Chapter 76 - Adult Game

[Translator - Peptobismol][Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 76 - Adult Game

"Ugh. Charlotte, I can't see."

"Come over here. Should I push the door open a little more?"

"No, we'll get caught if you do... Ugh, it's so cramped. Let's just take turns watching."

"Can I go first?"

"Uh, sure, go ahead."

Ah! I’m so curious!

It’s driving me crazy!

Julia stood next to the door, her arms crossed as if she were calm, but inside, she was desperate to peek through the crack.

What on earth is happening inside?

Sylvia and Aslan seemed awfully close…

Normally, they’d exchange harsh words and bicker, but that’s something only possible between people who are really close.

Especially considering the difference in their social status.

What kind of relationship did they have?

She’d never thought about it seriously before, but now that she was thinking, there were quite a few suspicious things.

“Take it off…”

And then there was that line.

Did I mishear it?

Maybe it just sounded weird because I didn’t hear the context?

Julia’s foot tapped anxiously against the floor, almost on its own.

“What are they… doing now?”

“Knight sister’s undressing with a really embarrassed look and folding her clothes neatly.”

“Whaaaat.”

“Now she’s sitting down with her back to Mister.”

“Phew…”

A sigh of relief slipped out on its own.

I thought they were playing some kind of adult game!

If she’s turned her back to him, it’s not that, right?

…It’s not, right?

“Wh-what about now?”

“Mister’s touching her back.” seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Why her back?!”

“I don’t know… And keep your voice down, Julia.”

“Mm…”

Clamping her hands over her mouth, Julia lowered her voice.

Touching her back…? Why…?

Is he giving her a massage?

Usually, it’s the shoulders, right? How do you even massage a back while sitting?

No, even if it’s a massage, it’s still weird.

Why would a noble like Aslan be giving his bodyguard a massage?

That’s already a pretty twisted hobby.

‘Just hearing it doesn’t give me any clue what’s going on…!’

Sylvia’s taken off her top and is sitting with her back turned.

And Aslan is touching her back?

What, is she showing off her back muscles or something? What is this?

Charlotte was describing everything, but it only made it harder to imagine what was really happening.

I want to see it for myself…!

“Sh-should we switch now? I’m curious too…”

“Oh! Knight sister’s standing up. She’s turning around! And she’s in her underwear!”

“What?!”

“And Mister’s staring at her chest.”

“!?”

What kind of situation is this?!

Julia’s eyes were darting around wildly.

Her patience was about to snap.

I have to see for myself!

“Sw-switch with me! I want to see! I’m curious too…!”

“Julia! Don’t push like tha—kyaaah?!”

“Eek!”

Thud!

Julia, losing her balance, stumbled and pushed against the door along with Charlotte.

The scene that unfolded before them was…

Sylvia, in her underwear, covering her chest with her face flushed bright red.

And Aslan, looking somewhat annoyed.

"...."

"...."

“Could you both leave?”

“Yes.”

“Y-yes.”

At Aslan’s quiet request, Charlotte and Julia quietly closed the door and stepped out.

Thud, the door closed.

Charlotte and Julia’s eyes met.

Both looked utterly confused, not knowing what to do.

“Julia… maybe it won’t be us, but the knight sister who becomes the Countess…”

“A rival showed up from an unexpected place…”

“Rival? I thought you didn’t like Mister.”

“W-well, to be a spy on the inside, I have to become the Countess, don’t I? It’s not like I like him or anything! But if it means becoming Aslan’s wife… I guess I could do it…”

Julia muttered in a tiny voice, like an ant crawling.

Charlotte’s lips curled into a wide grin.

She’s finally admitted she wants to be his wife, even if she won’t admit she likes him.

For Julia, being honest is hard, so she won’t change all at once.

Step by step, as she becomes more honest, she’ll fully acknowledge her feelings.

But she didn’t react at all to my jealousy-provoking tactics, and yet seeing Sylvia close to Aslan made her open up right away…

‘Maybe she doesn’t see me as much of a threat.’

Charlotte felt a little, just a little, sense of defeat and slight resentment.

So I’m not even a competitor…?

***

“Haa… there’s no end to the trouble these kids cause…”

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is outraged, demanding to know what kind of nonsense this is about our Dark Knight and Necromancer!]

“Sylvia, the maids… all of them.”

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is sheepishly scratching their head.]

Yes, he was talking about Sylvia, Charlotte, and Julia.

One refused to remove the brand, even when offered.

It’s a decision I can’t understand at all.

Trusting me is one thing, but removing the brand is another, isn’t it?

If it were me, I would have said, “Thank you!” and bowed, removing it right away.

Sylvia can be so stubborn sometimes.

Does she think distance will make her grow distant emotionally too?

It’s not like the brand has to be there for us to stay close.

Seriously, she’s a real piece of work.

And the other two…

Sigh. Still peeking into people’s bedrooms.

If they’re going to peek, they should at least be quiet and not get caught.

‘Did I raise them wrong?’

I don’t really care if they peek or not.

But it’s definitely not a good habit.

Maybe I should give them a proper scolding.

Lately, I’ve been too soft on them; sometimes, you have to show a strict side.

“Alright, let’s make sure they don’t peek into others’ private lives again.”

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is tearfully agreeing, though it breaks their heart.]

Yeah. I need to harden my heart.

I need to fix this bad habit.

It’s not because I’m upset that they caught me spending time half-naked with Sylvia.

Absolutely not because I’m worried that my plan to raise them into proper, beautiful, lovely wives might fall apart if they find out.

Morning had come, and it was almost time for the kids to wake up.

I was about to head to their room when—

Knock, knock, knock, came a small, high-pitched knocking on the office door.

It wasn’t the usual top part of the door being knocked, but a bit lower.

I knew immediately who it was.

“You may come in.”

“Mister…”

“Aslan…”

Creeeeak.

The door opened cautiously, and two small voices echoed in.

As expected, today’s guests were Charlotte and Julia.

Both looked sheepish, clearly feeling guilty.

…Seeing this makes the stern resolve I just mustered weaken.

“What is it?”

“A-about yesterday…”

“About peeking into your bedroom…”

“We, we-we-we-we forgot to… to say sorry….”

“We’re sorry…”

Bowing deeply, showing off their flexibility, Charlotte and Julia apologised.

At that moment, even the anger I had barely managed to muster melted away.

How am I supposed to get mad now?

[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is demanding we forgive our Dark Knight and Necromancer immediately and shower them with affection!]

“Haaah…”

“Hic.”

No matter what Kali said, I took a deep breath, pretending to still be angry.

When correcting bad behaviour, it has to be done right.

Even if the kids are cute, if you go easy on them, it’ll cause trouble later.

“You still seem to have something left to say.”

“I, I won’t do it again… ”

“I’m really reflecting on it. I won’t do it again…”

A satisfactory answer.

Maybe because they’d peeked into the room and seen something awkward, they seemed genuinely remorseful.

I finally let go of my stern expression.

“A promise only matters if you keep it. Can you promise not to do it again?”

“O-of course! Mister…!”

“We won’t peek ever again! We only started because the maids were doing it, and it became fun… But now we know it’s wrong…”

So it was the maids who started it.

The kids are young, so I can understand, but what’s up with the maids?

They’re adults and still teaching kids bad things.

The ones who need a real scolding are not the kids but the maids.

As I relaxed my expression, the girls’ faces brightened.

They closed the distance between us in a heartbeat.

I naturally stood up, patting them both lightly on the head before walking past them.

“Let’s go have breakfast.”

“Yes…!”

“But were you really that curious, what Sylvia and I were doing yesterday?”

“N-no? Not at all?”

“I’m not curious at all… Mister?”

These kids.

Be curious.

I want to explain.

“This is your last chance. Are you curious?”

“A-a little… Mister.”

“The two of them were all over each other! I’m curious!”

“Cha-Charlotte…!”

“It was nothing like that. I was performing a ritual to remove the brand from Sylvia’s body. She was forcibly bound to Vermont and couldn’t betray them.”

“Oh! Ahhh, that’s what it was! Of course I knew it was something like that! Nothing weird, just a ritual to remove the brand! Yup. That’s exactly what I expected!”

“I totally thought you were playing an adult game…”

“Cha-Charlotte…! Come on!!!”

Even though it sounded like they were making excuses, it was a relief to clear up the misunderstanding.

The atmosphere had become much more lighthearted.

As we walked together toward the dining hall, side by side with the kids, I was about to relax when—

“Ugh?! An earthquake?”

“...!”

Boom!

A strong tremor, as if something had slammed down, shook the entire mansion.

The sensation felt strangely familiar, and Charlotte and Julia’s faces lit up.

“Earthy…!”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]