Sea Monster Stew – Chapter 76

Author: Dakku-san

“Kisa, ah—that’s enough now……!”

It felt as if her insides were breaking apart.

Biche, feeling the hot liquid flowing down below, frantically shook her head.

Blinking her tear-swollen eyes, she spotted sunlight streaming through a gap in the curtains.

Morning had apparently dawned without her realizing.

Outside the inn was noisy, and the thudding of footsteps continued from beyond the firmly shut door.

The sailors were coming out into the corridor one by one.

“Wait, Kisa, outside… people are…”

“Yeah. I can hear them too.”

“If… if they can hear, then now, sob… s-stop!”

Hot tears flowed ceaselessly, yet Kisa showed no intention of stopping his movements.

The sensation of his swollen manhood felt like it was piercing straight through to her heart.

Whether she clung tightly to him to support his weight or went limp, the pressure persisted, driving him deeper inside.

Intense stimulation washed over them both.

“A sudden thought occurred to me…”

“Huh?”

Choosing to go limp in his broad embrace, Biche barely managed to lift her head.

Kisa smiled mischievously as he kissed her cheek.

“We’re not just doing this today, right?”

“What…?”

“It’s not like the Resistance is going to run away somewhere.”

“What do you… ah—!”

Feeling the shape of his tip pressing hard against her inner wall so vividly, Biche unconsciously tightened her embrace around him and let out a high-pitched cry.

Her body, softened and relaxed from the prolonged lovemaking, tensed up stiffly again.

“Right? Arco.”

As if he wasn’t expecting an answer, Kisa briefly pressed his lips to Biche’s eyelids, which were slowly fluttering shut.

* * *

Commander Orca had gone mad. That was Camilla’s conclusion.

That man, whose face was as elegant as a noble’s but whose insides were incomparably sinister, had finally lost his mind.

If he had merely lost his mind, that would be one thing.

The bigger problem was that he was now blatantly revealing the perverse true nature he had hidden behind his polished appearance all this time.

‘Setting his sights on a woman who already has a lover? Something must be wrong with his head.’

Not satisfied with that, he went so far as to take hostages to threaten her. And what’s more, those hostages were sea monsters.

‘Trying to win favor, my foot… They’re clearly hostages for coercion.’

Just thinking about the mermaid and the monstrous sea creature trapped in a narrow tank made her eyes well up.

Taking hostages to threaten innocent people was not the Resistance’s way.

Camilla could no longer stand idly by Commander Orca’s outrageous behavior.

“Poor things. How did they catch the eye of such a sinister man… No, the real problem is that Miss Akstain caught the commander’s eye first.”

The privateer Hildert had instantly become a major Imperial asset.

Toppling the Imperial family required eliminating Hildert first, and for that, the Crocus Pirates’ help was desperately needed.

Weren’t they the ones who had shared weal and woe with Hildert in the same pirate crew? They must surely know Hildert’s weaknesses too.

“Wait, weaknesses…?”

Camilla unconsciously stopped in her tracks.

The door to the basement where the hostages were held was right in front of her, yet she couldn’t bring herself to step forward.

‘Could it be that Miss Akstain is Hildert’s weakness?’

She had heard that Hildert had personally sent a marriage proposal to House Akstain.

At the time, she thought he was using marriage as a means to gain political backing.

But perhaps what Hildert wanted wasn’t the Duke’s power, but Arcobicche herself.

“Then things get complicated…”

Camilla tilted her head and grabbed the basement doorknob.

Sympathy for Arcobicche, suffering caught between dangerous men, surged within her.

All one could hope was that her lover, the ‘Live-Skinner’ Kisa, would protect her unharmed.

Sadly, their relationship was also utterly unstable.

After all, Arcobicche’s body flowed with the blood of the sea monsters Kisa hated above all else.

‘Admiral Kisa… He definitely seemed unaware of that lady’s true identity.’

The inevitable tragic end awaiting them both appeared vividly before her eyes.

Camilla let out a deep sigh and opened the basement door.

Freeing the two sea monsters into the ocean was the priority first.

Even if she was criticized for unnecessary meddling, she didn’t care.

Depriving two pitiful lives of their freedom was something only the Imperial Army or pirates would do.

Now, while Commander Orca had gone to Emerald Castle with Admiral Kisa, was the perfect opportunity.

“…Huh?”

Camilla was so shocked by the sight before her that she forgot to breathe.

In front of the large tank occupying one wall, a bound Resistance soldier lay collapsed.

A trail of water stretched from the large tank all the way to the basement door, and the mermaid and monstrous sea creature that should have been inside the tank were nowhere to be seen.

“Mmph—!” The soldier struggled, moving his gagged mouth.

With a flustered expression, Camilla rushed to the soldier and removed the gag.

“What on earth happened here? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Lady Camilla. The male sea monster… suddenly turned into a human…”

The soldier spoke with difficulty, breathing harshly.

“He attacked me and escaped with the monster creature that was locked in the other tank.”

Camilla quickly scanned the surroundings.

Her eyes fell upon a pair of silver handcuffs lying on the floor, their chain snapped cleanly off.

They were definitely the magic-suppressing handcuffs that had bound the male mermaid’s wrists.

“Those handcuffs suppress a sea monster’s magic power. Since they were removed, the mermaid could turn into a human!”

“I… I didn’t know.”

“Did you remove those handcuffs? Why in the world would you do that?”

“I just… couldn’t help it…”

The soldier’s face flushed bright red as he stammered.

“His eyes were shimmering like the deep sea, and the moment he shed tears saying his crushed wrists hurt, those tears shone like jewels, and I just… without thinking…”

Hearing the soldier’s excuse, Camilla let out a scornful laugh, finding it absurd.

Commander Orca had deliberately assigned a man, not a woman, as the guard.

But the male mermaid’s beauty had bewitched even a fellow human man.

The commander probably never anticipated this situation.

“Get a grip! Would you have been just as entranced if Commander Orca were here?”

Swallowing her anger, Camilla rushed out of the basement.

Looking closely, a long trail of water marks remained on the dark tunnel floor.

As she ran following the water trail, she suddenly stopped.

‘Hold on, isn’t this like the hostage freeing their own nose without me lifting a finger…?’

She blinked her round eyes and smiled a knowing smile.

She felt bad for the soldier who would get severely scolded by Commander Orca, but at least the two pitiful hostages had regained their freedom.

“Well then. I didn’t even need to step in.”

Humming, Camilla walked leisurely through the dark tunnel.

* * *

Biche lay limply on the bed, letting out a low moan.

Every muscle in her body throbbed as if on fire.

The lovemaking that lasted until morning had completely broken her.

The price for surrendering her body to a moment of passion was harsh.

She didn’t have the strength to even twitch a fingertip.

“What is this…”

Rubbing her aching lower back, Biche carefully turned her body sideways.

Because of her screaming muscles, Kisa ended up heading to Emerald Castle alone.

Just before leaving, Kisa had lightly kissed Biche with a satisfied, cat-like smile.

Biche regretted not leaving deep scratch marks on his face.

‘…No, Kisa would probably even wear those like medals.’

She sighed and slowly closed her eyes. Having barely managed to bathe, her body was lethargic.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, a knock came from outside the door.

It was followed by the cheerful voice of the butterfly familiar who had brought the warm bath earlier.

“I’ve brought your meal!”

With a disheveled face, Biche lifted her head and muttered.

“…Come in.”

The door swung open and a small butterfly flew into the room.

The butterfly approached the bed, carrying a large tray floating in the air.

On the tray were neatly arranged: meat stew steaming with white vapor, turnip salad, a fist-sized bread with jam, golden-baked potatoes, and a perfectly roasted fish.

The savory smell of food quickly filled the room.

“Since it’s brunch, I prepared it more lavishly than yesterday!”

The butterfly said cheerfully as it placed the tray on the round dining table.

Immediately after, an unseen force gently wrapped around Biche’s body.

“Here, let me help you to the table.”

Leaning on the invisible hands, Biche barely managed to get down from the high bed.

Her lower back still ached, and her thighs stung as if protesting the abuse from the night before.

“Thank you.”

Supported by the butterfly familiar, Biche barely managed to sit in the dining chair.

Looking at the steaming meat stew, an inexplicable anxiety crept into her heart once more.

Perfectly cooked meat and vegetables floated plentifully in the broth.

Even seeing the appetizing colors didn’t make her mouth water.