Ch.366Side Story 1 – Southern Continent Travelogue (21)

“······So that’s how it is?”

Merin looked flustered at Alicia’s response.

I was also the same, though I was pretending to be calm on the outside.

‘Shit, what the hell is this now?’

The reason I had wagered a night together was simple.

The duel would end with my victory anyway.

Clearly, Merin would try to persuade me to accept something else as compensation instead of a night with Alicia.

That’s why.

Since it had come to this, I was planning to milk it for all it was worth.

But why had this variable suddenly appeared when everything was going according to plan?

‘If I panic now, I lose.’

In any negotiation, the one who needs it more is at a disadvantage.

Instead, I looked at Merin with confidence.

“What are you going to do?”

“W-well······”

I straightened my back and glanced at Alicia.

“Of course, I’d prefer to spend the night with Alicia, but I suppose we should compromise?”

Merin swallowed hard.

“Then, as the leader of the Red Moon Clan, to protect Alicia’s honor, I’ll offer twice the amount I proposed earlier.”

The amount she had offered earlier was already quite substantial, but now she’s doubling it······?

Isn’t that too generous for just one duel?

While the Lake territory supposedly has no financial concerns, money is always better to have more of.

I thought I might finally receive some praise from Butler Padericks.

“No!”

Once again, Alicia raised her voice, breaking the atmosphere.

At the same time, she glared at Merin with a flushed face.

“Lord Cassian wants my purity! Do you think that can be resolved with mere money!?”

“Alicia······but you’re an essential talent in the Red Moon Clan.”

“Merin, didn’t you say I’m destined to be the next leader?”

“I did.”

“If the future leader of the Red Moon Clan can’t keep a simple duel wager, who will follow me in the future?”

“Hah······”

“Many people have already witnessed my duel with Lord Cassian. This will only damage my honor!”

Sigh······

Why does she keep sprinkling chili powder on an almost finished dish?

The words ‘What’s honor worth anyway?’ tickled my throat, but I held them back.

Then, Merin looked at me with a rather troubled expression.

“Lord Cassian······”

What’s this?

What’s with that ominous look?

Didn’t she just want superior genes!?

Is she really thinking of letting her clan’s top talent sleep with someone like me?

I cleared my throat and put on the most relaxed smile I could manage.

“You seem to be in quite a predicament.”

“······I apologize. Alicia has been extremely stubborn since she was young.”

I straightened my back and turned my gaze to Alicia.

“Alicia.”

“····Yes?”

“Aren’t you the future leader who will guide the Red Moon Clan?”

“Everyone says so.”

“A leader should know when to yield.”

“····But I don’t think this is the time to yield my stubbornness.”

Her eyes showed absolute determination not to back down.

Her face was even flushed red.

‘At this rate, I might end up sleeping with her?’

While I wouldn’t mind with a woman from a pleasure house, I wasn’t keen on sleeping with Alicia.

Because now I knew about the Red Moon Clan’s tradition.

What if we had relations and she became pregnant?

And if she gave birth?

‘It’s horrifying just to imagine.’

It would mean that somewhere, without my knowledge, my child would be growing up.

And if it’s a boy, it’s obvious he’d live without a proper home.

I didn’t want to have relations with her.

“····But aren’t you part of the Red Moon Clan?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Isn’t it natural to follow orders from superiors?”

“····If that’s the issue, I’ll leave the Red Moon Clan right now.”

I blinked and looked at Merin.

She let out a deep sigh.

“In our Red Moon Clan, members are free to leave whenever they wish.”

What? How is it so lax?

In novels, weren’t mercenaries like these free to join but unable to leave once they did!?

‘Damn it.’

At this rate, I’d inevitably end up sleeping with her.

While I’d miss the compensation, I had to back down.

I couldn’t risk having a relationship and potentially ruining the lives of Alicia and any child that might be born.

I cleared my throat forcefully and looked at Merin.

“Let’s discuss this slowly for now.”

“····Pardon?”

“I mean I’ll give you plenty of time to think about it.”

“Ah····”

Alicia is determined to sleep with me to preserve her honor.

Therefore, I need to end this meeting now and negotiate with Merin alone.

If all else fails, I’ll just consider it as having given her a good duel.

Screech.

I rose from my chair.

Then, I slightly raised the corner of my mouth.

“I’m tired after lunch, so everyone please leave.”

*

“····What do you mean by that?”

Jarvil Wilson came to my quarters again after dinner, before I was to spend the night with the Red Moon Clan women.

I let out a short sigh as I looked at his wide-eyed expression.

“It’s exactly as I said. If a woman gives birth to a boy, she and the child are expelled from here.”

“W-why!?”

“They said it’s tradition.”

At my words, Jarvil Wilson tilted his head with a stiff expression.

“Then what about my son and wife who are expelled?”

“····What?”

“I-I got a bit excited and misspoke. Anyway, it would be my son, right?”

“Y-yes, I suppose so?”

“What happens to my son?”

Why is this guy so worried about a son who hasn’t even been born yet····

Well, that’s the very reason I’m avoiding sleeping with Alicia.

“Your son would probably wander around with his mother, living without a fixed home.”

“····”

“Since the mother only knows how to use a sword, she’d naturally work as a mercenary.”

“····And if the mother dies, what happens to the child left behind?”

“That, I can’t say.”

Jarvil Wilson stroked his chin with a more serious expression than I expected.

It hadn’t happened yet, but the probability was high.

This guy had to sleep with a total of eight women.

Naturally, the Red Moon Clan women aimed for pregnancy, so they would have been finishing inside all along.

And they would continue to do so.

In that case.

Even if just one of them became pregnant, the chance of having a male child was 50%.

No wonder Jarvil Wilson’s expression was so grim.

“Young master····what should I do?”

“What else? Stick to the plan and escape when the time comes.”

“B-but what if my son is born!?”

“Why? Are you planning to take him and raise him yourself?”

“····Isn’t that obvious?”

It seems Jarvil Wilson has more sense of responsibility than I thought.

I crossed my arms heavily and adjusted my posture.

“What about Clara?”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think I can abandon my child.”

“Would you give up marrying Clara?”

“····Shouldn’t I try to persuade her?”

“Persuade her? To live like me with two wives? No, that’s at least two and at most nine!”

“T-that’s absurd! That would require all the women I’ve slept with to get pregnant and give birth to boys····”

I looked at Jarvil Wilson and let out a long sigh.

“You should always consider the extreme scenarios first. That’s how you make plans.”

“Hah····this is driving me crazy.”

“And you have something else to worry about too.”

“····What else is there to worry about?”

I raised my chin toward Jarvil Wilson, who was tilting his head with innocent eyes.

“Have you forgotten you’re wearing a transformation skin?”

“Ah····”

“If they find out you used a transformation skin, you might be killed by the women you slept with before Clara even gets to you.”

At that, Jarvil Wilson trembled, seemingly realizing the point.

“····Should we escape now?”

“How many women have you slept with so far?”

“Two.”

“Then sleep with the same women tonight.”

“····Pardon?”

“You can’t avoid sleeping with them. Let’s plan to escape tomorrow night.”

“C-can’t we just escape now?”

“With all the training and dueling today, I haven’t even had a chance to scout the area yet.”

At my words, Jarvil Wilson’s shoulders drooped.

“Hah····alright.”

“Try not to finish inside if you can help it.”

“····Yes.”

Jarvil Wilson trudged out.

This should have been a dream scenario for him, but somehow he always seems to have bad luck.

‘I should get some sleep first.’

Feeling the fatigue of the day weighing on my entire body, I slowly lay down on the bed.

The faint moonlight filtering through the window gently enveloped the room.

I closed my eyes with a sigh.

It had been a truly long day.

The duel with the Red Moon Clan, and then the argument about the wager.

Everything flashed through my mind, but due to extreme fatigue, the thoughts didn’t linger long.

Soon my breathing became even, and I fell into a deep sleep.

However.

How long had I been asleep?

I felt a strange pressure.

The sensation of a heavy weight pressing down on my body from somewhere.

Even in my drowsy consciousness, I sensed that something was wrong.

‘What is it?’

My mind suddenly became clear.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw someone straddling my body, looking down at me.

Alicia.

It was her.