The Maid of Lampades
The front of the most luxurious hotel in Lampades. Whoosh. A woman stood before the entrance, her long silver hair cascading down to her knees. She wore a fur-lined jacket that seemed entirely out of place in the desert city, paired with tight brown leather pants. Her ocean-blue eyes sparkled, and a long, straight sword hung at her waist, complete with its scabbard.
Though her appearance felt strangely incongruous with the desert city, she was a figure known to everyone here. The captain of the guard, Ernette. She had received an order from the Desert King: "Monitor those who enter Lampades."
The Desert King’s command was absolute. He was the one who had founded the city and was its sovereign ruler, and she was merely the captain of the guard and a knight of this place. In another country, she might have been called the "Captain of the Royal Guard," but in the desert city-state of Lampades, "Captain of the Guard" was title enough. The order was simple, but the weight it carried was anything but light.
"Is this the place, Manager?"
"Yes, Lady Ernette."
Ernette had arrived at the hotel. Already, in the lobby, the manager—not a bellboy—was waiting for her, accompanied by a group of maids.
"And the two of them?"
"They are staying in the suite."
"The suite? Do they have the money for that?"
"Money is... well, for one thing, they might actually be a real married couple, and so..." The manager replied with an ambiguous smile. "There is also the story passed on by Madam Delma... who knows? They might truly be newlyweds."
"At a time like this? In a place like this?"
"...Because they came to a place like this at a time like this, they need to be cherished all the more."
"Haa..." Ernette sighed. A dark shadow fell over the faces of the manager and the maids at that sigh, but they quickly straightened their expressions.
"The Desert King is suspicious. Disguising themselves as a married couple is nothing."
"There are even those who enter disguised as lunatics. You know that as well, don't you?"
"Yes, I am aware. It’s only natural... since I was the one who reported it."
"Don't you find it strange? That two people from the far East arrived in a single day?"
People from the East. At those words, the expressions of the maids twisted for a moment. Unlike when they had looked tearful before, this time they didn't bother to hide their blatant contempt.
"But one of them has a wife, doesn't he?"
"Hmph. You don't know what you're talking about. I will judge for myself whether she is truly his wife or not."
"Pardon? Y-you don't mean you intend to meet them personally...!"
"Is there a problem with the Captain of the Guard personally interrogating a suspicious individual?"
A fair point. The Captain of the Guard of Lampades possessed such authority, and the hotel manager had come out to greet Ernette precisely because he knew that.
"Let's go. Lead me to the suite."
"...Their guilt has not yet been confirmed, Lady Ernette. Please, I beg you to act with composure. It would be troublesome if you broke the hotel furniture again."
"That was only because that bastard locked the door and tried to hold out from the inside."
Following the manager's guidance, the two headed up the stairs toward the suite.
"To begin with, isn't it suspicious that they traveled all this way without even proper luggage?"
"I thought that was strange as well, but perhaps they lost their bags on the way..."
"Manager. You don't think they were threatened into silence by someone, do you?"
"Oh, Captain. Do I look like the type to be intimidated by death threats?"
At Ernette's words, the manager flexed his arms. Despite wearing a suit, his muscles were prominent. Ernette nodded quietly, but she continued up the stairs with a look of disbelief.
"Then it makes even less sense. Are those two really that much like a married couple?"
"Rather than 'like' a couple, it would be safe to just see them as a married couple."
"To that extent?"
"...At the very least, honey was dripping from the wife's eyes as she looked at the man. At the very least, that couldn't be acting. If that were acting... it would mean they are spies with acting skills so superb that everyone present, including myself, was completely deceived."
"Is it that much?"
Honey dripping from the eyes. It was a figurative expression, but Ernette couldn't easily grasp it. After all, in the twenty-something years since she was born, Ernette had never once felt an emotion that could be described as 'honey dripping' toward a man— Aaaah!!
"......!!"
As they reached the corridor where the suite was located, a sound rang in Ernette's ears.
"Manager. Did you hear that just now?"
"Pardon? Hear what...?"
"Just now, a woman's scream—"
Haaak, ahng, harder, harder...!
"...A scream...?"
"Ah, ahh...?!"
The manager was startled and covered his mouth with his hand. The maids following behind tilted their heads, and the manager quickly walked forward to block Ernette's path.
"L-Lady Ernette. Please, calm down. What you are hearing is surely...!"
"It sounds like something is slapping quite loudly."
"Ahhh!! Sh, shhh!!"
The manager put his index finger to his lips and threatened her. Ernette shut her mouth, but with her expression, she shrugged as if to say, 'You're the one being louder by telling me to be quiet.'
"...Why on earth? Am I the only one hearing this? No, it's loud enough that I can hear it, but..."
"Excuse me, Lady Ernette?"
The maid at the very front of the group stepped up one stair and asked, "Is the sound perhaps... a bit like this?"
Pat-pat-pat. The maid overlapped her two hands at an angle and made a sound. It was clearly the sound of flesh hitting flesh. And it wasn't just a simple collision; it was a sound with rhythm and varying intensity.
"It seems similar. Wait, did they say something just now? Inside, they are..."
Twitch.
"Wait, don't tell me...?"
"I told you they were a married couple. And newlyweds at that..."
"......!!"
Whoosh.
"S-such shamelessness...!"
"They are a couple who came to receive the blessing of the Great Earth Mother for the sake of making a child, Captain."
"N-no! Even so, to be this audible..."
"The soundproofing of the suite is thorough. You are likely the only one who can hear the sounds coming from that room, Lady Ernette."
"......."
Ernette, whose face had turned red to the roots of her hair in an instant, descended the stairs through the maids. The maids giggled at her, but Ernette shot them a brief, sharp glare and practically fled down to the first floor.
"Such a mission—wait. It's not confirmed yet."
"Pardon?"
"They might be acting. They might be using sound magic. Didn't they say they were pretending to be a married couple? Just as they acted like a couple outside, they must be continuing to act inside."
"That is..."
"If they are spies, they would be even more careful about hidden cameras or wiretaps. Wouldn't it be even stranger for a couple who came here on a fertility pilgrimage to be acting like that, precisely because they are conscious of such things?"
"...I will trust Lady Ernette's judgment."
The manager bowed his head with a heavy face. Suspicion still lingered on his face as if he were unsure, but Ernette's face held a sense of half-certainty.
"Good. Manager. Inside—"
"But if, by any chance, they were just enjoying their time as a couple..."
"......."
"What about the sound right now? If, by any chance, they are reaching their climax—"
"H-how would I know that... *Ahem!*"
Ernette cleared her throat and climbed back up half a floor. "The suite, is the room next door empty?"
"Pardon? It is empty, yes. B-but the walls there are so thick that you might not hear anything at all..."
"If I press my ear against the wall and focus, I might be able to hear something. Or perhaps there will be a time later when I can naturally enter the room."
"Manager."
One of the maids raised her hand. "How about we wait for the time when we go in for room service or housekeeping? Lady Ernette could come along."
"...Keep talking, Sharin."
"We might not be able to discover any special devices, but wouldn't Lady Ernette be able to find something? Like a subtle flow of mana, or a special mechanism."
"Hmm... that's certainly a plausible story, but." The manager listened to the maid Sharin's words while scanning Ernette up and down. "In that outfit..."
"Do you have a spare maid uniform?"
"Lady Ernette?"
"If it's for surveillance, I have no choice but to disguise myself."
Ernette unbuckled the sword at her waist. "Prepare the room next door. And I'd like you to train me in being a maid quickly. I will find out the truth about them, no matter what! Whether they really came here to receive a blessing, or if they are mocking me knowing that I'm here...!"
***
The time was already 2:00 AM.
"......."
"Phew."
After laying the exhausted Shin Yuhee down on the bed for a moment, I put on my robe and took out the gold coin from the pouch we had been given.
"Hmm."
The profile of an old man engraved on the gold coin. On the head of the old man, who looked like a dignified warrior, sat a laurel wreath that felt somewhat out of place in the desert.
"Well, whatever."
The picture is important, but what matters right now is the number. Since '1' was clearly written on the front, I placed the 1-gold coin, which could be used in Lampades, on the table and opened the brochure.
'I need to fill my stomach.'
Sex is an act that consumes a considerable amount of stamina. Unlike cases where I don't need to move like with Shemily, cases like Shin Yuhee, where I have to drive my cock in myself, consume stamina faster than you'd think. Of course, we did it for a while. About 5 hours. I tormented Shin Yuhee until she fainted, and I ejaculated inside her 4 times.
'My stamina is definitely increasing. Both Shin Yuhee's and mine.'
My stamina had increased. In my case, it was more that my stamina increased as my mana increased, but the frequency and duration had certainly increased compared to the arena days. Incomplete combustion. I could still do more, and Shin Yuhee would be able to do it again after waking up and having a simple meal.
'What should I do?'
If I wanted to find the person, I could probably just go out tomorrow morning, but considering the atmosphere of Lampades, I didn't feel the need to go out with a sword in hand right now.
"Hmm..."
Even a trip to Mount Geumgang is better after a meal. I immediately opened the room service brochure and reached for the magic stone.
"The time... it's possible for now."
Room service operating hours. 24 hours. Originally, it was supposed to be until a certain time, but it had been crossed out with two lines and corrected to '24 hours'. As if it had been changed relatively recently.
....
"Excuse me for the late hour."
[Oh, not at all! Please, go ahead!]
"Is room service available right now?"
[......Yes! It is! Anything you wish!]
...?
The answer was a bit late just now.
...Hmm.
"First, in front of the door—"
[Since it's a special occasion, would you mind if I came in person to explain? Ah, our head maid will visit.]
"A visit?"
I scanned the inside of the room. "......It's difficult inside the room, so I will come out of the room."
[Pardon? No, no! How could I let a guest—]
"My wife is sleeping right now."
[Ah.... *Sigh*, well, ...Yes. Understood. Then I will send the head maid immediately.]
Click. The connection to the magic stone was cut.
"...Senior."
"Are you awake already?"
"I told you I was just, *haa*, closing my eyes..."
Shin Yuhee, exhausted, barely lifted her head, and I immediately approached her, filled a glass with water, and handed it to her.
"What is it?"
"Rehydrate and lie down for a moment."
"Is it dangerous..."
"If it seems really dangerous, put on a robe and follow behind me. Just act according to the atmosphere. Got it?"
"Could we end up fighting?"
"I don't think it will go that far..."
Hmm. I don't know.
"If they filed a complaint about noise pollution because your moans were too loud, we might end up fighting."
"......."
Shin Yuhee pouted her lips and collapsed back down. I approached her, gave her a kiss, and then headed out the door with my robe, the 1 gold coin, and the brochure containing the room service menu.
Clink.
The moment I put on my robe and opened the door.
"Excuse— *Gasp?!*"
I encountered the two maids who had been waiting for me. Two beautiful maids whose eyes were clearly fixed on my neck, and who had stopped as if stunned, their eyes wide open.
"Ah."
The hickey Shin Yuhee left must have been darker than I thought.