Chapter 27. Southern Continent
After leaving the count's castle on the Southern Continent, Ji-hyuk separately summoned the lizardman Kayak. He stood rigidly at the hero's side and bowed his head politely.
"Any orders...?"
Ji-hyuk, who had been glancing over the inner castle grounds, slowly turned his head and stared piercingly at the lizardman.
"Looks like you'll need to get moving in a hurry."
"Just give the word."
"Go around the city with Gid and gather information. ...And support from the Cheonma Guild should arrive tomorrow or the day after. They mentioned heading to an inn called Windy Hill, so make contact secretly on your own. Check thoroughly for any tails. Windy Hill. Remember the name."
Kayak seemed to sense something ominous brewing from his leader's tone.
"...May I ask what's going on?"
Ji-hyuk licked his parched lips.
"The countess is a bit suspicious. ...Of course, it's just a minor suspicion right now. The alley boss is the prime suspect, but I'm saying we should prepare for any possibilities."
"Should I tell the others?"
"No, keep it to yourself."
"Understood."
"Let's get to it."
"Yes, sir."
Kayak headed off to find Gid, while Ji-hyuk went to Grace.
Before digging into the alley boss, Ji-hyuk wanted to first confirm whether he could trust the count's household enough to turn his back on them. Staring blindly ahead without caution could mean a knife in the ribs. Having weathered countless political intrigues across his loops, he knew all too well that enemies within were far more terrifying than those outside.
...Once he was certain the count's family was trustworthy, then he'd investigate the alley boss. That was the right order, by the hero's judgment.
As these thoughts swirled in his mind, he'd already reached Grace's room. The chain-smoking healer had been puffing away at her cigarette, staring out the window, when word came that His Excellency the hero had arrived. Her heart pounded so hard her asshole clenched tight—but of course, she didn't let it show. Expression control was second nature to nobility.
"Grace."
"Yes, sir. Your orders, leader?"
"Think you can dig into the count's household affairs? Not like an interrogation—make it natural, like a casual encounter. ...You're nobility yourself, so approach it like you want to get chummy with fellow aristocrats."
"...Household affairs?"
"Number of kids, how they're doing, any recent happenings... that kind of thing."
"Ah...."
"Don't make it feel like prying, got it? ...You're sharp; I trust you know what I mean."
"Yes, leader. Understood."
After issuing those instructions, Ji-hyuk headed next to Ludvine and Rozalia's room.
"We're going to check on the count's condition. Ludvine, grab whatever you need."
"Yes."
The three of them made for the count's bedroom, where he lay bedridden with illness. As expected, loyal knights blocked their path.
"No entry without the lady's permission."
"Then go inform her. We need to examine the count's state. It could be a demon cult curse. Tell her confirmation is necessary."
The two knights exchanged glances. Soon, one hurried off to fetch the countess.
"What?"
The countess shot to her feet at the knight's report. The hero wanted to check on her husband's condition—
She burst out of her room and rushed to the bedroom, trailed closely by a pair of servants and the knight who'd relayed the hero's words.
She soon came face-to-face with the hero's group waiting outside the bedroom. Hero and countess stood directly opposite each other, exchanging light nods of the head. It was the ingrained habit of nobles: keep up appearances, come hell or high water.
"I heard you wish to examine my husband's condition."
"Yes. It might be a demon cult curse, so we need to confirm."
"It's not a curse. It's his chronic illness flaring up."
"It might appear that way. Curses kill through insidious means. We don't know what tricks the demon cult might have used. Better to check quickly before it's too late."
The countess ground her teeth. ...This hero was far more fastidious than she'd expected.
"Very well. Take a look."
The door opened. The hero's group strode inside.
Still, the countess was confident. ...The witch who'd supplied the poison had assured her no other witch could detect it.
No matter how skilled the hero, he wouldn't uncover the count's symptoms.
They began examining the count this way and that. It took some time. But no matter how much they poked and prodded for a hundred or a thousand days, nothing would come of it—she was certain. Her expression remained utterly composed, as if to say, go ahead, take your time.
Soon, the hero's group stepped away from the bed. The hero approached her again. She lifted her chin and met his gaze.
"Well?"
"No curse. Seems like it's the chronic illness after all."
As expected—
But she pressed on calmly. "Is there any way to cure it?"
"Hard to say. If even healing magic doesn't work, there's not much we can do."
"I see. How disappointing."
"I hope the count recovers swiftly."
"Yes, please continue your efforts."
The hero's group departed. The countess left the bedroom and returned to the room where she'd been sipping tea earlier.
"Was it too much? Call him."
Soon, a pretty young maid was summoned before the countess—the one assigned to serve Hero Kang Ji-hyuk.
"Did the hero say anything suspicious? Anything at all—spit it out."
"Nothing like that."
"No, tell me anything. There must be something. ...God, you're frustrating."
Flustered by the lady's urging, the maid hemmed and hawed before mentioning something from the previous night's bath attendance.
"Even when my fellow maid and I stimulated around His Excellency's manhood, there was no reaction at all."
"...Is that so? What about his love life? Nothing there either?"
"No.... So we wondered if perhaps His Excellency might prefer men..."
The countess's lips curled slightly as she nodded lightly.
"Anything else?"
"Nothing else noteworthy."
"Fine. You're dismissed. ...Oh, and keep watching him closely. Report everything he does properly. Got it? Do it right."
"Yes, ma'am."
The maid bowed deeply and slipped cautiously from the room. Watching her go, the countess let out a long sigh through her nose. A flicker of regret crossed her mind—had she summoned the hero needlessly?
...But thinking of those damned traitors made her teeth grind anew; she simply couldn't endure it.
It had been her mistake to be swayed by the witch's promise to heal her sick son. Yet a desperate mother's heart struggled to maintain cold reason. That's why she'd even poisoned her husband, who had staunchly opposed bringing in the witch.
There was no turning back now. She intended to see it through to the end.
For her son to recover, a few hundred or thousand commoners dying meant nothing. Her son bore noble blood; they were baseborn filth. Sacrificing that much for noble lineage was more than acceptable.
The countess summoned the knight captain. Loyal to the count's house, he was the sort who'd leap into fire at her command.
"If you find the witch, capture her alive if possible. Even if she dies, her items must not go to the hero. Understood? All the witch's belongings belong to our territory. They're ours."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll keep it in mind."
"And watch the hero closely for anything suspicious. Tail him if you can. If he starts digging into us, report straight to me. Got it?"
"Understood."
"Sir Mallock, I won't forget your loyalty. Remember, our house's glory is your glory."
"Of course. I'm prepared to lay down this life gladly."
"Good. Thank you, Sir Mallock."
The countess took meticulous care to cover every contingency. The hero had no way of knowing the full story. There'd be no link between the count's house and the demon cult. Naturally, the alley boss would be fingered as the ringleader.
No hard evidence, but the circumstantial case was ironclad.
That damned bitch. Off to hell with her.
If the witch hadn't betrayed her, things wouldn't have gotten this messy.
But if she could just get her hands on that mysterious stone, all this trouble would be worth it.
Her husband, who wouldn't sacrifice a pawn for the greater good, was already discarded in her heart. Better no such leader at all.
...Then her son could take the seat right away.
The countess spent the day receiving reports from her underlings. Nothing out of the ordinary. The hero was just doing his job.
As dusky evening fell, she went to her son's room, where he lay abed with illness. The once-tall, handsome boy was gone, replaced by a gaunt man on the sheets.
Ahh, my beloved son—
She couldn't contain her heartache. Sensing her presence, her son cracked his eyes open.
Mother handled his face like a treasure.
"My son—!"
"...Mother."
"Just hold on a little longer. Your mother will make you better. Understand?"
"Mother... t-t-t-tits... t-t-tits...."
"Tits? Want mommy's tits?"
The countess climbed onto the bed and casually bared her upper body, pressing her still-plump breasts to her grown son's mouth.
The adult son suckled greedily at her tits. His cock began to swell.
"Mother, suck it."
"No. You're too weak. We'll do it once you're better, okay?"
"Nooo, suck it, please? Suck it. Hurry."
"Oh, come on, can't my boy be patient just a little?"
"It's been so long. You said next time."
"Sigh."
In the end, the mother slithered down beneath her son. His massive cock was worlds apart from her husband's pathetic one. She swallowed hard and slurped it into her mouth.
"Good, mother, good, so good."
The son didn't last long before ejaculating. The countess swallowed every drop, then sucked out even the remnants from his urethra.
"My boy's so healthy."
"Feels good."
"Yeah? Mother loved it too."
"I'm tired."
"Right, sleep now. Deep sleep. And wake up strong tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah."
The countess lovingly stroked her son's hair, straightened her clothes, and left the room.
She could feel him growing weaker by the day. Her desperation mounted accordingly.
Now, the hero was her only hope. She prayed he'd just stick to his duties.
...Gotta keep watching him.
At first, the hero had eyed her with faint suspicion—she'd sensed it. It seemed mostly dispelled now, but she'd monitor him to the end.
For her beloved son, the countess would do anything.