Chapter 18: Chapter 28: Private Auction Estate, Night (5)
The sweetest sight greeted me when I opened my eyes.
A beautiful girl with her golden hair twisted into a lovely bun. She was on her knees, smiling up at me. However, the smile she wore was different to the ones she usually offered me. There was a hint of apology to it, as if she was now trying to soothe me for a small misdemeanour she'd committed.
It didn't matter. No matter what hue her smile carried, it was still beautiful.
"Really … you should remember that this is a public space."
Her voice was playful as she chastised me.
All the while, the bundle of tissues in her hand scraped against the floor of the restroom stall. The same restroom stall where, moments ago, I could only listen as she freely offered her body to a man other than me.
It hurt that even if I couldn't see whether the cum she was cleaning up was mine or Magnus's, I knew that since she was using tissues and not something else, it was probably mine.
"Sorry," I replied, awkwardly covering myself as I pulled my trousers back up. The memory stone was good for many things, but not so much the ability to maintain dignity. "You were just …"
Iris looked up, batting her eyelashes cutely.
"Yes?"
"Really … erotic."
Iris's smile deepened. There was a flash of tenderness in her eyes, followed by something more mischievous.
She stopped wiping the cum staining the floor, then leaned slightly in. Her lips had returned to their natural, pink glossiness.
"Really now? And what did you find most erotic?"
"Everything," I answered at once, before pausing. "… The way you look. The way you move. And also the end. You were so … you sounded so cute. I wish I could've seen it."
Iris giggled, then pulled back slightly. She understood without me needing to elaborate.
"Is that so? I'm glad you enjoyed how I sounded."
I waited for a moment, expecting her to offer an unnecessary explanation, or even an apology. It wasn't needed, of course. She'd been pulled in by Magnus. Literally lifted by the arm. And once in the moment …
Once in the moment, she was utterly lost to him.
I coughed, adjusting my trousers to hide the heat rising yet again. Iris gave no response, either to my reaction or to offer an explanation for what had happened in the stall.
In fact …
She said nothing at all.
For the first time, I took in the small lines of apology etched in her expression, and I wondered what they meant.
Then, all I saw was Iris's teasing smile.
I tried to decipher the mischievous thoughts behind it, but that was already hard enough when I was relaxing with her in the lobby of an inn. It was insanely more difficult when I was trying to stop myself from losing even more of my dignity in front of her.
I knew it'd make no difference whether or not she saw my shameful excitement. In fact, she'd most definitely enjoy it. But what pride I could salvage while in front of her, I still would.
"Then … I'll keep that in mind for next time," she mused, seemingly more to herself than me.
My heart suddenly started beating at twice the speed.
She hadn't even finished cleaning the result of her immorality and she was already discussing the next time.
I didn't doubt that Magnus's suspicions were correct. Even if he was afforded a full day and night with her, she still wouldn't be fully satisfied.
But then, neither would he.
"Oh?"
And then–
My hands feebly covered my reaction.
Iris's smile as she leaned purposefully over my hands. For a moment, she looked like she was pondering how to respond. She parted her lips, as if to blow a puff of wind.
Instead, she sat back, rose to her feet, then turned around.
"There are tissues in the box," she said, indicating to the object near me. "Once you've settled, come find me in the ballroom. I believe we have matters concerning the auction to discuss."
She left wearing her coy smile, gently closing the stall door on me.
I found myself left alone, other than the box of tissues by my feet, and the memory stone I was still clutching in my palm. The embarrassment I felt at having been caught was matched only by the thrill of essentially being told to indulge myself in watching her immorality once again.
For a moment, I considered finishing up Iris's cleaning and following after her. And then I took in the sight of the stall around me, and of the fact that not long ago, she'd allowed herself to be soiled right in this very spot.
I held up the memory stone once again.
I knew that I wouldn't need to keep Iris waiting long. Not when it came to enjoying her erotic displays.
Little did I know, that I would end up finishing far faster than I expected.
~ ~ ~
For the second time, I was forcibly brought out of the memory stone's magic.
However, this time, there was no beautiful girl dabbing at my mess that accidentally pulled me into the waking world. This time, it was a noise. A commotion.
No … not just a commotion.
It was screaming.
I blinked and gathered my bearings, as was usual whenever I was suddenly pulled from the memory stone's workings. And then I shot up from my sitting position.
There were screams outside. In the ballroom. Shouting and screaming mixed with the unmistakable noise of shattering plates. The sound of violence.
The sound of battle.
Cursing my compromising position, I awkwardly belted my trousers into place and shouldered the stall door open. My hand was resting atop the hilt of my sword as I swung around the corner and thrust open the restroom door into the ballroom.
The moment the door opened, I could feel my face instantly paling.
The screaming washed over me. Noble ladies, maids and other servants were dashing for the doors. Any doors. Including the restroom's. I quickly stepped aside as a lady with a wig falling off her head dashed past me, her face contorted in terror as she sought the closest form of shelter possible.
The ballroom was nothing like how it was when I'd left it. The neatly arranged tables were now lying toppled on their backs, with plates, cutlery and the food they boasted spread all across the previously shining dance floor. Red streaks ran like rivers between the strewn objects. They came from the spilled glasses and shattered wine bottles.
And I knew that in moments, they would also come from fallen bodies.
In the centre of the ballroom, floating just above the ground, was a twisting ripple in space. It was almost oblong in shape, and shifted as though a violent gale was being emitted from within.
Within that rip, a swaying image could be seen. A red sky and a black citadel. Scorched ground and dark clouds.
The Demon King's Territory.
It was a portal.
"Shit, shit, shit."
My hand quivered painfully against the hilt of my sword as my heart went to my mouth.
A portal. A demonic portal. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it.
I had only ever seen a demonic portal once in my life. And for good reason. They were only able to be summoned by the most powerful of the Demon King's officers, and required the use of blood artifacts as rare as phoenix goblets.
The only time I had seen one used was when the Demon of Lust had attempted escape, just before it was slain. The image of the black citadel painted into a red sky was as clear in my memory as it was in front of me.
For a moment, I wrestled with the sight in front of me in overwhelming disbelief. The force of its arrival and the twisting space around it had overturned everything in the room. Only a small radius immediately below the portal was seemingly untouched, a pristine dot of marble floor against the chaos of nobility running for every conceivable exit.
And then that pristine dot was spoiled by a muddied footprint.
"Oh, double shit," I cursed.
A short, green-skinned creature leapt out of the portal.
It was a creature every inhabitant of the kingdom could recognise on sight, and if not, then on smell. They were the foot soldiers of the Demon King's army and more besides, serving as raiders, scouts and sometimes just as a distraction.
Notoriously vicious, their small frames belied their strength as combatants. But that would not be happening now.
Even if I wasn't predisposed to caution, I instantly took note of the cap it wore over its head.
A red cap.
This was a red cap goblin, an elite among the Demon King's forces.
These weren't the warm bodies meant to slow down a sortie of charging knights. These were soldiers selected by goblin chieftains to serve as personal retainers, assassins and bodyguards.
Armed in interlocking, jagged black armour, the red cap goblin jumping from the portal carried its scimitar with a tight, focused grip. Red eyes appraised the situation, then found the closest measure of danger.
Me.
Ignoring the screaming guests, the red cap goblin let out a snarl and jumped. Ordinarily, the distance between us should have been too great for any creature that small to overcome, but the dexterity and athleticism of even common goblins could never be understated.
I drew my sword, my knees lowering my posture even as the red cap goblin lunged towards me, scimitar raised.
If I weren't suddenly thrust in a combat situation, and if I wasn't the one about to have my face cut in half, I would have almost admired the way this goblin simply hurled itself at the nearest armed man with no regard to its own safety.
And that's probably why this goblin never made it.
An arrow made of scorching light pierced the goblin's head, cutting cleanly through before quickly dissipating in the air. Dark blood splattered on the ground, joined by the corpse of the goblin as it spun in the air before dropping heavily. Its jagged armour chiselled the marble floor behind it.
Iris, with her palms raised, looked fervently at me from the shadow of a pillar.
She had no sword, but she still had her magic. In that moment, I was grateful she was unarmed. In her dress, she looked like any other of the nobility, and was thus ignored by the goblin.
She thrust her head towards the direction of the main crowd of fleeing nobles. Her palms were now raised towards the portal.
"We have to escape!" she called out, her voice almost drowned by the whirling vortex distorting the space in the centre of the ballroom. "We're not equipped to fight a gate incursion!"
I let out a wry smile, despite the manic chaos of the situation.
Even with the sudden appearance of an enemy portal, Iris did not lose her head.
There was no time to be shocked. Helplessness was not a virtue the Goddess gifted us. There would be time for questions later, certainly. But losing composure was something for nobility, civilians and lesser adventurers to do.
We were ordained heroes. And we would not succumb to blind panic.
"… Shit."
At least not until the portal began to wildly crackle.
A moment later, a screeching filled the air as more red cap goblins exited the portal. And they didn't stop.
Like a tidal wave of black, I watched with disbelief and horror as armoured red caps hurtled through the portal at such ferocity that they had begun to pile on top of themselves. Those who succeeded in landing on their feet were met with the sight of their comrade pooling blood on the floor.
Snarls met me as I held my weapon just in front of where the corpse had landed.
Beneath the pillar, Iris's jaw dropped. Her palms were stock-still, uncertain of where or who to aim for. I didn't know whether to shout out a warning as I grappled for a decision. While she was competent for a swordswoman, she was decidedly no mage.
And even if she was, there were simply far too many.
The red cap goblins kept coming.
The numbers made the decision for me. I turned around, then sprinted while pointing towards the backs of the fleeing nobles.
"This way! We're getting out! Now!"
Iris blinked, then nodded.
Perhaps she thought I'd opt for another direction, such as a door in the back of the ballroom to head deeper into the estate. But I had no intention of leading Iris anywhere no exit was guaranteed. If the situation was different, I would have volunteered as a ploy to draw the goblins away, but I had no qualms about barrelling into the backs of this city's nobility if it was to save Iris.
There were many causes to die for. This was not one of them.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Polygamy
Polygamy This story isn't mine; it belongs to someone else. You can find the original here: [https://netoraseswordprincess.wordpress.com]
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