Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Rival? #1
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People freeze up when they're caught off guard.
It's like a computer glitching out, their brain stalling. And when it gets really bad, they say their mind goes blank.
I knew that wasn't just some grammatical exaggeration.
Because right now, my mind had gone completely blank!
━Miss, you in there? There's a highborn lady downstairs looking for a guest. You might wanna come down quick.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the door of our room and called out. Probably the innkeeper. Caught completely by surprise, I jolted up from my seat in a panic.
Schluuurp.
At the same time, my long cock slipped out from between Elga's folds, letting a bunch of creamy, lewd fluids leak out.
“Ugh… W-what's going on?”
Elga seemed just as flustered.
We scrambled to grab our clothes. My shirt was torn to shreds by Elga earlier, so I had to throw my robe over my bare chest.
It was a bit rough, but fuck, that wasn't the issue right now!
“Ow, my back…”
Elga trembled like a newborn fawn as she fumbled to fix her dress.
She didn't look like she could manage it easily, so I helped her into the dress and properly tightened the corset in the back.
Once she was dressed, Elga called out to the door.
“Who's looking for me? Are they sure it's me?”
━Yes. There's no other pretty blonde in a red dress at our inn but you.
“A pretty blonde in a red dress… Guess that means it's me.”
━Why don't you come down? The one looking seems pretty pissed…
Tension, bewilderment, and annoyance laced the innkeeper's voice.
Like he was saying, "I don't wanna get dragged into this mess—sort it out yourselves quick."
“Whew.”
I took a deep breath to calm my overheated mind from everything that had just happened.
Think calmly.
Calmly.
First off, what had me the most rattled?
The "noblewoman" who'd shown up downstairs.
I'd wondered if it was Aira.
If Queen Aira herself had come all the way here, I couldn't even imagine what would happen if she found out about our current situation.
That's why my mind had blanked.
But thinking it over, hadn't Aira said she'd spend the whole day in her room reading? What were the odds she'd suddenly change her mind and upend her schedule?
And if it wasn't Aira, who else could be the noblewoman looking for us?
My thoughts raced in circles. In the end, the only conclusion was to go downstairs and see what was happening for myself.
「Calm Situational Judgment!
You gain experience thanks to the talent 《Calm Thinking》.
All job experience +5」
Good. The swirling worries in my head settled down. At the same time, text popped up before my eyes.
「You have successfully defiled a noble lady's purity!
Job: Lecher levels up.
Lecher Lv. 5 → Lv. 6
You might be able to pull off even lewder stuff now!」
「You showed excellent technique in breaking your opponent's will!
Job: Tamer levels up.
Tamer Lv. 3 → Lv. 4
Slightly increased chance to pierce opponent's mental defenses!」
Looks like that romp leveled me up big time.
I had no idea if everyone progressed this fast or if I got some bonus because of my Angmar bloodline.
Anyway, right now, the priority was heading downstairs and figuring out the situation.
If it was Aira who'd come, I'd need to quickly gauge how much she knew and make a plan.
“Lady Elga, why don't you freshen up here for a bit? I'll go down first and check things out.”
“You want me to hide in the back? Why the hell should I? Whoever it is, how dare they summon me… Ngh.”
Clack.
Elga took one step and winced, clutching her waist. At the same time, something clear trickled down her slender ankle and dripped onto the floor.
She definitely wasn't okay.
Elga rubbed her lower belly and said,
“Is it Aira by any chance? If it's Aira, you keep what just happened between us a secret. No—even if it's not her, keep it secret from everyone. Got it?”
“A secret?”
“Yeah! It's not time to bare my claws to the world yet. Got it? Now go on ahead.”
I opened the door and went down to the first-floor tavern with the grim-faced innkeeper.
There, I spotted the murmuring tavern patrons and, in the center, a group clad in black robes.
“Bring that Lioness bitch to me right now.”
What the—.
I was stunned.
The woman in the middle of the black-robed group was someone I never would have expected.
A woman in a brown robe with straight, misty silver hair cascading down.
Under the robe, a blouse bulging at the chest, a necktie, a short skirt, and stockings peeked out.
A school uniform? Probably. From Arc Academy.
An Arc student.
What business did an Arc student have with Elga?
I quickly scanned her face with my excellent fairy eyes.
Her face looked like a high schooler's, young, but her red eyes burned with such intensity it felt like a cold-blooded beast's chill.
Red eyes were usually a sign of dangerous types…
Overall, she exuded a lofty aura—an incredible beauty—but she wasn't someone I recognized. At least it wasn't Aira, which was a relief.
But then—
“Ah.”
The moment I spotted the reptile-shaped brooch on her robe and those of the surrounding black robes, I realized it wasn't all good news.
It was a silver dragon brooch.
And in this world, only one group used a dragon as their crest.
The Draco family.
One of the four great houses of Angmar alongside Tarantara, Lioness, and Belhawk. A Draco girl was here.
Shhhwick.
The Draco lady pointed her black fan in all directions and said,
“Bring that rude Lioness girl to me now.”
Her voice was calm and serene, yet laced with fury. Then, from behind me, the sound of heels clicking against the floor cut through the crowd.
It was Elga.
“I wondered who was looking for me. If it isn't the snot-nosed Draco brat? Never thought I'd run into you in a dump like this.”
Elga's flushed face twisted in a scowl as she growled like a lion.
“You precious types who don't even show your faces at Angmar's court—what brings you to a tavern in some foreign backwater?”
“…….”
Mirna Draco, the eldest daughter of the Draco family, narrowed her slender eyes at Elga's taunt, ignoring it entirely.
Those red eyes fixed on Elga's legs… more precisely, on the transparent glass slippers.
“Those shoes. I had them custom-made specially for my little sister. Give them back.”
“Oh, these?”
Only then did Elga seem to realize why the Draco lady had come for her.
Come to think of it, when she bought the shoes, the shopkeeper had mentioned they were reserved for someone important.
Elga had ignored it and outbid them anyway.
Who would've thought the Draco lady was the one who'd reserved them.
I was a bit confused.
Why was the silver dragon house here in Gracia, the church city?
I knew they were staying abroad, but at this time, they should have been in Angmar…
Ah.
Then I remembered—I'd nipped Finance Minister Belmont's rebellion in the bud.
This was the season when the Draco family should have returned to their homeland to help quell rebellions popping up everywhere.
But since I'd erased the rebellion entirely, there was no need for the Dracos to return to Angmar.
“Hand them over. Unless you want to see something ugly.”
Swish.
Mirna Draco extended her hand toward Elga.
But Elga just scowled, muttering, “Something ugly…?” before baring her fangs in a grin.
“Nope. I already bought them. They're mine now. If you're mad, you should've come earlier. Don't blame me for your slowness.”
“If you don't return them, you'll really be in danger, Lady Lioness.”
Clank, clank.
The black-robed guards around Mirna Draco drew their swords from their waists with heavy metallic sounds.
Probably heavily armed under those robes. Were those the famed Draco Dragon Guards?
Ssssh—
The ominous aura they gave off made the tavern patrons murmur in fear.
━A fight? Sounds fun.
━More booze here.
━Noble squabble, huh? Don't get to see this every day.
━Who ya betting on? I'm going with the black robes.
They weren't actually that scared.
But having a proper grasp of the situation, I had no choice but to tense up.
If Elga and Mirna fought in this cramped space, everything would get smashed to bits. We were foreign students here.
Noble foreigners causing a ruckus? Word would spread across the whole city overnight.
And rumors like that? They'd definitely lead to trouble. As a rumor expert, I knew it well.
“Scaredy-cat Draco shits. Always hiding behind your goons, huh? No guts for a one-on-one?”
“Why would I rush to my death like you fools?”
Elga and Mirna looked ready to throw down. No room for "reconciliation" or "compromise" in their heads.
And why would there be? The Lioness and Draco families were millennium-old enemies. Rivals.
So, if I couldn't stop the fight, maybe I could at least get them to change venues. I stepped between them.
“Excuse me for interrupting, but if you're going to duel, why not move it outside? Somewhere without people, maybe an open lot?”
“What the hell, Theo? Butt out of this.”
Elga was pissed, like I'd ruined her fun. Normally, she'd have flicked my forehead or something.
“…….”
Elga glanced at me and the surroundings, then let out a small sigh, like she had no choice.
“Fine, whatever. Easier to cut loose out there anyway. Hey, lizard bitch—don't run.”
With that, Elga clacked her heels and strode out of the tavern first. Mirna Draco watched her with intrigued eyes.
Swish.
Then those blood-red eyes turned to me. So chilling, I flinched involuntarily.
“Even if I go outside, don't think it means I'm following your lead. Servant of Tarantara, Gasper.”
“Sorry, but it's not just Tarantara—it's Aira von Tarantara VIII. Your queen.”
“Her Majesty the Queen? Is that so?”
With that, she and her black robes marched out with heavy steps.
「You are a skilled handler!
Tamer job experience gained. +50」
I waved away the text and mulled over the keywords from that exchange.
Servant of Tarantara?
There was contempt in it.
Makes sense. From what I knew, the current Draco family didn't recognize Aira's Tarantara as the royal house.
They only acknowledged Angmar as Angmar's master. So they'd despise the Tarantaras for usurping the throne.
And me, clinging to their side? Even more loathsome.
That's probably why she spat out "Gasper"—my surname proving I had no parents—with such emphasis.
Like, "Know your place, orphan."
Anyway.
Loyalists to the Angmar family.
In the end, they'd rebelled against the Angmar royals for some reason.
I didn't know why, but for now, they were still potential targets for my revenge.
Though… they might be poachable if I played it right…
Right then, the tavern crowd surged out en masse.
━Hey! Let's go watch!
━Heh, this'll be good!
So much for changing venues, you idiots.
You're gonna get hurt!
I bolted outside after them in a hurry.