The Black Knight Swore to the Blind Saintess
Evangeline Loreline.
The villainess of The Black Knight Swore to the Blind Saintess.
Once the Imperial Princess of the Loreline Empire, she had been framed by her half-brother for being consumed by Black Magic—an accusation that forced her to flee the Imperial Palace for her very life.
In an empire locked in a holy war against the demons, attempting black magic anywhere was a hanging offense. Attempting it inside the Imperial Palace itself was enough to cost even a princess her head on the spot. She had somehow managed to escape the palace grounds, but as the manhunt closed in around her, she crossed paths with a certain black mage.
To survive—and to take revenge on the brother who had ruined her—she began to learn black magic herself. And it was in the middle of all this that she met the Black Knight and fell in love with him, growing ever more twisted and vindictive as she jealously tormented the blind saintess, Emilia Rosebloom, sabotaging every moment between the saintess and the knight.
Where the Black Knight was a character slowly learning the goodness of humanity, Evangeline was a character slowly being steeped in its cruelty.
Watching her, you felt angry—but you also felt sorry for her. She even had a fair number of diehard fans among the readers.
Not me, of course.
"The staff uniform's in the back room over there. Would you like to change and come out?"
"Yes."
She had clearly bolted straight out of the palace, so what on earth had been going through her head when she walked in here?
She had barely slipped into the back room to change when the shop door swung open again. It was the capital's gendarmerie, armor clanking. From the decorations and the cut of his uniform, the man at their head looked to be the gendarmerie captain himself.
"Pardon the intrusion."
I hurried to the entrance and bowed to him, all obsequious deference.
"Yes, of course. What can I do for you, sir?"
"We're searching for a girl with blue hair. Did she pass through this way?"
Blue hair.
Evangeline had been black-haired since the moment she walked into this shop. On top of that, her eyes—violet-blue by nature—had been turned a reddish brown. Magical dye, from the look of it.
Yeesh.
How's he supposed to catch anyone like this?
"...Blue hair, you say? I can't say I saw any blue-haired girl, but I did see someone in a hooded cloak dash off in that direction."
"You're certain?"
The gendarmerie captain fixed me with a suspicious stare.
I answered with all the earnest conviction a man could muster.
"Saw her with these two eyes, sir, clear as day."
"...Very well. My thanks for your cooperation."
"Do take care out there, sir."
"Actually—"
The captain, halfway out the door, wheeled back around.
"Yes?"
He lowered his voice.
"Do you, ahem... happen to stock any onaholes modeled after rabbit beastmen?"
I hadn't done the inventory yet, so I improvised.
"Ah... we're out of stock at the moment, but if you need one, I'll order it in as soon as possible and set one aside for you."
"I'd be much obliged."
"Of course. Safe travels, sir."
He stepped out, the gendarmes' horses clopped away down the street, and the lane settled back into quiet. I returned to my seat behind the counter.
Creeeeak—
The door to the back room opened, and Evangeline emerged in her new uniform.
"Is this... is this really how it's supposed to be worn?"
Wow.
The moment I turned my head, the admiration escaped me on its own.
I suddenly understood why the novel insisted that Evangeline Loreline's beauty rivaled Emilia Rosebloom's. She was, quite simply, a beauty that could topple nations.
And she was wearing a blue high-leg leotard that left nothing of her figure to the imagination. Beneath it ran black stockings that climbed to her thighs, held up by a garter belt. Standing there in an outfit that bared her upper chest, her thighs, and the curve of her hips, she fidgeted helplessly, cheeks burning.
So this was Father Pedro's taste.
Maybe Father was actually a genius.
I rose and approached her, stroking my chin as I circled her slowly, taking her in from every angle. A face that utterly overwhelmed even this lewd little costume. And then—
Holy shit, look at that ass and those hips. That waistline too. Insane. ...Kind of a shame about the chest, though.
A bust that looked to be somewhere in the A-to-B range.
"Hmm, her chest is..."
"This is perfectly... normal size, you know?"
Evangeline did her best to hide the look of someone who'd just been jabbed in a sore spot. Her chest was clearly a complex of hers. Fair enough—there was that scene in the novel where she snapped at the Black Knight, demanding to know if Emilia's big breasts were really all that great.
[Ugh. I saw a notice promising room and board and rushed in here without a second thought, and now I'm stuck in this indecent little shop.
No—wait. Maybe this is actually for the best.
He'd never in a million years imagine I'd be somewhere like this.]
"So I just wear it like this, right?"
"Hold on a moment."
I left her where she stood, went to the display case, and took out a small item. Inside a little box like a ring case sat a pearl-white pill.
"Take this."
"This is..."
"A Fertile Milk Pill."
"..."
"Go on, take it. It's expensive—I don't hand these out to just anyone. But you're experienced, so I'll trust you with it."
Not like this shop's going to survive anyway. Enjoy, sweetheart.
"...Thank you."
Evangeline popped the Fertile Milk Pill into her mouth right in front of me and chewed it thoughtfully.
[What is with this guy? Forget the price—I heard these things are hard to get your hands on.
Well, fine. If it changes my appearance enough that no one recognizes me, that's a good thing.
I-it's absolutely NOT because my chest is small!]
I watched her take it with a fond little smile. Solving a heroine's insecurities—surely that was exactly what Rhea wanted of me.
Whether it worked, we'd see.
Now, then.
I handed Evangeline the product catalog binder from my desk.
"This is the manual for everything we carry in the shop. You'd figure it out on the job anyway, but give it a read through once."
"Yes."
"By the way—your name?"
"I'm... Eve."
"Eve."
That's right. Now I remember.
Evangeline 'Eve' Loreline.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty... or so."
"I can drop the formalities, right?"
"Yes."
I took down the staff-wanted poster taped to the shop window.
A few days passed.
It has to be done.
I decided I had to kick Eve out. There were several perfectly sound reasons for it.
First. Eve was far too good at the job.
"Oh, this dildo is excellent. I use it myself, actually. And you won't be needing any lube separately, will you?"
"Lube?"
"Most customers buy this lube along with it. It's body-safe, smells lovely, and it's cheap. This dildo is great, but it's bigger than you'd expect, so it can be a bit snug at first. With this, though, it'll slide in nice and~ smooth."
I watched from the break room as she handled the customer.
You've never used any of that, you know...
The customer nodded along.
"Really? Then I'll take one of those as well."
"Of course. Let me ring you up."
Having sold the dildo along with the lube, Evangeline turned to look at me with a bright, satisfied smile.
[Did you see that, you incompetent freeloading bastard?
Today, once again, it was I who saved your shop.
I shall make you the proud owner of Pisack's foremost Dildo King.]
Hey.
I can hear every word of that, you know.
Don't work so hard. I do NOT want to become a Dildo King.
-Anyway, in my opinion, whether you want it or not, that shop is going to run itself just fine.
Rhea's words came back to me. She'd probably been talking about Eve.
Second. Eve was far too pretty, and far too sexy.
Just look at her. The staff uniform was losing its battle against the bust that had grown since she took the Fertile Milk Pill. The shoulder straps pulled taut, and the plump swell of her side-boob spilled out invitingly, practically begging to be squeezed. At first she'd been mortified by it, but she'd gradually gone numb to it—deciding, apparently, that the uniform helped move product, she no longer hesitated to put it on.
A customer who'd been hovering nervously nearby for a while finally worked up the nerve to speak to her.
"Miss Eve, do you have any plans after work today? If you're free, maybe I could treat you to dinner—"
She gave him a troubled look, glancing back toward me.
"Oh my, I'm so sorry. These days as soon as I'm off work it's straight into baby-making sex with the manager. I really don't have the time."
I'd told her to use me as an excuse if anyone pestered her.
Baby-making sex?!
Now I actually want to do it, thanks a lot.
Anyway—Eve had mastered the art of the iron wall.
"Oh..."
"If you can't manage that, then how about this product instead?"
"Sorry, what?"
Eve lowered her voice and leaned toward the customer.
"According to the manager's review, the inner texture feels exactly the same as mine."
I pretended not to hear, standing at the register and making a show of studying a receipt.
I've never used any such thing. When did I ever...
The customer's interest was piqued.
"Really? How much is this one?"
Diabolical woman.
She actually sold it.
"Thank you! Please come again."
Too pretty, too sexy—the business was booming against my will.
Third. Eve was far too relaxed.
Apparently she'd convinced herself by now that no one could possibly recognize her, because even when the gendarmerie came around on inspections, she greeted customers without a flicker of fear.
"Welcome in."
"Ah—Miss Eve. I spoke with Ian about it last time, you remember."
"Oh, that order. One moment, please."
She came into the break room, shifted my legs off the couch where I was lying down, and retrieved the item I'd set aside under the counter.
"This is the one, right? The rabbit beastman onahole."
"Ah—yes, that's it. So you were told about it as well..."
The gendarmerie captain scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"The manager threw in the cleaning solution and some lube as a complimentary gift."
"Well now, did he? Ahem. I paid in advance last time. Do tell Ian I'm grateful."
"Of course. Take care, sir."
I buried my face in my hands where I lay sprawled on the couch.
Evangeline Eve Loreline.
What a thorn this woman was—poisoned and barbed. If I left her be, there was a real risk her identity would be discovered, and worse, if things went any better the shop might get successful enough to open a second branch.
My reason was speaking to me loud and clear.
Cut her loose. Drive her out.
And yet.
My instinct came leaping in, hand raised.
Objection!
You're telling me you'd throw out the empire's most gorgeous woman—that face, that body—without even getting a taste?
Are you a eunuch, sir?
You're telling me you don't want to pin her down right now and wring that Fertile-Milk-swollen chest with both hands while you pound her brains out?
Am I wrong?
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Ghhk.
...No, sir. You are not.
I shot up from the couch.
Instinct had defeated reason after all.
"Eve? You seem pretty well settled into the job now, so starting today, I need you to do some product reviews."
"Yes, boss."
"It's about the new vibrators we just got in.
We ask our staff to test them personally and write a review. You did say you've been doing product reviews for two years, right?"
"Yes."
Look at that face, answering without a care in the world.
Eve took the vibrator I handed her and started toward the back room.
"Where are you going?"
"Sorry?"
"You said you've done product reviews?"
"Yes, so..."
"You do them in front of me, obviously."
"...Excuse me?"
Eve looked considerably flustered.
"We're a team, you and I. For the credibility of our reviews, the staff and the manager—male and female—test the products together. You didn't know? And here I thought you had two years of experience."
I watched her, letting my suspicion show plainly on my face.
[No. He's suspicious of me.]
Eve recovered in an instant, papering over it smoothly.
"Ahaha. Of course... that's how it works? Silly me, it's been a while—I'd completely forgotten."
"Haha, Eve, honestly. It's only natural."