He did leave Darkness in the guild

Darkness felt the weight of their stares pressing down on her, her whole body burning with embarrassment. They all thought Kazuma had stolen her panties! He hadn’t even done that! Why would Luna say something like that? Ahhh!

"Why is Kazuma being a perv?" one man asked. "Should I teach him a lesson? Then maybe we should get a drink later?"

"No, it isn't like that!" Darkness protested. She glanced over at Kazuma, who was speaking with Luna. He had just left her to fend for herself after Luna fed her to the wolves. He owned her, and yet he was just standing there, unconcerned. It was... Aaaa! She fought hard to keep from climaxing on the spot.

"Wait, isn't Darkness a freak? Maybe she wanted Kazuma to steal her panties," another voice said.

Too much! She couldn't take it.

"Wait, it isn’t like that? You want Kazuma to have your panties?" someone else asked.

"I didn’t say that either! Just wait! Listen!" she stammered.

They all fell silent, their eyes locked on her. AAAAAaaa! She glanced around desperately, but Kazuma was gone!

"Is that a new necklace, Darkness?" another man asked. "I didn’t expect you to be into choker-style ones."

"Of course she would be," someone else chimed in. "She probably pictures it like a collar, right, Darkness?"

Darkness squirmed in place, barely able to contain herself. "Enough of this nonsense! I call for a drinking contest! On me! Losers, remember that I am a paladin! I am not so easily beaten!"

A cheer went up, and for a moment, their attention shifted. That had been close. Any more stares like that, and she might have come right on the spot.

They gathered at a large table, and mugs of fine ale were served. Darkness downed her first with ease. Looking around, she saw that only eight men and one other woman had joined the contest. The rest simply watched, many of them staring at her collar.

The second mug went down just as easily when the man beside her spoke. "Can I see it for a moment? I wanna appraise it."

"I’m afraid I cannot," she said.

"Can’t?" he asked.

"I meant won’t! Shut up! Luna! Another round!" Darkness shouted.

The liquor warmed her from the inside, and by the tenth mug, she had dropped her armor and rolled her sleeves back. Only one man remained in the contest with her.

"What is that?" he asked, pointing to the mark on her skin.

"Oh! This!" Darkness said proudly. "A scar. From a recent battle!" Just explaining it sent a shiver through her body, especially since they couldn't even begin to imagine the truth.

"Tell us about it!" the man urged, trying to distract himself from his mug.

"Don't forget! We are still in the midst of a contest, and you are still on your tenth! Luna! Another!" Darkness declared, downing her eleventh.

Her opponent dropped his mug, spilling it. "Okay, I give. What's the story, though?"

"Ha!" she laughed. "Well, if you must know, it was a beast like none I had ever encountered before. It was ruthless!"

"A griffin?" someone guessed.

"As if," Darkness scoffed. "This thing pinned me down with such ease, I was completely helpless. Even a griffin’s talon would have been easier."

"A manticore?" another voice suggested.

"Not a bad guess," she admitted. "But the way it hit me—at my core—I felt like I was going to be split in two. I am sure even a manticore would feel like a walk in the park in comparison."

"A dragon?" a girl asked.

"Bullshit. Not even Darkness could handle a dragon," one of the men countered.

"He’s right," she admitted. "A dragon would likely overwhelm me. But in terms of aura, I imagine it is the closest thing to the beast. I felt true presence—something I had only ever believed existed in the tales of the minstrels before that fateful day."

"Well, what the heck was it then?"

"I don’t know what the compendium calls it," Darkness said. "All I know it as is the Beast."

"How did you defeat such a legendary creature?"

"When did I say I defeated it?" she asked, taking a slow sip of her drink.

Everyone stared at her. The girls looked frightened.

"So such a dangerous beast is still near town?" a waitress asked.

"Yes," Darkness paused, a low moan slipping from her lips as she felt her Master's presence deep inside her. "Ouh! I think the Beast is active as we speak. I’ve gained a sense for it."

A man grabbed a deck of cards and began shuffling. "Enough nonsense. Let's play poker."

Darkness grinned. "I accept your challenge! But I do not speak nonsense!"

"Then how did you escape?" the man asked as he dealt the cards.

"I didn’t!" she answered. "After I passed out from the experience, I simply woke up with the Beast seemingly more interested in new prey. This mark was carved into my flesh."

"You don't seem that scared, given how deep that mark looks," another waitress noted.

"Of course not," Darkness said confidently. "I am not so easily frightened. I will fight the Beast again! And again! I won’t let it so easily come for you! You can rest assured!"

The tavern erupted into cheers as Darkness looked at her cards. The way they were staring at her—imagining how much the Beast had torn her apart—it was exhilarating. They would never know the true depths of what had happened to her that day, and if she was lucky, what would happen to her again soon enough.