The Elf Rides a Wooden Horse (2)

My heart pounded with the joy of still being alive.

After giving the God of Light my deepest thanks, I slowly looked around the elf. I wanted to confirm that everything I had arranged was doing its job.

Better safe than sorry.

While pretending to admire the intimate parts of her body exposed beneath her short clothing, I carefully inspected the triangular wooden horse.

The narrow ridge pressed against her groin, but I had laid my overcoat across it beforehand. The padding was meant to keep that sharp edge from injuring her.

There was a second precaution, too: the rope securing her raised wrists. If the weight of her own body made sitting on the ridge painful, she could pull against the rope to lift herself and relieve the pressure.

And the rope served another purpose.

With her arms forced upward, she couldn't move freely; the posture left her chest conspicuously exposed to my gaze. It was both a safety measure and another element of the humiliation she appeared to want.

Two birds with one stone.

If I did say so myself, it was a rather impressive combination of caution and efficiency.

And there's Marhan, too.

I'd never used a torture instrument before. I might have made some dreadful mistake without realizing it. That was why I had asked Marhan to observe.

She was a knight of integrity and strong convictions. If my actions truly crossed the line, she would surely stop me.

And from the elf's perspective, there was apparently another advantage: being humiliated in front of a stranger was part of the appeal.

An old-fashioned torture device, safeguards that doubled as punishment, and a principled witness who would keep things from going too far.

It's perfect.

Frankly, it would be stranger if the elf weren't satisfied.

I regained my confidence and looked down on her with contempt.

“You've wanted this all along, haven't you? Flaunting that filthy body of yours to tempt your master.”

“N-no, Master. I'm not some pervert who wants things like this…”

Such a vehement denial. Evidently, she was very pleased.

Good. If I kept raising the level of my insults carefully, perhaps I could satisfy her and survive the day.

“It would have been better if you'd beaten me like before, until I couldn't think straight… Ah, it might even have been better to serve Master than to suffer this embarrassment…”

…What?

When did I ever beat you like that?

“Even that day when you made me live on nothing but Master's semen was better. At least that wasn't so humiliating…”

You crazy bitch! When did that ever happen?!

“Your Excellency the Regent.”

Marhan was looking at me with open disgust.

I couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes, so I kept looking at the elf.

“What is it?”

“I'd heard that Your Excellency was a devout follower of the God of Light.”

“That's correct.”

“Forgive me for interfering, but judging by what your slave is saying, I find myself wondering what became of that devotion. Doesn't the God of Light teach restraint and abstinence?”

“…That's also correct.”

I had no answer. I could only nod miserably.

Why was this elf spreading such appalling lies about me?

After a moment of frantic thought, I arrived at an explanation.

She doesn't want me holding back because Marhan's watching.

She must have been afraid that I'd give her only halfhearted abuse with another person present. So she'd taken it upon herself to ruin my reputation, leaving me no reason to act modestly.

What a vicious woman.

I could have cried.

But there was no point weeping over my reputation now. I cleared my throat, clasped my hands behind my back, and approached the elf.

She watched me with frightened eyes.

Or rather, with an unusual sort of expectation disguised as fear.

I twisted my mouth into a cruel smile.

“Ashamed, are you? What a ridiculous thing for a sow in heat to say. It would make just as much sense for a bird to claim it couldn't fly, or a fish that it couldn't swim.”

“But birds and fish can't speak, Master…”

Silence.

Behind me, Marhan made a sound suspiciously like a laugh disguised as a cough.

Are you doing this deliberately?

My eyebrow twitched.

“It's a figure of speech. Is that too difficult for your miserable little brain to understand? And since when did you start talking back to me?”

“I'm sorry…”

“Don't bother apologizing. I'm going to punish your ignorance.”

I raised a hand and pointed to the wooden horse.

“Here's your chance. Move your own hips back and forth. Even a useless creature like you can manage that much, can't you?”

“B-but—”

“Now.”

I cut her off and fixed her with a stare.

She hesitated as though she had no choice, then slowly began to move against the padded ridge.

“Ah… I'm sorry…”

The movement rubbed her exposed groin back and forth against the padded ridge. Even through the covering, the pressure visibly shifted the sensitive skin, an awkward sight I tried not to dwell on.

My attention was elsewhere anyway.

That coat cost a fortune.

I'd brought my finest overcoat to the count's castle, determined to look worthy of the position of regent.

A renowned craftsman in my county had sewn every stitch to fit me perfectly. He'd even told me it was the honor of his life to make a coat for Viscount Theorad.

And here it was, serving as padding for a wooden horse.

I'm sorry, old man.

My eyes nearly filled with tears at the memory.

Oblivious to my distress, the elf kept moving and breathing unevenly.

“M-Master… Something feels strange down there…”

I glanced at the coat. A thin, slippery dampness was spreading into the expensive fabric.

Wonderful.

As though she weren't already ruining it enough.

I forced my expression back into one of disdain.

“Enjoying yourself even now? You should have been born in a brothel, not among elves.”

“N-no…”

“No? Have you forgotten that you once lived as a noble ruler in the Great Forest?”

“Th-that's not…”

Her hesitant answer and half-open mouth made me think the act was working.

Perhaps it was time to bring this punishment to a satisfactory close.

“Not so? Then you clearly still don't understand your place. I'll have to teach you properly.”

I caught the elf's clothing on either side and pulled gently. My intention was only to damage it a little, adding another humiliation.

Rrrip!

It tore far more easily than I'd expected.

The fabric parted, baring her chest.

What?

What was this thing made of? Did I pull too hard?

“Uh…”

Flustered, I tried to bring the torn cloth back into place.

Whatever the elf enjoyed, I couldn't imagine she wanted to be left completely exposed in front of a stranger like Marhan.

Then I met her eyes.

My shoulders stiffened.

Those two cold eyes seemed to be asking me what in the world I thought I was doing.

Don't go against what she wants.

The first rule of survival returned to me in an instant.

I tore the fabric farther, deliberately this time, abandoning my clumsy attempt to cover her.

The elf gave a startled shiver.

“M-Master… I don't like this…”

Was that right?

Cold sweat ran down my forehead. I wiped it away and smiled.

“Clothes are far too good for the likes of you, aren't they?”

“Th-that's too much, Master…”

She whimpered and shifted her upper body. Her exposed chest moved with her, and I noticed the visible change in her nipples.

I hesitated, then reached out and grasped her breast.

“What's too much is that a creature as filthy as you was born with a body like this.”

While keeping up the insult, I slowly kneaded the flesh, watching her reaction and trying to judge whether she was satisfied.

It was the first time I'd touched a woman's breast. The unexpected softness, like silk filled with water, nearly distracted me from what I was doing.

The elf's breathing grew rougher.

“Ah… If you keep touching me like that, I won't be able to stand it…”

Stand what?

She looked up with her tongue partly out, panting so heavily that I could feel her breath against my face.

Curiously, there was no foul smell. Even though she had been eating food scraps, her breath carried a fresh scent reminiscent of a forest.

That didn't mean I intended to kiss her.

I hadn't even shared my first kiss with Ashley. I absolutely refused to let this elf take it instead.

“Vulgar thing.”

I clicked my tongue and stepped away.

There. You should be satisfied by now.

“Hah… ah…”

But the elf only let out a strained sound.

As the moments passed and the excitement in her face subsided, her expression grew colder.

Damn it.

Hadn't I done enough?

What if she refused to let me leave? How was I supposed to get out of this chamber alive?

I desperately searched for a solution.

Then a thought struck me.

I turned to Marhan.

“You. Come here.”

“Me, Your Excellency?”

“Yes.”

Marhan came over, her disapproval perfectly plain on her face.

Good. That's exactly what I need.

She was a knight with a strong moral code. Surely she could be made to insist that I stop tormenting a powerless slave.

If I ended the punishment of my own accord, the elf might be angry. But if Marhan intervened and told me to stop, the decision would no longer be mine.

I looked at the knight and arranged the most malicious expression I could manage.

“My slave still hasn't learned her lesson. Tell me—can you think of some way to humiliate her further?”

Confusion spread across Marhan's face.

Naturally.

She had been trained by the Blue Banner Knights. Protecting the weak was supposed to be an iron principle of her chivalry.

Come on, Marhan!

Don't submit to tyranny just because it comes from the regent! Tell me it's wrong to bully the weak!

“Your Excellency the Regent.”

Marhan seemed to have reached a decision. Her expression was serious.

“There are some shackles with iron balls over there. I think you could use those.”

And just like that, I felt my personal hell grow longer.