Cleaning Up Trash
"Urk..."
As Rosewin suddenly clamped her hand over her mouth and bolted from the room, I—who had been wearing a dazed expression—quickly hardened my face and rose from my seat.
"...This is driving me insane."
Clana had already shown a weird reaction, leaving me on edge enough to die from anxiety, and now even Rosewin was acting up.
The girl who had never accepted any gift from me no matter what, even when I proposed we date—she was now treasuring the gift I'd given her. The one who twitched with disgust at the sight of my face every single minute was now slipping an aphrodisiac into my drink and seducing me. And she had touched the flower cursed with Kania's black magic without a hitch.
'As expected, my plans always go awry...'
Originally, I had planned to commit an evil act today by asking Kania to place a mild curse on the flower and gifting it to Clana. That way, in a year, she'd have the justification and evidence to break off our engagement.
But Clana had noticed the faint curse on the flower, ruining everything.
It was something Kania had poured her heart into for days, and even I couldn't sense the black magic on it. How had Clana detected it? And Rosewin, who had touched it, was perfectly fine. The curse should have activated the moment she did—why hadn't it?
-Creak...
As those thoughts raced through my mind, the door opened, and Rosewin returned.
"R-Rosewin... where'd you go...?"
I quickly plastered on a dazed expression again and asked, sighing inwardly to myself.
'Might as well use this situation since it's come to this.'
Earlier, when I'd played along with Rosewin's scheme—pretending the aphrodisiac (which her superior mental resistance had rendered ineffective) had worked and lunging at her—I'd noticed it. The small magic tool hidden on her body. And the faint traces of solar mana coming from the balcony behind the room.
Considering those, this was probably a trap set by Rosewin and Clana to frame me.
So, since today's operation had failed anyway, maybe I should play along with theirs...
"Urk..."
"...Rosewin?"
As I thought that, Rosewin suddenly staggered.
"You okay?"
"Y-Yes... I'm fine."
I looked at her with a concerned expression, and she forced a smile in response.
"W-Well then... about what happened earlier, I wanted to apologize..."
"Hngh...!"
".....?"
I eyed her suspiciously and was about to apologize when she suddenly broke out in cold sweat.
"S-Sorry... Frey. I suddenly don't feel well... l-let's talk next time... okay?"
"Y-Yeah. Sure, next time."
Rosewin said it in a trembling voice, then dashed out of the room in a panic.
"...Sigh."
I was so used to these sudden developments that I took another sip of the cocktail laced with aphrodisiac, then narrowed my eyes.
"Kania, is that you?"
"What do you mean, Young Master?"
Kania peeked her head around the still-wide-open door—Rosewin hadn't even bothered closing it.
"How long have you been there?"
"Since earlier."
"...So you've been watching everything that's happened in here?"
I furrowed my brow as I asked, and Kania started playing dumb.
"Kania... Earlier, when Rosewin touched the flower, the curse didn't activate. Doesn't that seem off?"
"...It seems I failed to apply the curse properly. My apologies."
"What if the curse was already on her hand?"
I stared intently at Kania, who had bowed her head in response, and pressed further.
"Come to think of it, last time, when she touched my collar, there was a spark of static..."
Kania subtly averted her gaze.
"Kania, what did you do to make Rosewin run off like that?"
Now convinced, I asked directly, and she replied in a low voice.
"It won't kill her, so please don't worry too much."
As Kania said that with a cold expression, a chill ran down my spine unbidden.
If Kania had discovered my true identity, every day would have been hell.
"Young Master, I have a report for you."
"...Yes?"
"It's about Miss Clana's current condition."
As I shrank back at the thought, Kania pulled out a notepad and began her report.
"Reports say her condition has been very poor lately."
"In what way?"
"Mentally."
I scowled at that, and Kania quietly added,
"She's become extremely passive, and she's even showing signs of anxiety."
"Clana, passive? The sun'll rise in the west tomorrow."
"Even the imperial physicians don't know the cause. Of course, the power base she's built up while grinding her teeth won't crumble easily, but if this continues, it could become quite dangerous."
"...Haa."
I clutched my head at her words, then sighed and stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"To see the girls in the next room. There's something I have to do."
Kania's expression hardened for a moment and she grabbed my arm as I headed for the door.
"What is it?"
"Before you go, please tell me about Rosewin."
"Now?"
"Yes. I know nothing about her. Even something brief would be appreciated."
Kania spun her fountain pen, ready to take notes, so I sighed and began.
"The first things that come to mind... She takes every paying commission without fail, enjoys situations where she has a one-sided advantage, and harbors intense hatred for the imperial family. That's about it."
"Is there nothing else I should know?"
"She possesses solar mana too. Though weaker than Clana's."
I said it with a worried look.
"So be careful, alright? Kania?"
"...Farewell."
Kania bowed politely.
-Shaaa...
I ignored the black magic leaking from Kania that she hadn't quite concealed and left the room, heading next door.
......
"What? Where's Lulu?"
I entered the next room where I'd temporarily stashed the girls, but Lulu was gone. Frowning slightly, I asked, and the girls stammered in terror.
"Sh-She went to the bathroom..."
"A little while ago, she suddenly went pale and left... We don't know why."
My expression turned serious at that, and the girls all dropped to their knees at once.
"P-Please forgive us."
"We're sorry. Please give us just one chance."
I'd only asked about Lulu's whereabouts and furrowed my brow a bit. Yet these girls were trembling in fear, hugging themselves, or staring at me with dead eyes of resignation.
Judging by their reactions, even simpler actions from me were enough to get them beaten on a daily basis.
"...Who's the youngest here?"
As I sat quietly in a chair and asked, one girl stepped forward after glancing around nervously.
"How old are you?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"The house my master gave me was dark... I don't know how many years passed. I'm sorry, truly sorry."
The girl answered in a trembling voice, leaving me speechless.
""........."
What made it even more heartbreaking were the kids staring at her with shaky eyes—ones who looked even younger.
'She's the scapegoat.'
I watched the girl quietly—her face calm but her eyes betraying unmistakable fear—until the door suddenly opened. I shot a sharp glare that way.
"A-Ah... Master Frey."
"Lulu, come here."
I forced a smile for her, beckoned her to the seat beside me, and commanded the dazed girls.
"All of you, from now on, do to me what you did to your masters."
""Yes, sir."""
The girls responded in unison as if they'd been waiting and began stripping off their clothes.
"Stop, not that cliché stuff. Something more original."
I freaked out and stopped them, so they exchanged glances and stammered,
"I-If you wish, we can beat you..."
"We'll do anything—just don't kill us... We want to live..."
I watched them plead desperately with pained expressions, then whispered to Lulu, who had gone pale beside me.
"Lulu, where'd you go?"
"T-To the b-bathroom..."
I gently stroked her trembling head as she answered, then asked again.
"Why the bathroom?"
"M-My stomach felt n-nauseous..."
"Because of this scene?"
Lulu's face flashed through countless expressions in an instant. Understanding what they meant, I sighed and turned back to the girls.
"Do any of you have family?"
After a long silence, I asked just in case, but they all shook their heads.
"How many meals a day do you get?"
"...One."
"Whenever our master feels like it."
"Once every three days."
Now I knew why they were on the verge of collapse. Frowning deeply, I stood up.
"P-Please spare us."
"Forgive us. We're sorry."
"Quiet. I'm stepping out for a bit—play nice with Lulu."
I said coldly to the girls, who had begun begging in terror again, sighed, and left the room.
"Hah, carrying on with their drinking party so casually."
I entered the room next to where the girls were, scowling as I muttered.
The guys I'd chased out earlier were drinking and laughing carefree.
"Attention, all of you."
I glared coldly at them, then slammed the desk arrogantly.
"Mm... Master Frey? Is your date with the princesses over?"
"Who was the best? Rumors say the first princess is..."
"Pfft... Frey's gotta be the best at it."
The drunk idiots started spouting nonsense.
"If you don't sober up and listen right now, you'll only hurt yourselves."
But as I smirked, they stopped joking around and focused.
As expected of trash obsessed with power and wealth.
"Straight to the point. Sell me all your pets."
"'...What!?'"
Shock rippled through the greedy bunch at my bombshell.
"S-Suddenly selling our pets...? What do you mean?"
"They're top-grade—no family, no rebellion... It'd take years to replace them..."
"Quiet."
I silenced their complaints with a raised hand, smirked, and made an offer they couldn't refuse.
"In exchange, I'll give you info on the Demon King's army."
They all froze.
"I-Is that... for real, Master Frey?"
"Yes, it's real. That was my reason for coming here today anyway."
I smiled, and after glancing at each other, their eyes sparkled with greed.
'Unbelievable.'
I sighed inwardly as I watched them.
At the last Demon King's army meeting I'd attended, I'd seen all their names on the list of nobles requesting contact. Suspecting they planned to sell out their families and defect, I'd dangled the bait—and sure enough, they bit.
"And as a bonus, I'll throw in the sex slaves from my basement. How's that? Pretty good deal, right?"
I crossed my legs casually, and the nobles looked dumbfounded.
"Uh... Master Frey, for just some pets... isn't that too generous?"
One noble asked cautiously, and the others glared at him.
They seemed worried I'd back out.
"It's fine, it's fine. This deal isn't about profit for me."
I laughed heartily at them, and they tilted their heads.
"I just wanted to let you know we're in the same boat now."
I raised my glass with a low voice, and they grinned, clinking glasses noisily.
'Of course... I'm the sinking ship.'
The sex slaves I'd send them soon were actually succubi from the Demon King's army. In a few months, they'd drain every last drop of their vitality, flipping master and slave. Then I'd use the fully broken ones in my planned scheme and make them suffer for their accumulated karma.
In other words, this deal sealed their doom.
"Master Frey! Have a drink!"
"Me first!"
"No, penalty shot first...!"
As I thought that, I watched the excited nobles swarm me with drinks, muttering to myself.
'Once this main scenario ends, it's time to crush the church too.'
There was still much to do to fix this rotten empire.
......
"Ugh... Why is this happening all of a sudden..."
As Frey accepted drinks from the nobles with a satisfied smile, Rosewin staggered out of the bathroom, muttering with hollow eyes.
"Dealing with that pathetic loser always brings bad luck... Ahhh..."
But the moment she cursed Frey, an inexplicable abdominal pain hit again. Grimacing, she turned back toward the bathroom—but
"Kwee!!"
"Eek!"
An owl flew in out of nowhere, battering her head with its wings. She yelped and collapsed.
"Stop! Stop it... Huh?"
After being pecked senseless by the owl for a while, Rosewin spotted someone approaching from afar.
"Y-You... why are you here so soon..."
"My, Rosewin..."
Her face drained of color as she trailed off.
"...You've grown a lot?"
The girl approached undeterred and whispered coldly. Rosewin began hiccupping in sheer terror.
".......Hic."
Serena—the person Rosewin hated most in the world—looked down at her with icy eyes and smiled.