Cursed Heroine

Chapter 40: Bountiful encounters

We found our first divine crystal on the fifth day around floor twenty-five.

鈥淲hat鈥檚 this? I鈥檝e never seen a golden colored crystal before.鈥潂Amy

鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably a divine crystal, there鈥檙e new.鈥潂Sofy

鈥淲hat鈥檚 a divine crystal and how do you already know about it if it鈥檚 new?鈥潂Brit

鈥淟ily told me about them. You鈥檙e aware she鈥檚 a priestess, right? She received a message about them when we first entered the dungeon. They have various purposes, but have to be charged with divine energy first. Give it to Lily and let her check what this one does.鈥潂Sofy

I鈥檓 handed the crystal and probe it with my divine energy revealing it to be a lie detection blessing. I go ahead and put a few points of divine energy into it to charge it and hand it back.

鈥淚t鈥檚 lie detection blessing, Mistress. I鈥檝e charged it. Have her use it so they can see how they work.鈥潂me

鈥淎my, try putting a little bit of qi or mana in it.鈥潂Sofy

鈥淲oah! I just gained a lie detection blessing. That didn鈥檛 happen the last time I tried putting energy in it. Ah, it fell apart!鈥潂Amy

鈥淭hey鈥檙e one time use after charging, but you can probably imagine how useful they鈥檇 be if you stocked up on lots of healing or buff types.鈥潂Sofy

鈥淭hese will likely be classified as the army鈥檚 strategic resources by the council.鈥潂Jill

鈥淚 don鈥檛 see how, the Magic Forest region has very few priests and priestesses available to charge them.鈥潂Tiff

鈥淕eh! Actually, Kat told me to ordain a few more priestesses for her if I could in order to help correct this possible imbalance of power.鈥潂me

鈥淵ou really didn鈥檛 want to tell me that did you. Let me guess, Goddess force your tongue? Worried about Tiff finding a kindred spirit or the other way around?鈥潂Sofy

鈥淏OTH! Mu, please stop laughing.鈥潂me

鈥淗ahaha, not stopping. Anyways, I don鈥檛 think you have to worry so much about Tiff and Kat getting to know each other. I had a chat with her and nothing terrible happened then.鈥潂Sofy

鈥淵ou started experimenting!!!鈥潂me

鈥淪he did tell me that nothing in the curse would cause you any lasting harm. Something really nice came out of that though.鈥潂Sofy

鈥淯gh, that might make me happier if I didn鈥檛 know you weren鈥檛 just talking about the discovery of synced mode.鈥潂me

鈥淲ell, that鈥檚 also nice. I鈥檒l ask the others about being ordained after we鈥檝e settled in for the night. We鈥檒l wait till after leaving the dungeon to ordain them since it takes a lot of divine energy and they wouldn鈥檛 be useful as new priestesses with the starting amount.鈥潂Sofy

We make it to the twenty-eighth floor before stopping for the night. Everyone ended up agreeing to become priestesses. Tiff was interested in experimenting with the new crystals and Jill liked the thought of having a power her family didn鈥檛. The other two saw it as a means to make money. We made sure to tell them that increasing their own spirit power would increase how much divine energy they could recover naturally on their own. I also gave each of them some spirit crystals, enough to get each of them up to stage two.

We spent another five days getting to floor thirty-nine before turning back. We made it out on Fireday of the week before the next academic season started, giving us a little more than a day to sell our spoils and buy things before needing to return. Tiff and Brit wound up being the first to get ordained. It takes about a third of my energy for each person, so I鈥檇 only finish with our group tomorrow since I didn鈥檛 want to be completely without. Jill found her brother and asked him to arrange some people from her family to buy up the crystals at a cheap price before anyone realized what they could do. We spent the time before leaving relaxing while shopping for local goods and unique luxuries. And once again, Sofy managed to find the local novelty shop on our last day.

This shop has loads of great items. Everything is exceptionally well made and beautiful. That last part was mostly for the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper is a fairykin, most likely a high ranking one if the powerful illusion is any indication. If all fairykin have such a powerful glamour, it鈥檚 no wonder that nobody hardly ever sees them. Sofy only sees a slightly above average elf woman while the combination of my perception senses show me that her view of the woman is very wrong. She actually has an alluring figure with a mature aura that seems to scream an invitation for a night of hot sex. While the other girls are looking around, the shopkeeper noticed my strange expression and approached me.

鈥淲ell, aren鈥檛 you adorable. Have you become captivated by my beauty, little one?鈥潂shopkeeper

I nod my head to affirm her comment. That鈥檚 when she starts to notice some of my own oddities.

鈥淗uh, are you blind little girl? Then you鈥檙e using some sort of skill to see. Ah, wait! Can you see me, I mean really see me?!鈥潂shopkeeper

I pull out a booklet of blank paper I carry with me and write a note for her to read. She smiles at the first part, but frowns as she finishes and even emits a small amount of killing intent.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e really beautiful, I especially like your wings!鈥潂me(note)

鈥淗uh, are you mute too. How terrible!鈥?*Sigh* 鈥淭here鈥檚 no way I could bring myself to hurt a little girl like you. You won鈥檛 tell anyone, will you? My kind like to keep to themselves, so you shouldn鈥檛 go around revealing that you can see through glamour. Name鈥檚 Susan and you?鈥潂Susan

鈥淟ilia, I won鈥檛 tell anyone other than my Mistress. She鈥檚 not likely to tell anyone though. Nice to meet you, Susan.鈥潂me(note)

鈥淔orced into a servant contract too! Hey, I鈥檓 actually pretty strong, want me to help free you. You could stay with me afterwards.鈥潂Susan

鈥淣o thanks! I鈥檓 serving my Mistress by my own choice.鈥潂me(note)

鈥淪ince it鈥檚 a mistress you serve willingly, then it should be fine.鈥潂Susan

鈥淲ould you by chance be interested in a threesome?鈥潂me(note)

鈥淥h my, aren鈥檛 you a cheeky little beauty. What makes you think I might accept your offer?鈥潂Susan

鈥淵our aura is oozing sexual desire. So, what time do you close shop?鈥潂me(note)

Just to emphasize that I can see through her pretense, I use the active version of my soul divining gaze which makes her shiver slightly.

鈥淏rrr! Alright, you鈥檝e proved your point. Please stop whatever you鈥檙e doing. If you come back at eleven, the shop will be closing then.鈥潂Susan

鈥淕reat! Now, do you sell any unique items that can鈥檛 be found anywhere else? Perhaps something that only your kind know how to make?鈥潂me(note)

鈥淗m, unique items huh? I have three that might fit.鈥潂Susan

She proceeds to show me a few items she鈥檇 kept behind the counter. One is a batch of ten potions that can permanently enhance a person鈥檚 skin, elevating their looks and amplifying their sensitivity. BOUGHT! Next is...disappointingly just a strap-on with quake beads. It shocked her to learn that I had been the origin of this new innovation and she was furious when I told her what the price was in the capital. She apparently overpaid. The last item turned out a small vial containing the blood of a succubus, known to be the most powerful aphrodisiac. BOUGHT! Oh, I wouldn鈥檛 be wasting it by using it on the others. On the way back to the hotel, I can鈥檛 help having a great big smile on my face as I fantasize about the wonderful benefits I might obtain from the traits of a succubus鈥?br>
鈥淵ou鈥檙e awfully happy, Lily. Just what great spoils did you manage to obtain this time?鈥潂Sofy

鈥淢istress, you鈥檙e smiling as well.鈥潂me

鈥淚 found some new oils and incense. Come on, spill! What did you get?鈥潂Sofy

鈥淎 skin care potion and a small vial of succubus blood!鈥潂me

鈥淪-succubus blood?! You鈥檙e not planning to use that on me are you? I鈥檓 ordering you right now not to ever dose me with that stuff.鈥潂Sofy

鈥淲ow, didn鈥檛 expect such a big reaction from you. Something happened in the past that I don鈥檛 know about?鈥潂me

鈥淛ust some rumors about my third brother. He wasn鈥檛 able to perform and was cross about it. He would use that blood on anyone who he caught talking about it behind his back and lock them up. They would end up going insane from being unable to relieve their bodies. It wasn鈥檛 a pretty sight. How effective is the potion?鈥潂Sofy

鈥淗ow cruel! You needn鈥檛 have ordered me. I had never intended to use it on you anyways. It鈥檚 blood after all. The potion is said to permanently increase the quality of a person鈥檚 skin, including their sensitivity. I want to have it looked at by an apothecary first though.鈥潂me

鈥淥h! You鈥檙e planning to drink it yourself. How daring! I鈥檒l make sure to properly satisfy you when you do, unlike my abominable brother. That potion sounds wonderful! I hope it鈥檚 not a scam. What were you discussing with the shopkeeper?鈥潂Sofy

鈥淗uhu, she鈥檚 a fairykin! A very beautiful one too. I saw through her illusion when we entered the shop. She asked that we not tell others about her.鈥潂me

鈥淚 totally didn鈥檛 notice. Fairykin are quite well known for being elusive. If they all use such illusions to hide themselves, it explains why they鈥檙e so rarely seen.鈥潂Sofy

鈥淲ant to know something else she鈥檚 hiding? A normal appraisal skill might not have seen it, but she鈥檚 actually only a half fairykin. The other half of her bloodline is a succubus!鈥潂me

鈥淎 demonkin! Perhaps we shouldn鈥檛 keep quiet then?鈥潂Sofy

鈥淣o, she鈥檚 predominantly a fairykin in appearance and she has probably already lived here for a long time. She seems nice and I don鈥檛 want her to get hurt if other people start persecuting her. Plus, I got us a date with her tonight at eleven.鈥潂me

鈥?..WHAT THE HECK!!! Don鈥檛 just make arrangements like that without letting me know first!鈥潂Sofy

鈥淪hould I just go by myself then? Tonight will definitely be loads of fun!鈥潂me

鈥淕unununu. FINE! We鈥檒l go together. I can鈥檛 help it, can I? You鈥檝e already obligated me for the night, after all.鈥潂Sofy

鈥淛ust admit it, we鈥檙e both curious about her sexual prowess from having a succubus鈥檚 bloodline. Plus, I鈥檝e not been punished at all since our conversation started which proves exactly how not mad you really are, hmph. OWOWOW!!!鈥潂me

鈥淚鈥檒l admit that I am interested in what promises to be an enthralling night, but your cockiness is definitely pissing me off now!鈥潂Sofy

鈥淥WOWOW!!! SORRY! I鈥檒l behave, please stop! OWIE! Boohoohoo, Mistress is bullying me!鈥潂me

鈥淟ittle brat, come back here!鈥潂Sofy

A playful game of cat and mouse quickly ensued as I got chased around our hotel suite. We鈥檇 long arrived back there during our conversation. It seems as though we鈥檒l end up having a session of foreplay before our date later tonight.