Chapter 454: Depraved Recruitment Drive

Nala froze, staring at him as though he’d gone insane. "...You want me to what?"

"Whip me." He repeated casually. "You know, for practice. As a form of payment."

"Cassius, are you crazy?!" She exclaimed, eyes wide and tail puffing up. "Why would you ask for something like that?!"

"Relax." He raised both hands disarmingly. "It’s not a punishment or anything. It’s just...experience." He leaned slightly forward, lowering his tone in seriousness. "You know, there are people out there who actually enjoy this kind of thing. Some real perverts who like being whipped."

Nala was shocked at this discovery. "Wh-What?! You mean you—?!"

He laughed. "Oh, no, no! Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not one of those types. I just want to know what it feels like. For...training purposes."

Nala crossed her arms suspiciously. "Uh-huh. Training purposes."

"Exactly." He said with a grin. "Come on. It won’t hurt me. Just do it lightly. I’ll even turn around for you."

He did exactly that, turning his back to her and stretching his arms slightly as if ready to receive it.

Nala hesitated, coiling her tail nervously. "...You’re serious?"

"Completely."

She sighed and muttered. "You really are strange sometimes, Cassius..."

And then she lightly flicked her tail, giving a small whip across his back.

Smack!

Cassius flinched slightly, his posture stiffening. "Ow—! Alright, that actually does sting!"

Nala blinked. "See? I told you!"

"Okay, okay, I admit it, that wasn’t what I expected." He laughed, rubbing his shoulder. "But hey, at least now I know I’m not one of those...enthusiasts."

"Good to know." Nala giggled despite herself.

Cassius then turned halfway, smiling mischievously. "Alright then. Let’s try again, but this time, add some flair. You know, say something along with it."

"Like what?" She blinked.

"Like...I don’t know...’bad boy,’ or ’you naughty man.’ You know, character building. Makes the experience more realistic."

"Cassius!!" Nala looked utterly scandalized.

He grinned. "Come on, humor me! It’s just practice! Think of it like acting."

She groaned, face burning. But still, she gave in, if only because of how insistently he was standing there, hands on his hips like a teacher refusing to take no for an answer.

She drew her tail back, cheeks flushed deep blue as she muttered under her breath. "You’re such a bad boy..."

Whip!

Cassius jumped slightly, then grinned over his shoulder. "Yeah, that’s the spirit! Just like that!"

Nala blinked, unsure whether to laugh or die of embarrassment. "You’re enjoying this way too much."

"Oh, definitely." He said, voice full of playful sarcasm. "Alright, one more! But this time, with more enthusiasm!"

Her tail lashed out again, another crisp smack! sounding through the air. "Bad boy! Bad boy, you mischievous man!"

Cassius laughed loudly. "Perfect! You’re a natural!"

At this point, Nala couldn’t help it, she burst out laughing herself, her tail flicking wildly as she tried to speak through her giggles.

"I can’t believe I’m doing this! You’re ridiculous, Cassius, always coming up with the most weirdest of things!"

"Hey, ridiculous or not, you’ve got one hell of a powerful strike." He turned around, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "I also think I just learned something new about you, Nala."

She smiled, still giggling. "That you better not offend unless you want to get a horrible lashing?"

He chuckled. "That too. But you’ve got potential to be the perfect sadist with a tool that’s already equipped in your body."

"Well, I am a lamia of many talents." Nala puffed her chest slightly, proud of herself even though it was a strange.

Cassius smirked and rolled his shoulders lazily, then turned his back to Nala once more, lifting his shirt to reveal his chiselled back.

"Alright." He said over his shoulder with a grin. "Fair deal. But now, show me again."

"I want to know how good you can really do this. Come on, I’m curious, show me what that tail of yours is capable of."

At first, Nala hesitated, but there was a spark in her eyes. Something about his tone, half-teasing, half-encouraging, made her coil her tail back with a flicker of excitement.

"Alright then." She said softly, her lips curling into a shy grin. "But don’t complain if it hurts again."

"I’ll take my chances." Cassius said, chuckling.

Nala raised her tail, ready to strike—when suddenly a voice came from behind them.

"...What exactly are you two doing?"

Both of them froze on the spot.

Cassius stiffened like a soldier caught stealing rations, while Nala’s eyes went wide. Her tail froze midair before she slowly turned her head.

There, standing at the edge of the clearing, were Julie, Aisha, and Skadi, each looking equally confused and suspicious.

"Oh no." Nala whispered under her breath.

"Well?" Julie folded her arms, brow raised. "Are we interrupting something?"

Aisha’s eyes darted from Nala’s flustered face to Cassius’ turned back, to the large red welt forming on his arm which was already healing.

"It sure looks like we’re interrupting something."

"Master, why are there whip marks on your back just a second ago?" Skadi tilted her head innocently.

Nala made a tiny squeak of horror and immediately slithered behind Cassius, hiding her face against his back as though he were a giant human shield.

"Ahem." Cassius coughed, turning slightly toward them. "Just what exactly did you see?"

Julie narrowed her eyes. "Nothing really. Just...strange noises. Laughing. And a lot of whipping sounds."

"Exactly." Aisha said flatly. "Whipping sounds."

Cassius smiled, his composure returning in an instant. "Then that means there’s nothing to explain. Because there’s nothing to see or hear."

"Oh really? You call this nothing?" Aisha raised a brow.

"Yes." Cassius said smoothly, smiling like a saint. "We were just doing some tail combat training. Perfectly normal."

Julie stared at him for a long second, then sighed. "You know what? I don’t even want to know."

"Good." Cassius said quickly, nodding. "Excellent decision."

Aisha muttered something under her breath about "training" that sounded suspiciously like nonsense, but she let it go.

Then Cassius noticed something else, an empty bucket in Skadi’s hands, and the three women’s tired, irritated faces.

"Ah..." Cassius said with a knowing smirk. "Judging by those expressions, and that very empty bucket, I’m guessing your little expedition didn’t go well?"

"That’s one way to put it."

Julie sighed heavily, while Aisha threw her hands up in frustration.

"Didn’t go well is the least of it, Cassius! We did everything exactly as planned! We went around the lake from point A to B to C, splashed that stupid liquid everywhere!"

"And do you know how terrifying it is, Cassius, to be standing near that cursed water holding a bucket of Nala’s...bait? I swear I would rather get struck with the Leviathan’s poison then accidentally splash myself in that bait!"

"Hey!" Nala shouted defensively from behind him. "Stop calling it that like it’s something gross—it’s mine!"

Aisha blinked, realizing how that sounded, and quickly backtracked. "I-I mean, sorry! That’s not what I meant! It’s great bait, really!"

Nala puffed her cheeks, clearly unconvinced.

Aisha went on, waving her arms. "Anyway, every time we splashed it, the Leviathan did appear! It came to the surface each time, just like you said. But..."

"But what?" Cassius asked.

"It wouldn’t come close!" Aisha threw up her hands. "It just kept staring at us from the water like a creepy stalker and then dove away every time I tried to attack! It’s like it knew!"

"Yeah!" Skadi nodded rapidly. "Even without you, Master, it was scared of us! It wouldn’t come anywhere near the shore. It just peeked its ugly head out, stared for a bit, then swam off like, ’Heh, you can’t get me.’" She puffed up her cheeks in frustration. "It was so rude!"

Cassius rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I see..."

Julie crossed her arms. "We can’t keep wasting time like this. If it won’t come near land, there’s nothing we can do. The lake is its territory, if we go out there on a boat, it’ll kill us before we even see it coming."

"So...it’s impossible for now?" Nala looked down sadly.

The air grew somber for a moment—until Cassius suddenly clapped his hands together.

"Why the gloomy faces?" He said brightly. "This is actually great news!"

All four women blinked at him like he’d lost his mind.

Julie frowned. "Great...news? Cassius, it’s avoiding us. How is that great?"

"Because..." Cassius said, pointing a finger upward. "...you’re all looking at this the wrong way. Sure, it’s scared. But you missed one very important thing."

Julie raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"That every single time you splashed that bait, the Leviathan came anyway."

Aisha blinked, realizing what he meant, as Cassius continued, his voice growing more confident.

"If it really wanted to avoid you, it could’ve just stayed hidden...But it didn’t—it had to come. Even knowing it was dangerous. That means its instincts are stronger than its fear. It’s being drawn by something it can’t resist. That’s good."

Aisha nodded slowly. "Yeah...that makes sense. It’s like a cat who knows it’s a trap but can’t resist a good bowl of catnip."

Skadi giggled. "A cat talking about cat behavior—that seems right."

Aisha glared at her. "Not the time, furball."

Cassius chuckled before continuing. "So here’s my thought: if small doses make it peek out—imagine what a larger dose would do. Ten times the bait, a hundred times! The more potent the scent, the harder it’ll be for it to resist. We could literally drown its logic in instinct."

Julie’s eyes widened as she caught on. "You mean flood the area with bait? Enough that it can’t not come out?"

"Exactly." Cassius said. "If we coat enough of the shoreline, it won’t stand a chance. It’ll have to surface, and when it does, that’s when we strike."

Skadi nodded enthusiastically. "That makes sense! When I hunt back home, the smarter prey always ignore small traps. But if you leave a lot of bait out, they lose control and come running."

Julie smiled faintly. "It’s a sound plan. But..." Her smile faltered. "Where are we supposed to get that much bait?"

There was a pause.

Then, slowly, all eyes turned to Nala.

Nala’s expression went from confused to horrified in a heartbeat.

"Don’t you dare look at me like that!" She cried, her face turning red. "Just making those two buckets nearly killed me! I fainted three times! I’m sore, I’m swollen, and I am completely dry!"

"Okay, okay, we get it...We’re women as well so we can understand your struggle." Aisha winced.

Cassius hummed thoughtfully, watching her reaction. Then he smiled again, eyes gleaming mischievously.

"Don’t worry, Nala. We won’t need to rely on you this time."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Julie blinked.

Cassius folded his arms, smiling confidently. "Think about it. The Leviathan isn’t attracted to snake pheromones itself since the part that let’s out the bait is from the human half of her. Rather it’s probably just reacting the ejaculate itself which probably has something that makes it come no matter what. Meaning that anyone can contribute."

Julie froze. "Wait. Are you saying—"

"Oh no." Aisha and Skadi both stiffened, eyes wide.

Cassius nodded matter-of-factly. "Yes. That means you three can also provide bait."

The trio stared at him, absolutely horrified.

Julie, however, despite the redness creeping across her face, took a deep breath and managed to speak.

"As...shameful as this plan sounds." She said slowly, her tone measured but shaky. "If it truly is necessary to catch the Leviathan, and to protect the village, then..." She exhaled deeply, her face flushing even redder. "Then I suppose...we’ll have to do what must be done."

"Captain!" Aisha’s head snapped toward her. "You can’t seriously be agreeing to this insanity!"

"Y-Yeah! This isn’t just crazy—it’s evil!" Skadi nodded frantically beside her.

Julie, still flustered, rubbed her temples.

"You think I want to agree? Of course not! But we’ve tried everything else. And if this truly is the only method that works..." She hesitated, the words catching in her throat. "Then we don’t have much of a choice."

"Unbelievable...we’ve officially lost our minds."

Aisha groaned, rubbing her face. But then Aisha added reluctantly.

"Even if we do it ourselves, it won’t be enough. You saw how much Cassius said we need, there’s no way we can produce that much, even if we tried for days."

Julie nodded grimly. "Exactly. Even if the three of us...contribute." She said, her voice faltering on the word. "A won’t be anywhere near enough. We’d need far more." She sighed again, looking away in embarrassment. "And it’s not like this is something we can just buy from a market."

"Yeah." Aisha added, deadpan. "I’d love to see that merchant’s face when we ask for that."

Despite the tension, Skadi couldn’t help but snort a laugh. " ’Excuse me, sir, do you have any...Leviathan bait?’ "

"Stop it...Have some dignity." Julie muttered, pressing her fingers to her forehead.

"And even if we somehow find some women willing to...participate." Aisha leaned forward, voice serious again. "They won’t be able to—uh, produce that much. The only reason Nala made so much was because Cassius was..." She stopped herself, grimacing. "...involved."

Skadi nodded. "Yeah, it’s only when Master’s doing what’s necessary with his fingers and tongue that it...works."

Nala, who had been quietly slithering behind Cassius this entire time, turned pink again and hissed softly.

"Can we not talk about that in detail, please?"

Aisha ignored her. "So even if we get volunteers, I doubt they’ll...cooperate effectively."

Julie added, "And even if they do, Cassius, how are you going to get that many people to agree to something this...insane? And where do we even get all those women?"

At that, Cassius smiled, slowly, slyly, and unmistakably smug.

"Oh, that part?" He said, glancing toward the horizon. "You don’t have to worry about that."

He gestured toward the distant smoke columns rising from the nearby villages.

"There may only be four women here." He said. "But in all those villages..." His eyes gleamed dangerously. "There are hundreds. Hundreds of strong, healthy, capable women, each one capable of contributing plenty of bait."

Julie’s mouth fell open. "Cassius...no."

"Oh yes." He said, his grin widening. "As long as we explain what’s at stake, tell them this is for the safety of their homes, their families, their children—"

He paused dramatically, his tone turning almost sinister.

"...I’m sure they’ll be very cooperative."

Nala, who had been quietly hiding behind him, peeked out with an expression of sheer mortification.

"You’re not actually going to do it...are you?" She asked weakly.

Cassius turned toward her with a calm, almost saintly expression.

"Nala..." He said with false solemnity. "For the sake of the mission, sacrifices must be made. If that means rallying the hearts—and, ah—bodies, of the villagers, then so be it."

Hearing this outrageous statement, Aisha turned to Julie and Skadi helplessly. "We...We can’t let him actually go through with this, can we?"

Julie opened her mouth to argue, but stopped, because deep down she knew Cassius would go though with this no matter what.

And worse...he’d probably succeed.

They all went silent, watching as Cassius stood there with that calm, confident smile, the kind that said he’d already made up his mind.

Julie then finally muttered under her breath. "I swear, one day, his reputation as the Young Master of Debauchery is going to be the death of us all."

Cassius, overhearing that, only chuckled. "Oh, don’t be so dramatic. By sunset, the Leviathan will be ours. You’ll see."

Before adding as he thought of something mischievous,

"Not to mention that the Godess of Debauchery has given me some ’gifts’ recently for doing so good in spreading her mission and I’d like to try them out a little."

And with that, he turned and started walking toward the distant village, humming casually to himself.

Behind him, Aisha groaned loudly. "He’s really going to do it."

Skadi whimpered softly. "The poor villagers..."

Julie crossed her arms and sighed. "Brace yourselves, girls. The King of Depravity’s about to start a recruitment drive."

They all stood in stunned silence for a long moment, watching his retreating form disappear among the trees.

And all three thought the same thing,

’Dear gods, what have we unleashed?’