“Where’s the tree?”
That’s what I’d like to know. We combed through the cave thoroughly, but there wasn’t even a single blade of grass, let alone a tree. In the original work, Seha had discovered it as soon as he jumped into the cave, so I’d thought it would be easy, but now that I was actually here, there were so many paths like a maze that it seemed hard to find unless you had protagonist buffs.
“Either the Crown Princess deceived me, or you were deceived by Young Master Bellos.”
“It’s that Your Highness can’t find it.”
He slowly lowered his eyes and glared at me. I reflexively lowered my gaze. Damn, but it’s okay. This submissive life ends today! I’ll only live like this until today.
But uneasiness really was creeping in. Originally, we should have found it yesterday. Only one day had passed, but who knows what changes might have occurred in that time.
Even though I was keeping my head down, the back of my head felt hot. Don’t stare so much. Getting angry just because I said that one thing. I took the lead with quick steps as if fleeing.
“Should we each search separately? I’ll go this way…. Gyaah!”
As soon as I ran into the small path, I felt the ground beneath my feet give way and I fell flat. Then I was covered in cold liquid before escaping it. No, that’s the feeling I felt, and to describe it objectively, I fell flat with a splash into shallow water that came up to my knees, then quickly stood up.
“Ah, c-c-cold!”
The water was so cold that the Cheorwon Valley at minus 20 degrees Celsius would cry. It felt like my blood vessels would freeze, but Eldon just stood there blankly without any thought of helping me.
I wouldn’t even expect you to hold out your hand and pull me out, so at least ask if I’m okay as a courtesy. The water only comes up to my knees, but it’s embarrassing with you just standing there like that….
I felt like I’d freeze to death right away, but pretending to be cool, I swept my hair up, shook the water out of my ears with a pat-pat, and went outside. But my foot slipped again. I stretched out both hands to balance myself and managed not to fall by holding a not-so-beautiful posture, but my face reddened from embarrassment. However, Eldon didn’t laugh at me. He wasn’t interested. His gaze was directed elsewhere. I also turned my body following him.
The tree….
In the middle of the shallow lake was a huge tree. Its appearance exuded an overwhelming sense of intimidation like an ancient castle boasting a long history and its solemn moat.
I forgot about the cold and stared blankly at the tree. A strange vitality poured out from the bare tree without a single leaf. As if showing that this was the center of the cave, the ceiling was so high that I thought it might rise all the way to the mountain peak, and the tree also rose to the ceiling’s limit.
I craned my neck and looked up at the tree. And at its peak, I discovered something sparkling and shining.
It was the very key that Seha had found in the original work.
“The key is up there at the top!”
As soon as Seha saw the sparkling object, he began climbing the tree with large strides, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I don’t have acrophobia, but I’d rather not climb to such a high place without safety equipment.
Still, should I at least make a show of approaching? I tried to leap over the moat-like lake. However, Rosenthal’s jumping ability was more pathetic than I thought, and I fell in with a splash again. Eldon frowned and stepped back, apparently annoyed by the splashing water.
“Get out.”
So now that we’ve found the key, you’re done with me?
“Excuse me, Your Highness the Crown Prince, who is the Empire’s hope and object of endless respect. I’m not getting angry, but aren’t you being a bit too much? Still, you found the evidence thanks to me, so at least a word of thanks….”
Instead of answering, he drew the red sword from his waist.
“I-I was wrong!”
I reflexively begged for forgiveness. Since you don’t want to keep your promise to spare Viscount Bellos, are you just going to eliminate me here? As I stepped backward toward the tree to avoid him, Eldon said in a low voice.
“Get out. It’s a monster.”
“What?”
I looked at the tree displaying its majestic beauty. At that moment, the branches that had been extending down to the ground coiled around my legs, then pulled me up without giving me time to scream. As I was instantly hung upside down, blood rushed to my head and a delayed scream burst out. I squeezed my eyes shut, and Eldon cut the stem directly. Then he caught my body as it fell to the ground.
“Wh-what is this?”
“It’s a Ryrium monster. This is the first time I’ve seen one this big.”
A monster? Seha had climbed up easily without any adversity though?
“Every time you fell into the water, the branches moved. It’s not just water, but Ryrium sap. And the sap surrounding the area and the monster are linked.”
Ah, it’s my fault. If it was the light-bodied Seha, he wouldn’t have fallen into the shallow trap dug by the monster. In fact, there was no scene of him falling.
Aigo, Lee Minchan. Rosenthal. This zero-combat-power guy. Eldon had been observing the tree’s movements every time I fell. I thought you were cold without knowing that.
While I was finding myself pathetic, branches flew at me again.
When Eldon hid me behind his body, the branches rushed toward Eldon who was nearby. He lightly cut off the branches. Then branches extended from the opposite side and coiled around my wrist.
Honestly, I thought he’d block it this time too, but Eldon quickly turned his gaze to observe the tree’s reaction.
“As expected, it only attacks one person at a time.”
He nodded while stating information about the Ryrium monster that only he knew.
“Y-Your Highness!”
“Ryrium attacks people with sap on them and targets only one person at a time.”
Your explanation now is pointless! The tree stem coiled past my wrist to wrap around my arm and began restraining my legs.
“Your Highness, please save me!”
“It’s a monster without lethality. It simply restrains, so rest for a moment.”
Eldon cast a fleeting glance at me and began leaping up over the branches with large strides.
Wow, what kind of efficiency fanatic is he?
I disliked shonen manga protagonists who hesitated due to strange sense of justice or moral fastidiousness and put everyone in danger, but when someone’s this cold-blooded, that’s scary in its own way.
So cold-blooded I’m going to freeze. The lake water—no, the Ryrium sap—I just fell into would be warmer than that bastard.
But having to climb that high, it would be annoying if branches kept grabbing you.
Anyway, the monster started moving because of me, and since he said it has no lethality, I comfortably entrusted my body to it. Well, even though it’s called a monster, it’s still a tree. Besides, for branches, they were firm, elastic, and smooth, so it didn’t really hurt.
But perhaps because I’d fallen into cold water, as if a cold was coming on, my body was hot. Moreover, the sap that soaked my skin felt somehow slippery like oil and stuck stickily. How strange, at first it was just ordinary water….
“Haah….”
As my body heated up and hazy breath leaked out, the branches that had been binding my arms and legs coiled around my waist. Then they slowly laid my body down. Just like a luxury hammock. I’m really having all kinds of experiences.
The sight of Eldon climbing the tree with large strides without equipment came into view. Did he fight silently like that on the battlefield too? When you shut your mouth and stay still, you are cool, I’ll give you that.
Should I ask him to model for a painting once before leaving the palace? Tsk, no. Never mind, never mind. I won’t even be able to draw properly anyway. I can’t complete it in a day either, and I’ll just get cursed at for clinging with lingering attachment to the Crown Princess position. Anyway, he’s Seha’s man. He’s not even mine, so let’s stop being interested.
“Hngh…!”
A moan suddenly burst out. I was startled by the sound that popped out of my mouth. And I belatedly realized something was wrong with my body. Everywhere the tree touched, heat was spreading. Is it the tree’s influence? As I twisted my body at the strange sensation, the tree wrapped around my waist spun round and round, then burrowed inside my shirt.
And as if this had been the destination from the start, it poked my nipple with its thin, pointed tip.
“Hng….”
Even though it just pressed down firmly on my chest, intense arousal spread centered on the protrusion. No way…. No way…. An ominous premonition crossed my mind.
This isn’t tentacle play, is it?
As soon as I thought of the hypothesis, as if to tell me that was the correct answer, the other tree stems simultaneously burrowed inside my pants and into my mouth.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
I twisted my body to escape, but since my limbs were already firmly bound and a stem had burrowed into my mouth, it was nothing more than futile resistance.
Damn 19+ devastating novel!!! Because I’ve been viewing the world in sympathy mode, I’d momentarily forgotten just how hardcore this novel’s rating is. But that doesn’t mean even a tree that appears briefly needs to be tentacle-type!
By the way, that bastard Eldon, did you just throw me to a tentacle monster to find the key? Wow! That trash!
I’d read erotic novels that Raki gave me and seen tentacle play a few times, but there’d never been a scene where the gong offered the shou to a tentacle monster because he was in the way of finding treasure. Even though I’m not the main shou, you still shouldn’t do this! I told you where it was! Are you even human! You’re not a sweet gong or an obsessive gong or anything—you’re just trash! You trash gong! Eltrash!
“Hngh! Hup! Hup!”
However, my angry cries didn’t reach Eldon. My mouth was blocked so I couldn’t move my tongue, and Eldon just silently climbed toward the key, ignoring my thin screams.
The plump branches ravaged my mouth. The movements of pressing down on my tongue, rubbing the mucous membrane, and stirring felt like being forced into oral sex, making me feel disgusted. But right now, my mouth wasn’t the problem. The branch that had been teasing my nipple gradually thickened and tore my shirt. The branch covered my areola and repeatedly sucked up and released my nipple as if latching on.
“Hnngh, ngh, ngh….”
It was a place I’d never stimulated once in my life. My mind was going white just from the chest stimulation, but another branch pushed aside my pants and underwear and coiled around my penis like a snake. Then the stem that had been filling my mouth descended and began poking at my lower opening.
