|| -- Chapter 29 -- ||
"Phew," Clara said. "We finally made it back to the guild, huh?"
"Yeah, we kept getting distracted along the way back." Abi smiled back at her, shaking her head. "But we can finally turn in our quest now."
Countless adventurers milled around the guild hall. Many carried bags of materials, magic crystals, or other products of their quests. Each party with materials headed towards the front desk, where the guild receptionists paid them for their collections.
"C'mon, let's get in line," Abi said, and she led the way over to the far left counter, where Selene stood.
"Oh, wait..." Clara had a bad feeling about joining Selene's line. She was a succubus, after all. When she had woken up from the game, she'd seen Selene with wings, horns, and the tail of a demon.
(Perhaps I should have told Abi about Selene earlier...) Clara thought to herself. In the rush between punishment and returning to the guild, she had forgotten to inform Abigail about what she saw.
(Tell me what about Selen?) Abi thought back to her, but Clara shook her head. They were already in line to meet Selene, and it was too late to inform Abi she was a demon.
(Forget about it; I'll tell you afterwards.) Clara cleared her throat awkwardly, trying her best not to look nervous, but a slight blush filled her cheeks as she glanced towards Selene. After all, not only had she discovered she was a demon, but the guild receptionist had fingered her when she was in the pod. Between that, and getting railed by Selene's strap-on during the previous night, there was no way Clara could avoid blushing.
"What can I do for you two?" Selene asked them as they reached the front of the line. She flashed a businesslike smile, as if she hadn't just met Clara an hour earlier outside the game. "Here to turn in a quest?"
"Yep." Abi nodded, and she glanced at Clara. "Do you want to take out the slime cores we harvested?"
"Huh? What?" Clara realized she'd been staring at Selene, and she nodded hurriedly. "Oh, right. Yes. Let me get those out."
Clara reached into her item-box spell and pulled out the slime cores. She removed them in a hurry, fumbling with the small orbs as Selene's gaze turned towards her. Despite how professional Selene seemed, Clara couldn't shake the feeling Selene was purposefully staring at her, making her even more nervous and blushing.
(If I confront her here, I wonder what would happen...) Clara thought to herself. Her clit throbbed, and sex clenched as she fidgeted beneath the other woman's gaze. Despite her nervousness, just standing in front of Selene made her heart pound in her chest. Now that she knew she was a succubus, it felt impossible to miss the aura of sexuality lingering around Selene. Even without makeup, the smoldering gaze of the other woman made a flicker of warmth spread between Clara's legs.
"Here, allow me..." Selene caught Clara's hand, stopping her from dumping another load of slime cores on the counter. "If you don't organize them carefully, they'll roll off the edge."
Selene began lining up the slime cores in orderly rows, making sure they didn't fall to the ground. In her hurry, Clara had completely forgotten to be careful with them, and she blushed even harder as Selene corrected her. Despite handling the small marble-like orbs, her gaze remained fixed on Clara, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"We have 29 cores not applicable to the quest," Abi said, interrupting the tension between them. "We have another 11 wild cores that we culled as part of our elimination quest. Hopefully, that's not too much for you to handle."
"Not at all," Selene said, and she returned Abi's smile. "That much is normal for an average party. Your total compensation will be 1 large silver, 3 small silvers, and 9 large coppers. Thank you for your hard work."
After Clara finished transferring the crystals, Selene took the broken slime cores into a box, and she replaced them with an array of coins. After Abi's interruption, it felt like the tension disappeared between them, and Clara let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for your speed, Selene." Abigail took the coins from the counter and stored them in her coin pouch. "See you later."
She turned to leave, and Clara turned with her, in a hurry to escape Selene's counter. However, she felt the eyes of the dark-haired receptionist staring into her back. Even as Clara attempted to walk away, Selene's voice called out after her.
"Where do you think you're going, Clara?" Selene asked.
Clara froze at the words. A chill ran down her spine, and her thoughts ground to a halt. There was something about Selene's words that made a pit form in the bottom of her stomach. After trying her best to act normal, it felt like she'd completely failed to pass underneath the radar.
"Is there something you need?" Clara stared straight ahead, unable to look back at Selene.
"I think we need to have a talk," Selene said, whispering the words in her ear.
In an instant, the receptionist stood behind her, and she wrapped her arms around Clara's waist, embracing her. The soft chest of her uniform-clad breasts pressed against Clara's back, and her hands explored her body, tracing over her belly and groping her breasts.
"Wh-What are you doing!?" Clara's voice rose several octaves, and her back arched. "Other people will see."
She let out a shudder, still staring straight ahead, but she couldn't escape Selene's expert touch. Her dexterous fingers stroked the spot below her belly button, activating her hypnotic trigger and edging dangerously close to her mons.
A wave of warmth washed through her belly and enveloped her pussy, causing a smoldering mess to form between her legs. Even the simple touch against her lower abdomen made Clara's eyes roll up in her head, and a damp stain formed in her panties.
Up above, Selene's other hand squeezed her breast, and two fingers pinched down around her erect nipple, sending a tingle of pain and pleasure racing through Clara's heaving chest. Even as her heart pounded in anxiousness, her arousal and pleasure spiked, causing her to take a shuddering breath.
"Don't worry about everyone else," Selene said, and she whispered the words into Clara's ear, breathing down the back of her neck. "Nobody can do anything, see?"
"Huh?" Clara glanced around herself and blinked in surprise. The entire guild hall was frozen in place, as if time had stopped. All the countless adventurers were paused mid-step, staring unblinkingly ahead. Not one of them noticed how she was being groped and teased.
