Chapter 60
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: The Reason Rikako Stays in This Region
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The morning after the opening ceremony, I woke to a warm, moist sensation enveloping my lower body.
Looking down, I saw Rikako diligently wrapping my cock with her firm breasts while holding the glans between her lips.
"You're awake? My lord... no, Master! Good morning."
"Hoo... What's all this first thing in the morning?"
Rikako perked up her fox ears, released my cock from her mouth, and gazed at me with sparkling eyes.
"I woke up early and was touring Master's house, and Emma asked me to wake you since it was about time. I thought it'd be nice if you woke up while receiving some service down there... What do you think?"
Rikako began slowly licking and sucking my cock again with her tongue.
Slurp... slurp... smack...
I sat up and stroked Rikako's head. Her silver-blue hair felt as soft as silk.
"You said yesterday you'd explain why you came to this region. Let's go today. To the hut where you lived."
"Yes♡ Master. Just say when it's convenient for you, and I'll guide you right away."
I unloaded one shot into Rikako's mouth, had breakfast, and headed straight to her hut.
The hut where Rikako lived was much larger than I'd imagined upon arrival.
I was thinking it'd be about the size of Ella's hut, but there must be a few rooms inside.
Rikako led me to the back of the hut and opened a hidden door in the floor leading to a basement.
What's this suspicious space? Well... I can tell without a doubt that Rikako wouldn't harm me...
"Master, please wait just a moment."
Rikako hopped down into the basement and soon returned, showing me a black stone. It was exactly the same as the one with the engraved pattern that Sonya had shown me.
Why is this thing here?
"This is why I came to this region. Items that look like this stone are artifacts made in our homeland..."
"Ah, I know what they're used for. But what does that have to do with you staying here? Didn't you say when we first met that you'd only been in the region a short time?"
Rikako's eyes suddenly lit up as she grabbed my hands with both of hers. The black stone dropped to the floor in the process, but she paid it no mind.
"You even remember our first conversation! As expected of my lord... ahem! It's true I haven't been here long. We get dispatched to this region every few years as transport supervisors."
"For what?"
Rikako suddenly glanced around before speaking in a hushed voice.
No one's around. Why's she acting like this?
"Well... On Ruan's orders, we send items from our region here... and I hand them over to Pierre. We're transport supervisors, but also... kind of like hostages. If we don't send the items, we're held accountable..."
"Just listening to it sounds pretty inhumane, yet your people accepted this contract?"
"Uh... um... that's... In imperial tongue, it's... the chieftain! When the chieftain was young, he was saved by Ruan from being taken as a slave by imperial citizens. To repay that grace, our kin have been taking turns coming here every five or six years for decades."
I stroked Rikako's head as I spoke.
"Kin... so you were quite the high-status fox back home?"
Rikako shyly burrowed into my embrace.
"Yesss~ Though now I'm Master's slave. How about it? Doesn't knowing I was high-status make you want to conquer me even more?"
I gently pushed away Rikako as she naturally began rubbing her breasts and thighs against my body.
"Let's head down to the basement first. And pick up that stone on the floor."
Following Rikako down to the basement revealed a large space filled with her artworks.
Hm? It just looks like an artist's workspace?
As I looked around, Rikako tugged my sleeve and pointed to one wall of the room.
A considerable number of boxes were stacked there.
"All those boxes are filled with palm-sized items?"
Rikako nodded quickly.
"Do you know why Ruan needs so many of these, and regularly at that?"
"Hmm... I don't really know. I just bring them, store them... and hand them over to Pierre."
Hmm... well, once we catch Pierre and beat the truth out of him, we'll find out. Guess that's enough for today?
"We'll do a proper hut tour next time. For now, let's move all these somewhere else. Tomorrow we start the plan to trap Pierre for real, and these can't stay here."
"Yes, Master."
[Two days after the opening ceremony, noon in Ruan's study]
Adelin mulled over the shocking story she'd heard from Ella and Sonya the day before, lost in thought.
The reason Ella couldn't awaken her mana... was because of Pierre? All because of a single small stone... My beloved daughter suffered for years over that?
A knock came at the study door.
"Come in."
Sonya entered first, followed by Sophia dragging Pierre, who was bound head to toe and unconscious.
"Lady of the House, we've captured Pierre."
As Sonya said, Sophia's cut ties with Pierre too? Even though he's her father, she subdued him herself and brought him here.
Sophia forced Pierre to kneel on the study floor before asking,
"Lady of the House, shall we wake Pierre?"
At my permission, Sophia slapped Pierre's cheeks until he regained consciousness.
She's acting without any emotional fluctuation. Is this what Sonya intended? To keep her daughter from being punished under guilt by association?
Once conscious, Pierre looked around frantically before fixing his despair-filled eyes on Sophia beside him.
"Pierre. Do you know what wrong you've done?"
Hearing my words, Pierre finally looked up at me, staring blankly with a look that said he had no idea.
This vile bastard. Pretending ignorance to the end?
I glanced at Sonya, who placed the black stone with its engraved pattern in front of Pierre.
Pierre's face twisted in confusion at the sight of the stone.
"Judging by your reaction, you know what this stone is? Explain it yourself."
"...If a child holds it for several years before adulthood... it has the power to suppress mana awakening."
I didn't expect him to confess so readily... Has he already given up?
"Someone who knows that so well, why did you gift this stone to young Ella? Pierre."
Pierre suddenly looked panicked and slammed his head against the floor.
"La... Lady of the House! I swear I did no such thing. How could I, who received the Tolly Family's grace, harm the Young Lady?"
"...So you're saying my firstborn daughter Ella lied to me? Or that your wife and daughter framed you? You shameless wretch!"
With his limbs bound, Pierre couldn't stand on his own and kept slamming his head on the floor.
"I... I truly don't know. Why this is happening. The reason I handled that item was on Lord Ruan's orders."
I told Sophia to stand Pierre up. As she did, blood trickled from his forehead.
"Ruan? Ha... now you're dragging my husband into this? Fine... since you were his long-time retainer, I'll hear you out. Go ahead, speak your mind. Pierre."
I stopped myself mid-rant, not wanting to show excessive agitation, and continued calmly.
Pierre pondered for a moment, chewing his lips, then looked me straight in the eye with resolve.
"Those items were made for regular shipment to the Western Continent. Their original purpose was to suppress mana awakening in the children of tribes conquered during the Western Continent expedition. The Family Head didn't want the Lady of the House to know about this inhumane act of restraining surrendered foes even after the expedition ended."
"Why? Is there a reason to control those people to that extent?"
Pierre chewed his lips again at my question, blinking rapidly.
"I... I don't know the details. But I vaguely heard it's related to the purpose of the expedition itself."
"If Ruan were here, we could easily verify the truth... But in this situation, how can I believe you? Even if it's true, that doesn't explain why this item ended up in Ella's hands."
Pierre tried to slam his head on the ground again but was stopped by Sophia.
"...Rikako, who lives in that forest hut, can testify. If you go there, you'll see items that haven't been moved yet. As for Young Lady Ella... all I can say is I absolutely did not do such a thing."
"Fine. Considering your loyalty to my husband all these years, I'll check it out. Sonya, let's take Pierre to Rikako's hut right now. If I confirm his words with my own eyes, I'll reconsider his punishment. Sophia, untie Pierre for now."
As Sonya, Sophia, Pierre, and I headed to Rikako's hut, she spotted us and came running joyfully.
"Lady Tolly! What brings you here? Thanks to you, I've been able to work freely in this wonderful forest. I'm always grateful. If you'd told me in advance, I'd have made a gift for you... Oh! The general store family is all here too? Is it... some special day today?"
Pierre approached Rikako and whispered something, but she looked utterly baffled.
As the flustered Pierre tried to grab her, Rikako dodged and fell over.
"Sophia. It looks like we need to subdue Pierre."
Hearing me, Sophia immediately restrained Pierre and knelt before me.
I ignored Pierre and approached the fallen Rikako, extending a hand to help her up.
"Rikako, what happened?"
"Lady... I don't know. He suddenly started spouting nonsense I couldn't understand and tried to grab me..."
Pierre shouted from behind.
"No, Lady of the House! The hut! There's a basement door in the floor behind the hut! Go inside and check—you'll see everything I said is true!"
I gently stroked Rikako's trembling shoulder as I spoke.
"Rikako, I'm not suspicious, but can we check? Don't worry about Pierre. Sophia has him subdued. Just you and me, okay?"
Rikako nodded, her slender body shaking, and led the way. As Pierre said, there was a hidden door in the floor behind the hut.
Following her guidance, we descended into a fairly large space.
And it was... filled with Rikako's artworks.
There were no boxes storing the items Pierre mentioned anywhere.
No matter how carefully I looked, there were only boxes of work tools.
Haa... telling such an obvious lie that'd be exposed this quickly? Was it the ravings of a man driven mad by his wife and daughter exposing his crimes? But... considering Pierre's demeanor and his life so far, it's hard to decide rashly.
Emerging from the basement, I spoke to Sonya and Sophia.
"Let's head back. Hoo... everything's so incomprehensible. I guess I'll have to send a letter to Ruan. We'll decide Pierre's punishment then... For now, until Ruan's reply comes, Pierre, you're confined to house arrest. I'm giving you this chance because I believe you've devoted your life to Ruan. You know what happens if you pull any stunts during that time."
Pierre replied with a brightened face.
"Yes, Lady of the House. I won't forget this grace. I'll stay at home and do nothing until your decision."