The first step is always the hardest. Sieg Becker thinks this every time. If you get caught in a trap on your very first step into a labyrinth, no matter how easy it gets afterward, you can’t help but feel like a failure. Likewise, if the first bite of food contains a lump of salt, even if everything else is delicious, there’s nothing to be done about that initial bad taste. So Sieg believes that having a bad start in life is pretty unlucky. At least he does.
“Damn it. You bastards are so happy. I hate you.” Sieg was sitting cross-legged in the shallow part of the bathing oasis, enjoying the view. The mixed-gender bath at this oasis was one of Tark’s most famous attractions; young couples and families were a common sight. Everywhere he looked, Orgas and Dark Elves were taking advantage of the mixed bathing to get naked and cozy with each other (the father-daughter pairs didn’t look like they were related). Sieg felt happy watching the young Orga and Dark Elf girls playing together in the oasis, but seeing couples and families made him feel sad.
Sieg mentally erected a partition in his mind and gazed blankly around the oasis, focusing on groups of girls without male companions. At first, he had raged at Andy’s harem situation, but as time passed, he found it hard to imagine himself achieving such a thing, leaving him feeling dejected. “I could have been like that if things had started out differently…” When it came to being popular with girls, Sieg was quite the catch: his looks were on par with those of actors in dramas, and he was tall, well-off, laid-back, and strong. In a rural area where there weren’t many men or marriage prospects for women, he could probably have ended up with a harem-like situation if he had tried hard enough. There would be no legal issues regarding the marriage system in Celesta either. But could it really happen? For Sieg, the answer was no. He was actually an inexperienced virgin. Sieg Becker hailed from the western region of Celesta near the Great Almonica River and was an orphan.
A short while after being born, I lost my parents when a band of thieves attacked our home. I was saved from near death by the adventurer Reed Becker and raised under his care. My adoptive father, Reed Becker, specialized in looting ancient ruins and was also one of the few birdmen capable of flight for several minutes at a time. He would typically charge into the heart of dangerous ruins, steal treasure, and fly away with the help of his wings while fending off hordes of monsters. And I… often sneaked along on my adoptive father’s adventures without him knowing, only to end up being chased by those monster swarms when he escaped. This was around the time that my incredible speed developed. Humans tend to awaken all sorts of latent abilities when they nearly die. “Hey there, human from yesterday at the tavern.” “What?” When I looked up, a giant ogre stood with his arms crossed. It was the man who had been serving as a bodyguard in the tavern last night. His exposed and swinging member was quite bold for an ogre—it was right at eye level.
“Don’t get so close. Your dick stinks.”
“Stop sucking on it.”
“I’ll hit you.”
“Heh heh heh.”
The ogre sat down a meter away from Sieg.
“That was quite the knife, though. I’m not one to boast since I took it, but that thing could’ve bought an entire house if sold properly.”
“It’s no good. That’s my treasure. I need to get paid before they pawn it off.”
“…So those two aren’t your women?”
“No, they’re not mine…”
“If that were the case, something even worse might have happened…” He couldn’t exactly tell her that the woman he was drinking with last night was actually a dragon. But she did seem to understand his dire situation, as the orc pouted and looked at him sympathetically.
“By the way, you haven’t asked about the quality yet.”
“That’s none of my business. It depends on Oyas-san [the seller].”
“C’mon, c’mon… Look, do you know any pawn shops? I’ll try them if it comes to that, so tell me where they are.”
“There’s Trident商会on Razona Street. They’re the best for weapons appraisal.”
”…Trident商会? Hold on a second. Are you talking about the one run by Tricorne Orc?”
“Looks like you know your stuff. I thought you were an adventurer, but turns out you’re a merchant.”
“I’m neither.”
Sieg held his head in frustration.
“Hey, hey, hey… Tricorne… in the south, if someone says tricorne there’s a high chance they’re talking about that group…”
“What’s up, bro? You got some bad memories with Tricorne?”
“Yeah, back then I did. Guess all we can do is hope for the best…”
A Tricorne Orga is an Orga with three horns, as its name suggests. Even among Plain Orgas—the standard type—Tricornes are rare compared to one-horned or two-horned ones, and they’re known for their strong bonds.
“Ugh! My jewel knife… damn it…”
“Well, well, let’s hope things turn out better.”
“Yeah… you’re a good guy. Even if you’re kinda useless.”
“Shut up. It just means I’ve used it a lot, so leave it be.”
Encouraged by the surprisingly nice bodyguard Orga, they left the oasis.
Though it was just a hobby, the possibility of losing something worth enough to build three sun-dried brick houses left Sieg unable to hide his shock. “Damn… but I don’t think that chick could have suddenly gotten money yesterday.” Even if he rushed over to the tavern, without any cash there wasn’t much he could do. Even though it was part of his job to manipulate information and important people, Sieg couldn’t steal from civilians. That’s why professional ethics were so important. “…Damn. I guess all I can do is wait. At least I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave without paying.” Since he had left the jewel knife as payment for drinks, he hadn’t touched his wallet, and there was still a little money in it. He could use that to pass time. Since he’d lost his drugs due to alcohol, he didn’t want to see any right now. “Then… maybe I’ll hit up some cheap brothel.” Sieg confirmed the weight of his wallet as he began walking down an alleyway looking for a cheap brothel.
Buying women was one of his hobbies. He had never been able to fall deeply in love with a single woman, but it didn’t cause any problems since he walked around various towns as part of his intelligence work.
“Damn… I can’t help feeling frustrated when I think about how Smithson’s got six or seven beauties at his beck and call, getting laid for free…”
Sieg did not look quite as bitter as if he were muttering to himself.
“I really wish someone could tell me the secret of getting so close to such great women.”
His words sounded sarcastic, but they weren’t nearly as cynical as their content suggested. His vacant eyes reflected disappointment in himself more than a yearning for the situation.
”…There’s no point in even thinking about it if I don’t fit that mold.”
Reed Becker had left for the Western Continent when Sieg was twelve years old, heading towards an area with many untouched labyrinths and ruins. However, due to repeated reckless pursuits by Sieg, Reed had been forced to leave him with a friend. Despite being a daredevil adventurer, his parents couldn’t bear to let him continue on that path any longer.
Sieg spent several months in the port town of Timberless at the mouth of the Great Almonica River before moving to Quicksand. That same year, he passed the Ace Knight exam and earned the title of Ace Knight at twelve years old (the youngest record at that time).
Immediately thereafter, due to his unique style of escape artistry, he was directly assigned to the Special Intelligence Brigade.
At fifteen years old, Sieg experienced his first love. Despite being celebrated as the youngest Ace Knight, he was treated more like a prodigy or an oddity rather than someone his age. While this did satisfy his youthful vanity and made him feel comfortable, it didn’t quench his loneliness nor fuel his passion for work.
Most of his interactions were with Knights who were much older than him, which wasn’t easy during his teenage years. Even when he sought out peers, most cadets around his age were officer candidates rather than combat soldiers, making conversation difficult.
Amidst admiration and adoration, he felt alone. It was Elsa, a two-year-older merchant’s daughter from the Afilium Empire, who healed his loneliness. She wasn’t intimidated by Sieg, the famous “genius Ace Knight,” nor did she come off as an ignorant oaf; rather, she embodied everything Sieg idealized.
Young Sieg didn’t take long to fall in love with her.
Shaking off memories of his youth, Sieg stepped through the entrance of a curtain made from several layers of thin fabric. Inside was a young dark elf woman waiting for him in what could hardly be called clothes.
“Dark elf?”
“You’re looking at me like I’m something rare.”
“My apologies. This is my first time seeing one here.”
“This place isn’t exactly the Dark Elf Colony, you know.”
“I can’t help but wonder why someone with a long life span would take up such an occupation in this cheap inn. It seems more suited to those who are starving or beastmen.”
The dark elf laughed.
“Dark elves don’t live on mist either. We buy bread and rent houses just like anyone else, and sometimes we fall for people or get cheated… And there comes a time when all you have left to sell is your body.”
“That’s true.”
It’s a common story. A normal social structure. Men and women exist, money exists, businesses exist, and if there is the desire to outdo others, then something like this will always happen. There are always girls who end up like this. Sieg does not feel pity or sympathy for them, nor does he burn with righteous indignation. He’s no longer that young. “Alright then, let’s begin. We agreed on a time limit.” “Yes. As long as the noon bell hasn’t rung yet, you can cum as much as you like. Though in your case… it might be best to take your time and make it last until the very end.” “You sure know how this works, don’t you?” Even if he’s told to let it all out, he doesn’t have to rush into ejaculation. He wonders what Smisson is up to right now. Probably struggling to keep up with his ever-growing harem of girls, trying to please them all.
Sieg imagined that his cock wasn’t catching up, while his finger skills were improving. He then covered the woman and fondled her nearly exposed breasts, which were only framed by fabric and metal bits. He kissed down from behind her ear to the tip of it, parted her thin curtain-like covering with a finger, and began to tease her clit. “Yah… nnn, customer, don’t grab me like that all of a sudden… you’re the customer and I’m here to service you…” “I just want to confirm that my fingers remember how to please women. We have time, right? Come for me once.” “Nn, kuh… already…” The dark elf became docile. Sieg continued moving his fingers. He rolled her nipples with his tongue, peeled back the hood of her clit, massaged her anus, and coaxed out some nectar from inside her labia minora. “Huff…” “Nhaaahh…!” At times he would surprise her by blowing in her ear and sucking it until it was slick with saliva.
The dark elf surrendered to pleasure, or at least pretended to. “…………” Even if it was just an act, he wasn’t a kid who would get angry over that. That’s the spirit of her profession. Sieg could shrug it off like that. But then, he suddenly felt disgusted with his own face, which seemed familiar and expressionless. (…Lying, exhausted, pretending to be fooled, pretending to believe that the lie was working, acting like they were both caught up in it…) In the end, would he have to make a ridiculous face and cum just for her to keep up the lie she had painted over? Was he paying money just to hide his true self, which was full of defenses and not truly immersed in anything?
…Feeling suddenly repulsed by himself, Sieg whispered to the dark elf girl. “What’s your name?” “…” “I mean your real name. I can’t cum unless I call out my partner’s name.” “Oh… Ariel.” “A nice name… Ariel!” He let his ego take over for a moment. With that sense of satisfaction, he thrust into her crotch.
Sieging had been probing for secrets like this ever since his first love. He wanted to know.
I want to know the truth. I want to know what they’re trying to hide. I want to see them as they are, thinking no one else can see them. That way, I’ll feel at ease. I think I know. That’s how it is.
Even that name I just learned might be a pseudonym.
(…Come on, not me, right? ) He was harshly self-loathing. How could he talk about love and passion with such cowardice and defensiveness? In the end, Sieg couldn’t focus on women because all he wanted to avoid was looking like an idiot.
Getting used to being an adult and knowing only the weaknesses of others makes it hard for one to be honest with themselves. Sieg was truly terrible at confronting someone honestly, without any ulterior motive, just because he wanted to satisfy his own desires and passions. That’s why he envied those who could still act on impulse and not worry about being mature. “Ku… ugh.” “…Customer?” The dark elf looked puzzled as she sat up. Sieg’s member had softened and slipped out of her. “I’m sorry… I guess I’m just a little flaccid today.” “It’s my fault, I…” “No, it’s not your fault. It’s just that I’m a bit limp right now.”
The dark elf got up and frantically buried her face in Sieg’s crotch. Unlike with vaginal sex, the blowjob targeted his sensitive spots directly, making it impossible to ignore psychological factors. He quickly became erect and was led straight to ejaculation. “U…guu, hhh!!” “…n, ku, …ngu, nguu… nku, pfff.” Then she swallowed his semen. Sieg stroked the dark elf while still in a complex state of mind. “…” “You don’t need to look so happy just because I’m stroking you.” Again, it was hard to believe. She seemed to be mocking me behind that happy face.
“…then stop petting me.” The dark elf held his hand. “I’m happy to be praised, even if it’s something like sucking a dick.” “That so?” “Yes.” The dark elf buried her face in Sieg’s crotch again. This time she went at him slowly and calmly, bringing him to another orgasm just as the noon bell rang.
Sieg left the brothel and bought some thin pancakes from a food stall. He then leaped onto the roof of someone’s house, where he could enjoy them in private. For Sieg, jumping up to a three-story roof was no big deal.
Compared to the time when I was a kid and chased after my stepfather, leaping up a sheer cliff in an ancient mountain ruin, this is nothing. ”…Phew. Well, let’s see if I can get them to pay me first. If Dragon Sister doesn’t work out, then maybe Smithson will, or I could always borrow from Mr. Carlos.” Mumbling to himself, he tried to push away the feeling of emptiness that rose up in his chest. Work and inanimate objects. These two never betrayed him. He did his job, admired inanimate objects, occasionally bought a woman for an hour or so and held her close. If everything went well, it all flowed together smoothly and he could live quite nicely. And before he knew it, he was thirty-nine years old. That’s the only way of life left to him now. “You think I’d be able to get up close with a beauty like you? Tell me if there’s a way.” This wasn’t envy towards Andy’s situation.
Andy’s envy of his “innocent youth.” His regret over having to grow up early and enter the adult world, where he had no choice but to take on a pose that eventually became everything about him. There was nothing else left for him to hold onto. Amidst all this, Diane was an exception to Sieg. Diane never deceived Sieg. She could confidently say there would be no benefit or amusement in deceiving him; she was strong, serious, and full of compassion. She was the only person he could unconditionally trust, look up to, and on top of that, someone who suited his preferences perfectly—she was truly a goddess. But because of her habit of peeking into secrets and shame, she failed to capture his heart, ultimately losing out to Andy. “…Well, even Angeleos… in the end, if he got close, it would still be just like before.” He couldn’t help but draw a line with someone who didn’t give him reason to trust them. There was no need for such caution. There was no need to put on airs. Deep down, he understood this, yet his ingrained “adult pose” could not be erased.
I always made excuses about work to avoid getting too close to anyone who seemed likely to become a serious relationship. Whenever I was admired, I would betray them before the wounds could get deep enough to hurt. Alongside my one part of feeling jealous that Anzerlos had been taken by Andy, there is nine parts of relief knowing that he will keep his distance without me having to push him away. In short, this is who I am. No matter how capable or handsome or strong I may be, I’m still a cowardly and insecure man with no sense of ease. I can’t change anymore. Using the inflexible signboard of my name, Sieg Becker as an excuse, I laugh off glimpses of my own weakness and just keep on living like this. I had given up.
Below me in the alleyway, I suddenly spot a familiar face. It was that Dark Elf I’d been with earlier.
“Ariel, I’ve got some good fish,” the orc from the fish shop said with a smile. The dark elf—Ariel—opened her purse.
“Thanks for your hard work today, Ariel-chan… If I could pay you more, you wouldn’t have to go there.”
“No, it’s fine. Once I decided to do this job, I’m going to be the best at that inn,” she replied.
“I see… But don’t overdo it.”
Ariel tried to look tough in front of a dark elf girl (or rather, someone who looked like a girl but might actually be quite old) from a clothing store.
“…So you’re not using an alias then?”
Sieg felt embarrassed for having doubted her and was surprised by his own embarrassment. Doubting people was natural; it was part of being an intelligence officer.
…While he was still in shock, a sudden shout echoed through the alleyway.
“Ariel!! The dark elf Ariel!!” “!?” The alleyway’s atmosphere tensed up. Several one-horned ogres barged into the alley, sweeping aside food stalls like they were nothing. “What do you mean your earnings aren’t enough this month?!” “I-I was sick last month…” “Who cares?! Whether it’s some disease or whatever, I’m not responsible for that! You’re supposed to borrow from somewhere else and pay back what you owe!!” “There’s no place left that’ll lend me money…!!” “Well then, steal if you have to! It’s too late to act all high-and-mighty now. A slut who gladly became a pig is nothing more than filth!!” Ah yes, that’s right.
It’s a common story. A story that can be found anywhere. A tale of love, deception, selling one’s body, and debt collectors. Such stories are everywhere, everywhere you look. In the north or south, among long-lived elves or humans.
“…Hah.” Sieg Becker closed his eyes for an instant, recalling the end of his first love twenty-four years ago. The conclusion to that first love was also his first murder. Ah yes, there’s no good ending for a spy. If I hadn’t done it, Elsa would have had her fingers and teeth broken one by one until she confessed under interrogation. It’s my fault for being deceived. It’s my fault for falling in love. But still.
It’s ugly, but that’s all there is to it. And yet, wherever and whoever they are, people fall in love without fearing being deceived, and live proudly. That was all Ariel did: she smiled because she happily told her name without hesitation. But even so, Sieg didn’t believe her. So what? Well, it should be enough for Sieg to rise up and clear his shame. It’s childish to try to look cool in front of a woman by standing straight and making an ugly show of it.
“Hey, you stupid one-horned idiots!” “Aaah!?” Suddenly.
A tall, thin middle-aged man appeared next to Ariel. “Hey, I don’t like the sound of that.” “What are you… Disappear, Skinny Bastard!!” “To steal in front of a soldier takes some guts.” “A soldier…!?” “Calm down. This is our colony. …If we bury him, no one will know.” The Org said something unsettling. Sieg grinned and knocked out one of the Orgs with a single blow. “What…!? ” “Hey! What’s going on Guts!!?”
Sieg had entered the distance in an instant, kicked her temple, and returned to his original position. But no one on the side street saw this movement. “And… for you to treat such a fine woman like that right before me, it takes some guts.” “What’s your deal…” “Sieg Becker, age thirty-nine. Looking for a girlfriend.” He winked inappropriately and smiled at Ariel who was stunned. “I personally prefer you.” “This jewel knife… is made in the Western Continent, isn’t it?” “Yes.” “There are only four of this type in the Northwestern Plains: one in Silphied’s Trading Company in Trot City, another in the Central Museum of Affilum Empire, and I have one myself.” “The remaining one…”
“Hmm… So that means the man has come to this town, huh? Kukuku.” He shook his three horns as a cheerful laughter echoed. “Keep it in mind. …I’ve waited ten years for this moment!”
(To be continued)