The Return of Cloud
Geum Taeyang gaslit Victoria while slipping his hand straight into her pants and grabbing her pussy. That’s right, Cloud. A man as handsome as you deserves a harem. Why settle for just one when you can have both?
In Cloud’s protagonist mode, the game was rated 15+ and featured a harem route. Since male protagonists were rare to begin with, harem endings were even scarcer. This was practically the first true harem scenario. Antoine’s route, by contrast, had no harem at all.
The yandere little-sister type Serazad, the blunt yet pure boyish Victoria—perfect match.
Cloud’s harem heroines were, of course, Serazad Estevan and Victoria Saint-Pierre.
Selendis really is a wicked legendary artifact. It naturally pushes Cloud toward building a harem.
The point was that Victoria, like Serazad, was deeply connected to the legendary artifact Selendis.
The Pierre family, who had upheld their loyalty to the Estevan household for thousands of years. So the goddess Selendis bestowed her blessing upon them as well.
Originally, Selendis had only responded to the priestess bloodline of the Estevan family. Over time, however, it came to trust the Pierre family, granting them a portion of its power and making them the key to its security. That was why the Pierre family alone had been able to handle both the training corps and the guardian corps for so long. Their bloodline produced outstanding Awakeners precisely because they carried Selendis’s power.
Like a gatekeeper, perhaps? To obtain Selendis, one must first open the door guarded by the gatekeeper.
Like any heroic relic of a noble house, Selendis did not respond to every priestess. It only dwelled within the chosen one. “Dwelled” did not mean the priestess could wield Selendis directly; it meant she was entrusted with its safekeeping. And the woman who earned the chosen priestess’s trust, the one who became captain of the guardian corps and stayed by her side, automatically received the role of gatekeeper from Selendis itself.
Serazad is the cradle of Selendis, and Victoria is the gatekeeper of that cradle. If I’ve awakened the cradle, I should conquer the gatekeeper before the cradle itself.
The order for obtaining Selendis was clear: first awaken the cradle, then conquer the gatekeeper who protected it, and finally resurrect Selendis within the cradle. Geum Taeyang had already maxed out Serazad Estevan’s affection and favorability at 100/100, awakening the cradle. The next step was no longer pursuing Serazad further, but conquering the gatekeeper—Victoria Saint-Pierre.
She’s so loyal. The moment her master shows the slightest sign of confusion or behaves unlike herself, she comes charging in with eyes blazing. Heh…
The gatekeeper and the cradle were one and the same. When the cradle was stimulated, the gatekeeper reacted. Only someone with that level of instinctive response could be chosen as gatekeeper. When Geum Taeyang had spoken with Serazad in the garden and left her feeling vaguely dissatisfied, his true target had been Victoria all along. He had deliberately provoked her into seeking him out.
“I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean, Captain Victoria. Are you accusing me of doing something strange to the Saintess?”
Geum Taeyang played innocent as Victoria Saint-Pierre came at him with blades drawn.
“Don’t play dumb. You said something suspicious to the Saintess during yesterday’s blessing and baptism ceremony. Ever since then, she’s been deeply troubled!”
Victoria’s temper flared hotter the more he denied it. True to her name, she was a straightforward, no-nonsense woman.
“It wasn’t a long conversation, but the Saintess allowed me to speak with her. Did I say anything problematic? If so, please tell me directly.”
Only when she was properly riled up would the real fun begin. Geum Taeyang continued his slippery denials, driving the conversation exactly where he wanted.
“‘The hibiscus flower has bloomed.’ You definitely said that. Are you still going to deny it after hearing those words?”
Victoria had been standing several steps behind where Serazad sat; she shouldn’t have heard anything. Geum Taeyang had whispered it so softly. Yet the captain of the guardian corps had read his lips.
“Hmm… ‘The hibiscus flower has bloomed’ is just a greeting used by some Mohican tribes…”
“Y-you shameless liar! It was clearly Cloud speaking to the Saintess!”
Lip-reading was a skill Victoria had mentioned in the game World Conquest Record. Geum Taeyang, already aware of it, kept feigning ignorance. Victoria, who hated such slick behavior, grew even more agitated and finally mentioned Cloud by name.
“Cloud! When he made that secret promise to the Saintess!”
Then, in her agitation, she revealed even more details.
“I see. So ‘The hibiscus flower has bloomed’ was a secret phrase between the Saintess and someone named Cloud. But how do you know that, Captain Victoria? That’s what’s truly suspicious. Why would you know something only the Saintess and Cloud were supposed to know?”
Victoria’s composure was crumbling for some reason. Geum Taeyang pressed the point relentlessly, gaslighting her.
“The reason is… the reason is…”
Victoria faltered, as if recalling something. Because I saw it… I saw Cloud whispering those words to the Saintess… and I saw the two of them heading to that secret place…
Yes. Through lip-reading, Victoria had witnessed Cloud say “The hibiscus flower has bloomed” to Serazad. She had even seen what happened afterward. But she couldn’t tell Geum Taeyang that.
I can’t say it. If I do, he’ll know I also saw that beastly act between him and the Great Mother…
That was right. The passionate night between Geum Taeyang and Sophia at dawn yesterday had been witnessed not only by Serazad. Victoria had seen it too, through another crack in the wall.
A being who sincerely cherishes and protects Serazad, yet has fallen in love with the same man—Victoria. Heh…
Geum Taeyang knew the real reason Victoria had lost her composure. Victoria also loved and longed for Cloud.
It really… felt like Cloud had come back…
Moreover, during yesterday’s act, Victoria had felt Cloud’s presence even more strongly than Serazad had.
“I wanted to serve Serazad Estevan.”
Victoria Saint-Pierre had shown extraordinary talent as an Awakener from a young age. Everyone expected her to one day hold a high position in the Belahaim Guardian Corps. Yet this girl had chosen Serazad, who had almost no chance of becoming the Saintess.
That heart that loves the people, that faith that truly follows the doctrine—she is the one who must become the Saintess.
Victoria valued character over divine favor. By her standards, Serazad was the perfect candidate to serve as her master.
I will make her the Saintess no matter what. And I will stand by her side for the rest of my life.
Becoming the official Saintess would bring the greatest honor to anyone from the Pierre family, regardless of personal gain. Victoria felt the same. She wanted to do everything in her power to support Serazad and make her the Saintess.
What in the world is this man…?
But then a massive obstacle appeared.
“Kuhahaha! It’s a trap, Serazad!”
“Kyaaah, Brother! Serazad’s foot is stuck in the ground!”
It was Serazad’s distant cousin, Cloud. Because of this crude man, Serazad found it difficult to focus on raising her divine power. He was too busy playing around.
“What do you think you’re doing to the Saintess candidate right now?!”
“I’m just playing with my little cousin.”
“She’s a Saintess candidate before she’s your cousin.”
“Serazad thinks the same, right?”
“I like being Brother’s little sister more…”
“Eeeek!”
Thanks to him, Victoria’s original plan was completely derailed. Serazad spent every day playing with Cloud, and Victoria was busy chasing after them to stop it. But as time passed, Victoria realized something.
I see. Because she receives that kind of love from Cloud’s side, Lady Serazad has become so pure and full of love.
The image of Serazad that Victoria had respected and admired so deeply had been shaped by her crude yet devoted cousin, Cloud.
“You’re still as hopeless as ever, Victoria. No improvement at all.”
“You cowardly human who only uses underhanded tricks, Cloud!”
“Look at how you talk to your big brother. And it’s not underhanded tricks—it’s clever schemes.”
Before long, Victoria herself began to be influenced by Cloud.
“Being honest is fine, but being ignorant is a problem, isn’t it? Pushing your body when you’re injured is something only idiots do.”
“I-if I don’t do that, I won’t improve!”
“I improve plenty without doing that.”
Cloud, a genius among geniuses, always saw through Victoria’s true condition and corrected her. Victoria was too deeply immersed in the Spartan ways of the Pierre family, and Cloud knew that while she appeared strong on the outside, she was fragile within. So he looked after her in his own tsundere way and gradually changed her training style.
Have I gone crazy…? That crude Cloud is starting to look more and more handsome…
Thus, around the time puberty began, Victoria realized she had come to like Cloud as a member of the opposite sex.
“Do you like me? Why is your face so red?”
“D-don’t be ridiculous!”
“Kuhaha! It was a feint! Take this!”
The cunning Cloud seemed to know everything.
He’s crude, but surprisingly sincere… and he treats Lady Serazad well. Maybe when we’re older, it wouldn’t be so bad to date him?
That was how the first love of the honest girl Victoria began to bloom.
Ah… Lady Serazad likes Cloud too…
But for the loyal Victoria, the greatest trial arrived. Before entering the temple as the next Saintess candidate, Serazad came to Victoria with her worries. She liked her big brother, but if she became the Saintess, she would never be able to be with him, and it made her sad.
Lady Serazad is so sad… how could I…
Though honest, Victoria was also decisive. She had seriously considered confessing to Cloud. But she gave up. At the time, her most important duty was her mission toward Serazad.
What should I do… I keep liking Cloud more and more…
Yet once emotions began, they could not be stopped. The more she denied them, the stronger the backlash became, because Victoria’s rebellious streak was as strong as her honesty.
“I understand, Brother! I’ll come after the mass ends!”
“Look forward to it! I’ll make you laugh so hard your stomach hurts!”
But watching Serazad and Cloud from the side was truly heartbreaking. A younger sister exhausted from Saintess lessons, and a cousin who became a clown to cheer her up. From the outside, their sweet and warm moments were something no one else could touch.
Lady Serazad looks so happy…
Victoria watched through a crack in the wall as Serazad and Cloud played inside their secret place. Serazad blew away the day’s fatigue with time spent with her big brother. If Victoria confessed to Cloud, that delicate balance would surely break. So Victoria spoke coldly one day.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something, Cloud. I’ve never liked you as anything more than a friend. Lady Serazad has become the Saintess and must perform the goddess’s rites. I hope we haven’t forgotten our duties.”
She rejected Cloud’s sudden show of affection with harsh words.
“Haha! Yeah, I guess I misunderstood. Sorry. Like you said, let’s both do our best so Serazad can become a great Saintess.”
At that cold rejection, Cloud wore a strange expression for a moment. Then he apologized cheerfully and said he would respect her wishes.
I’m sorry, Cloud… I lied about my feelings. But I couldn’t bear to hurt the Saintess…
Her heart ached. She had finally heard the confession she had longed for, only to reject it. And in a way that blamed Cloud. But an even more heartbreaking event followed.
“Lord Cloud the Guardian has been poisoned.”
A few months after the rejection, Cloud passed away.
It’s my fault… I caused Cloud’s death. Cloud would never have fallen for something like that…
A vast emptiness settled in Victoria’s heart. She believed Cloud’s death was her fault. The strange expression he had shown when rejected, and the way he had smiled brightly while apologizing, had not been like Cloud at all. Normally he would have brushed it off more crudely. Back then, Cloud had been deeply hurt, and Victoria believed that had made him unable to avoid his enemies’ schemes.
“Brother… Hic… I miss you so much…”
Victoria also saw Serazad sobbing and longing for Cloud in their secret place.
In the end, I couldn’t even protect the Saintess…
She was powerless. Her belief as a member of the family sworn to protect the Saintess had collapsed. Yet little by little, her resolve to protect Serazad once more had begun to recover—until she saw him.
Clou… d…?
A man who resembled Cloud.
“Is there something on my face?”
No…! This man is the Great Khan of the Mohican tribe…!
It was Geum Taeyang.
What he just said… “The hibiscus flower has bloomed”?
Geum Taeyang, who looked like Cloud, had even whispered “The hibiscus flower has bloomed” to Serazad.
Impossible! The oracle Lady Serazad spoke of? It really came true?
Of course, the oracle Serazad had received also surfaced in Victoria’s mind.
That crude Cloud! He looks exactly like him!
From that perspective, Geum Taeyang, who had been having sex with the Great Mother Sophia, looked exactly like Cloud.
No, it can’t be. Cloud…
But Victoria’s reaction was the opposite of Serazad’s.
Cloud died because of me. Cloud can’t come back.
Victoria, who had to endure even Serazad’s share of suffering, had been too deeply broken.
“Cloud… Cloud couldn’t have come back…”
Tears streamed down her face. Geum Taeyang, who had been arguing with her, watched as Victoria lost her composure and broke down, her eyes empty as tears fell.
“……”
Geum Taeyang looked at her with a rather emotional expression.
“Yeah, you’re right, Victoria.”
He moved behind her and thrust his hand deep into her pants.
“It’s your fault. What happened to me—Cloud—was because of you.”
He grabbed her pussy tightly.
“Hnnngh!”