Finally, the writing of episode 41 has been completed.
Please note that there are some graphic expressions in episode 41.
Also, the names and settings are fictional.
While there are many points that might invite criticism, I would appreciate it if you could laugh and overlook them.
(2020.8.30 – Fixed a typo:
① “So even with the help of the Holy Spirit Serena and the ‘Ritual of Revival’ using the Elixir, only one person could be saved, and the bodies that even the perverted Sex Spirit would reach out its tentacles for were nowhere to be found.” → “…the perverted one would even extend a finger for…”)
—
I, Hal Harem Von Raymond, and the entourage of the ‘Princess Harem’ are traveling in two carriages drawn by two horses, heading towards the final destination of our Second Expedition Trip—the former territory of the Wahl Imperial Kingdom, which is also Lyusienne’s homeland.
Along the way, we encountered a major problem with a perverted bastard named Notter Midgar, the leader of the ‘Crimson Holy Spear,’ which is essentially a ‘Slave Harem Party.’
However, the unexpected twist was that Notter’s natural enemy turned out to be his own elder sister, a female mercenary named Moon Midgar.
Astarotte, who became Notter’s victim, seemingly awakened a skill called ‘Dream Crossing’ out of necessity.
It’s possible that Astarotte, sensing danger, unconsciously regressed to her succubus form, but for now, she seems to remain within the bounds of being a human.
Meanwhile, we inquired with the Mercenary Guild about the movements of Moon Midgar, who was now recognized as a new threat.
I entrusted this task to Mai, who once again swiftly provided detailed information.
According to the report, Moon had already died.
Given the harsh nature of the mercenary industry, it was initially thought that she had met her end on a mission, but it turned out to be a crime of passion.
Considering Moon’s peculiar sexual tendencies, this was a plausible outcome.
The report stated that she had tied up a young, attractive couple from her mercenary group, and while their partner watched, she violated both the husband and the new wife.
The young wife, who was raised in a strict household with strong notions of chastity, vowed revenge.
One day, she drugged Moon’s drink, causing her to fall into a deep sleep, and then stabbed her beloved sword into Moon’s vagina, causing her to bleed to death.
It was… chilling.
What a karmic end.
To think that the first thing she tasted in life was her brother’s penis, and the last was her own sword.
The ‘Princess Harem’ also has its own troublemaker in Sophie, but Moon was on the same level as her.
Considering that Moon was bisexual, she might even surpass Sophie in terms of being a nymphomaniac.
As I pondered this, the carriage reached a gentle incline.
The horses, wagging their tails energetically, seemed unfazed by the slope.
Their hooves made light, rhythmic sounds as they pulled the carriage.
We should arrive at the former border town of Imman in a few days.
“Master, the miasma around here is unusually strong! Be careful!”
As I held the reins, I was reflecting on the bitter lesson from the recent encounter with Notter.
Then, unexpectedly, the usually carefree Holy Spirit Serena called out to me in a slightly panicked voice.
For her to sound worried meant that this was no ordinary situation.
“The miasma is strong!? That’s serious!!”
I pulled the carriage to the side of the road and parked it.
Freya, who was driving the second carriage, followed suit and stopped as well.
“Hal, what’s the matter!?”
“What’s going on!?”
Elise, Swanhild, and others rushed out from the passenger carriage and approached.
“Serena says the miasma here is unusually dense. Let’s investigate a bit,” I said.
When we broke into the Amethyst Palace, the necromancer Zolgelge, who should have been commanding the ‘Corpse Puppets,’ had already fled.
Regarding his whereabouts, we questioned Yuliana, who was revived with the Elixir, and the three vampire sisters who were turned into Summoned Beasts. It seems he went to join the high-ranking demon Barberu, the commander of the demon invasion force, likely in the former Wahl Imperial Kingdom.
In other words, demons may be waiting for us at our destination.
We managed to deal with Astarotte and the vampire sisters before they unleashed their full demonic powers, but we can’t rely on luck forever.
We should proceed with caution here.
“…Smell… blood!?”
Mai seemed to have noticed something unusual.
She ventured into the thickets growing amidst the underbrush.
“Elise, Swanhild, and Dietlinde, come with me. The rest, stay with the carriages. Be on guard—there might be enemies nearby!”
“Understood!”
I ran desperately to catch up with Mai, who was leading the way. Elise and the others followed. Soon, we found the scene of a massacre.
Mai, the first to discover it, quietly prayed for the souls of the dead.
“This is… horrible…”
“Probably a young girl swordsman. How pitiful…”
A girl’s body lay sprawled on the ground, slightly off the road.
Her attire suggested she might have been a noble’s daughter, clad in fine leather armor.
Her abdomen was slashed open, her organs spilled out into a pool of blood.
Moreover, she had been decapitated, making it impossible to use Resurrection Magic.
Elise offered a silent prayer for the body, and we followed suit.
“May the gods in heaven save this poor soul,” I murmured, as if channeling Lester the Cleric.
“This seems to have been done with a sharp blade. But taking the head… how cruel,” Dietlinde noted after examining the body.
Perhaps this young swordsman was attacked by bandits?
If so, the miasma Serena warned about might be unrelated.
However, bandits would take valuables, not heads.
Strictly speaking, the girl’s lingering resentment might have generated some miasma, but it would be minimal.
“Hal, there’s another body over here!”
Swanhild’s voice called from a bit further away.
We went to find a well-built man’s body sprawled out.
This body was also decapitated. His right thigh and left arm had been severed at the elbow, and his back was split open, likely the fatal wound.
“Hal, there’s another body here. The cause of death seems to be drained vital energy,” Dietlinde called out.
We found three more bodies lying as if asleep, their heads intact but drained of life force, as if attacked by succubi.
“…Over here,” Mai called again.
These bodies were of young children, also drained of energy.
We had unexpectedly discovered a multitude of bodies, leaving us numb and anxious. Cold sweat drenched my sides, and the gruesome scene left Elise and the others pale.
In the dense thickets, we found numerous bodies, some partially eaten by animals or already decaying, all likely killed within a short period.
The victims ranged from the young to the elderly, men and women alike, as if indiscriminately attacked on the road.
The causes of death fell into two categories:
First, like the young swordsman, victims were brutally slain with sharp blades and decapitated. The absence of weapons around the bodies suggested they were taken along with the heads.
Second, some bodies had no external wounds, appearing to have died from drained vital energy.
Given the condition of the bodies, too much time had passed for ordinary Resurrection Magic to work.
Even with the Holy Spirit Serena’s help and the ‘Ritual of Revival’ using the Elixir, only one person could be saved, and the perverted Sex Spirit wouldn’t even extend a finger for these bodies.
“Hal, these bodies are the work of succubi. There must be other succubi who crossed over from the demon realm,” Astarotte concluded after examining the bodies, aligning with our thoughts.
However, we couldn’t determine who was responsible for the decapitations.
With so many bodies, burying them was out of the question.
If this were a wasteland, we could have cremated them using Dietlinde’s Fire Spirit Magic or Elise and Shera’s fire-attribute magic, but the risk of setting the surrounding vegetation ablaze made it impossible.
The body examination involved me, Elise, Swanhild, Dietlinde, Astarotte, and the Holy Spirit Serena, while the rest of the party stayed with the carriages.
I hadn’t wanted to expose the girls to such a gruesome scene, but I had no choice.
“Astarotte, can you sense the miasma?”
“Since becoming human, it’s hard to tell,” she replied.
“What about you, Swanhild?”
“I can feel it, but that’s all.”
“Serena, you were the first to notice. Any thoughts?”
“The dense miasma seems to be flowing from the hilltop. This place might just be a killing or body-dumping site,” Serena said.
“I see… The road leads uphill. Could the perpetrator be there? Should we find a detour?”
“That sounds good,” Swanhild agreed.
“From my pride… retreating is distasteful. I’d rather burn the evil away with my Fire Spirit Magic,” Dietlinde declared, her elf pride showing.
Recalling Dietrich’s half-sister Edelgard from the previous hero party, who had a similar personality, I noted the resemblance.
Even half-sisters like Liliana and Yuliana had similar reactions during their night duties.
Suddenly, screams erupted from the direction of the carriages.
It sounded like Tirna, followed by several others. Then Alicia called out to me.
“Everyone, hurry back to the carriages!”
“Understood,” they replied.
As we rushed back, Serena flew ahead. Swanhild could also fly using her ‘Sky-Soaring’ skill after changing outfits, but to save time, she ran instead.
“What happened!?”
“Hal, look! A man suddenly appeared and abducted Lyusienne and Liliana!!”
A panicked Alicia pointed down the road.
There, a man was speeding toward the hilltop with Lyusienne and Liliana under each arm!
Mai was chasing him, but with the hostages in the way, she couldn’t throw her kunai.
“Lyusienne… Liliana…” Tirna muttered in shock.
Shera’s fur bristled, and Freya, Kirika, Edele, and Eria lay collapsed on the ground.
“I’ll chase him!” Swanhild transformed into her Valkyrie armor and tried to pursue him.
“Wait! Swanhild, don’t reveal your trump card! He might just be a scout!!”
“Fine, I’ll run then.”
“Wait, I’ll come too,” Elise said.
“I’ll join as well,” Dietlinde added.
In an instant, the Princess Harem was thrown into chaos.
This was the first time party members had been abducted since its formation.
—
Thank you for reading.
Episode 41-2, “Maidens of the Divine Feast Part 2,” is scheduled for release on March 12 at 00:00.
