Demon Queened (Remastered Edition) - Chapter 6 - The Heroine

Devilla

Standing in a bedroom far too small for the three people inside it, staring at the Heroine’s proffered hand, I felt the sudden urge to laugh. In fact, I was laughing. No—giggling! A manic, panicked giggle that bubbled up from deep within my being, clawing its way up my throat and forcing its way past my lips. It was the sound of horrified amusement. Of all the people who could have answered this village’s call for help, of all the adventurers across the world—who would have thought that the Heroine herself would appear? I’d hoped to spend this entire life without ever seeing her, yet here she was, right in front of me.

I couldn’t stop laughing. Tears were streaming down my face and I was bent forward, practically doubled over. My fingers clutched desperately at my skirt. I couldn’t breathe. The laughter just kept pouring out. The Heroine! In front of me! She was even dressed the same way she’d been in the video game—though, oddly enough, she didn’t sound the same at all. I would have recognized Lucy’s voice, otherwise—she had been voiced by my best friend, after all.

It occurred to me, suddenly, that I could end things there and then. Lucy hadn’t defeated any of my Demon Generals as of yet. She didn’t have any of their power. I was far stronger than her, at least for the moment. All I had to do was disregard my ancestry’s teachings and grab her while she was still powerless. Lock her in a dungeon, and I might even be able to avoid future Heroines coming along until after she’d died of natural causes.

The thought was sobering, like a splash of cold water across my face. The urge to giggle ceased and I regained control of myself. Instead of laughter, I was suddenly fighting the urge to throw up. Not from fear, this time, but rather from self-disgust. Even if it had only been a frantic thought of desperation, I couldn’t believe that I’d actually considered abducting Lucy. She might have been the Heroine, but she wasn’t like the ones who’d come before her, or—in all likelihood—the ones who’d come next. She actually cared enough to try and save my people. Even if I hadn’t needed her for my plan to make peace between humans and demons, I would never wish to bring her harm. What was wrong with me, then, that I’d even consider locking her away like that? Just for my own safety…

“You know, it’s really not polite to laugh at people when they introduce themselves!” Lucy told me, placing her hands upon her hips. Rather than angry, she looked legitimately upset. “I really am the Heroine!”

“She really is,” Lissera confirmed. She had a worried look on her face, and her left hand kept tugging nervously at the fingers of her right. “According to Trebill, at least. He said the guild vouched for her, and that she more than proved her strength on the way here—she moved a tree trunk that was on the road, all by herself!”

“I’m sure you are, and I’m sure she did,” I assured them, forcing myself to give a small smile. Lucy was no threat to me as she was now; I knew that. It was only that the images of Tower Conquest kept flashing through my brain. Me, on all fours, weakened and exhausted. Lucy, dressed exactly as she was now, standing proud above me, slipping the collar about my neck. Her first order, given with a blush upon her cheeks, was to kiss her feet and show that the collar had truly done its vile work.

I didn’t want it. I couldn’t take it. I would never let that be me. To avoid that fate without harming Lucy, I needed to stay as far away from her and that thrice-damned collar as I possibly could. Which meant I needed to get out of there.

“I apologize for laughing,” I said, bowing my head ever so slightly. “It was quite rude. It simply amused me to think that I might have taken on a job fit for the Heroine herself.” A little flattery could go a long way, and I was hoping it would get me a very long way away indeed.

“Really?” Lucy asked, her orange eyes drilling into mine. “You weren’t just laughing because you think I look weak? Because I’m happy to spar with you if you have doubts! As long as you won’t hold it against me when you end up pinned to the ground.”

“I’ll pass,” I replied, still smiling at her. “In fact, I really must be off. I’m supposed to be undergoing a journey of self-improvement, you see. I only even came into the village because of the rain.”

“A journey of self-improvement?” Lucy asked, her features brightening immediately. “Is that how you got so strong? I travel a lot on my own, too, and let me tell you the effects are really starting to show! I mean, I’m pretty strong naturally, as the Heroine and all, but I’ve been getting lots of actual combat experience, and I think I’ve even managed to get a bit more powerful, too!”

“Yes, well, I might be strong, but I’m sure I can still get stronger. Perhaps one day even as strong as you, Miss Lucy the Heroine.” I held out my hand, hoping to end things with a cordial shake.

Lucy took it, but rather than letting it go after a simple handshake she stepped closer until her face was practically right in front of mine.

“Can I come with you?” she asked, her eyes bright and sparkling. “I mean, I’m going to need to be really strong if I’m ever going to lead the Holy Army against the demon tower, right? And even stronger if I want to defeat the Demon Queen! The Church has actually been pushing me to gather up a party, too, but I haven’t found anyone strong enough, and I don’t want to put anyone at risk, so I’m thinking of just going myself? I still have a long way to go if I want to be strong enough for that, though!”

“I… Ah…” I glanced at Lissera, but her only response was a helpless shrug. “It’s really supposed to be solo training.”

“I won’t get in the way!” Lucy vowed, releasing my hand and placing her palm over her heart. “I promise! I mean, as long as you’re able to take care of whatever you’re facing, anyway! I actually have an ulterior motive for wanting to come along, though.”

“An ulterior motive?” I inquired, my heart skipping a beat. Could it be that she was suspicious of me?

“Well…” Lucy dithered, toeing the floor with one of her metal boots. “It’s just that you’re sort of the hero of this town? And you just recovered, after sleeping for three days, so… I think everyone here would be really happy if I could report that you completed the next leg of your journey safely! Especially since you don’t seem to want to spend time recovering here, where they can keep an eye on you.”

“I…” I hesitated. Lucy’s motives were purer than I expected, and I could see from the conflicted look on Lissera’s face that she wasn’t entirely off base. The problem was that the next leg of my journey involved a flight back to the Tower: not a trip I was willing to take Lucy on.

“Please?” Lucy pressed, her eyes bright and wide. She again reached out, clutching my right hand in hers and holding it up between us. “I’m sure I can be a big help! Lissera mentioned that you wanted to go to a city with a guild and register as an adventurer—right? Well, there’s a sort of probationary period when you join, but if I vouch for what you’ve done here I bet you can get past it in a heartbeat!”

A legitimately tempting offer—but unfortunately for Lucy, I wasn’t planning to go to a city for quite some time. Unfortunately for me, I was struggling to come up with an excuse to give her. The last thing I wanted to do was rouse the Heroine's suspicions. Lucy couldn’t do anything to me personally, but Lissera would almost certainly be executed if it came out that she’d helped the Demon Queen.

“Very well,” I conceded, with a tired sigh. “You may walk with me for a while. But only until you’re convinced that I’m fine! After that, you can go ahead of me to the Adventurer’s Guild and try to get them ready for my eventual appearance.”

I would eventually need to go to a city to register after my plan came to fruition, and if possible I wouldn’t mind establishing myself somewhere relatively close by. In fact, if things went according to plan, I might even try to settle down somewhere near the village, in time—that way I’d have allies and potatoes alike.

Unaware of my devious plots, Lucy smiled brightly and gave my hand a firm pump. “It’s a deal!” she declared. “Are we going right now? I mean, you did seem to want to leave in a hurry, so… I’ll grab your potatoes and we can get going!”

“W-wait!” Lissera protested, interjecting herself into the conversation at last. “What about the other villagers? Nobody’s even had a chance to say goodbye to Eena yet!”

“I have no desire for drawn-out goodbyes,” I informed Lissera, moving to walk out of the bedroom. “It’s not as if I won’t be back, in any case. In fact, I suspect I will be a regular visitor to this village.” It was my hope that the dryads in the Tower would be able to grow potatoes en masse, but it would likely take a while before we had a big enough stock to meet demand. In the meantime, I’d be coming back to the village of Derrin whenever I wished to refill my personal supply. I was also hoping to secure a supply of walnut dye, now that I’d seen how well it could be used to color my hair.

“Wait! You’re not the sort of hero who’d just ride off into the sunset when everything’s done, are you?” Lucy demanded. “You’ve gotten your reward, so you’re just going to leave? That’s not right! These people are really invested in your well-being! I mean, you spent three whole days sick because you pushed yourself too hard for their sake, so don’t you think you should show them you’re okay, so that they won’t have to feel bad or worried or anything?”

“Oh, very well,” I grumbled, unable to stand against the onslaught of good intentions. “Have anyone who wishes to see me off gather at the gates. I’ll give you twenty minutes.”

“Perfect!” Lissera ran toward the bedroom door, then paused. “The potatoes are right outside. Only two bags, since you’ve only got two hands to carry them with, but I promise we’ll give you more whenever you come back. You will come back, won’t you?”

“I will,” I promised. Honestly, I could probably carry an infinite number of potatoes in my Empty Bag, but since I wouldn’t be able to explain where I’d gotten a heavenly item I would likely have to be satisfied with what I could physically carry for the time being. 

Lissera stared at me with almost the same intensity as Lucy had, before nodding and rushing out the door. A small, honest-to-goodness smile tugged at the corner of my lips. I never would have expected her to want me back now that she knew who I was, and the fact that she genuinely didn’t seem to care warmed my heart.

“Sooo, do you maybe want to spar?” Lucy suggested with a big smile. “Though maybe I should wait on that until you’re back to full strength? I really want to see how good you are at your best! I mean, I don’t know many adventurers who can take on an entire pack of horned wolves singlehandedly and survive! Though I guess you maybe did it through magic, rather than just physical strength? I did hear you were out from magic depletion… but I’m good at magic too, so maybe we can do a magic battle instead?”

“I’d rather not,” I demurred, shaking my head. “As you say, I’m not quite at my full strength.” That wasn’t actually true, so far as I could tell. Now that the porridge had given me some energy to work with, my body’s natural strength and resilience were seeing me through. Still, I had been unconscious for three days, so it was at least a believable lie. It might have even held a grain of truth—at a minimum, I’d probably need to do some stretches to truly be in tip-top shape.

Of course, I was confident that I could defeat Lucy in any battle—physical or magical—regardless, but picking on someone so much weaker than me would simply be cruel.

“Well, what else can we do in twenty minutes?” Lucy asked, wrapping a bit of her red hair about her forefinger. “I don’t usually like just standing around… I get all restless! Maybe we could work out? I mean, I don’t think there’s anything heavy enough for me to use it as weight training, but we could at least do some stretches!”

“I’d rather do a different sort of workout,” I declared, deciding to tease Lucy a little. It was a touch petty of me, but considering the shock she’d given me and the discomfort I continued to feel in her presence, I saw no reason not to get revenge through a harmless little prank.

“What sort of workout?” Lucy asked me, taking the bait with a look of curiosity painted across her face. “Is it fun? Or at least invigorating?”

“It would be fun, invigorating, and quite delightful,” I informed her, now smiling at her. “Though it might be a little beyond you. I’m not sure it’s really your speed, you see.”

“It’s my speed! I think? I mean, I don’t really know what that means, but if it’s a workout then I’m definitely up for it! How do we do it?”

“Well, to start with, we’d have to get naked,” I replied, my smile now more akin to a smirk. “Then we’d begin to wrestle a little—partly with our bodies, partly with our lips…”

I initially planned to continue, expecting Lucy’s cheeks to go red at the suggestion, but they didn’t. Instead, she simply stared at me, her eyes wide and her mouth ever so slightly ajar. She seemed absolutely shocked. Perhaps I’d gone a step too far? I knew very little about the human church and the moralities it preached, but I did know that they were firmly against non-reproductive sex. Still, one would think that the protagonist of a lesbian porn game would be a little more difficult to fluster.

“You…” she started, then stopped. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, her eyes lowering to the floor at my feet. “You…” she began again, only to stop once more.

“Yes?” I inquired, arching an eyebrow. “Is something the matter?” Had I broken her?

“You know I’m the Heroine,” she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. “But you… you’d still…” Another tear joined the first, as she raised her bright orange eyes up from the floor to meet my gaze. “Even knowing I’m the Heroine, you’d still have sex with me?”

It was my turn to stare now, shocked into silence by her words. My mouth opened, and I lifted a finger, only to drop it again as words failed to come out. To think Lucy would actually be interested… that she’d actually want to have sex. I knew that she’d been willing enough to sleep with people in the game, but those had been desperate circumstances, trying to get my Generals to turn against their Queen so that she could save them alongside the entirety of demonkind. I’d assumed she must have been pushing against her own inhibitions, and moral restrictions, as a Heroine of the Church. Yet here she was, responding so dramatically to a random stranger offering a casual experience in bed.

I’d meant the offer only as a joke, to make myself feel a little more in control, yet now she was looking at me like a starving woman who’d been offered food after a lifetime of doing without.

“…I can hardly believe this is true, but from the way you’re talking—is it possible that others wouldn’t?”

“Of course not!” Lucy exclaimed. “I’m the Heroine! The Goddess’s chosen champion! Even people who are willing to go against the Church and sleep with others for fun still aren’t willing to do it with me. They always act like I’m testing them or something when I ask… Plus, I’m strong! Really strong! And I sometimes lose control, a little, when I’m excited! That means I can’t just have sex with anyone off the street—it has to be an adventurer who’s trained their body up! But since they’re always putting their lives on the line, they tend to be even more religious than most—always paying off their sins at the church as soon as they make them, never wanting to risk ‘tainting’ the Goddess’s chosen one… There’s no way any of them would have sex with me! Nobody ever wants to… Nobody except you!”

Lucy was practically shouting by the end of her frantic speech, and her breath was coming heavily. All the same, she wasted no time reaching for the straps at the back of her armor, beginning to fumble with the clasps.

“Hold on,” she said. “I’ll get undressed right now, okay? We can—is twenty minutes really enough? I always thought it would take longer! Oh my Goddess, I can’t believe I finally get to have sex!”

“Hold on a minute!” I shouted hurriedly, holding up a hand to indicate she should stop. Lucy looked surprised, but reluctantly moved her hands away from the clasps of her armor.

“You’re changing your mind?” she asked me, her voice soft and sad. “N-not that you aren’t allowed to! You definitely are! I don’t want to pressure you into anything. It’s just… I thought… but I guess you were probably just joking?” She tried to smile, but it was a fragile thing that failed to reach her eyes. “Of course. There’s no way anyone would want to have sex with the Heroine…”

“I didn’t say that,” I argued, hardly able to believe the words slipping from my lips. It had been a joke. Of course it had been! This was the living embodiment of my doom we were talking about after all! My bad end made flesh! 

Yet here she was, crying about how nobody would ever have sex with her. Upset because the humans she protected were so uptight about the Church’s rules on sex that they’d practically forced her into celibacy. Even worse was the fact that, for all the problems I had with my aunts in Heaven, their views on sex were not one of them. Luci had never once claimed that her sisters were against the act of bedding people. In fact, I was pretty sure she’d said something along the lines of the Goddess appreciating a good fuck… sex purely for procreation was, as far as I knew, a limit imposed entirely by the human church. Yet Lucy, their champion, was being made to suffer for it.

“I’m fine going at it like a rabbit,” I assured her, shoving away my misgivings. So what if she was my enemy? I could start avoiding her tomorrow. Today, I was going to save one of the Church’s many victims.

“Then what’s the problem?” Lucy demanded, staring up at me with wide eyes. I could tell she was itching to start pulling off her armor again. It was rather cute, if a little ridiculous. For all my fears of meeting Lucy, I never could have imagined a scenario like this.

“Sleeping with you is one thing,” I replied. “Doing it in someone else’s bedroom is another matter entirely. If you wish to bed me, I’m afraid it will have to be outside of town, on the forest floor.” It couldn’t be that much more uncomfortable than the scratchy straw, in any case. It might even be better—though that wasn’t the main reason for my choosing it. I simply thought it a bit of a faux pas to have sex with someone in the bedroom of another—especially when the ‘other woman’ in question very clearly wished to sleep with me herself.

“In the forest?” Lucy echoed. “So, when you say ‘go at it like rabbits,’ you mean literally?”

“…Something like that. If it’s too much for you, then we don’t have to do it. I’m sure you’ll find someone else to fuck you eventually.” In fact, I could say so with near-certainty. Considering my plans for the Tower, I’d be in trouble if she couldn’t.

Lucy shook her head, though. “I want to sleep with you, Eena! Today! Just as soon as we leave town! We’ll find a place with some nice leaves, clear out all the stones and twigs, and we’ll just… Oooh, I can’t wait!”

“Well, you’ll have to,” I warned her. “If only for twenty minutes.”

Lucy nodded her agreement, but the look in her eyes remained as eager as a puppy. On top of that, she started to shift eagerly from foot to foot, a grin upon her lips.

It seemed that twenty minutes had just become a rather long wait.

***

“You’ll be okay, won’t you?” Lissera asked, for the third time since my arrival at the village’s gate.

“We will both be fine,” I promised her, uncertain if her concern was for me, or for Lucy, the Heroine of her people. “You haven’t seen the last of me.”

“Okay. So long as you’re sure? Because if you’re not ready for travel, you can always stay with me for another day or two. I’ll make potato stew?”

“Thank you, but no. My journey is far from complete.” By which I meant my journey back to Dimona Tower. I was concerned about how my people might be reacting to my extended absence. No matter how much they hated me, they were also depending on me to take care of… well, the very woman who was eagerly bouncing on the balls of her feet beside me.

“I’ll keep her real safe!” Lucy promised, pressing a hand against her chest. “You have my vow that no harm will befall Eena for as long as we’re together!”

“…And you’re really sure everything will be okay?” Lissera asked me yet again.

“By the Goddess, Lissera,” Mother Reliz complained, pressing her fingertips against her forehead and rubbing the spot as if she were trying to chase away a nasty headache. “You weren’t this concerned when she went out to face a pack of literal monsters! Now she’s with the Heroine, and you’re suddenly going to raise a fuss?”

“Well, that’s…” Lissera started, only to trail off. “I mean…” she shot me a look, to which I responded with a shrug of my shoulders. I, too, thought she was overreacting. I felt fine, after all, and Lucy seemed mostly harmless—except, perhaps, to my peace of mind.

“I’m sure Eena will be fine,” Monica said, a small smile on her lips as she turned her gaze from Lissera to me. “And even if she isn’t, I’m sure she’ll survive. The savior of our village isn’t going to go down without a fight, right?”

“I won’t,” I promised, smiling at the girls before turning my gaze to the rest of the villagers. Everyone who’d been in the tavern seemed to have gathered along with a few villagers I'd yet to meet. Even Jackson was present, though he’d been relegated to the rear. They were all there to see me off.

“I’ll be fine,” I promised them again, unsure what else I could offer. “I’m much stronger than I look, you know.”

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd at that, and a smile touched my lips. With a final wave, I reached down to grab a hold of one of the potato sacks and tossed it over my shoulder, before beginning to walk into the forest.

“Bye, everyone!” Lucy called out behind me, grabbing the second sack. “Don’t worry, I won’t let her push herself! I’ll definitely keep her safe! Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to look you all in the eyes the next time we meet!”

“Are you even planning to come through here again?” I asked, once Lucy had caught up to me.

“Who knows? The potato stew was really good! And I liked everyone here well enough. If they ever need help with monsters again, I’ll definitely come back! Though I guess they have you for that—unless you aren’t planning to come back?”

“I already told them they hadn’t seen the last of me,” I reminded her. “If nothing else, I’ll probably come to purchase more potatoes. They happen to make for a decent staple food.”

“So you must be planning to eat them pretty quickly, huh?” she asked me, eyeing the large sack I had slung over my shoulder. “I mean, I'm sure they’ll go bad if you don’t! Though if you have someone to share them with, you’ll probably have an easier time getting through them… Do you? Have someone to share them with, I mean?”

“I’m traveling alone, aren’t I?” I asked, choosing to deflect the question.

“Well, for now,” Lucy conceded. “But it’s not like you’re always traveling, right? Don’t you have a place you can go back to, with people to talk to and share food with?”

“A place, perhaps,” I admitted. “But as for people… I think I’m best suited for being by myself. I’m not a very lovable person, as I’m sure you can tell.” I kept walking for a moment after delivering my response, before realizing that Lucy was no longer beside me.

“Lucy?” I called out, turning about. To my surprise, she was standing stock still a few feet back, the sack of potatoes sitting by her feet. “Is something the matter?”

“…How could you say that?” Lucy asked instead of answering my question.

“Say what?” I asked back, arching an eyebrow. “If you don’t specify what you’re referring to, I won’t—”

“How can you say something like that and not even have it register‽” Lucy demanded, stepping toward me. Before I could pull back, she reached out and grabbed one of my hands, holding it against her armored chest. “How can you say that you’re not lovable? How can you believe that?”

“You simply don’t know me very well,” I murmured, trying to pull back.

“I don’t need to know you to know you deserve love!” Lucy shouted, causing me to freeze in place, the sack of potatoes slipping from my loosened grip. Lucy took advantage of my shock to grab my other hand, stepping closer to me and pressing our bound fingers against my chest, even as she pressed my other hand against her armor.

“I can feel your heartbeat,” Lucy whispered, after a moment. “You probably can’t feel mine through the armor, but I can feel yours! That means you’re a living being, doesn’t it? And you’re not evil! You saved that village, so I know that much! And if you’re a living being who isn’t evil—that means you deserve love!”

I stared into Lucy’s eyes for a long moment, searching for any hint of guile or deception. I found instead eager determination mixed with pain, as if she genuinely couldn’t believe the words I had to say.

“I… have not always been the best version of myself,” I told her at last. “I caused problems for those who were close to me, and brought direct harm to more than one. Whether I deserve love or not is irrelevant at this point—I neither expect it nor seek it. Instead, I choose to travel by myself. Perhaps it will be different in another life.”

“But that’s too sad!” Lucy protested. I was surprised to find her eyes swimming with tears for me.

“That’s simply how it is,” I insisted, extricating myself from her grasp and stepping backward. “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Lucy, but things don’t always work out the way we think they should.”

“…I know that,” Lucy whispered, her eyes downcast. “I know I’m an idealist and that the world doesn’t always work the way I think it should. I know good people suffer and bad people get away with making it happen.”

“If you know all that, then—”

“But that’s exactly why we need to fight for what’s right!” Lucy interrupted, lifting her eyes to meet my own. “Whether it’s a town being threatened by monsters or a woman who thinks she doesn’t deserve love—I don’t care what the problem is! If I see injustice, I’ll face it head-on!”

“And how precisely do you intend to face this problem?” I demanded, exasperated by her insistence.

“By inviting you to form a party with me!” Lucy answered immediately, closing the distance between us once again. “We’ll face the Demon Queen, her forces, and the hardness in your heart, all at the same time!” She reached out for my hand again as she spoke. I was too shocked to stop her from lacing her fingers through mine.

“If you fight alone, you’ll become your own worst enemy. But if we fight together, our combined strength will let us face obstacles neither of us could handle alone! Mother Morrine has been pushing me to form a party with someone anyway, and it sounds like you’re really strong. You’re a nice person too, I think. Most of all, though, you’re someone who needs my help!”

I stared at Lucy, my mouth ever so slightly agape, trying and failing to process what she was saying to me. The Heroine was offering me a chance to infiltrate her inner circle. To fight alongside her. If I was actually interested in interfering with her, this would be a golden opportunity that would likely never come again.

How unfortunate, then, that I had no interest whatsoever in derailing her plans. Joining a party with the Heroine struck me as nothing more than a needless headache. Besides, I was fairly sure simple logistics made it impossible to begin with. Where would she think I was, when I was home in Dimona Tower? While I was planning to spend a certain percentage of my time in human lands going forward, I was much more interested in establishing myself as a low-tier traveling adventurer. One who could disappear for days on end then wander back into town without anyone giving it a second thought.

“I refuse,” I told Lucy, once more stepping back. “I am still in the midst of my journey. If I allow myself to get tied down here, I’ll never finish my training.”

“But… But I…” Lucy bit her lip, pulling her fingers away from mine to squeeze them into fists. She was trembling, no doubt aware of how impotent she was before my refusal. It wasn’t as if she could force me to join her party, after all. If she kept pressing, I would simply use it as an excuse to break away from her and return to the Tower. Perhaps realizing this, she eventually broke eye contact with me and began to stare at the ground.

“Fine then,” she conceded after a long moment. “If you won’t join my party, then… then have sex with me like you promised, instead!”

I blinked in surprise, caught off guard by the sudden change in topic. I hadn’t precisely forgotten my vow to sleep with her, but I’d rather thought the mood was ruined when we started down this line of conversation.

“If that is what you wish,” I agreed, nodding slowly. “We should be far enough away from town that nobody will hear you scream.”

“That… that sounds really ominous, but I know you mean well!” Lucy told me. Her hands were still clenched, and her eyes were still locked on the ground at my feet. “I know you’re a good person! The sort of person who’d save a village and have sex with me!”

“I hardly think that last part makes me a good person,” I protested. “If anything, I imagine I’m committing quite the blasphemous act, so far as the Church is concerned.”

“You definitely are,” Lucy admitted, nodding. “The Church says anyone who has sex for fun will go to Hell. Unless they submit a donation for the sake of absolution, at least—and even then, most people seem to think that having sex with me will get them damned for eternity… but… but even if I have no proof… even if the Church says otherwise… I disagree! I’m sure the Goddess wouldn’t give us these urges just to deny them! I think we should do what feels right to us! And what feels right to me is having sex with you, Eena!”

“My, my,” I murmured, unable to help the chuckle that left my lips as I shook my head from side to side. “Speaking against the Church’s teachings? Are you sure you’re thinking straight? Lust can do strange things to one’s thought processes.”

“Mom always told me I had to think for myself. That I couldn’t just blindly follow what anyone said, and that I should listen to my own heart. The Goddess's voice, what she wants from me—I’m sure it’s carved deep within my soul! That’s why, rather than listening to the Church, I’m going to do what feels right to me.”

“And having sex with me feels right to you?” I asked doubtfully. “Are you sure that you’re not simply mistaking your own base desires for what the Goddess wants of you? There’s nothing wrong with simply wanting to have sex, you know.” She was closer to the truth than she knew, so far as I was concerned. There was nothing blasphemous at all about consensual sex between two adults. Yet I still couldn’t help but poke fun at the idea of anyone in heaven wanting the Heroine to hook up with the Demon Queen.

Despite my words, the look Lucy gave me was filled with conviction. “I’m sure,” she informed me, her lips spreading into a grin. “I’m more sure than ever before what the Goddess would want from me, right now!”

“And what she wants is for us to have sex?” I asked, again unable to help my skepticism.

“No,” Lucy denied, to my surprise.

“Then—”

“What she wants is for me to help you! She wants you to realize that you’re worthy of being loved! That you deserve happiness!” Lucy edged closer to me as she spoke, reaching out once again for my hands. I stayed still, too surprised to move, allowing her to recapture my fingers with her own. “She doesn’t just want us to have sex. She wants us to be intimate with one another! To grow closer to each other! To understand one another! If you won’t listen to my words, and you won’t join me so that I can convince you over time, then I’ll simply have to put my all into having sex with you! I’ll put my body and soul into showing exactly what I think of you, and make you admit once and for all that you’re lovable!”

“And if I refuse?” I countered, again tugging my hands free of hers and crossing my arms in front of my chest.

“Then I’ll give up,” Lucy told me, still smiling brightly. “But I don’t think you’ll do that! Not knowing how much this means to me.”

For a long moment I was silent, simply staring into Lucy’s eyes. I searched for some crack in her resolve, some indication that she might back down. I found nothing of the sort.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” I grumbled in the end, sliding my fingers beneath the hem of my black top. I pulled it overhead in one smooth motion, letting my breasts bounce free as they were released from the material. I was distinctly aware of Lucy’s eyes on me, but I expected her gaze would shift somewhere more polite by the time I’d pulled the top off in its entirety.

I was wrong. Lucy’s eyes remained locked on my tits, even as my own gaze settled on her. To be more specific, her eyes were practically glued to my left nipple, and her fingers were opening and closing as if she were desperately trying to resist the urge to grab onto something. She licked her lips as I watched, before finally forcing her eyes to meet mine.

“You’re really hot,” Lucy informed me, grinning again. “Like… wow. I can’t believe I get to have sex with you! It’s going to be so amazing!”

“Yes, well, the feeling is mutual,” I asserted, giving Lucy a once-over. The armor did an excellent job of showing off her figure, with the upper half clinging to her curves and her leather skirt doing little to hide the shapeliness of her legs. Combined with Jacob’s memories of the game, I had a fairly good idea of what I was working with. Enough to declare Lucy attractive, at least.

“You do plan to undress, don’t you?” I asked, as Lucy once again began to stare hungrily at my tits. “I’m afraid the sex will be rather one-sided if you don’t.”

“R-right!” Lucy reached behind her as she spoke, starting to fiddle with her armor.

I left her to it, slipping my thumbs into the waistband of my own skirt. A simple tug and the red fabric was pooled around my ankles, leaving me in a pair of black panties and heels.

Lucy was moving at breakneck speed, meanwhile, plopping down on the ground to remove her greaves before shimmying out of her skirt and showing off her pure white panties. She tugged those off too, revealing a perfect slit beneath a red bush. I wondered, idly, what she’d make of my own, more clean-shaven look.

As for my own underwear, I hurried to undo the straps on my shoes, shoved down my panties, stepped out of both, and sat myself down as quickly as possible, hoping Lucy wouldn’t notice my reduced height. As much as I loathed to admit it, I was a mere five foot four without heels. If my memory of the game was to be trusted, Lucy was five foot six. 

Having sex with Lucy was one thing, but I’d brave both heaven and hell before letting the Heroine know she was taller than me.

“So… what now?” Lucy asked, once we were both well and truly naked. We were sitting on the forest floor, a bed of leaves, pine needles, and the occasional twig beneath us. Lucy, for her part, was nervously wrapping a few strands of her red hair about her forefinger once again. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes kept darting between my tits and pussy. Occasionally she’d tear her eyes away and stare at the ground for a moment, but I don’t really know why she bothered—not when they inevitably made their way back again. The only place her eyes never quite settled was on my face.

Well, that wouldn’t do at all.

I moved quickly, not giving Lucy any time to react. I didn’t reach for Lucy, but rather reached past her, my body pressing hers down. My hand slammed into the ground, as did Lucy’s back, and a small squeak escaped the Heroine’s throat as my lips pulled into a smile. Reaching out with my other hand, I gently grabbed ahold of Lucy’s chin and waited for her gaze to finally meet mine.

“Focus on me, Lucy,” I whispered. “Not my tits, or my pussy, or my ass, or whatever else it is you’re picturing in your head right now. I know my body can be quite enticing, but the first lesson in making a woman feel good is that you have to pay attention to the woman herself. Not just her assets. Understood?”

I took my hand from Lucy’s chin, and she gave me a firm nod of acknowledgement. Her eyes were now fully locked on mine.

“Good girl,” I praised her, reaching out to pat her on the head. This caused another blush to spread across the poor girl’s cheeks, which only made my smile widen. “Now, are you ready to move onto your next lesson?”

Lucy nodded rapidly, her cheeks shifting to an even brighter shade of red. I chuckled softly. With one hand still pressed against the ground supporting my weight, I moved the other to ever-so-gently cup one of Lucy’s tits. It was large, only slightly smaller than my own, and it filled my hand completely. I curved my fingers about the flesh and shifted my thumb to brush against the tip of her nipple, causing Lucy to stiffen—much like the nipple itself.

“You can still ask me to stop,” I remarked, my eyes flicking up towards Lucy’s. “If you’re uncertain.”

Lucy shook her head, a determined look in her eyes.

“I want this,” she promised me with a grin. “It already feels so good!”

“As long as you’re sure…” I waited a moment, giving her time to change her mind, then shrugged and lowered my lips to her tit. My breath washed over the pink peak, warming it. Then my thumb brushed against it again, making sure it was nice and hard. Finally, lowering my mouth to it, I ever so gently nipped the sensitive flesh before sealing my lips about Lucy’s teat and lightly sucking upon it.

Lucy let out a low moan in response, an almost animalistic sound of need and want. A sound that came again when I let my tongue dart out against her nipple, even as my hand squeezed her tit.

I wasn’t satisfied with mere moans, though. I wanted to make Lucy scream. To that end, I moved my mouth away from the nipple and began to kiss my way down the side of her breast, into the cleavage. When I reached the taut flesh between her breasts I moved to scrape my teeth ever so barely against the skin, then licked the line of abraded flesh before plastering it with kisses. My eyes flicked up toward Lucy’s face as my lips shifted to seal themselves on the so far untouched nipple opposite to my starting point. Lucy’s mouth was open, and little sounds were pouring out from her: whimpers, moans, and pleas for more.

I showed no mercy, pinching her nipple between my teeth, not biting down but merely holding the peak in place as my tongue struck against it. My hand squeezed her other breast, the thumb moving in slow circles about the areola as I shifted back and forth between biting and sucking on her tit. Lucy continued to make noises above me, but I could tell that she was still holding herself back, trying not to be too loud. 

If she could still manage such restraint, then I clearly wasn’t anywhere near finished yet.

Releasing Lucy’s breast, I pushed myself into a kneeling position. Lucy was panting below me, her hair splayed out against the ground, her wide eyes all but rolled back into her head. After a few seconds without touch, however, she regained her ability to see straight and focused her gaze upon me.

I smiled the moment I knew she could see it, and then lowered my head down to her thighs. Kissing one, I slid my hands between her legs and delicately pressed them apart. I could feel a faint tremble in Lucy’s body as she realized what I was planning, and her breath hitched in what I took to be excitement.

“It’s not too late to stop me, Heroine,” I reminded her, just in case. “Do you really want me to ravish you?”

“More than anything,” Lucy confessed, the look of lust in her eyes as honest as it was eager. “But what about you? I want to make you feel good, too!”

“You first,” I insisted, with a small shake of my head. “Unless you actually know how to bring another woman pleasure?”

Lucy didn’t reply—which was honestly answer enough. I smirked, lowering my head to kiss her lightly on the inner thigh, and then moving up to press my lips against her outer labia. Leaning in even closer, clutching at her thigh for support, I gave Lucy’s slit a long lick, causing her to squeak. Then I pressed my face up against her, her bush tickling my nose, her scent filling my nostrils. She smelled of sweat and hard work, mixed with the heady scent of arousal. There was something else, too, an undercurrent to it all that my nose could just barely pick out—the sweet smell of Lucy herself.

My tongue pushed out, pressing into Lucy’s folds, drawing out a soft moan. I pressed even deeper, shoving my face against her hole, working my tongue as deep inside as I could. At the same time, I moved one of my hands to slide up her thigh, my fingers slipping through the hair of her bush. As my tongue pulled out of her, I gave a firm tug on the short hairs and at the same time let my tongue dart out to flick against Lucy’s clit.

That got me the high-pitched scream I was after—a sound of pleasure tinged with the faintest bit of pain. I again pushed my tongue into her, simultaneously letting her curly red hairs trail through my fingers. My thumb found her clit, nestled in a tiny little hood. It was still wet from my tongue, and the pad of my thumb slid easily across its surface.

My ministrations soon had Lucy squirming and panting above me. When my thumb brushed against her clit, her thighs squeezed tight around my head. When my tongue worked its way into her slit, making its way through the tight but slick channel, she let out a loud moan. When I pulled away from her sopping wet pussy, she let out a little whimper of need, but when I nipped and kissed and sucked at her inner thigh, playing with her clit all the while, she soon devolved back into moans and cries of pleasure. Then my tongue returned to her vagina, making its way across the surface. I moved my hand from her bush, reorienting it so that my fingers were pressed up against her needy slit while my thumb was once more positioned to play with her clit. My tongue worked at her opening, even as a finger pressed its way into the channel.

Lucy’s walls pressed tight against my intruding finger, but her natural lubrication was more than enough for me to work the digit in and out. I pushed deep, then pulled back, then pressed in again. The pace was easy to establish, and the pattern simple as could be—though I did let my thumb brush against her clit with every few thrusts. Regardless, it seemed to be getting the job done.

Of course, I wasn’t just pumping my way in and out of her body for the sake of it. If my only goal was to make her cum, I could have stuck to my original tactics, working at her with my tongue and playing with her tits. I was after a specific type of orgasm, though. The type that originated from deep within a woman’s core. The first few strokes of my finger failed to find anything, but on the fifth attempt I felt Lucy suddenly stiffen as my fingertip brushed against the very spot I had been looking for.

Pulling my finger away from her G-spot and almost entirely out of her vagina, I kept only the very tip of my fingernail inside her—as if I were trying to keep my place in a book. My mouth moved to kiss her inner thigh, on the same spot I’d nipped and sucked at a moment before.

Then I turned my attention back to her clitoris. Sealing my lips around the cute little button and sucking at it as if it were a straw, I pushed my finger deep inside of Lucy once again, teasing my finger against her special spot even as my tongue darted out against her clit. It wasn’t long before Lucy’s thighs tightened around me and she let out an ear-shattering scream.

It was louder than I’d expected it to be—loud enough that I was glad I’d insisted on walking a fair distance from the village before we began. The grip of her thighs was tighter than I could have imagined, too. If I were anyone but the Demon Queen, she might have caused me serious injury. As it was, it felt quite nice to have her soft thighs bearing down upon my skull. It even helped to muffle her screams.

Once she was finally finished, Lucy stayed lying on the ground, her chest rising and falling with each heavy breath she took.

“That… that was amazing,” she declared, stretching out her hand in yet another attempt to grab mine. I didn’t resist, allowing her to intertwine her fingers with mine as a slow grin spread across her lips. “But now it’s my turn, right? I want to make you feel good, too!”

“Or we could do you again,” I offered, trying to hide the sudden pang of nervousness that shot through me. Bringing the Heroine to orgasm was one thing, but putting myself in that same vulnerable position was another matter entirely. 

Lucy only blinked at me in confusion, though. “Again? But I already had that really good feeling. Doesn't that mean it’s over?”

“…Someone is going to pay for your lack of sexual education,” I muttered darkly. “Lucy, girls can orgasm multiple times in a single sitting. With how strong your body is, I’m sure you could go quite a few times.”

“”I could do that again?” Lucy demanded, her eyes wide. “More than once? I-I mean… No!” she gave a furious shake of her head. “Not until I make you feel good, Eena!”

“Then how about a compromise?” I suggested. “We can eat each other out at the same time.” Pleasure for me, and pleasure for her—and as an added bonus, it would put her hands as far away from my neck as possible in the process. Not that I expected her to collar me or anything, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Eat each other out?” Lucy asked. “Is that the thing you were doing with your mouth?”

“Precisely,” I confirmed, smiling at her. “I’ll be on top, and you can take the bottom. My lips on your sex, and your mouth on mine. All you need to do is follow my lead.”

“And it’ll feel good for you?” Lucy asked, her eyes searching mine.

“Promise.” I met her gaze as I spoke, trying to convey with my eyes that I meant all that I had said. 

“...I’m not sure about being on the bottom,” Lucy admitted, breaking eye contact with me. “I mean, the main point of this is for me to pleasure you, so shouldn’t you be the one lying down?”

“Thank you, but I’d rather not…” I was already concerned about being so vulnerable before the Heroine, risk of collaring or no. Topping would at least give me some illusion of control over the situation. “Of course, if that’s a deal breaker, we could always skip the whole thing? I did undoubtedly fulfill my promise.”

“No!” Lucy dissented, shaking her head so frantically that I practically got whiplash just from looking at it. “You made me feel so good, Eena! I don’t think I’d ever be able to forgive myself if I didn’t do the same for you! And besides,” she added with a determined frown, “I haven’t given up on making you realize how lovable you are!”

“You’re still on that?” I asked, glaring at her. “You’ve orgasmed, yes? You should know full well, then, that there’s no intrinsic connection between that pleasure and true love.”

“Maybe that’s true,” Lucy admitted, biting her lower lip, “but I don’t think it’s entirely separate, either! I’m sure the sex was only so good because you honestly cared about making me feel good! Even if that’s not love, it still shows care and affection, right? I want to share those same things with you!”

“...Do what you will.” I sighed, pushing myself up and into a crouch—not quite standing, for fear of her noticing how short I was. A moment later, I had lowered myself atop of Lucy once again, straddling her with my pussy within reach of Lucy’s lips, and her own slick slit close enough for me to catch its delightful scent.

Lucy was still wet from my earlier efforts. I could likely skip the foreplay, and move directly to giving her pleasure—but if I did that, I was quite confident that she’d follow my example. Even if I saw my own pleasure as secondary for this encounter, I still didn’t wish to lead her astray in regard to proper procedure. If nothing else, it was my duty as Queen to ensure that my Generals would enjoy their eventual defeat.

With that thought in mind, I started with a soft kiss to Lucy’s inner thigh. As predicted, Lucy did the same to me, leaning up to reach me. I sucked the flesh between my teeth, hard enough to leave a bruise. I expected Lucy to do the same once more, but to my surprise Lucy took it a step further, biting down upon the flesh, pinching it between her teeth and then releasing it and licking the spot. Before I could even react, she was already running her fingers gently across my skin as if to soothe my non-existent wound.

It seemed to me that Lucy had learned a thing or two from my earlier demonstration—which meant that I could likely speed up the pace of our encounter. With that in mind, I began to kiss my way up the length of her thigh, stopping only when my lips were pressed against her inner folds. There, my teeth again came into play, ever so barely scraping against her tender flesh, before making way for my tongue to press itself against the folds I’d treated so cruelly, and delivering a long, drawn-out lick to her core.

My actions pulled a long, low moan from Lucy and I could feel her shuddering ever so faintly beneath me. Still, she wasn’t one to be left in the dust. She pressed her own lips against my wet pussy, pushing her tongue into the entrance and drawing her first lick of my flesh. I worried for a moment that she wouldn’t enjoy the taste, but she showed no sign of that. Her tongue pressed against my opening, her licks soft and fast, moving with a speed that spoke of excitement and joy. I could just imagine her, eyes wide, lips spread into a grin, as she eagerly licked my pussy. The thought brought a smile to my lips, entirely separate from the warm pleasure that was suffusing my body in response to Lucy’s tongue.

I pressed my lips against Lucy’s sweet sex, this time sealing them upon her clitoris. I pressed my teeth against it, careful not to bite or even scrape the flesh, merely wanting Lucy to feel the difference in texture. Then I pulled away, licking the clit, before lifting a finger to Lucy’s entrance.

Lucy beat me to the punch, catching me off guard when she slipped a finger into my entrance, causing me to squeak a little in surprise. Her tongue worked its way into me, moving around her finger even as it started to press further inside. My inner walls tightened about the digit, but just as my strength had overcome Lucy’s resistance so too was Lucy able to overcome mine. Her finger started to move slowly in and out, searching for my G-spot. Since I had a few extra nerves in there, however, the mere movement of her fingers inside me was likely more pleasurable than they would have been for a human woman, and soon I was biting my lip to try and keep from shouting out.

Unwilling to let her win so easily, I pushed my own finger into the Heroine’s opening. I knew exactly where her G-spot was now, but I chose not to go for it straight away. Instead, I worked a second finger into Lucy’s pussy, coaxing her body into taking the penetration and then squirming my way deeper inside. Two fingers worked even better than one when it came to drawing sounds of pleasure from Lucy’s lips, and for a moment the finger inside me halted its movements.

I’d forgotten something important, though—that Lucy was taking her cues from me. Since I’d pressed a second finger inside of her, she started to work another digit into my body in turn. I wasn’t as wet as she was, but it wasn’t as if I was anything close to dry—after eating out a beautiful woman like her, how could I not be aroused? All of which is to say that it didn’t take much work for her to get the second finger inside of me.

I’d had a tongue inside of me before, but before today I’d never experienced a finger—other than my own at least. Certainly not two. The same was true for Lucy, though, and I had no intention of cumming before she did. To that end, I began to pump my two digits deeper inside her, pressing the pads of my fingers against her inner walls and letting my barely-there nails glide across her flesh. I found the G-spot that I’d been ignoring so far, and began to rub at the spot that had caused her to cum oh-so-recently.

Lucy’s breath started to pick up pace, and her fingers came free from my pussy. I wondered for a moment if she had given up, but then her lips sealed themselves about my slit and her tongue once more worked its way inside of me. I could feel her thumb clumsily pressing against my clit, teasing at the folds of my clitoral hood as she tried to expose it for further attention. After a moment, her tongue pulled away, no doubt so that she could have a better view of what she was doing. Indeed, the touches to my clit became much more sure afterward, and by the time her tongue had pushed its way back into my entrance she was actually working at my button like a pro.

I wasn’t sitting still either, of course. My fingers continued to rub at Lucy’s G-spot, and I took turns kissing, rubbing, and even lightly pressing my nose against her clit. I wanted to give her a variety of experiences, and a medley of textures. I wanted her to feel wonderful. Most of all, though, I wanted her to cum—preferably before I did.

I couldn’t say what drove me to work so hard for that outcome. Perhaps it was mere competitiveness that kept my fingers pumping inside of her, or maybe it was the natural rivalry between Demon Queen and Heroine that made me work at her with my tongue, even as I teased her clit with my thumb and worked my fingers against her G-spot. Maybe it was merely my pride as a sexual being that said I couldn’t cum until I’d given this girl the orgasm she deserved.

Whatever the cause, I succeeded. My two fingers rubbed lightly at Lucy’s G-spot at the same time as my tongue pressed against her clit, and she let out another high-pitched scream as her thighs tightened about my head. I took that as an opportunity to bite her inner thigh, eliciting an even louder cry, before licking and kissing the flesh. It was more or less the same spot I’d marked earlier, though—to my disappointment—the hickey had already faded. This time I worked even harder to leave an imprint, pulling her flesh between my teeth and nipping at the skin before kissing it once again. I suspected it would heal quickly all the same, but I was also sure she wouldn’t need a mark to remember this kiss.

Lucy’s thighs loosened their grip upon my head a moment later, even as her screams trailed off. I thought perhaps we were finished, but Lucy had other ideas. She gripped both my thighs with her hand, lifted her mouth to my sex, and began to press her tongue within me once again. Furiously licking, parting every few minutes to nip at my thighs or lick at my clit, it wasn’t long before I began to feel the same pressure that had just exploded out of Lucy building up within myself. It was like a fire in my core, growing hotter and hotter until it felt as if I would melt, or burst, or both. 

Then Lucy pressed her fingers into me again, sliding two in from the start. It was a little difficult for her to work them in at first, but she managed, pushing deep within me and eliciting a soft moan from my lips. That seemed to invigorate the Heroine even further, causing her to focus more attention on my clit. She kissed it and licked at it, even lightly teasing my clitoral hood with her teeth, and all the while heat and pressure continued to build up inside of me, bringing me closer and closer to the edge. When her questing fingers finally found my G-spot, it was like a star exploding inside my head. My vision went white and my eyes began to flutter as my body spasmed out of my control. I collapsed against Lucy’s body, heat washing over my entire being, even as a scream tore itself from my throat.

When I came back to myself, my cheeks were pressed against Lucy’s thighs, the Heroine panting heavily beneath me. When I pushed myself up into another crouch and turned around to face her, I saw a wide grin on her lips.

“Did I do it?” she asked me. “Did I make you feel loved?”

“Well, you certainly made me feel something,” I confessed, not quite answering the question. Lucy looked so happy, and I didn’t want to take that feeling away from her—but, in truth, I still didn’t feel any more lovable than before.

“I put everything into it,” Lucy told me, still smiling as she sat up. “All my emotions, all my feelings, everything I felt for you! You felt it, right? The care and affection that I put into it?”

“It felt good,” I replied, still evading the question. “If that was the result of your affection, then I suppose it was well-done.” I wasn’t going to change how I viewed myself so easily, though. Not based on a single act of sexual intercourse.

“It was the most amazing thing ever!” Lucy gushed, reaching for one of her greaves. “I mean, your tongue! And your fingers! And the way you played with that special nub…”

“It’s called a clitoris,” I informed her. “Or a clit, if you’re feeling informal.” I reached for my underwear, and then my shoes, slipping both on before reaching for the straps that would secure my heels in place—only to pause as a large brown snout pressed its way out of the bushes in front of me. I stood, and the creature did the same; only the beast was much taller than me when it rose on two legs. Which made sense, considering it was a bear.

At least, I thought it was a bear. I’d never seen one with spikes along its spines and elbows, before. 

“A spiked bear‽” Lucy exclaimed, immediately shooting up to her feet. She was wearing one greave, and absolutely nothing else. “Oh no! All that noise we made!”

“...Indeed,” I murmured, sighing softly. I had been so concerned with ensuring the villagers wouldn’t hear us, I’d failed to consider that something else entirely might respond to our squeaks, squeals, and screams.

It seemed I had another monster to fight… just as soon as I finished strapping on my shoes.

~~~

Author's Notes

As always, I'd like to give thanks to my beta readers, including ByteOfBrie, Julx, and Wildfire Darkstar! I'd also like to thank Vivian Newsganger who edited the original version of this chapter. I tried something new, this time, and actually edited the document/PDF to reflect beta readers and the like, in case people don't read the author's comments. (The final PDF/epub will have a dedicated page for acknowledgements.)

I've said it before, but I've really gotta start taking notes on what I change in these chapters... I know I put a bit more focus on Devilla's aversion to letting her height be known. The final line in particular was adjusted accordingly.

Hopefully Lucy comes off as appropriately... well, Lucy? She was sorta proto-Lucy when I first wrote this, as I may have said before, and I had to do my best to adjust and bring her in line with how I currently see her... I'd like to think I did good?