The Administrators' Secret Transaction
The upper floors of the Knight Order headquarters held a quiet corridor where I leaned lazily against a window, savoring the perfect comedy that had unfolded at the main gate all morning. Hundreds of knights raged and reeled in shock, while others cheered and offered blessings amid that roaring wave of chaos. And the one who had orchestrated every bit of the pandemonium, laying out the ideal stage for me, was none other than Camilla.
In the original novel, Camilla—as knight commander and heroine—had always delivered the 'best possible answer' to aid the protagonist. But now her brilliant mind operated solely for my safety, not the original lead's. Even without any orders from me... Heh... Hehehe... Hahahahaha. The doll had calculated the situation herself, judged it perfectly, and spoon-fed me the ideal solution.
The delicious blasphemy of reducing the original story's noble sword to my faithful hunting hound sent a vicious thrill racing through me. That intense heat triggered an immediate physical response. The front of my pants swelled heavily, pressing against the fabric with a pleasant ache. The urge to drag Camilla into a secret room right then and etch something far beyond the 'intimate conversation' she'd boasted about in front of her subordinates nearly overwhelmed me.
But I clicked my tongue and casually pulled my outer coat down to conceal the weight at my hips. There was a far more interesting toy still stimulating my appetite—one more worth playing with than claiming a female right this moment.
My destination was the private office of the nameless extra baron, head of the Third Administrative Office and Karin's direct superior. I recalled the previous night in the hidden chamber, when Karin—unable to endure the rampaging hypnosis while watching the mothers tangle together in ecstasy—had burrowed into my arms. Panting under my touch, lost in the sticky heat of servicing my body, she had gasped out a fascinating detail.
I had spent the entire night pondering how best to chew up, tear apart, and savor that delicious information. And now, with the scandal exploding across the entire Knight Order at the perfect moment, I had decided to crush him personally.
“After all, he needs to pay the proper price for daring to molest my future bride.”
Knock knock.
Without waiting for a response, I threw open the door to the baron's private office.
“Baron. The whole place is in a festive mood over my marriage announcement, yet here you are sulking all alone... Oh ho.”
I stopped in my tracks, a crooked smile spreading across my face. Beyond the heavy oak desk sat the baron, sweating bullets. Beneath that same desk, someone's head moved diligently, accompanied by intermittent wet, sticky sounds. So the head of the Third Administrative Office was indulging in secret service from his doll in broad daylight.
He mentioned recently acquiring a doll. Heh, I can understand the urge, but this defenseless? The organization will dispose of him soon enough.
It wasn't just touching someone else's doll. Using one so openly risked leaking the organization's secrets—something neither the Cradle nor noble society would tolerate. No matter how many nobles turned their wives into dolls, the practice was always carefully packaged as a means to properly secure heirs of pure bloodline. Plenty of villainous extras in the original novel had abused their breeding sows in public and simply vanished without a trace.
After all, a secret organization existed specifically to control and purge any ugly truths about the nobility before they could reach the Emperor's ears.
“B-Blake, young master...! Wh-what is the meaning of barging in without even kn-knocking... ngh!”
The baron, oblivious to how bleak his future had just become, tried to shout in panic. The stimulation from below made his shoulders twitch as he swallowed a moan. His eyes trembled like a herbivore before a predator. The aftereffects of the system's penalty—earned by daring to touch my property Karin last night—still gnawed at his complexion.
“Relax, Baron. I have no intention of interrupting. Continue what you were doing. I'm a busy man, so I'll get straight to the point and leave.”
I crossed my legs on the reception sofa and leisurely enjoyed the absurd farce. The baron, too gripped by shame and terror to even fix his pants, continued receiving service from the doll under his desk while addressing me.
“Ab-about yesterday... I'm truly sorry. I must have lost my mind for a moment. Please, couldn't you possibly lift that penalty? You know as well as I that the system's punishment can be undone if we reach an agreement! I'll compensate you however you wish!”
The baron rubbed his trembling hands together, begging. The organization's rule was clear: the penalty for touching another's doll—which halted all related requests—could only be lifted through direct agreement with the doll's original owner.
“I only recently learned this, but it seems you were planning to request another doll besides your wife, Baron.”
“Well... I was originally targeting Karin, but... since your Count family already claimed her, I shifted my sights to Lady Lorraine as the next candidate...”
Oh dear. This fool was aiming for a major character.
The young lady he named belonged to Volume 3 of the original story.
Hehehe. So he was an extra scheduled for purging before Volume 3 even began.
Well, if he was doomed to die anyway, I might as well milk him for everything he was worth. I licked my lips and surveyed his office. For all his faults, it was a well-secured private space—fitting for someone who used dolls within the Knight Order.
There are probably several more rooms like this throughout the headquarters.
While holding this rat's leash, I leisurely ran the numbers in my head, calculating what improvements would be needed to use my own dolls freely at work.
Having Camilla create a personal room for me here would be simple enough. But... if the commander known for her strict separation of public and private duties suddenly grants special privileges to her own daughter, rumors will fly immediately.
The time and money required to suppress that shallow gossip and quell the suspicions of nobles swarming like flies simply wasn't worth my effort. As a VIP client, I had no reason to burden myself with such tedious labor.
The solution was obvious. I'd simply use this pathetic rat as my shield.
“You'll compensate me however I wish? Excellent, Baron. I'm a merciful man, after all.”
I smiled and snapped my fingers toward him.
“Just like what you were doing moments ago... I require a very private personal room within the Knight Order where I can freely 'touch' both Karin and Commander Camilla whenever I like. Outwardly, we could hang a plausible sign like [Problematic Young Master Rehabilitation Special Guidance Room]. That would be perfect.”
“A-a personal room...?”
“Indeed. As head of the administrative office, you'll handle the paperwork and justification yourself. Make it an entirely legal and natural space that doesn't tarnish the Commander's strict reputation in the slightest.”
At my chilling demand, the baron's facial muscles spasmed. Yet just as he seemed about to nod in humiliated submission—to secure the woman he desperately desired—
“My, my. You really shouldn't release that penalty so easily. After all, you're a shameless pervert who dared touch someone else's precious doll~ Wouldn't you agree??”
A seductive, chilly voice flowed from the deep shadows of the office.
The woman who appeared, slicing through the air without the slightest trace of presence, had her entire face concealed behind a pure white mask.
“Hiiik?! Wh-who are you...!”
The sudden intruder and the murderous aura she radiated sent the baron toppling backward in terror. The doll beneath the desk tumbled out with him, turning the office into an instant farce.
In stark contrast to the rat baron trembling like an aspen leaf—caught red-handed attempting an illicit deal that violated the system's punishment—I leaned back deeply into the sofa and curled my lips into a leisurely smile. As if I had been expecting her arrival from the very beginning.
“I had my suspicions after hearing it from Karin. It seems the President has his 'women' thoroughly hidden even within this noble Knight Order.”
At my provocative remark, the masked woman flinched, then began twisting her body like a snake.
“Fufufu... Oh dear, me being that person's woman? How utterly preposterous. I am merely a devoted 'servant' who serves that magnificent individual~”
Though her words denied it, her voice dripped with blind affection and pride toward the President. She was the main heroine of Volume 1 in the original novel—the Empire's Saintess. Now, perfectly trained by the President, she moved as his corrupted agent in a black suit. That very blind devotion made her a rather convenient trading partner.
I glanced down at the trembling baron on the floor as if he were garbage, then lifted my gaze to meet her eyes.
“You remember the request I made previously? How I captured the masterminds behind the terrorist attack that put my father in his sickbed and demanded you bring them all neutralized by hypnosis?”
Her eyes curved with interest at my question. I continued, leaning casually against the sofa.
“It's been quite some time since that request, yet I've received no word from your master, the President. So I wondered—perhaps using this fellow who's currently suffering a penalty for touching another's doll might allow me to meet one of the President's agents. I never imagined I'd encounter his woman instead. How fortunate.”
The woman let out a small gasp of admiration at my flawless scheme. She covered her mouth and laughed seductively, whispering.
“My, my. Using a Knight Order executive as bait simply to summon me? In that case, this must be a secret transaction between just the two of us... conducted without the President's knowledge.”
“No, it doesn't need to be secret. Report today's events to the President actively. You are merely the window through which I converse with him, since he stands in a place too high for me to call directly. Much like a Saintess serving as the window to converse with God.”
“Oh my, oh my, oh my! You said such pleasing things last time too~!”
Pleased by my flattery, the woman approached the baron with elegant steps. The baron, who had been listening to our exchange while trembling, tried to crawl away across the floor like a man facing the grim reaper.
“Now then, you shameless little rat? Will you quietly leave this room on your own two feet, or shall you sleep eternally here by my hand?”
“Hiiik! I-I'll leave! I'll leave right now!!”
The baron sprang up, tears and snot streaming down his face. But in his extreme terror, he didn't even pull up his pants. With his ugly lower half dangling obscenely, he bolted desperately toward the door.
“Really, he's beyond saving.”
Since appearing in public like that would only draw unwanted attention, the woman clicked her tongue and flicked her fingertips. A bizarre black energy shot out like a serpent.
THUD!
“Kuhuk...!”
Struck squarely in the back of the head by the black light, the baron couldn't even scream properly. He collapsed on the spot like a great tree falling, eyes wide open in unconsciousness.
The woman approached the fallen baron, pressing her shoe against his cheek as she whispered coldly into his ear.
“You will remember nothing of what happened in this room. You simply dozed off for a moment from exhaustion.”
A single sentence of perfect suggestion. The baron's hazy eyes lost all focus and sank completely into darkness.
Having neatly disposed of the obstacle, the woman turned her attention to the doll still crouching beneath the baron's desk. From between her red lips flowed a bizarre, mystical wave.
"Flos Abyssi."
⟨ FLOWER OF THE ABYSS ⟩
It was the language of the forgotten mythical era—something ordinary humans in this world could neither pronounce nor even perceive properly with their ears or minds. To normal people it would sound like a spine-chilling ring or the hiss of a serpent, but to me—who knew the original novel's setting—the geometric syllables translated into perfectly clear words.
It was the absolute domination code that only a select few 'administrators' with system access rights to the dolls could wield.
The moment that mythical language touched her, every trace of emotion vanished instantly from the doll's eyes. She had been trying to rise and protect her master from the baron's scream.
“Go tidy your husband's pants properly, then drag him to that corner and offer him your lap as a pillow.”
“Yes. Master.”
The instant the woman's languid command fell, the emotionless doll moved with mechanical precision. She adjusted the fainted baron's pants, dragged him to the corner, and laid his head upon her lap.
“Now that the uninvited guest has been handled.”
The woman finally smiled in satisfaction and elegantly crossed her legs on the sofa opposite mine.
“Shall we begin our proper transaction, my excellent customer?”
A thick scent of roses wafted from the curves of her body, barely contained by the black suit.