The Collector Chapter 170 (Patreon)

--- 27th Day, Evening ---

When we returned home, Mia was busy cooking in the kitchen, but as we stepped into the room, she flicked her gaze between Zoe and Azura.

“New dresses?” she asked, and I realized I had missed the chance to buy one for her too and give her a nice gift.

“Yes, Master bought them for us,” Zoe replied before spinning in place, making her dress flare. “Do you like them?”

“It’s beautiful,” the bunny girl replied with a smile.

“Not as beautiful as you,” I said, taking her hand and pulling her against me.

She gasped softly, her hands landing on my chest as she raised her brown eyes to meet mine. “Oh… D-Dinner is ready,” she stammered, blushing.

Grinning, I leaned down and pressed my lips against hers. I noticed her ears shudder before I closed my eyes and lost myself in the kiss, my hand slowly sliding down her back until it came to rest on her small, perky ass.

She squealed, breaking the kiss as I gave her a light spank.

“Thank you,” I murmured, appreciating that she had prepared the meal for me. Maybe I hadn't thought to buy her a dress, but I would certainly show my appreciation later by giving her a few mind-melting orgasms.

“N-No problem,” she replied, her cheeks still flushed from our kiss. “Oh, S-Sage is waiting for you in the dining room.”

“Is Amber home?” I asked.

The bunny girl shook her head. “She took Azura’s sisters and went looking for ingredients again.”

“Okay. Zoe, would you help Mia serve dinner?” I asked before leaving the kitchen.

“Where have you been?” Sage asked the moment I stepped into the dining room. She was sitting in one of the chairs with her legs propped up on the table.

“We're eating here,” I said, pushing her legs back to the floor. “And in the dungeon.”

“And after?” Sage asked, eyeing me. I wasn't sure whether it was because she wanted to know where I'd been or because I had pushed her legs down.

“Your spies lost me?” I asked with a smile as I took a seat across from her.

“It took you a long time to get home after you returned to the city,” Sage replied.

“Were you worried about me?”

“Worried about what you're scheming,” Sage replied. “I have my eye on you. One wrong step, and you'll regret it.”

“You're paranoid,” I replied, unsure what she thought I was doing. “I was at the market buying things for Whitney, and new clothes.”

Zoe and Mia stepped together into the dining room, bringing food for everyone.

“We should be going,” Sage said.

“We will after dinner,” I replied as Zoe and Mia sat beside us, and we began to eat. “There's something I wanted to ask you about,” I added, looking at Sage.

“Yes,” she replied with a nod. “I'll fulfill your every wish,” she added with a smirk.

“Yesterday, when I was at the lake, we met someone,” I said before explaining exactly how we had met the mermaid there. After finishing the story, I asked, “So, do you have any idea how to transport her back to the sea?”

“Isn't that sea nymph you were fucking a water mage?” Sage asked. “She can just create a bubble of water and carry the mermaid inside it.”

“Yeah, but what if she gets distracted?”

“Don't take out your cock, and she should be able to keep her focus,” Sage smirked. “Besides, don't overcomplicate it. It's what, an hour-long trip? Mermaids can survive without water for a few minutes, and you can conjure water whenever you need to. She's not some fucking princess that has to be carried in a carriage. She'll be uncomfortable for a while, but she'll be free.”

I had kind of expected that Sage wouldn't be much help in this case, but at least I had asked. Perhaps Selira really would be able to keep the water around the mermaid, and I could simply replenish it if she spilled any or lost control. On the other hand it felt like asking for trouble.

When we finished the meal, Mia insisted on cleaning the dishes on her own while the rest of us headed out, quickly leaving the city and making our way toward the place where Whitney was being held.

“I forgot to mention this earlier,” I said, looking at Zoe and Azura. “But I got a job to seduce someone and find out whether she's a traitor.”

“Sounds like the best job in the world,” Zoe said, giggling.

“Perhaps,” I replied, smiling, before looking at Sage. “Did Gemma tell you about the woman I'm supposed to check?”

“Yeah, here,” she replied, pulling a folder from inside her clothes and handing it to me. It had to be some kind of magic, because there was no way she could have been carrying it comfortably in her pockets.

When I opened it, there was only a single sheet of paper inside with a portrait of a woman I already knew.

More than that, she was currently walking right beside me.

“First you kissed me, now this,” I said. “You know, you could just put on a nice dress and smile at me if you wanted my attention. You don't need Gemma to pay me to date you.”

“As if I would ever pay someone,” Sage huffed.

“You seem desperate,” I shrugged.

“Me?! I could have anyone whenever I want!”

“Of course,” I replied, my voice tinted with just a hint of sarcasm.

“Of course,” she repeated. “Men should pay me just for the chance to be with me.”

“I bet there'd be a long line of them waiting,” I replied with a smirk. “But wouldn't that make you a whore?”

“And what does it make you when Gemma pays you to fuck someone? Or when I made a deal with you to fuck the Dragon?”

“Seducing and fucking beautiful women, and getting paid on top of that,” I summarized. “Sounds like an amazing deal.”

“Ugh!” Sage grunted, pulling out another folder and shoving it into my hands.

I offered the first folder back to her, but she didn't take it.

“Keep it. You'll have something to jerk off to on your lonely nights,” Sage replied.

I snorted. “I have four women in my bed every night. That's about as far from lonely as it's possible to get.”

“Life is unpredictable. You never know when you might need it,” Sage replied.

“Your portrait?” I asked, shaking my head with a smile as I turned my attention to the second folder.

This one contained much more information. The woman's name was Ithilwen Asteriel, but what caught my attention first was that she wasn't human.

“She’s an elf?” I asked, looking at Sage.

“Wow, you can read,” she replied sarcastically. “Maybe you're destined for something greater than seducing women.”

I rolled my eyes and returned to the papers. She was thirty-six, just as Gemma had mentioned. The file listed where she had been born, her family members, and noted that she had a sister as well as a daughter. A fairly grown one too, considering she'd become a mother at eighteen.

She had married the father, but they divorced a decade later. According to the report, she was currently single.

“Do you know why she got divorced?” I asked Sage.

“She was a workaholic, working twelve hours a day. He cheated on her. And the whole marriage only happened because she got pregnant. They never really loved each other.”

“Her husband cheated on her, and Gemma sends me to seduce her? When I already have multiple girlfriends?” I asked.

“Don't ask me,” Sage shrugged. “If it were up to me, I'd start by breaking her legs before asking any questions. Or maybe I'd cut off the tips of her ears. I heard that's as painful for elves as childbirth, but I think those are just rumors. I could test it,” she added thoughtfully.

“And if she's innocent?” I asked. “I bet she'd love to keep working for Gemma after that.”

“Zelda could patch her up. And Gemma could replace her with someone she actually trusts.”

“It's a good thing Gemma chose me instead,” I said.

“As long as you find out the truth,” Sage shrugged. “Otherwise I'll have my fun.”

Shaking my head, I went back to the papers. They detailed her entire education and work history, but her current position was listed as Assistant Chancellor.

“What exactly does she do?” I asked Sage.

“Boring stuff,” she shrugged. “Handles correspondence, state records... in a nutshell, she's drowning in paperwork all the time. That alone sounds like torture.”

“What would Gemma ask her to do that would bring her here?” I asked.

“I don't care,” Sage replied. “More boring stuff. But she should be here tomorrow evening.”

“And you'll introduce me to her?”

“No. That would be too suspicious. If she's a traitor, the moment I introduced you and you tried anything, she'd know you were testing her. We'll have to arrange it differently.”

“How? She's a workaholic, and she's here on a job.”

“She was a workaholic,” Sage corrected. “Maybe she never loved her husband, but the divorce changed her, and she stopped working quite so much. Her life still revolves around work, but she does other things from time to time. Besides, you're the one getting paid to seduce her. Figure it out.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I murmured, looking back at the papers. The next page contained information about her class.

She was a level twenty-six Runesmith, with a long list of skills ranging from detecting runes to creating ones that could enhance weapons, produce all kinds of offensive and defensive effects, or even improve mana stones to imbue them with special properties. The only skill that actually seemed useful for her job was Seal Rune, which could be used to seal documents.

“Her class doesn't seem very useful for her work,” I said.

“Not everyone pursues a career related to their class.”

“But she's high level,” I replied.

“Power leveling,” Sage answered.

“And what's that?” I asked.

“Gemma offers it to people who work for her. They come with me into the dungeon for a week. I kill the monsters while they watch, and their levels shoot up like crazy.”

“So you could power level me, and I'd become much stronger?” I asked.

“I could, but I won't.”

“And why's that?”

“Because you called me a whore.”

“It was a joke.”

“Apologize then.”

I stared at her, waiting, convinced she was joking. But she simply kept walking in silence, theatrically looking away from me.

“I'm sorry you can't take a joke,” I replied.

Sage narrowed her eyes at me, before she huffed. “Gemma wouldn't let me do it anyway.”

“Why?”

“Because it's a shortcut. It's fine for someone who sits behind a desk and isn't going to fight monsters. You'd be a higher level, but you wouldn't have the experience to use that strength.”

“Still, I'd be safer than I am now.”

“Unless you got cocky, and that gap between your level and your actual skill got you killed.”

“So it's better to let me risk my life at lower levels?” I asked.

“And if I power leveled you, would you stick to lower-level dungeons just to be safe? Or would you rush into higher-level ones and risk your life all over again?” Sage asked. “Believe me, we've trained and tested plenty of different methods over the years. Decades even, longer than you've been alive. Shortcuts are good for people who sit behind desks, not for those who fight monsters. If you want to become truly strong, you have to earn it through blood and sweat.”

“Is that how you became so strong?” I asked.

“Fuck you!” she snapped. “Whitney is waiting,” she added, quickening her pace, her brows furrowed. A moment later, all I could see was her back as she marched ahead.

I spent only a second trying to figure out what I'd said wrong before reminding myself that I'd probably end up crazy if I actually understand Sage. Deciding to ignore whatever had just offended her, I looked back down at the papers about Ithilwen.

There wasn't really anything about her hobbies or interests, which made sense if work truly was her entire life. That made me wonder if this would be a harder assignment than I had expected. Unfortunately, there wasn't a portrait or photo of her in the folder either, so I still had no idea what she even looked like.

“Master,” Zoe called from my side.

I looked at her.

“Can I help?” she asked with a mischievous smile, flicking her gaze toward the folder in my hands.

“Umm... Of course,” I replied. Actually, Zoe's help could be really useful. She was a sex demon, supposedly a master of seduction, so who could be a better partner for a job like this? Especially considering I'd fallen victim to her charms myself.

Zoe beamed, looking even happier than she had after receiving the dress I'd bought her earlier. Having a woman who was more excited about seducing and sleeping with other women together than about getting new clothes felt like a dream come true.

Soon after, we reached the house, or rather, the ruins that remained of it.

Azura, who had been running around in her wolf form, barked before we could enter.

“You want to stay here?” I asked, and after another bark, I turned toward Zoe. “Would you stay with her?”

“Yes, Master,” the succubus replied. “Call me if you have a problem,” she added, looking uncertainly into the building.

“Sage will be there, and I bet she'd love an excuse to beat Whitney even if she looked at me the wrong way.”

“Love you, Master,” Zoe said, rising onto her toes to peck my lips before joining Azura.

I caught up to Sage, who was waiting by the door leading to the basement.

“The bitch isn't in the best mood lately, so I'd be careful and not get too close to her,” she said with a smile before opening the door.

A black-clad ninja, who I assumed was Sage's clone, approached and handed me a cup filled with blood.

With a sigh, I stepped down the stairs into the dimly lit basement.

Whitney looked terrible. Her hair was completely disheveled, her face bruised, dark circles shadowed the skin beneath her eyes, and she looked utterly exhausted. But the moment she saw me, she growled. Her gaze locked onto me as she panted heavily.

She looked both furious and starving. The moment I reached the bottom of the stairs, she jerked forward, but the chain wrapped around her body held her in place as she struggled against it.

“Blood!” she hissed, still straining against the restraints, her hands locked to the table.

Carefully, I set the cup down on the table before using my mana to slide it toward her. She snatched it immediately, tilting her head back and drinking it down in quick gulps without spilling a single drop.

“What happened to her?” I asked.

“That stupid bitch spilled the last portion of blood I gave her,” Sage replied.

“You punched me,” Whitney said, pausing only long enough to catch her breath before drinking again.

“I barely nudged you. Not my fault you spilled your food. Besides, you licked it clean off the table, didn't you?”

“Bitch!” Whitney gasped, throwing the empty cup at Sage, but Sage didn't even blink, catching it effortlessly.

The moment of compassion I had felt for Whitney vanished as I remembered the show she had been running, forcing her slaves to kill each other for the amusement of people.

“I brought the things I promised,” I said, placing an empty notebook and a pencil on the table.

“You took your time,” Whitney replied.

“Are you in a hurry?” I asked.

She grimaced as she pulled the notebook closer. “Thanks,” she mumbled.

“Anything new or useful you want to tell me?” I asked.

“You didn't keep your part of the deal,” Whitney replied.

“You've got everything now,” I replied.

“She was supposed to stop beating me!” Whitney hissed, glaring at Sage.

“Oh, I barely touched you,” Sage protested. The bruise on Whitney's face suggested otherwise.

“I’m going to kill you,” the Dragon growled, glaring at Sage.

“I’m waiting,” Sage replied with a smirk.

“Just wait until I get these cuffs off.”

Sage waved her hand, and the cuffs around Whitney's wrists clicked open.

“Sage,” I said firmly, taking a step back. I didn't want to be standing between them in case Whitney was really stupid enough to take the bait.

“What? I'm keeping my part of the deal. She wanted the cuffs off,” Sage replied.

In the end, Whitney wasn't an idiot. Even though she looked like she wanted to gouge Sage's eyes out, she stayed in her chair.

“Anything you want to share with me?” I asked.

“No,” she grumbled, looking annoyed with me.

“Okay,” I said, turning around and heading toward the stairs.

“Wait!” Whitney called. “What about the collar? And my dragon?” she asked.

“I don't know if we can trust you enough to free you,” I replied.

“She'll kill me if I give her even the slightest chance,” Whitney replied, gesturing toward Sage.

“With pleasure,” Sage confirmed.

“Maybe if you give me some valuable information,” I replied. “But you have some time to think about it, because it's not happening today.”

Without waiting for anything else from the Dragon, I headed upstairs, where I waited while Sage locked the basement door behind us.

“You were supposed to stop beating her,” I said, pocketing money that Sage handed me as payment for that short talk.

“I only punched her once. That's not a beating,” Sage replied. “And it's not my fault. I can't control myself around people like her. She should be happy she's still alive.”

I sighed, deciding to let the subject drop. Maybe it was what Whitney deserved. “I guess we'll see each other tomorrow?” I asked.

“Are you going to miss me?” Sage replied with a smirk.

“For the job. Ithilwen. Remember?”

“She'll probably arrive late tomorrow, so the day after is more likely.”

“Okay. See you then,” I said, but before I could turn away, Sage grabbed my shoulder, stopping me.

“What about your training?” she asked. “I was supposed to train you.”

“And I thought you didn't want to do it,” I replied, raising an eyebrow.

“I don't! But we made a deal, and I don't want you telling me later that I didn't keep my part of it.”

“I won't,” I replied. “I don't have time right now, but don't worry. I'll make some time for you soon, Sage.”

I left the house and spotted Zoe running away from Azura, darting between the trees as the wolf chased her, barking excitedly.

I watched them for a moment as the succubus effortlessly avoided the beast chasing her. Then they spotted me and ran over, Zoe throwing herself into my arms and wrapping her legs and tail around my hips.

“Master, save me from that wild beast!” she gasped as Azura barked beside us.

“Don't worry, we can tame her together later,” I teased before kissing Zoe and giving her ass a playful squeeze. But this wasn't the time or place for that, so I soon let her slide back down to the ground.

“I think we can make our puppy out of her,” the succubus purred, petting Azura's head.

The wolf barked, spun around, and ran back toward Ortas.