready to go into the bathroom next with her sleeping clothes in her arms, just looks at me questioningly. At the same time, I put a hand over my mouth in shock to keep myself from screaming.

"Are you okay?"

"Where's my top?"

"I threw it on the floor. It's disgusting to toss something like that in bed, especially if it lands on my side."

"I love you anyway, you know that, right?"

"Shut up."