After leaving the main chamber, I returned to the room steeped in that sweet aroma. I carried several garments from the goblins that I had gathered along the way, making sure to choose those that weren't stained with blood.
The strong smell had already penetrated my body since the first time we entered the cave, so breathing a little more of that substance probably wouldn't make much of a difference.
Or, at least, that's what I hoped.
When I reached what had once been the door, I found Goliath tending to the victims.
There were a little more than six people scattered around the room. All remained unconscious while Goliath placed a hand on each one's chest and a faint light enveloped them.
I assumed it was some kind of healing magic.
"I'm done."
Goliath raised his head when he heard me. His expression relaxed immediately, as if my return had lifted a weight off his shoulders.
"Master! I've already healed the victims, though..."
His gaze drifted toward the people lying around us.
"The effect of the aphrodisiac doesn't seem to be diminishing."
I nodded and approached one of them.
I placed a hand on her forehead. Her skin was so hot it felt like she had a fever. Little by little, her eyelids began to open and her cheeks acquired an intense reddish tone.
"Hey there, handsome... How about we have a little fun?"
Her flirtatious smile and the way she leaned toward me made me swallow.
"The aphrodisiac is still taking effect..."
I removed my hand immediately.
Shortly after, the other people began to wake up. Their movements were clumsy and uncoordinated. Between the effect of the substance and the exhaustion caused by what they had suffered, they could barely stay conscious.
"We'll take them with us," I declared.
"Huh?"
Goliath looked at me in surprise.
"We'll take them back to the village. If we don't encounter any more goblins along the way, we should arrive in a few hours."
"Understood, Master!"
Without wasting any more time, we began distributing the garments I had brought.
Fortunately, most of them could stand on their own. Although they walked with difficulty and occasionally lost their balance, at least we wouldn't have to carry all of them.
I settled two of them over my shoulders and helped a third, the smallest one, climb onto my back. Goliath did the same with the rest, making sure none was left behind.
Once we were all ready, we set off on the road back to the village.
The cave remained strangely silent throughout the journey. We didn't encounter any more goblins, nor did we run into any other creature that tried to stop us.
For once, things seemed to be going in my favor.
My only regret was having left behind the valuables we had found in the factory.
"What a waste..."
Although, thinking about it, we could always return for them later.
However, as we advanced, I began to notice that something wasn't right.
My breathing was becoming increasingly irregular.
At first, I thought it was due to the weight of the people I was carrying, but I soon dismissed that possibility. The real problem was something else.
My body temperature was rising with each step. Sweat ran down my forehead and my breathing grew heavier. Every time I exhaled, I felt the hot air accumulating in my throat.
It wasn't fatigue.
It was something much more unpleasant.
"Damn it... Is it still taking effect?"
I gritted my teeth and tried to concentrate on the path.
I had inhaled a considerable amount of the aphrodisiac. Although I had managed to keep my head clear until now, it seemed my body was starting to make me pay for it.
"I have to hold on a little longer. As soon as we reach the village, I can rest and..."
Suddenly, I felt a hand wrapping around my groin.
I stood completely motionless.
For an instant, I even forgot that I was carrying several people on my back.
I slowly lowered my gaze.
One of the women walking beside me had grabbed me firmly in that area.
"Darling..." she whispered near my ear. "You're so hard..."
The warm breath that brushed my skin sent a shiver through me.
I glanced sideways at her.
"Would you mind letting go? This isn't the place or the moment."
My tone was meant to be firm, but she barely seemed to pay me any attention.
Instead of pulling away, she began to caress me with greater insistence, while her smile widened and her breathing became more agitated.
My legs trembled slightly.
The heat that had been accumulating in my body seemed to intensify all at once, and for an instant it became difficult to maintain my concentration.
I couldn't allow myself to lose control.
I closed my eyes tightly and breathed deeply, trying to regain my composure.
Then I looked at her again and gathered all the authority I could into my voice.
"Enough!"
The shout echoed through the corridor.
The woman blinked, surprised. For a brief instant, she seemed to recover part of the lucidity that the aphrodisiac had stolen from her.
Finally, she withdrew her hand.
I looked away and resumed the march, making sure to keep a prudent distance between us.
I gritted my teeth and quickened my pace as much as the load allowed.
After a few hours of walking, we finally reached the village.
It didn't take long for us to attract the inhabitants' attention. As soon as they saw us appearing while carrying several people, their expressions of surprise gave way to a mixture of worry and bewilderment.
Some approached to help us, but as soon as they perceived the sweet aroma that impregnated our bodies and the garments we wore, they began to stop.
"What the hell is that smell?" one of the villagers asked, instinctively stepping back.
"Aphrodisiac..." I answered between ragged breaths. "All men should stay away. The women will need to take the victims to a safe place."
The villagers exchanged looks of bewilderment.
Some even directed their eyes toward Goliath, as if trying to figure out whether he too had succumbed to the effects of that substance.
"Seriously? Is now the time to worry about that? Did you not hear what I said?" I replied with a firm voice.
My words were enough to bring them back to reality.
The women hurried to help us and guided the victims toward a village infirmary. Once inside, we settled each one in a bed so they could rest while receiving attention.
When we finished, I moved away from them and went outside in search of fresh air.
Unfortunately, the relief lasted very little.
The heat kept accumulating in my body. My breathing was irregular and an increasingly uncomfortable sensation spread through my groin.
"Damn it... How much longer is this going to last?"
I brought a hand to my chest and began walking toward the room where we had spent the previous night. I needed to lock myself somewhere, far from any stimulus that could worsen my state.
Fortunately, the door was only a few steps away.
I extended my hand toward the latch.
"Master... are you all right?"
I stopped.
I recognized that voice instantly. Of all the people who could appear at that moment, it had to be precisely him.
"No... Please, anyone but you."
I had already had enough with the women who had groped me during the journey back. Now, having someone with Goliath's beauty in front of me was the last thing I needed.
I waved a hand, trying to convince him to leave.
"I'm... perfectly fine. Uff..."
I continued advancing toward the door. Each step seemed longer than the last and my thoughts were beginning to become confused.
I just had to go in, close the door and wait for the effects to disappear.
However, before I could even touch the wood, I felt a slight tug on my shirt.
"Master... are you injured? Do you need me to heal you?"
I turned to look at him and made a grave mistake. I truly looked at him.
His eyebrows were slightly arched with worry, while his pink eyes reflected the sunlight. The long twin tails falling on either side of his face swayed gently with the breeze, and his hair seemed silkier than ever.
"Master...?"
The way his pink lips moved each time he pronounced that word was strangely hypnotic. His delicate figure, the narrowness of his waist and the curves of his hips made it difficult to look away.
"Don't keep looking at him."
But my eyes seemed to have forgotten how to obey.
And then, a thought surfaced from the depths of my mind.
"Attack him."
I swallowed.
My mouth felt dry and my breathing was growing heavier. It was as if I had spent my entire life lost in a desert, only to suddenly find myself before the most exquisite delicacy that could exist.
"I just have to make him come into the room..."
My hand began to rise slowly.
"Then, I could..."
My hand had already extended toward him and, before I could stop it, my fingers brushed his cheek.
Goliath's eyes opened in surprise. But he didn't pull back.
He simply stood looking at me, with that expression of worry that seemed to ask what was happening to me.
His face was so close that I could distinguish every small detail of his features and, for an instant, something changed.
That beauty in front of me stopped being Goliath. In its place, another image appeared in my mind. A face I hadn't seen in far too long.
"Amelia..."
The name escaped my lips before I could contain it.
My eyes flew open.
"What the hell was I doing?"
I pulled my hand back as if I had just touched something burning and stepped back.
Goliath watched me, confused.
I, for my part, was unable to hold his gaze.
Without saying a single word, I turned toward the door, hurriedly entered the room, and slammed it shut behind me.
I leaned against the wood and breathed deeply, trying to regain control of my thoughts.
"Damn it..."
I brought a hand to my face.
"What the hell is happening to me?"