“Then I’ll be on my way. I suppose we’ll meet again in the Develion Territory next time.”
“Most likely. Be careful on your way back. Once you arrive at the Church headquarters, report everything thoroughly.”
“Understood.”
At dawn, in the living room of the Academy’s faculty residence—
The beautiful white-haired, red-eyed priestess knelt on one knee before me and bowed her head.
Today was the day Milinarije would return to the Church headquarters.
I gave her a side glance, appreciating her violently unrestrained braless breasts, and said,
“And as I told you last night, I trust you remember that the plan has changed now that Justia has agreed to offer me the Empire?”
“Of course. To think that you managed to obtain such a promise from the princess herself… Truly, you are the great Beherit. It won’t be long now before you become the true ruler of the Empire.”
“Ahem. Anyway, your job is to focus solely on taking control of the Church. Got it?”
“Yes. I will never disappoint you.”
“I’m counting on it.”
I patted her lightly on the shoulder, and Milinarije steeled her resolve with a determined expression.
Dependable as always.
When it came to Church matters, I could leave it entirely to her—it made things easier.
And with Hene’s assistance from now on, everything would proceed even more smoothly.
Controlling the Church was just a matter of time now, and the thought brought a satisfied smile to my face.
‘Though… when is she going to stop with the no-bra look?’
While we were deep in conversation, my eyes were inadvertently drawn to the slight protrusions pressing through her clerical robe.
Tsk. It looked nice, sure…
But if she was walking around like that even when I wasn’t around, it could be a bit problematic.
“You’re staring at my vulgar breasts again, oh Supreme One.”
“Hmm. It’s just… your outfit looks a bit light. I was wondering if you weren’t cold.”
“Oh, is that so? But it’s mid-summer right now.”
“…”
“No need to worry. I only go braless on days when I meet with you, Supreme One.”
“…I see. Thanks for letting me know.”
I nodded to her as she exposed a hint of cleavage.
Very useful information. I could rest easy now.
After my conversation with Milinarije ended,
She left to board the carriage,
And I remained alone in the living room, sipping on a refreshing cup of tea.
Gulp, gulp.
“Phew.”
The subtly sweet flavor lingered on my tongue.
A precious tea prepared by Liliana just for me, knowing my love for sweet things.
But as I thought of her, yesterday’s incident came to mind.
‘Tsk. What am I going to do about this?’
Late yesterday afternoon—
Liliana had found out about my encounter with Justia.
She hadn’t caught us red-handed, but the scent of female musk lingering in the bedroom left no room for doubt.
Technically, I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Liliana had been acting normal, as if nothing happened.
But her expression told a different story.
Every time we crossed paths, she puffed her cheeks slightly and avoided eye contact.
Was she sulking?
Wait—
Could it be… she’s upset because I haven’t done it with her yet?
‘…Nah. Get a grip.’
Still, it would be a problem if she stayed upset.
What should I do about this?
While scratching my cheek and mulling it over, I felt a presence in the corner of the living room.
I turned my head toward it.
“Liliana. Finished your morning duties?”
“Oh, yes. Um… It seems Lady Milinarije has left?”
“She departed a little while ago.”
“I see… Did you enjoy the tea I prepared for you?”
“Mm. I liked it very much. I drank it in one go. I’d like to have it more often—would that be alright?”
“Eh-heh. Of course! I’ll prepare other kinds of tea I think you’ll like, too.”
“Thank you. As expected of you, Liliana.”
“Hehe.”
Liliana beamed at my praise.
I smiled, watching her swing her shapely hips lightly as she moved.
‘Easy.’
If she’s this easy to cheer up, that’s a relief.
Her twin green ponytails swayed brightly—she was absolutely adorable.
I stood up and approached her.
“So? Feeling better now?”
“Eh? What do you mean…?”
“You’ve been sulking since yesterday, haven’t you?”
“…Was it that obvious?”
“Yeah. It was written all over your face.”
I said it calmly and stepped closer to her.
As the distance between us neared zero, her breasts pressed softly against my abs.
While we exchanged body heat, Liliana murmured:
“Um… Actually, I know about what happened between you and the princess yesterday.”
“I figured as much.”
“And also… what happened with Senior Lucy.”
“…”
“I understand Lucy-senpai has been with you the longest. And the princess—she’s royalty, so that makes sense, too. But… I don’t want to lose the third place to anyone else.”
Liliana looked up at me with moist eyes.
So that’s what she was thinking.
True, she’d tried to be affectionate with me for a while, yet there hadn’t been any real progress.
Maybe it wasn’t just Justia who felt uneasy.
I needed to reassure her.
I gently wrapped my arms around her and whispered,
“Alright. You’ll be the third.”
“Thank you… I’m so happy…”
“No, thank you. I’m grateful to have met you… and to have a future with you.”
“Ehehe… That’s cheating, saying things like that. I might melt…”
Tears welled in Liliana’s eyes like dew on summer grass.
Geez. The women around me sure are emotional.
Well… maybe just Justia and Liliana?
Then Liliana’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Oh, right. Lord Beherit. I’ve been curious about something.”
“Go ahead.”
“The country being built up north is called the Magocracy, right?”
“That’s right.”
“How did you come up with that name?”
That’s what she was curious about?
Well, she’d find out eventually anyway—no harm in telling her now.
Looking into her doll-like, beautiful face, I began,
“First, let me ask you this. What do you think ‘Ma (魔)’ means?”
“Hmm… Ma? Isn’t it something people fear? Like how magic was feared at first. Or demons. Most scary words have ‘Ma’ in them.”
“A reasonable answer. Then tell me—does ‘Ma’ mean evil?”
“Well… That’s hard to say.”
“Oh? Why’s that?”
“Because people don’t fear magic anymore.”
“Right. And why is that?”
“Because they’ve come to know its benefits… and understand it better.”
She thought carefully before answering.
I patted her head and continued.
“Exactly. People fear what they don’t understand. And so, they called it ‘Ma.’ You said to yourself that magic was feared in the beginning, right?”
“Yes.”
“But now it’s no longer feared—because people learned its benefits and came to understand it.”
As I gently lifted my hand off her head, Liliana looked a little disappointed.
Geez, she’s cute.
I sat on the sofa and crossed my legs.
“The country I want to build… is exactly that kind of place. At first, the name ‘Magocracy’ will invoke fear. But soon, everyone will want to come live in it. Because that’s what ‘Ma’ is—feared at first, but deeply alluring over time. That’s the kind of nation I’ll create.”
“So the King of the Magocracy would be… the Demon King?”
“Probably something like that. Sigh. It’s a hassle creating a whole new country just because of the complicated stories surrounding my subordinates. But it’ll work out.”
“It definitely will! I’ll always be by your side to support you.”
“Always by my side?”
“Ah, uh… I mean, well…”
She fidgeted, embarrassed by my teasing.
Her hips twitched shyly as she lowered her head.
I patted the space between my spread legs and called her.
“Come sit here.”
“Wh-where exactly…?”
“In front of me.”
“Ah… um…”
“You said you’d always be by my side.”
“W-well, yes, but…”
“It’s urgent. Come now.”
“Okayyy…”
Liliana walked over, blushing furiously.
Her pale skin was tinged with rosy color, her ears bright red.
After a brief moment,
She sat down carefully between my legs.
I admired the smooth curve from her tiny waist to her wide hips and spoke.
“Well done.”
“Ugh… I’m so embarrassed…”
“Thanks to you, I’m brimming with energy. Thank you.”
“I-I’m glad to hear that…”
“Mm. I should be able to handle today’s schedule just fine. There’s a faculty meeting, right?”
“Yes! It’ll be your first time meeting the others aside from Professor Elda, right?”
“Indeed. I’ve heard about them, but I need to see them for myself.”
“I’ve heard that some of the professors are loyal to the First Prince. They might think you’re here to expand your influence.”
“Let them think about what they want. I’ll just do what I came to do.”
“I’ll be cheering for you! Um… but something hard is pressing against me…”
In the middle of our chat, Liliana looked over her shoulder and commented.
She must’ve felt the pressure of what was touching her from behind, and her hips wiggled slightly.
Oof. That just makes it worse.
Her butt was surprisingly firm.
I felt myself hardening further and replied,
“That just means I’m full of energy thanks to you. Let’s stay like this a while longer.”
“Uuh… Something hard is poking me more now… But okay…”
Even though she was incredibly embarrassed, she didn’t move away.
And so, I enjoyed the warmth of her hips for a while.
As the sun hung over the rooftops,
I finally made my way to the Academy’s main building for the faculty meeting.