Chapter 207
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: The Lewd Knight Dreams of NTR (1)
"Her Highness the Princess is giving a speech in the auditorium to commoners and low-ranking nobles..."
I sat at my desk, tapping my fingers on it rhythmically.
"Marjan, prepare the megaphone and the wind amplifiers. I think we're going to steal the entire speech."
"Ah... Um... Eugene...?"
Marjan's response trailed off ominously, unlike her usual crisp "Yes, understood."
I lifted my head from the report I'd been buried in and looked at her.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
"...Well... I think we're short on funds."
"You mean we've already burned through all that money?"
I asked in surprise, and Marjan nodded cautiously.
A disbelieving chuckle escaped my lips.
The funds had depleted much faster than expected.
The money from the Calliope family, profits from dildo sales, and even loans secured against future dildo revenue...
It was all vanishing in real time.
"...As per your instructions, we responded thoroughly, and the costs just kept piling up. I have no excuse. I'm sorry."
I patted Marjan's bowed shoulder.
"No, I wasn't blaming you. Keep doing it just like that from now on."
"But the expenses..."
"Don't worry about the costs... The money we need right now..."
Going up against the Princess demands absolute thoroughness—anything less is pointless.
A half-hearted approach would just get us devoured by her.
"...I'll have to borrow from Lucia... But I can't borrow under the Ursula name directly, so we'll route it through some suitable family as a front..."
Mid-sentence, my head spun suddenly, strength drained from my body, and my vision went black.
Thud—
I barely grabbed the desk before collapsing fully, avoiding rolling onto the floor, but my body felt limp.
"Eugene...!!"
Startled, Marjan rushed over and supported me.
"Ar-Are you okay? Wh-What's wrong?"
"...I'm fine. Just accumulated fatigue."
"Fatigue made you collapse? Now that you mention it, I haven't seen you sleep lately... Eugene, how many days has it been since you last slept?"
Her words jogged my memory—I'd been pulling all-nighters for quite a while.
...The last time was after the anti-noble faction meeting ended... That's about a week now.
Realizing the timeline made the exhaustion crash over me harder, but there was no choice.
For a mere mortal like me to survive in this world of monsters, I had no option but to grind my body to dust.
I didn't have Lucia or Liana's ability to memorize and summarize everything with a single glance.
...And I thought I'd prepared decently.
I was sorely lacking.
Even now, just keeping up with the Princess's moves was overwhelming.
Leaning back in my chair, I let out a long sigh.
"...Anyway, no choice but to talk to Lucia about funding. Please handle it for me."
Even without full details, Lucia would sort it out perfectly on her own.
"Understood. I'll pass on the message, so please rest in the meantime, Eugene."
"Yeah, I'll finish reviewing this report first, then sleep."
"No! Sleep right now."
Marjan slammed her hand on the documents, then widened her eyes in apology.
"S-Sorry... I overstepped. But Eugene, at this rate, you'll collapse before Her Highness even makes her real moves."
I nodded to her serious warning.
"I got it. I'll really finish this review and then sleep..."
"Eugene...!!"
"Don't yell. This is really important paperwork—I have no choice. Besides, it's almost done; keep interrupting like this, and I might have to pull another all-nighter tonight?"
In truth, I'd have to anyway, but mentioning another all-nighter made Marjan jump back in alarm.
"...Then, I won't disturb you anymore today. But Eugene, you must sleep as soon as you're done reviewing."
"I got it. Sneak out carefully so no one sees."
"...Yes. Take care of yourself, Eugene."
I saw Marjan off, masking my fatigue as best I could.
"...."
Alone now, leaning in the chair, my eyes caught the shadow pooling at my feet.
"...Liana Lumenhark."
I murmured the Princess's name without thinking.
Lately, whenever my thoughts lingered on her, the shadow—or rather, the 'sword' within it—called to me.
And with each instance, my feelings toward her sharpened into focus.
It wasn't love.
The emotion she stirred was too dark, layered like overpainted oils, to call love.
"...No time for useless thoughts."
Biting my lower lip hard, I shoved the feelings down and dove back into the documents.
"...Haa."
Marjan sat in the lecture hall, letting out a deep sigh.
At first, she'd been a little excited about being alone with Eugene.
After all, wasn't it natural for something to happen when a prime-aged man and woman were shut away together?
Especially with Lucia absent—this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
She'd even thought of filling that void with her body and heart if the moment arose...
'But he's way too busy...'
She wanted to chat after work wrapped up, say "Good job today" and gossip.
But her fantasies shattered after just one day.
Her Highness the Princess was darting around so relentlessly that the work never ended.
Pouring in time and money to plug one hole, only for a bomb to go off elsewhere.
And she'd seen Eugene staggering and collapsing with her own eyes.
Judging from the feel when she'd groped his chest before, Eugene didn't have the body of a typical mage.
If even he was collapsing, it wasn't just one or two sleepless nights.
'At this rate, something really bad could happen...'
Marjan desperately wanted to make him rest, but no ideas came to mind.
"...Haa."
"...Haa."
As she sighed in contemplation, the same sound came from beside her.
Looking over, she saw the cute saintess with sparkling pink hair rubbing her face on the desk.
...Come to think of it.
The saintess had seemed drained lately too.
"Lily."
"...Yes, Marjan Lily Whiteflange here..."
"Something wrong?"
"...Yeah. Haa..."
The saintess pressed her cheek flat against the desk, sighing even deeper.
"....Lately, Teacher hasn't called for me. Has he gotten tired of me...?"
Marjan knew "Teacher" meant Eugene, and her heart skipped a beat.
Eugene wasn't avoiding the saintess out of boredom.
Lately, aside from Marjan, he'd cut contact with other women almost entirely.
As mentioned, his schedule was so packed he barely slept.
In other words, no time to deal with women.
The fact that he'd still called only her meant she was a little special...
'...Wait, not calling other women means he doesn't see me as one either?'
The sudden realization hit Marjan like a shock; her mouth fell open slightly.
She knew it herself.
Tall stature, androgynous looks.
She was more popular with women than men—a woman who drew more female admirers.
But that didn't mean she wanted the man she adored to treat her like one of the guys.
Clenching her fist, Marjan spoke to the saintess.
"...Lily, I've got a worry too."
"Oh? Marjan's asking for advice?"
The saintess's eyes lit up despite her gloom, focusing intently.
"...Yeah. There's this guy I'm interested in."
"Really? That's great! Who's the lucky one?!"
True to her inherently kind nature, she beamed like it was her own good news.
Thump—thump—
Thinking of this saintess coveting her man dried Marjan's mouth and sent unfamiliar heat surging from her heart.
"It's a secret for now."
"...Aw, bummer. But you'll tell me eventually, right? I'll wait. So, what's the worry?"
"Thanks... Well, this guy I'm into seems way too busy lately."
"Really? What a coincidence! My teacher's been so swamped I can barely see his face..."
It wasn't coincidence—the two men were one and the same.
Marjan cleared her throat and continued.
"...So, how can I make him rest? He hasn't slept in days, and at this rate, he's really going to collapse..."
"Hmm! Hold on..."
The saintess rummaged in her bag and pulled out a vial of purple liquid, showing it off.
"What's that...?"
"Concentrated sleep potion! One vial knocks out even a bear! I was gonna slip a bit to Teacher when we met... but you can have it, Marjan."
What exactly had she planned to do to Eugene after drugging him?
To take it or not...
Marjan hesitated, then clenched her fist tight.
...For Eugene's sake.
Absolutely not for personal desires!
She took it purely because she truly believed he'd collapse otherwise.
"...Thanks, I'll take it."
Clutching the small vial, Marjan's heart pounded with guilt and illicit thrill.