Chapter 17 : What the hell is a three – year agreement? I’m just going to start 

It had been over ten days since the wedding night.

Although the Sangoria Magic Academy wouldn’t start until July, Crasis had, just like she said, boarded the carriage to the Imperial Capital the very next day.

They were going to the capital for their honeymoon.

Ron, on the other hand, had finally started living the life of his dreams.

During this time…

Ron went through an incredibly grueling period.

In order to find any potential talent he might possess,He tried everything under the guidance of the Castrellero family’s top experts in every field!

Alchemy, holy healing arts, magic circle engraving techniques…

Ron practically exhausted every possibility he could think of for unlocking some special talent.

After nearly a month of this exhausting search, One morning—utterly worn out, getting out of bed feeling like one of the ten greatest tortures known to man—

A listless Ron laughed.

He happily raised both arms, striking the same pose as Mortis from that all-girl band.

“Screw the cheat system or whatever~ I’m done looking!”

Yes.

Ron had officially given up.

As a reader, Watching those protagonists in power-fantasy web novels—showing off, face-slapping villains, leveling up through hard work, having near-death breakthroughs—feels great, right?

Absolutely!

So satisfying!

But being the protagonist yourself?

What, getting crushed by villains before making a comeback?

Or having your best friend murdered by said villain, then going berserk with rage?

Or sacrificing everything—paying painful prices to cleanse the world of evil, ending up a legendary savior?

That might be thrilling to watch as a bystander.

But to actually live through it?

It’s pure agony!

Getting beaten black and blue, training to the point of collapse, losing people you love…

Can you really call that a “successful” life?

A guy like him, who couldn’t even handle the stress of school, was he really cut out to be a protagonist?

Just thinking about it made him feel exhausted!

Running away might be shameful…

But hey, it works!

So what if he gets humiliated three years later when the engagement is broken off?

Life’s already so damn good.

Ron had no desire to go on some dangerous adventure, experiencing tragedy after tragedy, singing some epic theme song of revenge in the face of death.

He just wanted to live happily, enjoying life like a carefree rich young master.

All those years of studying hard in school—wasn’t it all for a relaxed and easy future?

Now he’d gone from a broke kid to a rich heir in the magic world.

What more could he possibly ask for?

That’s what Ron thought as he lay on the catgirl’s lap pillow, utterly content.

“So soft~”

“Yumiri-chan’s lap pillow is the best~”

Ron narrowed his eyes in bliss as he unabashedly rubbed his face against her white-stockinged thighs, savoring the uniquely feminine softness of the fat beneath her skin.

If he had done something like this back in his world, He would’ve already been called a pervert, arrested, and sentenced to three years in prison.

Even if it were a consensual paid transaction, there’d be no avoiding administrative penalties.

But here…

He paid money! Which meant he could openly, legally, and guilt-free enjoy the exclusive lap pillow service at the catgirl café in his private booth!

“Dear guest, shall we begin the ear-cleaning now~?”

The girl in the black-and-white ultra-mini maid outfit, complete with cat ears atop her head, giggled softly as she picked up the ear-cleaning tools.

Under Ron’s eager gaze, She gently took out a soft eye mask and slipped it over his eyes.

Darkness enveloped his world.

His other senses seemed to heighten severalfold.

In that tense, excited moment—

The girl began by lightly brushing a fluffy puffball around Ron’s ear.

A soft bell chimed gently in time with her movements.

Ron was enjoying a top-tier, real-life ASMR experience!

After a series of teasing sensations,Only then did she begin the actual ear-cleaning, carefully sliding the tool into Ron’s ear canal.

“Eep…”

“That went in kinda suddenly, didn’t it?”

“Eh?”

“Did I hurt you, dear guest?”

“Not really.”

“It’s just… the sudden insertion was a bit…”

Just as Ron was savoring the moment—

A familiar female voice suddenly cut through.

“What a pervert.”

“To think my master would enjoy filthy hybrid creatures like catgirls.”

“And dressed in such shameless fetish gear, no less.”

Upon hearing that voice, Ron lazily narrowed his eyes and replied:

“Hybrid creatures?”

“Tsk tsk tsk~”

“You just don’t get it.”

“This is nothing less than a miracle of the Creator, a unique treasure of the fantasy world!”

“Catgirls—desirable.”

“Cute girls—also desirable!!”

“In a world without divine miracles, you can’t have both.”

“But here? You can have both, in perfect harmony and unity!”

“Ahhh~”

“Praise be to the Great Creator~”

Ron declared his perverse ideology with such righteous zeal that he almost resembled a cult preacher.

To deliver such twisted logic with such conviction—there really was something of Shiel’s influence in him.

The girl chuckled lightly at his madness.

“As expected of you, my master~”

“If the Church ever hears you preaching this heresy, they’ll probably drag you into the streets and have you publicly denounced.”

Upon hearing that—

Ron curled his lip in disdain.

“Huh?”

“They dare?”

As he spoke, Ron suddenly realized something.

Wait a minute.

This was a private room.

How could there be a second woman in here?

Don’t tell him… this was some sneaky upsell attempt for a “black market premium package”?

Suspicious, Ron reached up and removed his eye mask.

What he saw was a short, shadowy figure—about 160 cm tall—standing beside the bed.

Due to the nature of the service,The lighting in the room was very dim.

Ron quickly motioned for the maid serving him to turn on the bedside lamp.

A soft light filled the room.

And there she stood: the figure completely cloaked in a dark robe.

The maid attending Ron looked nervously at the mysterious robed girl.

Ron hadn’t seen it since he was blindfolded earlier—

But she had seen it clearly:

This robed stranger hadn’t entered through the door.

She had appeared out of nowhere inside the room, as if conjured from thin air!

Staring at the cloaked figure standing by his bed, Ron froze for a few seconds before he guessed her true identity.

“Y-you… why are you here?”

His tone was slightly guilty.

The girl under the robe let out a soft laugh.

“Come with me.”

She didn’t answer his question—instead, she issued a direct command.

Ron, changing out of his bathrobe, protested awkwardly:

“Hey, I haven’t even finished my service yet.”

The catgirl maid, still a little dazed, spoke up nervously:

“Y-yeah… the session isn’t over yet…”

“And the payment…”

Even someone with no social intuition could tell—

This cloaked figure was not an ordinary person without magic.

The maid feared that this black-robed girl was about to whisk her guest away without paying.

And if that happened, she wouldn’t dare go after them…

But the café owner would absolutely make her cover the cost.

“Shut your mouth.”

“Not a single word about tonight leaves this room.”

“If I hear you’ve been gossiping or making up stories…”

The robed figure said coldly.

Though her voice was soft and gentle—almost like a songbird—

The pressure in her words made the catgirl maid tremble uncontrollably.

“Y-yes, I—I swear this lowly one won’t breathe a word!”

Frightened out of her wits, the maid jumped off the bed and fell to her knees at the girl’s feet, shaking all over.

Even her cat tail had puffed up in fear, now fluffed up like a cattail reed.

“Hmph, at least you know your place.”

The black-robed girl chuckled softly and pulled a shiny gold coin from within her robe.

“This should cover his bill, right?”

“Keep the change—consider the rest your personal tip.”

With a flick of her finger, the coin landed with a crisp clink right in front of the catgirl maid.

The moment she saw the gold coin, the maid’s eyes lit up with joy, and all the fear she’d felt earlier vanished without a trace.

“Thank you, my lady!”

“Thank you for your generous reward!”