Roderick Valternine

Outside, a carriage was already waiting.

Marquis Roderick smiled faintly as he saw Serion appear with the Old woman.

The Old woman bowed deeply.

“You’ve been waiting long, Marquess. I didn’t expect you to come in person.”

“I paid a hefty sum, wouldn’t it be natural to come myself?”

Roderick offered his hand with an indifferent reply.

The Old woman handed over a key from her pocket.

“I think you can take off the blindfold now?”

Serion squinted, having been deprived of light for a while.

As his vision returned, two figures came into view.

The Old woman and a man in uniform with a sturdy build.

On his shoulder was a clearly visible insignia bearing the Valternain family crest.

Serion glared at Roderick with contempt.

‘So there’s no need to hide it, huh.’

At that moment, Cedric scanned the surroundings.

Then, he said in a low voice.

“The disposal?”

The Old woman tilted her head.

“Disposal? What do you mean…?”

In that instant, something rolled to her feet.

It was Brak’s head, eyes wide open.

“…Aaaagh! Brak!”

Screaming in horror, the Old woman turned her head.

Soldiers in armor were climbing up the stairs one by one.

Blood dripped from their swords.

“What is the meaning of this!”

At the Old woman’s shout, Roderick merely picked at his ear indifferently.

“What do you mean…? I’m cleaning up the trash.”

As he finished speaking, he drew his sword with a blank face and slit her throat.

The Old woman’s body collapsed limply.

Splattered droplets of blood touched Serion’s bare feet.

Serion stared at the Old woman’s rolling head.

He seemed to feel a strange sense of peace.

Roderick turned his head and gazed at the soldiers who had appeared behind him.

One of the soldiers knelt on one knee before him.

“Upon confirmation, the entire village was indeed a stronghold for the black market. A complete search of the underground facilities has been completed, and all personnel related to the black market have been eliminated. Those who were imprisoned are being evacuated to a nearby fortress.”

Roderick nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Good. And bring me a blanket.”

He took the blanket from the soldier and draped it over Serion’s shoulders, asking.

“You, what region are you from?”

Serion momentarily thought of Artiel Castle, but it was now a place he could never return to.

To Serion, who silently shook his head, Roderick gestured.

“Get in the carriage. I’ll send you to a safe place where you can stay for a while.”

“This is… a safe place?”

Serion stared at the magnificent castle walls before him, dumbfounded.

Roderick smiled faintly.

“Where could be safer than this? Haigrant is the northernmost frontier, where Monsters frequently appear. It’s not easy for a woman to survive…”

Serion questioned him, as if pressing him.

“The people who were imprisoned have already been evacuated, haven’t they?”

He raised a hand, signaling to the gatekeeper of the castle, and then joked.

“Besides, I spent 50 gold on you, didn’t I?”

Serion clicked his tongue softly.

“…And then you took it back. How shameless.”

Serion was still wary of Roderick.

He remembered clearly what happened when he accepted goodwill.

He glared at Roderick with narrowed eyes.

“You better not be thinking of pulling any tricks.”

Roderick shrugged and replied.

“I have no such intentions. I’ll give you a room, so do as you please once you’ve recovered. Well, I wouldn’t mind if you stayed here permanently.”

Serion shook his head.

“That won’t happen. I appreciate you saving me… I’ll repay the debt later.”

“Hmph, alright. You must repay it. But isn’t it polite to at least tell your name to the benefactor who saved you?”

Roderick didn’t budge, as if he intended to wait until Serion opened his mouth.

‘Either way…’

Serion thought it was right to discard a name that was no longer useful.

“… Serina.”

Roderick looked at her with interest before turning his head.

“A pretty name.”

.

.

.

He arrived in front of the room, guided by a maid.

As the door opened, a bedroom fit for a princess unfolded before his eyes.

Serina silently looked around the room and muttered softly.

“… Something… sucks.”

“I will prepare your bathwater soon. Would you like to wait a moment?”

The maid bowed politely.

Serina’s words reminded her of Lily.

Lily’s image of shouting that she wasn’t a witch to help him was vivid in his mind.

‘I hope Lily is safe? She didn’t do anything wrong.’

Serina, who had never felt the emotion of worry before, felt strangely strange.

Not long after, the maid led Serina to the bathroom.

There, a marble bathtub as wide as a lie was located in the center.

Herb leaves were floating on the water.

Serina sighed as she looked at the bathtub.

“… This isn’t because of me, is it?”

“It’s the same as usual.”

Serina hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“… I can do it alone.”

“Hehe, I understand. Then, have a pleasant time.”

As the warm water touched his body, he felt like he was melting like butter.

Serina blankly fell into thought.

“In the end, Pleasure is the condition.”

A few days ago, fragments of Pleasure that he felt himself flashed through his mind.

Unbearable shame and rising heat.

It was a memory he wanted to deny.

But at the same time, it was also the only weapon left for him now.

Serina swallowed hard.

After preparing himself, he slowly raised his hand to his chest.

He began to gently caress his breasts with his fingers.

Current Pleasure Meter: 8 percent.

‘As expected, like this…’

If this Pleasure that comes from his body is the source of Mana.

‘I’ll thoroughly exploit it.’

After checking the Trait’s stats, Serina stimulated her breasts with both hands.

He gently rolled both nipples with his fingers shaped like pincers.

Current Pleasure Meter: 13 percent.

Saliva gathered in his mouth.

“Ugh. A little more. Ugh.”

He pinched his nipples tightly, matching the increasingly faster speed of his fingers.

“Ugh!”

Current Pleasure Meter: 30 percent.

He kept touching them for a long time after that, but that was it.

The Pleasure Meter fluctuated at 30 percent and did not rise any further.

He tried pinching harder, but the Meter only went down.

Serina recalled the memory of when the Meter reached 100 percent.

Then he lowered his hand.

“Hmph. Hehe.”

As his fingers touched his labia, an intense tingling sensation rushed over him.

Current Pleasure Meter: 45 percent.

“As expected, this is… Haa. The answer… was. Eek.”

Serina tried to suppress her moans, but it was beyond her control.

He felt a sticky viscosity on his fingertips that was not mixed with the water in the bathtub.

He swirled his fingers clockwise.

Current Pleasure Meter: 55 percent.

He still felt like something was missing.

Serina spread her labia with her other hand that was not playing.

He instinctively rubbed the clitoris hidden between the labia.

“Agh!”

His lips parted with his teeth clenched.

Clear saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth.

Current Pleasure Meter: 70 percent.

Serina’s legs stretched out and tensed on their own.

Current Pleasure Meter: 88 percent.

Current Pleasure Meter: 90 percent.

‘Just a little more…’

“Lady Serina, are you alright?”

The maid’s voice was heard from outside the bathroom door.

While he was engrossed in masturbation, he must have unknowingly let out a moan.

“Lady Serina? Are you alright?”

“I’m, I’m fine… Haa. I’m fine. I’ll be out soon.”

Serina felt a subtle annoyance because she felt like something was not resolved, rather than the fact that the Pleasure Meter had not reached 100 percent.

Until he returned to his room, the stuffy heat did not disappear from Serina’s chest.

The lingering afterglow of unfamiliar Pleasure was stimulating his mind.

“Lady Serina, I have prepared clothes for you to change into.”

The door opened and the maid held out a dress in her arms.

What unfolded before his eyes was a gorgeous princess-style dress decorated with lace and frills.

Serina’s brow furrowed slightly.

“I will help you put it on.”

Serina sighed briefly.

After all, he didn’t even know how to wear such a dress.

There was no reason to refuse.

Roderick’s hand sitting at his desk occasionally paused.

He tried to concentrate, but the image of Serina he had seen earlier kept lingering in his mind.

A flawless face,

Perfect teardrop-shaped breasts,

Luscious buttocks,

Even smoothly stretched legs.

He shook his head, but the afterimage already etched in his eyes was not easily erased.

Roderick refocused on the documents on his desk.

It was a map and report with clues about the black market’s headquarters.

He pointed to a spot on the map with his pen.

“Finally, we’re almost there.”

The black market was tenacious.

Even if you cut off the sprouts, they would not be uprooted and would stubbornly raise their heads again.

But this time it was different.

It seemed like he could completely finish it this time.

At that moment, a maid peeked in with a knock.

“Master, dinner is ready.”

“I understand. Ah, and did you tell Lady Serina to have dinner as well?”

“Yes, I have already informed her.”

Roderick got up from his seat and headed straight to the dining room.

An undisguised sense of anticipation was seeping into his face.

But Serina was not visible in the dining room.

‘She must be skipping dinner. Well, she wouldn’t have an appetite after what happened.’

Creak-

The dining room door opened again.

It was Serina wearing a light sky blue dress.

Roderick thought for a moment that Serina was glowing.

He didn’t know what to say to the overwhelming beauty.

He just stood there blankly, staring at her.

But the words that came out of Serina’s mouth were completely different from her appearance.

Serina grabbed one side of the dress with her finger.

Then, she snapped in a voice full of annoyance.

“Roderick, is this all you have for clothes?”