Chapter 150: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (14)
Chapter 150: Dragon's Eye, Human Heart (14)
After delivering the 'punishment' Senior Delphine had desired, I wore a somber expression.
Was this relationship really right?
Senior Delphine seemed sincerely submissive to me, but I couldn't shake the suspicion that, in the end, I was the one catering to her whims.
I was just beginning to worry about how severe the penalty would be if a case of sexual violence involving a power imbalance were referred to the Disciplinary Committee.
Senior Delphine, on the other hand, looked quite satisfied. The curve of her long, outstretched legs was magnificent.
Lately, the intensity of the punishments Senior Delphine requested had been steadily escalating.
Originally, it was just things like grazing her cheek with an axe blade or striking her solar plexus, but today, as if she’d developed a real taste for it, she had gone as far as asking me to spank her.
Of course, the sensation was good.
The refreshing feeling of firm, elastic flesh meeting my palm was something one couldn't understand without experiencing it. Since Senior Delphine’s body was as perfect as her face, to be honest, it was a luxury for me.
I just couldn't help but feel sorry for Marquis Yurdina.
Once vacation started, I felt like I should send him some health supplements through Senior Delphine. Only then did it feel like my guilt might lessen a bit.
To think that the haughty and prideful young lady of the Yurdina family was joyfully kissing the feet of some random man.
She had even developed an abnormal quirk where she actively sought out punishment.
This was a sight that must never be discovered by anyone. Not to mention Marquis Yurdina, even Seria must never see the current Senior Delphine.
If she did, I could already see a future where Seria would stumble and collapse in a dead faint.
While I was deep in thought, letting out a heavy sigh, Senior Delphine seemed remarkably unconcerned.
She looked as if she didn't have a single worry in the world. She offered me advice in a serene voice.
"By the way, Master, it would be best to be careful of the Newspaper Club."
At those words, my puzzled eyes turned toward Senior Delphine. She wore a suggestive smile and leaned in to whisper in my ear.
Her hot, damp breath seeped in as if it would melt my eardrum.
"...It’s the Academy branch of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau."
"What?"
The Newspaper Club? The one that published those useless, sensationalist articles?
I asked back in shock, but Senior Delphine’s statement didn't change. She gave a mysterious smile, as if she had expected my reaction.
"Did you think the Imperial Intelligence Bureau would be disguised as some obviously suspicious and competent group?"
"...I suppose that makes sense."
I nodded, acknowledging the logic.
Indeed, appearing insignificant would be the best way to avoid suspicion. In that regard, the Imperial Intelligence Bureau’s choice to masquerade as the Newspaper Club was brilliant.
'A source of kindling that people read for a moment of interesting gossip and then burn.'
That was the current status of the Academy's Newspaper Club.
Naturally, I hadn't even imagined it until I heard the information from Senior Delphine. I had thought that since the Imperial Household had influence over the Academy, the Intelligence Bureau might be lurking somewhere, though.
Then, my thoughts drifted to the newspaper I had tucked away.
That newspaper, which had provided particularly distorted information about me—only then did its tone start to make sense.
Since I had provoked high-ranking nobles and the Imperial Household in succession, it was understandable that they would be displeased.
I let out a hollow chuckle. Until recently, the words 'Imperial Intelligence Bureau' brought to mind terrifying secret agents, but now, I felt nothing much.
Demons, mythical monsters, and dark priests were far scarier than those guys.
I felt like I should pay the Newspaper Club a visit eventually. Though I wasn't sure what I could actually do by going there.
It was the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, where the most gifted talents were said to gather. It would be troublesome to try and fathom their schemes from a conventional perspective.
Lost in thought for a moment, I asked Senior Delphine just in case.
"Then, does that mean the 'Queen of the Ball' is also...?"
"Of course. She's a member of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau—the Academy branch manager."
As expected. I swallowed a groan and nodded.
The 'Queen of the Ball.' I had heard of her—a commoner who had seized control of the social world teeming with nobles.
I’d heard that her beauty was one thing, but her information network and schemes were extraordinary.
I had been wondering how a commoner could possibly achieve such a thing. Hearing Senior Delphine’s words, all those doubts seemed to clear up.
I etched all this information into my mind. Once again, Senior Delphine seemed impressive.
Since the Hunting Festival, she hadn't really been able to maintain her dignity as the successor of the Yurdina family.
But the fact that she even knew about the branch of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, which was supposed to be a top-secret among secrets, made me realize her power once again.
She truly was the successor of one of the Empire's Five Great Noble Families.
While I was naturally admiring Senior Delphine’s information-gathering capabilities, I also felt a sliver of guilt.
To reiterate, information regarding the Imperial Intelligence Bureau was top-secret.
Therefore, leaking it to the outside was strictly forbidden. This applied even to the successor of the Yurdina family.
If I were a close confidant, it might be different, but she had no obligation to give such information to someone like me, who wasn't even part of her family.
In fact, there was a high probability she would suffer a loss by giving me this information. Nevertheless, Senior Delphine had offered me advice without hesitation.
That baseless favor felt frightening.
I had been quite active lately, but my essence was still just the second son of a rural viscount. As a swordsman, I hadn't yet reached the stage of full maturity.
Yet, Senior Delphine was bestowing favors upon me that went beyond friendship.
Unable to understand it at all, I found myself asking her.
"Senior Delphine."
"...?"
Senior Delphine, who had been tidying her clothes and was about to leave the research lab, stopped immediately at my call.
Doubt was visible in those crimson eyes. They were beautiful eyes no matter when I looked at them, but now was not the time for such sentiments.
I asked my question in a more serious voice.
"...Why are you clinging to me like this?"
It was a question that could be somewhat wounding to one's pride. But I deliberately spat out the doubt without filtering it.
I believed that was the only way to hear Senior Delphine’s true feelings.
After staring at me blankly for a moment, Senior Delphine soon let out a soft chuckle and a smile played on her lips.
Then, she walked over gracefully and whispered in my ear.
"...To win, of course."
Before I could even ask 'win what,' my eyes met Senior Delphine’s blood-colored gaze. My mouth shut instantly.
A burning torrent of emotion seethed in her eyes. Competitive spirit, obsession, blind faith—all of them mixed together to vomit out a new kind of psyche.
Madness. There was no other way to describe Senior Delphine, who stood there with a smile and dead eyes.
Her viscous voice dragged across my eardrums.
"If I stand by your side, I can win, can't I? Then it's fine. Victory is everything. The same goes for defeat. I'll do anything as long as I can win."
The slender fingers of Senior Delphine, who was gripping my shoulders tightly, squeezed harder. It was enough to cause a faint pain.
However, I didn't frown. Rather, it was because the depths of the emotions Senior Delphine was showing me now were far more shocking.
"You want me to wag my tail? Fine, I'll wag it as much as you want. I'll kiss your feet—no, not just your feet, I can do that anywhere... If you tell me to strip, I’ll strip. If you tell me to kneel, I’ll kneel. In exchange, you must win."
With those final words, Senior Delphine pushed off my shoulders and distanced herself from me.
Even then, I just stood there with a dazed look. My stupid gaze followed her.
As if the side she had just shown was a lie, she wore a mysterious smile.
"As long as you do that, I will live as your possession for the rest of my life... So, please work hard, okay?"
After kneeling one last time to kiss my foot, Senior Delphine departed.
For a long time afterward, I stood there as if nailed to the spot.
When some time had passed and I finally came to my senses, a bitter smile played on my lips.
"...I'll do my best."
Thinking that Delphine Yurdina was still Delphine Yurdina, I began to walk again.
The materials were slowly coming together.
It happened while I was leaving the research building and trudging through a secluded area within the Academy.
A welcome sight caught my eye. A lovely girl with reddish hair was there.
It was Emma. She was walking along with something in a basket, and I was about to greet her but decided against it.
It would be a nuisance. Even Reto, a noble, had suffered like that just for being close to me; I couldn't approach Emma, who was a commoner.
A bitter smile formed naturally. Now was a time to endure.
The incident would be settled within a month anyway. Just as I was about to turn away, I came to a sudden halt because of a sight that grated on my nerves.
A group of female students was approaching Emma. Even at a glance, they looked like a pack of nobles. Something felt ominous.
My intuition was soon proven correct.
The sound of bickering reached my ears, and soon a scuffle broke out. Even from a distance, the cause was clear.
"...What's wrong? Is that lower noble your prince or something?"
"I told you to repeat it! 'Ian Percus is a retard who doesn't know his place, and his family is just a gathering of rootless country bumpkins.'"
Snickering and mocking laughter followed. Despite this, I was still hesitating.
Would stepping in actually help Emma?
No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't stay by Emma's side all day. If my intervention only made the bullying worse, it would be counterproductive.
But in the next moment.
"...I absolutely refuse!"
Emma's resolute cry rang out, and simultaneously, a sharp slap erupted.
Emma let out a scream and collapsed onto the ground. The basket fell, spilling its contents.
One of the female students had slapped Emma across the cheek.
Time seemed to slow down. Seeing Emma, who had been struck and was now lying pitifully on the ground, caused a blackout in my mind.
I couldn't think of anything. I only heard a faint snap in my head.
It was the sound of the string of my patience breaking.