Ch.109After the Performance (3)

I felt dizzy and held my head after hearing Cecilly’s words, which came from a completely different dimension of thinking. No matter how much I reconsidered what I’d heard, the facts remained unchanged.

I couldn’t tell if it was because she was a demon, or if Cecilly was just unique, or if this was simply the culture of this world. The idea that she would be next after Marie left me feeling mentally distant.

“Um… Cecilly?”

“Yes? What is it?”

“I might be too stupid to understand, but what do you mean by you being next after Marie?”

I questioned her just in case, wondering if I had misunderstood something.

Cecilly tilted her head and revealed her own confusion with an innocent face, as if wondering what could possibly be wrong.

“I mean exactly what I said. Marie is the first woman to become your lover, so shouldn’t I yield that much to her?”

“No, no. That’s not what I… Ah, damn. How should I put this…”

My head wasn’t working properly because I was so flustered. I roughly tousled my hair while looking at Cecilly. She was accepting the idea of physical intimacy with me as a foregone conclusion.

Of course, having accepted her, I couldn’t say the thought hadn’t crossed my mind, but it was rather sudden. It felt like skipping the middle process and jumping straight to the ending.

While I was trying my best to rotate my uncooperative brain, Cecilly, who had been quietly watching, spoke up in an anxious voice.

“Um… do you dislike the idea of being intimate with me?”

It seems she interpreted my reaction differently. I looked at her, hearing words that would shock anyone else. Cecilly was currently looking at me with the most pitiful gaze imaginable.

I’ll skip describing her face since it would be a waste of breath, and as for her figure… let’s skip that too. One could say she possessed all the beauty of heaven. Though it’s unfair to Marie, Cecilly far surpasses her in feminine charm.

But what’s important right now isn’t her appearance or figure. I simply couldn’t understand Cecilly wanting to skip all the steps and jump straight to physical intimacy.

That thought barely had time to register before I vigorously shook my head to dispel her anxiety.

“No, no. How could that be? It’s just too sudden. Don’t you think jumping straight to physical intimacy is a bit… much? How about dating sweetly like Marie and I do?”

“As long as you accept me, I don’t mind. In fact, that might make me even happier.”

“Right?”

“Yes. Thinking about what you’ve shown with Marie so far… haah…”

Cecilly let out a suggestive sigh, perhaps recalling my lovey-dovey relationship with Marie. She covered her face with an ecstatic expression, which gave me goosebumps as if someone had flipped a switch.

Fortunately, her horns didn’t turn red, but her flushed cheeks were clearly visible. I didn’t particularly want to ask what she was imagining.

“A-anyway, I understand how you feel. You really won’t regret this?”

“Do you remember the first letter I sent you?”

“Letter…”

I pondered deeply at her question, recalling the fan letter Cecilly had sent me as an apology when we were at the academy.

“That letter contained my sincere feelings. My sincere desire to repay your kindness by offering both my body and heart.”

“…Oh.”

Come to think of it, the fan letter did contain such content. A letter full of determination to willingly offer her body and heart.

Cecilly is trying to offer her body and heart to me according to that content. One might think she’s like a follower, but considering the influence the Biography of Xenon had on demons, it’s not entirely strange.

After being oppressed for several hundred years, it would be stranger if she weren’t a follower. She’s just on an enormous scale, being the Princess of Helium, but she’s still a follower nonetheless.

“As a demon, I will strive to repay the benefactor who saved our entire race. Though it’s embarrassing to say myself, my feminine charm is far superior compared to others. And not just my body, but my heart also loves you. So…”

“Yes, I understand. That’s enough now.”

Feeling increasingly dazed, I quickly raised my hand to stop her. If I left her unchecked, there’s no telling what she might say next.

At least I could properly confirm her sincerity. It’s no empty talk—Cecilly is currently a follower who only looks at me. A follower who would willingly offer her body if ordered to.

Somehow it felt like she had become my slave, which made me a bit uncomfortable. I looked at Cecilly with a troubled expression and spoke.

“I don’t think that’s necessary. I prefer horizontal relationships over vertical ones. You don’t need to offer everything to me…”

“You’ll return to nature in 100 years anyway, so shouldn’t I do at least this much?”

“… …”

That leaves me speechless. I froze with my mouth open at Cecilly’s rebuttal that completely blocked my words. As I felt earlier, our ways of thinking were fundamentally different.

Regardless, Cecilly waited politely with a bright smile until I spoke again. I barely managed to hold onto my departing soul.

“…When you put it that way, I have nothing to say. Do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

“But I have one condition.”

“I am prepared to accept any condition.”

As soon as she answered with her hand on her chest, a murky emotion buried in my heart suddenly surged up. It was the same emotion I felt when I started speaking informally with Rina.

Moreover, having nearly caused a major incident with Cecilly just moments ago, I even had thoughts I shouldn’t have.

‘…It must be because of that sensuality from earlier.’

Normally, I wouldn’t have even thought this way. But the sensuality Cecilly had emitted earlier stimulated my senses, arousing my desire—specifically, sexual desire.

Sexual desire had been one of the difficult urges to resolve since my reincarnation, and she had triggered it. My thoughts were heading in a strange direction.

I pressed the bridge of my nose firmly, trying my best to maintain composure. Fortunately, my patience had improved beyond that of others through regular physical training, allowing me to pull myself together.

“…What I want is simple. In exchange for me speaking informally to you, please speak informally to me too. Whether other people are around or we’re alone. Is that enough?”

“Hmm… alright. I just need to speak informally, right?”

Now that she was speaking informally, Cecilly returned to her usual self rather than a follower. Indeed, speaking informally isn’t just a sign of friendliness but has the effect of breaking down walls between people.

I felt somewhat relieved as soon as Cecilly started speaking informally to me. It had been burdensome when she treated me as a benefactor, but that burden was now gone.

“That’s enough. So I’ll speak informally to you too?”

“Yes. But will you keep calling me ‘noona’?”

“If you don’t like it, I won’t.”

“No, do as you please. You can call me Cecilly instead of noona. Is this really enough for you?”

“What else could there be?”

“For example…”

Cecilly trailed off, her face slightly flushed, and spoke in an embarrassed voice.

“Like letting you touch my breasts?”

“… …”

“As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, my body and heart are all yours. You can treat them however you want.”

“…I’ll pass.”

Truly, Cecilly kept testing my patience. If I hadn’t met Marie, I might have done something by now.

That’s how attractive Cecilly is as a woman—too good for me. But since she says she’s fine with it, I’ll let it pass.

However, even if I accept her, one final hurdle remains. I pressed the bridge of my nose once more and voiced my concern.

“But Cecilly, can you get Marie’s permission? I’m fine with it, but I wonder if Marie will accept…”

“Don’t worry about that. This noona has all the methods. Besides, as your value continues to grow, you’ll definitely need someone to protect you politically. Even though Marie’s family is a ducal house second only to the emperor in the empire, that doesn’t mean the state will protect you.”

“Well, that’s fortunate for me, but…”

Although this world permits polygamy, perhaps due to the influence of my previous life, it feels like I’m cheating. In my previous life, polygamy was a custom practiced only in Islamic cultures.

Of course, in Western cultures, there were occasional cases where a man with a wife could have a separate lover with mutual agreement. But even this was only possible with the wife’s permission.

Moreover, it was especially burdensome that it was Cecilly, the Princess of Helium. What kind of absurd situation is this—having a duke’s daughter as a girlfriend and the Princess of Helium as another lover?

That’s how immense my value is, but it’s equally complicated.

“Don’t make that expression. You just need to accept it, that’s all. My body and heart are solely for you. Even if you have a relationship with me once and then discard me like an old shoe, I’ll accept it all.”

“I don’t want to live like such trash.”

It reminds me of Adelia, who was abandoned by the people she cherished. Just imagining Cecilly crying like her makes me feel uncomfortable to the point of heartbreak.

Cecilly nodded gently with a pleased smile as I answered firmly with a hardened expression.

“I understand. Although it might feel like a brief moment to me, know that this happiness will last forever. I hope you realize that I’ll live not regretting this moment, but cherishing it.”

“I’ll try to ensure you don’t regret it either. Tell me what you want. I don’t like just receiving.”

“Then, can you hug me?”

Cecilly asks with her arms wide open. With her arms spread, her large breasts become more prominent, drawing my gaze.

The moment we embrace, our relationship becomes undeniable. It means I must take full responsibility.

But my mind has already made its decision. Shouldn’t I at least give this much in return to Cecilly, who shows infinite devotion and love for me?

After hesitating briefly, I also spread my arms wide and approached Cecilly. Before I could reach her, she jumped into my arms and hugged me tightly.

“Mmm… this is the body of my benefactor, no, Issac… it’s warm and smells good…”

“… …”

I couldn’t say a word even as Cecilly made cute sounds in my arms. As we embraced, the sensation of her formidable breasts was fully transmitted.

The feeling of being pressed to the point of suffocation was not just tickling a man’s primal instinct but grabbing it by the hair and pulling it out. It was on a completely different level from hugging Marie.

With Marie, love gently suppresses desire, but with Cecilly, desire forcibly tramples love. Her scent is like pouring oil onto already blazing firewood, driving one mad.

‘Hold on. Hold on… You’ve endured well so far…’

I’ve controlled my sexual desire well until now. I can’t let it burst here. I need to exercise patience somehow.

How much time passed like that? After humming a tune while hugging me, Cecilly eventually loosened her arms.

“Haah… that felt so good. It feels like the desire inside me has been somewhat relieved. I should have done this sooner.”

She exhaled with a heated breath and spoke while facing me directly. I didn’t have the courage to meet her eyes, so I averted my gaze and scratched my cheek.

She relieved her desire, while mine piled up—what an unfair structure. Perhaps her desire was transferred to me.

“Um… this is a bit embarrassing.”

“How does it compare to Marie? Do you feel the weight?”

“… …”

“Issac’s face is red again.”

I couldn’t even open my mouth as Cecilly giggled in front of me. Right now, I needed to calm my lower body where blood had rushed.

It had been throbbing since we hugged, and Cecilly might have noticed. My posture was very awkward, with my lower body pulled back and upper body leaning forward, so she must have noticed even if she didn’t feel it.

To be honest, she’s like walking pornography. I was afraid I might get excited just by seeing her face later.

“…Let’s head back to the mansion now. As you know, I have plans with Marie.”

“Yes, alright. Oh, before that, Issac. There’s something I want to tell you.”

“What is it?”

While I was trying to soothe my flushed face, Cecilly asked me with a slightly serious expression rather than a smiling one.

“Do you know about Dark Elves?”

“Dark Elves?”

“Yes. They’re a tribe banished by their own kind due to a past civil war. Like us demons, they mainly believe in Mora, the god of darkness.”

“I know a bit about them.”

I’ve seen them in books found in Professor Elena’s study. Dark Elves rarely show themselves to the world and move secretly, so they’re not well-known to the public.

All I know about Dark Elves is that they have tanned skin and excellent stealth abilities. Historically, there are many interesting aspects about them that caught my interest.

“Then do you know that Dark Elves have excellent stealth abilities?”

“Yes. But why bring up Dark Elves?”

“The person who stole your manuscript is a Dark Elf.”

“What?”

What is she talking about now? I couldn’t help but open my eyes wide at the shocking truth Cecilly revealed.

It’s one thing that a Dark Elf stole the manuscript, but I don’t understand why they would steal it. Despite the immense value of my manuscript, I wonder how they would use it.

At least from what I know, Dark Elves have little interest in human society and focus on interacting with their own kind.

“We found this out through Helium’s separate investigation after the theft. By now, this information has probably been conveyed to the top officials of the Empire of Minerva.”

“What benefit would Dark Elves get from stealing my manuscript?”

“Well, I’m not sure about that either. But it’s likely they stole it for their own greed.”

“Hmm…”

It’s a bit perplexing. At the same time, I recalled the statement Alfheim showed in the newspaper.

Didn’t they say they don’t engage in such lowly acts? Of course, since Dark Elves were banished from Alfheim, they probably weren’t considered kin.

“And through our efforts, we’ve identified the culprit. They’ll be visiting Helium a week from now. I’d like you to come along then.”

“Alright. I am curious about what the culprit looks like.”

“Would you forgive them if they were a child?”

Cecilly asks with a hint of concern. Judging by that question, it seems the culprit is young.

But I answered without a moment’s hesitation, as if her concern was unfounded.

“No. Why would I? They used their abilities to steal my manuscript, which makes it even worse in a way.”

“You’re more resolute than I expected.”

“Children become more cunning the moment they become aware of their power.”

In my previous life, I witnessed countless cases of juvenile offenders and the like. Especially young children—the younger they are, the more cunningly they exploit their youth.

“Well, if they bow their head deeply and beg for forgiveness, my mind might change. But I’ll still give them a stern scolding regardless.”

“What if they tried to steal your manuscript again?”

“Hmm… then…”

I looked upward in contemplation, then scratched my head and quietly spoke.

“I might ask their parents if they’re an only child.”

“Pfft!”

Cecilly burst into laughter at my scathing joke. It seemed somewhat satisfying, a laugh that made even me feel good watching it.

“Hahaha! That’s such a witty question. How did you come up with it?”

“I just thought of it.”

“Hehehe… Oh, really. Issac, you’re truly lovable.”

“Ahem.”

Now it’s my turn to be embarrassed. As Cecilly looked at me with gentle eyes and spoke, I cleared my throat and averted my gaze.

“Anyway, I should go to Helium a week from now, right?”

“I’ll send Lord Balack to your mansion then. You just need to be ready.”

“Got it.”

“Oh, will you write bad things about this in the Biography of Xenon?”

I pondered Cecilly’s question carefully. Just as I saved the demons, writing unfavorable things about Dark Elves would certainly have a negative impact on them.

However, I need to separate personal matters from work, or the story might get tangled. It’s true that elves are arrogant, but the elves I’ll write about in the Biography of Xenon will be a race that overcomes their arrogance and becomes truly united.

The same goes for Dark Elves. It’s a rather ordinary story where they unite with the kin who banished them to defeat demons.

But…

“I won’t write bad things, but there will be some issues, not just for Dark Elves but for all elves.”

“What’s that?”

To this, I smiled brightly and said:

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you because it would be a spoiler.”

In the novel, Alfheim falls to demons due to the elves’ arrogance.