Tales of a Seductress

TOAD – Chapter 61

I made sure to scour through the Hero’s journal and commit it mostly to memory. My higher status didn’t just make me stronger or faster than a normal human, but I found my ability to retain information was much easier than before. It made sense that as my intelligence and wisdom went up as numbers, there would be a real-world equivalent, but I hadn’t realized how it helped until this crunch session. I had originally thought that the Demon King was being a bit hard on me by making such a ridiculous request, but I came to understand that this level of intelligence would be expected of someone in the third class.

Without the constant agony of sensations that caused my libido to be unceasingly triggered, my mind was a lot sharper too. This was good, as I was able to get quite a bit of reading done in those three days. In the past, my Intelligence and Wisdom were two statuses I had put very little work in. Every time you leveled, you’d get a point, but I gained very few additional points outside of that. Endurance and, Charisma grew far ahead of the others, and even Agility went up a little, but Intelligence and Wisdom were probably somewhat low for my level.

What could I say? Since I had come to this world, I had done very little reading or study. My libido had clouded my mind to a horrifying degree, and I hadn’t realized just how foggy every day had been until I was able to think about other things. It must have been similar to someone taking medicine after a lifetime of attention deficit disorder or something.

Well, even if my intelligence was considered low for my level, I had been a college student before coming to this world, and the familiarity I had with studying took over and I was able to get to work reading through the demon king’s books. I remembered just about everything I read after the first time and only needed a few refreshers, particularly on the subjects I was unfamiliar with. Other than when I stopped to eat, I spent the majority of the day studying. I would read a variety of books, not always sticking to the assigned material. I wasn’t some robot, after all. I had my limits.

Thankfully, the demon king’s library didn’t consist of only nonfiction historical records and political reports. There were a few stories, fables, and literature threw in. I was surprised to find that most of it were stolen from the human world. The demons didn’t appear to have very much culture. Most of their stories were human parables that were taken when they had conquered human lands.

Part of me understood this as the demons were half-human, and could even be considered descendants of humans. A good portion of their population even was human, and that wasn’t even including the demons which had such a light demonic bloodline that they appeared indistinguishable from a human. However, the demon realm had existed for some time. In all of these years, had the demons not attempted any kind of major art? They had no fairy tales, no unique songs, or solely demonic culture? Their entire culture seemed to be centered around claiming what the humans had built. Even after reading the Hero’s harrowing account, I was starting to understand the human’s point of view as well.

Either way, at my level, I could easily lose sleep and be rested with only a few hours. With nothing to do but study, and even my sex drive stalled, I was able to pace myself and get through the necessary reading material in those three days. As I closed the last book, I leaned back in the chair and rubbed my shoulders, feeling mentally drained. There was something I liked when I felt mentally drained. What was that again? Oh, right. Dick.

“I could use a nice hard cock.” I sighed.

Just because I felt nothing didn’t mean that I didn’t have a libido or could get horny. Since my body wasn’t being stimulated, I could ignore those urges, but that didn’t mean I didn’t have them. I had avoided thinking about it though because I felt like once I succumbed to them, I’d be like an alcoholic falling off the wagon. I wanted to go as far as I could go without falling into temptation. The collar was a nicotine patch, but it still left me wanting my next hit.

Since I had been a good girl for the last three days, why couldn’t I play a little bit? My finger went to my neck, lightly tracing the smooth, cold choker. It had the texture of leather, although it felt a bit harder than leather. I wasn’t the kind of girl who minded the feeling of being constricted. After all, I had special skills that would prevent anyone from holding me truly against my will. The only traps I had to worry about these days were psychological ones.

That was part of the reason I hesitated. Would I be able to put the collar back on once I took it off, or would I succumb completely to my lust? I honestly couldn’t answer that. Oberon had said that the collar was addicting. It was addicting in the same way powerful pain killers could be addicting. As the numb feeling took over your body, even the act of feeling something could be perceived as pain.

My issue was far more terrifying. While I could acknowledge the pain, it all felt like pleasure to my body. I wasn’t addicted to the feeling of numbness, I was terrified of the feelings I could experience if my body was even more sensitive. When I was unused to the intense sensations, would I even be able to handle them? I might end up going on a bender that would get me killed. My finger stopped over the latch. Just a small bit of force and the collar would fall harmlessly to the ground.

There was a thud, a click, and then the turning of a doorknob. I dropped my hand down and turned just as the door started to open with a rusty squeak. It wasn’t close to mealtime, so I was a bit surprised at the interruption, but when I saw the familiar face of the Truthkeeper, I couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.

“Husband is ghosting me again?” I raised an eyebrow with a wry expression.

“Ghost?” He blinked and then shook his head. “Um, you’re to be brought down and prepared for the ceremony tonight.”

“Ceremony?”

“It will be your wedding announcement tonight. It will be a banquet in your honor before the council.”

“The Demon King doesn’t waste any time.”

He had told me I had three days to get ready, and this was the third day. What would have happened if he had come a few hours earlier? I only just finished my studies. Well, probably nothing, as I probably could have learned enough to fake it after a single day. I casually got up out of my chair. The books were left in disorder all over the table and even on the floor, but that would be someone else’s problem. One book I had pocketed, was the Hero’s journal. As for where I hid it on my person, it was a place that would unlikely be found unless I wanted it to be found.

The Demon King probably wouldn’t notice or miss that single book. I had already memorized it, but I still took it with me just in case my memory proved unreliable. I couldn’t say anything in it was particularly important. It was mostly just the ramblings of a philosopher going on about his existential crisis while being an icon and heroic pawn of the demon and human war. I still felt an urge to hold onto it, like it was meant for me. I came from another world, and I was the only one who could truly understand where he was coming from.

“There is a dress already prepared for you in your room.” The Truthsayer declared as we walked through the hallways toward my room once again, the other one of the two places I had visited in this mansion. “You will need to bathe and prepare yourself for the banquet.”

“I’ll need a maid, won’t I?” I asked, my lips quirking slightly.

I was trying to put the Truthsayer off. He had seen the other women and had even been the one to deal with the aftermath. However, he seemed more prepared this time.

“The Demon King searched far and wide, and he found a suitable made for you.”

“Oh? I find that hard to believe.”

“If she is unsuitable, you only need to say the word.” He stopped in front of my door and made a gesture toward it.

I looked at him cautiously, but then I grabbed the doorknob and opened it, stepping into my room. I could smell a strange and unfamiliar scene. My eyes looked around the room until they landed on a woman who was sitting in a chair in the corner. She was staring ahead blankly and didn’t even acknowledge my presence.

I raised an eyebrow. She was a rather pretty woman, with dark brown skin, brown hair, and brown eyes. She sort of reminded me of Jenai. Seeing her there, I couldn’t help but compare her to Min, even though when I compared the two, they couldn’t be more different. Min was small with a flat chest and a boyish body. She had short hair and a rosy pinkness to her cheeks. This girl had a very large chest and a shapely body. I had to admit that she had a hotter body than me.

Although having children had curved me out a bit, my body was more of a celebrity or model body. On the other hand, she seemed to have a porn star body. I found myself wanting to play with her. She was practically a walking sex doll.

“Hello, beautiful.” I gave her my best smile, but she remained unblinking and staring forward. “Hello?”

I walked over and grabbed her. When I grabbed onto her, I immediately took control. I used Restriction to seal her movements, and then I tried to control her mind. That was when I couldn’t help but gasp. With a hiss, I took a step back. I delved into the woman’s mind, but there was nothing there. She was an empty shell.

“She’s a homunculus, an artificial human.” A voice came from behind me.

I turned back to see the Truthsayer standing at the door. When I had entered and looked for my new maid, he had followed behind.

“Artificial?” I sneered, feeling somewhat duped. “I am expecting proper service and you give me a plastic toy?”

“Don’t let the name confuse you, homunculus used to be humans.” He responded. “The body is completely real.”

“How can that be?” I made a face. “Don’t tell me that it’s some kind of Frankenstein’s monster.”

“I don’t…” He shook his head again. “This used to be a person. However, the soul has been burned away and the body has been placed under an enchantment that keeps it alive. This is done for the most severe of crimes. Even after death, they remain as a servant for the demon realm.”

“It’s a body that has no soul?” My mouth fell open, genuinely surprised for once. “What crime deserved that?”

“She was a spy. The human realm tried to sneak her into the Demon King’s bed. She paid the price for getting caught.” He shrugged, and when he saw me still looking doubtful he continued. “She was a level 90, and despite the soul’s destruction, she is still a level 90. She will take any orders you give, and do anything you ask. Since she has no mind, she will face no psychological damage no matter what you do or how long you do it.”

I closed my mouth, but continue to look at the unmoving doll suspiciously. It had been a well-thought-out gift. The Demon King truly had picked an unbreakable companion for me to play with. However, such a mindless doll seemed to take the pleasure out of it. Playing with some empty husk wouldn’t feel as satisfying. That’s when a thought came to my mind.

“Jenai…”

“Ma’am?”

A small smile formed on my lips. “I might be able to work with this.”