Chapter 398: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 398: The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today[R-18] (2)
‘Let’s see, what are some good fortuitous encounters...’
I recalled the major fortuitous encounters from the original story one by one.
‘The Branch of the World Tree is impossible in my current situation. Same goes for the Heart of Immortality, which is in a place where a lich is sealed…
The most realistic option I can aim for is probably the 「Essence of Wind」 found in an early-game dungeon.’
「Essence of Wind」
It was one of the items obtainable early in the game, which not only boosted one's physical abilities across the board but also granted wind-related powers.
‘It's a pretty decent item for increasing combat power. It'll cost some points to bring it to reality, but it's well worth the price.’
The goal was set. All that remained was to go and claim it.
And…
‘I wonder if the playable character will be male or female?’
If it was a woman, I’d have to get my hands on her first, right from the start. If I left her alone, it was obvious she'd be defeated immediately and sent straight down the conditioning route.
‘First, I need to confirm what point in the game this is.’
I picked up the silver bell on the table and shook it lightly.
—Ting.
It made no sound. This was a summoning bell crafted with magic. Instead of a physical sound, it was designed to send a direct summons to a specific person.
A moment later, the door opened, accompanied by the slow footsteps of an old man.
“You called for me, my Lord Marquis.”
“What is today's date? The year and month.”
“It is the fifth month of summer, Imperial Calendar year 942.”
‘…Good. It's the starting point.’
I let out a sigh of relief and immediately gave Alfredo an order.
“I plan to go out for a while. Make the preparations.”
“May I ask where you are planning to go?”
“To Ruen Village in the Obel Plains.”
“That is closer than I expected. Very well. I will prepare the knights and soldiers.”
Alfredo bowed his head deeply and quietly withdrew. Once he left, silence fell upon the room again.
*
The preparations for our departure were finished much faster than I expected.
I wanted to move alone, but my position as a marquis made it difficult to act completely on my own.
I put on my overcoat and turned my gaze to Alfredo, who was inspecting the neatly prepared horse tack.
“You will handle all affairs in my absence, Alfredo.”
“Yes, my Lord Marquis.”
I gripped the horse's reins, mounted the saddle, and shouted.
“We depart.”
With the sound of hooves striking the stone courtyard, the knights following me began to move as one. The cloaked knights formed an orderly procession behind me.
A flag bearing the red Alcladion crest fluttered in the wind. The Seven Nights Knights led the way like standard-bearers, followed by an orderly procession of elite soldiers.
‘It's a four-day journey to Ruen Village.’
Luckily, it was closer than I thought. However, Ruen Village was located not in the Alcladion marquisate, but in the territory of another noble.
‘Though it's just a barony.’
In reality, a conflict might have arisen depending on the baron's faction. Leading an army into another's territory without permission was a clear cause for a diplomatic dispute.
But this wasn't reality. This was the world of an erotic game.
And the background this avatar possessed wasn't just the simple title of marquis.
His biological mother was the king's half-sister—a princess of the royal family. In other words, apart from his title as marquis, he carried royal blood.
I quietly raised the corners of my mouth as I sat on my horse.
‘This avatar has a great background. No one will be able to touch me, no matter what I do later.’
And so, half a day passed under the flag bearing the red Alcladion crest.
As the sun began to set, a knight riding beside me turned his head, his hand on his reins. It was Eric, the vice-commander of the Seven Nights Knights, who was also serving as our guide for this journey.
“My Lord Marquis.”
He spoke cautiously.
“It seems we should decide on a place to stay for the night.”
“Don't tell me... you're suggesting we make camp?”
He quickly shook his head.
“No, my lord. A little further to the northwest, there is a small village. It is called 'Delve.' We should be able to arrive before sunset.”
“Good. We'll head there.”
As I spurred my horse on, the knights following me quickened their pace, their hooves thundering in unison.
‘…Delve. How fortunate.’
It was one of the villages the hero's party passes through, and the one with the dungeon containing the ‘Essence of Wind.’
A short while later, a small village came into view.
Beyond a flimsy wooden palisade, crooked houses were scattered here and there. Near the entrance, a few men stood in awkward stances. They were clad in rusty spears—hardly worthy of being called weapons—and old leather armor, but they looked more like they were just standing around than keeping watch.
One of them noticed our party, his eyes suddenly widening. He turned and started running into the village like a dog.
Soon after, as the sound of hooves reached the village entrance, an old man with gray hair came rushing out, leading a group of villagers.
In the blink of an eye, they knelt before us, pressing their foreheads to the ground and bowing deeply.
“W-Who... m-may I ask who you are...?”
The old man asked, his voice trembling with fear.
I did not speak. Instead, the vice-commander beside me dismounted.
He adjusted the collar of his cloak, looked down at the villagers with a cold gaze, and declared in a low, clear voice.
“This is His Excellency Jin Alcladion, the Marquis of Alcladion from the south.”
The old man's eyes trembled as if in a seizure. At the same time, all the villagers bowed again, pressing their heads to the ground.
The vice-commander continued.
“The Marquis will be staying in this village for one night. Quickly prepare lodging, a meal, and a bath.”
“...Understood...! I will guide you immediately!”
The old man shouted in a voice that was almost a crawl and led the way without hesitation.
The place he led us to was a relatively large house in the center of the village.
“Th-This is the least shabby place we have... I believe you can stay here...”
The old man said, his voice utterly intimidated. I slowly dismounted. I walked to the door, then turned to look back at the village chief.
“Village Chief.”
“Y-Yes...!”
A sound so loud it was hard to believe it came from an old man's body burst out. For a moment, even a few of the soldiers following me furrowed their brows.
“You're too loud. Lower your voice when you answer.”
“Yes...”
His voice instantly became quieter. Only then did I begin to pull off my gloves and speak.
“More importantly, are there any decent virgins in this village?”
The village chief's shoulders trembled.
“W-Well... yes. There is one... no, two. However, they are unworthy of serving you, my Lord Marquis.”
“I will be the judge of that. Describe their faces and figures.”
The village chief fidgeted before cautiously continuing.
“One is my daughter, Eira. She has blonde hair, is short, and has large eyes. The other is named Marienne, a girl from out of town... she makes a living by sewing in this village. She is tall, with black hair and fair skin... and a slender waist...”
I pictured the chief's descriptions in my mind and muttered.
“Good. Bring them both to me. As quickly as possible.”
“Understood...”
The village chief, sweating profusely, bowed his head deeply and scurried away again.
*
The village chief ran like an arrow, belying his sixty years of age. He was headed for a barn on the outskirts of the village, where the women and children had been hidden in case of trouble.
—CRASH!
As soon as he threw the door open, he stuck his head inside and shouted.
“Eira! Get out here, now!”
From inside the barn, a blonde girl who was arranging hay bales looked up with a surprised expression.
“Dad? What's wrong all of a sudden?”
“I said come out, it's urgent!”
Eira, dragged out in a daze, straightened her skirt and said.
“What's going on? Dragging someone out all of a sudden... Huh?”
At that moment, the village chief grabbed her shoulders with both hands, his face flushed with excitement.
“This is it, Eira! The opportunity has finally come!”
“This is it? What is? Ugh, you're being frustrating, just tell me properly, okay?!”
“The Marquis of Alcladion has visited our village! He's looking for a beautiful virgin right now!”
“So the reason you said it was dangerous and gathered us all here was because a noble was visiting?”
“Yes! You saw the flag, didn't you? The red crest, the symbol of the Alcladion family. He came in person!”
Eira was momentarily speechless, her mouth agape. Then, her eyes filled with suspicion as she glared at her father.
“Wait! Don't tell me, when you said he was looking for a virgin... Dad. Did you sell me off behind my back?”
“This is an opportunity, an opportunity! You were always going on about a prince on a white horse! That very prince has come to this village, riding a horse himself!”
“Really...? He's not some smelly, bald, pot-bellied old man like our lord, is he...?”
The village chief hastily looked around and clamped a hand over her mouth.
“Shh! If you say something like that in front of a nobleman, you'll lose your head!”
“I get it! I get it! ...More importantly, Dad. He's really handsome, right?”
Eira asked again, her eyes sparkling as if confirming a vital truth.
“You'll know when you see him. He's so handsome your eyes will pop out, and his speech, his posture... he just oozes dignity. If you can, make a good impression tonight and—”
He paused to catch his breath and added with a serious face.
“You should aim to become his concubine, at the very least. And Marienne, she'll be serving him with you. You. Must. Catch his eye, understand?”
Eira paused, then scowled.
“...Ah, I get it. I told you not to talk about that bitch!”
“Aigoo, there she goes again.”
The village chief stopped walking and glared at her. He had spoiled her since she was the child of his old age, and now she had no manners at all.
“Please, do not use that kind of language in front of the Marquis. This is your father's request.”
“...Fine, I get it.”
Eira grumbled as she followed him.
*
I looked at the food on the table and quietly frowned. Rock-hard black bread, goat's milk with a fishy smell that stung my nose, and a piece of meat that could have been either cooked or dried.
‘…This is completely inedible.’
In contrast, the vice-commander sitting across from me was nonchalantly tearing the bread and chewing the meat.
“Is it good?”
The vice-commander swallowed the meat in his mouth with a gulp and nodded.
“It's edible. Does it not suit your palate, my Lord Marquis?”
“...Yes. It doesn't suit my taste at all.”
The vice-commander shrugged at my reaction and said.
“Before you became the family head, you ate well without a word during monster exterminations. It seems your tastes have changed quite a bit.”
He took a gulp of water, then continued with a slight smile.
“More importantly... I was a bit surprised this time.”
“About what?”
“The women, my lord. I thought you had no interest in women, so to see you seek out a virgin as soon as we arrived in the village... I am moved beyond words.”
I quietly raised an eyebrow.
“When did I ever say I wasn't interested in women?”
“Hahaha, you may not have said it, but your actions have spoken for themselves.”
He had a point. In my memories, there were almost no traces of involvement with women. More than that, the fishy smell from the food was starting to irritate me.
‘Tsk. The smell is so bad I can't even bring myself to touch it.’
I averted my gaze without touching the bread in front of me.
Normally, I would never have allowed a man to sit so close to my table. But if these were the subordinates I would be working to the bone in this world, I needed to show them some consideration.
‘In that sense, this guy is a pretty useful slave.’
The vice-commander sitting before me was quite strong, as befitting a knight of a marquis's house.
To put it in fantasy terms—
‘High-Level Sword Expert.’
A swordsman who has reached the peak level.
‘I don't know how strong the commander is, but he's at least on par with the vice-commander... or perhaps even stronger.’
In a world like this, martial strength was power. As such, I needed to take care of them.