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Chapter 31: Dangerous Minotaur (R-18)
"I... I really bought another one..."
Ais Wallenstein sat on the edge of her bed within the Twilight Manor, her fingers trembling as they clutched the crisp edges of a freshly printed book. The sunset filtered through her window in deepening purple and gold, casting long, flickering shadows across the room. Lately, her stoic composure—the legendary "Sword Princess" persona—had been under assault. Her mind felt as though it were being slowly simmered in a pot of shameful pages.
Deep within her psyche, the "inner child" that usually just wanted fried potato snacks had undergone a strange, rapid evolution. Thanks to these books featuring Bell Cranel, that little girl had skipped several years of development, maturing into a restless teenager. Driven by a curiosity she couldn't name, Ais had once again eluded the watchful, overprotective eyes of Riveria and Loki, venturing into the neon-lit shadows of the entertainment district just to track down this rumored new release.
To her mounting horror and fascination, she was the inspiration for this volume as well. She had only dared to skim the last one after stumbling upon it in Loki's office, but this time, she was determined to see it through. She needed to know what these authors were doing to her reputation—and to Bell.
『Um, Miss Ais? How... how can I rank up?』
The manga opened on a familiar vista: the Great Wall of Orario. The artist had captured the scale of the city beautifully, but Ais's focus was on the two figures standing near the battlements. The illustrated Bell was looking down at his dagger, his shoulders slumped with the weight of his own perceived inadequacy. In the next panel, the manga version of herself stood as a silhouette against the moon, her face a mask of cold, unblinking truth.
『Ultimately, an adventure is required. Without one, you can't achieve a great feat—you can't rank up. Bell, what does "adventure" mean to you?』
『Adventure to me... I guess it's fighting and winning against strong monsters! But for someone like me, I wonder how long it will take before I can actually defeat something like that Minotaur...』
Seeing the Bell on the page looking dejected, caught between his anxiety for the future and the trauma of his past fears, the fictional Ais didn't offer words of comfort. Instead, she offered a "solution."
『You're a coward. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's what keeps you from dying in the Dungeon. However, if you want to become strong, you have to strip that fear away eventually. So, I have a plan. Tomorrow's training won't be here; we'll do it somewhere else. Is that okay, Bell?』
『Eh? Ah, yes! I look forward to it!!』
The real Ais tilted her head, her golden hair shifting over her shoulder. What kind of training was this? she wondered. She racked her brain for any memory of a "special session" away from the wall, but her recollections were strictly limited to sword swings and lap pillows. As she flipped the page, the setting shifted abruptly from the majestic battlements to the cramped, intimate interior of a dimly lit inn.
『Um, Miss Ais? What's in that paper bag you're holding?』
『Mm. Something we'll use for today's special training. Bell, look the other way for a bit. You absolutely cannot look until I say so.』
The sound of rustling cloth filled the panels—the sliding of leather, the soft thud of discarded boots. The real Ais found herself leaning in closer, her pulse quickening. She was starting to lose track of why she was even reading this dangerous book. But the moment the page turned, the sheer absurdity of the premise slammed into her like a Level 7 blow.
『You can look now, Bell.』
『Ah, yes, Miss Ai—iiiiiieeeee—~!?』
The illustrated Bell had spun around, only to find Ais clad in a garment that defied every law of armor design. It was a "Dangerous Minotaur" costume—a wicked fusion of a micro-bikini made of dark leather, accented with tufts of fluffy fur trim the color of a monster's hide, and a headband featuring two wicked little horns. It barely qualified as clothing, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. The manga-Bell's eyes were bulging out of his head, his mouth working soundlessly in a mask of pure, unadulterated shock.
『W-W-What is that!?』
『Bell, you are far too afraid of Minotaurs. So, I came up with this training to help you overcome it.』
With a flush of crimson across her cheeks, the manga-Ais stepped forward, forcibly prying Bell's hands away from his face. She leaned in, her body far more curvaceous and provocative than the real Ais felt she was in person. "Moooo~♪" she chirped, a playful, terrifyingly lewd imitation of a monster's low.
It was a critical hit. A geyser of blood erupted from the illustrated Bell's nose, and he collapsed backward onto the bed, completely overwhelmed.
『There. Now you're "dead." See? Being a coward can hold you back like this. So, from now on, let's train plenty... until you've completely conquered your trauma♡』
With pink hearts shimmering in her eyes, the fictional Ais crawled onto the bed, whispering into Bell's ear while pressing her chest firmly against his arm. The real Ais watched as the manga-Bell's expression shifted from terror to a very different kind of motivation.
"Au... auu..."
The real Ais tried to form a coherent thought, but only soft, helpless noises escaped her. Her mouth opened and closed in a perfect mimicry of the dazed Bell on the page. Realizing exactly what "conquering trauma" meant in this context, she threw herself face-down into her pillows. She kicked her legs against the mattress, her face burning with a heat that could have melted a dragon's scales.
"I never... I never did that kind of training with Bell..."
The shame was so absolute that her mental age didn't just regress; it plummeted straight back to a toddler. She felt a staggering sense of embarrassment looking at the art of herself wearing something even the most shameless Amazoness would find "too much." If Loki saw this, she'd probably burst into tears and beg me to wear a custom-made version, Ais thought with a shudder. Despite the mental scarring, her hand reached out and turned the next page.
『Oh look, Bell is "dead" again♡』
『Ah♡... Ngh, Miss Ais♡...』
The training had escalated. Bell had been stripped of his gear and was being handled with predatory efficiency. Manga-Ais sat astride him, her expression one of smug dominance. But then, a spark of defiance lit up in Bell's eyes. He reached out, his hands finding purchase on the captivating curves that had been haunting his vision. It was the desperate, final stand of a Level 1 against a Level 6.
Manga-Ais simply smirked. She caught his wrists in a crushing grip, pinning them to the sheets, before leaning down to smother his face between her breasts. A wet, muffled sound effect—squish♡—spanned the entire panel as Bell was swallowed by her chest.
『It's not good to lash out in a panic♡ If you don't think before you move, you'll just get counter-attacked like this♡』
『Mmmgh!! Mmph-mmgh!!♡』
Bell's face was completely submerged, his muffled cries lost against her skin. He struggled, but his strength was nothing compared to hers. When she finally sat up, the overheated and dazed rabbit lay there, his eyes rolling back in a daze of pure bliss.
"I've never seen Bell make a face like that. But... if I actually did this, wouldn't he hate me?"
Ais felt a genuine pang of worry. She cherished the way Bell looked at her with pure, unshadowed admiration. The idea of him looking at her with that face—and then hating her for it—was a terrifying prospect. Yet, the Bell on the page didn't seem to hate it at all. He was flushed, panting, and practically begging for more.
『I can... I can still go. I'll work hard to meet your expectations, Miss Ais... so, please, more...』
『In that case, I'll keep working hard too♡』
The fictional Ais looked down at him with eyes that had gone completely dark, like a predator cornering its prey.
"I look... like Tione..." Ais muttered, her cheeks puffing out in a pout. It was the exact face Tione made when she was trying to capture Finn.
But the pout vanished instantly when she turned to the climax of the scene. Her face turned a shade of red that would have put a fire-magic circle to shame.
『Nn... chu♡ Be-ell♡♡』
『I won't lose either, Miss Ais-sh♡』
The illustrated Bell had surged upward, catching the manga-Ais off guard. He pulled her into a fierce embrace and silenced her with an aggressive kiss. It wasn't a gentle peck; it was a deep, wet exchange involving their tongues. Seeing her smug fictional self get completely dismantled and reduced to a blushing mess by a single kiss sent Ais's mental age skyrocketing back into the throes of puberty.
"Wait... that's impossible. This is... this is the really lewd kind of kiss, like the one with Horn—"
Unconsciously, she shifted her weight, the friction of her legs against the sheets sending a jolt through her that she didn't know how to process. Her eyes remained glued to the page. Suddenly, a "false memory" flickered in her mind—a vision of herself leaning over a sleeping Bell on the Great Wall, her heart hammering against her ribs as she lowered her lips toward his...
"No, no, no! I didn't do that!?"
She shook her head violently, trying to rattle the hallucinations out of her skull. Her brain felt like it was on fire, but she couldn't stop. She had to finish.
『Wait—wait, Bell!!!♡』
『I knew it! No matter how high your Level is, Miss Ais, you can't train the inside of your body, so it's still weak!!♡』
Taking "adventure" as a euphemism for the ultimate intimacy, Bell went on the attack. He pinned the Level 6 Ais to the bed, pushed aside the meager fabric of her costume, and drove himself home. The manga was filled with a chorus of wet, lewd sounds—squelch♡ slosh♡—as he moved with rhythmic intensity.
"Uwaah... ♡"
The real Ais swallowed hard, her throat dry. On the page, she was being utterly ravaged by a Level 1, her body arched in a wave of pleasure. The artist had even included cross-section views of the contact, showing Bell's stiffened shaft relentlessly striking her innermost depths. The Ais in the book had lost all semblance of dignity; she was a creature of pure ecstasy, her eyes rolled back with heart symbols dancing in them.
Under the internal assault, her Level 6 defenses were meaningless. Every thrust drew a sharp, high-pitched scream from her fictional self. Finally, utterly defeated, the manga-Ais collapsed into the sheets, her legs trembling and wide apart. Bell stood over her, breathing heavily, his face shining with the pride of a conqueror.
『Thank you, Miss Ais! I'll use this training to get my revenge and win against the Minotaur!!』
『—Yes♡ Good luck, Bell♡』
The epilogue showed Bell in the Dungeon, utilizing his magic to burn a Minotaur from the inside—a grimly literal application of his "training." As a reward for his subsequent rank up, the final panel depicted the "Dangerous Minotaur" Ais waiting for him in bed, her arms open wide.
"Auuuuuuuuu..."
Ais snapped the book shut with a sound like a gunshot. She pressed her pillow over her face and thrashed about, her feet thumping against the mattress in a frantic, embarrassed tantrum.
"I just hope... I hope nobody who reads this gets the wrong idea..."
But Ais's instincts, honed by years of combat, were as sharp as ever. The "Dangerous Minotaur" craze swept through Orario like a wildfire. Rumors spread that the secret to the Rabbit Foot's unprecedented growth was hidden within the pages of that very book. Within a week, the plazas were filled with the sight of male adventurers performing dogeza—prostrating themselves before their female party members and begging for "Special Minotaur Training."
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