A subtle, indescribable emotion intensified Leo's throbbing pain.
As the chosen hero, he had not only failed to stop the Hero Devourer for even a moment, but had been easily repelled.
He had clamored to protect Cecilia. He had charged forward with murderous intent to slay the monster, only to end up in such a pathetic state.
Was this the price for revealing his ugliness? His lover, Cecilia, was smiling at the divine beast with an unusually charming expression.
Cecilia, surrounded by adventurers, was laughing happily in a harmonious atmosphere with her mother.
The mother and daughter's remarkably similar smiles were entirely directed at the divine beast.
"...Uh..."
"Are you alright, Captain Leo..."
"...Yes. Not seriously injured..."
He hadn't even been able to resist for a moment before being repelled.
And that divine beast that captured the monster and protected Cecilia like a hero.
It was only natural that he wasn't the protagonist, but even so… what did this mean?
This… a surging, unsettling sense of defeat.
"As expected… Brother Shimo, you're amazing!"
"Hehe. Isn't that obvious, Cecilia? Our master is a male far superior to any human!♡"
The laughter of two women seemed quite pleasant.
Among the many voices, for some reason only their laughter reached Leo's ears.
More painful than the throbbing pain in his body after hitting the ground was the suffocating frustration.
Leo chewed on a mixture of shame and resentment, ultimately unable to lift his head and walk towards Cecilia.
With his head down, Leo would never know the cold gaze Cecilia had once cast upon him.
......
"Ugh…! Ouch, my back…"
I stretched in the bedroom of the Demon King's castle, muttering in a slightly coquettish tone.
How should I put it?
Should I say it's been a long time, or is it just this feeling?
I can't even remember the last time I felt soreness in my body.
After all, this body is too sturdy… But thankfully, thanks to Kleia's meticulous treatment, I'm only slightly sore and otherwise fine, which is a relief.
If my lumbar spine were damaged beyond repair, I wouldn't be able to move my hips during mating, would I? Ugh. Just thinking about it is terrifying… The back is a male's lifeline and must be cherished. Yeah. That's for sure.
"Ah… Is there anything else that's uncomfortable, Master?"
"Pfft. It's nothing, nothing. Just a slight lingering soreness, nothing serious…"
"I see… It's all my fault for not treating you properly… I'm so sorry. Master. Please come this way. I will continue to treat you." Kleia, sitting on the bed, swung her smooth legs and beckoned to me.
Although further treatment was unnecessary, I simply couldn't resist the allure of my females.
As I buried my face in Claire's thighs, she chuckled and placed her hand on my waist to begin the treatment.
"Ah...so good...my females, why do you smell so wonderful?"
"Oh dear...Master really is...♡"
"We are Master's females, isn't it only natural that we possess the scents Master likes?"
I murmured as I sniffed Claire's thighs, while Lisbeth and Ceres sat down beside me, giggling.
Gurgle?
Hmm...that's probably it?
The scent of my females.
It feels a little different from when we first met...though each one is slightly different, this sweet and reassuring pleasant scent, since it's emanating from my females, is quite normal, isn't it?
Pfft...not bad.
Even if it's just my imagination, this feeling of being immersed in my females...not bad.
Even her scent has become my type, hmm… truly, a very satisfying life.
"…It's a bit of a shame we didn't catch the Hero Devourer."
If we could have caught that guy, it would have been perfect, both in terms of delaying our demise.
But we still have plenty of time, so it's not a big problem… but I still feel a bit uneasy about not being able to finish it off cleanly.
That troublesome guy… if only he could just stay put…
"I'm sorry, Master. I should have attacked with more force…"
"Master, the opportunity you seized, just like that… I'm truly ashamed. Really…"
My mutterings made Lisbeth and Ceres lower their heads in frustration.
Ah, this… I didn't do anything wrong, yet they felt inexplicably guilty.
"No. You two did very well. It's my lack of strength."
Hmph… The duel with Ceres, the training with Cecilia, and the experience points I've accumulated little by little have made me think I've become quite strong.
But compared to that wild boar, my strength and speed are subtly inferior. Of course, that guy was huge and moved straightforwardly, but being suppressed in a power struggle was still a bit of a blow.
...That's true.
That guy is, after all, a powerful monster known for bringing destruction; being suppressed is understandable, right?
But this time, feeling suppressed despite having a clear chance to win... actually fueled my competitive spirit.
Let's put danger aside for now.
"But... this was an opportunity Master finally managed to seize..."
"Pfft. Well, it's better than danger. Let's just consider it a visit to the Hero Devourer. Now that we've confirmed their appearance, won't the high-level adventurers keep a close eye on them?" Hero Devourer Extermination... Hmm... Speaking of which, something seemed to have appeared in the Hero Devourer's status bar today?
The race is... Hai... what was it again?
It's clearly a pig, but it's labeled Hai... The last eight characters were garbled and I couldn't understand their meaning, but the pig's race is Hai... Could it be one of the twelve Earthly Branches?
So, the Hero Devourers correspond to the twelve zodiac animals… those disgusting creatures are actually animals… Ah, then wasn't the first Elebus we encountered a cat, but a tiger?
With such a bizarre appearance… really.
That's absurd.
Anyway, are there twelve of those creatures among the twelve zodiac animals? No, wait. We can't guarantee there's only one per race.
I heard some have already been defeated… If there's only one of each type, the time it takes to delay their extinction might be shorter than expected? …Next time we encounter them, we must eliminate them completely.
If the remaining numbers are small, being too relaxed isn't a good thing.
"...I'm more surprised than that. Liz's skills have become incredibly powerful? She looks almost like Ceres."
"...Hehe. That's just how she looks. Her actual power is far inferior to Ceres's."
"Hehe...But if it's Liz, she might soon become a magician surpassing her, Master♡ Liz and I occasionally discuss magical theories; her comprehension is amazing♡"
Oh...really? Speaking of which, Lizbet is supposedly the top student at the magic school.
I've only ever seen her begging and pleading with me; I'd forgotten how outstanding our Lizbet is.
Our beasts are all excellent, aren't they? Fantastic.
"Pfft. My beasts are all excellent. Both in terms of ability and as females."
"Ah♡"
"Ah♡Master...♡" As I lay down and stroked their breasts one by one, my beasts made sweet sounds and smiled with pleasure.
That's right. I need to spend at least a hundred years with these excellent yet lewd beasts of mine. How long I live is secondary.
Uh… it's a little sad to think about. I can live for over 100 years, but my females are just ordinary humans… sigh, let's not think about that now. I should focus on spending happy times with my females.
For those happy times, I must seize every opportunity when the Hero Devourer appears.
"Ah…♡ But Master, about Cecilia…"
"Ah, Cecilia." After confirming my warrior was alright, Cecilia returned to the lord's city with Leo, a regretful expression on her face.
Cecilia looked at Leo's expression, and it seemed like he was looking at something pathetic?
If I hadn't had Claire heal her, she would have looked even more ridiculous limping back, right?
Pfft… but anyway, I have a day off tomorrow, and the soldiers have a day off too.
Cecilia will probably enjoy a date with that pathetic Leo.
How will Cecilia, who is becoming my female, treat that pathetic Leo?
Just thinking about the reports from the maids and livestock makes me excited!
Hehe…
"My daughter's preparations seem quite thorough… Do you need my help?" Cecilia blinked her expectant eyes, a pleasant smile spreading across her face.
Pfft… Our Cecilia seems eager to enjoy herself with her daughter, doesn't she?
Hmm… Yes… It's time to teach Cecilia not only the taste of semen, but also the pleasures of womanhood.
The pleasures of womanhood, taught by her mother… Pfft… Just imagining it makes me smile!
"Hehe… That's right. Are you almost done with your work?"
"Yes♡ Now, as long as the Demon King's castle is ready, we can begin♡"
"Hmm. The rest is enough for me and Claire♡"
"Since Master is so excited, Cecilia-neechan will have to go with Master to educate his daughter starting tomorrow♡" The three lewd beasts stared at my erect Сock, swallowing their saliva with pleasure. It seems the wombs of us lewd beasts are beginning to stir.
A pleasant mating time. I revel in the sweet flesh of these lewd beasts, and we continue our delightful discussion about how to give Cecilia a 'real' education.