May 24, 1504, Age of the Sea Circle
After a long day of nonstop cooking in Germa 66, Orion finally arrived once more at Sora's mansion to perform the final treatment session necessary to stabilize her condition. He had spent the last ten days using his Room to repair the damage the poison had inflicted on her body over the years, and now he was finally about to finish his work.
Even so, that did not mean she was fully recovered, because the poison she had taken was extremely potent and had fused with her blood, rendering all the work Orion had put into repairing her organs useless if he failed to eliminate the source of her symptoms.
Orion had analyzed Sora's blood and immediately identified the problem, but he possessed no knowledge of the poison she had used, as it was unlike anything he had ever encountered before. He possessed Herbology (Level 6) and Medicine (Level 7), so the fact that he had come across a poison he could not understand spoke volumes about its complexity.
Although Orion had been learning about poisons from his grandmother Bianca after rescuing her from Mary Geoise and bringing her back to her family, he had only spent a few months studying under her, meaning there was still much he had yet to learn from his grandmother.
After all, she belonged to the Vespa family, a royal lineage that had specialized in poisons for centuries, and her knowledge in that field far surpassed Orion's own. He enjoyed spending time with this long-lost grandmother with whom he had had no contact during the first thirteen years of his life, and he had genuinely enjoyed studying herbology and poisons under her guidance.
In any case, the issue was that Orion lacked the necessary knowledge to treat the poison that was afflicting Sora and making her ill, leaving him with no choice but to contact his grandmother Bianca and seek her advice on the matter.
After asking Sora about the poison she had used during her pregnancy, the beautiful queen explained that it was a poison employed by her clan as a secret technique and that she had received it from her mother.
Sora then proceeded to describe the ingredients and manufacturing process of the poison in detail so Orion would have as much information as possible, and she even provided him with the recipe for the antidote.
Unfortunately for the beautiful queen of Germa 66, the antidote could only be taken within a one-month window, because after that point it became impossible to remove the poison, as it would fuse with the victim's body, condemning them to a horrific death after months of agony.
She had known this from the moment she drank the poison during her pregnancy, yet she had been unable to take the antidote even though she possessed it, because doing so would have undone the poison's effects on her body, potentially causing her attempt to eliminate the modifications Judge had performed on the babies in her womb to fail.
In the end, her gamble had succeeded, and she had managed to save one of her children, though in doing so she had condemned herself to death. Afterwards, she endured for years the torture of her body slowly tearing itself apart under the poison's effects, extending her lifespan from mere months to years through nothing but sheer stubbornness and an unwavering desire to live.
Now Orion needed to find a way to eliminate the poison that had fused with Sora's body, but he could not do so manually with his Room—at least not directly. Instead, he needed a new antidote capable of separating the poison from Sora's blood once more, allowing him to finally remove it using his Room.
Although Sora had no idea how to create an antidote once the poison had completely fused with the body, Orion's grandmother could, because her expertise with poisons surpassed that of both Sora and Orion.
A week earlier, he had contacted Shyarly through their special connection and asked her to inform Bianca of the situation and request her help. Only a few days later, his grandmother had sent a message back through Shyarly, informing him that she was already working on a cure and would send it to him once it was complete.
Although Orion could not travel back and forth through his Space Gate, Shyarly could, because he was able to "summon" her in the same way he summoned his companion beasts, thanks to the special connection the system granted them.
She could not transport large objects while being summoned in that manner, but something small like the antidote—which could be concealed among her clothes—posed no problem whatsoever. As a result, Orion was now waiting for his grandmother Bianca to finish manufacturing the antidote so he could conclude Sora's treatment and cure her completely.
...
Letting out a light sigh, Orion deactivated his Room and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a satisfied smile, having finally completed Sora's emergency treatment, which had taken him nearly two weeks to finish. Afterwards, he injected her with a medicine designed to counteract the sedative he had administered earlier, causing the beautiful queen of Germa 66 to awaken a few minutes later.
Sora's vision was blurry when she woke up, but even so, she could still make out Orion's silhouette in front of her. Over the past two weeks, she had spent every night with him, and by now she could recognize him immediately, even with her unfocused gaze.
For her, a woman who had gone her entire life without ever experiencing a genuine romantic relationship, the bond she had recently formed with Orion was the closest thing she had ever known to romantic love. At the moment, Sora felt a little like a lovestruck teenager, discovering for the first time what it meant to have a crush on someone.
"How are you feeling, Sora?" Orion asked when he saw her wake up.
She showed him a beautiful smile, and instead of answering his question right away, she stretched out her arms, wrapped them around Orion's head, and pressed him against her voluptuous chest, pulling him down onto the bed with her as she lay back against the mattress.
"Now that I see you, I feel much better," Sora said in a sensual tone, making no attempt whatsoever to hide her flirtatious attitude.
"Ahem, I mean how do you feel physically?" Orion replied after clearing his throat, unsure of how to react to the beautiful queen's advances.
Normally, he was very proactive when it came to relationships with the opposite sex, but Sora's health still was not at one hundred percent, so Orion could not simply throw himself at her and make her his without a second thought.
Perhaps that was why Sora had been the more proactive one in their relationship. She constantly teased Orion, who always tried to restrain himself with great effort, afraid that his superhuman lust might somehow harm the fragile body of the beautiful queen.
Sora greatly enjoyed Orion's frustrated expression whenever he found himself unable to decide how to respond to her intimate advances, and because of that, her "attacks" had become increasingly erotic over the past few days, to the point that she was now openly pressing her breasts against Orion's face and enjoying every second of it.
Even so, Sora knew that this was not the right moment to consummate her relationship with Orion, since she was still recovering from her illness.
After suffering for many years and having already accepted her imminent death, she had finally regained hope, all thanks to Orion, who had appeared in her life like a ray of sunlight piercing through the darkness.
Now, she truly believed that she would be able to recover her health and live a fulfilling life alongside her children in the future. Furthermore, she was incredibly hopeful about the possibility of experiencing genuine romantic love, something she had never had the chance to know before, since her relationship with Judge had never managed to escape the formality of an arranged marriage, and he had never viewed her as anything more than a means of producing heirs.
As a matter of fact, Judge had never even had sexual relations with her. Their children had been conceived through a process of artificial insemination, something the proud scientist had planned with obsessive precision in pursuit of producing the most powerful heirs possible for his bloodline.
It could be said that Sora, who had never been given the opportunity to interact with a man in a normal way, was now embarking on her very first romance, even if the circumstances under which it had developed were somewhat unusual.
With a graceful movement, Sora released Orion's head from her embrace, allowing him to escape the soft confinement of her beautiful breasts. However, rather than looking relieved, he wore an expression of reluctance, which made Sora cover her mouth and laugh adorably.
"Hehehe, it seems you're disappointed not to receive more of my affection, Doctor Orion," Sora said, teasing him once again. Then she leaned forward on the bed and placed a brief kiss on his cheek.
"This is your reward for curing me. I have nothing with which to repay you other than my body, Doctor Orion..." the beautiful queen continued in a sensual tone, while resting both elbows beneath her breasts to make them appear even more prominent.
Orion swallowed hard, trying to contain the heat spreading through his body, though it was somewhat difficult while looking at the enormous breasts of the golden-haired queen, which seemed on the verge of escaping the fragile restraint of Sora's pajamas.
"Doctor Orion, the way you look at me makes me feel shy... Are you an immoral doctor?" Sora said as she turned slightly and covered her chest in a pose that was somehow even more sensual than before, and quite obviously intended to provoke him.
"Ahem, if you have nothing else to say, I think it's time for me to leave for today..." Orion said as he turned around.
"Hey, wait, wait, don't go!" Sora suddenly exclaimed, abandoning her previous flirtatious games and returning to her normal personality, though she still wanted to tease Orion a little longer.
"Tch, you're no fun, Orion. I was just trying to make things a little more interesting, like a scenario where I'm an innocent and helpless patient in the hands of a unscrupulous doctor trying to take advantage of me."
Sora's eyes lit up as she described the elaborate scenario she had imagined acting out with Orion, and he could not help but wonder where she had learned plots that sounded straight out of a low-budget porn movie.
What Orion didn't know was that Sora had a very high libido, and she had grown up reading all kinds of erotic novels aimed at young ladies. It could be said that she was the classic example of an inexperienced princess with a vivid imagination, because thousands of times she had placed herself in the shoes of the heroines of those low-quality romance stories that any sheltered princess adored.
"I can see you're feeling well, so I'd better take my leave before dawn arrives. Your servants should be coming soon for your morning visit," Orion said, trying to keep a cool head and not give in to the temptation Sora was presenting to him.
Once she was completely cured, he would repay her a thousandfold for all the teasing she had subjected him to, making her beg for mercy, but now was not the time for that.
"I feel much better. I even feel like I could jump out of bed and walk all over this stupid artificial island like I did years ago," Sora suddenly said, and seeing that Orion was about to comment on it, she quickly added,
"Don't worry, I know I have to keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention, at least until you obtain the information you came here to steal and we can leave this place."
Orion looked at Sora's smile, which now that she had recovered from her internal injuries appeared far more radiant than before, and nodded.
"That's the plan. For now, keep up your routine as if your condition hasn't improved at all. Otherwise, Judge will start investigating your miraculous recovery, and that could create problems."
"Of course, my love. Don't worry about anything. I'll be a good girl," Sora replied as she took one of Orion's hands and pressed it against her cheek with a happy expression.
Orion ignored the words that were clearly meant to provoke an exaggerated reaction from him and continued discussing her treatment over the coming days, explaining that he would soon have the antidote needed to permanently remove the poison from her body and cure her completely.
Sora smiled gently and, clasping Orion's hand between her soft palms, looked him in the eyes and said,
"Thank you, Orion. I truly thank the heavens that you appeared in my life."
Orion's heart skipped a beat when he saw Sora wearing such a tender expression, and unable to restrain himself any longer, he gently pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the lips.
Sora was surprised that Orion had taken the initiative, because during the past week she had been the one on the offensive while Orion constantly tried to restrain himself.
Even so, she felt immense joy seeing that he had finally yielded to her romantic advances, and wrapping both arms around his neck, she awkwardly returned Orion's deep kiss.
This was the first time she had ever kissed someone, and she had absolutely no experience beyond what she had read in the pornographic novels she adored, so at first she could not keep up with the experienced Orion. Little by little, however, she allowed herself to be carried away and found the perfect way to respond to his kiss as he guided her.
Orion's tongue invaded Sora's mouth without mercy, finding the beautiful queen's small tongue and beginning a fierce dance with it.
Sora closed her eyes and enjoyed the novel and pleasurable sensation as her body gradually grew warmer and a tingling feeling spread from head to toe.
"Mmm~" Sora let out an incredibly sensual nasal moan, causing the blood to rush to Orion's groin, though in the end he maintained his reason and brought the passionate kiss with the beautiful queen of Germa 66 to an end.
"I am also grateful to fate for allowing me to find you in time," Orion said with a smile, tenderly caressing Sora's cheek and causing her to lower her gaze shyly.
Although she had been the one taking the offensive in their relationship over the past few weeks, that had only been because Orion was holding himself back due to her health. Otherwise, there was no way a complete novice like Sora could have competed with Orion in games of seduction when he had already built a small harem in only a few years, one that continued to grow larger.
"Then I'll take my leave for today, Sora. Tomorrow I'll come see you even if I don't have the antidote yet, so we can spend some time together," Orion said, preparing to depart.
However, he was stopped by Sora, who still had one matter she wished to discuss with him.
"One moment, Orion. There's something I wanted to ask you…"
Orion halted the motion of his hand, which had been about to open a Space Door, and looked directly at Sora, waiting for her to continue.
"This is just a selfish request on my part, and you can refuse without feeling guilty…" Sora began, clearly worried about how Orion would react to what she was about to say.
"You don't need to be so nervous. Just tell me. If it's something within my power, I'll do it without hesitation—for you," Orion said, once again gently caressing her cheek.
Sora blushed slightly and nodded.
"My eldest daughter, Reiju... She has suffered Judge's mental conditioning techniques, making her unable to disobey him... Could you do something about that?"
Even though Orion had told her to make her request with confidence, Sora still seemed somewhat nervous, because she did not want him to think she was trying to take advantage of his kindness.
"That was all? Of course that's not a problem. I hadn't mentioned it because I didn't want to worry you, but I had already been planning to do something about it in the coming days. After all, if we're going to take her with us to Pacific Kingdom, it's safer if we get rid of Judge's mind control," Orion replied without hesitating for even an instant.
Orion was not lying. He truly had been planning to deal with Reiju's particular situation, though he had not yet found the time to do so because his hands had been full treating Sora.
Naturally, Sora immediately perceived that he was telling the truth, since she was essentially a human lie detector, and a broad smile appeared on her face as she confirmed that Orion intended to help her daughter Reiju, who in her eyes was the one suffering the most in Germa 66's current situation—aside from Sanji, who was undoubtedly the most tragic person in the entire place.
Once again, she pulled Orion's head against her impressive yet soft breasts and bounced happily on the bed, plunging him into a soft and wonderful world.
At last, she released him from her embrace and, after planting a kiss on his cheek, said,
"Thank you so much for everything, Orion... I know it's already very late and dawn is almost here, but tomorrow... tomorrow I'll show you my gratitude."
Sora blushed as she spoke those words and did not dare meet Orion's eyes, which only made him feel the fire of passion rising within him even more intensely. Perhaps tomorrow, when he came to see Sora again, he would be able to enjoy a wonderful experience with her...
"By the way, Sanji's lunches have improved tremendously over the past week. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?" Sora asked, staring directly at Orion with her beautiful blue eyes.
"No, I have no idea. I've been very busy with your treatment these past few days. Maybe he's just a natural genius?" Orion replied, looking away to avoid meeting Sora's gaze, which made him look completely guilty of a crime.
Sora immediately knew that Orion was lying, but she said nothing about it because she understood that he probably did not want to take credit away from her little son Sanji, who happily brought her lunches prepared with all his love every day.
Even though Orion looked somewhat foolish trying not to be caught in his lie when it was virtually impossible for him to succeed because of Sora's specialized Observation Haki, she felt a great tenderness toward him, thinking that it was truly a blessing that he had entered her gray life.
Once more, Sora brought her lips close to Orion's face and gently kissed him on the lips, smiling tenderly as she did so.
"In any case, thank you for everything you've done for me and my family," Sora said with a look that could make any ordinary man fall in love in a second.
"Ahem, it's time for me to leave. I have to report to my position in the kingdom's kitchens, or my superior will get angry," Orion said without daring to look at the beautiful queen again, afraid he would lose control and take her right then and there.
With a wave of his hand, he opened a Space Door, stepped into his Pocket Dimension, and vanished from the room, while Sora lay back down on her bed, pulling the covers over herself and preparing to spend another day pretending to be in critical condition.
Only half a month remained before Orion completed his mission, and she would be able to leave with him for a distant place where she and her children would finally be free.