Chapter 16: I Can't Resist This (5)
Chapter 16: I Can't Resist This (5)
A woman coming over in the middle of the night dressed as a bunny girl.
Isn't this basically like a "call girl"?
I hadn't even instructed her to wear that. I told her I’d let her wear a bunny girl outfit; I never told her to come over wearing one of her own accord.
So, I steeled my heart.
If my theory was correct, I was the one firmly in the position of power in this relationship.
Whether Laura was an avatar for a player character or somehow connected to the final boss of the Infinite Labyrinth in the lore...
Right now, the woman entering my bedroom was undeniably the subordinate in our current dynamic.
I held the initiative. She was the one who needed something.
To maintain an air of composure, I decided to act with bold confidence.
"Young Lord, I have arrived."
"Tell her to enter."
I was looking out past the terrace.
I picked up a wine glass, filled it with something that could have been either grape juice or wine, and prepared to greet Laura with leisure.
"Um, ex-excuse me... Eek?!"
The blonde bunny girl who stepped through the door gasped in surprise the moment she saw me.
I could understand why.
I was wearing nothing but a white robe.
I had nothing on underneath. Though the robe was tied at the waist, concealing Ruji’s unimpressive upper body, the silhouette of my cock was surely visible, backlit by the moonlight.
"Welcome, Miss Laura. It is a pleasure to see you again so soon after this morning."
"Ah, y-yes."
"Coming here in a bunny girl outfit... you certainly understand the basics of an interview. Come, sit comfortably."
I gestured toward the reception sofa and sat down on the one facing her.
I sat with my legs wide apart.
The hem of my robe barely covered my semi-erect cock; it looked as though it might pop out at any moment with the slightest shift in posture.
It was blatant sexual harassment.
But since she had shown up in a bunny girl outfit, I had to proceed under one dangerous assumption.
This woman is prepared to have sex with me if necessary!
My body might be out of shape, but my face was annoyingly handsome. At least in terms of raw appearance, Ruji fell into the "annoyingly good-looking" category.
It was just his behavior, personality, and expressions that were repulsive.
She must have heard rumors about Ruji, but...
Wait. Does she even know?
Laura was a newcomer to this city. Her information on Ruji Fermaton’s infamy might be limited or superficial.
Whatever, damn it.
What’s done is done.
Besides, as she sat there fidgeting, didn't her gaze flicker toward my lower half a few times?
The setup was perfect.
Even if it wasn't, I would force it to be. Even if she turned out to be a player.
"Let us finish the conversation we started earlier today. On the surface, I am recruiting a knight order to conquer the Infinite Labyrinth."
"On the surface...?"
"Normally, I wouldn't reveal this until after a contract was signed, but I’ll make a special exception for you."
The fact that she came dressed as a bunny girl meant she had already brought the "mental seal" to stamp that contract.
"I intend to see the end of the Infinite Labyrinth."
"......!!"
"I don't mean I'll destroy it. Not immediately. Currently, the Infinite Labyrinth is a pillar of this country’s—no, this world’s—economy. For a human, it’s like a leg."
A human can live without one leg.
However, life becomes incredibly inconvenient without it. Unless it's lost in an unavoidable accident, the priority is always to keep the body whole.
"...If I were to speak of this publicly right now, whether it be the Kingdom or the Empire, they would strap me to a bed and force me into essence extraction. They’d get someone pregnant, then keep me barely alive for a year until the child is born. Then, they’d kill me, and the child would live out its life with its limbs severed, kept alive only as a tool."
"T-that’s..."
"Cruel? I’m not joking. Human malice driven by desire is far more sadistic than you think. Take it from a 'human' who knows."
I vaguely recalled something from her background lore.
Laura.
Just like the male player character, this woman was no ordinary human.
"In this situation, I am being watched. Everything I say in this room is meant to be heard by others. The maids hear it, the butler hears it, the knights hear it. And all of it flows into the ears of the Kingdom and the Empire. I have no allies within Fermaton Castle."
"Th-then, even here...?"
"Only this spot is safe."
"W-why is that...?"
"It’s quite ironic. It seems there were those who found it unpleasant to hear the crude groans of me ravishing women in here. So, they made sure... the soundproofing was absolute. This is the only room in the entire castle with such thorough soundproofing."
No matter how much they wanted to eavesdrop in real-time...
No one wanted to hear the disgusting sounds of a man exercising his First Night Right and making women weep tears of blood.
Exactly.
It was a blind spot.
Because everyone assumed only violent, cruel, and sordid rape happened in this room, no one even thought to bug it.
"I suppose they thought it was better than letting the screams and moans of women leak out into the hallway. That is why I can speak my true mind so openly here."
"Then..."
"Well, it was all a strategy for survival in its own way. I won't regret it, nor will I ask for forgiveness because I did wrong. I simply did what I had to do to live, and I squeezed every bit of my wit to deceive the others."
There was no other way.
I played the villain to survive.
Even if it was unforgivable, this was the only way to give my actions any shred of justification.
I had no way to get information.
I couldn't trust anyone.
And since my reputation was already in the gutter...
Maybe this guy was actually doing his best in his own way.
Even if I couldn't get sympathy, I had to become a villain with a tragic backstory.
"If you join my knight order, people will certainly not look upon you kindly. Whether we actually have sex or not, you will be treated as if you have. Of course, I’ve already thought of a very effective countermeasure for that."
"Does that mean... you’ve prepared a way to accommodate women who do not wish to have sex?"
"Yes."
I’d learn summoning magic, summon a unicorn, and have any woman who hadn't slept with me ride it around.
It was just an idea for now, though.
"There aren't many means available to me here. Fermaton’s capital is nearly infinite, but there isn't much Ruji Fermaton can use in secret. Everything you want will be recorded and reported by others. Even so, will you become my knight?"
"...If."
Laura slowly opened her mouth.
"If I become Lord Ruji’s knight... can we really see the end of the Infinite Labyrinth?"
"I will do my absolute best. Even if I have to stake my entire life on it."
"Um, this is just a 'what if' scenario."
"What is it?"
She was finally taking the bait.
"...What if, while trying to reach the end, the Infinite Labyrinth ends up disappearing? What would you do then?"
This was it.
The turning point.
The question Laura asked wasn't just a simple inquiry.
I plan to close the Infinite Labyrinth if I join the knight order.
'She's basically asking me to notice, isn't she?'
The relationship between Laura, the final boss of the Infinite Labyrinth, and her missing older brother.
The reason why she wanted to conquer the labyrinth as an adventurer despite having no power yet.
And what she just said.
Putting it all together, there was only one conclusion.
"I don't care."
"...Pardon?"
"I told you, didn't I? The secrets of this place never leave these walls. Miss Laura. Was our conversation just now fairly loud?"
"Ah, n-no...?"
"Then let me show you."
Just how secret this place was.
I mouthed the words to her, then stood up and cleared my throat.
"W-wait! Stop! Why did you pick up a knife...?! W-wait! You—you bitch...! You approached me just to kill me...!!"
And then.
"HELP ME—!! THIS WOMAN IS TRYING TO KILL ME—!!"
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Laura jumped in fright, her eyes going wide like a literal rabbit's, while I casually raised my glass toward her.
"Well?"
"......Huh?"
"No one is coming."
Despite such a loud scream, no one came.
"A situation where a Fermaton is begging for his life. And yet, not a single maid or knight comes running. This place... is my only secret base in this world."
"......."
"What is said here does not leave. So tell me. Your true feelings. I will listen to whatever you have to say."
"...I."
Laura placed a hand over her chest.
"I want to kill... the one who created the Infinite Labyrinth. Surely, he must be at the very end."
"The creator of the Infinite Labyrinth, huh... And what happens if you kill him?"
"......."
"Seeing as you can't answer, you must be anticipating the worst-case scenario. The 'disappearance' of the Infinite Labyrinth."
The vanishing of the infinite farming dungeon.
If that happened, the shield protecting the Fermaton family would no longer exist.
"Well, fine."
"Yes...?"
"Ending the Fermaton curse with my generation. That wouldn't be so bad."
"U-um...?"
"However. If that happens."
I set down my wine glass, walked over to Laura, and sat down beside her.
"You have to take responsibility for me."
"Wh-what?!"
"If you become strong enough to defeat the master of the Infinite Labyrinth, you’ll be an incredibly powerful adventurer. If the whole world tries to kill me, you’ll have to protect me and provide for me. Do you understand?"
"Th-that’s..."
"It’s just a hypothetical. A hypothetical."
Even I didn't know how the ending would turn out.
"My power comes from the Infinite Labyrinth. If it disappears, I’m just an ordinary man. Until it's gone, I will do everything in my power for you."
"U-um..."
Slyly, I placed my hand on her shoulder.
The moment I pulled her close, Laura’s body tensed up.
If she didn't want this, it was blatant harassment.
It was an act that could make her storm out of the room.
But I couldn't hold back any longer.
I absolutely cannot pass up a blonde bunny girl.
"Y-Young Lord...?"
"What is it?"
"...Um, I did come here wearing these clothes. I mean, I didn't come here for that purpose, but..."
"And?"
"......F-for now."
Laura’s ears were beet red.
"......You can promise me, right? That you’ll see the end of the labyrinth?"
"Of course."
"Then..."
Laura’s small fist rested gently on my thigh.
"......P-please be gentle..."
"Naturally. Now then, shall we stamp the seal on our contract?"
"Y-yes...? Right... now?"
"Yes."
I leaned in and whispered into Laura’s ear.
"I’ll stamp the seal in the deepest part of your labyrinth with my cock. A thick, sticky, white seal."
Laura...
"......I think it’s going to be a red seal."
She slowly closed her eyes and leaned toward me.