Daisy looked up at me with those pitch-black eyes. She spoke.
"What is your name?"
"Hm?"
"When we first met in the village, you called yourself Andromalius. Then Dantalion. Then Jean Volé."
Her gaze was defiant. It wasn't simple refusal to submit—there was something in her eyes that could only be described as conviction.
"What should I call you?"
"Just call me Dantalion."
"Dantalion."
Daisy parted her lips slightly,
"Is that truly your name?"
"Yes."
"...Dantalion."
She murmured it again, as though carefully carving the pronunciation into her tongue and the inside of her mouth. I rather liked that. There was nothing quite so good for one's self-esteem as knowing you mattered immensely to someone—even if that someone wanted you dead.
"That's right. Dantalion. The brat from the mountain village of Lailia."
I chuckled softly and pulled out a pipe. It was something I'd obtained from Jeremy after calling in a favor. I stuffed fragrant herb leaves tightly into the bowl and struck a flint to light it. A bitter aroma curled around the tip of my nose.
I blew out a stream of smoke. It was fragrant. Jeremy had made a huge fuss when gifting it—going on about how it was the finest fragrant herbs, handcrafted by an alchemist, and all that—and indeed, it was worth bragging about.
"In front of others, you'll call me Master. But for now, you're registered as my adopted daughter. When the need arises, call me Father. Basically, whenever we enter a city or village, or when there are unfamiliar humans around, just call me Father."
"Father, then."
Daisy smiled softly. It was the very same smile I had once seen in that mountain hamlet. In other words, the smile of someone who understood exactly how I perceived her. In just a few days since the Slave Brand procedure, the girl had already found her own pace again.
"What, don't like the idea of me being your father?"
"I don't believe there are fathers in this world who beat their daughters like that."
"And there aren't many daughters who try to assassinate their fathers in their sleep. Quite the lovely family we make."
We chatted idly as the time drew near.
I pulled a small vial from the inner pocket of my clergy robe.
"Open your mouth and stick out your tongue."
"May I ask what it is?"
"An aphrodisiac. They say even three drops will keep you aroused all day."
Daisy let out a snort of disbelief.
"So now you're making your own daughter drink aphrodisiacs. I truly have the honor of serving a remarkable man as my father. I consider it a personal privilege, Your Greatness."
"You don't need to flatter me — the whole world already knows I'm extraordinary. Now open your mouth."
"......"
Daisy's small lips parted. A pale tongue emerged from between them. I bent down to match her height, then carefully let a couple of drops of the potion fall onto her tongue. Drip, drip — the purple droplets dissolved instantly, as if absorbed by a sponge. Daisy furrowed her brow, as if the taste was strange.
"From now on, no matter what happens, do not make a sound. That's an order."
"Understood, Father."
It seemed she favored the last of the three titles — Dantalion, Master, Father.
Of course, there was nothing noble about her willingness to call me Father. It was purely sarcastic. The sentiment behind it was more like: How does it feel to be called "Father" by someone like me? What an irritating little brat.
I seized her wrist. Then I dragged her into the woods along the Imperial Road. A few mercenaries must have seen us leaving, but not a single one intervened. Not one.
The trees were dense. Spring was just beginning to stir in the surroundings.
Branches spread across the sky like a spider's web, and sunlight that hadn't been caught by the canopy fell in thin streaks to the forest floor. Deep in the woods, anything could happen. Murder and rape — blood had soaked the forest more times than anyone could count.
The trees had truly seen a great many things. Most likely because they knew the art of magnificent silence.
People assume trees cannot speak, simply because a tree has never once initiated a conversation. Since no tree has ever addressed them, most people are convinced that trees lack even the capacity for thought. If they were truly the sort of being that could speak, then naturally they would have spoken to humans by now — this they believe without the slightest sliver of doubt……
And so, in front of trees, people carried out many acts they could never perform before others. Kisses and oaths, lies and plots, murder, rape……how could one possibly enumerate everything that had taken place beneath the shade of trees.
The forest's unwavering silence was understandable, then. If any human were to become a tree, and so frequently, so overwhelmingly smell the scent of semen and blood, they too would have no choice but to shut their mouth before long.
"……Haa."
Before she knew it, Daisy's breathing had grown ragged. The back of her snow-white neck had flushed red. She was merely walking, yet her body flinched every so often, and the frequency of those flinches gradually, noticeably increased. After only a short while, Daisy could no longer even walk properly.
Was it because every footfall sent vibrations trembling all the way up her spine? Each time Daisy took a step, she hunched her shoulders as though feeling a shock of static electricity. Moans squeezed through the gap between her teeth and lips.
"You came to the right place."
I stopped walking and lowered myself down. While at it, I pressed on Daisy's back and pushed her down as well. When I pushed hard against her back with my palm, a moan escaped her once more, as though she could hardly bear it.
"There now. Daisy. Look over there."
I pointed with my finger toward the thicket beyond. Daisy stared blankly in that direction with unfocused eyes. For a moment, it seemed she hadn't even registered the sight before her.
"……!"
After a slight delay, Daisy's eyes flew wide open. She momentarily forgot the static electricity surging through her entire body and looked forward. Only then could her ears pick up the sounds coming from the other side.
Beyond the thicket stood Jeremy and Luke.
"Sis, wait a minute, hnngh, not anymore……!"
"Oh my. For a little brat, you've grown quite big, haven't you? What sort of trouble were you planning to cause, growing this big?"
Luke was perched on a rock.
His pants had been pulled down, and protruding from them was something impossibly large for an eleven-year-old. Jeremy — who, in contrast to Luke, had stripped off her top — was playing with it. She sandwiched Luke's thing between her breasts and kneaded it however she pleased.
"Truly, boys in their prime are something else. You've already finished twice, yet you haven't lost any nerve at all. Makes the teasing worthwhile, doesn't it?"
"Earlier too, I already came……! Hnngh, why……!"
"Are you about to go? You're about to go, aren't you? Hee hee. It feels good right at the tip, doesn't it?"
"Again, again…… hnngh, again……!"
Luke. This boy was utterly overwhelmed by waves of pleasure he had never experienced in his life. Drool trickled down his face, and he didn't even notice — he could only writhe in the throes of climax. Daisy watched the scene in silence.
Perhaps it was because she had seen her brother toying around with a woman. Daisy glared over at me. She murmured quietly.
"So this was your scheme all along."
Her gaze was clear and sharp. A quiet fury burned within it.
"You order a woman to tease my brother, and now you intend to ravish me yourself? Consuming a pair of siblings in one sitting. I would think even a great being would find such a scheme far too crude and amateurish."
"Kukh."
The young girl had used words like "ravish" and "consumed" without any hesitation. For Daisy, none of it felt awkward.
"Don't get the wrong idea. That's Luke's doing — he wanted it."
"That can't be. My brother would never —"
"Your brother is going through puberty. Did you really think your brother would flatly refuse when a mature woman like Jeremy seduces him?"
Daisy's eyebrows twitched. Then she let out a small sigh.
"Fine. If it's something Luke wants, then it's not my place to interfere. But why show this to me? I have no memory of possessing such a distasteful hobby as peeping on my own brother's private life."
"Oh my. Don't worry. The distasteful hobby is mine."
I stroked Daisy's cheek.
"……!?"
The girl's body flinched sharply. Her hypersensitive nerves had startled her.
Daisy clenched her teeth and glared at me. She looked exactly like a fierce animal.
"Watch quietly."
I didn't care. I grabbed the girl's cheeks and turned her head around. Daisy trembled from head to toe, but her glistening eyes still stared toward where Luke was.
Jeremy and Luke were busy playing over there. No, saying "busy" was an overstatement. Luke was already completely drained. It must have been far too intense a pleasure for someone his age.
"Our adorable Luke. Do you know what this is?"
That was when Jeremy pulled something out. This was where the main event truly began.
"W-what is it, sis?"
"Hehe. Luke, this item here was originally—"
With a flourish, Jeremy announced dramatically.
"It's an astonishingly faithful replica of a woman's private parts!"
"Excuse me?"
"Yep. So if you use this, Luke, you can feel exactly like you're putting it inside a real woman. You're still too young to spend a lovely time with unnie, unfortunately! So instead, you enjoy yourself with a meticulously crafted imitation like this instead of the real thing. That's what all boys do, originally!"
With that single remark from Jeremy, the sex lives of boys across the world were distorted in that very moment.
Meanwhile, Daisy had no idea what the conversation drifting over from the other side meant. She was crouched down next to me, quietly furrowing her brow.
Whether the girl figured out her confusion or not, Jeremy was chattering away merrily.
"Now then. The reason I brought Luke here today was precisely to give him this gift. Luke grew up in a tiny, backward village in the middle of nowhere, so he probably doesn't know, but traditionally, this kind of thing is given by a woman! It's an age-old custom to gift it to a boy you fancy."
If there really were a nation with that tradition, it would have collapsed long ago.
The innocent boy blinked his eyes.
"R-really?"
"Yes. I've taken quite a liking to you, Luke."
Jeremy smiled gently.
"Eh, eh?"
"I'd be truly happy if you could accept the gift I've worked so hard to prepare, Luke."
Luke was, by nature, a genuinely good person. He couldn't bring himself to reject someone who showed him affection. Furthermore, the other person was someone he had just shared an intimate moment with. It was impossible for this naive boy to refuse.
Luke hesitated before speaking.
"If you're giving me a gift, then… I'd like that. I'd be happy too."
"Wow! Really?"
Jeremy pulled Luke into a tight hug. Luke, his skin still hypersensitive, let out a cry that was almost a scream. Yet, seeing his inability to reject Jeremy made it clear who the predator and who the prey were in this situation.
"Well then, Luke! I'll personally give you the first experience with this item."
"Huh?"
"It's going to feel so good, I'm sure you'll enjoy it too!"
By now, had he realized something?
The sound of a sharp intake of breath came from nearby.
Turning around, he saw Daisy's face had gone pale. She was staring at Luke with anxious eyes. The serene gaze she usually held was gone without a trace. Only fear of the unknown was left, trembling within them.
"No way…"
I smiled.
"That's exactly the 'no way,' little lady."
Daisy looked at me with eyes full of terror. I chuckled softly. It felt incredibly satisfying. This was the first time fear had been reflected in the little one's gaze. I gently covered Daisy's mouth with my palm.
I whispered to Daisy.
"A slime with a split body has a peculiar property. If one half feels pain, the other half feels it exactly as well. Of course, even if it's not pain, any other type of sensation is faithfully transmitted too… Ahh. I do hope you enjoy it to the fullest."
Right before her eyes were the horrified pupils of the girl.
From a distance, Jeremy's triumphant shouts could be heard.
"Now then, our Luke! Please enjoy my gift to your heart's content!"
A slime onahole. Jeremy shoved that object—made from the exact same slime as the one planted inside Daisy's belly—straight into Luke's lower body.
"…!"
Daisy's back arched like a bow.
============================ Author's Afterword ============================
Content modified due to recommended corrections from Joara.