I'll Handle Your Adult Ceremony
"I'll handle your Adult Ceremony."
Thudding impacts of knees striking the floor rang out from every direction.
Ministers and knights alike dropped to the ground, staring up at Satin.
That's right.
That's exactly how it should go.
"As Princess Satin's guide, I command you—listen carefully to every word I say."
I watched the edges of the rainbow at the far corners of the hall begin to blur and fade.
The limit of a young succubus, no doubt.
Especially since she's a half-blood with demons. Managing this much is already impressive.
"Dragons do not intervene in the human world."
No need to force things here.
"But there is exactly one thing she desires."
This is as far as Satin's power can stretch.
"As long as you leave that alone, she won't care what else you do."
Secure only what we need, then vanish.
"The Magic Towers."
The mage Liris opened her mouth as if to protest, then shut it again.
She must have been crushed under the dragon's presence saturating the hall.
"That's why I brought her. From this moment on, every Magic Tower in the Empire will be managed by me—the representative of Princess Satin Crystal Dragonia. Consider yourselves honored, you lot. It means the Blue Dragon's protection will watch over the Empire. William. Did you hear me?"
The new Emperor William nodded.
"Understood. Management of the Magic Towers shall be transferred to you, Count Juin Marcus."
"Proclaim it in the Emperor's name and send word to every kingdom."
"It shall be done. But where will Princess Dragonia go? Does she intend to remain in the Empire?"
Since I announced her as a princess, I can hardly keep her playing bedroom slave forever.
And there's no real need to hide her away.
"Having come all the way to the human lands, wouldn't she want to enjoy herself a little?"
William turned his gaze on Satin.
"Is there anything Your Highness desires? Speak it, and I shall provide it at once!"
If he keeps acting this eager, it's going to be a problem.
Satin's Dream was still weak.
Already, in the corners of the hall, the rainbow was dissolving and the true color of Magi was starting to show through.
"Princess, perhaps you should withdraw your presence?"
Satin released the threads of Magi as though she had been waiting for the cue.
Warmth seeped back into the hall the moment the Magi vanished.
William pressed again.
"Please tell us! What does the Dragon Lady intend to do in our Empire!"
So that was what he was really after.
Scared of what a dragon might decide to do?
While I was still weighing my answer, Satin looked straight at William.
"A restaurant."
…A restaurant?
"I'm going to run a restaurant together with Sir Marcus."
A restaurant, out of nowhere?
"Legend says dragons are gourmets, doesn't it? It seems Her Highness wishes to open a restaurant so she can savor human cuisine—"
This is ridiculous.
If she wants fine dining she can simply visit restaurants. Why open one herself?
This is not the place for this conversation.
I need to wrap it up and get us out of here.
"So don't interfere. Leave her alone. Whatever she chooses to do, she'll handle it herself."
I took Satin's hand and walked out of the hall.
"Well done, Satin. Your mother is going to be proud."
"Really? But why did you do all that?"
"Because of the Magic Towers."
"Ah! Because we need them to bring Dad back, right?"
That's not it.
"Right. We need the Magic Towers."
We do need them, so it's not a lie.
"And why did you say that? A restaurant, all of a sudden?"
"I've always wanted one. Dad hated the idea. 'What kind of princess runs a restaurant?' he used to say. But I love cooking so much. When that king asked what I wanted to do, the answer just slipped out."
Is that so.
Well, it hardly matters either way.
By taking the Magic Towers and concealing Satin's true identity, I've already gotten everything I wanted.
The Succubus Queen would never imagine a situation like this.
That I would turn around and use her own daughter's Dream.
Wait.
A restaurant?
That might actually be useful in its own right.
In the human world, demons are little better than slaves.
If the Demon King comes hunting for Satin, the first place he'll look is among the traces of slaves.
But a restaurant…
Would he ever guess his own daughter was working in one?
If I play this carefully, I can deceive both the humans and the Demon King. Slip past the eyes of both sides at once.
Is time finally falling into my hands?
I blocked the Demon King's invasion, secured the operating rights to the Magic Towers, and even bought myself time?
This is huge!
Whether that idiot became emperor is none of my concern.
Saintesses going mad and staging Adult Ceremonies isn't my problem either.
Whatever the mages decide to try, I'll deal with it when I see it.
Tasar Kingdom Princess Bella?
She'll head home on her own, I expect.
……
Then again, maybe it isn't completely unrelated after all.
I need this world to hold together for at least a few years. If it goes completely insane and collapses, that would be a problem too.
"Um… Sir Marcus, may I ask you something?"
The carriage rattled hard over the stones littering the road.
"Please speak, Princess."
"About that…"
Satin glanced at me carefully.
"Is it really all right?"
"The restaurant?"
"I'm Sir Marcus's bedroom slave. But is it okay for me to do that?"
So it wasn't a joke after all.
Her expression was completely serious.
"It should be fine, shouldn't it? We even proclaimed it in front of the Emperor."
"Really? It was something I wanted to do even back in the Demon Realm but never could! Can I truly do it? I'm so happy!"
This isn't why I brought a hostage home, but…
"Then—"
Trying it out as a way to throw the Demon King off the scent wouldn't be a bad idea either.
"When we get back to the territory, shall we start by looking for a good location?"
The demon girl's status shifted from bedroom slave to restaurant employee.
Chief Butler Percival nearly had a heart attack when he heard the news.
But the truly shocking report arrived a few weeks later.
Percival came to find me wearing an expression of pure disbelief.
"The Imperial Court has issued a new decree across the entire Empire."
Already?
"It states that every citizen of the Empire must renew their citizenship within one month. The agency in charge is… unusual."
Please don't say the Saintess Nation.
"It is the Saintess Nation. And the method of renewing citizenship is astonishing. Does My Lord already know about it?"
"It'll be the Adult Ceremony."
"As expected, you knew! They say one must receive the Adult Ceremony from the saintesses and priests. Another Adult Ceremony at my age is so absurd I hardly know what to say. I already went through mine at twenty."
"It won't be that kind of Adult Ceremony."
Helena. Did she actually go through with it?
"The details have not been confirmed yet. All that has come down is a notice: if you do not apply for the Adult Ceremony with the Saintess Nation and the priesthood, your Imperial citizenship will be revoked. What on earth is going on?"
Dragons do not intervene in human affairs.
By that same principle, I am a dragon as well.
I have no desire to meddle in the affairs of these otherworldly humans.
"Every servant in the mansion is in an uproar. Not only the ones who just turned twenty—everyone is required to undergo this so-called Adult Ceremony. The citizens of the Marcus Territory are in the same boat."
But this situation is growing serious.
"My Lord, what should we do?"
Yeah. What should we do.
"They say even nobles are no exception. However, for territory lords, a saintess will be dispatched directly from the Imperial Court."
Wait.
"The saintess for My Lord's Adult Ceremony has already been decided."
"What?"
"Lords are expected to set an example, so they must undergo the Adult Ceremony first. The saintess sent by the Imperial Court will arrive next week. Here. In the Marcus Territory."
"Who is it?"
"They say the most exalted saintess of the Order is coming in person."
Don't tell me…
"Helena?"
"It is Saintess Helena herself!"
Damn it.
Helena is coming here?
"Aren't you already acquainted with her, My Lord? You served together in the Hero Party as well."
My head swam for a moment.
"Does it even make sense to force the Lord to undergo a brand-new Adult Ceremony? Every other territory is in complete chaos. The same thing is happening across all nine kingdoms. How thoroughly has the Imperial Court lost its mind to pull something like this!"
No.
It's my own fault for simply walking away after watching them go mad.
"If you refuse the Adult Ceremony, citizenship is stripped. You cannot hold a profession or accumulate property. Overnight you become a slave. What are we supposed to do about every citizen of the Marcus Territory?"
"How about stalling for as much time as possible? There won't be enough saintesses and priests. It could take years."
If I can finish dealing with the Magic Towers by then—
"They say a single saintess handles dozens of people at the same time during the Adult Ceremony. The priests do the same. And they repeat that process dozens or even hundreds of times a day."
What the hell is that supposed to mean.
"My Lord. What kind of Adult Ceremony makes something like that possible? Originally an Adult Ceremony involves education, the recitation of prayers, and a confession rite. Even one-on-one confessions would make the schedule impossible, so how can they claim to process dozens simultaneously?"
Dozens at once…
"Do you happen to know how it is performed as well? The official document contains none of those details. It only says that once you apply, the assigned saintess and priest will be dispatched, that the ceremony will proceed with dozens of people at a time, and that late applications will result in penalties—warnings piled on top of warnings."
I never imagined they would go this thoroughly insane.
"The entire territory has fallen into chaos. What should we do?"
This is a problem.
Until I finish my work, the world needs to keep functioning normally.
"Ah! An Inquisitor is scheduled to visit the mansion shortly. He has requested an audience with My Lord."
What does that bastard want now?