The tsundere mistress and her fox-eared servant on a yuri journey to defeat demons - Volume 1 Chapter 1

The tsundere mistress and her fox-eared servant on a yuri journey to defeat demons

Chapter 1. Lisa in the City of Vanities

…May, 836, Seika Calendar.

The undulating hills were covered with green forest. In the heart of the woodland city of Hazelnigrad, the ancient musical instruments and the
voices of elven bards singing reached the residence of Lord Albertini’s family, which stood next to the administrative district.

“Thank you, Averlla, for providing us with such a relaxing place to stay,” Lisa Edelweiss murmured to herself as she gazed outside and slowly poured the amber liquid from the glass she held in her hand.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit early to be drinking, mistress?”

“We’ve already finished the mission, so it doesn’t matter, Shen Hu.”

A blonde girl with fox ears named Shen Hu approached Lisa, who was by the window, wagging her furry tail.

“Besides, I’ve been holding back the urge to drink in the city…”

“…I thought you would finally drink that amore artigianale, but I never thought they wouldn’t allow it…”

Lisa’s lips tightened as she lazily turned the glass and watched the amber liquid gleam.

Lisa held a bottle of whiskey produced by Riton Pieno, a well-established brewery in Hazelnigrad.

“I’m twenty-seven, but because of this appearance, no one believes me at all.” Murmuring, Lisa turned around, her pink hair swaying brightly.

The face and body of the woman who looked at Shen Hu resentfully while exhaling a sigh seemed nothing more than a young girl.

“Kakaka. I guess it can’t be helped with your appearance, mistress.” Shen Hu, laughing cheerfully, clinked her glass in Lisa’s hand. “Well, it’s not so bad if we can just drink together, right?”

Shen Hu gave Lisa a big smile, who was about to complain, and slowly sat in a chair near the window sill, looking at her.

“I’m fine with anything as long as I can drink.” Turning her gaze away, Lisa took a small sip of whiskey.

The gentle aroma of wooden barrels and the sweet and salty taste of barley delighted her nostrils and tongue, and her mood lifted a bit.

“It’s delicious, by the way.”

“It’s made with love and care. First of all, I have to say it’s delicious, de-li-cious!”

“I’m not talking about that.”

Shen Hu stood up and raised her voice.

“You need to have a certain rendibú for good food, right?”

“I don’t understand what you mean by your rendibú.”

Shen Hu liked to use a lot of words that symbolized the culture of the ancient calendar era, but Lisa had given up trying to understand them.

After treating Shen Hu as usual, Lisa stood up from the chair and looked again at the guest room they had prepared for her.

It was a spacious – albeit modest – room, complete with a bathroom, a magical refrigeration device, a writing desk, a dining table, and a bedroom. At the room’s entrance, Lisa’s longsword and Shen Hu’s staff stood together.

“…Demons are becoming increasingly presumptuous, driving children away from their homes,” the sight of the weapons reminded her of her mission the other day, and she suddenly muttered to herself. “I’m glad you were able to rescue them safe and sound.”

Shen Hu, perhaps sensing Lisa’s thoughts, approached and smiled as she poured whiskey into her long-empty glass.

“Can’t you also praise me for my work?”

“Oh, so you’re back to behaving like a pet? Although I’d like to see more firepower first.” She agreed to change the subject, and Shen Hu and she clinked glasses again, taking sips of their whiskey.

Upon hearing Lisa’s response, Shen Hu’s cheeks relaxed with satisfaction, and her thick tail wagged as if indicating her pleasure.

“I see that’s how it is. Honestly, I thought so too.”

“…And you seem somewhat happy about that, don’t you?”

Shen Hu’s smile hinted at something, and Lisa stepped back.

Shen Hu caught Lisa, cornering her against a wall.

“But to increase my firepower, I would need the cooperation of my mistress, right?”

“What… ah…?”

Shen Hu looked into Lisa’s eyes while pressing her against the wall.

“…It’s time for a ‘meal’…”

“…I would say you’ve had enough before…”

“Mistress.” Shen Hu’s hand rested on Lisa’s slender chin, forcing her to look up as she responded, looking away.

“Wha-what are you doing?”

“It’s useless to play dumb now. How many years do you think have passed since you made the contract with me?”

“Ugh…”

Shen Hu, the spirit, regularly “fed” on her mistress, Lisa.

The purpose was to absorb her life and restore and amplify her magical power, but there was a problem with the way she did it.

“But, that’s… embarrassing…” The mere thought of receiving those caresses not only in her mouth, but sometimes all over her body, made Lisa’s cheeks heat up.

“As always, it’s such a decorous reaction. I can’t stand that part either. But, it’s time for you to admit it, isn’t it? You must be missing my warmth too.”

“……”

Shen Hu quickly took her lips, who was unable to say anything in return.

“…Nm…”

Shen Hu’s hot tongue slid in, breaking the gap between Lisa’s lips as soon as she felt the soft lips pressed against hers.

“Oh, wait… it spills… hmm…”

Shen Hu gently took the glass she still held in her hand and brought it to her mouth.

“Nm, hmm…”

The sweet aroma of the wet whiskey flowed slowly through the gap between her lips.

Shen Hu’s tongue groped and tangled Lisa’s tongue as she slurped and swallowed involuntarily.

“Nnuhm… Nn… Nn… ah…” Slightly intoxicated by the increased temperature and the aroma of the whiskey, Lisa sucked in fascination on Shen Hu’s saliva that tasted like sweet honey.

“Haa… It’s hard to stand, isn’t it?”

Lisa, who had been clinging to Shen Hu while holding her inner thighs together, was lifted slightly and lowered onto the bed.

“The fun is about to begin. I’ll have dessert after dinner.” Shen Hu loosened her coat and straddled Lisa’s legs, lying on the bed.

“…Ah… Wait. I haven’t bathed….”

Shen Hu slowly leaned forward and started to run her tongue along Lisa’s neck, but Lisa turned to stop her and whispered.

“I don’t mind. I love the smell of sweat from this beautiful girl.” Shen Hu licked Lisa’s neck, ran the tip of her tongue over her shiny peach shoulders, and then suddenly lifted her arm and buried her face in her armpit.

“Hiyahn!” Lisa jerked and tried to turn her body, but Shen Hu gently held her arms and she couldn’t escape.

“Haah… I can’t resist this fragrance…”

“Ah, aah…” The wet breath tickled Lisa’s armpits lightly. Feeling Shen Hu’s arousal from her breath, Lisa squirmed… “Ahn! That tickled…”

Shen Hu’s foxy ears gently ran down her cheeks and chin, which quivered from the brush of his lips.

“Would you rather I was a little rougher?”

“Don’t be silly.”

Shen Hu looked up as she showed her refusal with pursed lips.

“Nn? So you’d rather I stay like this?”

“Nn… uh…” She felt a hand on her cheek, her lips pressed against hers.

Shen Hu’s tongue, which was already warm, slowly met Lisa’s lips.

“We just finished the mission, and you already look so tired, mistress.”

Shen Hu’s jewel-red eyes reflected Lisa’s face. Seeing her own expression of joy reflected in her eyes, she gently looked away.

“And if anyone hears us…”

Shen Hu’s fox ears twitched at the edge of her vision.

But it was only for a moment.

“…I wouldn’t mind…” Shen Hu murmured to herself, then put her hand on Lisa’s cheek and pressed their lips together. “Oh, what a sweet kiss. I want you so much I can’t stand it.” Before she could finish, Shen Hu hugged Lisa hotly again and sealed her lips. Shen Hu’s hand gently ran through Lisa’s hair and stroked it repeatedly.

“Ah…” Lisa involuntarily raised her voice.

“I’m going in.”

“……!?”

As the door opened, the voice of a woman resonated.

“I apologize for interrupting your fun.”

Averlla Albertini, the lady of the house, glanced at the two on the bed and spoke in an indifferent tone.

“Ah… ah…”

Shen Hu threw a sheet over Lisa, who had a red face and trembling lips.

“Haven’t you heard the knocks? How much longer did you want me to wait there?”

“……”

Averlla asked calmly, and Lisa finally understood her words and got up, looking at Shen Hu.

“You heard it and tried to ignore it, didn’t you?”

“Wha-What, I would never… That’s not… I never… I would never do that…” Shen Hu slowly looked away with a deceptive smile.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Gyahn!”

Lisa sighed heavily over her shoulder as she fiercely hit her on the head with her sword.

“Well, anyway, I’m sorry for the sudden intrusion, but there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Averlla brought a chair to the front of the room and sat down, crossing her legs elegantly as she brushed her brown bangs, which were pulled up high on the back of her head, disregarding the appearance of both.

“What is it…?”

Behind her narrow-framed glasses, Averlla’s eyes were filled with melancholy.

The word “melancholy” was more appropriate than ever, and Lisa asked her as she tidied up the mess of her clothes under the sheets.

“Let’s start with the requirements. There’s a town northwest of here called Naklabal. I want you to look for some missing people there.”

“With all due respect, that’s not the job of the Sacred Knights…”

“Yes, that’s true. However, the Naklabal’s Sacred Knights are not moving, despite frequent reports of missing persons. So our Sacred Knights went to investigate, but we lost contact with them. Even though a Third-rank Knight at the commander level was included in the company.” Averlla turned without listening to Lisa’s words until the end.

Being a smoker, her fingers tapped the table irritably as she noticed there were no cigarettes there.

“Are you suggesting there might be demons involved?”

Making this request to Lisa, who was a specialized demon hunter, also known as Enforcers, depended on whether the other party was a demon or not.

When Lisa asked Averlla, who didn’t touch the crux of the matter, as if demanding an answer, the woman exhaled a long puff of cigarette smoke before responding.

“…It’s possible.”

“And what was the response from the Sacred Cult Organization?”

Averlla lifted the edge of her lips and smiled at Lisa, who formulated a series of questions without stopping.

“They said they would allow us to cooperate in the search for the missing people. Please, use your skills to the fullest as a specialized demon hunter.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice.”

When Lisa agreed, Averlla took two sealed letters from her pocket and placed them on the table.

“Thank you. Here I have the application form on my part and the application form from the Sacred Knights. Give them to Lord Sarg Cardiff, and he will tell you more. Just…”

“Just…?” Lisa raised her eyebrows in doubt at the sudden silence.

“The only thing is that Sarg should be the one handling this procedure, but he refuses to deal with the matter, claiming that disappearances are ‘common’.”

Despite security concerns, disappearances were not so common in the Sacred Kingdom. Hearing Averlla’s response, Lisa rubbed the tip of her nose and made a face.

“That’s strange. I’m also concerned about the whereabouts of those Sacred Knights, so I’ll get going…”

“I figured you would say that, so I’ve already made arrangements. There’s a ferry departing to Naklabal in an hour.”

“In an hour, huh. Get ready, Shen Hu.”

Out of the corner of Lisa’s eye, while calling her, Shen Hu muttered something with her tail and drooping ears.

“I apologize for interrupting. Don’t hate me…” Averlla gave a pitying look to Shen Hu and left the room.

As soon as the room door closed, Shen Hu collapsed on the bed, crying dramatically.

“Ugh… I thought I was finally going to have a ‘meal’… This is too much…” Shen Hu pounded the mattress with her fist while spreading her long golden mane over the bed.

Lisa sat beside her with an ironic smile on her face and gently stroked Shen Hu’s drooping fox ears.

“But we can’t just rest here after learning that demons might be involved, right?”

“That’s true, but…” Shen Hu, perhaps feeling a bit sorry for herself, looked at Lisa with watery eyes, as if on the verge of tears.

Seeing her, Lisa petted her head and leaned toward the bed.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

She put her hands on both of Shen Hu’s cheeks and brought her lips closer. Shen Hu’s eyes widened, and as soon as the short kiss ended, a surprised scream escaped her.

“Mi-Mistress!?”

“You go crazy when you’re so down. Besides, you must be tired too, since we just finished the mission, right? I just thought I could help you a little…”

“Mistress~!”

She averted her gaze, creating a blind spot, and Shen Hu pushed her onto the bed.

“Wait, we have to go…”

“Just a little more… we won’t take long…”

Shen Hu’s eyes were moist as she pleaded with Lisa. Unable to refuse such a seemingly urgent request, Lisa gave her a reminder.

“It’ll only be a moment, okay?”

“Yes, I know…” Shen Hu closed her eyes and sealed her lips with Lisa’s.

Shen Hu, pressing Lisa with a gentle pressure and murmuring that she wanted more and more, was always very affectionate, and Lisa did as she asked, kissing her repeatedly.

The time to depart for Naklabal was approaching.

“You’re leaving me hanging here…”

Shen Hu gently pushed her wrists toward the bed as she struggled to get up. Lisa helped her, opened her eyes, lifted her, and then let out a deep, humid sigh.

“…It’s because we have no choice. We can’t miss the ferry to Naklabal.”

“Oh, with the grand feast before me, I, I can’t…”

“Come on, don’t play hard to get.”

…Even I…

Her body was yearning for Shen Hu in a way different from her rational mind. Swallowing the words she was about to say, Lisa tossed her luggage to Shen Hu.

“We’ll continue later.”

Fortunately, they hadn’t unpacked, and preparations for their departure were quickly completed. While opening the door, slinging the long sword she had propped at the entrance of the room over her shoulder, Shen Hu’s voice sounded behind her.

“How much of those words are true?”

“I said later, didn’t I? I didn’t say when.” After reminding her, Lisa left the room.

“Darn it…” Shen Hu’s low growl was followed by the sound her staff made as she picked it up, and then she followed Lisa.

* * *

Orange lights, similar to those of the sunset, began to slowly illuminate the city. The streets, filled with restaurants and cafes, were permeated with the enticing aroma from stalls offering simple meals to travelers and street vendors.

Store announcers warmly greeted passing customers, inviting them to enter their establishments. The city of Naklabal, a provincial city located in the northern Sacred Kingdom, buzzed with activity this evening, with street vendors and visitors intoxicated by the beautiful wine they were so proud of.

“Haa… I have the best precious metals, as well as good sake and food… Hahaha, it’s great…”

The mature, well-dressed street vendor, who had entered the tavern early to celebrate the success of his transaction, left the tavern in good spirits after acquiring the desired item.

“See you later.”

The store manager, feeling pleased with his success, came out to bid farewell, smiling and waving until he was out of sight.

“I’ll make a fortune with this and come back soon, I hope.”

The street vendor patted the precious metals in his bag as if to check them and walked down the street with unsteady steps towards the inn.

However, he couldn’t reach his supposed nearby destination even after walking for a while.

“Hey, have I gotten lost…?” The street vendor stopped upon entering an alley with few pedestrians.

He must have taken the wrong turn.

Turning around to go back the way he came, he found that the path he thought he had walked straight was twisted on both sides.

“Well, it seems I did get lost…”

He didn’t want to walk in the dark and get even more lost.

The street vendor, looking around for directions, spotted a couple of lovers walking a little ahead.

“Hey, guys!”

His voice seemed to catch the attention of the man, who turned his head.

“What…?!”

The two figures of the man and the woman, who should have undoubtedly been in front of him, suddenly disappeared as if they had been swallowed by the ground.

Even when he rubbed both eyes, the situation remained exactly the same.

“Th-th-th-this is bad! Is anyone hearing me!?”

Before he could even think, the street vendor was shouting for help.

A Sacred Knight on patrol noticed his cry and immediately ran to assist
him.

However, he didn’t flinch when he heard the man’s explanation that “a man disappeared right in front of me”.

“Oh, not again…” On the contrary, the Sacred Knight responded with a smile, as if to reassure him. “It’s something common in this city.”

“What!? Is it common for people to disappear?” The street vendor shouted loudly at that response and pointed to the place where the lovers had vanished. “Why don’t you check it or something!?”

He shouted angrily, but there was no response from the Sacred Knight.

“Hey! When he turned around, the Sacred Knight had also disappeared without a trace.

“……!!” The street vendor’s screams echoed through the nighttime streets.

* * *

An intercity ferry bound for Naklabal traversed the meadows. From the deck, gazing at the remnants of buildings covered in green at the border between the forest and the meadow, Lisa brought her hand to the longsword strapped to her back, checking it.

The longsword was almost as tall as her, despite her childlike appearance.

“The inheritance from the ancient period… what about it?”

“Nothing. It’s just that… it’s too small for a demon lair.” Lisa replied without looking back.

Shen Hu, behind her, closed the distance even more, waiting for her hand to release the grip of the longsword, the savage blade, the flickering flame.

“You were thinking about the disappearances in Naklabal, weren’t you?”

“That’s my job. So, it’s natural, Shen Hu.”

She asked as if she could see through her, and Lisa responded, irritated.

“Well, don’t be like that. It clouds your beautiful face.” Shen Hu, laughing cheerfully, spun Lisa’s hair into the wind around her fingertips and sniffed it.

“Hey, what are you doing?!” Lisa took back her hair and pushed Shen Hu away.

Shen Hu looked at Lisa’s light pink hair with regret, but then, as if giving up, she leaned and looked at the ruined skyscrapers.

“Well, they’re just ruins. No signs that anyone has entered or exited.”

“…Right…” Upon hearing Shen Hu’s murmurs, Lisa also approached.

“Well, we actually don’t know…”

“So, the Sacred Cult Organization gave permission for our dispatch in response to Averlla’s request, right? I’m sure demons are involved.”

“Yes, but…”

According to Averlla Albertini, Lady of Hazelnigrad, it was in the last few months that disappearances started becoming more frequent in Naklabal. Initially treated as simple missing persons, with the disappearance of the Sacred Knights patrolling, Hazelnigrad could no longer treat them as mere incidents.

“But Sarg, the lord of Naklabal, dismisses it as ‘a common occurrence’. Even with the Sacred Knights of Naklabal…”

“Strange story, isn’t it?”

“It’s also strange that more than a dozen people, including Third-rank Sacred Knights at the company commander level, have disappeared. What does it mean that there’s no trace…? I’m also worried about the employee who was sent to Naklabal before the investigation.”

The report shared by Averlla just before boarding the ship was also very brief regarding the number of people who supposedly had disappeared. For this reason, a small sense of unease began to grow inside Lisa.

“The employee is required to submit a report, but after a week, there was no trace of him… right? It’s the same no matter how many times you look at it, isn’t it?” Shen Hu laughed alongside Lisa as she read the shared report.

“Yes, it’s always the same. The report also ends with a note that makes it seem normal for people to disappear.” Closing the report, Lisa let out a deep sigh.