The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 67

“Aaaah!”

Dora screamed at the top of her lungs when she saw him. With a dagger lodged in his chest, Benoch swung hard at Mikel’s head, causing him to stumble back. His eyes were instantly unfocused, and his steps faltered.

“Run…”

Mikel turned to look at the women, but then collapsed. He lay completely still. Stella, pale as a sheet, instinctively knew that the dagger piercing him wasn’t just any weapon.

“Persistent bastard…”

Benoch spat out a phlegmy mixture of blood as he glared down at the unconscious Mikel. Olena, still doubtful, couldn’t conceal her suspicion.

“Did you finish him off?”

“Yes, Elder. It’s a dagger laced with deadly poison. He will never wake again.”

“Are you sure? That one isn’t an ordinary human. We must be cautious!”

“This is a poison I tested on myself first, so there’s no need for concern. Remember, crafting poisons has always been a duty of my family.”

With a pained expression, Benoch rose to his feet.

“Let’s go to a quieter place, Elder. It’s time for the ‘confirmation.'”

***

Stella was dragged to a watchtower tucked away in one corner of the outer castle.

Most of the guards had rushed out to protect the city, and the few remaining ones were quickly subdued by Benoch, leaving the tower deserted in no time.

Benoch, having reached the top of the tower, threw Stella and Dora onto the stone floor as if they were mere sacks of cargo.

A chilling wind blew in from the open, glassless window. Stella scrambled to her feet and backed away, her wary eyes on the two elders. Olena gave a twisted smile.

“Don’t be afraid. We have no intention of harming that noble body of yours.”

“I’m not afraid.”

Stella clenched her teeth and glared at the elder and continued, “I find you repulsive. You destroyed the castle walls and lured in those monsters, didn’t you?”

“Sometimes, a bit of chaos is needed to fulfill a great duty.”

“…You’re not in your right mind.”

“Say what you will, foolish princess. You will thank me later, you know. I saved you from the hands of the priests who wanted to kill the Mind’s Eye immediately.”

There was no reasoning with a fanatic. Stella clenched her trembling fists, her breath shaky.

They must have had a reason to bring her here, even at the cost of stabbing Mikel. Whatever it was, she was certain it wouldn’t bode well for her or Islay.

“We hold no malice toward you, only the wish for mutual cooperation. See, we spared the maid even though we could have killed her without a second thought.”

Stella stiffened and cast a sidelong glance at Dora, then looked back at the elder. The smile on Olena’s face implied that Stella had better cooperate. Their business was with Stella alone, but they had brought Dora along as a hostage.

Olena, standing tall, wiped the blood off Benoch’s shoulder and gestured.

“Benoch, confirm it.”

What they needed to confirm remained a mystery. When Stella looked at Benoch with wary eyes, he threw the blood-soaked rag aside and approached her. He grabbed her roughly and pushed her down.

“Aaaah!”

He spread her legs and lifted her skirt in an instant. Stella struggled with all her might, but his strength was overwhelming. Seeing his actions, Dora screamed and rushed at Benoch.

“Hng…!”

But Benoch, not even sparing her a glance, stretched out a hand and gripped Dora’s neck. Dora went pale, her breath cut off.

Stella, shocked, grabbed his wrist. “Let go of her! You’ll kill her!”

“Lie still, or I’ll break your precious maid’s neck.”

“Alright, just… let Dora go!”

Tears streamed down Stella’s flushed cheeks. Dora, who had followed her everywhere and lent her strength, was more than just a loyal maid to her. Watching Dora on the verge of suffocation, Stella couldn’t bear it.

Trembling, she forced herself to relax, suppressing her disgust as she let her legs go limp. Lying still under the stranger was agonizing, but there was no other way.

Seeing Stella comply, Benoch released Dora, who collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut, coughing violently.

“Alright, alright. Enough of the melodrama. Benoch, hurry up!”

Olena dismissed the incident with a clap of her hands, as if summoning a dog. Benoch gripped Stella’s thighs, burying his face between her legs. His face was flushed with excitement.

Seeing Dora collapsed on the floor, Stella instinctively tried to struggle but shut her eyes tight, forcing herself not to resist. All she could do was clench her fists tightly.

Hot breath spread across her skin.

“What do you think?”

Watching the scene intently, Olena impatiently asked, “Did the Lord embrace the princess?”

Benoch sniffed, tilting his head. “Uncertain.”

“What do you mean?”

“There was definitely contact with Lord Peruno.”

“You dog! Can’t even tell properly with that nose of yours? Smell her again!”

“There’s certainly a strong scent of the Lord in this place… but I can’t be sure.”

Benoch, his face flushed, raised his head. “I need to taste further inside to confirm.”

Stella’s eyes widened in horror. She knew exactly what the scoundrel intended to do. Glancing at Dora, who was groaning nearby, she felt her eyes well up with tears.

“Wait, you said you could sense Lord Islay’s scent clearly?”

“Yes.”

Olena leaned her head back and let out a maniacal laugh. Her shrill cackle cut through the silence, sending shivers down their spines.

The city was still under attack by monsters. Yet this crazed hag was ecstatic just because Islay had touched Stella. Stella stared at the elder with wide eyes, her body stiff.

“That will do. It means the one who despised women more than the black beasts now desires the princess’s body.”

A deep sense of pleasure spread across Olena’s deeply wrinkled face.

“It’s time to begin the mission. Go and fulfill the rest of your duty, Benoch. The Peruno bloodline will continue through the princess’s womb.”

But Benoch did not rise easily. He remained between Stella’s legs, breathing heavily, his eyes locked on her. His damp breath and vulgar gaze coiled around her like a snake. Stella felt as if she was about to retch.

Olena clicked her tongue. “Benoch, you rascal. Didn’t I tell you to wait until the delivery day if you wish to have the princess?”

“……”

“No other man’s seed should enter her during the process of conceiving the noble Peruno. When the time comes, I will grant you the princess’s body, and you may indulge as much as you wish.”

Just as your family has done all these years. Olena added meaningfully, smiling. Even in her frozen state of fear, Stella heard every word.

“…Understood, Elder.”

Benoch nodded reluctantly, pulling a large, thick needle from within his cloak. Alarmed, Stella braced herself and tried to move back, but without giving her a chance, Benoch swiftly grabbed her skirt and drove the needle into her thigh.

“Ah!”

The sharp pain was fleeting. He pulled the needle out quickly, repeating the same with Dora, who had also collapsed. Then he strode out of the tower, apparently off to fulfill the remaining duty Olena had mentioned.

‘What on earth did they do…?’

Rubbing her stinging thigh, Stella crawled over to Dora, who was lying motionless. Though her complexion was pale, it seemed she was not in any immediate danger. The sound of Dora’s labored breathing felt precious.

“Men…”

Olena clicked her tongue and shook her head.

“Yet without men’s desires, it would have been difficult to continue the great lineage.”

“You speak of this ‘mission’ so many times.”

Stella, who had been staring at Dora with glazed eyes, slowly looked up. Her golden eyes were now filled with a fierce rage.

“What exactly have you done to Calis all this time?”

“We have kept the powerful lineage from dying out.”

Olena planted her staff on the floor and walked over to the window. She stood there, facing the devastated city, taking a deep breath as if savoring a fragrant breeze, her eyes closed.

The grotesque sight made Stella furrow her brow. The elder’s carefree expression, as if she’d just completed an important task, was unsettling.