Chapter 334

Here’s the English translation of the provided novel excerpt, adhering to the glossary and maintaining the original tone and style:

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334 Carrot and Whip #8

I thought I had grown accustomed to most kinds of pain in my life. But the agony I felt after swallowing the flame Elpride gave me was beyond anything I had imagined.

It was as if my body was being shattered and remade. The sensation was like a red-hot skewer searing my lower abdomen from the inside out.

I wanted to thrash around and scream, but if I let all my strength slip away like that, I’d collapse before the sun even rose today.

So, I forced myself to hold onto my sanity and endured the pain.

Of course, the only reason I could keep my mind from breaking was because Elpride was here.

“… ”

She kept chanting spells I couldn’t understand. The longer her incantations went on, the more violently the flames inside my body raged.

To escape the torment, I buried my face against the nape of her neck or reached inside her negligee to stroke her back.

” . ”

Elpride didn’t stop me or anything. She just silently continued chanting, as if focused solely on what she had to do.

I wished I could feel more of her skin against mine.

So, I slowly pulled down the thin silk straps of her negligee, letting them slip off her shoulders. What was revealed was an impossibly pale, flawless expanse of skin.

At the same time, her surprisingly full, beautifully shaped br*asts came into view, unobstructed. Pink areolas and nipples that stood stiffly for some reason.

” . ”

But the moment was fleeting—Elpride covered herself with her hands, cutting off my view after mere seconds.

I pushed her down onto the bed, then frantically moved to press my bare torso against hers.

The more our skin touched, the more the scorching flames inside me flowed out through her. I lifted my palm and raised her arm above her head.

Her hands, which had been shielding her chest, faltered, and soon her large, snow-white br*asts were fully exposed before my eyes.

Squelch—

When I grabbed that softness in my hand, the sensation was far more tender and warm than I could’ve imagined. The pain in my lower abdomen seemed to ease just a little.

If I was going to endure this torment all night, this was the only way.

That thought came to me like instinct. I buried my face between her br*asts and brushed my fingers over her nipples and areolas.

“Ngh—”

A strange, m*an-like sound slipped into her chanting. Encouraged, I moved my mouth to take one of her br*asts, rolling my tongue over it.

Elpride—the girl I had only ever seen from over her shoulder, the girl who had once been my master when I was a slave—was now beneath me, letting me touch and lick her br*asts as I pleased. A strange mix of conquest and guilt surged through me, clearing my head.

Maybe it was endorphins or something, making me forget the pain.

I focused entirely on licking and sucking Elpride’s br*asts.

Shutting out all other sensations, pouring all my attention into this, even the searing skewer-like pain in my lower abdomen dulled slightly.

I had worried she might resist or push me away, but surprisingly, she remained indifferent, as if merely observing my actions.

But—but I still felt like something was missing.

So, my hands moved lower, pushing aside the negligee covering her thighs and stomach, until finally, I reached the clenched space between her legs.

Firm yet soft thighs. When I tried to part them, I felt slight resistance, as if she was fighting back with just a bit of strength—but only for a moment.

Sshhk—

In the end, her legs spread wide like wings under my touch.

Between them was black lace-trimmed underwear—different from what I’d seen last time, judging by the ribbons and lace pattern.

Not that the underwear mattered. It was what lay beyond that counted.

But now that it was right before my eyes, my hands and body froze.

Maybe Elpride had known it would come to this. She had warned me that if I learned magic from her, many things would change.

And she was right. If I gave in to the pain and instinct now, something fundamental between us would undoubtedly shift.

That was why I couldn’t move.

Whether she sensed my hesitation or not, Elpride—still lying down, still chanting—hooked her ankles over my shoulders, one on each side.

My mind was a mess, but I wasn’t so stupid that I couldn’t understand what that meant.

“… ”

Then, Elpride stopped chanting.

“Luna was such a good girl. If it were me, I’d never yield or forgive. Good things are meant to be kept to oneself—not shared.”

“Why are you bringing up Luna now…?”

“But isn’t it unfair to call me the Thief Cat? By all rights, I should’ve been first.”

“What the hell are you—”

“Enough. Shut up and just hold me. You want to, don’t you? Like this—stripping me bare. Your instincts already know, right? That sharing magic through union is the best way.”

Instinct?

She was right.

My instincts told me that to endure the pain burning in my stomach, I had to become one with Elpride, sharing the agony.

Sshhk—

“What a coward.”

Then, Elpride kneaded her own br*asts with her hands. The moment I saw that, the last remnants of my reason shattered.

Even so, I could still muster the transcendent patience of someone who had surpassed humanity—someone on the path to godhood.

“No, this is… still…”

Creak.

Elpride’s brow furrowed.

“I told you there was a condition for learning magic from me. Make me your first wife. That’s my price.”

“My… wife? You?”

“You hate me, don’t you? If I become your first family, who else but me would d*e by your hand? So, starting today, you’d better love me the most.”

“…And you’re okay with that?”

“Hassan, do you think I’d do this with a man I despise? Do you still not understand me at all?”

Drip. Drip—

Tears began welling in Elpride’s ruby-red eyes. Elpride was crying? My mind went blank.

The searing pain that had been tormenting me vanished from my awareness. All I could focus on was the fact that Elpride was shedding tears.

“I was first. So why did you run? I treated you well, didn’t I? So why did you say those things to me?”

Elpride was crying.

The girl who seemed utterly disconnected from emotions like sorrow or tears—

The girl who might as well have had a heart forged of iron—

The girl who had always carried herself with pride, surrounded by countless men, was now weeping beneath me. It didn’t feel real.

“The moment you met me, you got along so well with that Luna girl. You never smiled at me like that. All you ever did was snap at me.”

Elpride’s emotions erupted like a volcano. What had been buried deep underground for so long now burst forth uncontrollably.

“You took the money I gave you for food and used it to buy your freedom. And then you just ran away—”

Sshhk—

Then, Elpride’s arms wrapped around my neck, pulling me toward her. Her legs locked around my waist like shackles, binding me in a firm prison.

“But I won’t let you escape now. No matter what anyone says, you’re mine.”

My face was drawn in, and Elpride’s lips met mine.

It hurt.

Could this even be called a kiss? But after biting my lips for a moment, her mouth slowly opened, ready to take me in.

We kissed deeply, tongues entwined, savoring each other.

When I tried to pull away after minutes of this, gasping for air, Elpride’s hands gripping my neck and head wouldn’t allow it.

“Focus on me. Don’t run away, you coward…!”

“Are you sure you can handle this?”

“You think I’d flinch at something like you? I’m Elpride, the Witch of Flames. I’m nothing like a coward like you.”

As if her tears moments ago had been a lie, her reddened eyes now stared up at me defiantly. The way she kept calling me a coward pissed me off.

So, even knowing this was her provocation, I slowly moved my hand to trace the inside of Elpride’s thigh.

Sshhk, sshhkk—

Her thighs were warm, like freshly steamed rice cakes.

Every time I stroked them, her body trembled slightly—adorably vulnerable.

Shiver—

“Ngh, nghh…!”

Despite her tough act, I could tell she was nervous from the way her thighs tensed. Not that I blamed her. I was plenty nervous myself.

To shake off the tension, I spoke.

“Elpride, if it weren’t for you, I’d have died hanging from a noose. I never said it, but… I’ve always been grateful.”

“If we’d met normally—nngh—could we have been like this too? Like you and that pink-haired Luna…?”

Her words made me imagine a different life. One where Elpride and I formed a party, conquering dungeons, treacherous forests, and monsters together.

Hassan, you b*stard! I told you to protect me properly during incantations!

If you’d just chant a little faster! How am I supposed to block everything with just one body?!

The scene came to mind easily. It would’ve been a fun life in its own way.

Sleeping under the stars, falling asleep gazing at the night sky. Maybe, in time, we’d have fallen in love naturally—sharing kisses, whispering sweet nothings in an inn room like this.

“Yeah. I’m sure we would’ve.”

I answered softly, then moved my hand again.

Leaving the warmth of her inner thighs, I ventured deeper, toward a more secret place.

“Hah, hahh—”

As I neared that spot, Elpride’s breathing grew ragged, like she was terrified.

Pushing aside the soaked lace panties, my fingers finally brushed against her slick folds. The moment they did, her tear-filled eyes flew open wider than I’d ever seen.

Sshhk, sshhhk—

I stroked her soft labia with a single finger. The sensation was unbelievably smooth, tender, and drenched.

“Hyah—ahh…!”

Elpride let out a melting m*an, like she’d been startled. Was she unused to stimulation? I slowly lowered my head, bringing my face between her legs.

When I parted her folds with my fingers, her entrance was so swollen that I couldn’t even see the hole. She looked completely inexperienced—maybe even untouched.

“Hey… are you a virgin?”

“Hah?! W-Why would you even ask something so obvious?!”

Good god. Elpride was a virgin.

The girl who’d always been surrounded by men—who’d have thought she was untouched?

Images flashed through my mind—all the men who’d tried to win her over: Cavil, Siz, Ormet Beth, Jakarta—

Idiots.

The morons who’d envied me for being Elpride’s slave, who’d tormented me behind her back. They’d probably jerked off to fantasies of her.

And now, here I was, stealing what they’d poured their hearts into obtaining but never could. The thought made my head spin.

Sshhk—

I carefully pushed a finger inside her.

“Nghh…!”

Her walls clenched tight, as if trying to push the intruder out, and the sensation made my lower half painfully hard.

Unable to hold back any longer, I pulled down my pants, freeing my c*ck from its confines.

“I-Is it really that big…?”

Elpride’s legs tensed as she stared at my angry length in shock.

“…Last time I saw it, it wasn’t this big…?”

Last time? I’d been n*ked in front of her plenty during my enslavement, but back then, I’d been under the curse of Dusas—rendered impotent.

Had Elpride never seen a fully erect man before?

“You’ve never seen another guy’s?”

“Hah?! W-Why would I?!”

The Elpride on the bed was acting like a pure maiden. Now that I thought about it, weren’t elves supposed to be emotionally stunted? Maybe this reaction was normal.

It made sense why she’d never given the men chasing her the time of day.

Did that mean my c*ck was the first erect one she’d ever seen? The thought was oddly touching—and stirred something slightly sadistic in me.

“This is going inside you. It’ll reach… all the way here.”

I pressed my length against her lower stomach. The tip reached nearly to her navel.

The sight scared even me.

Just how would it feel to have something this big buried inside her? Elpride’s ragged breathing made it clear she was just as terrified.

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