Chapter 21: The Path of Trash (3)
Chapter 21: The Path of Trash (3)
Ruji Fermaton is an irreredeemable piece of trash.
Just as a rag stays a rag no matter how many times you wash it, Ruji Fermaton can never become a being of goodness, regardless of what he does from here on out.
In that case, I might as well be a villain with a backstory.
—No matter how crazy I am, I’m an American villain, you filthy Nazi bastard!
As a certain villain with a charming smile once demonstrated, a piece of trash with actual convictions is at least somewhat eligible for leniency.
Well, maybe "leniency" isn't the right word.
Let’s just say I’ve reached a compromise: I’m not completely beyond salvation, and there’s still a chance for rehabilitation, even if it means getting folded in half by a man dressed as a bat.
That was why I confidently whipped out my cock in front of Countess Zenith.
I pulled it out and even made Laura suck it while I was eating.
To any observer, it was the height of degeneracy, but I hadn't intended to stop there.
Because...
"I think you could have shoved it in a bit more aggressively."
Laura was the one receiving it.
In wrestling, for a flashy move to look good, the one taking the hit has to sell it convincingly.
"Young Lord, I didn't scrape you with my teeth, did I? I tried to be as careful as possible."
"My cock is harder than you’d think."
"That’s a relief."
Currently, I had brought Laura straight to the 'Secret Chamber.'
While we couldn't speak freely outside, we could talk comfortably like this in here.
"Next time, please push it in until I'm moved to tears. Otherwise, people might get suspicious."
"What if you choke?"
"Hmm... I suppose that’s true. If your cock pokes my throat for more than three minutes, I might actually suffocate and die."
"...Anyone would suffer if they couldn't breathe for three minutes. What would you even say when you get to heaven? That you died of asphyxiation because the Young Lord’s cock blocked your throat during a blowjob?"
"I won't actually die, but I still think we need to be more intense. That’s the only way... your disguise will be perfect!"
"I suppose so."
The reason I acted like trash toward Laura.
And the reason Laura accepted that treatment without complaint.
"That’s the only way to hide our Knight Order’s true objective, isn't it?"
To hide the fact that we are a Knight Order meant to conquer the Infinite Labyrinth, we have to pretend to be a 'Cock-sleeve Knight Order' (Cosplay) for a degenerate pervert.
Women who would suck cock or spread their legs at Ruji’s command, regardless of who was watching.
Slaves who weren't just rolled around in bed by a sex-crazed Ruji, but were also sent into the Infinite Labyrinth to mine magic stones.
"In the Lord's Castle, we're just the Lord's cum dumps, but in reality, we're the strongest Knight Order in humanity, conquering the Infinite Labyrinth! No one would ever suspect it."
"No one could imagine that a bunny girl who sucks cock for breakfast is actually conquering the Infinite Labyrinth."
To build that image, Laura had willingly agreed to cooperate in this performance.
"Laura."
"Yes?"
"Are you really okay with conquering the Infinite Labyrinth even if it means being called a whore?"
"Hmm..."
Laura’s public image was now no different from that of a call girl or a prostitute.
Since she would now even be conquering the labyrinth on my orders, it wouldn't be strange for people to say she was a woman who grabbed an opportunity by sucking the Young Lord’s dick.
There had to be a reason why Laura, who had been a complete stranger, was cooperating with me to this extent.
"It might be a bit much to ask this on your first day as Captain, but why did you become my Captain?"
I was trusting her because I needed to survive and because I knew she was the Player’s avatar, but what was the reason she trusted me?
"...I suppose you could call it a sense of responsibility."
"Responsibility?"
"Yes. I can't give you the details, but I have a responsibility. You could call it karma, or..."
"Fine. If it’s hard to talk about, don't."
I could take a guess.
From here on, it was the realm of speculation and inference regarding the setting, but I was likely close to the truth.
The one who created the Infinite Labyrinth was her brother (the Player’s sibling with a different surname).
And the Player’s avatar does not turn away those suffering from the curse of the Infinite Labyrinth.
—For the sake of those suffering because of my brother.
That sense of sympathy and a desire for salvation for those cursed by her brother was likely the 'responsibility' she spoke of.
'How protagonist-like.'
If I hadn't picked her up immediately, she probably would have tried to conquer the labyrinth even if it meant heading down to the first basement floor with nothing but a pickaxe.
"Whatever your goal is, you’ve signed a contract with me. A red seal pressed deep into your very core."
"Ngh..."
"Just don't betray me. As long as you don't betray me, I will grant whatever you desire."
"I-I have a question."
"What if... what if one of the people we bring in as allies wants to keep the Infinite Labyrinth as it is? What would you do then?"
She wasn't talking about herself.
Laura had already stated her goal to me: 'To kill the creator of the Infinite Labyrinth.'
She was likely referring to future allies who might not be able to give up the vested interests that came from the labyrinth.
"I’ll discard them."
"...Pardon?"
"To be precise, 'cut them out' would be the correct expression. Even if it’s a beauty I’ve pressed a red seal upon in a contract."
Laura looked slightly shocked by my words.
"What is it?"
"Oh, no. It’s just... you said it so resolutely."
"The Infinite Labyrinth is nothing but a curse. No matter how much it relates to the economy of millions... no, the entire continent, that’s the concern of those who aren't suffering from its curse. I’m the one directly affected by it."
I couldn't live in this small city forever.
I couldn't just manage this territory and die without ever traveling this fantasy world.
"Once the curse of the Infinite Labyrinth is gone, I’m going on a trip."
"A trip...?"
"Yeah. A world tour. Seeing and hearing many things as I look around every corner of the world. And then, I’ll go to a very quiet place where I think no one will ever come, and live a truly peaceful life with my Knight Order."
A so-called 'slow life' in the countryside.
Looking at the isekai stories I’d occasionally browsed, going to the countryside usually meant no life-threatening incidents would occur.
—Ruji, you bastard! I lost my job because you got rid of the Infinite Labyrinth!
...I’d have to hide well enough so that people like that couldn't find me, though.
"Or I’ll just make Fermaton... a kingdom so strong that no one else can touch it."
"A kingdom..."
"The top priority is survival. Securing a quiet place to live is the second, and if that’s impossible, I’ll secure enough power so that no one can touch me, my Knight Order, or my family. That is my direction. Travel and all that come after the curse is broken."
Just as people dream of taking a plane for an overseas trip with their winnings even before they’ve won the lottery, I have my dreams too.
"So, I will not forgive anyone who stands in the way of my dream, my goal. If someone who joined as an ally suddenly drags me down, saying, 'This wasn't in the contract! Getting rid of the Infinite Labyrinth? Are you crazy?!' then I will cut off that hand and end the curse. Though, I won't let someone like that into my Knight Order in the first place."
"......You’re more serious about this than I thought."
"Of course. It’s my Knight Order. I have no need for a woman who won't follow me."
"What about men?"
"Men cannot enter my Knight Order."
Maybe as a 'vassal' of Fermaton, but my Knight Order is strictly women only.
"No matter what kind of female knight joins, as long as she is my knight, she must obey and follow my orders as her lord. Yes... even if she’s someone involved in the interests of the Infinite Labyrinth, I’d prefer a woman who can ruthlessly swing her sword if I decide to close it."
Would such a woman exist?
Yes.
Plenty.
In Fermaton, there are princess knights, regular female knights, saintess knights, succubus knights, female dark knights, female dullanhans—anyway, there are a hell of a lot of them.
'Since the game pumped out two or three characters every time a floor of the Infinite Labyrinth was cleared.'
There are more than enough people to become part of Fermaton.
Of course, them prioritizing me and my orders would only happen once their Affinity Level was maxed out.
A mere alignment of interests wasn't enough.
To have them risk their lives to protect me and help me escape threats amidst the countless blades pointed at me when I eventually destroy the labyrinth, they would obviously need to be at max Affinity.
'Why don't I have a status window?'
How great would it be if I could see people's favorability as a numerical value?
Then I could know for sure if they truly trusted me or not—
"Ah."
"What is it?"
"...I just thought of another reason to work hard at conquering the Infinite Labyrinth."
An artifact.
A monocle that can see into people's hearts.
I remembered seeing something like that in a sub-story involving the protagonist and a certain character.
"What is it?"
"......Hmm."
It was a bit awkward to say directly, so I should give a vague explanation.
It was something I had to mention eventually anyway.
"We need to find something called 'Mythstones.'"
"......Mythstones?"
Laura seemed like she didn't know.
Or maybe she was acting.
"Yes. Divine gems said to have been left behind by the primordial gods. Information passed down in extreme secrecy within the Fermaton Count family's warehouse—data that even the past heads of the family likely didn't know. I discovered it."
I made up a plausible excuse.
If we eventually secured a Mythstone, and if Laura knew anything about them, she would speak up on her own.
Mythstones.
According to the setting, they were gems that held a massive amount of magic power and contained the power of the twelve gods who created this world.
In the game, they were special items that forced a character's stats to increase by one level—essentially, an effect that 'allowed a level increase even after hitting the level cap.'
Level 112.
If you had the twelve Mythstones released up to the point I was playing, you could increase your level further, regardless of your star rating.
And your stats would increase accordingly.
'They’re broken items.'
I had dumped all of them into my 'favorite.'
Even if she was low-tier, she was my favorite character.
But.
This time is different.
"Laura."
A 'favorite' is...
"If we find a Mythstone, I’ll give the first one to you."
...bound to change, after all.
"So, I’m counting on you, Laura."
You are my favorite now.