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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“It is good to see you again, Knight Commander Delta.”
Lana bowed respectfully, her demeanor as charismatic as ever, despite the leaves clinging to her hair and clothes.
I stared at her, momentarily speechless, surprised by her unexpected appearance.
Her casual demeanor suggested nothing untoward had happened at the mansion. I dismissed my earlier anxieties.
But that only deepened the mystery.
What had happened to the guards who were supposed to be at the gate? Why were the gates wide open? And why had Lana emerged from the bushes?
“Did My Lady instruct you to do this?”
“Do I look insane?”
Her vehement denial suggested Aurora hadn’t orchestrated this strange situation. My confusion grew.
“You have returned earlier than expected, My Lady.”
Lana spoke calmly, seemingly unfazed by our reactions.
“Something came up. Things just… happened.”
Perhaps sensing the need to respond, given Lana’s nonchalant demeanor, Aurora replied, her voice laced with unease.
The trembling, fear-stricken girl had been replaced by the composed lord of the city.
“How is the mansion? Everything alright?”
“Yes. We are fine. What happened, My Lady?”
“Well…”
Aurora hesitated, then fell silent. After a long moment, she loosened her grip around my neck.
“Delta, put me down for a moment.”
“Can you walk?”
“Yes. I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern.”
I knelt, lowering her gently to the ground. The soft press of her thighs against my back vanished, replaced by the cool air against my skin.
The click of her high heels echoed as her feet touched the marble path. She swayed momentarily, then regained her balance, smoothing her wrinkled shirt.
As she moved, the hem of her shirt shifted, revealing glimpses of her rounded bottom, the line of her bare buttocks clearly visible.
Aurora finished adjusting her clothes, then walked over to Lana and whispered something in her ear.
Lana nodded repeatedly, listening intently.
“……I see. Understood.”
The whispered conversation ended. Lana looked at me, her dark eyes unreadable.
Aurora stole glances at me from beside Lana.
I had no idea what they had discussed.
“Knight Commander Delta.”
Lana clasped her hands in front of her, bowing deeply.
“First, allow me to express my gratitude for protecting my master.”
“It was my duty.”
“There are countless examples in the Empire’s history of those who failed to perform their duty, resulting in disastrous consequences. Especially in urgent situations, as my master described. We will reward you for saving her life at a later date.”
I wasn’t sure my actions warranted such praise, but I wasn’t about to refuse a reward. I nodded.
“What are your plans now, Knight Commander? Will you return to the castle?”
Lana asked another question.
“I have to. The situation isn’t resolved. I have a lot of questions for that woman.”
“I believe she said she came here looking for you.”
“Yes. But I don’t know why. So I need to ask her.”
While Nix’s appearance – the stereotypical “creepy busty nerd girl” – could be attributed to the character mods, I had to ask her directly why she had come looking for me.
I felt guilty leaving Aurora like this, but I couldn’t leave Nix unattended at the castle.
She was a ticking time bomb.
“Please wait a moment, Delta.”
Lana stopped me as I turned to excuse myself and leave.
“Do you intend to continue what you started today at a later date?”
I considered her question. She was likely referring to my interrupted outing with Aurora.
Of course, I would continue it.
I nodded.
“Of course. I intend to.”
“Yes. Understood, Delta. My Lady will eagerly await that day.”
Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Aurora and Lana allowed me to depart. I left the mansion, their gazes following me.
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Having left immediately, Delta didn’t see the expressions on Aurora and Lana’s faces.
Lana wore a satisfied yet impassive expression, a contradiction in itself.
Aurora, realizing what Lana had meant by “what you started today,” blushed furiously.
“Congratulations, My Lady. You have secured a promise to continue what you started today. You must be pleased.”
“……Should I be pleased? I tricked Delta.”
“You merely omitted the truth, not fabricated a lie. You understand the difference, My Lady.”
Aurora sighed. Of course she understood the difference. But she hadn’t imagined she would ever use such tactics.
“And women possess a powerful weapon.”
“A powerful weapon? What is it?”
“If you confess your feelings for Delta, and explain that you lied out of embarrassment, he will surely forgive you. Few men can resist a woman who confesses her love.”
Lana didn’t know if it was true. She had simply heard it somewhere.
But most people couldn’t distinguish between genuine confidence and feigned confidence.
It was especially effective on someone like Aurora, who had practically no experience with romantic relationships.
“Wait a minute. You were the one who spoke to Delta, not me.”
Lana gasped dramatically, covering her mouth with her hand, her expression unchanged.
“Then I suppose I have no choice. I’ll just have to tell him I said those things because I’m in love with him… I’m joking.”
Lana, seeing Aurora’s expression, quickly backtracked.
Aurora knew she was joking and let it go.
Instead of reprimanding her increasingly bold maid, Aurora watched Delta’s retreating figure, her golden eyes narrowed.
“……He’s really gone, right?”
“Yes, My Lady. Are you disappointed that Delta left?”
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. Things were going well before… that happened. But…”
Aurora looked at Lana, her gaze lingering on the faint stains that remained on her maid’s skirt despite her attempts to clean them.
Patches of light brown and green were still visible.
“What happened? The guards were gone, the gates were open, and you were hiding in the bushes?”
“It was for your benefit, My Lady.”
Aurora crossed her arms, her expression challenging Lana to explain herself.
“If you had succeeded in your… objective and returned with Delta, you would have been self-conscious about our presence. And if you had returned alone, you would have needed time to… compose yourself.”
“So you cleared out so I wouldn’t have an audience, regardless of the outcome?”
“Precisely. Of course, the mansion’s security was not compromised. The knights were observing the garden from the windows of their quarters.”
“Alright, I’ll accept that. But why were you hiding in the bushes, Lana?”
“Must I answer, My Lady?”
Aurora was about to say it wasn’t an order, but changed her mind, sensing something in Lana’s tone.
“It’s an order.”
“Do you want a plausible answer, or the truth?”
“The truth.”
The same exchange repeated.
Aurora knew Lana was pleading with her to drop the subject, but she ignored it. It was Lana’s fault for making her curious.
“……Someone needed to be present to… prevent any unforeseen incidents. I volunteered for the role.”
Despite her attempt to be vague, Lana had essentially admitted to spying on her master.
Like master, like maid.
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“Where’s Nix?”
“As you instructed, she is in your room. Under close observation.”
I returned to the castle as quickly as possible.
The citizens who had fled to the castle had seemingly calmed down and returned home.
Only the knights, their helmets removed, remained, pacing anxiously.
They fidgeted with their weapons, clearly uneasy about the witch’s presence within the castle. Their faces brightened as they saw me, bowing their heads in greeting.
“How many guards are with her?”
“Five. I wanted to assign more, but the room is small, and additional guards would only be in the way.”
“She didn’t object to being openly monitored?”
“I wasn’t the one who escorted her, so I can’t say for sure, but she said she would comply with your orders and told us not to worry. Aside from some… unsettling giggles, she was relatively calm.”
A slight frown creased Lakscia’s forehead. The memory seemed to displease her.
She was likely referring to the “hee hee hee” giggling.
It was unsettling.
I wondered if the modders had decided that all creepy characters should giggle like that.
“Alright. And when I arrive at my room—”
I stopped mid-sentence.
I didn’t know what Nix knew, so it was best to speak to her alone. There was a small chance, however unlikely, that she knew about my… transmigration.
But the thought of being alone with her was unnerving.
“Commander? Is something wrong?”
Lakscia, concerned by my sudden silence, called out to me.
“It’s nothing. I was about to tell you to wait outside after I entered my room.”
“……Are you sure that’s wise?”
“I’m not sure. That’s why I hesitated. But I have to do it. This could be… sensitive information.”
“Understood. Please be careful.”
Lakscia bowed her head respectfully.
Our first meeting hadn’t been ideal, with her challenging me and then being thoroughly defeated, her moans echoing through the training grounds. But as my second-in-command, she was proving to be quite competent.
She didn’t seem to resent being under my command.
That was likely due to the former Knight Commander’s unpleasant personality, making me seem like a saint in comparison.
“Crua, open the door. The Knight Commander has arrived.”
Lakscia knocked.
The door opened, revealing the scene inside.
The Knight Commander’s room wasn’t much larger than the regular knights’ rooms, so five heavily armed knights practically filled the space.
It looked as if they would struggle to even swing their weapons.
“Oh, you’re here? Hee hee.”
Nix lay on my bed, wrapped in the blankets like a burrito, clutching a pillow, a creepy smile on her face.
“……?”
I froze.
Lakscia frowned.
“Why is she like that?”
“The moment she entered the room, she jumped onto your bed before we could stop her. We tried to remove her, but she resisted so stubbornly that we were afraid we would tear the blankets… I apologize.”
“No, it’s fine. If that’s what she wants to do, let her. It’s my bed.”
I reassured the knights.
If I reprimanded them, Lakscia would likely punish them later.
“Lakscia, take the others and wait outside.”
“Yes, Commander.”
Lakscia and the knights filed out of the room.
The door clicked shut.
Now alone with Nix, she grinned at me, her face half-buried in the pillow. She looked rather small, almost childlike.
“Hey, you know something?”
Nix giggled.
“I’m naked right now.”
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[Your Text Here]
Damn.
She is good. I think delta found his natural predator for once