The Room You Can't Leave Without Submitting (4)

Let me reassess the situation.

We had been trapped in this space for roughly a full day. In that time, I had been eroded by the grimoire's mana and started acting strangely.

Fortunately Iren noticed and I managed to shake it off quickly, but the longer we stayed locked in here, the more uncertain things became.

One thing was certain: given how the grimoire had reacted, Iren must not submit to me. I had to submit to Iren if we were going to escape this place.

The problem was that my loyalty had nowhere to go toward Iren.

One hundred percent of it was pointed at House Katram, where the young lady belonged. How was I supposed to submit to Iren?

"This is difficult."

"It really is. Don't you have any ideas for working around it?"

"I'd love to, but what am I supposed to do when my heart won't move?"

"You're exhausting. Try copying what I did earlier when I barked."

"Woof, woof! Arf arf! Ruff ruff!"

"Not that! The attitude! Copy the attitude!"

Thwack! Iren rapped me on the head with her knuckles. It hurt enough to bring tears to my eyes, but given what I'd done earlier, I just took it.

"Either way, we can't just sit around resting. If you got eroded, Frey, there's a high chance I will too."

"You're right. Though it should be less severe for you, Iren."

Right now Iren had redirected nine-tenths of the grimoire's erosive influence onto herself—and was blocking all of it perfectly.

That still meant she could turn at any moment. No—she might already have been partially eroded. Why else would her face have flushed earlier? It had to be the grimoire's influence.

"Then how about we try this?"

"I'm listening."

"We play a game. If you lose so thoroughly that you feel like bowing your head to the other person, that could count as a kind of submission, couldn't it?"

"I see. That angle."

Fair enough. Every game I'd played with Iren so far had ended in her total victory. But there was a problem.

"Even though I've lost every time so far, I've never felt like submitting—or more precisely, never felt like becoming her servant."

"Those losses weren't humiliating enough. This time we play a game that makes you feel a completely different level of humiliation."

"A completely different level of humiliation? Does such a game exist?"

"Your heart is entirely devoted to the young lady of House Katram. Correct?"

"Yes."

"Then let's play a game where we say things we like about each other. Ten-second time limit. Once we pass ten exchanges, it drops to five seconds. No repeating answers the other person already used."

"Excuse me?"

"Just doing it wouldn't feel desperate enough, so every time you can't answer, you take a penalty."

"And that penalty would be?"

Iren grinned. When she smiled like that, nothing good ever followed.

She picked up the dog collar she'd just taken off.

"You put this on and take a lap around this space with the winner—acting like a dog the whole way."

I pictured myself on all fours, collar around my neck, yapping like a dog. The humiliation would be enough to drive me mad. Keep repeating something like that, and maybe even a forced sense of submission would take root.

"Haa… fine. I don't see any other options."

"Then who goes first?"

In games like this, going first was usually an advantage. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠But Iren, who clearly held genuine affection for me, and I were not the same.

She could list my good points all day. I, on the other hand, needed time to think.

So taking second place was the smarter move.

"I'll yield the first turn to you."

"Hmm. Feeling confident, are we?"

"Starting now. Ten—"

"I like your soft, glossy black hair."

Of course. Iren answered before a single second had passed.

"Your turn."

"I like Iren's…"

I was about to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠say her clear eyes. Those sapphire-bright eyes of hers resembled the young lady's ruby-sparkling ones.

But the moment I tried to speak, my heart started pounding. Iren was staring at me blankly, and I felt as if I were being pulled into those eyes.

"Six, five, four."

By the time I snapped out of it, the time was nearly gone. I blurted it out in a rush.

"I-I like your blue eyes! Because they sparkle!"

"Hmm. Is that so. Then I like your outstanding magical skill."

"I…"

For a moment, the image of Iren looking teary-eyed earlier flashed through my mind. I'd clearly only found that appealing because of the grimoire's erosion—so why was it still coming back to me now?

No. I needed to say something wholesome instead. Saying something like that would be improper.

But ten seconds turned out to be surprisingly short.

"Time. How disappointing. Was my only good point my blue eyes?"

"Th-that's…"

"Anyway. Here. Put this around your neck."

Iren held out the dog collar. A heavy sigh escaped me automatically. Still, rules were rules.

I fastened the collar and handed her the leash. She gave a little laugh and nudged me lightly. I climbed down from the bed and dropped onto all fours.

"Come on, Frey. Let's go."

"W-woof."

Barking the whole way, I made a full circuit of the room with Iren. The instant we reached the bed again, I stood up on two feet and flooded my head with mana.

Thoom!

It felt like being struck in the skull with a hammer—and the grimoire's mana that had been trying to erode me was washed clean away. Iren's eyes went round with admiration.

"So even doing something like that makes you more susceptible to erosion?"

"…Apparently my body hates submitting."

"Meaning it works, then. Shall we keep going? I'll go first again this time. You know, I…"

Softly.

Iren traced a line from my cheek down to my jaw.

"I like Frey's slender jawline."

Thud!

I punched myself square in the solar plexus. Iren blinked.

"Wh-what was that?"

"Nothing. My disease where I die if I don't hit myself just flared up again."

"I-is that so? Your turn now."

"Right."

Don't pound. This is just a game. You already know Iren likes you. Skinship and compliments like this are natural for her. But I have the young lady, so none of that should work on me. Yes. This is clearly the grimoire's damned mana testing me even harder. Otherwise…

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump.

There was no reason my heart should be racing harder in here than it ever did outside.

Don't get embarrassed. Just answer already!

"Time. Another ten seconds gone."

"What? Already?"

"Yes. Collar time again."

"Grrrgh."

Another lap. Damn it! This wasn't something I should be failing to answer!

"Hooo."

"Want to go first this time?"

"Gladly."

This time I thought while walking the lap. If I was going to keep getting crushed like this, I might as well give an answer that would embarrass Iren and finally win!

I'd confirmed before that Iren was weak to direct attacks. She would definitely fluster!

"I like Iren's large chest!"

"Oh? Want to touch them, then?"

"Wh-what?"

"I also like how well-mannered you are. Your turn."

"Th-that's… I-I like your cherry-like lips!"

"Then want that kiss you turned down last time?"

"I do not!"

"Hmm. Then I'll say I like your principled side. Come on, come on. Hurry up and tell me something you like about me."

Sweat rolled down my cheek. I'd known Iren would be composed from the start, but this was beyond anything I'd imagined! And more than that—why wasn't she getting embarrassed the way she had before?

"I-I like how Iren is kinder than she seems."

"Then I like how Frey pretends not to care while looking after everyone."

"Iren's charisma as a princess."

"I like Frey's decisiveness."

"Iren's strong sense of responsibility!"

"Frey looks sexy when he sweats."

I staggered and collapsed onto the bed. Iren giggled and poked my cheek.

"My, is that a surrender?"

"Urgh."

I couldn't understand it. Was this really something to make my face burn and my heart race? I'd cleaned out my head so many times that the grimoire's mana couldn't even touch me anymore. And yet the pounding wouldn't stop!

At this rate I was genuinely going to abandon the young lady and choose Iren—

"Aaaargh!"

"Frey?"

When I shouted, Iren flinched and edged back a little. Using the rebound of my hips, I shoved myself upright.

"No! Absolutely not!"

"No to what?"

"I do think highly of Iren as a dear friend! But she is still not someone I would submit to! The only person I truly submit to is the young lady of House Katram!"

"That stings a little, you know."

"Even so, it can't be helped! I swore I would submit to the young lady of House Katram!"

I felt bad for Iren, but it was true. No matter that she was the first person besides the young lady to make my heart race, no matter that my fondness for Iren kept growing—

Compared to the young lady, the time we'd spent together was short, and it could never replace the grace the young lady had shown me.

Guilt seeped out after I said it.

"Iren. I'm sorry. But—"

"Oh. Frey. Look at that."

"Hm?"

Look at what, all of a sudden? I followed the direction Iren was pointing.

A signboard had appeared out of nowhere. Written on it were the words:

The moment I saw it, a door formed beneath the sign and swung open with a long creak.

Iren spoke with a blank expression.

"Looks like it didn't matter who you submitted to, as long as the grimoire's priority holder was the one doing the submitting."

"I-is that so? So you didn't need to submit to the person you entered with?"

"You shouted that you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠submit to the young lady of House Katram, and it opened. That's how it is."

"Th-then if I'd just shouted that from the beginning…?"

"Well, let's drop the hypotheticals. Frey."

"Yes?"

"You wounded a lady's feelings and you're not even going to escort her out?"

"Ah…"

I took the hand of Iren, who somehow wore a forlorn look, and escorted her through the door together.

Whoosh! Light poured over us, and we were flung out of the grimoire.

"Hah!"

When I opened my eyes, everything was dark—because I was face-down on a desk. I sat up at once and scanned my surroundings.

The library. We were back.

"Mmm. Outside… not even a few seconds have passed?"

Iren also stirred awake and rubbed her eyes.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Like you said, only our minds got pulled in. Nothing's particularly wrong… ah."

Iren touched her neck. My eyes nearly popped out of my head.

"As expected of a grimoire. It causes things that can't be explained by theory."

The chafed marks from the dog collar remained on Iren's neck exactly as they had been—marks from when I'd been drunk on the grimoire and yanked her around.

"Uh, aaah."

"Hmm. Well. Not bad."

Iren smiled with her eyes.

"Proof that you're a lecher. I'll leave them permanently."

"Absol—ute—ly not!"

In the end, it took several hours of desperate pleading that day before Iren agreed to erase the chafed marks.

Aylin Katram was sunk in gloom on her bed again today.

She had never dreamed the grimoire would be cleared through a loophole.

"They both got out, at least. Yeah. That's true."

The principle behind escaping the grimoire was simple. Aylin Katram and Iren von Valencia were the same person to begin with.

So declaring sincere submission to Aylin Katram produced the same effect as submitting to Iren.

"I don't know whether to be happy about it or not."

Her feelings were thoroughly mixed. She was glad Frey followed her—but in the end, that hadn't been her true form.

"Father?"

"You called?"

Duke Katram appeared instantly via teleport. Aylin nodded.

"I need to go to Frey's room."

"At this hour?"

It was two in the morning. Everyone should have been asleep. The duke himself was wearing pajamas and a nightcap.

Frey in particular, worn out from everything that had happened inside the grimoire, was sleeping so deeply he wouldn't notice if someone carried him off.

"I have an experiment to try."

"Hmm. Very well."

Though hesitant, Duke Katram guided Aylin to Frey's room. Then he saw the tool she pulled out and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Y-Your Highness?!"

"You're supposed to call me Aylin."

"No—what on earth is that?"

"It's a binding rope, obviously."

It was the exact same kind of binding rope that had been inside the grimoire's space. While the duke stood there pale with shock, Aylin approached the sleeping Frey.

Aside from when we were little, I've never come near him while he was asleep.

Just as she gently moved to bind Frey with the rope—

Grip!

With practiced hands, Frey caught Aylin by the chin. Duke Katram started in alarm and tried to pull them apart, but Aylin stopped him.

Just as he had inside the grimoire, Frey bound Aylin tightly with the rope. As she was being tied up, Aylin thought:

Heh. Looks like I've found myself an interesting hobby.

Aylin smiled as she was bound, and the duke squeezed his eyes shut.

Frey slept on, snoring softly.