Execution (3)
I will make your body mine.
The sentence was delivered in a calm, almost indifferent tone. I looked at the girl and spoke plainly.
In exchange for me protecting your weakness, I want you to help me from my side.
For a moment, the girl’s expression froze solid.
“J-just now… what did you say…?”
“There are quite a few things the young lady will need to do for me.”
I smiled faintly and continued.
“We’ll have plenty to discuss in private… sticking close together, of course.”
Emilia was a capable person. Her grades and abilities were beyond question, and she possessed an especially keen sense for reading the room. She was quick with calculations and excelled at reading people. In the original story she had been nothing more than an extra villain, but it would be a waste to throw away such talent.
She’ll be useful in many ways.
She also had a decent hidden network of connections, and her written exam scores were top-tier. If I ever found assignments annoying, having her handle them would be perfect. Just imagining it was already enjoyable.
“Hehe.”
A smile spread across my lips on its own. As I sat there grinning like an idiot, the girl suddenly began to sob.
Heart-wrenchingly.
“Ugh… hic…”
What the hell? Why is she crying all of a sudden?
Does she not like the terms of the deal? I’m literally saving her life in return. Isn’t it reasonable to ask her to play the part of my underling until graduation?
“Why are you crying so bitterly?” I asked, flustered. “Isn’t this a perfectly reasonable transaction?”
“……”
“All you need to do is try your best to keep me satisfied. In return, I will protect your weakness.”
“How can I trust someone like you…?”
“You’ll have to.”
If you don’t trust me, what are you going to do about it? You’re in no position to be picky right now. One word from me and you’ll be expelled and forced to say goodbye to this life.
This kid is way too suspicious. A sigh slipped out from pure frustration. It looked like I would need to make the reality of her situation a little clearer.
I will make your body mine.
Emilia froze on the spot. It felt as if the air in her lungs had turned to ice. Her shoulders trembled without her permission—a reflexive reaction born of fear.
“J-just now… what did you say…?”
She must have misheard. After crying all night, her mind probably wasn’t working properly. The girl asked again, clinging to a futile hope.
But then—
“There are quite a few things the young lady will need to do for me.”
Even that last shred of hope shattered.
“We’ll have plenty to discuss in private… sticking close together, of course.”
“Ah.”
Her heart sank. It felt as if the pulse that kept her alive had simply stopped. Her blue eyes flooded with despair. Weakness. Conditions. Price. The golden snake was staring at the villainess with cunning, predatory eyes, flicking its venom-coated tongue.
Emilia understood.
The boy wanted her body.
Sex slave.
The single word flashed through her mind. She had tried desperately to deny it, but his gaze was so blatant that all denial became meaningless. Those narrow eyes were filled with a familiar, ominous hunger.
“Hehe.”
His empty laugh was terrifying. Her breathing grew ragged. The girl had to bite her lip hard just to keep from crying. Emilia had always devoted herself solely to academics. She had stayed up all night training before, but she had never once shown interest in relationships between men and women. Because of that, her confusion doubled.
Fear of the unknown. All color drained from her face.
Why…?
Why was this happening? The villainess couldn’t even finish forming the question. She already knew it was all because of what she herself had done.
Regret bloomed like a single breath of frost.
I shouldn’t have challenged him to a duel.
She had desperately wanted the top seat. She thought that if she could stand in that shining position, she could finally strike back at the elders of her family. So she had acted rashly. That man who had seemed so pathetic and weak—she never dreamed he would be that strong. Perhaps it had been arrogance.
In the end, she had been humiliated in front of countless students, and now even her purity was in danger of being taken.
“Ugh… hic…”
Tears fell. She didn’t want to cry. She didn’t want to look weak. Even if she had to walk a path of thorns, she wanted to face it with dignity if it meant survival.
But—
“Why are you crying so bitterly?”
“Hic…”
The tears wouldn’t stop. As she sat there pathetically, sobbing, the whisper came again.
“Isn’t this a perfectly reasonable transaction?”
“……”
“All you need to do is try your best to keep me satisfied. In return, I will protect your weakness.”
“How can I trust someone like you…?”
“You’ll have to.”
The corners of his mouth drew a dangerous curve. The boy answered as if he had been waiting for exactly that.
“If you want to protect your precious family, that is.”
“What do you…?”
“Don’t you have a twin younger brother? He’s in the same situation as you.”
The boy who had entered Class A this year. His name was Ruska Vanity. He was the last remaining family in Emilia’s life. Her desperate struggle had also been for his sake. She had to protect him.
“He was the one you relied on so much… I worry whether the family elders will simply sit still.”
The sharp conjecture pierced straight through her. The children had nowhere to turn. If even Emilia were to disappear in this situation, it was obvious what would happen to them. It would be the end. Literally.
“……From the beginning, I never had a choice.”
Her voice was a quiet murmur. The once-clear blue eyes had lost all light and now lay dead and gloomy.
“Ugh… haa… sniff.”
The situation forced her hand. Cold reality chased after her. To avoid the worst possible ending, the girl could only choose the last remaining path. Even if what lay ahead was a road of thorns.
“I understand.”
It was better than dying. In the end, the villainess had no choice but to dance on the forked tongue of the cunning snake.
Emilia lowered her gaze.
“I will follow your words.”
How pitiful. The tears that sparkled for a fleeting moment carried a cruel beauty.
“By the way.”
“Hm?”
“I… have absolutely no experience in that area. Even if I’m clumsy, please understand.”
“That’s fine.”
A sly answer came back.
“Taking an ignorant young lady and slowly corrupting her sounds rather enjoyable in its own way.”
“……That’s a little scary.”
“Oh dear, there’s no need to be afraid.”
The boy reached out lightly. His hand slowly approached and lifted her chin. When she raised her head following the gentle pressure, their eyes met—his narrow gaze staring straight at her. Emilia’s breath caught for a moment.
“I’ll be gentle with you.”
What a disgusting person. What kind of light is shining in your pupils as you look at me? It must be glistening with lust.
“Ah.”
The boy’s face drew closer. Was it starting already? She was… a little scared.
“……”
She closed her eyes. At least with her vision blocked, it was somewhat better. Of course, the trembling didn’t disappear.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump…!
Her heart pounded as if it would burst. The pitiful pulse devoured her entire world.
And then—
“……!”
Something touched her lips and then pulled away. It carried a warm heat. Emilia instinctively judged it to be lips. Her eyes squeezed shut even tighter. As if unsatisfied, the boy pressed his lips to hers several more times. But he wasn’t violent.
This is strange.
It felt like heat was rising. Her breathing grew disordered. To keep her consciousness from melting into a daze, the girl had to clench her fists tightly.
It continued for a while.
It’s not as painful or terrible as I feared…
The soft, melting sensation. That was her impression of her stolen first kiss.
I will make your body mine.
= I will turn you into a pawn that I control.
We’ll have plenty to discuss in private… sticking close together, of course.
= We’ll need to discuss the upcoming events… Even though it’s just the two of us, I look forward to working with you.
Isn’t this a perfectly reasonable transaction?
= Isn’t this a pretty sweet deal?
All you need to do is try your best to keep me satisfied. In return, I will protect your weakness.
= I might ask you to do annoying things from time to time, but if you just do those diligently, I’ll protect you. Got it?
You’ll have to.
= If you don’t trust me, what are you going to do about it? You’re in no position to be picky right now. One word from me and you’ll be expelled and forced to say goodbye to this life.
Meanwhile.
Taking an ignorant young lady and slowly corrupting her sounds rather enjoyable in its own way.
= If you’re not used to it, I’ll teach you step by step and help you.
Oh dear, there’s no need to be afraid.
= I really mean don’t be scared.
I’ll be gentle with you.
= I won’t push you too hard, so don’t worry.
In truth, the boy had no particular thoughts on the matter. His face wore a giant question mark.
Why is she closing her eyes when I’m just wiping her lips?
He had simply noticed that her tightly bitten lip was bleeding and wanted to wipe it. But she suddenly started acting all serious on her own. And now every time his finger touched her lips, her shoulders trembled.
Maybe she’s had a hard life… She doesn’t seem to be in great shape.
That was right. The sensation the girl had thought was lips was actually his finger. The two of them were completely misunderstanding each other.
Anyway, I’ve gained a new friend. I should tell her to get along with Legia.
The misunderstanding only grew deeper.
And so the noisy duel event came to an end. We each kept our promises. Following the victor’s will, the Execution was postponed indefinitely. Emilia faithfully followed by my side and played the role of my secret friend.
The result was—
“Ta-da~!”
A new friend had been added.
“Y-Young Master? What is this all of a sudden…?”
“What the hell did you do this time?”
Legia stood with a stiff expression, while Irene leaned on one leg with a bored look. Even though they didn’t say it outright, their faces were filled with bewilderment.
Regardless, I introduced someone to the two of them.
“This is an acquaintance I’ve grown close to recently.”
“……Hmph.”
It was none other than Emilia. The villainess stood silently in place. A cold light swirled in her blue eyes. She exuded the high-handed aura typical of great nobles.
“L-Lady Vanity…?!”
“It’s the young lady we ran into last time. The one who was rude to you.”
An unexpected person had appeared. Especially for Legia, who carried trauma toward the villainess, the shock was visible on her face. I smiled to reassure them.
“There, there~ She doesn’t bite.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“We had a sincere conversation a few days ago. It seems we understand each other quite well, so we decided to get along.”
Don’t be afraid.
With those words, I naturally reached out and stroked Emilia’s blue hair a few times. It was an expression that she wasn’t dangerous.
“……!?”
“Hah.”
Both the puppet master and the fox were stunned at the same time. The act of casually touching the duke’s daughter without hesitation was shocking enough, but the fact that Emilia didn’t get angry and instead obediently allowed it doubled the impact.
The fox asked, sounding dumbfounded.
“What kind of threat did you use on her?”
“Didn’t I tell you? We had a sincere conversation.”
“Yeah, right.”
“Oh my… You don’t believe me?”
“Because nine out of ten things that come out of your mouth are lies. Believing you would make me the naïve one.”
“Everyone lies sometimes.”
“Not as much as you.”
A few light words were exchanged. Even during that, I continued to play with the blue hair.
“……”
For the villainess, this was an uncomfortable seat. At first her eyes had narrowed with tension, but now she was clenching her fists so tightly it looked like they might shatter. In the end, Emilia couldn’t endure it anymore.
Slap—!
She roughly knocked away the hand resting on her head. What sparkled in her blue pupils was pure rage.
“You two over there. Don’t misunderstand.”
The cold gaze was aimed not at me, but at the two girls. Perhaps she couldn’t bring herself to rebel against me. Turning her body slightly away from me, the villainess directed her arrogance at the innocent girls instead.
“A commoner who doesn’t know her place, a beastkin maid in vulgar clothing… I have no intention of lowering myself to associate with such low-level people.”
Even after being broken once, a villainess was still a villainess. The vanity burning red in her heart. Although she had knelt before me, she refused to act servile toward others. Her characteristic arrogance spread outward.
Emilia glanced sideways at me. It was a look that seemed to ask for at least this much pride to be permitted.
“I may have offered my body to you… but that doesn’t mean I’ve offered my heart as well.”
“You are correct.”
“……I will never give you my heart.”
“As you wish.”
Even though we had become allies as promised, it seemed she still couldn’t fully trust me. Well, I had acted suspiciously enough. From her perspective, it was only natural to be wary. It was a little disappointing that she wouldn’t give me her heart (trust), but for now I would be satisfied with this. We had plenty of time ahead. I could take it slow and win her over.
“However.”
There were parts I could not yield on.
“From now on, I would appreciate it if you would be more careful with your words and actions toward these two.”
Irene and Legia. I could tolerate sharp words toward other students, but not toward my people. I deliberately put on a chilling smile.
“They are rather precious connections to me. To be honest, I almost got a little angry just now.”
“……”
“You don’t want to incur my wrath, do you?”
“……I will be careful.”
In the end, Emilia nodded. The lofty atmosphere from moments ago vanished in an instant as she shrank back. The villainess muttered toward the two girls.
“It seems I became too excited… I apologize.”
“E-eh? N-no, you don’t have to apologize, Lady Vanity…!”
“No. I’m sorry.”
She even apologized on her own. It seemed she really was afraid of me. Even Legia, who had been frozen stiff at first, seemed to relax upon seeing the dejected villainess. I watched the scene with satisfaction.
“Hehe.”
It was right then that I felt a gaze poking at my cheek. When I turned my head at the stinging sensation, I found the fox staring at me with eyes full of contempt.
“You said you didn’t do anything.”
She usually had a cold expression, but this time it was on another level. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden?
“Offering her body? What exactly did you do to make her say something like that?”
A chilling aura emanated from her. After a brief pause, the fox furrowed her brows and condemned me.
“……You beast.”
It was a genuine accusation. For a while, I couldn’t understand the fox’s reaction and could only tilt my head with a question mark.
No. Why are you mad at me again?
Anyway.
A week had passed. As I gradually grew accustomed to the daily routine, I was spending my days as usual.
“Miss Irene?”
“The kids. It’s already been over a month since I last saw them. I want to show my face at least once.”
“Hehe, you must be worried.”
“Well… I can’t exactly say I’m not.”
“I understand. They must be precious to you, Miss Irene.”
Irene had made a request. She wanted to see the foxes I had left in the care of my ‘safe people.’ I gladly accepted.
“I was thinking it was about time to visit anyway.”
It had been a while. I wonder how they’ve been doing.
Astro.
The rulers of the city that does not cry. I rose from my seat, recalling the faces of a few people that came to mind.
Well then. Shall we go meet our members?