—Skreeeeeeeeee!!
A giant rat monster burst out without any warning whatsoever.
"Shoot it! Don't just stand there gawking, shoot it now!"
"…No. If we kill it now, it will be sucked right back in there."
Urga—Big Sis—hadn't anticipated this sudden emergency. She shouted while hiding me behind her back, but just as the Elf said, a strange, hazy shimmer connected the giant rat to the still-open gate. It was visible even to the naked eye.
However, Big Sis Urga looked ready to smash the rat's skull in instantly to protect me. To prevent her from acting rashly, I hurriedly wrapped my arm around her waist.
Then, just as I had done on the bed, I insidiously stroked her firm abs.
"W-What are you doing?! Are you in heat in a place like this?!"
"…Me too! I'm in heat too!"
"You just keep your eyes on that rat!"
—Skreeeeee!! Skreeeeee!!
The rat bucked wildly, arching its body like a rodeo horse trying to throw a cowboy, struggling desperately to escape the haze pulling it back.
"Certainly, since you can find rats anywhere, it's the perfect creature to use for experiments like that."
"…Correct. The evil dragon knows this and is deliberately choosing rats to experiment with."
"But why is it so big?"
Realizing that I wouldn't let go unless the threat disappeared, Big Sis Urga pulled my hand up from her abs to cup her breast.
Since I couldn't exactly refuse such an offer, I spoke while fully enjoying the heavy weight of her tit—so massive it couldn't even fit in one hand.
"The Elf just said it. It has to be grotesque like that so someone will kill it, triggering the re-transmission."
"So, ordinary people would try to catch something like that to experiment on, right? Khhnnnngh… Y-You’re so lewd…!!"
"You've gone completely native now, Big Sis."
Personally, I believe the idea of attempting to communicate with or capture an unknown creature alive, rather than killing it on sight, is a mindset unique to people from Earth.
"On Earth, civilization is developed enough that we like to observe, experiment, and record what creatures exist, what they look like, and what their relatives are. But do you think this world has that kind of luxury?"
"…No, right? Just looking at it, it's disgusting. To normal human eyes, it's no different from a goblin. Even if they wanted to experiment… Mmnnh… maybe some wizards or alchemists would do it."
Back on Earth, the headlines would be screaming, 'Japan Shocked, China Regrets! Giant Rat Discovered in Korea!' debating whether it's a new discovery or has academic value.
But in this world, where civilization is noticeably less developed than on Earth, forget academics—it’s nothing more than vermin that needs to be exterminated immediately by a suppression squad.
Ultimately, we're going to kill it too.
But unlike Earth, where they would gather academic data on its ecology before deeming it a pest and culling it, here they just kill it first because it looks gross and dangerous.
Of course, that’s just my personal opinion. Others might see it differently.
"Besides, when you told them to kill it just now, it wasn't because you were scared of it. It was because you were worried I might get hurt by that rat, right?"
"…That’s right. To be honest, I don't give a shit if that thing runs around or goes crazy. But who knows what it might do to my darling? Hiii-eeek! W-Why all of a suddeeeeen…!!"
She said such a praiseworthy thing with such a nonchalant face.
I immediately slipped my hand under her tank top and pinched her nipple. Instantly, a sound that could only belong to a female in heat spilled from her lips, which were already grinning from ear to ear.
"Anyway, the Dragon who sent this rat isn't sure if the coordinates she set were correct. So, there’s no need to kill the rat blindly and give her that information."
"…Correct. Killing it without preparation is dangerous. If we have a way to seal the corpse like we do now, the Dragon will have difficulty obtaining information from this side."
Just as they say a skilled swordsman leaves traces with his blade.
Since we can't let that rat escape outside our farm grounds, we absolutely must kill it. And that will inevitably leave a trace.
Whether she digs through the rat's memories or uses some other method.
The moment the rat's death triggers its corpse to be re-transmitted to Glacia, our information will be clearly revealed to her.
However, if we keep it alive, or as we plan to do now, store the corpse and conceal the information, Glacia will be left with nothing but guesswork.
Did the rat get lost in the wild? Did I send it to the wrong coordinates?
She will be forced to consider various possibilities and make guesses, unable to be certain of anything.
The Elf spoke up.
"…Since the time of the Oracle is approaching, I cannot guarantee it, but as long as the string holds, the Evil Dragon will have a hard time pinpointing this location."
Now that the gate was nearly closed and the haze connecting the rat was fading, the Elf, who had an arrow nocked on her bowstring, gestured with her chin toward the string tied around the sack, agreeing with my assessment.
"By the way, what is that string?"
"…A string woven from branches, leaves, and flower byproducts fallen from the World Tree. It’s a type of seal that can hide the fact that this rat is dead for a while. Mmn, in your terms, a radio jamming device."
"How much of that string do we have left?"
"…I came in a hurry, so not much. Just enough to be safe for the time being."
I wanted to ask exactly how long "for the time being" meant.
But right then, the gate vanished completely, and the haze between the rat and the gate disappeared along with it.
—Skreeeeeeeeee!!
"…Die."
Thwack.
The arrow left the Elf’s hand and embedded itself in the rat's forehead. The giant rat collapsed instantly.
If that had been a person, the description 'He died with a stupid look on his face, not even knowing what hit him, which was a masterpiece in its own way' would have been appropriate. It laid its body down on the cold earth in vain.
But the anomaly didn't end there. As soon as the rat's life functions ceased completely, its body began to be encased in cold ice.
"So that's why the corpse was frozen. I just thought it was because it's winter."
"…A sort of switch. When the rat dies, it freezes like this, and next, it will be sucked back into the distorted space that appeared earlier."
No sooner had the Elf finished speaking than the haze began to shimmer around the frozen rat corpse.
The Elf skillfully pulled a massive sack from her backpack, wrapped the rat's corpse in it, and tied the snout of the bag with the string she had shown us earlier.
As if it had never been there, the haze shimmering around the rat vanished without a trace.
"That string, how long will the seal last?"
"…Safe for now. But as the moment of the Oracle draws near, it might not last past this year."
"Oracle?"
She said that earlier, too. Is there something going on?
I was curious about what this 'Oracle' was, but I didn't get the chance to pry.
"…Since the moment of the Oracle is approaching, I need to rape you harder."
"Huh?"
"What is she saying all of a sudden… W-What are you doing?!"
Having confirmed the rat was securely tied, the Elf suddenly began stripping off her clothes right then and there. I knew she spent more time naked at home than dressed, but to suddenly talk about raping me after setting such a serious mood?
Big Sis Urga and I widened our eyes in shock, but the Elf threw off her clothes even faster. Just as we feared(?), she approached us stark naked.
"…This is not for my own selfish lust. It is for the Oracle…!"
"I don't even know what that Oracle is?"
"…You will know in due time. Either way, you have already been swept up in a destiny you cannot defy, Husband. And for the Oracle, mixing bodies with me is important."
"You just want to do it!"
I had wondered why this rape-nympho had been so quiet lately, but it turned out those quiet moments were just a tactical retreat for this very moment.
As always, despite her expressionless face, drool was gluttonously spilling from the corners of her mouth—and from her pussy. Just like Eleonora yesterday, she was leaking thick, hungry fluids.
"That Oracle thing, that's a lie, right! You're just making it up?!"
"…Not a lie. Elves do not lie… probably."
"Probably?!"
Since I had fucked in the cold air yesterday, I was planning to take it easy on my body today.
I looked at Big Sis Urga as if asking for help, but she didn't look like she was in any condition to save me.
In fact, she had a look on her face that made me regret not running away sooner.
"Fuuuuck… You made me this hot… and now you think you're not going to do it…?!"
"Ah."
The karma of tormenting her tits and nipples to my heart's content was coming back to bite me.
Before I knew it, Big Sis Urga had hooked her arms under my armpits, restraining me. Along with her voice, the Elf, her face flushed red, reached her hand towards my pants.