Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Life
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A cool breeze wrapped around me.
-What's that? Erectile dysfunction medicine? Are humans that weak in stamina?
-Look at those guys. They look all skinny and scrawny, right? They'd probably collapse after a couple rounds.
-You think? But do we even know how to make erectile dysfunction medicine?
-Beats me. Did the half-orc whip it up that fast?
As the orcs tilted their heads in confusion.
Luna's shoulders trembled, and her face flushed red with anger.
"Are you... joking right now?! I'll let this slide just once, but if you make another joke like that... even you won't escape severe punishment. Charles! Ignore Aiden and kill them all."
The moment her words ended, I stepped forward.
"I'll stake my life on this. I'm that confident."
At my declaration of staking my life, Luna frowned and signaled me with her eyes.
I didn't know exactly what she meant, but...
Why are you doing this? Isn't your life precious? Back out now. I don't want you getting hurt.
Don't do something irreversible... Something like that, probably?
"I'll give you one last chance. Even now..."
"No. I'd make the same choice."
Luna's red eyes pierced through me.
"Why go that far? Is your life that worthless to you?"
"No. That's truly what I believe."
The always clear red eyes of hers wavered ever so slightly.
I could feel the fear and worry filling them.
"Aiden... I don't want to lose you. You're an excellent secretary. So think it over again. If you can't back up what you said here... I'll have no choice but to strike you down in tears. You know that and say this anyway?"
It was the first time I'd seen it.
Luna showing her emotions like this in front of people.
She must be scared. Worried about losing me.
"I know. I'm that confident. So please spare them."
"Urgh..."
She fell into conflict, looking between the orcs and me.
Soon enough, Luna seemed to make up her mind and shook her head.
"I refuse your request..."
"If you refuse... I'll leave the Grand Duchy."
Right now, I'm treated well here, and though my secret relationship with the peerless beauty Luna is intimate, who knows how long it could last.
And if those three found out about it...
Ugh...
I could picture my body being chopped into dozens of pieces, burned alive, or tortured.
The safest way out of this danger hinged on Luna's resolve.
Her determination not to abandon me, no matter the hardship.
If she lacked that resolve, ending this relationship sooner would be the better choice for me.
"What did you say?"
"I said I'd leave. If you coldly refuse even this plea where I'm staking my life... what reason do I have to follow you, Your Grace?"
Luna's red eyes flickered.
"Follow me."
At her curt words, I nodded, and she walked off, leaving the soldiers and orcs behind.
"Y-Your Grace? What about the orcs?!"
At Charles's flustered question, she halted her steps.
"Leave them be if they don't resist. But if they do... then you can kill them, right?"
She turned her head and asked me.
Why did her eyes look misty with tears?
"I understand."
"Then keep following."
With those cold words, she resumed walking, and I followed her.
We walked for a long while until we reached a lush forest.
She turned, her eyes brimming with moisture as she looked at me.
"You're not leaving?"
"I won't. Probably."
She crossed her arms and let a single tear fall.
"How can you say that to someone who pushed everything aside to come save you?"
Eh? Luna was crying?
Seeing the always cool and composed her shedding tears like she was wronged filled me with bewilderment.
"That's..."
As I hesitated, unsure what to say.
"And do you even know what this means? If you fail? I'll have no choice but to kill you. Do you want me to bear the pain of killing the man I love with my own hands?"
She's even pretty when crying.
"Withdraw now. Then I'll somehow handle the orcs..."
"No. I'm truly confident."
I figured this potion would sell like hotcakes.
But Luna didn't seem to get it, her face flushing as she shouted at the top of her lungs.
"No! You think erectile dysfunction medicine will sell that well?! How is that supposed to make the Grand Duchy prosperous?!"
"It's true. I'm confident enough to stake my neck on it."
"Eek!"
Her eyes narrowed sharply, as if she wanted to say something.
She struggled to open her mouth.
"Even if those acts are important, that's not just for lovers. You think something like that will sell well? You're lucky if it doesn't get ridiculed!"
"Ah?"
That's when I realized just how innocent Luna was.
"Erectile dysfunction medicine isn't for lovers. If anything, it's the opposite."
Not all nobles, but about half lived quite promiscuous lives.
But no matter how promiscuous, physical abilities decline with age. That's natural.
Those were our main customers.
But I didn't want to tell Luna such sordid tales, so I racked my brain for a way to package it nicely.
Ah? That could work.
According to the rumors I heard right after arriving here, the Emperor was said to be low on energy.
The first rumor about the Emperor I heard upon arriving was shocking.
The Empress and a eunuch committing adultery.
The furious Emperor sentenced them all to death, including the eunuch, and apparently someone shouted in the courtroom.
-It's because Your Majesty's yang energy is depleted that she committed adultery with a eunuch! Who are you punishing?!
The Emperor, enraged by those words, beheaded them all on the spot, or so the absurd rumor went.
Wait... do eunuchs even have that?
The truth of the rumor was murky, but in any case, the Emperor seemed insecure about his bedroom prowess.
"The opposite?"
"You've heard the rumors about His Majesty the Emperor... right?"
Realizing what I meant, Luna's red eyes widened hugely.
"Th-that... It's true the Empress was executed, but it's probably just a false rumor? To begin with..."
Still embarrassed to talk about it, she twirled a strand of hair with her finger.
"A eunuch couldn't possibly..."
I shrugged at her mumbling in a small voice.
"Who knows? And beyond the Emperor, there'll be plenty of customers. It might bring in more revenue than our recent shortfall."
Her face showed she still didn't get it as she lapsed into thought.
But soon she shook her head.
"I still don't see how erectile dysfunction medicine is worth staking your life on. I don't think it's valuable enough for that..."
She glared at me.
"But I trust you, so I'll do as you say. However, if it comes to me having to kill you... I absolutely won't forgive you then."
No... unforgiven even after death? What does that mean?
It made no sense, but since it wouldn't happen anyway, I nodded readily.
"That'll never happen."
That was when it happened.
-Piiiing! Boom!
Fireworks burst into the sky.
"What's that?"
"That's the emergency flare. Aiden, we don't have time for this!"
With that, Luna dashed toward where the flare had gone off.
"W-Wait a second!"
Luna sped off in an instant.
I glanced back at the soldiers, and there I saw orc soldiers approaching nearby.
What was going on?
Now that I thought about it, something was off.
Humans had invaded, yet no orc soldiers were in sight, even if you scoured the area.
As I pondered this suspiciously while watching Luna's back.
Crazy... how did she get that far already?
I was astonished by her incredible speed.
Even a car might not keep up.
Swordmasters really were on another level.
But this wasn't the time to admire it.
Weapons drawn, the two sides were on the brink of conflict.
No clashes yet, but tension mounted, not knowing when it might erupt.
Ah... no, if they fight there, it'll be irreversible.
As I fretted over that.
Luna arrived between the two armies.
And said something.
"Haa... haa..."
By the time I arrived nearby, panting from running hard...
"Do you think we'll surrender to humans?! We'll die before we do! Surrender isn't in our vocabulary!"
"I'm not telling you to surrender. I'm proposing a deal!"
Luna was talking with Yalta.
"A deal?! Isn't that the same thing?! Orcs don't make deals."
So proud, this ignorant race.
"And we have nothing to give humans anyway! A deal? Are you calling us fools?!"
"No. You have it. Something incredibly precious to us."
Yalta snorted at Luna's words.
"What's that?!"
"It's..."
She, who had been so steadfast until now, blushed and hesitated.
Ah... embarrassed, huh? Yeah, saying "erectile dysfunction medicine" out loud would be.
As I thought that, Luna glanced around, our eyes met, and with a faint blush, she shouted.
"A-Aiden will explain it!"
At her embarrassed cry, I caught my breath and spoke.
"We want to trade for erectile dysfunction medicine."