Chapter 90: Mandragora Feeds on Human Fluids (4)

Chapter 90: Mandragora Feeds on Human Fluids (4)

'If I hadn't prepared for this in advance... would I have died?'

My heart pounded wildly as I thought about what might have happened if I hadn't properly prepared.

"You can release it now," said No. 3.

Seeing her mouth the words, we released the mana shielding our eardrums and turned to look. What we saw in her hands was the mandragora.

"Ugh!"

Levin, who had a weak stomach, gagged at the sight. The root, shaped like a shriveled human figure, was wriggling, with what looked like blood oozing out of its body. Its crude resemblance to a human, complete with a head and limbs, stirred an uncanny disgust within us. Its wailing, filled with resentment and anger, still had an oppressive effect, even though its potency had lessened.

"It appears to be Grade 2. The hatred and fury infused in it suggest it could be used for crafting combat-enhancing potions," No. 3 commented.

She placed the mandragora into a transparent glass jar she had prepared in advance, poured a liquid that appeared to be alcohol over it, and sealed it tightly.

'Is she making infused liquor?'

We harvested the remaining eight mandragoras, which were all just as grotesque. Levin, overwhelmed by the smell of blood and their disturbing appearance, couldn't hold it in and vomited in a corner. Jake, finding the sight unpleasant, distanced himself, while Dane stood firm, maintaining his pride.

"Nine roots in total. Six Grade 2 roots and three Grade 3 roots. But since my lady instructed me to calculate the payment based on the highest-grade mandragora..."

No. 3 pulled out a check from her pocket.

Rip.

"Total payout: 4.5 million gold."

4.5 million gold!

This amount was enough to buy a modest house in the countryside or even a small packhorse. While it didn't reach the 10 million gold we had hoped for, earning 500,000 gold per root wasn't bad at all. Levin, who had just been vomiting, quickly joined us, cheering and hugging us in excitement.

'Just wait—my mandragoras are even better. Their leaves are pristine, and they've been nourished with high-quality semen. They'll sell for even more!'

"What about the other two roots..." No. 3 trailed off, turning her gaze toward me.

I moved to the area where I had cultivated my mandragoras and pointed them out. Their stems and leaves had shrunk significantly, making them hard to spot. Noticing their unique appearance, No. 3 paused and asked Delphine, "Lady Delphine, the shape of these mandragora leaves seems different."

"I inspected them myself from the seed stage. They are mandragoras—it's just that what they were fed..."

Delphine hesitated, perhaps finding it inappropriate to discuss the matter in front of everyone. She whispered something to No. 3, who then coolly stated, "Semen, I presume. I expected as much."

'What the hell is wrong with me?!'

"Mandragoras should be fed blood to grow properly," one of my roommates sneered. "Those plants might as well have been raised in a brothel, not on an execution site!"

"I can't acknowledge them as mandragoras!" another chimed in. "To me, it looks like some random plant soaked in semen pretending to be a mandragora."

Despite their snide remarks, I stayed composed.

"For safety reasons, please cover your ears again," No. 3 instructed.

We all prepared ourselves in different ways. No. 3 reached out to touch one of the stems but quickly withdrew her hand, startled.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She calmly showed me her palm.

'Ah... that's my semen...'

Given her profession—homunculus creation often involved using semen as a key ingredient—she seemed unfazed. She simply wiped her hand clean with a handkerchief. Delphine, however, turned her head away awkwardly, pretending not to notice.

"Mandragoras typically absorb blood entirely through their stems and down to their roots. Could it be that these are not mandragoras but a different plant parasitizing them?"

"What are you saying?!" I demanded.

As Delphine appeared to waver in her assessment, my roommates gleefully removed their earplugs, laughing as though they'd just confirmed I was some lunatic who had spent a month outdoors indulging in bizarre fantasies.

"It seems their composition is different, and they don't emit a cursed scream. You don't need to block your ears," No. 3 concluded.

Delphine also removed the rubber seal she had used to cover her ears. "Then I'll harvest it," No. 3 said.

Pluck.

Unlike the other mandragoras, which required considerable effort to uproot, my mandragora came out easily. Its root system was simple and lacked the messy tendrils of the others. It resembled a small, fairy-like figure with an elegant and delicate form, allowing it to be pulled out without resistance.

'What... is this...?'

It was nothing like the grotesque mandragoras we had seen earlier. While the others looked like disturbing, shriveled human shapes drenched in blood, this one was an almost flawless humanoid figure, save for the stem and leaves sprouting from its head. It was so perfect it could have been mistaken for a fairy.

Furthermore, the stem that burrowed into the ground covered its back like hair. If the typical mandragora was simply a root shaped like a human figure, this one had features resembling Mollang when she transformed, complete with properly formed nipples and genitalia.

"Ah."

At that moment, the mandragora I had raised opened its mouth.

Its face was contorted in an expression resembling a woman in the throes of orgasm. It parted its lips, extending a root that looked like a tongue, long and sinuous.

HiyAAAAANG—!

Thunk!

'Th-this is...!'

It wasn't a cursed scream. Instead, as the sound echoed, everyone, regardless of age or gender, clutched their groins and bent over.

I found myself on the brink of climax, barely holding back the surge of pleasure that threatened to explode in my pants. All my focus was on containing it.

'Ah... If I hadn't relieved myself this morning, it could've been dangerous... What about the others?'

One glance confirmed it—some of the guys had already lost the battle. Damp stains were beginning to seep through their clothes.

The pent-up lust they had accumulated since morning erupted all at once. Levin and the others couldn't hold out and ended up climaxing. I turned to check on Delphine and saw her clutching her lower abdomen, bent over as well.

Drip.

Thick fluids trickled down her thighs. It wasn't hard to tell she was teetering on the edge of climax or had just barely endured it.

The only one who seemed unaffected was No. 3, whose design didn't account for "such uses." She calmly held the mandragora, examining it with clinical precision.

"Its effects have mutated. Originally, the cursed scream was meant to kill people. But now..."

When she first pulled out the mandragora, it had been fortunate that the nearby insects and small animals had died immediately. Otherwise, the area could have turned into a chaotic animal mating frenzy.

At least we humans had stronger self-control, allowing us to endure—barely.

"Ahem... Since we've already received our payment, we'll excuse ourselves now," said one of my roommates.

Clutching their groins, they discreetly retreated, likely to change into clean pants.

That left Delphine and me, still overwhelmed. I struggled to conceal my bulging lower half, while Delphine tightly crossed her legs, her face flushed red as she tried to act composed.

No. 3 continued examining the mandragora she had pulled out.

"This is the first time I've seen such a mutation. Its purpose wasn't just to consume blood and accumulate madness and resentment, was it?"

"It absorbed various bodily fluids—animal secretions, blood, bone marrow... and semen. Normally, the semen concentration would have been diluted, but this case, where it was raised exclusively on semen, is unprecedented."

"Indeed. And to think just pulling it out could arouse people..."

The lingering effects still hadn't completely faded. Delphine and I trembled slightly; if we made even one careless movement, we might climax again. The potency was undeniable.

"My lady has been looking for profitable items lately. This could be perfect. It seems to have significant potential for enhancing stamina, improving libido, and treating erectile dysfunction."

As always, the search for health supplements revolved around addressing sexual issues.

"In that case..."

"We could calculate your payment immediately, based on the Grade 1 mandragora rate. Alternatively, we could manufacture derivative products based on this mandragora's unique properties and send you a percentage of the profits."

In other words, instead of just selling the mandragora, they could develop and sell products made from it.

Since I wasn't in immediate need of cash and understood how lucrative such products could be, I chose the latter.

"However, its scream could easily be misused, and other alchemical workshops might try to replicate it. We'll need to keep the manufacturing method a secret..."

Seeing Delphine still trembling with arousal, I couldn't deny that this plant was extremely dangerous.

"I'll harvest the remaining mandragora as well."

"Wait—!"

Delphine tried to stop her, but it was too late. No. 3 had already uprooted the second mandragora.

Caught unprepared, I couldn't shield my eardrums with mana in time and was fully exposed to its effects.

KyAAAAAANG—!!

A hot sensation spread in my pants as I quietly lowered my head.

'Thank goodness for Mollang...'

At the last moment, I managed to shove Mollang into my underwear. The semen that had been on the verge of erupting was absorbed by her, sparing my clothes and underwear.

As for Delphine...

"Don't... don't look..."

Drip, drip.

Clear fluid, the kind that flows when someone is extremely aroused, trickled down her thighs. I could only turn away in silence.

---

'Is this hell?'

The scent of night-blooming flowers lingered throughout the training grounds.

If a regular mandragora's effects extended within a 50-meter radius, killing or seriously harming nearby life forms, the mutated mandragora I had raised had an absurdly wider range, affecting the entire training area.

While it didn't cause immediate fatalities, it triggered widespread arousal. Delphine and I, standing closest, had been hit the hardest, experiencing multiple climaxes. Even those who were slightly further away succumbed to its effects, climaxing en masse.

Given the location, it was likely that female knights had also been affected. Fortunately, the incident was agreed to be kept a secret, remaining an unsolved mystery of mass arousal.

Since the effects were caused by a scream unique to the mutated mandragora and left no physical traces, there was no risk of exposure.

'Or at least, that's what I thought...'

A senior knight, wearing only comfortable training gear—proof of his "recovery"—called me aside, exuding an air of knowing everything.

"You know why I called you, right?"

"Yes..."

Considering the circumstances, it would've been strange if no one suspected me.

"If you understand, I won't waste words."

"I'm prepared to accept punishment."

"Punishment? Failure deserves punishment."

"Failure...? What do you mean?"

Only then did I realize the senior knight wasn't accusing me of causing the mass climax incident. Instead, he was assigning me another secret mission.

'Of course, there's no way they'd find out... No one was seriously harmed, and everyone's too busy washing their underwear and pants to care.'

Instead of handing me a plain letter as usual, the knight produced an envelope with an elegant fragrance—a letter clearly written by a woman.

"What's this?"

"A request from someone of great importance."

"Someone important?"

"I can't disclose their identity now. Just know they're noble."

Most clients were noble anyway...

"It's a critical mission. Don't disappoint them."

"Yes, yes. Does it pay well this time?"

I opened the letter and found its contents written in delicate, beautiful handwriting.

"The northern marshlands?"

The northern marshlands lay beyond the beastmen's territory, a remote and hostile area inhabited by species like lamias and lizardmen. Originally populated by reptiles from the Utah delta, it was a treacherous place where humans rarely ventured.

"You want me to go there?"

"Yes."

"What's the mission?"

"Men working in the area have gone missing. Your task is to locate them. If you find evidence of an impending attack on the kingdom, signal for reinforcements. They'll arrive immediately."

"Reinforcements? Can they really get there so quickly?"

"There's a way. Don't worry."

The senior knight handed me a small golden bell.

"It won't make a sound norm ally, but if you infuse it with mana and ring it, reinforcements will hear it and come."

"Understood."

This mission wouldn't be easy. That much was certain.