Chapter 48
Lydia fell silent.
“….”
A bunny girl.
For some reason, there was a bunny girl.
‘Even in eroge with such weighty worldbuilding, they eventually give in and include bunny girls. They have such a huge impact on sales.... They appeared in <The Sacred Sword Hero Chronicles>, too.’
Eroge and bunny girls were inseparable.
And.
There was a bunny girl in her thirties here, too.
“S-Sister Mirian.... Get me out of here. My legs are so numb I can't even move.”
“Phew. No. Stay there and reflect on what you've done.”
“Hngh….”
A bunny girl in her thirties who'd been hiding in the luggage compartment.
The moment Lydia saw the alluring woman, a thought crossed her mind.
“….”
‘How did she go to the bathroom…?’
A profoundly human question.
Even the rest of the group had taken care of that at rest stops along the highway. They'd covered Arti's eyes and gone one by one.
“….”
But.
Beatrice had spent three whole days crammed into the luggage compartment in a black bunny-girl outfit. She'd kept even her presence from leaking out, tensing her lower abdomen as hard as she could….
‘…No, was she just sucking in her stomach to make her waist look thinner?’
Anyway.
‘Did she not even need to go while holding her stomach in?’
Honestly, it was kind of disgusting, but
she was genuinely curious.
Just as she was about to ask,
a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
“!”
Huh.
No way…?!
“?!”
Lydia took an involuntary step back.
‘Did she just pee herself?!’
A decision to abandon her dignity as a woman.
Her resolve was astonishing.
Even Lee Dae-yoon had never wet himself in his previous life.
Lydia clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘Damn it, this carriage is something I'll need to ride again later.’
To check for damage,
Lydia cautiously sniffed the air. Beatrice, who had been seductively trembling her legs in the luggage compartment, looked aggrieved.
“Y-you, you, you…! Why are you sniffing? Princess! Did you really think Saintroix’s ‘Black Rose’ would wet herself just anywhere?!”
“…I didn't suspect that.”
“Then why were you sniffing?”
“I was wondering whether you were uncomfortable, Lady Beatrice.”
“Tch, you look cute, but you sure know what to say. Anyway, get me out of here. My legs are numb and won't move.”
“All right.”
Lydia carefully lifted Beatrice into her arms in a princess carry. She felt the warmth and softness of Beatrice's exposed skin through the bunny-girl outfit.
“….”
Lydia sniffed at the delicate woman.
‘As expected, the poor ventilation means she reeks of sweat, but there’s no other smell. Still, just in case….’
Then she and Mirian peered into the luggage compartment.
“….”
“….”
Soon, they both sighed in relief.
They found none of the evidence(?) they’d been worried about.
The luggage compartment was only a little disheveled; otherwise, it was fine.
“Phew, what a relief.”
“Hmm. We'll need this carriage for a long time.”
Still in Lydia's arms, Beatrice puffed out her cheeks. A beautiful woman in her thirties acting cute was unbelievably adorable.
“The Black Rose, whom countless people pay a fortune to try to win over… getting treated like this…. Do I look like a five-year-old brat who'd wet herself anywhere?”
“Does that mean you wet yourself when you were five?”
“….”
At Lydia's deadpan response,
Beatrice's expression crumpled. But she quickly regained her composure and wrapped an arm seductively around Lydia's neck. She blew a sweet breath into her ear.
“Hehe. Once you become a ‘woman,’ you can't help wetting the bed. Want to see for yourself sometime? Or should I teach the princess a thing or two…?”
“….”
“….”
But the two of them looked unimpressed.
“Judging by how Beatrice is changing the subject, she did have an accident when she was five.”
“…Eek.”
“I had already figured that out myself, but perhaps we should respect Beatrice's dignity. …Anyway, judging by the way your muscles are moving, you should be able to get down now. Can you manage?”
“…Put me down.”
“Mm.”
Lydia set Beatrice down. The bunny girl grumbled with an unhappy expression, though her voice sounded pleased and the corners of her mouth turned up.
“Honestly, I can't even get a ‘joke’ past you two. Most people either wrinkle their faces in disgust like some old fogey or turn bright red.”
“Sir Zach has a sensitive side, after all.”
Beatrice cackled.
“True, the old man has a surprisingly sensitive side for someone who looks like that. I can see why you take such good care of him, sis.”
“Oh my, have you fallen for Sir Zach all over again?”
“Ooh-hoo-hoo? Who knows…. Maybe I'll secretly help the old man turn young again one of these days? Don't underestimate the Black Rose's skills, you know?”
“Hehe, please don't put too much strain on Sir Zach's heart.”
“….”
Lydia, too.
Mirian, too.
Neither of them was swayed by Beatrice's ‘jokes.’ Somehow, Saintroix's ‘Black Rose’ turned into an immature older sister around them.
“…You two are really strange.”
That's why she liked it here.
“Hehe.”
Mirian cut off the warm atmosphere.
“Don't think you can just laugh your way out of this. Why did you come along, anyway? Weren't you planning to stay at the academy?”
“….”
Beatrice bashfully brought her fingertips together. Her eyes gazed at Lydia longingly.
“I wanted to play dress-up with the princess in pretty clothes…. So I just left on my own. Hehe.”
“….”
Mirian walked toward her.
Her expression was hidden in the shadow of the carriage.
“No.”
“N-no, that's not it! I just have some pretty clothes I collected!”
“No.”
“Whoa?! Sis, you're close! I said you're too close! Don't keep coming closer while you talk—!”
“No.”
Lydia watched them and shook her head.
“….”
‘Well, she didn't really abandon her duties. She must've made all the necessary arrangements. Beatrice may joke around, but she's serious about her work.’
Unintentionally,
the luxury inn <The Black Rose and Thorn> welcomed its owner.
Beatrice declared confidently,
“Welcome to Saintroix. The Black Rose blooming in the alley where night never comes welcomes you. I'll help you get whatever you desire, Princess.”
…while dressed as a bunny girl.
Lydia was impressed.
‘To have the guts to pull off a bunny-girl outfit at thirty-four. Is that the virtue a middle-aged woman in an eroge world should possess?’
As a woman,
and as a man, it was a boldness worthy of respect.
*
The first-floor restaurant of <The Black Rose and Thorn>.
Arti methodically cut into the mountain of steak and ate. Beside him, Aria was slurping down onion soup at about the same pace.
“Aria! You have to try this steak. It's so tender and cooked perfectly.”
“Munch…! This is delicious too! Here, try some of the soup.”
Arti swallowed as he held the plate.
“Oooh! It has a strangely sweet, rich flavor!”
The two continued their meal, occasionally feeding each other. They were somehow both worldly and innocent.
Lydia chuckled.
‘Maybe they're still at the age when eating and drinking are the best things in life….’
Morgan and Mave were also having dinner beside them. Though not quite as enthusiastic as Arti and Aria, they seemed impressed by the luxurious meal.
“As expected of the center of Gallia's logistics. The capital's cuisine is splendid too, but it's not as abundant and varied as this. Is it the influence of all the vegetables and spices grown in the south…?”
“….”
What even was gourmet cuisine…?
‘Isn't food just food as long as there's a lot of it?’
Even the food at the academy
was tastier than anything she'd eaten her whole life.
“….”
Morgan honestly couldn't tell how good it tasted. So she picked at her meal. Then she quietly looked at Lydia.
‘Does Lydia like this kind of gourmet food, too? Usually, she seems to eat anything just fine….’
If she didn't even know something like this,
would Lydia think she was a foolish commoner?
“….”
So she subtly watched for her reaction.
Lydia reacted a little to what Mave had said.
“To be honest, I can't really tell what's tastier either. I haven't had many chances to try such extravagant meals.”
“Y-you haven't…?”
A royal?
Everyone shared the same question.
Lydia spoke calmly.
“I've hardly ever been inside the inner palace, and I couldn't wander around the capital openly. Mirian always prepared my meals, so I have no knowledge of gourmet cuisine.”
“….”
“Hmm?”
Lydia sensed the mood about to turn solemn again. She casually raised her glass of water and continued.
“…I meant that I'm happy to be here with all of you. This is our first night in Gallia's most splendid city, so let's enjoy our meal.”
“Lydia…!”
“Yes!”
“Lady Lydia.”
Morgan quietly felt relieved.
“….”
Again,
I found something we had in common.
The meal ended amid laughter.
The group finished dinner and went outside to walk around.
“!”
Streets brighter than the academy's shopping district.
Saintroix's streets blazed with splendor at night. The fragrance of wine, women's laughter, and the glitter of gold coins shone brightly enough to drive away the dark.
-Come on in! We've got plenty of fragrant wine!
-Hey, handsome! Come over here!
-The rarest treasures are all here—!
Arti and Aria's eyes widened.
“Wow…! It's so bright even at night?”
“This is a sight I'd never imagine seeing in the Theocracy.”
“I grew up in the countryside of southern Gallia and didn't know about this, either. I thought the area around Arhen Academy was the most dazzling place in the world….”
Hearing the two of them talk,
Mave crossed her arms and laughed heartily.
“Hahaha! You really are country bumpkins. Are you underestimating the power of Gallia, the dominant power on the southern continent? You'll faint when you see the capital.”
“….”
Instead of getting angry, Arti pointed out,
“Mave, I've been thinking lately. It's kind of funny how you keep bringing up the capital when you only served as a probationary knight for a few years. More importantly, Lydia isn't even saying anything.”
“W-what?!”
Flustered, Mave looked at Lydia.
Lydia smiled gently and said,
“It's all right. Doesn't that prove you think of it as your home? This princess isn't a representative of the capital, so you needn't hold back your pride for my sake.”
“!”
Mave turned back to Arti, looking confident again.
“Hahaha! What do you say to that!”
“Jeez….”
While the group chatted noisily,
Lydia quietly watched the night streets.
She saw no place that matched the descriptions in the ‘eroge’s narration.’ The narration had clearly said its exterior would be disguised to look innocuous.
“….”
‘Is it still too early? I suppose I'll need to keep an eye on things while we rest here for a few days.’
A place where desire gathered.
The clue to the secret auction house.
*
A few days later.
Arti was walking through the streets of Saintroix in the middle of the day.
“….”
He looked strangely tired.
‘It's fun eating and drinking with my friends every day, but….’
He was starting to get tired.
“Sigh….”
Shouting excitedly in the streets while holding hands with Aria had only been fun for a day or two. By the third day, they were spending their time zoning out on the inn's first floor or chatting somewhere quiet.
When you reach the limit of pleasure,
you really do start to feel numb.
‘Even the magical night scenery had started to lose its charm.’
In the end, Aria said she was going to take a nap,
and Arti went for a walk to relieve his boredom.
He'd been walking for some time when
“?”
Arti stopped in his tracks.
A pink light shone from an alley. Glowing lines were intertwined in a peculiar pattern, like the emblem of the Sun God.
‘Is that some kind of magical symbol?’
“…?”
He tilted his head and slowly entered the dim alley. He was purely curious about the out-of-place light.
‘What kind of place is this?’
And what he encountered was….
“Hm? A customer?”
“Come over here! We'll treat you right—!
“Oh my, so bold in the middle of the day~!”
“You're handsome~”
The women linked arms with him and approached.
Arti's face went pale.
“Ah….”
Aria's going to be mad at me.
‘I-I have to shake them off and get out of here…!’
At that moment,
a familiar girl's voice came from behind him.
“Arti….”
“Lydia?!”
Arti's face went even paler.
“I-it's a misunderstanding—!”