Author: wayney

《Epilogue 2 A Day in the Life of the Faure Kingdom》

I am Randolph von Faure, King of the Kingdom of Faure.
I have two loving wives.
I have one son who has grown up to be excellent.
I have 2 girls that are the apples of my eye ―― I have two cute, beautiful girls.

One day, someone came into my office with great force, kicking through without knocking on the door.
I instantly brace myself, as there should be no such rude people in the castle.
And immediately I shouted, “「Who’s there?!!」and looked at the rude visitor – it was the castle maid I had seen before.
This maid was supposed to be Maria’s attendant, wasn’t she?
She was not the one to do such a rude thing ―― she never would have been.
The maid had come into my office so brazenly that I assumed she had some serious business to attend to.
I’ll decide whether to punish this person or not after I hear what she has to say, so I urge her to go about her business.

「Bi, bi big, big problemmmmmm…..」
「What’s going on!! My eardrums are going to burst!!」

The maid’s voice was so loud that I felt the air tremble.

「Mamamamamamamamaria-sama is aaaaaahhh……」
「What’s wrong with my cute little Maria?!」

Apparently, something terrible has happened to my sweet Maria ……

「She disappeared after taking a bath. …… We searched the entire castle with the help of the guards, but …… we couldn’t find her anywhere!」
「Is that true?!」
「I will not lie to you about this. Also, I found this in Mary’s private room.」

The maid, who seemed to have already come to herself by straightening her posture, presented me with a sealed envelope.
When I received it, I opened the seal and took out a letter from inside it.
The fact that it was in that girl’s room suggests that this is a letter from Maria……
Then I look through the letter, which is full of beautifully written words.

◆　◆　◆

To whom it may concern,
My mother and father, who loved me and took good care of me.
And my older brothers and sisters who took such good care of me.
Please forgive me for the misfortune that precedes me.

I’m just kidding.
Surprised? You’re not surprised? Well, I don’t care either way.
So much for joking around, here’s the deal.
It’s something I’ve said many times in the past, but I’m sick of it.
The Faure Kingdom is so elven supremacist, why can’t they get along with people of other races?
Why is it that people are so exclusive? Even people who aren’t that important seem to have a lot of power.
I thought the term “snarky” was for the elves, you know?
I know that there are people among the human race who are enslave the elves.
But there are people who don’t, aren’t there? It depends on the country, doesn’t it?
I know that there are countries among the human race that are human supremacist.
But hey, I know there are countries that coexist.
There’s only one elven nation, so it might be that we don’t accept non-elves, but there’s only one beastman nation, one dwarf nation, and one demon nation, you know?
Still, I’ve heard that their countries are accepting of other races, albeit with some differences.
I think that if this country continues to be dominated by the elven race, it will only decline.
I’ve grown tired of the Faure Kingdom, which has never changed and has no intention of ever changing.
I feel so much gratitude and love for the way you’ve raised me, and it pains me to betray that, you know?
But, but, but!　There’s something I can’t give up!
I want my freedom!
I understand that with freedom comes personal responsibility!
I want the freedom, including that!
I don’t want to just stay in the castle.
And if I don’t, I’m going to have to marry into some noble family of the elves, aren’t I?
I’m sure there are some elves who are flexible in their thinking, but I think that’s almost entirely outside of the Faure Kingdom.
I’m sorry, but I have no intention of marrying an elf in the Faure Kingdom, which seems to embody the supremacy of the elf race.
So, I’m leaving home. Oh, I’ll give up my right to the throne.
Kind regards
From Maria

P.S.
If I were to return to the castle, would it be when I got a handsome husband and return to show off?
Even if I did, I don’t know if I’d return!

　◆　◆　◆

I finished reading the letter and fell to my knees.
　It was as if my eyes had gone completely dark.
The lovely Maria, who used to give me that dazzling smile, ran away from home? She’s gone?
I understood that something unbelievable had happened.
It says not to look for her, but I can’t not looking for her.
But now is not the right time. The Stania Empire is on the move, and we don’t know when they’re going to attack.
Currently, there are too many people that need to be moved to find out what the empire is up to.
But not looking is not an option!
For these reasons, I will unleash three skilled secret agents under my direct control.
I made the maid leave first.
Then, I activate the magic tool to summon my personal secret agent.
With this magic tool, he could be here in less than a minute, unless I ordered him to do something else.
Fortunately, I have no orders from those three people at the moment. I was inwardly glad that I had kept all three of them waiting in the castle.

「Tyra, Ryu, and Cornelia. We have come at your request.」

The three elves came noiselessly into the office and knelt before me, with Tyra representing them.
I would really like to have a larger group of people looking for her, but that’s not going to happen.
I gave him only the important parts of the letter and gave them an imperial order to find Maria.

「If you don’t mind me asking, may I ask you a few questions?」
Mmm, content is everything. I’ll tell you.」
「HA. Now if you’ll excuse me. Let’s say we find Princess Maria, what if she doesn’t want to come back to us at that time? Also, what should we do if Princess Maria is with someone? What should we do? Should we try not to be noticed by that person, or should we explain to him or her and ask him or her to give up his or her companionship?」

Is it my imagination that Tyra is giving off this vibe, as if she is stifling her emotions even more than usual? It bothered me a little, but now was not the time to worry about it.

「We know from reading this letter that Maria has no intention of returning. But I can’t acknowledge that! Even if that girl refuses, with your ability under my direct control, you should be able to render Maria unconscious without injuring her, and bring her back with her in restraints.」

I need to bring back my beloved daughter at all costs.
Outside of this country, I don’t know what will happen to Maria. I don’t want to let any strange insects attach themselves to such a cute girl.

「The next thing is, if Maria has a companion, …… it depends on whether it is a woman or a man, and whether it is an elf or a non-elf. What’s more, I don’t think it’s possible, but what if she has a lover in mind ……?」

Damn it, I don’t even want to imagine that!
But we will have to decide on a policy.

「If it is an elf, then bring the man back as well. I’m going to do a background check on him after I bring him back. But if that other party is not of the Elven race, …… erase …… Do it without Maria noticing …… No… …I think I might rather have her notice it.」

Even though I can’t forgive them even if they are Elves,…… if it’s not an Elf tribe, I may not be able to handle it.

「If you can make Maria believe that you were responsible for these actions,……, you can do it either without her noticing or with her noticing. I’ll leave that to your judgment in the field.」

Tyra, Ryu, and Cornelia are three people I trust. They’ve been serving me for a long time, and they’re great people.

「Even if the person Maria is associating with is not the one she is interested in, if it is a man, he may already be attracted to my daughter because she is so attractive, so treat him the same as if he were the one she is interested in. In the case of regular lady friends, try to be as unobtrusive as possible.」
「Ha. I have received your order.」

The three of them, who seemed to have taken my words seriously, replied with the most serious expressions they could muster.

「All right, then, go on. Take care of Maria for me!」

Thus, I sent three of my direct reports to search for her.
If Maria has someone in her life that she wants to be with, and they are not an elf, they will have to eliminate them…….
How will that affect my daughter?
It is not yet decided that the girl has someone in her heart. …… but ……

Afterwards, I headed to my two wives, who were having a tea party in the lounge, to inform my family of the situation my beloved daughter had caused.
As I moved to the lounge, I was greeted by Saria, my first wife, and Ella, my second wife.
The two people in my sight are as beautiful as ever. Both of them are the most beautiful of the elven race.
Saria had beautiful, long, blonde hair that was always nice to touch.
Ella has beautiful blonde hair as well, but it is medium length.
Even though she is my wife, I’m always fascinated by her.
Oops, now is not a good time for that.
I first ask the maid to arrange for a cup of tea.
Then I took a seat just between Saria and Ella, my beloved wives.
Then I told my wives about Maria and how I was going to deal with it.
Then, in response to my words, Saria opens her mouth with a bitter look on her face.

「You ……, what if Maria has a non-Elven lover, and I’m sure she doesn’t, but what if he’s stronger than Tyra and the others?」

Ella, whose beauty shone as usual, but whose eyes were not smiling, spoke up.

「Really. We should gather information first and examine the situation carefully before making a decision, shouldn’t we, Randolph-sama?」

I hurriedly argue with them.

「No! But Tyra, Liu, and Cornelia! They’re top-ranked S-rank adventurers! The average ability of Liu and Cornelia is over 2000, and Tyra’s is 2500. There are three of them!」

I was so frustrated that I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

「Hang on for a minute, darling. Please calm down. I’m sure it’ not a problem either, but still, I have to say it. But if you’ve already given the order, it’s too late…….」
「Yeah, that’ right. Randolph-sama, please calm down.」

The two of them chided me and I calmed down a little.

「Oh, I’m sorry. I’m flustered,…… but when they say that, it’s true that I usually …… gather information more calmly before giving orders. This time, I couldn’t keep my cool about Maria. It might have been a little easier. But I have faith in the abilities of those three people.」
「Yes, it’s all good then. You are the King of the Elves, so you should be more dignified. Sure, we’re worried about Maria, too……」
「Wouldn’t that girl come back from the outside world knowing what’s really going on?」
「I don’t know. She’ stubborn……」

Even as I exchanged these words with my beloved wives, I remembered what they had just said and felt a tinge of anxiety in my heart.
There are only a few opponents that the three of them can’t beat ―― in our country, the Knight Commander, the Vice Commander, and the Magician Commander.
In any case, Maria will have to put up with it because she was born as an elf and a princess of this Faure Kingdom.
I thought about this as I looked at the faces of my two beloved wives.

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《Epilogue 2 A Day in the Life of the Faure Kingdom》

I am Randolph von Faure, King of the Kingdom of Faure.
I have two loving wives.
I have one son who has grown up to be excellent.
I have 2 girls that are the apples of my eye ―― I have two cute, beautiful girls.

One day, someone came into my office with great force, kicking through without knocking on the door.
I instantly brace myself, as there should be no such rude people in the castle.
And immediately I shouted, “「Who’s there?!!」and looked at the rude visitor – it was the castle maid I had seen before.
This maid was supposed to be Maria’s attendant, wasn’t she?
She was not the one to do such a rude thing ―― she never would have been.
The maid had come into my office so brazenly that I assumed she had some serious business to attend to.
I’ll decide whether to punish this person or not after I hear what she has to say, so I urge her to go about her business.

「Bi, bi big, big problemmmmmm…..」
「What’s going on!! My eardrums are going to burst!!」

The maid’s voice was so loud that I felt the air tremble.

「Mamamamamamamamaria-sama is aaaaaahhh……」
「What’s wrong with my cute little Maria?!」

Apparently, something terrible has happened to my sweet Maria ……

「She disappeared after taking a bath. …… We searched the entire castle with the help of the guards, but …… we couldn’t find her anywhere!」
「Is that true?!」
「I will not lie to you about this. Also, I found this in Mary’s private room.」

The maid, who seemed to have already come to herself by straightening her posture, presented me with a sealed envelope.
When I received it, I opened the seal and took out a letter from inside it.
The fact that it was in that girl’s room suggests that this is a letter from Maria……
Then I look through the letter, which is full of beautifully written words.

◆　◆　◆

To whom it may concern,
My mother and father, who loved me and took good care of me.
And my older brothers and sisters who took such good care of me.
Please forgive me for the misfortune that precedes me.

I’m just kidding.
Surprised? You’re not surprised? Well, I don’t care either way.
So much for joking around, here’s the deal.
It’s something I’ve said many times in the past, but I’m sick of it.
The Faure Kingdom is so elven supremacist, why can’t they get along with people of other races?
Why is it that people are so exclusive? Even people who aren’t that important seem to have a lot of power.
I thought the term “snarky” was for the elves, you know?
I know that there are people among the human race who are enslave the elves.
But there are people who don’t, aren’t there? It depends on the country, doesn’t it?
I know that there are countries among the human race that are human supremacist.
But hey, I know there are countries that coexist.
There’s only one elven nation, so it might be that we don’t accept non-elves, but there’s only one beastman nation, one dwarf nation, and one demon nation, you know?
Still, I’ve heard that their countries are accepting of other races, albeit with some differences.
I think that if this country continues to be dominated by the elven race, it will only decline.
I’ve grown tired of the Faure Kingdom, which has never changed and has no intention of ever changing.
I feel so much gratitude and love for the way you’ve raised me, and it pains me to betray that, you know?
But, but, but!　There’s something I can’t give up!
I want my freedom!
I understand that with freedom comes personal responsibility!
I want the freedom, including that!
I don’t want to just stay in the castle.
And if I don’t, I’m going to have to marry into some noble family of the elves, aren’t I?
I’m sure there are some elves who are flexible in their thinking, but I think that’s almost entirely outside of the Faure Kingdom.
I’m sorry, but I have no intention of marrying an elf in the Faure Kingdom, which seems to embody the supremacy of the elf race.
So, I’m leaving home. Oh, I’ll give up my right to the throne.
Kind regards
From Maria

P.S.
If I were to return to the castle, would it be when I got a handsome husband and return to show off?
Even if I did, I don’t know if I’d return!

　◆　◆　◆

I finished reading the letter and fell to my knees.
　It was as if my eyes had gone completely dark.
The lovely Maria, who used to give me that dazzling smile, ran away from home? She’s gone?
I understood that something unbelievable had happened.
It says not to look for her, but I can’t not looking for her.
But now is not the right time. The Stania Empire is on the move, and we don’t know when they’re going to attack.
Currently, there are too many people that need to be moved to find out what the empire is up to.
But not looking is not an option!
For these reasons, I will unleash three skilled secret agents under my direct control.
I made the maid leave first.
Then, I activate the magic tool to summon my personal secret agent.
With this magic tool, he could be here in less than a minute, unless I ordered him to do something else.
Fortunately, I have no orders from those three people at the moment. I was inwardly glad that I had kept all three of them waiting in the castle.

「Tyra, Ryu, and Cornelia. We have come at your request.」

The three elves came noiselessly into the office and knelt before me, with Tyra representing them.
I would really like to have a larger group of people looking for her, but that’s not going to happen.
I gave him only the important parts of the letter and gave them an imperial order to find Maria.

「If you don’t mind me asking, may I ask you a few questions?」
Mmm, content is everything. I’ll tell you.」
「HA. Now if you’ll excuse me. Let’s say we find Princess Maria, what if she doesn’t want to come back to us at that time? Also, what should we do if Princess Maria is with someone? What should we do? Should we try not to be noticed by that person, or should we explain to him or her and ask him or her to give up his or her companionship?」

Is it my imagination that Tyra is giving off this vibe, as if she is stifling her emotions even more than usual? It bothered me a little, but now was not the time to worry about it.

「We know from reading this letter that Maria has no intention of returning. But I can’t acknowledge that! Even if that girl refuses, with your ability under my direct control, you should be able to render Maria unconscious without injuring her, and bring her back with her in restraints.」

I need to bring back my beloved daughter at all costs.
Outside of this country, I don’t know what will happen to Maria. I don’t want to let any strange insects attach themselves to such a cute girl.

「The next thing is, if Maria has a companion, …… it depends on whether it is a woman or a man, and whether it is an elf or a non-elf. What’s more, I don’t think it’s possible, but what if she has a lover in mind ……?」

Damn it, I don’t even want to imagine that!
But we will have to decide on a policy.

「If it is an elf, then bring the man back as well. I’m going to do a background check on him after I bring him back. But if that other party is not of the Elven race, …… erase …… Do it without Maria noticing …… No… …I think I might rather have her notice it.」

Even though I can’t forgive them even if they are Elves,…… if it’s not an Elf tribe, I may not be able to handle it.

「If you can make Maria believe that you were responsible for these actions,……, you can do it either without her noticing or with her noticing. I’ll leave that to your judgment in the field.」

Tyra, Ryu, and Cornelia are three people I trust. They’ve been serving me for a long time, and they’re great people.

「Even if the person Maria is associating with is not the one she is interested in, if it is a man, he may already be attracted to my daughter because she is so attractive, so treat him the same as if he were the one she is interested in. In the case of regular lady friends, try to be as unobtrusive as possible.」
「Ha. I have received your order.」

The three of them, who seemed to have taken my words seriously, replied with the most serious expressions they could muster.

「All right, then, go on. Take care of Maria for me!」

Thus, I sent three of my direct reports to search for her.
If Maria has someone in her life that she wants to be with, and they are not an elf, they will have to eliminate them…….
How will that affect my daughter?
It is not yet decided that the girl has someone in her heart. …… but ……

Afterwards, I headed to my two wives, who were having a tea party in the lounge, to inform my family of the situation my beloved daughter had caused.
As I moved to the lounge, I was greeted by Saria, my first wife, and Ella, my second wife.
The two people in my sight are as beautiful as ever. Both of them are the most beautiful of the elven race.
Saria had beautiful, long, blonde hair that was always nice to touch.
Ella has beautiful blonde hair as well, but it is medium length.
Even though she is my wife, I’m always fascinated by her.
Oops, now is not a good time for that.
I first ask the maid to arrange for a cup of tea.
Then I took a seat just between Saria and Ella, my beloved wives.
Then I told my wives about Maria and how I was going to deal with it.
Then, in response to my words, Saria opens her mouth with a bitter look on her face.

「You ……, what if Maria has a non-Elven lover, and I’m sure she doesn’t, but what if he’s stronger than Tyra and the others?」

Ella, whose beauty shone as usual, but whose eyes were not smiling, spoke up.

「Really. We should gather information first and examine the situation carefully before making a decision, shouldn’t we, Randolph-sama?」

I hurriedly argue with them.

「No! But Tyra, Liu, and Cornelia! They’re top-ranked S-rank adventurers! The average ability of Liu and Cornelia is over 2000, and Tyra’s is 2500. There are three of them!」

I was so frustrated that I couldn’t help but raise my voice.

「Hang on for a minute, darling. Please calm down. I’m sure it’ not a problem either, but still, I have to say it. But if you’ve already given the order, it’s too late…….」
「Yeah, that’ right. Randolph-sama, please calm down.」

The two of them chided me and I calmed down a little.

「Oh, I’m sorry. I’m flustered,…… but when they say that, it’s true that I usually …… gather information more calmly before giving orders. This time, I couldn’t keep my cool about Maria. It might have been a little easier. But I have faith in the abilities of those three people.」
「Yes, it’s all good then. You are the King of the Elves, so you should be more dignified. Sure, we’re worried about Maria, too……」
「Wouldn’t that girl come back from the outside world knowing what’s really going on?」
「I don’t know. She’ stubborn……」

Even as I exchanged these words with my beloved wives, I remembered what they had just said and felt a tinge of anxiety in my heart.
There are only a few opponents that the three of them can’t beat ―― in our country, the Knight Commander, the Vice Commander, and the Magician Commander.
In any case, Maria will have to put up with it because she was born as an elf and a princess of this Faure Kingdom.
I thought about this as I looked at the faces of my two beloved wives.

Previous | TOC | Next

◆　◆　◆

I―― It has been 2 days since I left Midoria with Airi and Lisa-san, the 4 of us.
It’s roughly a month’s journey to the Stania Empire. We still have a long way to go.
If we don’t hurry, Lara’s spirit won’t last long in the hands of the bandits――
As I was thinking about this, Cross-san called out to me,「Let’s take a short break」.
When I try to get out of the carriage, Asha lends me a hand, which I take advantage of.
I turned my gaze forward and saw Lisa and Cross. It seems that you two were down there first.
I get out of the carriage and stretch to loosen myself up.
I couldn’t help but let out a「Nnnnn」.
Was my body getting a little lighter? I was about to take a breather when I noticed something cold against my neck.
At the same time, Cross-san said something that lured Lisa into despair.

「Alright, Lisa. Here, put this on.」

Then he took out two slave collars.

「Eh? What? Cross, I can’t entertain that kind of joke right now. I’m still reeling from the shock of all this…….」
「Haha, this is not a joke――」

Cross-san is in a completely different mood than before. He has the most vile smile I’ve ever seen on his face.
I ―― I can’t keep up with the changes.

「Yes, Lisa, look behind you. If you resist, I’m going to …… stab this knife into Airi’s neck. By the way, this knife is poisoned, and there is no antidote.」

A chill went down my spine as I was told that the cold thing I felt on my neck was a knife with deadly poison.
I couldn’t move a muscle.

「Asha, what are you doing?　What are you doing to Airi?　Stop it!!」

Lisa looked indignant and snapped at Asha.

「Hey, if you move, you’ll get hurt, okay?」

I don’t know if I feel it, but I think the knife is digging into my skin more than before…….

「It’s a total lie that we had any old party members–that they’re being held by bandits. We were acting out a commission from someone to enslave Lisa.」
「Yes, Airi is an added bonus.」

At that moment, Lisa and I looked at each other.
Probably the same thought popped into her head.
Louis-sama……
Ah …… Why couldn’t we believe Louis-sama’s words?
Why didn’t I grab the hand that he offered me?
Louis-sama was right…….
I told him I was disappointed in him and hurt him deeply. I’ve been thinking about his heart every single day…….
We really did something we can’t take back, didn’t we?
Gradually, I came to understand that we had fallen into a desperate situation.
I was about to fall down from the shock, but then I remembered that I had a poisonous knife on my neck, so I managed to hold my ground.
I realized that Lisa and I ―― we were already in an untenable situation.
I can’t even say a word.
However, there is no way that Cross-san and Asha-san would consider our circumstances…….

「Even if you abandoned Airi and came at me, there’s no way Lisa could beat the two of us by herself. Don’t put up a futile resistance. We’re doing this to save time and avoid a messy battle, right? One on one, maybe you can win. But then, …… Airi would surely die. You want to give it a shot? ――I don’t know. It’s not gonna be one-on-one from here, is it? Did you expect that? Well, you can’t leave Airi behind, so I wouldn’t get my hopes up.」

Cross-san said to Lisa in a mocking tone.
Even as an A-rank adventurer, she probably doesn’t have a way out of the current situation where I’m being held hostage. Even after all that was said, I didn’t even take up a fighting stance, I just stayed put.
I dragged my feet as I felt very sorry for myself.

「Ahahahahahahawa. By the way, I had a scare when I ran into that Louis guy at the guild. It’s like he clearly saw through our wickedness towards you guys. Well, even so, I guess he didn’t know all the details. That’s why I hatched a plan on the spur of the moment to leave early to avoid a calamitous discussion. I’m awesome, right?」

We didn’t really have to leave right then, did we?
――or rather, the request itself was a lie, there was no Lara, there was no …… bandit, and there was no……
How could I be so stupid?

「I was in such a hurry at that time. We’ll be in trouble if we have to deal with that guy. My plan to enslave Lisa was about to be ruined.」

Asha also has a look on her face that I’ve never seen before.
She was always smiling and kind, but her true nature is this ―― isn’t it?

「That’s right. The look on his face when they told him they were disappointed in this Louis guy was priceless. The look of sadness and tears when someone he trusted tells him they’re disappointed in him, and he knows you don’t trust him, and you guys trust us so much.」

Her words, coming from her distorted mouth, gouged into my heart painfully. I’ve done this to myself…….

「Well, why don’t we just forget about this Louis guy? As long as we don’t mess with the beastman girl he knows. And he said at the end that he didn’t care about these two anymoreー.」
「But I’d like to get back at him in some way, he hurt my pride. Even if I can’t do it head-on, I think I can still hurt him if I use trickery.」
「If you’re going to make me a slave, make sure it’s just me!! Leave Airi out of it!! And leave Louis alone!」

Lisa is appealing to Cross-san with a sad face…….
I――I don’t have spirit anymore…….

「I’m laughing at how naive you are, telling me to leave the guy who cut you off. Well, assuming that I fufill that request, will you quietly put on the slavery collar?」

Lisa nodded in response to the question.
And as such, she puts on the slavery collar.

「Okay, I’m done. And then there is …… Okay, I see Airi has gotten her slavery collar.」

These words were uttered by Cross-san, who was right in front of me.
The distance between us had been so great a moment ago, but now he approached me at a speed I couldn’t see.

「No! Cross! This is not what we agreed to!」
「If we were the kind of people who keep our promises, we wouldn’t have taken this job!　From our point of view, promises are there to be broken! So, yes, the slavery collar set is complete. I like the look of despair on both of your faces. I like to see that kind of despair on your face, it’s so appealing. Someday I want that Louis guy to have this look of despair on his face.」
「Alright. I registered myself as a provisional master. Now you can’t turn on me. And don’t hurt Asha, either.」

In this way, and so easily, the slavery collar was placed around my neck as well.
Lisa protested vehemently to them, but now that she was wearing the slavery collar, there was nothing she could do about it.
For hurting Louis-sama.
Cross-san and the others had planned this from the beginning.
That I was betrayed by these two.
My thoughts are already messed up with various thoughts.

「Lisa will be given to the perverted nobleman who commissioned us, but …… Airi wasn’t planned, so we’ll sell her off to some slaver. If you’re lucky, maybe a decent customer will buy her. It’s quite unlikely, though, haha. Airi is probably a virgin. I’m looking forward to it because then I can sell her at a higher price. Well, let’s get to the Empire first and then we can talk to Toran-sama.」

Thus, Lisa and I fell into despair――.
Why did I want to be an adventurer?
Yes, that is ……
When I meet Louis-sama again, I’ll be proud to say that I’m independent…….
I was trying to get the strength to live with Louis-sama, who would be getting stronger……
Trust that, once lost, can never be regained…….
We need to establish new credibility……
For that, we need time……
We’re already slaves, we don’t have time for ourselves anymore……
At times like this, if it were a fairy tale, a handsome young man would come to the rescue.
But ―― for us, we know it’s impossible.
Because, of all people, the one person who could come to our rescue――
We hurt him, and then we rejected his hand and let it go…….
None other than ourselves……
If we had taken his hand at that time, would we have been able to walk next to Louis-sama now?
I have a vision of such an impossible past and future.
The past is the past because you can’t change it.
And, as Louis-sama advised me at that time, the future life of Lisa and I will be covered in darkness called despair.
　At least we know one thing.
Yes, we made the wrong choice.

「I’m sorry, Louis-sama. …… I found out that I love you, Louis-sama――.」

I whispered in a tearful voice words of apology and thoughts that would never reach him.
It melted into the void without ever reaching that person――.
I just wanted to see him smile one last time…….

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◆　◆　◆

I―― It has been 2 days since I left Midoria with Airi and Lisa-san, the 4 of us.
It’s roughly a month’s journey to the Stania Empire. We still have a long way to go.
If we don’t hurry, Lara’s spirit won’t last long in the hands of the bandits――
As I was thinking about this, Cross-san called out to me,「Let’s take a short break」.
When I try to get out of the carriage, Asha lends me a hand, which I take advantage of.
I turned my gaze forward and saw Lisa and Cross. It seems that you two were down there first.
I get out of the carriage and stretch to loosen myself up.
I couldn’t help but let out a「Nnnnn」.
Was my body getting a little lighter? I was about to take a breather when I noticed something cold against my neck.
At the same time, Cross-san said something that lured Lisa into despair.

「Alright, Lisa. Here, put this on.」

Then he took out two slave collars.

「Eh? What? Cross, I can’t entertain that kind of joke right now. I’m still reeling from the shock of all this…….」
「Haha, this is not a joke――」

Cross-san is in a completely different mood than before. He has the most vile smile I’ve ever seen on his face.
I ―― I can’t keep up with the changes.

「Yes, Lisa, look behind you. If you resist, I’m going to …… stab this knife into Airi’s neck. By the way, this knife is poisoned, and there is no antidote.」

A chill went down my spine as I was told that the cold thing I felt on my neck was a knife with deadly poison.
I couldn’t move a muscle.

「Asha, what are you doing?　What are you doing to Airi?　Stop it!!」

Lisa looked indignant and snapped at Asha.

「Hey, if you move, you’ll get hurt, okay?」

I don’t know if I feel it, but I think the knife is digging into my skin more than before…….

「It’s a total lie that we had any old party members–that they’re being held by bandits. We were acting out a commission from someone to enslave Lisa.」
「Yes, Airi is an added bonus.」

At that moment, Lisa and I looked at each other.
Probably the same thought popped into her head.
Louis-sama……
Ah …… Why couldn’t we believe Louis-sama’s words?
Why didn’t I grab the hand that he offered me?
Louis-sama was right…….
I told him I was disappointed in him and hurt him deeply. I’ve been thinking about his heart every single day…….
We really did something we can’t take back, didn’t we?
Gradually, I came to understand that we had fallen into a desperate situation.
I was about to fall down from the shock, but then I remembered that I had a poisonous knife on my neck, so I managed to hold my ground.
I realized that Lisa and I ―― we were already in an untenable situation.
I can’t even say a word.
However, there is no way that Cross-san and Asha-san would consider our circumstances…….

「Even if you abandoned Airi and came at me, there’s no way Lisa could beat the two of us by herself. Don’t put up a futile resistance. We’re doing this to save time and avoid a messy battle, right? One on one, maybe you can win. But then, …… Airi would surely die. You want to give it a shot? ――I don’t know. It’s not gonna be one-on-one from here, is it? Did you expect that? Well, you can’t leave Airi behind, so I wouldn’t get my hopes up.」

Cross-san said to Lisa in a mocking tone.
Even as an A-rank adventurer, she probably doesn’t have a way out of the current situation where I’m being held hostage. Even after all that was said, I didn’t even take up a fighting stance, I just stayed put.
I dragged my feet as I felt very sorry for myself.

「Ahahahahahahawa. By the way, I had a scare when I ran into that Louis guy at the guild. It’s like he clearly saw through our wickedness towards you guys. Well, even so, I guess he didn’t know all the details. That’s why I hatched a plan on the spur of the moment to leave early to avoid a calamitous discussion. I’m awesome, right?」

We didn’t really have to leave right then, did we?
――or rather, the request itself was a lie, there was no Lara, there was no …… bandit, and there was no……
How could I be so stupid?

「I was in such a hurry at that time. We’ll be in trouble if we have to deal with that guy. My plan to enslave Lisa was about to be ruined.」

Asha also has a look on her face that I’ve never seen before.
She was always smiling and kind, but her true nature is this ―― isn’t it?

「That’s right. The look on his face when they told him they were disappointed in this Louis guy was priceless. The look of sadness and tears when someone he trusted tells him they’re disappointed in him, and he knows you don’t trust him, and you guys trust us so much.」

Her words, coming from her distorted mouth, gouged into my heart painfully. I’ve done this to myself…….

「Well, why don’t we just forget about this Louis guy? As long as we don’t mess with the beastman girl he knows. And he said at the end that he didn’t care about these two anymoreー.」
「But I’d like to get back at him in some way, he hurt my pride. Even if I can’t do it head-on, I think I can still hurt him if I use trickery.」
「If you’re going to make me a slave, make sure it’s just me!! Leave Airi out of it!! And leave Louis alone!」

Lisa is appealing to Cross-san with a sad face…….
I――I don’t have spirit anymore…….

「I’m laughing at how naive you are, telling me to leave the guy who cut you off. Well, assuming that I fufill that request, will you quietly put on the slavery collar?」

Lisa nodded in response to the question.
And as such, she puts on the slavery collar.

「Okay, I’m done. And then there is …… Okay, I see Airi has gotten her slavery collar.」

These words were uttered by Cross-san, who was right in front of me.
The distance between us had been so great a moment ago, but now he approached me at a speed I couldn’t see.

「No! Cross! This is not what we agreed to!」
「If we were the kind of people who keep our promises, we wouldn’t have taken this job!　From our point of view, promises are there to be broken! So, yes, the slavery collar set is complete. I like the look of despair on both of your faces. I like to see that kind of despair on your face, it’s so appealing. Someday I want that Louis guy to have this look of despair on his face.」
「Alright. I registered myself as a provisional master. Now you can’t turn on me. And don’t hurt Asha, either.」

In this way, and so easily, the slavery collar was placed around my neck as well.
Lisa protested vehemently to them, but now that she was wearing the slavery collar, there was nothing she could do about it.
For hurting Louis-sama.
Cross-san and the others had planned this from the beginning.
That I was betrayed by these two.
My thoughts are already messed up with various thoughts.

「Lisa will be given to the perverted nobleman who commissioned us, but …… Airi wasn’t planned, so we’ll sell her off to some slaver. If you’re lucky, maybe a decent customer will buy her. It’s quite unlikely, though, haha. Airi is probably a virgin. I’m looking forward to it because then I can sell her at a higher price. Well, let’s get to the Empire first and then we can talk to Toran-sama.」

Thus, Lisa and I fell into despair――.
Why did I want to be an adventurer?
Yes, that is ……
When I meet Louis-sama again, I’ll be proud to say that I’m independent…….
I was trying to get the strength to live with Louis-sama, who would be getting stronger……
Trust that, once lost, can never be regained…….
We need to establish new credibility……
For that, we need time……
We’re already slaves, we don’t have time for ourselves anymore……
At times like this, if it were a fairy tale, a handsome young man would come to the rescue.
But ―― for us, we know it’s impossible.
Because, of all people, the one person who could come to our rescue――
We hurt him, and then we rejected his hand and let it go…….
None other than ourselves……
If we had taken his hand at that time, would we have been able to walk next to Louis-sama now?
I have a vision of such an impossible past and future.
The past is the past because you can’t change it.
And, as Louis-sama advised me at that time, the future life of Lisa and I will be covered in darkness called despair.
　At least we know one thing.
Yes, we made the wrong choice.

「I’m sorry, Louis-sama. …… I found out that I love you, Louis-sama――.」

I whispered in a tearful voice words of apology and thoughts that would never reach him.
It melted into the void without ever reaching that person――.
I just wanted to see him smile one last time…….

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《Epilogue True Nature and Despair》

I ―― Airi ―― had an …… argument with Louis-sama, whom I had been waiting to meet for a long, long time…….
As a result, what should have been a pleasant reunion turned into a sad farewell.
I was quite upset after the argument, but I managed to …… get through the promotion exam without any problems.
With this, I was now a B-rank adventurer in the clear and had a shiny silver guild card.
And just like that, we left Midoria in a carriage to help an elf woman who was a former party member of Cross-san and his party.
We have to help her quickly. …… From what I’ve heard, she’s the only woman among a large group of bandits. …… I expect she’s had a rough go of it by now, and her dignity has been trampled to pieces.
Suddenly, I looked at Lisa’s face and saw that she was depressed and seemed to be in a dark mood.
She also has Louis-sama on her mind.
From now on, we no longer need to be tied to Midogal…….
The moment I thought of this, a feeling of emptiness overtook me.
Even in such a state, the monsters won’t wait for you.
We got off the carriage and followed Cross’s instructions to quickly defeat the monsters that attacked us.
I am thankful that it was a weaker monster. I’m aware of my lack of concentration right now.
As I looked around to see if there were any other hidden monsters, Lisa, still in the carriage, came into view.
That person didn’t seem to notice Cross-san’s voice or the monster attack.
I get into the carriage again and sit in the back.
It was already too late to think about it, but …… all I could think about was Louis-sama.
It was the reunion with Louis-sama that I had been looking forward to every day, but was it really worth it?
I said those things because I couldn’t stand to hear people talk like that about Cross-san and the others who have been so good to us…….
We’ve already …… broken up, haven’t we? ……
I couldn’t help but sigh.
Even though there was not much time, Louis-sama’s opinion was one-sided.
But then again, our opinions were one-sided in a way, weren’t they?
Louis doesn’t know much about them, and he doesn’t know much about the 〈Intuition〉 skill …….
To be honest, I don’t know how what level Louis-sama’s 〈Intuition〉 skill is, or how reliable it is if it is high.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Louis-sama, and he’s really looking good.
His face is handsome, with just a hint of his childhood, and his silver hair seems smooth to the touch. He had grown taller and fitter.
What is his relationship with that beastman race girl who was beside Louis-sama?
When I think about that ―― for some reason, I feel a pain deep in my chest.
Could this be jealousy? I don’t know. But such things are useless to think about now, aren’t they?
I can’t have anything to do with Louis-sama anymore…….
That very sad face that he showed for a moment when we told him that 『I’m disappointed in you.』一 it honestly hurt my heart.
And I can’t forget the cold stare he gave me afterwards.
If we had more time …… would there have been a different future if we hadn’t been reunited like that ……?
I kept repeating the unanswered questions to …… myself.

　◆　◆　◆

『Lisa, please take care of Louis-chan and Airi. You have to protect them.』

I ―― Lisa ―― remembered what Sarah, now deceased, had said to me. What did I say back then?
『I know! I know! He’ s Sarah’s precious, precious child! I know!』 And yet, I did …… that.
I’ve been trying to fix my temper for a long time, but I couldn’t, couldn’t fix it…….
Does the fact that it comes out at such a crucial moment mean that my character will never change?
Dan and Sarah’s forgotten keepsake, Louis …….
He was looking so handsome. I knew from an early age that he would be good-looking in the future, but I never expected him to be as good-looking as he was. At first glance, I involuntarily had a momentary crush.
If he has defeated the black dragon in the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament and conquered that dungeon, then he must be …… quite strong. I guess I’m not even close to his feet now, am I?
But Louis, Louis too!　How dare he speak so ill of Cross and Asha when he doesn’t even know them well!
I’m sure I wasn’t wrong about being so angry at that time.
…… perhaps. But with Louis’ 〈Intuition〉 skills becoming so strong, perhaps …… such a thought crossed my mind.
But I shake my head and drive the thought out of my mind.
Because ―― if our relationship has broken apart like that, we will never interact with each other again.
That’s so sad and …… sorrowful that it makes me want to …… cry.
I was so deep in thought that I didn’t even notice that a monster had attacked us on the way. Cross’s instructions also fell on deaf ears with me.
I’m really screwed up……. I’m ……
I was too shocked that Louis gave me such a sad look at the end ―― and that he gave me such a piercing cold stare.
If I had had more time back then …… or if I had been able to see Louis again after this commission was over or before I met Cross and Asha, we might have had a different future……

Previous | TOC | Next

《Epilogue True Nature and Despair》

I ―― Airi ―― had an …… argument with Louis-sama, whom I had been waiting to meet for a long, long time…….
As a result, what should have been a pleasant reunion turned into a sad farewell.
I was quite upset after the argument, but I managed to …… get through the promotion exam without any problems.
With this, I was now a B-rank adventurer in the clear and had a shiny silver guild card.
And just like that, we left Midoria in a carriage to help an elf woman who was a former party member of Cross-san and his party.
We have to help her quickly. …… From what I’ve heard, she’s the only woman among a large group of bandits. …… I expect she’s had a rough go of it by now, and her dignity has been trampled to pieces.
Suddenly, I looked at Lisa’s face and saw that she was depressed and seemed to be in a dark mood.
She also has Louis-sama on her mind.
From now on, we no longer need to be tied to Midogal…….
The moment I thought of this, a feeling of emptiness overtook me.
Even in such a state, the monsters won’t wait for you.
We got off the carriage and followed Cross’s instructions to quickly defeat the monsters that attacked us.
I am thankful that it was a weaker monster. I’m aware of my lack of concentration right now.
As I looked around to see if there were any other hidden monsters, Lisa, still in the carriage, came into view.
That person didn’t seem to notice Cross-san’s voice or the monster attack.
I get into the carriage again and sit in the back.
It was already too late to think about it, but …… all I could think about was Louis-sama.
It was the reunion with Louis-sama that I had been looking forward to every day, but was it really worth it?
I said those things because I couldn’t stand to hear people talk like that about Cross-san and the others who have been so good to us…….
We’ve already …… broken up, haven’t we? ……
I couldn’t help but sigh.
Even though there was not much time, Louis-sama’s opinion was one-sided.
But then again, our opinions were one-sided in a way, weren’t they?
Louis doesn’t know much about them, and he doesn’t know much about the 〈Intuition〉 skill …….
To be honest, I don’t know how what level Louis-sama’s 〈Intuition〉 skill is, or how reliable it is if it is high.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen Louis-sama, and he’s really looking good.
His face is handsome, with just a hint of his childhood, and his silver hair seems smooth to the touch. He had grown taller and fitter.
What is his relationship with that beastman race girl who was beside Louis-sama?
When I think about that ―― for some reason, I feel a pain deep in my chest.
Could this be jealousy? I don’t know. But such things are useless to think about now, aren’t they?
I can’t have anything to do with Louis-sama anymore…….
That very sad face that he showed for a moment when we told him that 『I’m disappointed in you.』一 it honestly hurt my heart.
And I can’t forget the cold stare he gave me afterwards.
If we had more time …… would there have been a different future if we hadn’t been reunited like that ……?
I kept repeating the unanswered questions to …… myself.

　◆　◆　◆

『Lisa, please take care of Louis-chan and Airi. You have to protect them.』

I ―― Lisa ―― remembered what Sarah, now deceased, had said to me. What did I say back then?
『I know! I know! He’ s Sarah’s precious, precious child! I know!』 And yet, I did …… that.
I’ve been trying to fix my temper for a long time, but I couldn’t, couldn’t fix it…….
Does the fact that it comes out at such a crucial moment mean that my character will never change?
Dan and Sarah’s forgotten keepsake, Louis …….
He was looking so handsome. I knew from an early age that he would be good-looking in the future, but I never expected him to be as good-looking as he was. At first glance, I involuntarily had a momentary crush.
If he has defeated the black dragon in the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament and conquered that dungeon, then he must be …… quite strong. I guess I’m not even close to his feet now, am I?
But Louis, Louis too!　How dare he speak so ill of Cross and Asha when he doesn’t even know them well!
I’m sure I wasn’t wrong about being so angry at that time.
…… perhaps. But with Louis’ 〈Intuition〉 skills becoming so strong, perhaps …… such a thought crossed my mind.
But I shake my head and drive the thought out of my mind.
Because ―― if our relationship has broken apart like that, we will never interact with each other again.
That’s so sad and …… sorrowful that it makes me want to …… cry.
I was so deep in thought that I didn’t even notice that a monster had attacked us on the way. Cross’s instructions also fell on deaf ears with me.
I’m really screwed up……. I’m ……
I was too shocked that Louis gave me such a sad look at the end ―― and that he gave me such a piercing cold stare.
If I had had more time back then …… or if I had been able to see Louis again after this commission was over or before I met Cross and Asha, we might have had a different future……

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《30　Rank Up》

We returned from the Labyrinth of Spirit Hollow and went to the Adventurer’s Guild the next day.
When I entered the Adventurer’s Guild, the number of visible adventurers was small, as the time was mid-afternoon.
Taking advantage of this, we headed for the reception counter, where no one was lined up yet.

「Welcome and thank you for visiting the Midoria Adventurer’s Guild today. What can I do for you today?」
「I’m here to report a successful request. I’ve been asked to retrieve the carapace of the Aspidochelon. Where do I put the carapaces?　There are 88 of them.」

When the receptionist heard my words, she looked shocked for a moment.
However, she quickly tightened her expression and acted as if nothing had happened, as if she had realized that she had forgotten her job, even if only for a little while.

「It was not a very popular request, but thank you for all the carapaces. I’m sure the client will be very pleased with the results. For materials, please deliver them to the purchasing office. You can go through the door at the back on the left. After receiving the material certificate, please come back to the reception counter.」

After telling the receptionist that I understood, I moved to the purchasing office.
There was a middle-aged man there. Following the man’s instructions, I took out more and more carapaces from the【Item Box】and piled them up.
It was interesting to see the middle-aged man’s expression gradually twitch.
Keeping them in sight, I piled up all 88 carapaces, being careful not to let them collapse.
The middle-aged man is dexterous, his face twitching as he begins his assessment.
After 20 minutes of waiting, all the assessments seemed to have been completed.
The middle-aged man said,「Everything is fine with these carapaces」, and handed us a certificate of materials.
I took it, and incidentally asked about the carapace of the boss, Big Aspidokeron, who was on the fortieth floor.
Surprisingly, the shell of the Big Aspidoceron was worth fifty times as much as the shell of an ordinary Aspidoceron.
I can’t think of any use for it at the moment, so I’m going to ask them to buy it.
Each shell of the Big Aspidochelon was worth two platinum coins and five gold coins.
Because it is so valuable, some parties are said to target only the Big Aspidochelon.
However, if one is really a skilled adventurer of B rank or higher, there are other jobs where one can earn more money. So it seems that we are mainly talking about C-rank parties. Then there are those who have just registered as adventurers and are still at a low rank
I got the material certificate and went back to the reception counter.
The same counter as before was open, so I went there again and submitted the material certificate.

「We will assume that you have delivered 88 carapaces without error. Please submit the guild cards for everyone.」

We turned in our guild cards and waited there for the process to finish. It would take about three minutes.

「The request that I have completed is for the recovery of Aspidochelon’s shell, rank C, with a reward of five silver coins. The total is 440 silver coins, so to make it easier for the three of us to divide it, we’ll divide it into 43 gold coins and 10 silver coins. Please accept this.」

I’ll take the reward that was offered to me on behalf of the party. We’ll have to split it later.

「The calculation of rank points will be different for Louis-sama and Eleanor-sama since they are now ranked C due to the calculation of rank points. So, I will start by explaining to you, Louis-sama and Eleanor-sama.」

We had no objections, so we just listened to the receptionist’s explanation.

「Louis-sama and Eleanor-sama are currently ranked D, with 12 rank points. Since this request is a C rank, the remaining 68 points up to the C rank will be treated as two points according to the regulations. As a result, 34 of the 88 achievements will receive two points, and the remainder will receive 54 points as a C grade.」

Hmm, I did the math myself and it’s right, so no problem.

「Louis-sama and Eleanor-sama are now ranked C and have 54 rank points. There are only 46 points left until the next rank, B. Also, in order to move up to the next rank of B, you will need to take an exam after you have accumulated enough points.

B-rank exams, huh? Probably a piece of cake. Well, we still have to be on our guard.

「Since Maria was ranked G and did not have any rank points, all of her points were counted as two points, giving her a rank of D and 56 rank points. There are only 24 points left until the next rank of C. Then I’ll give you back your guild cards.」

Eleanor and I then received our guild cards, which were C-ranked red. Maria’s guild card had changed to a D rank blue colour.
Maria has thanked me many times about being able to move up in rank all at once.
It’s true that Maria’s rank has really increased dramatically.
If we had this kind of luck in the city of Sumeria, …… Eleanor and I could have quickly risen through the ranks.
And there’s no point in coveting what we don’t have. It’s not every day you get a request this good.
This time we went to the dungeon and camped twice. So Eleanor and Maria still seem to be mentally exhausted.
I’ve got quite a bit of money in my pocket……. I think the three of us should go out on a date or something instead of taking requests today.

　◇　◇　◇

The three of us walked around the city, looking at street vendors and clothing stores.
At the clothing store, I spent a lot of time with the two of them, which was more tiring than the dungeon, but ……
On the way, there was an upscale accessory store, so I asked them both what kind of designs they liked.
As I listened to them, I burned the designs of the accessories on the table into my mind.
I’m going to learn how to design here, and I’m going to give them both some accessories that I made.
In fact, before I came to this city, I had ordered a sapphire for Eleanor from the〈Otherworldly Goods Trade〉.
In my mind, the beastman race has an image of open-mindedness, and I thought blue would be a good match, so I chose sapphire.
For Maria, I had ordered an emerald last night, which symbolizes the green of the elves, the people of the forest.
When I told them that I was going to make some accessories to give as gifts, they got motivated to choose a design and said,「We want this kind of design! 」「I like this design!」「Isn’t that one better?」
After deciding on a design to use as a reference, I was urged to 「hurry up and show what you have made」, so I decided to return to the inn before the evening was over.
When I arrived at the inn, I took out materials and tools from the 【Item Box】 in my room, and put up a magical ward to prevent any harm.
This tool was made by processing the Orichalcum that I obtained in the Labyrinth of Time’s Lament.
Now that it is ready, I will process it. Thanks to the 〈Craft Master〉, it was a breeze.
Eleanor and Maria were staring at the spectacle.
After about an hour of work, I finished a sapphire necklace for Eleanor and an emerald ring for Maria. When I gave it to them both, they were very happy.
Maria said something completely misguided,「This is a wedding ring, isn’t it?」 and gazed at it, enraptured, on the ring finger of her left hand. Even in this world, the wedding ring seems to be worn on the ring finger of the left hand.
After that, Maria went into a super pampered mode.
There is a cuteness in the beauty that is just stunning, but when she says,「I love you, I love you」, and leans in close to me, I can’t help but be titillated as a healthy man……
However, now I have a lover, Eleanor.
At one point, I asked Eleanor what she thought of Maria’s approach, and she told me that in the beastman race, it was normal for a strong man to surround himself with multiple women.
This time, I asked Maria if she wanted to be my lover.
Then, Maria, who is royalty, seems to think basically the same way as Eleanor, perhaps related to the fact that her own father also has two wives.
After further discussion, I found out that most ordinary people on Earth are monogamous, but polygamy is also common among those with a certain level of power or wealth.
She also said that in this world, there are few women who have power and wealth on their own. Therefore, although polyandry was not unheard of, it was rarely seen.
The leadership of a noble family is usually inherited by the man, and although the wife may have a certain amount of power, it is still the husband who has the power.
A female high rank adventurer will rarely show interest in adventurers who are weaker or lower rank than her, or even in men who are not adventurers.
That’s why I’m determined.
Maria’s line,「Will you mark my body as Louis’ too?」 After hearing Maria’s line, there was no way I could control myself…….
That evening, Maria and I had a lot of fun.
However, Eleanor intervened, and the three of us ended up having a lot of fun on the bed together.
That’s what happened to me, but I don’t regret it……. probably ……

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