I’m a new man, forever changed, and I don’t think I can return to normal anymore.

  A whole week passed, a week of psychological and physical torture. A week during which I had to endure not only Lily's jealous and saddened behavior but also a heavy and persistent atmosphere of disgust and hatred, yet full of sensuality and indecency.

  Furthermore, as if that wasn't enough, our new five-star guest room with a view of the sea of desire was accommodated with its own staff, free of service and eager to offer them.

  That’s to say, an insupportable tempting aid who calls herself My thing and who made seducing me her main goal for no apparent reason. I don't even know her name! She quite simply refused to say it.

  It’s been a difficult week, for sure. Each day was long and hot, while the cold nights didn’t give me any rest, as I was too afraid to sleep. However low the odds were, I was still scared of being subjected to rape by Lily's caretaker, paying me an unexpected visit. I wasn't willing to take the risk.

  All the more since dozing off from something other than exhaustion would result in sweet dreams, which would make my admirers' looks of aversion so intense that I would choke from them. This, in the best case scenario, where those would not become too realistic.

  Otherwise, It would mean breaking the peace treaty I’ve made with myself, going against the non-aggression pact with the current sole available territory in reach, yet out of limit. A fast-forward invasion from which retirement would be impossible the moment I would barge into the forbidden zone. Making me the owner of the prohibited land once and for all.

  Unless a third party invites itself and initiates hostilities, which would lessen our loss, but again, I would risk our enemies allying together, and it would be impossible for me to resist a joint attack.

  A chance that I had the right to keep my adventurer clothes. They were helpful and let me partially hide my bad boy whose vigor never dried up, holding it back forcefully and causing me distress. Man, that was painful!

  Note that this also prevented me from falling asleep easily as a side effect.

  …

  One week of forced abstinence, in these conditions, following days of enduring Lily’s teasing, themselves following months under arrest … It was like I had built step by step my horniness with a promise of a great future, without ever being able to let it go wild. Always postponing the fateful moment.

  I had tightened my belt to choke my child, but I couldn’t stop my eyes from looking, could I?

  My only moments of joy were when I talked with our jailer, Joe. At least he was very good at freezing my ardor.

  “Say, bro, I’m rather thankful to you. I mean, I won’t have to cut in two, err… split in three my heritage when I get it back. But I can’t help being saddened by Andy’s death and the impossibility of attending his funeral.”

  Usually, he told me about his life, and I listened absent-mindedly. I learned that too much investment would get me into trouble.

  “But maybe you can help me to cherish his memory and help me remember his face for longer? You looted his camp, didn't you? Did you happen to find some documents or his written correspondence? He should have had lots of them. Did you find anything like a will or an inheritance document? I certainly can grant you your request if so.”

  “??? That doesn’t ring a bell, no, really, sorry. What about his corpse? Maybe it was something he carried with him?”

  Tsk. “We couldn’t find it. I looked anywhere, but he was nowhere to be seen. At least from what remains after the hungry beast turns.”

  Wow! Really? His body wasn’t the one in the worst state yet. he had lost his limb, but at least his bust was untouched. How much did beasts feast on them so nothing stays behind?

  “Anyway, In that case, unfortunately, I’m afraid I can’t comply with your plea. I won’t find you and leave you in a place safe from other gazes, with a soundproof wall and door, soft bedding, and energizing food for two days and nights.

  All I can give you is the slave you requested, but as they are all quite busy now, I will let you in the opposite cell instead. You can even use several ones in exchange. Just try to be careful and not to take too much virgin at once.”

  Fuck you buddy, who’s your bro? At least, I’m pretty sure Andy wasn’t. Inheritance paper? Has to split it? Hey, weren’t you out for personal reasons when you caught us looking for something… or someone? Wasn’t your target the other Joe by chance? But now I’m feeling concerned. Weren't they experimental subjects from some dark and evil research center? How could he have any inheritance right whatsoever?

  In any case, I now formally had the attention of the whole prison. The stares, almost palpable already, had become rock solid. Some girls even spit out when I met their gaze.

  Lily was about to make a scene, probably wanting to say something like, ‘How can you use another girl in secret when I’m right at your disposal and ready whenever you want?’. At the same time, our assistant friend would trip on purpose and fall into my embrace, slightly exposing her skin and acting like she was a shy and clumsy maid.

  What are your problems!!! To everyone, I’m not just some disgusting bastard in heat! You just wait! The time I will save you all is near… and when it will arrive… You will all be at my mercy!!!

  Or so I thought, but I don’t think I would go that far. Given the way things are going, I may finish as a eunuch. And if not, I certainly will be impotent for a time.

  Why? Well, because recently, the pressure on my mind and body was such that I started to get used to it. That is mainly why I asked for some private time. I knew this was coming.

  One more week, and I would become like a wise man. A nude body view would only make me meditate on the substance and the form. Did ya know that the true beauty of something comes from its imperfections? I'm starting to realize it. An arrangement of freckles similar to a star chart… A trace of crying that reminds me of a dried-up stream, a disappointed look that makes an echo of my past...

  Anyway, back on topic, I had luckily anticipated their action and was prepared to prevent them from ruining my image even further. I bound Lily's mouth with my hand and caught Anna before she fell on me. Anna’s our cellmate, by the way. Yup, the very one who tried to sleep with me the first day we met, I say, well, the day!

  I don’t know what she had in mind, but there was definitely a misunderstanding. She misinterpreted her orders, maybe? The fact is that upon seeing my face, she transformed.

  From an elf, a semi-elf seemingly, she became a succubus. Her gloomy face and bored attitude became light and engaged. Her behavior began to mimic a predator, which then switched to an approach of clumsiness and unintentional provocative situations when she understood I would not concede.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  I had to ask Joe for her name as she refused to give me anything other than some “Just call me whatever you want, I’m at your service.” or “You don’t need to know my real name, only to use my slave’s body as you fit.”

  The worst part was that he asked me for advice as compensation, but it was needed. Calling her… ‘you’ as if she were trash seemed acceptable to her, but that was what made the others so unfriendly in the first place.

  I had to change the way I appeared to them, and what's more, in a positive way, something closer to reality.

  Oddly enough, after I finished giving Joe his personal guidance on his sleeping performance, I was seen as a complete subhuman and gradually became the subject of intense moral bullying.

  Hey! I wasn’t giving him tips on sex, okay!! It was all about his constant need for rest and irregular nap issues.

  But I couldn’t prevent him from doing a satisfied and pleased grim after my whispering. Nor could I guess he would choose this moment to take a girl out of the cell, thanking me and saying out loud that he would try it asap.

  I’m innocent!!! But even Lily thinks I’m the bully and refuses to talk about it now.

  If you really think so, can’t you let me alone when I’m trying to save myself from losing what made me a hero? I mean, my integrity and credibility, of course. Have you ever seen an impotent hero making essays on the way of the universe and the art of the body? Cuz that’s what I’m about to become!

  It makes no sense! Why are you both making these envious faces like I was cheating on you when I’m supposedly a lousy guy anyway?

  “Ahhh! Not there, hero… everyone can see us...” moan “Mmmh...slurp...hmmm...sip” moan

  Swords piercing my flesh could be felt from everywhere.

  Oops, I think I just made things worse again. Lily, whose mouth was covered imperfectly, left an opening for one finger to find his way in, while the place I groped Anna to stop her fall was inappropriate… Well, goodbye, my wished savior advent. Hello, my utterly gross, filthy, and lubricious sicko emergence. I missed you.

  ***

  “So, how’s the hero behaving? Is he installed correctly? Did he ask for something? Has he touched any girl? Things are not going smoothly on our side. I’d already spotted curious people in town. I knew those bastards were monitoring us, but they sure were quick to react. A chance I made preparations and faked the hero's death and disappearance. But I need his cooperation from now on, or it will be our demise.”

  “No, sorry boss, but I even implied he could use any girl he wished for, even from our goods. But, as much as he seemed interested, he didn’t make a move. Instead, he asked for some private time in a private room, with good food, a good bed, and only a girl to serve him. He looked terribly tired then.”

  “Strange… It’s the hero we talk about here. He lived like a rabbit and fucked so much before, so why… ohhhhhh! Something comes to mind. I heard when you did it too much, you could end up impotent, unaffected by normal stimulation, and that what you are accustomed to no longer arouses you. Fuck, we are in a dead end. That’s not something we can influence. And a comfortable room and food won’t make him indebted to us. No result from Anna either?”

  “No, even though she does it relentlessly and, what’s more, at a sustained pace. It's crazy thinking about it. She was so against it and guarded her virginity by all means. She fought back every time she was molested. Seeing her fall for a good-looking hero made me angry and envious. However good, he seems to still be attracted to his young wife. Could he be shy and prefer immature bodies now?”

  “Him? Shy? You may think of it if you only knew of what transpired from his judgment. But I have a ton of spicy info. He’s an immoral and unconcerned dog. He did it in plain sight or outdoors, without much concern… But you may have a point. Maybe he’s seeking new thrills… No choice… I can’t let all of you guys down in this mess…”

  If I can't bring him to my side, I will forever bind us together.

  “Go fetch that. Meanwhile, I will inform the hero of the situation in which we find ourselves, him and us. He will be obliged to help us in the end.”

  ***

  As usual, I was receiving a constant flow of murderous looks directed my way. I was even more despised than their own enslavers and was the public enemy, the number one on the list to castrate if they were ever freed alone.

  But as much as my side sucks, this was not the case for a certain somebody. Lily could lessen her injuries. She had plenty of rest, had good discussions with her new friend Anna, and even sympathized with the resident across the corridor. She recently received permission to use magic again, and on top of fixing her legs, she put her effort into healing them.

  Anna, not unsatisfied with the situation either, worked like our maid and took care of the chores when she was with us. Otherwise, since she had the right and the possibility to walk freely in this entire place, she made it her daily task to help the other girl, too. This was initially denied but then agreed upon as it couldn’t do any harm.

  What a joke! Why am I the only one who tries hard to save them but is seen as less than nothing? At least the bandits treat me differently. They’re rather lovely once you forget they were criminals, murderers, robbers, and rapists.

  It may be one of the reasons why I was one-sidedly treated like shit by the girl, though. But It helps me understand the situation. Yes, I was working all the time, unlike what some people might think.

  What I gleaned from talking to the talkative guard proved even more effective than interrogating Anna.

  I understood that the bandits were not just a group of thugs. Their place of residence and their boss's cleverness already told me they were not simple, but that was once again an understatement.

  First, they were well organized, had shifts for everything, and a competent staff was assigned to their task. A whole part of it was made of proper slaves, not just sexual ones, who got orders and things to do in their contracts but were free to move as they pleased without permanent monitoring. Sure, they couldn’t flee or disobey their command, but at least they could live correctly.

  Secondly, their activities were complex. They were conducting field research while looking for something of apparent importance at the same time as dealing with human trafficking.

  Like a commercial counter, they gathered their victims, as well as recent enslaved girls, legally purchased at a slave dealer or on the black market. Their common point was that they were of relatively high standard and quite attractive.

  Then, they stored everyone before sending them all at once to a mysterious location.

  Of course, the people I was speaking of were our charming competitors in the staring contest from the opposite cell. Some of them were those I had seen when we were made prisoners, the freshly bought slaves who kept me company for a while as we were escorted to the bandits’ stronghold. I may not look like it, but I had worried about their whereabouts.

  I didn’t recognize them immediately, but finding their faces among the cell's many residents reassured me.

  Anyway, this made me guess that every victim, every kidnapped person, and every newly enslaved person was being held together in this same place. A guess that Anna later confirmed.

  She also taught me that they weren’t only girl down there, but also a group of men kept separated from the women and used for manual labor. Those were primarily adventurers caught along with their female partners as they got too close to the bandits’ hideout out of luck.

  May god bless you. These poor lost lambs were probably all victims of their teammates’ natural beauty. I mean, why would a mere adventurer go this deep in the forest if not to gain enough money to satisfy their female mate's greed? Gift, quality lingerie, and good bedding weren’t free.

  Praying for them, I feel my soul warming up. It seems god had not yet deserted me.

  Anyway, I digress. Back on the topic, I found out the bandit part had to be a cover. Only a small part of them were actually doing robbery and kidnapping, while the majority were working on their real goals, which were quite mysterious, I must say.

  Even the kidnapped women seemed to come from other unrelated sources, bought on the black market or from other bandits, and thus were not their own doing.

  Bah, I couldn’t care less. My hero instinct told me that their boss had something to tell me, either requiring my help or intending to involve me in his matter, which would probably only bring me trouble. Or else, he wouldn’t have bothered to bring me here and let me listen to the gossip.

  Perhaps he would ask me to drop any attempt to report them while convincing me to join the dark side…

  Something that should be confirmed soon enough since I could see him approaching. At least, it should be safe to chat with him and discuss his proposal.