Chapter 482: Fine... Just this Once...
Heka kept her true nature hidden, her desires and fantasies locked away where no one could see them. She had her pride, and she would not let these strangers see the depths of her depravity.
When the night was far in, Heka took Benjamin’s hand and led him to a more secluded tent somewhere farther into the palace area.
The celebration continued behind them, the sounds of music and laughter fading as they walked into the darkness.
Her heart was pounding, her palms sweaty, but she knew what she wanted.
Benjamin totally reasoned Heka had gotten aroused by all the buffed up tribesmen dancing and moving around, their muscular bodies glistening with sweat in the firelight, their movements rhythmic and hypnotic as they twisted and turned around the blazing bonfires.
He had watched her eyes follow them, had seen the way her breath had quickened, the way her fingers had twitched at her sides whenever a particularly well-built warrior passed by.
The heat of the fires, the pounding of the drums, the wild energy of the celebration, it had all clearly affected her.
Benjamin’s mind was already wandering to the possibilities, the pleasures that awaited him in the privacy of their temporary quarters.
***
"Uhm... Heka, what is this?" Benjamin, looking conflicted, asked the dark-skinned woman that just unveiled a large naked, muscular man like it was a present.
His blue eyes were drooped, his brow furrowed, his expression one of bewilderment.
He had expected a private encounter with Heka, perhaps some intimate time away from the prying eyes of the tribe.
What he had not expected was to find the chief of the Khairkhan tribe standing before him, completely nude, his massive frame trembling with embarrassment.
The man’s silver hair was disheveled, his red eyes darting nervously around the tent, unable to meet Benjamin’s gaze.
The chief was blushing so much, his skin had turned red, as he covered his crotch with his large hands, his body trembling like a newborn fawn.
He looked utterly mortified, completely out of his element, a powerful warrior reduced to a quivering mess by the situation he found himself in.
Beads of sweat had formed on his brow, and his breathing was shallow and rapid.
"B-Benjamin, please listen to me!" Heka began pleading, her hands clasped together in front of her chest, her eyes wide and desperate.
She stepped closer to him, her voice dropping to an urgent whisper. "I know this looks strange, but I promise there is a reason for all of this! I would never put you in this position without good cause!"
Heka went into details about the curse, and how the duo both suffered for five years with no remedy.
She explained the body swap with careful precision, describing how Lei had been practicing a dangerous spell in the forest when her uncle, the Chief, had stumbled upon her.
The chief had occasional clairvoyance he couldn’t control, but it was practically fate that brought Benjamin to their village.
The visions had been fragmentary, confusing, but they had all pointed to this moment, to the arrival of a god-touched who could break the curse that had plagued them for so long.
Heka also mentioned that she didn’t have enough magic power and efficiency to heal them—obviously not true—but Benjamin’s monstrous magic could destroy any and all curses on a mortal level.
His power was vast, his abilities unparalleled, and she was certain that he could do it more effectively.
The Amazon magic that might have helped was dependent on her skill, but Benjamin’s raw power was more than enough to shatter the curse that bound the two together.
"I understand what you’re saying," Benjamin squinted at where the chief was covering his crotch, his expression one of deep discomfort. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "But why in the world did you think I will be more comfortable copulating with the male one? If anything, I’ve been feeling self conscious since he’s more muscular than me, despite how many times I trained. I have been working hard to build my physique, pushing myself to the limit every day, but he’s just there with a body that makes me look like a weakling. It’s honestly a bit demoralizing."
"R... Really?! I thought you were a being of lust and carnality, and even animals were on the list?" Heka asked, surprised at being wrong.
Her brow was furrowed, her head tilted, her expression one of honest confusion. She had assumed that he would be willing to engage with anyone, regardless of their form.
"Please fix your opinion of me this instant, Heka. And apologize." His voice was flat, his expression deadpan. "I have standards, you know. I am not some mindless beast who will mount anything that moves! Calling me a womanizer would have been better, even if I can debate it."
After the back and forth—claiming that deep down Lei, despite being in a male body, was still a woman at heart—Heka gave up and called for the woman, Khüch to come in.
Her voice was tired, her shoulders slumped with defeat.
She had tried her best, had attempted to make the situation work, but Benjamin was simply not cooperating.
"Y-You dog! So defeating my body was not enough, you want to destroy my maiden soul as well?!" She immediately pulled her dress tighter to her body, protecting herself the moment she walked in.
Her red eyes were wide with alarm, her delicate features twisted into an expression of outrage and fear. She pressed herself against the tent wall, as far from Benjamin as she could possibly get.
"Wha—! Do you need help or not?!" Benjamin retorted, his eyes roaming all over her smooth skin, her hourglass shape, and the swells of her chest.
Despite his words and protests, he could not help but notice her beauty.
His gaze traced the curves of her body, the delicate line of her neck, the soft swell of her hips. "Th-This isn’t comfortable for me as well! I did not ask to be put in this situation! I am just as much a victim of circumstance than you are!"
"Argh, he’s already defiling me with his eyes!" She ran to hide behind Heka, using the Amazon woman as a shield against Benjamin’s gaze.
Her fingers gripped Heka’s arms, her body pressed against Heka’s back, her breathing rapid and shallow, peeking out from behind Heka’s shoulder, with accusing eyes.
Leaving Heka to wonder, from the feminine reaction, [Did all those five years turn his mind into a woman as well?]
The thought was fleeting, but it lingered in her mind as she observed the strange behavior of the woman who was actually a man.
The gestures, the expressions, the way she carried herself, it all seemed so genuinely feminine that it was hard to believe there was a man’s mind behind those delicate features.
"Uncle!" The man, Lei, shouted to reclaim order in the room, his voice resounding the authority of someone who was tired of the chaos.
He stepped forward, his massive frame casting a shadow over the others. "This is necessary for us to become normal again! We have been trapped like this for five years, of pretending, hiding, and suffering! Besides... it’s MY b-b-body! I should have some say in what happens to it! If anyone should be uncomfortable, it should be me, watching my own flesh being used in ways I never intended!"
"F... Fine..." The woman, Khüch, looked away, flustered at first, then more docile, her shoulders sagging with resignation.
Her voice was soft, defeated. "Just this once. But I am not happy about this. I am doing this for the sake of my tribe, for the sake of my family, not because I want to!"
The tension in the tent was palpable, the air thick with awkwardness and unspoken thoughts.
Benjamin sighed, running a hand through his hair as he tried to process the situation he had found himself in.
He had come to the village expecting a simple detour, a chance to see more of the world. Instead, he had been thrust into a bizarre curse-breaking ritual that involved intimate contact with a woman who had the soul of a man.
He looked at Heka, at the desperate hope in her eyes, and felt his resistance crumble.
She believed in this, believed that he could help these people. And despite everything, he found that he trusted her judgment.
"Alright," he said finally, his voice heavy with resignation. "Let’s just get this over with."