It’s cold.
A dagger flies straight into my chest, piercing deeply.
I wanted to blame myself for not realizing it sooner, but I didn’t have the luxury of time.
I had to act immediately.
Four days from now, on the eve of the academy’s entrance ceremony, the followers of Behirit plan to kidnap Princess Justia, the Empire’s treasure.
In the original story, the protagonist coincidentally helps rescue Justia at the academy, bringing them closer together—an important event.
“Yeah, I don’t care about that.”
Right now, I am neck-deep in trouble myself.
If the protagonist can’t set up flags with the heroines, so be it.
I had to survive first.
For someone like me, who wanted to get along with the heroines, this incident was one I absolutely had to stop.
If I left it as is, not only would I fail to build a connection with Justia, but I might even become her enemy.
That was out of the question.
I abruptly stood up from my office chair, threw on a black frock coat, and gave orders.
“Contact them via communication magic immediately. Tell them to cancel the operation. I’ll explain the reasons in detail later.”
“Understood.”
“And prepare a carriage. I will personally visit the Count’s estate.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll make arrangements at once.”
With her sharp reply, Lucy exited the office.
I turned my gaze away from her and looked out the window.
Unlike my chaotic mind, the sky was annoyingly blue.
“The Gremory Count’s estate…”
The head of the household, Countess Raphaella Gremory, is one of Behirit’s five fingers who harassed the protagonist’s group in the original story.
She displayed strength befitting her position as the vice-tower master of the magic tower.
Moreover, her obsessive love for Behirit made her a particularly troublesome character.
I need to explain the future plans to Raphaella in advance.
If left alone, she would torment the protagonist and heroines out of her twisted affection for Behirit.
I had to head to the Count’s estate and have a conversation with her.
Looking down at the mansion’s front yard, I saw Lucy preparing the carriage.
I watched her diligently working for a moment before hurrying to get ready to leave.
***
A few days later.
In Galilea, the central city of the Gremory Count’s territory, inside the mansion’s office, a violet-haired woman stared intently at a communication magic orb floating in midair.
“Cancel the operation out of nowhere…”
The Gremory family, a prestigious line of mages that produced countless talents for the magic tower.
Raphaella Gremory, who had extraordinary talent and became the vice-tower master at the age of twenty-two, spoke in her enchanting voice.
Seated in an antique chair, Raphaella rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought, then addressed a short-haired woman standing beside her.
“Scarlett, did you carry out my orders?”
“Yes. I’ve recalled all the personnel stationed around the princess as per your instructions.”
“And the artifact for sealing magic?”
“I’ve retrieved it and stored it in the underground archive.”
“Hmm.”
Hearing Scarlett’s response, Raphaella let out a faint sigh through her nose and drew the magic orb closer with her mana.
Snap.
The orb, which had been floating aimlessly, settled instantly into her hand.
Raphaella’s sharp gaze pierced through it.
“Something’s definitely off.”
An order to delay the operation they had been preparing for months.
Though she revered and worshipped the one who issued the command, it was hard to accept.
The time and resources invested in this operation were enormous.
Above all, it was a golden opportunity to kidnap that loathsome princess.
To cancel such a carefully orchestrated plan…
Could something have happened to him?
Knock, knock—
“Countess, the Archduke has just passed through the castle gates.”
At that moment, a polite voice came through the door, accompanied by a knock.
The news of her beloved’s arrival.
Breaking from her thoughts, Raphaella spoke in a slightly excited voice.
“Prepare to welcome the guest. I’ll be down shortly.”
“Understood, Madam.”
The sound of footsteps gradually faded.
A faint blush colored Raphaella’s cheeks.
“Oh my… for him to personally come here… Ah, but I can’t dawdle. I must hurry down.”
She hastily stood from her chair, her violet hair gleaming as her mischievous eyes sparkled.
“Let’s go. To welcome the true ruler of the Empire.”
“Yes.”
Her smooth legs moved gracefully under her dress as she left the room.
***
Creak—
Clank.
“We’ve arrived, master.”
The sound of the slowly moving carriage coming to a halt.
At the same time, a blunt voice pulled me from my thoughts.
Opening my eyes slowly, I saw Lucy’s doll-like face looking down at me.
Ah, right.
I was resting on Lucy’s lap.
“…Good morning, Lucy.”
“Yes. Did you sleep well?”
“Mm.”
Looking up at the sky, the sun was already high overhead.
It seemed I had fallen asleep without realizing, thanks to the unexpectedly excellent comfort of her thighs.
I wanted to savor the soft, plump, and warm sensation a little longer, but I swallowed my regret and sat up.
“Thank you. I had a good rest because of you.”
“I’m just grateful to hear you say so.”
Lucy responded with her usual expressionless face.
For the record, it was her idea to offer me a lap pillow.
‘She has a surprisingly quirky side to her.’
Maybe she doesn’t feel embarrassed since she lacks emotions.
It seemed like an act of loyalty on her part, but I wouldn’t mind taking advantage of it again in the future.
After three days of diligently traveling by carriage, I arrived at the Gremory County, located in the central-western part of the empire.
‘Surprisingly, nothing happened.’
Indeed, during the journey here by carriage, there were no attacks.
I had wondered if we might be targeted by bandits or monsters, but nothing happened at all.
Even though in a typical fantasy world, merchant caravans or even mid-tier noble carriages are frequently attacked, this was not the case here.
‘Tsk. There were a couple of times bandits seemed to appear, though.’
I had looked forward to the opportunity for some real combat, but as we got closer, they suddenly fled in a hurry.
They must have noticed the crest of the ducal house on the carriage and decided they urgently needed to visit the restroom.
‘I’ll have to spar with the knights later.’
As I cleared my mind of random thoughts and was about to step off the carriage, the door opened, and a knight with sharp eyebrows bent over in a bow.
“Master, you’ve worked hard traveling. Will you step out now?”
“Thank you, Sir Mathias. You’ve worked hard as well. The journey by carriage was far from boring, thanks to you.” “Y-you’re too kind..!”
When I patted him on the shoulder as encouragement, Mathias looked deeply moved.
As the vice-commander of the Black Lion Knights, the pride of the ducal house, he had been my sparring partner during the journey, allowing me to get accustomed to this body.
Though it was the body of a Swordmaster, I hadn’t yet completely adapted to it.
Still, fighting someone at the vice-commander level no longer seemed impossible.
“Now, this must be the Gremory estate…”
I looked around.
In the middle of a sprawling garden stood a three-story mansion, exuding grandeur.
Although it fell slightly short of the Develion estate, most noble families couldn’t hold a candle to it.
Moreover, something had been noticeable since earlier.
“There’s a mana barrier in place.”
“Indeed.”
It seemed to prohibit the entry of unauthorized outsiders.
The entire estate was enveloped in mana, as if it were a thick fog.
Mathias, scanning the area, spoke in a serious tone.
“To extend a barrier of this scope… Gremory’s mages are truly remarkable.”
“No, this was done by one person.”
“By themselves? Could it be…?”
“That’s right. It was Raphaella.”
The mana barrier wouldn’t even allow hostile individuals to approach the estate.
I recalled how the protagonist’s party had suffered to break through this during the original storyline.
‘Now then, let’s see… this way.'”
Following the garden path, I saw a woman with violet hair standing at the mansion’s entrance, surrounded by dozens of servants.
She was the sub-tower master of the Imperial Magic Tower and the mistress of Gremory County-Raphaella Gremory, the Witch.
As our eyes met, she bowed deeply.
“Welcome to the Gremory estate, Your Grand Duke Develion.”
“It’s been a while, Raphaella.”
“Thank you for making the long journey. Now, come inside!”
Raphaella flashed a dazzling smile that couldn’t be brighter.
She then approached me and entwined my arm with her ample bosom, which appeared to be around an H-cup.
“… What are you doing?”
“Oh my, it’s unavoidable for me to guide you properly through the estate. Please understand.”
With a seductive smile, she said something ridiculous.
It felt incredibly soft yet firm, which was pleasant but also quite problematic.
Behirit was a healthy man in his mid-twenties.
In other words, when faced with such intense stimulation…
‘I’ll get an erection.’
However, that wasn’t something I could allow in front of so many people.
To maintain the dignity of a duke, I pushed Raphaella away.
“I appreciate your thoughtfulness, but this makes me uncomfortable. Please guide me from a distance.”
“…Hmph. If Your Grace insists, I’ll comply. This way, please.”
Raphaella quickly regained her composure, though she seemed slightly disappointed.
But now wasn’t the time to entertain her affection.
It was time to discuss the plans ahead.
‘Let’s get started.”
Feeling a suitable sense of tension on my shoulders, I began walking toward the mansion.
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