A Secret Operation with the Butler (2)
A Secret Operation with the Butler (2)
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"C-could you try that amplification on me as well?"
...What?
At Ariel's bombshell statement, no one present could hide their shock.
"Why!"
Reni shot up from her chair and demanded.
"A-Ariel, you aren't even sick! And Rebecca already confirmed the amplification yesterday, didn't she!"
As expected, Reni moved fastest when it came to amplification! She always told me with a tearful face to use amplification actively, but it was only lip service; the moment the topic came up, she rejected it first!
Normally she was small and cute like a Pomeranian, but right now she looked like a chihuahua, half trembling and half fury. Th-this was... I was a little grateful she was so attached to me, but also a little scared....
At Reni's protest, Ariel flinched slightly, but she still opened her mouth while maintaining her characteristic blank expression.
"Indeed... I am not ill. And I am not doubting you. Moreover, Rebecca has verified it, so there is no need to discuss its authenticity."
"Then why..."
"But."
"But?"
"But if the... ahem! Th-that act with you cannot lift the curse, my sister's life can only be sustained by my mana. I have mentioned this before."
The magic that restored Niniel's vitality at the cost of Ariel's mana, which had been cast by the previous hero, had come up again.
"If you can raise my total mana capacity as you did with Rebecca, I could buy time."
Ariel added a little more detail: if the buff raised her mana capacity, she could increase the output of that magic.
"That is not all. As far as I know, that act is accompanied by extreme excitement and physical exhaustion; I doubt whether my sister could withstand it properly."
"..."
Right. You put it quite politely, but you were saying you were afraid Niniel might die from overexertion during sex.
I vaguely remembered hearing something similar somewhere. Come to think of it, in hospitals they said patients needed absolute rest and even restricted visitation. They even served bland food so you wouldn't get excited.
Yeah. In other words, intense sex with a sickly beautiful girl was only possible in porn games.
"...So what do we do?"
"Of course I have thought of a way."
Ariel promptly answered my question. First, cast amplification on herself to raise her mana capacity, then use her increased mana to boost the output of healing magic, and then have sex with Niniel.
When she finished speaking, a brief silence fell.
"Hmph..."
Yuri's scoff broke the silence.
"You say that now, but are you not going to find fault again? Do you want him called a rapist again just for touching her? He went out of his way to do you a favor, and you misunderstood him and insulted him. He even forced himself to do something he didn't want to do!"
Yuri scoffed, bobbing her leg as if she was displeased.
Of course, it had stung to be insulted. But honestly, I hadn't really felt reluctant or anything... Somehow I got the feeling there was an ulterior motive behind those words....
"You forced yourself to do something you didn't want to do, right? Right, Yoo-jin?"
"Ah, uh, uh, yeah..."
I felt like I was being dragged in. She seemed to be emphasizing that I had done it grudgingly.
"Tch..."
Rebecca was still kneeling, but now she had lowered her head completely. It was a little pitiful, but she had it coming.
"Umm... "
Ariel let out a small groan. Then she rose from her seat and knelt beside Rebecca...!
"Let me ask you like this. I may not be able to do anything now, but I will repay this debt somehow...!"
"Ah, no. Hey. Look here."
Before I could say anything, Ariel had knelt. Stop that! Don't kneel and beg me for sex!
"Sniff... A-Ariel...!"
Th-this assassin butler was about to cry at the sight of her own master! Doing something that least suited her appearance!
"Uh... uhhh..."
Yuri stammered, as if she hadn't expected this. She flailed her hands in the air, then grabbed my arm, as if telling me to do something! No, you started this mess, why push it on me! Though I did feel a little catharsis, admittedly!
"Grrrrk...!"
Rebecca let out a growl from deep in her throat, then bowed until her forehead touched the floor! I-is this the so-called dogeza pose?!
"Pl-please, I beg you. Please cast the amplification on Ariel...!"
"...Ah, all right! I got it, so stop! Stop it! Get up!"
# # #
I'd entertained that fantasy too: a woman clinging to me and begging me for sex.
Of course I knew it was a fantasy only a pubescent brat would have, but I had kept it tucked in a corner of my heart. Honestly, wasn't that something every guy wanted?
But... but I hadn't wanted it like this. What I had wanted was the kind where her body heated up in bed and she was like, 'Please put it in!' Not something that made people this embarrassed, damn it!
Unable to bear the awkward situation any longer, I pulled the elf master and servant to their feet. Then, an absolutely dreadful silence fell.
The elf master and servant were expressionless but their entire bodies had turned bright red, Yuri was twisting her whole body as if she wanted to die, and Reni was on the verge of tears...
No. I couldn't let myself be swallowed by this atmosphere. I shook my head clear and asked about something I had been curious about for a while.
"Ahem. Hmm. By the way."
"What is it?"
Ariel immediately responded, as if glad to change the subject. It seemed everyone felt the same about the oppressive atmosphere, as if they had all pricked up their ears. I continued, feeling everyone's gaze.
"That business using those slimes? The collateral loan? You wanted me to go with you for that?"
"Mm."
Something about using slimes to make potions and whatnot. But I still had a question.
"Does that really make money?"
Ariel turned her eyes toward the window and let out a deep sigh at my words. I didn't need to be told that she wasn't expecting much. She had looked desperate in her own way. The reason was...
"Come to think of it, the reason you need money... you said it was because you didn't want to marry that pig, right?"
"..."
Ariel gave a small nod. Of course, anyone would hate having to marry that pig-like bastard.
"Why? Didn't he lend you money? Then shouldn't you be grateful?"
Yuri asked. You hadn't seen that pig's face, so you could say that. But it was something I was curious about too. Ariel seemed to have something more than just disgust at his looks.
"..."
Rebecca's lips were twitching. She clearly had something to say but couldn't bring herself to open her mouth and was gauging my reaction. That made sense, since she had only spouted nonsense so far.
Of course, she needed to develop more situational awareness, but I didn't like seeing her act like a wet dog.
"...If you have something to say, say it. Just don't pick a fight with me for no reason."
"...I apologize."
Rebecca composed herself and explained the circumstances.
...
Rebecca's story was complicated in many ways, but—
"To put it simply, you fell into a trap."
"That is correct."
It was a common scheme. Using competitors to disrupt or financially crush businesses connected to Ariel's family.
When Ariel's coffers were slowly drying up, Sivter appeared and offered a low-interest loan. But with Sivter as the culprit, it was like pouring water into a bottomless jar—a rigged game. Debts piled up, and in the end... only her body remained.
"After investigating from many angles, we were on the verge of securing evidence of his illegal activities, but he replaced all the mansion's staff."
Because Sivter had replaced all the servants with children, the contacts they had planted inside had been lost.
Anyway, this woman... I hadn't expected her to be capable of that kind of work. Taking away her excessive loyalty, she was quite competent. Well, that was probably why she later went around killing people like it was nothing.
That was a little chilling.
"He must have sensed something. Otherwise, there is no way he would have hired only minors who knew nothing."
"..."
Rebecca gritted her teeth in frustration, but I thought differently. From what I had seen, that bastard wasn't thinking that deeply—he was just a pedo. That explained why he had shown off his little girl maids and the statue of a young Ariel to me.
"On top of that, he cycles through the servants periodically. Probably for security. There is always a recruitment notice for staff at that mansion..."
...This one definitely had some kind of weird persecution complex. If Reni's delusions stretched in a positive direction, calling me an apostle of the Goddess and so on, then this one seemed specialized in negative thinking.
"If we could infiltrate that mansion..."
Once she had started talking, Rebecca kept muttering in genuine frustration. She said if she could get into the mansion and find evidence, she could restore the family, recover the seized heirlooms, and so on.
"..."
In Rebecca's rambling, I found a reason I needed to go to that bastard's mansion.
"An artifact that allows you to use Polymorph?"
"Yes. It was the first artifact they seized."
-Ping!
[The Holy Sword...]
[Yeah. I know.]
"Looks like I really need to pay that bastard a visit."
"What do you mean? He does not let anyone into the mansion unless they are a child now. According to the rumors, he has even dismissed all his guards."
"It's fine. I have a way."
I opened the skill proposal. And...
[Specialized Skill Proposal Form]
[Under Review...]
[The skill meets the conditions.]
[Registering...]
[Would you like to purchase the 「Pedo Transformation」 skill?]
[▶Yes / No]