Chapter 15: I Can't Resist This (4)
Chapter 15: I Can't Resist This (4)
The Right of the First Night.
Commonly known as one of the many tyrannies that powerful medieval nobles exercised over their subjects.
To put it simply, it was the insanity of a lord claiming the wedding night of a bride for himself.
Some say it is a story passed down because it actually happened.
Others say it is a distorted myth from an ancient era of sexual promiscuity and openness.
Still others say it was just another method of control invented by depraved lords to exploit and oppress their people—a way to extort money by telling them to pay a tax if they didn't want to be subjected to such a vile act.
In any case, the Right of the First Night was almost never actually practiced.
A man whose beloved woman’s virginity was stolen?
If you made enemies of men like that, you’d likely be beaten to death by them the moment you were brought before the guillotine.
Right.
The Right of the First Night was nothing more than a trope in fiction.
It was what people called an urban legend, a mere rumor based on the idea that "something like this might have existed."
I had heard absolutely nothing about Ruji Fermaton exercising the Right of the First Night.
Not in the game, and not here.
'Wait.'
Was that why Zenith was so nonchalant?
Was that why she wasn't surprisingly shocked when I said I’d snapped out of it and was looking for a woman to impregnate?
—This bastard Ruji, he’s been going around sleeping with other men's women, and now he’s finally come to his senses and is thinking about taking a wife.
—He couldn't exactly impregnate someone else's woman, so he must have been pulling out every time. Tsk, tsk. At least he’s finally grown up.
—That pervert who actually used the Right of the First Night is finally going to live like a proper Fermaton. Phew. I really thought the Fermaton line was going to end.
...Could that be what she was thinking?
'No. I don't know for sure yet.'
The claim that I exercised the Right of the First Night was solely Astarotte’s assertion.
If rumors about me had been distorted into infamy, then I was a victim of slander, not a perpetrator.
But.
What if he really did exercise the Right of the First Night?
What if Ruji had been that much of a degenerate in Fermaton?
'When I played medieval fantasy games before, the prologue was usually about a rebellion against a lord who tried to use the Right of the First Night.'
This is driving me crazy.
I couldn't tell if Astarotte was telling the truth or not.
If it was true....
'Then I'll just lean into it.'
There was no backing down now.
I had already spoken, and I couldn't afford to look pathetic by telling a clumsy lie here.
"And what of it?"
"Wh-what...?"
"The Right of the First Night. It doesn't particularly matter, does it? I was simply looking for a woman to become a lady of Fermaton. As for the sex... I suppose I can put it like this."
Shamelessly.
Confidently.
"Every time I've had sex until now, it was all fake."
If I was already covered in filth, I might as well become thorough, non-recyclable waste.
"I have never once had 'real' sex in my entire life."
"Pardon...?"
"It was all fake. That wasn't sex. Ha! The mere act of putting a dick in a pussy and pulling it out to cum? That's just a simple physical act."
If I was going to be trash anyway, I’d be trash with convictions.
"I want the real thing. I am looking for a woman who will be my wife, a woman into whose womb I can pour my semen so she may carry my child. If there is a woman who will bear my children and spend her life with me, I want to join my flesh with hers and produce offspring. That is what you call real sex."
Astarotte is confused!
Even I didn't know what I was saying!
"So, to me, the act of sex is just that—an act. Even if you become a succubus and jump me, it’s nothing more than a sexual act. Just as a thirsty person wants water, a succubus wants cock. It’s the same logic. Take it as much as you want. My cock, that is. In exchange, you will have to provide a corresponding amount of labor for Fermaton."
I sounded like a complete lunatic.
Even as the words left my mouth, my stomach churned with disgust, but sometimes being this brazen was the only way to find a solution.
Why?
Because Ruji Fermaton was already trash.
If she was willing to cooperate even with a piece of trash like this, then....
"I-I understand. I understand your intentions perfectly, Young Lord."
My victory.
"Good. So, what's your answer?"
"...Please give me one day."
"A day. Short if you call it short, long if you call it long."
One day.
I’d be on pins and needles during that time.
If Astarotte decided to join my knight order despite seeing my trashy side firsthand, then it was a 'green light.'
'Get ready to get laid.'
If anyone could have sex with Astarotte, they’d gladly become a "Pedomaton."
I was already a man who exercised the Right of the First Night; what difference would adding a drop of "Pedomaton" to the mix make?
"I will send someone to the Magic Tower at this time tomorrow. You may come to the Lord's Castle yourself, or you can send a messenger or a letter. Of course... to be honest, I truly hope you become my magic teacher and a member of my knight order."
"...Why do you want me so badly?"
"Do I need a reason?"
Because your hidden older sister is the Magic Tower Master?
Because you're a 3-star top-tier character?
Because you're a succubus?
"It's a simple reason."
As I walked out the door, I pointed a finger toward Astarotte.
"Because Fermaton needs you."
* * *
At that same time, in the Adventurer's Guild. The Guild Leader's office.
"Miss Laura. The man known as Ruji Fermaton is an extremely dangerous individual."
Guild Leader Bernhard sat the blonde woman, Laura, down and told her the unvarnished truth about Ruji Fermaton.
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's a man who has done everything except murder, rape, and drugs. He’s committed so many evil deeds that one might wonder if he lives solely to do wrong."
"...But the Young Lord I saw today seemed different somehow?"
"That's the thing."
Bernhard let out a deep sigh and clutched his head with his hands.
"To be honest, the normal thing would be to stop you. Until now, the Young Lord has been a madman, a scoundrel. Getting drunk and causing a scene was his baseline, and he thought nothing of using violence. If..."
"If?"
"...If that was the influence of a curse that comes with living as a 'Fermaton,' would you understand?"
"......."
Laura lowered her head with a serious expression.
"There have been countless Fermatons until now, and every single one of them was violent. Yes. Just like the demons inside the Infinite Labyrinth beneath us. Perhaps the Fermatons are already kin to demons. It's just that... humans look the other way because of the massive profits they gain through the Infinite Labyrinth."
"Then..."
"Until now, no Fermaton has ever tried to overcome the Blood Curse. But Ruji Fermaton... he's trying to do something. I can't say his hair color is proof, but I trust my 'gut'."
"Your gut..."
Ruji Fermaton.
Were his past misdeeds committed because of the Blood Curse?
Or did he commit those numerous atrocities because he was inherently evil?
"...The curse of the Infinite Labyrinth."
"Well, it might be something like that. But Miss Laura, even so, you don't necessarily have to—"
"I have a favor to ask, Guild Leader."
"...A favor?"
"Yes."
Laura lifted her head.
"...Could you buy me an outfit?"
* * *
"A total bust."
I’d been running around since morning and gained nothing.
One day.
Everyone told me to wait a day, saying they needed time to think.
'I understand. I really do.'
Ruji Fermaton.
Human trash.
A crazy bastard who couldn't be described by that one word alone.
'I should have realized it when Amy quietly showed me her panties.'
No matter how much of a maid she was, it was strange that she just stood there, lifting her skirt while tearing up, at the Young Lord's command to see her underwear.
Ruji Fermaton was a lunatic who had invoked the Right of the First Night more than a dozen times.
He was a piece of trash who had committed every possible act of thuggery except murder, rape, and drugs.
'I should have looked into things more before moving.'
I knew he was a scoundrel.
But I never imagined he was this much of a degenerate.
Unless The Scion of the Labyrinth City was an R-rated dark fantasy game, I thought there would be a limit to his scoundrel behavior since it was officially rated for ages 15 and up.
Ah, I see.
This damn world is reality, and the world is an unspeakable pile of trash.
In that case.
"...If it's R-rated, then I'll play it like it's R-rated."
I’ll show them what it means to be more than human trash—I’ll be human debris.
To survive as a Fermaton.
To live in this world.
'They said he only avoided murder, rape, and drugs. In that case—'
"Excuse me, Young Lord."
A knock sounded from outside.
I cleared my throat and stood up, worried that I might have accidentally spoken my thoughts aloud.
"A guest has arrived."
"A guest? At this hour?"
The clock was pointing to almost 11 PM.
"Who is it?"
"...She says she came at the Young Lord's invitation. But..."
"But?"
"...She is a bunny girl."
Oh.
"A bunny girl?"
"Yes. Should I... show her to the bedroom?"
A bunny girl invited in the middle of the night.
Human debris, Ruji Fermaton.
'It's Laura, isn't it?'
No matter how I looked at it, there was only one way to interpret this....
"F-first of all."
Let's stay calm.
And then make the best judgment possible.
"...Guide her to the bedroom. I'll take a quick shower and be right there."
She came dressed as a bunny girl?
The rookie adventurer, Miss Laura?
This.
"It's a sex flag."
I, Ruji Fermaton.
A man who never misses a kill flag—no, a sex flag.
"...Brace yourself."
First blood.
It's mine.