Chapter 188: Skins are a Serious Matter (3)
Chapter 188: Skins are a Serious Matter (3)
Just because everything I do is related to sex doesn't mean I'm some sex-crazed lunatic.
Take right now, for instance.
—I heard the Kingdom's intelligence agents developed a new means of communication.
I had obtained high-level intelligence through a certain route.
While the Empire had created information-gathering tools that looked like glasses, the Kingdom hadn't really possessed any specific tools for intelligence gathering.
But now, word was that the Kingdom had finally produced something for their spies.
Under the leadership of Viscount Sirjosia—who had taken a massive hit from me—they had developed a new intelligence-gathering magical tool.
"A thigh band, of all things. How sly of them."
They must have thought I wouldn't notice if it was hidden on the thigh.
Perhaps they realized I don't pay much attention to the ordinary maids, so they intentionally designed a decorative piece to be hidden under their skirts.
What color are your panties today?
The only one I ever ask that is Amy. I’ve never really told the other maids to lift their skirts or anything of the sort.
—Ruji Fermaton only touches the women he’s already interested in.
They must have reached that conclusion, and based on that intel, they surely created such a shameless espionage tool as a thigh band.
"Asti. Can you restore it?"
"...It seems difficult. It’s already been thoroughly destroyed."
It was damaged to the point where even Astarotte, the most talented mage among us, didn't dare try to fix it.
It wasn't just broken, either; it had self-destructed the moment I began my interrogation in real-time.
I managed to glean a few pieces of information thanks to that, but I couldn't say the current situation was exactly favorable.
"The fact that they cut the feed immediately after listening in real-time means there’s someone using a magical device right here in Fermaton. Serica. What about the lockdown orders?"
"The lockdown is already complete. We’ve sealed the interior of the Lord's Castle first and completely blocked all entry for outsiders."
"Then all that's left is to search the people inside the castle one by one. For now."
"We absolutely have to find them. The bastard who was eavesdropping on the Young Lord's voice."
Laura ground her teeth as she toyed with the thigh band.
It seemed she was upset not only because her blowjob had been interrupted, but also because the "build-up" afterward had been ruined.
If she hadn't tried to take it off...
If someone had said, "I'll put it on after I see someone else wear it..."
Laura had been prepared to wear the Maid Uniform Visible Only to Good People right in front of everyone.
It wasn't a standard maid uniform, but by wearing it, she had intended to show the other maids the absolute authority of the Young Lord's commands.
"What if they don't show up?"
"...Then we'll have to find them. We'll have to turn our eyes elsewhere. Outside the Lord's Castle."
Even if they had infiltrated someone into the castle, there was no rule saying the person listening to the device's information had to be inside.
They might be staying outside the castle, perhaps in the closest possible location.
"Phew, it seems the Kingdom's intelligence capabilities have suddenly spiked."
"...Did Lady Zenith—"
"No, it's not her. Zenith is completely on our side. She didn't do this. If anything, Zenith herself has become a target of their surveillance."
Among the maids Amy had brought in, there were those who had been assigned exclusively to Zenith after Head Maid Emma's demotion.
"When Head Maid Emma was sent to the underground dungeon, the Kingdom realized it. Zenith has no intention of covering for the Kingdom's people anymore. So, they must have decided to put Zenith under surveillance as well."
They probably didn't think she had cut ties out of necessity.
Since Zenith herself was gradually distancing herself from the Kingdom, they must have realized long ago that she was a member of the Fermaton family rather than a Countess of the Kingdom.
"Damn, was it too persuasive?"
"What was?"
"The rumor that Zenith became a slave to my cock and betrayed the royal family."
"......The narrative holds up quite well."
Ah.
Ruji Fermaton.
Being too good at sex is a problem in itself.
"Fine. Since it's come to this, I need to find new maids."
I would select maids I could trust and form a dedicated maid team to assist Amy and take care of me exclusively.
"Amy. You have that list I narrowed down before, right? Bring it. From the Breast Festival."
"...You mean the women you disqualified during the preliminaries?"
"Yeah."
They weren't 3-star, Human Rights, or Citizen characters, but they were characters who had been quite useful in their own way.
"They’re women whose faces alone are enough to make my cock throb. They’re perfectly fine as maids, and they’re reliable."
I would make them my maids, turning them into people who were loyal only to me and my cock.
"And I'll be heading out for a territorial inspection in a bit. While I'm looking around the estate, if I see anyone worth hiring as a maid, I'll scout them on the spot."
A new virgin is always welcome.
* * *
"Tsk."
Claudia dismantled the destroyed—no, self-destructed—magical tools into pieces and gathered them in one place.
Crunch, crunch.
The Mana Wolf Claudia summoned chewed on the magical tools, melting them down.
They had previously been objects like communication crystal orbs, but the Mana Wolf turned them into something akin to impurities in an instant.
"Phew. How did he know?"
When Claudia came to Fermaton, she had brought several special items for intelligence gathering.
But Ruji Fermaton had immediately realized exactly where the equipment was equipped.
Where on earth did the information leak?
If he had figured it out on the second day of information gathering, it meant he didn't know before the information started flowing.
"The people who brought these in weren't caught, and the ones wearing them weren't caught while transmitting info. That means they were caught after they were brought in."
It was an obvious point, but for Claudia, it was an issue that needed to be clearly addressed.
"This is troublesome. It's hard to operate with one arm gone."
She didn't mean her physical arm was missing.
Since the merchant group Claudia could move most easily, the 'Resellers,' had been kicked out of Fermaton, she had no choice but to bring in espionage tools through other routes.
"...Do I have to approach through a different route?"
She had secured all the information that could be obtained publicly in Fermaton.
She couldn't be certain yet about what kind of man Ruji Fermaton was, but the business acumen he had shown was certainly commendable.
"It would be so great if it weren't for the sex."
If he expanded his influence through businesses that weren't sex-related...
What if he expanded into more magical, more technical, or other fields instead of sex?
For instance, if he were serious about clearing the Infinite Labyrinth and created equipment for adventurers.
Or if he were serious about magical development and partnered with the Magic Tower to create incredible spells.
How wonderful would it be if that brought immense profit to the Kingdom, acting as a breakwater against the Empire as a County of the Kingdom?
Of course, that was thinking from the Kingdom's perspective; Fermaton's position might be different.
But since Claudia was a person of the Kingdom, she had no choice but to prioritize the Kingdom and the Royal Family's interests.
"...Sigh."
Claudia picked up an Image Magic Stone.
"...Ahem."
During the night.
Her eyes had become sunken from watching this and trying to extract as much information as possible in her own way.
The fact that the bedsheets got wet or that she had to change her underwear was just a secondary issue.
It was absolutely not that she had masturbated while watching the AV Magic Stone, or that she had lost sleep because of it, or that she had stayed up all night watching it repeatedly because she couldn't sleep—
"...He won't complain that I used up all the play counts, will he?"
She had ended up exhausting the set number of playbacks.
"This definitely needs some improvement."
The fact that you couldn't watch a specific part repeatedly or that you couldn't turn down the volume were clear disadvantages.
"...Ahem, ahem."
Why am I analyzing this?
Claudia let out a self-deprecating sigh and packed the AV Magic Stone.
She was heading out to return it.
She was absolutely not going out to rent a new AV Magic Stone.
As a maid from a distant territory, she had a duty to select the most arousing AV Magic Stones and bring them back to her estate.
"Phew."
Self-hypnosis complete.
Now all that was left was to go out and rent a new AV Magic Stone.
Since one person could rent up to five, if she rented all five and analyzed them, she would surely be able to gain that much more information through the videos.
About the direction of Fermaton's business.
Step, step.
Claudia put the AV Magic Stone in a paper bag.
She looked exactly like a maid carrying a bag of bread, and anyone would think she was just an ordinary maid—
"Wait a moment."
An unfamiliar voice came from behind.
Claudia turned her head.
"I haven't seen your face before."
"......Young Lord Ruji Fermaton?"
"That voice. Sniff..."
The blond noble, Ruji Fermaton, suddenly began to take a deep breath.
"...What an arousing voice."
* * *
Ah.
Perhaps this is fate.
"What did you say your name was?"
"Ye-yes, I am called Nero..."
"Nero!"
A maid.
As expected, my eyes didn't deceive me.
"You."
I approached the black-haired maid, who looked a bit frightened, and leaned down with my hand against the wall.
"Become my maid."
Nero.
An adventurer with a maid concept.
A 3-star pickup character who crushed enemies underfoot with a "Queen" persona.
She was even the character who had a pickup right before Yoanna.
The very character I had pulled in just 10 summons.
—I want to be stepped on by Nero's ass while getting a footjob. Haa.
—Queen Nero! Please eat me up!
—Isn't it secretly hot to get a handjob from a maid character with a look of contempt...?
A character who had an insane amount of Queen-play in R-rated fanart!
"Won't you work in Fermaton?"