Volume 2 - CH 8.1

After Olympia's father, Cyrus, was eliminated, Olympia became the master of the Gran family's mansion in the Imperial Capital, and was in charge of the Gran family as Cyrus's substitute.

I was ostensibly acting as a guest, but in reality, I was treated even better than the mansion master, Olympia.

The people of the mansion are allowed to do as they please, but they don't behave that arrogantly. At best, I rents one of the largest spare rooms for myself, and I doesn't even touch the maids. The rest of the time, I only has to deal with Olympia, who visits me frequently.

However, she always comes over at night, and her aggressive attitude makes me feel a little annoyed. Maybe I should just hold her once, but I was going to put off my next reward until I completed my plan, so now I just have to endure her temptation.

Even though she seems to be a bit of a senile, she's doing all the work for herself and her father, and in fact, she's making good progress on my plan, so apart from her attitude and proclivities towards me, she's a pretty good person.

When it came to deciding on my next goal, I had one person in mind as my first choice.

「Olympia, did you get the information I asked for?」

「Yes, there are several noblemen who had obtained information through insiders in the kingdom, but among them, the one who was promoting the hero's detachment was backed by the faction centered on the Everts family.」

「I see. So that's who I'm going to avenge.」

There are various factions among the aristocracy of the Demon Empire, but the two most prominent factions are those that place the supremacy of the people of the Demon Empire above all else, and those that advocate a complete meritocracy without regard to race or nationality. The former is the faction to which the Gran family belongs, and the Evarts are the aristocrats who can be said to represent the latter.

The head of the family is a Dark Elf named Aion Dare Evertz, who is also a person who is trying to promote the status of non-humans. The Marquis of Evarts is a man of high specs, with excellent martial arts and wisdom as an elf.

「The Marquis Evartz is a man of great military prowess and intrigue, so much so that he was named as the commander-in-chief in the decisive battle against the kingdom. He may not be able to do the same as my father. However, he does have what could be called a weakness.」

「What is it?」

「It is said that the Marquis is also famous for his loving wife, and that he dotes on his wife and daughter.」

「I see, so if we take them hostage, it'll be easy to tame the Marquis.」

I don't think he would sell out his country even if I took his family hostage, but it should be possible to create an opening to induce him to drop his guard and brainwash him.

「All right, let's go sneak directly into the Marquis' mansion.」

「Is everything all right? If you give me a little more time, I might be able to arrange a meeting with him.」

「Time is limited. I'm sure you've got better things to do than to waste time on such things.」

「I understand. Then please be careful.」

「Don't worry. I'll be back soon.」

I left the Gran family's mansion with only the bare minimum of my luggage.

※

I'm currently walking alone in the Imperial Capital. It seems that my face is still unknown to the people of the Demon Empire, so I won't be discovered unless I talk to them. However, there is a risk that my identity will be discovered through unexpected means, so I has disabled detection by magic with my <Hide>, and has made my presence virtually invisible.

After going through all this trouble, I followed the map Olympia had given me and found the building I was looking for. It was a magnificent mansion that was no less than the Gran family's mansion. This was the residence of the Evarts family, my destination this time.

I've already been informed that the person I'm after always returns to the mansion at this time, so all I have to do is make sure I don't make any mistakes.

However, this mansion had a ward around the entrance except for the main gate that only authorized people could pass through. If I break the wards, there is a chance that I will be noticed, so I can't force my way in. After moving to a place where the gatekeeper couldn't find me, I carefully deciphered the magic formula so as not to break the wards, and made a hole just big enough for one person to pass through without breaking the formula.

The only problem was that my clothes made a noise as I entered, and the gate guard almost noticed me for a second, so I aimed behind him and triggered the phantom ghost sound. The gurgling sound distracted the gate guard, and I took the opportunity to run all the way to where he couldn't see me.

A maid was just walking in the garden of the mansion, so I stunned her with a <Fear> to check her memory about the layout of the mansion and the general staffing. It seemed that the room with the window was my destination, so I decided to enter from there.

At the same time, I searched for information on his wife and daughters, who are his weak points. It seems that the Duke's family includes his wife Melvina, his eldest daughter Celia, and his second daughter Claire, all three of whom are very beautiful. A. It is well known among the servants that the Marquis also takes very good care of his family.

He also has a son, but he has returned to his estate to study to be a lord, so I guess it doesn't matter this time.

In order to secure the family, I went a little off in the direction of the Duke's room and headed for the room where the Duchess Melvina was.

※

When I checked the room from outside the window, I saw a woman who looked like a Duchess and two maids. Melvina was as beautiful as they said she was, and even I, who had seen quite a few beautiful women in the kingdom, was momentarily taken aback by her beauty. She had the standard Dark Elf look, with silver hair and brown skin, but she was overwhelmingly different from Elle in terms of sex appeal.

In terms of appearance, she was about the same as Elaine, but her shoulder-baring dress and droopy eyes gave her a more mature look.

There were no other people in the room besides the three of them, but the magic power that I could sense from Melvina was reasonably high. If the two maids act as shields, there is no chance of escape. In addition, both of the maids seem to be unused to fighting, but one of them is a Dark Elf, so I can't let my guard down.

As I was thinking that it would be better to pull back and secure his daughter first, I heard someone's footsteps approaching from the garden, so I hurried to hide in the nearby bushes.

The person approaching was another beautiful Dark Elf. She had slanted eyes that gave the impression of strength, but other than that, she looked just like Melvina, and her dress was bare shouldered.

As I recall, it was Celia, the older of the Marquis' children. She was walking alone, without an escort. There were no people around, and from this position, I could not be seen from the windows of the mansion. This is a good chance.

I used <Fear> on the older sister to stun her and hurriedly put her in the bushes. I looked around to make sure that no one was watching us, and put on a <Hide> so that we would not be detected. I can threaten Melvina with this.

At that moment, I suddenly felt something warm on my leg. I turned my head and saw that Celia, who had been unable to withstand the terror of the <Fear>, was unconscious and pissed herself. A little bit of it was on my leg, too. I was a little disgusted, but it couldn't be helped. I'll have it wash up later.

I opened the window a little, put up a soundproof barrier in the room, and carried Celia inside. I close the window and lock the door so that no one can escape, while looking at the three of them with astonished expressions on their faces when a man suddenly comes through the window.

「Ce-Celia!」

Melvina seems to have come to her senses first. She seems to have realized that it was Celia I was carrying, and she is holding her mouth with her hand and shaking uncontrollably.

「Hello, Duchess. Excuse me for coming through the window.」

「Who are you!? Let Celia go!」

「Don't worry, I have no intention of harming her. However, if you don't listen to me, I can't guarantee her safety.」

「Despicable, what do you want!」

「Hmm, yes. For now, Melvina, I want you.」

「Wh......What a foolish thing to say!」

Melvina's face turned slightly red, but I simply meant to say that I wanted her as a hostage to threaten the Marquis. What the hell is she misunderstanding?

「Hmm? If you don't want to, that's fine. At that point, I'll have no choice but to take her.」

「C-Celia is a child who hasn't even come of age yet!? What on earth do you think you're doing, you sexual deviancy!」

「What? She's a hostage to intimidate the Marquis.」

「Eh, ah, a hostage? Ah, Nnnnn, ahem!」

She seemed to have finally realized her mistake and tried to cover it up by coughing. The two maids also seemed to have misunderstood and averted their gaze.

「Even if you took Celia as a hostage, he would not give in to your threats. Do you really think you can get into this mansion and escape safely?」

「Well, if I can't get away, she'll have to go with me.」

While she and I are talking, I use <Fear> to stun the two maids who have their hands behind their backs and are about to use some kind of magic tool. Seeing the maids suddenly fall down without much resistance, perhaps due to their low magical resistance, Melvina again shows a surprised expression.

As she had done before, a maid who suddenly collapsed into a coma and stopped moving looked as if her life had been taken away in an instant to someone who didn't know about <Fear>. Melvina seemed to feel the same way, and raised her guard against me.

「Look, if you try to escape or harm me at the first opportunity, you and your daughter will end up like the maid lying there.」

「I-I understand.」

「Now let's hear your answer. Would you rather take the place of your daughter or sacrifice her?」

「...... Please let Celia go. I will become your hostage and obey you.」

「You chose that one. Oh well, in that case, you will wear this ring.」

「What's that?」

「It's to seal your magic.」

I give her the ring. The explanation I gave her was a lie, it's just a ring with a fit on it, made out of the leftovers from when I made the magic tool. It was made to be worn by anyone, so it had no other effect whatsoever.

I make sure she puts the ring on, and activate the <Dominate>. Again, I decide to keep her loyalty to me at maximum, and play around with various other parts of her body for later purposes.

It seems that her resistance to the magic is quite high, and every time I play with her a little, her body twitches and jerks. If I ignore this and play with her too much, I might break her spirit, so I stopped at an appropriate point.

Soon her eyes came back into focus and she was staring at me. However, there was no hostility like before, but rather a happy expression, as if it was directed at someone she adored.

「Oh, I was wrong. How could I have hated such a wonderful gentleman? I'm ashamed of what I did earlier..」

「Don't worry about it. Who wouldn't be wary of someone who suddenly entered your house?」

「But I am in a position where I should be welcoming you.」

「That's just an act to deceive your people, let's just say.」

With that, I approached the maids and gave them a brainwash. In fact, I would prefer to use a more powerful magic such as <Dominate>, but I don't have a lot of rings in reserve, so I can't use too much.

I hugged Melvina, who still seemed to be troubled about what had just happened, and she tensed up in surprise for a moment, but she immediately leaned into me and leaned back.

「Now, Melvina. How does it feel to be born again?」

「Yes, I feel great.」

「I see. Then you will help me with my work after this, okay?」

「With pleasure.」

Now that I've conquered Melvina, the next two girls are next. First of all, let's finish off Celia, the older sister who is unconscious there, or would it be quicker to get Claire, the younger sister, to come over as well?

I unlocked the lock on the room and woke up the brainwashed maid.

I asked her to go get Claire, who didn't quite understand the situation, and after making sure she went to the little sister's room, I turned to Celia.

Her expression was relaxed due to her fainting, and she didn't look as strong as she had earlier. She was a Dark Elf, so I couldn't tell her exact age, but her breasts seemed to fit her age.

She was still unconscious, but I woke her up with the <Awake>. She woke up with a start, her eyes wide open. She looked dumbfounded, not knowing what had happened, but when she noticed me, she distanced herself and became alert.

「Who are you! What have you done to me!?」

「I didn't do anything to you. I saw you lying in the garden and brought you to this room.」

「That's a lie! Because I suddenly remembered that thing and got scared. ......」

She hugged herself and shuddered, as if she remembered what happened when she collapsed. It seems that the side effect of the <Fear> has left her traumatized. Sometimes these things happen, and I don't feel safe.

「You did something to me!　...... Hmm?」

Celia finally realized that her lower body was wet. She glared at me while her face was dyed red with shame, probably knowing best why she was wet.

「You're the worst! You should definitely accept the punishment for humiliating me. ......」

「Celia, please don't make such a loud noise. You need to try to act more like a lady.」

「Mother, but this man is ......」

At this point, Melvina, who hadn't seen our conversation, interrupted us. Celia's demeanor becomes a little weak, as if she can't come on strong to her mother.

「This person is an important guest of mine. He brought you here when you were lying in the garden.

「Oh, is that right ......? Um, ......」

「Yard Werner.」

「Um, Celia Evarts. ......」

When she saw that Melvina was not at all wary of me, but rather smiling at me and responding to me, she seemed to have let down her guard against me. She was not aware of the danger at all. Well, it's convenient that she hasn't noticed who I am, so I'll let her stay like this.

「Celia, it is unforgivable that you abused my guest based on your own assumptions. I think you know that.」

「Yes, ......」

「Then, as compensation, listen to what Yard-sama has to say. In fact, this is the person who will be your new tutor from now on.」

「Eh, really ......, Is that true?」

「Yeah, it's nice to meet you.」

「It's nice to meet you. ......」

Melvina is introducing me to her. Of course, the content is horseshit, but this girl who trusts her mother seems to believe that I'm really a tutor.

「Oh, and next time you go out, you'd better take someone with you. There's not always someone around when you suddenly collapse like today.」

「Ah, okay, I'll be careful. ......」

Celia replied honestly, but she still seemed to be suspicious of her collapse. It's only natural that I made her fall into a coma with my magic, but perhaps she's naive at heart, she doesn't seem to suspect me anymore.

「Celia, since you've been saved by him, you should thank Yard-sama properly.」

「Y-yes. Thank you for saving me.」

「Words of gratitude alone are still not enough. You have to follow what he says.」

「...... I understand. Yard-sama, anything I can do to help, please let me know.」

Melvina, who has entered our conversation, is making an absurd request to her own daughter. But Celia, who can't think of any reason to argue, obeys her trusted mother's words straightforwardly.

「Well, first of all, I'll give you this as a memento of being entrusted with your education.」

「Ring? Thank you very much.」

「Very good, Celia. Keep it up and do as Yard-sama says.」

Without any doubts, she took the ring I gave her and put it on her finger. It would be more difficult for her, with her limited knowledge of magic, to understand that this was a condition for activating the magic. However, it was none of my business, so I used my <Dominate> to play with her mind in the same way I did with her mother.

Ordinary humans can hardly even resist this magic, but as expected of a Dark Elf, she shows a little discomfort with her extraordinary resistance to the technique. However, this level of discomfort does not interfere with my work. I'll finish it quickly before her sister arrives. The second pawn is now complete.

She didn't look any different before and after the procedure, but when I put my hand on her head and stroked it, her face lit up with happiness.

「Is something matter?」

「No, I just wanted to pet your head.」

「Is that so? Then you can pet me more.」

It's not just a reaction to a tutor, so her liking to me has definitely increased. It means that the <Dominate> is activated without any problem.

A short time after I had her under my control, there was a knock at the door of this room. The one who came in was Claire, a Dark Elf girl with the same droopy eyes as Melvina. She looked like a smaller version of Melvina, but her breasts were overwhelmingly different.

She looked at me in her mother's room with a strange look on her face. She was still very young, but her face had the makings of a beautiful woman. The rumors about a family of beautiful women were true.

「Mother, who is this man?」

「This is Yard-sama, the new tutor I hired for you. I was just about to introduce him to you. Come on, say hello.」

She's explaining about me to her daughter, but I just told Melvina to cooperate, and everything she's said since earlier has been improvised. From her mood, she doesn't seem to be a very smart woman, but her tactfulness is above average. I guess she's not living in an aristocratic society.

「Is that right. Nice to meet you, Yard-sama. I'm Claire Evarts.」

「That is very kind of you. I'm Yard Werner. I'll be working here as your tutor from now on.」

「Claire, if you want to be a respectable lady, you must listen to Yard-sama.」

「That's right, Yard-sama is a wonderful man, so you must do exactly as he says.」

「I understand, mother, sister. Yard-sama, I'll do as you say, so please make me a fine lady like my mother.」

Claire didn't show any signs of doubting Melvina and the her sister statements from the beginning, and she accepted my sudden appearance as her tutor with open arms. Unlike her sister, she's very straightforward. Well, she has no way of knowing that her mother and sister have already fallen into my hands, so it can't be helped.

「Yeah, I understand. Now, please put this on your finger first.」

「Yes, sir.」

She put the ring I gave her on her finger without hesitation. I don't know if it's a good idea to put on a ring that has been subjected to a magic formula without questioning it, but anyway, after confirming that the ring was put on, I used <Dominate> on Claire as well.

Her resistance to the magic was still low, and she hadn't been affected at all by the falsification of her memories. Even though she was a Dark Elf, she was still not old enough to be a Dark Elf. So I played around with her in various ways. And when she woke up, she just hugged me and started to spoil me.

「Yard-sama, Claire is so happy to have met you.」

「I'm glad to hear that, but I have some things to do first, so please step away for a moment.」

「Yes, sir.」

When Claire heard my words, she honestly left and went to Melvina's place.

「Now, I'm going to go to the Marquis, but I want you guys to act as if you're being held captive by me first. Celia and Claire's performance might make the Marquis suspicious, so only Melvina is allowed to talk. Do you understand?」

「I understand.」

Melvina smiled and nodded at my words. The other two were a little unhappy, but they didn't seem to object to my decision.

I was able to secure his wife and two of his daughters as puppets as planned. This left me with only the Marquis. With the hostages in hand, it should be a piece of cake. I hid behind the three of them and headed for the Marquis.

※

We arrived at the Marquis's room without any problems. I knocked on the door, and after a few moments, I heard him ask me to enter, so I followed the three of them into the room. It seemed that the Marquis was alone.

Perhaps he was suspicious that I was following the three of them, but the Marquis narrowed his eyes and glared at me.

「What's wrong with the three of you coming to visit me together? And that guy over there, I've never seen him before.」

「This guy is ......」

As soon as I get inside, I use the soundproofing and <Locks>. Now this room is completely isolated from the outside. He seemed to have realized that I was the attacker once I activated my magic, so he got up from his chair and moved towards me, ready to attack at any time.

「Don't move from there. If you do, I'll kill these three.」

「Who the hell are you?」

「Who are you, huh? That's not very nice coming from the person who was trying to brainwash me.」

「Brainwashing?」

Apparently, he doesn't ring a bell. From his reaction, I intuitively knew that for this guy, the mission to capture the hero was really just a matter of luck if he succeeded. 

「What a foolish thing to say to someone.」

「Oh well. Better yet, if you can understand this situation, you'll do as I say.」

「What do you want?」

「I have a lot to say, but first, read this.」

I throw him the contract I had Olympia write for him. There are a few promises written in it, but to put it simply, he won't harm the Gran family or their relations physically, mentally, or socially, he won't divulge any information to a third party that would be detrimental to the Gran family or their relations, and he won't give the Gran family any information about the faction to which the Evarts belong.

Naturally, there was nothing in his favor. As he read the words on the paper, his expression became more and more grim.

「I wondered who it was, but it was someone from the Gran family. Anyway, this is a ridiculous contract. What if I say no?」

「Then I'll have no choice but to kill them to atone for your sins. I'll tell you one thing, the rings they wear are cursed to take their lives as soon as I die. And I've made sure that no sound in this room will leak out. Don't do anything rash, okay?」

At my words, he lowered the hand that had been behind his back. His expression was very calm, but in his mind he was probably thinking about how to rescue his family. I could see a bead of sweat running down his cheek.

I waited for a while, but he didn't move at all, so I grabbed Celia's chest as a form of provocation. My fingers sank into her breasts, which were not as big as her mother's, but still a little big for her age. I told her not to make a sound, so she didn't scream, but she struggled to shake off my hand.

I looked at him and saw that he was biting his lip hard, trying desperately to control his anger. He still didn't respond, so I grabbed Melvina's chest. Her breasts were of a wonderful size, so they were quite worth squeezing.

「Hooh, I guess your daughter's got a bright future ahead of her.」

「Mmm, yahh, stop it.. ......」

「...... Stop that. Get your hands off those two.」

「Then you'd better sign that contract quickly. I'll take Claire's virginity next so that she'll be ready.」

「I'll take her place. Please don't touch my daughters!」

Melvina is desperately pleading with me to save her daughters. The Marquis, who had remained calm up until now, had a shadow of anguish on his face as he could hardly believe that she was acting.

「What's wrong, you don't want to sell your country even if it means abandoning your wife and child?」

「Kkhhh......」

「If you can beat me in a duel, I'll let three of them go. But if you lose, you must abide by the terms of this contract. How about this?」

「...... All right, I'll accept your terms.」

The Marquis seemed to have no choice but to accept my proposal, but I didn't miss the way his mouth lifted up for a moment. I'm sure he thinks he can beat me and get his wife and kids back on these terms, but he doesn't realize that he's just made the situation worse.