It all started badly. That’s how Siegfried Becker always thinks about it. For instance, if you step into a trap on the very first move of entering a dungeon, no matter how easy the rest of the path becomes, you’re forced to retreat with your head held low. If a lump of salt ends up in the first bite of a meal, no matter how delicious the subsequent courses may be, there’s no way to undo that initial mistake. That’s why starting off badly is a profoundly unfortunate circumstance in life. At least, that’s Siegfried’s perspective.
“Damn it! How happy they look! You’re kidding me, you bastards!” Siegfried sat cross-legged in the shallow waters of the mixed-bath oasis, gazing at the scene before him. The mixed-bath oasis, one of Tark’s signature attractions, was filled with young couples and families—few were absent. Everywhere he looked, ogre couples took advantage of the no-clothing rule to cuddle and flirt openly, while dark elf parents (though their daughters clearly weren’t their biological children) strolled hand-in-hand. Watching the lively young ogres and groups of dark elf girls frolicking in the oasis made him feel a surge of happiness, yet seeing those couples and families only deepened his melancholy. Siegfried mentally erected partitions around himself, focusing instead on the unmarried girls or groups consisting solely of female friends, and gazed blankly at the oasis. At first, he had raged in anger over Andy’s harem-like situation, but when he tried to imagine whether something like that could ever happen to him—or if it actually did—he found himself overwhelmed by a sad reality. As time passed, his spirits sank further. “If only things hadn’t started so badly for me…”
In terms of popularity with girls, Siegfried was quite the catch: his features were striking enough to rival any stage actor, he stood tall, held a respectable status, had a great sense of humor, and possessed strong fighting skills. If he went to a rural area where men were scarce and marriage prospects for women were limited, and pursued girls without hesitation or restraint, he could probably achieve something close to Andy’s harem with enough effort—it wasn’t entirely impossible. From the standpoint of marriage laws, Celesta posed no obstacles whatsoever. So, was it actually feasible? For Siegfried, the answer was a definitive “no.” He was, in fact, an inexperienced virgin.
Siegfried Becker hailed from the western region of Celesta, near the banks of the Great Almonica River, and was an orphan. Shortly after his birth, thieves raided his home, killing both parents; he was on the verge of death before being rescued and raised by adventurer Lead Becker. This adoptive father, Lead Becker, specialized in tomb raiding and belonged to a rare bird-like humanoid race capable of flight for short durations. His style involved charging straight into the heart of seemingly reckless tombs, stealing treasures, fending off swarms of monsters with his wings, and making a swift escape. And Siegfried… often followed his godfather secretly on these adventures, only to find himself relentlessly chased by monster hordes in place of the fleeing godfather. It was during this time that his extraordinary high-speed movement abilities began to flourish. When faced with the sight of humans dying, one tends to awaken to new realities.
“Well, you’re the human from yesterday’s bourgeois knife incident.”
“Huh?”
As Siegfried looked up, he saw a massive ogre standing with arms crossed.
The man had been working as a bouncer at the tavern last night.
Unashamedly swinging his oversized member back and forth, the display was undeniably bold and characteristic of an ogre—and it happened to be right at eye level.
“Don’t get too close. Your junk smells.”
“Get lost.”
“I’ll hit you.”
“Hah hah!”
The ogre stepped about a meter away and sat down beside Siegfried.
“Still, that was quite a magnificent knife. Though I say it myself, isn’t it? A blade like that could easily buy a house if mishandled.”
“Not so fast. It’s genuine treasure. I’ve got to make sure that lady pays for it before she pawned it off on someone else.”
”…” “So those two… aren’t they your woman?”
“No, no, this isn’t about that…”
“If you’d just handed over the knife without making a scene and slipped away quietly…” “Though I’m not saying this out of obligation,” he added.
“In that case, things could have gone even worse.”
It was impossible to tell the woman who had shared drinks with him last night was actually a dragon. Yet her desperation came through clearly, and the ogre pursed his lips in an expression of pity.
“Come on, you haven’t pawned it yet, have you?”
“That’s none of my business. It depends on the pawnbroker.”
“Hey, hey, hey… please… Do you know any decent pawnshops? If anything happens, I’ll check them out, so tell me where they are.”
“It’s the Trident Trading Company on La Zone Street. Their appraisers for weapons are top-notch.”
”…Trident Trading Company? Wait a minute. Could that be the Tricorn Ogre’s?”
“Don’t play dumb now. I thought you were an adventurer, turns out you’re a businessman?”
“Either way doesn’t matter.”
Zieg clutched his head in frustration.
“Hey, hey, hey… Tricorn… If there’s a connection with ‘Tricorn’ down south, the odds are high…”
“What’s wrong, brother? Got some bad memories involving Tricorn?”
“A while back. Well, I can only hope nothing comes of it…”
As the name suggests, a Tricorn Ogre is an ogre with three horns. Among standard Plain Ogres, Tricorns are far fewer in number than single- or double-horned variants, making them notorious for their strong sense of unity.
“Ugh… My jewel knife… Damn it…”
“Well, well, let’s hope luck turns your way.”
“Yeah… You’re a good guy. Even if you stink a bit.”
“Shut up. It’s proof you’ve used it properly. Leave it be.”
Encouraged by the surprisingly decent bodyguard ogre, Zieg left the Water Bath Oasis. Even though it was just a hobby item, losing something so valuable—enough to build three sun-dried brick houses—left him unable to hide his shock. “Damn it… But I can’t believe that lady suddenly has money to make ends meet…”
He wanted to rush to the tavern, but without funds, there was nothing he could do. Even Zieg, whose job involved stealing information and key figures, couldn’t simply snatch cash from civilians. That’s why professional ethics are so crucial for a line of work that risks crossing boundaries. ”…Damn it. I have no choice but to wait. At least I’ll make sure they don’t leave me behind while I’m waiting.”
Since he’d left his wallet as collateral instead of paying with the jewel knife, he still had some money left in his pocket. He’d kill time with that. With his drink confiscated, he no longer wanted to see alcohol. “So… women, then?”
Zieg checked the weight in his wallet and began walking down an alleyway in search of a cheap brothel.
Buying women is also one of my hobbies. I’ve never been able to fall deeply for a single woman, but since I walk through various towns as part of my intelligence work, it hasn’t caused any inconvenience.
“Damn it… If that bastard Smyson keeps six or seven concubines and sleeps with them all for free, I can’t help but feel bitter…”
Zieg didn’t even look regretful enough to be called a mere muttering to himself.
“Honestly, I’d love to know the secret behind getting so close to such wonderful women.”
A sarcastic remark, yet not nearly as laced with irony as its content suggests.
In an instant, his vacant eyes reflected less longing for the situation and more disappointment in himself.
”…I suppose it’s not something one should try to imitate.”
When Zieg was twelve, Lead Becker departed for the Western Continent, a land filled with untouched mazes and ruins. However, after repeated reckless pursuits by Zieg were discovered, he was entrusted to a friend of Lead’s. Even though he was an adventure-loving fool who knew no fear, his parents’ affection reached its limit—they simply couldn’t let him go any further.
Zieg spent several months in the port town of Timbares at the mouth of the Great Almonica River before moving to Queika. He passed the Ace Knight examination that year and earned the title of Ace Knight at just twelve years old—the youngest record holder at the time. Immediately afterward, due to his unique style of evading capture, he was directly assigned to the Special Intelligence Legion.
After completing several missions, Zieg experienced his first love at the age of fifteen. Though celebrated as the youngest Ace Knight, Zieg was treated more like a prodigy or even a rare beast than a boy his own age. While this certainly satisfied his youthful vanity and provided a comfortable environment, it fueled his passion for work but failed to soothe his loneliness. Most of the knights he interacted with were far older than him, making relationships difficult during adolescence. Yet when he sought peers, those around his age in the military academy were mostly officer candidates rather than frontline soldiers—mostly young ladies and gentlemen who had nothing in common with him. Amidst praise and admiration, he remained utterly alone.
It was a girl named Elsa, two years his senior and the daughter of a merchant from the Afilum Empire, who healed his solitude. As a foreigner, she showed no fear toward Zieg, the then-famous “genius Ace Knight,” yet she carried none of the air of an ignorant fool. She was exactly what Zieg had idealized. It didn’t take long for young Zieg to become completely infatuated with her.
As if shaking off memories from his youth, Zieg stepped through the entrance draped in multiple layers of veil-like fabric.
Inside waited a single young dark elf woman, dressed in attire that barely resembled clothing.
“A dark elf?”
“You’re looking at me like I’m some rare sight.”
“My apologies. This is the first time I’ve seen a dark elf working in a brothel.”
“This place is a dark elf colony?”
“To someone like me, a lowly scum, it’s baffling that a long-lived race would choose such a cheap establishment to spread their legs. It feels more like work done by desperate humans or beastfolk.”
The dark elf smiled.
“Dark elves aren’t living in the mist either. We buy bread with money, and renting a house isn’t free. Sometimes we fall in love, sometimes we get deceived… and sometimes, what we have to sell is no longer just our bodies.”
“Well, that makes sense.”
A common story. A natural social structure.
If there are men and women, money and commerce, and desires to outsmart others, then such things will inevitably happen.
There will always be women like this.
Zieg was no longer the age to feel pity or sympathy, nor did he burn with righteous indignation. He was past that youthfulness now.
“Then let’s begin. We were talking about timing, right?”
“Yes. Until the noon bell rings, you may release however much you like. Of course, for clients… it should be a slow, drawn-out experience until the very end.”
“I get it.”
Even when told to give as much as possible, there’s no rush to finish immediately. Jig wonders what Smaysen is doing. That man must be struggling with his own excess of women, perhaps resorting to some desperate technique? His penis can’t catch up anyway; maybe he’s just honing his finger skills instead. Imagining this, Jig leans over the woman, kneading her breasts—barely covered by cloth and metal trim—and kisses from the base of her ear onward. He parts her labia with his fingers, teasing her clit with gentle movements.
“Ah… nnn, client, don’t grab me like that right away… You’re the customer, I’m providing service, so…”
“Sometimes I just want to confirm my own fingers remember how a woman feels. Come on, we have time, right? Show me once.”
“Mmm… kkk… damn it…”
The dark elf calms down.
Jig continues moving his fingers.
He rolls her nipples with his tongue, peels back the skin of her clit, massages her anus, and coaxes fluids from within her labia.
“Haaah…”
“Nnnhaaaah…!”
At times, he surprises her with sudden thrusts, making her gasp and drool all over him. The dark elf surrenders openly to the pleasure. Or perhaps she’s just acting as if she does.
”…” Even if it’s an act, she’s not a child who’d get angry over such things. That’s the spirit of her profession. Jig accepts this without hesitation. Suddenly, he grows tired of always wearing that knowing expression.
(…Lying, pretending to be exhausted, feigning deception while believing it works, acting as though I’m lost in passion… Is that all?) In the end, will this woman too have to put on a foolish face just to maintain her carefully constructed lies? Will he pay only to release his seed, hiding behind a wall of defenses, truly unable to be absorbed by anything?
Feeling an unexpected surge of disgust at himself, Jig whispers to the dark elf girl.
“What’s your name?”
”…?”
“Not your stage name. I can’t get off unless you call out the name of whoever you’re with.”
”…Right. Ariel.”
“Nice name… Ariel…”
For a moment, he lets his ego take over. With that sense of satisfaction, he thrusts his member into the dark elf’s crotch.
Jig’s habit of probing his partner’s secrets dates back to his first love. He wants to know.
I want to know the truth. I want to know what the other person is trying to hide. I want to see them as they truly are, believing no one else is watching. If I can do that, I’ll feel at ease. I believe I already know.
The name I just learned might well be a pseudonym after all.
(…That’s not right, am I?! ) A surge of intense self-loathing washed over me. What kind of love, romance, or intimacy exists when everything is shrouded in defensive walls and fueled by the mentality of a snarling turtle? In the end, Sieg simply can’t focus on women because he doesn’t want to expose his own foolishness. Once you grow accustomed to adulthood and become too familiar with uncovering others’ weaknesses, you lose the ability to be honest with yourself. Sieg has always found it deeply difficult to collide with someone purely out of desire and passion, without any ulterior motive or pretense. That’s why he envies youth—the kind of boldness that allows one to act freely, without concern for propriety.
“H-haa…!”
”…Customer?”
The dark elf looked puzzled as she sat up.
Sieg’s erection softened and slipped away.
“I-I’m sorry… I seem to be in a bad mood…”
“My apologies, I…”
“Ariel, it’s not your fault. I’m just a little soft right now.”
She rose quickly, burying her face in his groin in a panic.
Unlike vaginal intercourse, oral sex targeting specific erogenous zones leaves no room for psychological excuses; it immediately triggers an erection and leads straight to ejaculation.
“Uu… guh…!!”
”…Nn, ku… nnng, nngg… nk, pffuu…”
And then she swallowed his semen.
With a heart full of conflicting emotions, Sieg caressed the dark elf.
”…♪”
“Don’t make such a happy face just because I’m touching you.”
Again, he couldn’t believe it.
Wasn’t that smile mocking him from behind?
“If so, stop touching me.”
The dark elf gripped his hand tightly.
“I’d be happy to be praised. Even for something as intimate as sucking your cock.”
“Is that how it is?”
“Yes.”
The dark elf buried her face between Zieg’s legs once more. This time, her advance was unhurried and deliberate. As the sensation climbed toward another release, the noon bell rang out.
Zieg stepped out of the brothel, bought a thin crepe pancake from a street vendor, and silently leaped onto the roof of a nearby building to eat it in solitude. For someone with Zieg’s legs, jumping onto a three-story roof was no feat at all. Compared to when he had chased his stepfather up a sheer cliff by leaping diagonally across it during his youth while exploring mountain ruins, this was nothing remarkable.
”…Phew. Let me try calling in a favor once more. If Dragon-sis doesn’t help, I can just borrow money from Smaysion; if not him, then Mr. Carlos will do.” He muttered to himself, trying to wash away the emptiness rising in his chest. Work and inanimate objects—these two were the only things that would never betray him. He did his work, admired his possessions, and occasionally bought a woman for an hour of intimacy. When things went well, everything flowed together smoothly, allowing him to live with style. Before he knew it, he had reached thirty-nine years old. This was the only way of life left open to him.
“There’s no way I can truly get close to someone as beautiful as you now. If there were a way, tell me.” That wasn’t envy directed at Andy’s “situation.” It was longing for Andy’s “innocent youth.” Regret over his own life, which had forced him to grow up too early and willingly step into the adult world. The pose he had adopted had gradually become all that remained of himself; there were no other footholds left to dismantle it.
Amidst this, Diane alone was an exception for Zieg. Diane would never deceive him. She was a woman so strong, sincere, and full of compassion that one could confidently say she gained nothing nor found any pleasure in deceiving him. She was the only person Zieg could trust unconditionally, the only one he admired, and ultimately, the perfect embodiment of his ideals—a true goddess.
Yet, a bad habit of peering into secrets and shame always got in the way, preventing him from capturing her heart. In the end, Andy had beaten him to it.
”…Well, even Anzeros… If he’d gotten close, I suppose it would have been just like before.” With someone lacking any basis for trust, he inevitably drew a line. He didn’t need to be so wary. He didn’t need to put on such airs. Deep down, he understood that, yet the ingrained “adult pose” refused to fade. He always found excuses related to work to escape from those who seemed poised to form deep bonds with him. Whenever someone cherished him, he betrayed them before their wounds could run too deep.
Alongside the fleeting regret of feeling slighted because Anzeros had been taken by Andy, there existed nine parts of reassurance: that even without actively distancing himself, Anzeros would naturally maintain a comfortable distance on his own. In short, that was this man’s life. No matter how capable, handsome, or strong he might be, he remained a cowardly, pretentious, insecure man with a fragile heart. He could no longer change. Using the solidified reputation of Zieg Becker as a shield, he laughed off glimpses of his own weakness as mere jokes and continued living as he was. He had given up.
Suddenly, looking down at the alleyway below, he spotted a familiar face. It was the dark elf he had just embraced.
“Ariel, we’ve got some good fish in today!” At the words of the fishmonger Og, Dark Elf Ariel’s face lit up as she opened her wallet.
“Good work, Ariel-chan… If I could pay you a high enough salary here, you wouldn’t have to go to such places.”
“No, it’s fine. Once I’ve made up my mind, I’ll take the highest-paying job at that inn.”
”…Right. But don’t push yourself too hard.”
Ariel tried to act tough in front of the Dark Elf girl from the clothing store—or rather, she looked like a girl, though she might be quite old.
”…So it wasn’t a pseudonym after all?” Zieg felt ashamed for having doubted himself, and then shocked by his own shame. Of course he should have doubted; doubt is part of an intelligence officer’s job.
…While that shock lingered, a sudden shout erupted from the alleyway behind them.
“Ariel!! Dark Elf Ariel!!”
”!?!”
The air in the alleyway instantly tightened.
A one-horned Ogre, accompanied by several others, burst into the alley as if clearing away stalls with a scythe.
“You don’t have enough collateral! What’s going on?!”
“Well, last month I was sick…”
“I don’t care! Whether you get sick or not isn’t my responsibility! You should borrow money from somewhere else to cover the shortfall—that’s how it works!!”
“There’s no one left who’ll lend me any more…!!”
“Hah?! Then go steal something or do whatever you want! Stop pretending to be refined now, you sow-pig who willingly became a prostitute!!”
Ah, yes. It’s a common story. A story found everywhere. Love, being deceived, women selling their bodies, and debt collectors— These stories exist everywhere, in every corner. Among long-lived Elves in the north or south, among humans too.
”…Hah.” Zieg Becker instantly closed his eyes, recalling the end of his first love from twenty-four years ago. The end of a first love was often the first murder one commits. Ah, yes. What good ending can a spy expect? If I hadn’t acted, Elsa would have been slowly broken down and interrogated until not even a single fingernail remained. It was my fault for being deceived. It was my fault for falling in love.
But…
That’s just embarrassing. Nothing more. Still, no matter where you are or who you are, people fall in love without fearing deception. And they live with their heads held high.
All Ariel did was smile because she didn’t doubt Zieg and introduced herself correctly. Yet Zieg couldn’t even believe that.
So what of it? For Sieg to wipe away his shame, raising his hips alone should suffice. It’s enough for him to act unmanly and try to impress a woman head-on—a truly pathetic display.
“Hey, you one-horned fool over there!”
“Aa!?”
Suddenly.
A tall, slender middle-aged man appeared beside Ariel.
“Hold on a sec, I haven’t finished listening yet.”
“What are you… Get lost, skinny-tall!!”
“How dare you commit theft in front of a soldier? What guts you’ve got!”
“A soldier…!?”
“Calm down. This is our colony. …If we fold it up and bury it, no one will know.”
The ogre spoke ominously.
Sieg grinned and knocked out one of the ogres’ companions in an instant.
“Wha…!?”
“What’s going on!? What did you do, Gatz!!”
Sieg had simply stepped into range, kicked the temple, and returned to his original position—all without a single bystander on the backstreet noticing.
“And then… how dare you call such a fine woman a sow in front of me? What guts!”
“What are you talking about…”
“Jieg Becker, 39 years old. Recruiting females.”
He winked—an expression ill-suited to him—and smiled at the stunned Ariel. “I personally think you’d be perfect.”
“This jewel knife… it’s made in the Western Continent.”
“Yes.”
“There are only four of this type in the Northwest Plains. One is held by the Sylphid Trading Company in the capital city of Trotto, another by the central museum of the Afilum Empire, and the third is mine.”
“The remaining one, then.”
“Hmm… So that man has come to this town? …Heh heh heh heh!”
Shaking his three horns, a cheerful laugh echoed. “Keep it safe. …I’ve waited ten years for this moment!”
(TBC)