Volume 2 - CH 4.2

I waited until nightfall, sealing the memory of the abomination in the bath, and then transferred to the castle to go to Prince Rand's room. I was sure he was in the castle because I asked the soldier at the gate.

There was a soldier on guard in front of the room. I used <IllusionDays> to put him in an illusory state, and entered the room while I was in that state.

Inside the room, there was a young man with blond hair like Robert, Sophie and Margarete, but not like the other three. I had seen him several times in the audience hall, so I knew he was Prince Rand.

He was the only one in the room, so I put up a soundproof barrier before he could shout. He seemed so startled by the sudden intruder that he couldn't speak. He looked like a fool as he opened and closed his mouth like a fish.

「Excuse me for coming so late at night. You know what I want, don't you?」

「Are you Viscount Werner? You can't just barge into a room full of royalty without permission! Anyone, Is anyone there!?」

「I'm a Count from today. Well, that's not important.」

Just when I thought I was finally able to talk to him, his first words were pathetic. What I'm going to do now is not a matter of disrespect. I can't be bothered with all that.

「You don't seem to be in a very good mood. Did something happen to upset you?」

「Shut up! I don't want to hear anything you have to say! Get the hell out of here!」

「Then let me get straight to the point. Tell the church to leave me and Fairis alone right now. If you don't, I'll have to use force.」

「Wha!? I-I-I-I don't know what you're talking about.」

Rand responded to my words with a clearly upset tone. I'm not saying you have to have a poker face, but I think you need to learn to behave a little better. I think Sophie and Margarete are better suited to be king than this thing, but they are still second in line of succession. It brings tears to my eyes to think about it.

「I'm not asking if you understand or not. I'm saying that the Savile family should request the church not to interfere any more with the people around me. By the way, I'm only asking you to reply in the affirmative, okay?」

「Hah! You suddenly barged into my room, and now you're trying to blackmail me because you're afraid of being recognized as a heretic? What a shallow man you are! A man like you is a coward!」

「I'm giving you this advice out of the goodness of my heart.」

「Hmm? What do you mean!?」

「Think about it, heresy against me won't change your position on the throne. If that's the case, the only thing I can think of is why you've been messing with me is that you're related to House Savile, and you're probably trying to get me and Fairis into your faction.」

It's a real hassle, but both Fairis and I are considered high-ranking sorcerers by the world. In other words, we're very religious people. We'd make great billboards for the church.

I don't know exactly how the factions of the church work, but Fairis told me that she had been recruited many times before. She said that she had turned them all down, but that's how valuable she was.

「If you accept my terms here, I promise to join the faction that House Savile belongs to.」

「What! Really?!」

「Yes, but until I have a ceremony with Princess Sophia, you are not to tell anyone about this relationship. I don't want her to be harmed in any way.」

「Okay, fine! I'll accept your terms!」

「Then sign this contract.」

The paper on which the contract is written contains the conditions I just mentioned. When the two of us sign, the magic is activated, making it impossible for either Rand or I to break our promise.

「Well, that's it for today.」

「Mmm! You're a surprisingly understanding man!」

Rand can't seem to hide his joy at having me in his corner. He crossed his arms and nodded several times.

You should be as happy as you can be. Let them know that I'm not a powerful ally, but a lion in the midst of a lion.

I walked past the soldiers who were still in a state of illusion and left the room. Once I'm out of sight of the soldiers, I deactivate my magic. The soldiers, unaware of what had happened, looked around.

※

I left the castle and came back to the mansion. The bishop still seemed to be trying to catch me, and I could see a shadow in front of the mansion. I guess the bishop still doesn't know that I'm engaged to Sophie. But that's a matter that can be resolved the day after tomorrow.

The incident with Rand should have stopped the church from messing with us, but I haven't gotten my revenge on the bishop yet. What he did when I saved Fairis was hardly revenge. Considering that he treated people as heretics and tried to use Natalia to threaten me, I would like to eliminate him socially if possible.

As soon as I returned to my room, Tia came in. She had a troubled expression on her face. Did the guys out front cause some kind of problem?

「Master, it's about the elves that were sent to me before. ......」

「Oh, that one. Is something wrong?」

「No, I'm taking care of her for now, but if you don't need it, I think it would be better to get rid of her so that it won't cause any strange rumors.」

Well, it's true that when I caught her, I thought I could use her for research, but now it's only a negative because I'm suspected of taking care of her. Perhaps it would be better to just kill her.

That's what most people would think, but I'm planning to use her for my next project. But she's not enough. I need more of them.

I contacted Olympia by telephatic. She was surprised by the sudden call, but when she realized it was from me, I could hear her serious voice bouncing with happiness, if only slightly.

(Olympia, there's one thing I need you to do for me.)

(Yes, what is it?)

(I need slaves, at least a dozen of them. Preferably dark elf women.)

(I can have that many ready tomorrow. But how would you like me to send them to you?)

(If you prepare them, I'll take care of the transportation. Oh, and make sure the slaves are brainwashed.)

(All right, I think I can have it ready tomorrow.)

After confirming that it will be ready by tomorrow morning, I cut off the telephatic with Olympia, and connected the telephatic to Fairis.

(Um, Yard-sama, is this about what we were talking about earlier: ......?)

(There's another matter. I apologize for the short notice, but I would like you to introduce me to someone who is neutral in the church, someone with a reasonably high position.)

(Eh? Why is that?)

(Oh, and it has something to do with Bishop Philpot. ......)

Fairis seemed surprised by the unexpected story, but she seemed to be willing to do what I asked.

(That's fine, but is the bishop really doing that?)

(Yeah, that's solid information. I'd like to move before the bishop takes any action, so I'm sorry, but I need you to hurry.)

(All right.)

As soon as I hung up the telephatic with Fairis, I went to check on the dark elves locked in the basement of the mansion to prepare for this one as well.

※

I went down the stairs and entered the basement where I had performed the procedure on Lucia before. It had already been remodeled and was now a space where several people could live comfortably. This time I had business with the person there.

When I turned on the lights, I could see the figure of the person who had been blending in with the darkness. A dark elf with the same magical markings as Lucia's on her entire body, her name was Lily, I think. I had left it to Elle to bring her back to the mansion, but I had left her in the care of Tia and Elle, so I hadn't seen her since Leshiana.

「...... What?」

「That's quite a line for someone I haven't seen in a while.」

「How can you say that when you've got people trapped in here like this?」

「You're like a prisoner of war, aren't you? You tried to kill us back then, too.」

She looked at me with a look of disgust on her face, but I didn't feel anger at her cocky attitude, and I even felt pity for her because she was wearing nothing but rags. She's on a leash to prevent her from escaping, so she doesn't even try to move from her spot when I approach her.

But I'm still concerned about the fact that not a single magic stone has fallen down in the entire room. If Tia hadn't collected them, then there was only one possible reason.

「It looks like there's no magic stone.」

「Huh? This isn't a magic pool, so what kind of nonsense are you talking?」

Judging from her appearance, it seems certain that she's not creating a magic stone. There's no mistaking the surgical imprint, and I'm pretty sure she's pregnant. I had no idea that she was the first one to carry my child.

Well, it doesn't matter if she's pregnant. No one else knows that it's with me, so it's not a problem. It's more of a plus for my future plans.

「That's fine. But more importantly, I've got a job for you today.」

「...... What is it this time?」

「Simply put, it's a sacrifice to incriminate a certain man.」

「Yeah, whatever you want. There's no point in me living anymore.」

You're acting desperate, but it's understandable. The man she loved is dead, and she is being forced to live like a slave in some unknown place. It doesn't matter to me whether her mental state is good or bad. For me, she's just a thing, and I need her for this plan.

First of all, I used Brainwash to quickly change her thoughts and take her out of her consciousness. From now on, her setting was that of a pathetic slave.

「You hear my voice?」

「Yes, sir.」

「Lily, you are a female slave who was born to serve men. You want to serve him, and it is your pleasure to serve him and make him happy. And when you serve them and they feel it, you feel it as if it were you. Do you understand?」

「Yes, I understand.」

The look that had been a mixture of hatred and resignation earlier now became a passionate gaze staring at me with an enraptured expression like a maiden in love.

「What's the matter, if you have something to say, say it.」

「Um, please let me suck your meat stick. I'll serve you to the best of my ability.」

「I refuse. I'm not the one you're supposed to serve.」

With that, I send the image of Philpot into her head with an <Ejection>. This is the memory I took from the men who attacked Natalia. Now that she had memorized Philpot's face and appearance, she was ready to prep.

「So, I should serve the person I just saw?」

「Yes, no matter what anyone says, he is your master. He may not like it with his mouth, but if he does, tell him you have his child in your belly.」

「Yes, sir.」

「That's right, It's a good thing you're so quick on uptake..」

「So, where do I go to see him?」

「You'll have to wait a little longer. We're still in the preparation stage.」

「Eh? Okay.」

Next, it would be nice if Fairis could bring someone from the upper echelons of the church, but I don't think that's going to happen today. It's getting late. That's enough for today.

※

When I contacted Olympia the next day, she said she was already ready, so I detected the magic of the bracelet I gave to Olympia and teleported there. There she was, not the figure I had seen before, but wearing a hooded robe as if she were going out in secret.

After all, it seems that transfer magic has not been developed even in the Demon Empire. Olympia couldn't hide her surprise at the sudden appearance of me. The fact that she was only surprised for a moment and immediately returned to a calm expression was quite impressive.

「Welcome, Master.」

「Where am I?」

「This is one of the hideouts I have prepared in the Imperial Capital. I thought you might need it in case of emergency.」

「I see. So, where are the slaves I asked for?」

「As a duke, I can't move that many slaves, so I talked to a slaver I trust.」

「I see. Shall I have you show me to them immediately?」

「Certainly, this way then.」

When Olympia urged me to go outside, I found an unmanned carriage there. Perhaps she wanted me to ride in it.

「I'll be your escort, so you can ride in the back.」

「No, I'm grateful that you've prepared this for me, but I'd like to see the capital on foot.」

「I understand. It will take more than ten minutes from here on foot, is that alright?」

「Sure, that's fine.」

She looked a little disappointed, but she seemed to be willing to listen to my request. She steps in front of me and starts to show me the way, and I follow her.

As we walked, I observed the imperial capital and got the impression that it was more developed than the royal capital. I also saw the citizens here using magical tools that were still only used by a few nobles in the royal capital. In terms of technology level, the kingdom is completely lagging behind.

「The magic technology of the Demon Empire is quite something.」

「That's true if you only look at the Imperial Capital, but it's terrible in the countryside.」

When I was unintentionally impressed by the unexpectedly high level of development, Olympia interrupted me.

According to her, the economic condition of the cities in the countrysides is so bad that they can't develop properly because the Demon Empire is extracting a lot of taxes from the countrysides. Normally, a rebellion would break out if such arrogant politics were to continue, but it seems that the policy is to tax heavily to prevent such a rebellion and not even let the rebels accumulate funds.

Thanks to this, there are quite a few people starving to death every year in the countryside. Although slavery has ostensibly been banned by law, the fact that peddling has still not decreased at all shows the current situation. In the countryside, even the nobles are having trouble making ends meet.

「Hmm, that's going to make the economy unsustainable soon, isn't it?」

「That's why we invade other countries, so that we can get money again.」

「It's the end times. But it does make slaves easier to come by, which is a good thing.」

After that, we continued on our way while listening to the current situation of the Demon Empire, and arrived at the store I wanted. On the surface, it looks like just a trading post, but it seems that this place deals in sex slaves for the nobility behind the scenes.

At any rate, I went inside and a man immediately spoke to her with a fake smile on his face.

「Well, well, well, welcome. What can I do for you today?」

「I need a new trinket for a party.」

「What can I get for you?」

「I want something with a white silver base and black pearls.」

「Yes, I understand. This way, please. Are you with someone?」

「That's right.」

Hearing Olympia's words, the man led me and her to the back store. We went down the stairs that led to the basement, which was hidden from view by a door, and walked through a dimly lit passageway, and arrived at our destination.

Watching the man who had been showing us around return to his original place, I opened the door and found myself in a well-decorated room that I couldn't have imagined from the store out front. At a glance, I could tell that the furnishings were of considerable value. It must be a store for aristocrats, after all.

As soon as we entered, another man walked in. He was probably a slaver.

「Ohh, Olympia-sama. Welcome.」

「Did you prepare what I told you?」

「Yes, ma'am. It was urgent, but we have just the people you requested. Oi, get in.」

As he said this, a group of Dark Elves entered through the back door. I don't know if it was because they were elves or not, but they all looked very well dressed. The clothes they wore were so beautiful that it was hard to believe they were slaves. I wondered if the blank expressions on their faces were the result of brainwashing.

They seemed to be more high-class slaves than I had expected, but Olympia had a dissatisfied expression on her face when she saw them. Apparently, by her standards, they're still not very good.

「What do you think?　Of course, they were all trained as virgins.」

「Wasn't there anyone a little more beautiful?」

「If you want more than that, it's going to take more than a day or so to collect them. ...... If you wait another month or so, I'm sure we can get you some top-notch ones.」

Olympia kept her pompous attitude and looked at me sideways to make sure I didn't notice the man. I had nothing to complain about, so I nodded lightly, and she seemed to have understood my intentions.

「That's all right.」

「Right, and as for the price, since it took a good amount of effort for these people, how about 30 gold coins per head?」

I almost erupted when I heard the price, but I managed to keep my composure. The price was much higher than I had imagined, although it was inevitable that the price would be high since slaves were ostensibly prohibited. I signaled to Olympia with my eyes to see if we could lower the price a bit, and she nodded as if she understood my intentions again.

「Then I'll buy it at that price.」

「Thank you for your purchase.」

As I watched Olympia's relaxed attitude and the man's happy voice thanking her for her willingness, I cried in my heart because she had not understood my intentions. I was going to pay for the purchase, but I couldn't afford that amount of money.

「Hey, isn't that price too high?」

While the man was picking up the documents for the contract, I casually asked Olympia about the price.

「Isn't that right? If you want to buy a high-class prostitute in the Imperial City, it will cost you several gold coins each time. Considering that, I thought that thirty gold coins per head would be very cheap. I'm sure they took this amount into consideration for me, a close friend of the Gran family, right?」

「I see, if that's what you think, I have nothing to say about it. ......」

After that, I had Olympia take the dark elves to hiding place and ask for one favor, then I returned to the capital.

※

A few days later, I went to the Savile house. Rand was happy to see me and welcomed me with open arms.

「Good to see you, Count Werner. You're always welcome here.」

There are several factions within the church, and among them, three major factions are in conflict. The orthodox faction, led by the Pope, is the majority and tolerant of different races to some extent. The aristocratic faction, led by the Inquisition and the nobility, is dedicated to the elimination of the different races. The classical group, which completely tolerates even different races as long as they have faith and strictly follow the teachings of the Bible. Of these, the Savile family belongs to the aristocracy, but they do not completely reject different races. Slaves are illegal nowadays, but in the past they were allowed to keep a slaves, and it seems that many nobles actually kept different species. And now they can be baptized in the church.

It doesn't seem to be a problem for me to have an elf in my family. However, they still don't take kindly to me just because they're a member of a different species, and there seems to be a difference in the way they treat me compared to the general congregation.

The reason why they wanted to include me in their faction was probably because they simply wanted a strong magician. The number of magicians who can use restorative magic is directly related to the power of the faction.

Currently, there are less than ten magicians in the entire church who can heal serious injuries. In particular, Fairis, who can heal almost all wounds, is said to be one of the best in a hundred years.

It is known that I used the <Major Heal> during the march, so I am also seen as a magician with a lot of faith. It's true that if you can get me and Fairis out of here, it will be enough to rewrite the power structure.

「So, I hear you have something important to discuss today?」

「Oh, I'm sure that with you coming in, the power of the noble faction will be revived a bit, but it's still not enough compared to the orthodox faction.」

「That's true, but unlike the classicists who aren't interested in power struggles, the orthodoxists are quite troublesome. They're the biggest force in the world, even if they are rotten. Do you have any idea what to do?」

「Make up a story about the Papacy owning slaves, and slaves of a different kind. It was the Orthodox and the Classicists who wanted to free the slaves.」

「...... It is true that if the ownership of slaves comes to light, it will be enough to bring about the fall of the country, but how can they make it up?」

「Just send in the right slaves. Prince Rand, if you're here, there will be plenty of ways to get them inside. For example, you can blend them with the delivery of goods. I've prepared the slaves myself.」

「What did you say?」

「Would it be quicker to see?」

I took Rand to the carriage parked in the yard and showed him who was inside.

「Is this a ...... dark elf?」

「Yes, it is. They're all trained and won't talk against us.」

Inside were the Dark Elf slaves I had bought the other day. They all had the same blank expression on their faces. Rand couldn't seem to hide his surprise at what he hadn't expected.

「Surely if this is found in the Papacy, we can't escape the liability issues. ......」

「After you bring these slaves in, you can promptly accuse the Papacy. I'll see to it that no suspicion falls on you.」

「I see, that might work. But where did you get all these slaves?」

「I used the contacts I made when I went to the fort the other day. My house is being watched by the church, so I think I'll leave these slaves with you.」

「Sure, that's fine.」

「Then I leave it to you. Call me as soon as you bring them in.」

I left the carriage containing the slaves in Rand's hands, and left the Savile house. As I returned to the mansion, I contacted Fairis by telepathic, and she said that she would immediately take the other bishops to the hidden room in the church. I had to hurry, too.