Sudden Affair Bust: Freira's Acting Strange
Freira's been acting weird lately.
"Hey, Hamel... um, what are you up to?"
"C-C-Coffee. Coffee coffee. Oh yeah."
I'm heading to serve coffee to the knights, but she keeps following me.
"Mm. Nice weather, huh? Aren't you a little bored?"
She circles around me while I'm tending the garden.
"Should I try that too?"
"Response. Absolutely not."
When I was cleaning the floor and she offered to help, I nearly freaked out. Felt like a soldier getting his broom snatched by the division commander.
It's not because of my face, is it?
She knows ripping off the synthetic skin reveals a scary mechanical mug. Freira's no mechaphile.
Guess it's just because the grand duke's lady is such a kind soul?
"Coffee, milady?"
"W-Wait a sec!!"
I was about to pop open my abdomen for the coffee pot like always, when Freira thrust out both hands in a panic.
"...Let's not do that anymore, okay? I'll call a magotech engineer to relocate the coffee pot. Until then... I'll quit coffee."
"Milady."
"Hamel. You... need to act in ways that suit your face. No more opening your belly."
What the hell does that mean?
I awkwardly closed my half-open abdomen.
By the way, where's Alsanna?
Wasn't that letter I delivered yesterday meant for Grand Duke Karstein?
The sun's already high in the sky. Plenty of time to come from the cathedral.
...Did she forget or sleep in?
Totally possible for a klutz bishop like her. She'll handle the fallout herself.
An unusually quiet day dragged on—until an unwelcome guest finally showed up.
"Grand Duke Karstein."
"I didn't expect the legion commander himself."
In the grand duke's reception hall, an icy tension hung in the air as I stood there blankly.
The corridor was lined with military automatons and knights in powered armor.
Imperial forces.
Meaning the man facing Ulrich right now was their commander.
7th Legion Commander of the Imperial Army, Gaius Kroitzen.
Unlike his sinister vibe, he flashed a friendly smile.
"For the grand duke's daughter to be kidnapped—it's an outrage that shakes heaven and earth."
"...Thanks to the Lord's grace, she returned safely. A blessing."
Ulrich nodded slightly at me.
That might've earned me a bit of favor.
Gaius didn't even glance my way.
"Yet... none of the grand duke's knights detected the barbarian ambush."
"..."
"If you're amenable, Your Grace, how about stationing my direct scouts along the wall?"
This bastard. He dragged his feet on reinforcements despite the request, and now he's openly gunning for the grand duke's seat.
Gaius is a lapdog sent by the power-mad emperor to keep the Karstein Grand Duchy in check.
The guy spouted words so brazen they bordered on absurd.
"Seems the barbarians targeted the wall's weak points. Probably colluding with demons."
"Are you implying an inside man? Counterintelligence is perfect for rooting out rats."
Mouthless as I am, I let out a silent scoff.
You're the rat, asshole.
7th Legion Commander Gaius. Nicknamed "Gai-bung" for short.
The empire's traitor.
He's the reason Freira got kidnapped by barbarians.
Soon, he'll throw open the wall and spark a rebellion against the empire.
And the reason for his revolt? Hilariously dumb.
- I wanna be emperor too.
Does he think he's some young phoenix or what?
Does kinda look like one, though.
Anyway, at this point, any rational person would suspect something's up.
First, the emperor: Isn't checking the empire's northern frontline to protect power stupid?
True. That's why the empire falls.
Next, Gaius: Doesn't starting a civil war just to become emperor make zero sense?
It doesn't. That's why the empire falls three times faster.
What a mess of a romance fantasy setup.
Poor innocent heroines caught in the crossfire.
Ulrich couldn't hide his discomfort, but there's no hard proof Gaius is the inside man. Plus, his backer is the emperor—move rashly and you'd get backlash.
"...Hamel? Where'd he go?"
A soft voice cut through the frosty air. I heard the imperial knights murmuring.
"Ah! There you—"
"Lady Freira Karstein. You've grown even more beautiful."
Freira's face hardened as she entered the reception hall. Gaius slowly raked his eyes over her body.
"Turning twenty this year, aren't you? Wedding bells soon, I suppose."
"That's enough, Legion Commander."
Even as Ulrich growled, Gaius kept flirting—like toying with a toothless tiger.
Thud. Thud.
Gaius stopped right in front of Freira.
"...You look just like Grand Duchess Karstein. Shame she isn't here with us."
Freira ground her teeth at that. Ulrich let out a low breath.
This prick's crossing the line again.
In the wrecked atmosphere, I still stood there. Can't talk without a mouth, but I can stir shit.
"Coffee, sir?"
"...Oh?"
Gaius, mid-sneer, finally turned. I stared him down without flinching.
"New face. Quite the handsome one. New butler, Your Grace?"
Sick fuck.
As I opened my abdomen and pulled out the coffee pot, Gaius burst into coarse laughter.
"Aha. Automaton, huh? These days, you can't tell 'em from people. But those glaring eyes..."
"Shh. My baby kitty."
His eyes flashed with serpentine lust.
"Ha. Must be busted. That's why tin cans are—"
I met his dry gaze, and he whispered tiny:
"What can you do, tin can brat?"
Oh yeah? I'll show you exactly what I can do.
Can't wait to see how I drag you to ruin this time.
Automatons don't sleep—which means we're damn good at infiltration.
No wonder half-assed spies end up on the street.
I sliced through the water and stealthily surfaced. Just crossed the shallow moat.
How? Walked along the bottom.
No need to breathe.
This tin can body's got perks.
Cold rain fell from the sky. Ahead loomed buildings of stone and wood.
Imperial northern advance outpost. Gaius's turf.
Solid enough, but hasty expansion left sloppy spots everywhere.
Naturally, infiltration routes aplenty.
Like the drainage grate at the perimeter.
Predictable as hell.
Do fantasy game devs lack creativity?
Could storm the front gate and slaughter everyone, but that'd spark rebellion. Since my life's precious, nah.
I pried off the wooden cover over the grate and slipped in.
A few vagrant corpses—caught in Gaius's traps, probably.
Three, two, one.
A small explosion, and a magibullet whizzed past my face.
Yawn.
After so many runs in past loops, I can time 'em perfectly.
Dodged a few more boring, pretentious traps. Finally reached under the outpost.
From here, simple: follow the heating pipes straight to the command room.
Guess they don't wanna freeze their asses.
Climbed amid the toasty warmth for a while. Amid thunder, a sinister voice drifted down.
"...In three days. Prep's done, right?"
"Of course, Legion Commander."
"Ulrich won't see it coming."
Alright. How to screw Gaius this loop... right!
Affair evidence collection: start.
Adultery Evidence Collection: Started
Adultery is a grave crime under Imperial law.
Honor the marriage vows sworn before the Lord.
Recording begun.
Why Love Doll models sell like hotcakes to noble ladies: legal way to nail cheating husbands.
I cranked up reception sensitivity, capturing the legion commander's every word flawlessly.
"Necromancy prep's done too. Ulrich's head on a pike soon."
"Congratulations in advance, Your Grace, on becoming Northern Grand Duke."
"Someday it'll be yours."
Guzzling even his ancestors' kimchi soup.
"When do we march on the capital?"
"We'll usurp slowly. The emperor's power-mad anyway. He'll die by my hand."
"And Lady Freira Karstein..."
Freira's name drops? Was this in the original?
I perked my ears.
"Freira... I love that contemptuous look she gives me. Wonder what face she'll make on her knees. Like her mom's?"
"Planning to make her your concubine?"
"Sell her to a brothel when she's used up. Haha!"
Gai-bung, you bastard.
Was gonna lock you in a sunless dungeon, but nah—gotta kill you.
In romance fantasies, lines like that just lead to natural death.
Not by my hand.
As recording wrapped and I logged it, another system prompt popped up.
Set the adulterer.
Oh, gotta specify that too? Imperial law's picky.
'Gaius Kroitzen, 7th Imperial Legion Commander.'
Set the victim of adultery.
Uh...
It's rebellion, so the empire's the victim.
For a soldier, what's the nation? Mom?
'Mom.'
Set the affair partner.
Ah, tricky. Gaius wants to be emperor himself.
So the affair partner's... himself?
'Self.'
Adulterer: Gaius Kroitzen
Affair Victim: Mom
Affair Partner: Gaius Kroitzen
What a violently twisted relationship.
What kinda life did this psycho live? Can't even draw his family tree.
I slipped out of the outpost and glanced back at Gaius's command room.
You, stacked up with affair thoughts.
You're fucked.