Chapter 1603: Chapter 1603. Dune's Interrogation. |
Not too far away from the city, a woman was languidly resting in a large pool. An absolute luxury for their desert environment. Her sun-kissed skin faintly gleamed with the sunrays, and her crimson hair flowed like fireweeds on the water.
As she was resting, her closed eyes flew open, and before she could react, two pitch-black eyes stared directly at hers. They were eyes without whites, like two bottomless abysses. 'W-Who!?'
A strong curse energy surged into her body, and without resistance, she went limp.
Doriel glanced at the woman plainly, her face indifferent. Other than for Yasenia, Doriel was nothing but an emotionless shadow following orders.
There was no commotion, so Doriel just picked up the Duneseeker's leader and vanished, without leaving even water ripples as proof of their stay.
***
"Ugh… where am I?"
The red-haired woman grabbed her throbbing forehead, her hazy eyes looking at the surroundings with confusion. "I don't… recognize this place?"
Once she spoke those words, her entire body became alert, her foggy mind startled awake. '...Right! I saw two eyes! Then… Then…'
She could absolutely not recall anything after that. As she was about to move, she noticed the tightness around her limbs. Looking down, her bronze skin turned a touch paler. "Immortal ropes?"
There were many types of this item, but all of them had one shared quality. They could tie down even immortals, suppressing their strength to a large degree. So, once you were tied down by these, resistance was almost futile.
"Oh, you are awake?"
A charming and mellow female voice that made even her spine tingle with a pleasant feeling caressed her eardrums like a lover. Looking over, her pupils dilated at the sight of the dragon woman entering the room.
Yasenia smiled and spoke. "I hope you had a nice rest, Miss Dune…" She hummed. "Is that your real name, or a nickname?"
While Yasenia felt that it was a straightforward and nice name, she also found it quite uncommon. 'Perhaps, if I have a future child with an affinity for the desert, I can name them like that.'
Having such thoughts only for a moment, Yasenia refocused on Dune. The woman was not too tall, not too short, with a perfectly average body. Average in the sense of curves, not beauty.
As an immortal woman, Dune's beauty was naturally exceptional.
Yasenia reached in front of her and then leaned forward, her tail stretching back slightly to keep her center of gravity. A soft smile appeared on her lips. "Miss Dune, can you speak to me?" Her golden slit eyes showed a touch of sorrow. "I don't like it when you are cold to me, and you don't speak."
There were many ways to gather information, but since Yasenia was still unsure whether Dune was an enemy, she chose not to antagonize her at random. So, she used one of her strongest weapons, seduction. 'Either way, it won't take long.'
Dune, meanwhile, felt as if her brain was being massaged by Yasenia's beauty in a strange yet pleasant way. A stuttering voice left her lips, her chest drumming against her chest at the beauty's whine. "N-Not at all! How could I ignore… you…"
As she was answering hastily, her powerful mind naturally reacted. 'Wait, why am I so flustered when—'
Yasenia cut her thought process with a smile. "That's great to hear, Miss Dune. I was really fearful that you'd hate me."
Dune's brain refocused on the beautiful, smiling face, and she blurted. "I'd never hate you, Miss… Miss…"
'Huh? Why don't I know—'
"Yasenia, Dune. That's my name." Yasenia's eyes softened with her smile. "Do you like it?"
Dune, her thoughts once more interrupted, nodded as if in a trance. "Yasenia is a beautiful name. I really like it."
Then, Dune looked down, wanting to glance at the Immortal Ropes, but Yasenia pushed her chest forward very slightly.
The massive expanse of white softness instantly dazzled Dune, making her stare blankly at the swaying waves of attractive flesh.
"You are looking so intensely, Dune. I am going to get bashful."
Dune coughed, her tanned face flushing slightly as she looked up again. "That's… sorry. My gaze wandered."
Yasenia caressed her cheek, the floral scent of her body drilling into Dune's brain. "Don't worry. If it's you…" Yasenia shifted her gaze sideways, as if embarrassed. "I don't mind."
Dune felt her heart going astray. Could a human heart even beat this fast? Dune was not sure, but the sight of Yasenia's slightly embarrassed look as she looked sideways was just that charming.
Yasenia, her head still tilted faintly to the side, moved her golden slit eyes back to Dune. The shy glance instantly turned into a seductive one. Those faintly arched eyes that could hook souls stared at Dune full of meaning. "Dune… Can I ask you a question?"
Dune gulped, her thighs coming together for some reason as her tied hands fidgeted. '...Wait. Tied hand—?'
"Dune."
Dune's slightly refocusing eyes glanced, and Yasenia looked at her slightly from above. Her midnight black hair fell like a curtain, perfectly contrasting with her beautiful white skin. "Focus only on me, please. I need you."
Dune gulped. Having lived in the desert, she had not really seen skin as fair and supple as Yasenia in a very long time. Therefore, the exoticness made Yasenia's beauty even more attractive.
"Answer me, Dune. Did you send someone to this city for something?"
Dune was somewhat confused, but since Yasenia wanted her to answer, how could she not? "Sent here…? For what?"
Yasenia looked into her puzzled eyes and approached her, the scent of her breath and body growing even more intense. "Haven't you asked someone to take care of a child?"
Dune blinked, trying to think. 'A child…? Was there such a mission for our group?'
For a second, Dune asked herself why she should answer Yasenia. However, seeing the eager and expectant golden slit eyes looking straight at her with such intensity, she stopped thinking deeply and answered. "From what I know… there has not been such a mission." She asked further. "Why do you ask, Yasenia? Are you worried about something?"
Yasenia looked at her, and seeing that she was not lying, her face lost most of its emotions as she stepped back and straightened her body. "Hum… Say, Dune. Who is the group that wants you to disappear the most?"
The dissonance between the emotive face and the calm and indifferent one forced Dune to blank out. However, conditioned by the previous charm assault, she answered. "My biggest enemy that wants to get rid of me is the Earth Shadowing Palm Tree Mercenary group."
Yasenia hummed and turned around, her alluring curves hypnotizing Dune as her hips swayed.
"Doriel, release her and use your curse to send her back. Next, I want to meet the leader of this Palm whatever mercenary group."
Dune, who was coming to her senses, saw two pitch black eyes once more. When she came back to her senses, her body was soaking in the large pool once more.
She straightened with a startle, the water splashing. "W-What happened?"
Terror filled her, and a voice reached from outside of a male attendant. "Lady Dune, do you need my service?"
Dune, her heart pumping in fear as she looked around, asked aloud. "W-Was there any commotion nearby?"
The man outside was puzzled and spoke. "None, Lady Dune."
Dune felt her blood draining from her face. She muttered, terrified. "W-Who were those people…?"
***
Yasenia returned to the living room and, seeing Asterion playing with the girls, smiled. At the side, the assassin was looking at Asterion with a blank look, like a puppet ready to listen at any time.
Tatyana was sunbathing at the side, wearing a black bikini. "What was the result?"
"The Duneseekers have nothing to do with it. Also, that woman, Dune, had quite a strong will. She actually almost managed to escape my full-strength charm a few times."
Tatyana hummed, interested. "That's rare for someone in this Heavenly Layer. She must have quite a strong willpower."
Yasenia nodded and spoke. "Remember the guide for the Forbidden Realm? I think we can take that woman, Dune, with us. Her group seems to be quite influential around here."
Tatyana nodded. "That's a good option. So, who's next?"
"Earth Shadowing Palm Tree Mercenary group." She answered faintly. "Do we have any information on those?"
Eve, standing behind Yasenia, spoke lightly. "There is. They are a demonic mercenary group."
"Demonic… mercenary group?"
Eve nodded. "Yes. Their members do not follow normal cultivation methods, and they are quite feared. However, even if some sects wanted to bury them, they have been hiding quite deeply and no one really knows where they are located."
"Huh…?" Yasenia blinked and looked at Eve. "I just sent Doriel, though… Will she be alright?"
Eve smiled. "Those people not finding them doesn't mean we didn't, Young Miss. If Doriel has gone, it probably means that she knows where they are. Do you think Doriel would make you wait lingering around, lost?"
Yasenia chuckled. "I don't believe so. That cute girl is quite diligent."
Eve chuckled. "Only Young Miss would call Doriel cute."
Yasenia blinked. "But she is… Those pitch-black eyes are always seeking praise and love whenever she looks at me. How can I not see her as a cute girl?"
Tatyana chuckled and smiled. "So, how much longer do you plan to be here, Yasenia?"
Yasenia sat down by her side, her tail gently massaging Tatyana's legs. "We are not in a hurry. That Forbidden Zone had piqued my interest quite badly. Moreover, since Asterion has been born, there is no need to roam around. We need a place to stay for a slightly long time, right?"
While this Heavenly Layer was not a place where Yasenia could increase her strength through adventures, she could slow down that endless search for a few years and wait until Asterion became a bit more familiar with his strength and could protect himself.
Tatyana, understanding Yasenia's mindset, muttered. "So, around ten to twenty years."
Yasenia smiled. "Yes. After that, we can go and explore a higher-level Heavenly Layer."
"Mhm."
A day went by silently, and the next morning, Doriel returned with another woman. This woman was quite curvy, to the point of being comparable to Kali and Angel proportion-wise.
This time, Doriel didn't even bother and threw her in front of Yasenia. "Young Miss, she is part of the culprits."
"Oh? You interrogated her?"
Doriel spoke a bit stiffly. "...I didn't want Young Miss to use her charm on these lowly people."
Yasenia blinked and laughed, hugging Doriel into her arms. "Aww, is my beautiful Doriel jealous? You are so cute~."
