Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: 104. Full Throttle
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[...Say that again.]
“...He asked me to send over some materials related to bedroom arts.”
[...]
Beatrix, on the other end of the call, cradled her chin and fell deep into thought.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, then promptly closed it again.
It was clear she had no idea where to even begin.
Finally, Beatrix gave up entirely, clutching her head and speaking in a voice full of resignation.
[What the hell did that bastard do this time?]
“...”
Dawood was cursing outright, but even Elnor couldn’t muster a response this time.
The more she thought about what came next, the stronger that feeling became.
“Dawood, he, uh, a, a, a-”
Elnor stammered out the words, her face flushed bright red.
For a woman who had never worn any expression other than blank neutrality, this sentence was enough to make her feel utter shame.
[...A, what? Did you break?]
“He said let’s have a child.”
[...]
“Even before the wedding, he thought one wouldn’t be so bad.”
Beatrix fell silent for a moment, her face drained of color, before finally managing to speak.
[Why would that come up all of a sudden?]
“...He announced he plans to take a concubine for childcare purposes and said we should push forward with that soon.”
[Elnor.]
Beatrix took a deep breath, trying to calm her voice.
It was an attempt to admonish her gently without exploding.
It failed spectacularly.
[Are you seriously out of your mind-?!]
“...”
Elnor shut her mouth at the expected reaction.
Even if high nobles encouraged the culture of taking both a legal wife and concubines simultaneously, that didn’t mean the person involved would accept it gladly.
Especially since Beatrix knew full well that Elnor had unwavering pure love for Dawood.
No words would sound pleasant to her.
[You, you, how can you talk about something like that so casually...! A concubine? That guy just got his viscount title, and he’s the one demanding it from a ducal lady first-!]
“...”
Elnor, uncharacteristically scolded, bowed her head and pursed her lips.
Excluding her father, she had never been treated this way by anyone in her life, but when the person tied to Beatrix was Dawood, this dynamic came up more often than expected.
[You idiot, aren’t you even angry?! Normally, he should be begging on his knees for you to accept him once, and yet he just crawls out with ‘let’s have a kid’ like some damn cockroach-!]
“...But still.”
Even so.
Despite the continued scolding, Elnor hesitantly continued.
“...If that man’s gone that far to ask, wouldn’t refusing make him unhappy?”
[...]
Beatrix stared at Elnor, her anger shifting into near astonishment.
There were limits to being lovestruck.
He’ll let you have a kid, so take a concubine?
And she just bent over backward to accept it so he wouldn’t feel bad?!
Was this the same guy who, not long ago, threatened to kill the other woman if he wasn’t the top priority?!
[If you take a concubine, you might not be his first priority anymore-]
“That won’t happen.”
[What?]
“With a child on the way, where would he have the spare attention for anyone else?”
[...?]
Hm.
Wait a minute.
Something felt off.
The conversation wasn’t aligning.
Beatrix paused, replaying their exchange.
Clearly, earlier.
He’d said ‘one or so’ wouldn’t be bad before the wedding.
[...]
Ah.
Right.
Beatrix looked at Elnor with a dawning realization.
[...How many kids are you planning to have?]
“...?”
Elnor tilted her head, staring back at Beatrix.
As if asking why she’d pose such an obvious question.
“A minimum of five, no?”
[...]
“Taking a concubine for childcare only makes sense at that level. Dawood must have meant it that way too.”
[...]
No.
Probably not.
Even one would be a huge burden for him, let alone five.
Beatrix eyed Elnor, sweating bullets inwardly.
‘...Of course, if she plans to have that many kids, he won’t have time to care about concubines or anything.’
Marriages and births among great nobles were massive undertakings in themselves.
Considering Elnor’s health and the political and cultural fallout, having five children meant Dawood would be glued to her side for at least a decade or more, no matter the timeline.
This woman was surely thinking along those lines.
‘Yeah, that makes sense.’
There’s no way she’d let another woman near that man without a fight.
Her ‘possessiveness’ was probably intact. If some other woman tried to steal time from her and that man, she’d charge in with fire in her eyes.
Just now...
That Dawood guy had an extra layer added: opportunities to ‘milk him dry’ whenever the chance arose.
The fool had dug his own grave.
As Beatrix clicked her tongue, a knock at the door drew Elnor’s puzzled gaze.
“Hold on. Seems we have a guest. I’ll call you back later.”
Lately, it felt like more people were visiting her quarters.
Elnor ended the call with those words.
The face beyond the door was one she recognized.
“...Talion?”
The first-year Class 1 student who was always glued to Dawood’s side.
“Uh, you remember me?”
“Of course. I know everyone who’s been around Dawood for five seconds or more.”
“...”
It wasn’t hard, thanks to how surprisingly narrow that man’s social circle was.
She couldn’t fathom why the other’s face stiffened at that.
“...Y-yes. A message from Brother Dawood.”
Talion cleared his throat awkwardly and delivered it.
“He has a favor to ask.”
“Understood. What do I need to do?”
“...Wouldn’t it be better to hear the details and accept first?”
Even Talion reacted that way to her response speed, but Elnor just shrugged indifferently.
“You shouldn’t put off work. As someone about to become a parent, I need to set an example for my children.”
“...?”
It was a sentence utterly incomprehensible to Talion.
●
[System Message]
[You have made contact with target ‘Feynol.’]
[Interaction with the ‘Heretical Inquisition’ is unlocked!]
[You can now request cooperation for all authorities under the ‘Heretical Inquisitor’s’ discretion!]
[Scenario changes have occurred.]
[Special interactions will occur with all demon-related entities hereafter!]
Seeing those messages pop up, I let out an inward sigh.
The biggest reason I’d requested Feynol’s cooperation was exactly this.
The greatest help I could get from him right now was the Heretical Inquisition’s authority—near-superlegal power over anything ‘demon’-related.
Not his personal abilities.
‘...I can’t expect anything combat-related from him.’
Being a completed vessel for a demon meant wielding immense power, but conversely, if focus slipped even once, the backlash was equally massive.
No need to take that risk.
More importantly.
‘...What’s this about special interactions with demons later?’
Unlocking later—what now?
As I pondered that, a grumpy voice flew from the Soul Linker.
[What are you spacing out for again? Lost your mind?]
“...Are you angry?”
I addressed Caliban inside the Soul Linker.
[...It’s not about anger or not.]
Caliban sighed as he spoke.
[Honestly, nothing makes sense, so I’m not even mad. Just dumbfounded. At least I thought you’d gone mutual destruction with that guy, but he’s alive and well, and now he’s whining to you about wanting to die again.]
Indeed, his voice held far more emptiness than anger.
[Are completed vessels like this once the pieces are gathered? Does incarnation mean they revive no matter what?]
“...Not quite.”
From the original story’s depiction, Elnor—whose head was severed by Eliya in the final boss fight—stayed dead.
It was a phenomenon enabled by the Red Demon’s incarnation, one with insanely tenacious life force powers.
“Anyway, our goals align, don’t they?”
I tap the Soul Linker as I continue.
“You want him dead, the Heretical Inquisition wants Feynol dead, and even he wants it.”
The problem is.
In other words.
Even the Empire’s top knights, the Guardians, and the Heretical Inquisition—who’d spare nothing to hunt demons—couldn’t find a way to ‘completely’ kill Feynol.
And now, some bizarre request had come my way.
[You’re really going to do it?]
“...”
Well... I have to.
The request to seduce him, that is.
If it’s true that the closer our relationship, the more ‘controllable’ the demonic power becomes, then the more he likes me, the higher the chance of sealing the Red Demon.
It could skip the entire Chapter 4 final boss fight.
In the original, the only one who could inflict even ‘damage-like’ harm on demon-related entities was Eliya with the holy sword.
If this alone could work, there’s no reason not to.
The ‘scenario change’ message from meeting him made perfect sense—it was a massive difference.
“...”
Of course, that’s that.
Right now, what matters is that by accepting the request, I’ve been delegated the Heretical Inquisition’s authority from him.
Everything for the ‘cleanup’ of what I’m about to do must use his authority.
From now on.
I can’t waste even a second.
I have to handle all the tasks lined up before me at full throttle.
First things first.
Like with the Sea Dragon, leave ‘marks’ on the local boss monsters near the Forge of Strife zones.
Doing that to beasts rivaling the Sea Dragon’s power normally carries huge risks, but this is non-negotiable. It’s essential for this boss fight.
So, I’ll resort to methods I’d never normally use.
[Quest Info]
[ Main Quest ] 〖 Chapter 3 – Apostles of the Inverted Tide 〗
[ 21H until the ‘Grand Duel’ event! ]
[ Boss fight follows immediately after the event! ]
And the remaining time has shrunk dramatically compared to before.
‘Can’t trust this guy’s time limits anymore, damn it.’
As I think that, two blue lights flash sequentially on the magic communication device in my pocket.
Signals from Talion to Elnor and Eliya to Yuria.
Probably meaning they handled my requests smoothly.
“...Good.”
Beside me, Liru—who was teamed up with me—cracked her neck and knuckles.
“The sea has the least weight in Hunter’s Night. The scorching zone, frozen zone, and jungle zone are the real deal. Unlimited outdoor hunting from today until the end.”
Liru’s eyes sparkled like a kid spotting Santa, her tone brimming with excitement.
“Scorching zone first is best. You can hunt the monsters there for all the essential parts to survive outdoors long-term. Next route based on those materials, judged as wisely as possible—”
“...Liru.”
“Yeah?”
I rein in Liru, who was getting all hyped up with plans.
From her perspective, it’s like a picnic. I get that.
Normally, I’d have plenty to do here too.
Test Valkasus’s alchemy, try out new gear, slowly gauge the strength of skills I’ve gained so far.
And above all, indulge Liru a bit.
But.
What I need now is to prepare for tomorrow’s boss fight, by any means necessary.
Even if it shatters her romance and expectations.
With those words, I gaze at the steel gate opening before us. The scorching zone’s heat wafts over.
“Sorry, but no time for hunting or anything this time.”
The scorching zone’s ‘Flame Demon’, frozen zone’s ‘Ice Tiger’, jungle zone’s ‘Horned Oni’.
Special-grade beasts called disasters, no less formidable than the Sea Dragon.
But.
Right now, I’m reaching even for ones I’d normally avoid clashing with.
Since I’m pulling those cards.
The time to sweep all three.
“...I’ll finish in 5 minutes.”
A mountain of tasks in one day.
Can’t afford more delays here.
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