Ch.584Episode 21 – Peace in Our Time

Strangeness brings with it a peculiar satisfaction.

A bizarre sense of fulfillment born from deficiency and distortion. This deranged gratification, commonly expressed as perversion, is something I know at least in broad strokes.

To be more precise, I could say I discovered it through experience.

A memory from some time ago, so distant that even pinpointing the specific period has become hazy. While visiting London on business, I once accompanied a British intelligence officer to a club.

The British gentleman with his pronounced Scottish accent was truly a “gentleman” in every sense of the word.

Though he didn’t love martinis like James Bond, he was a man who greatly enjoyed Scotch aged twelve years or more.

He was what one might call a typical playboy, possessing that distinctive gaze characteristic of British intelligence agents.

At the same time, he was an intellectual born as the eldest son of a rather respectable family who graduated from Oxford, which rivals Cambridge.

He had no qualms about swaying women’s hearts, wielding his sharp yet gentle gaze and statuesque physique as weapons.

According to the briefing from the resident officer, the man had some rather serious scandals.

To put it bluntly, yes.

He loved playing with fire immensely.

British intelligence has always been an organization with a high proportion of female agents, and with his devilish charm, he naturally shared his bed with multiple female colleagues on quite numerous occasions.

Among the female staff, he was renowned for his bedroom skills that contrasted starkly with his gentlemanly demeanor.

Perhaps caught by his impure interpersonal relationships, he eventually fell out of favor with his superiors and was transferred to remote locations like South Africa, Zimbabwe, Sudan, and Palestine, only to return to the London station after tremendous hardship.

Besides classic brandy aged over twelve years, he loved many things generously.

In particular, he favored a strip club somewhere in London.

He said that watching prostitutes making sexual appeals in alluring outfits was one of the many entertainments London prided itself on.

Though it was a taste I found utterly incomprehensible, the strip club itself seemed to remain a rather fresh memory.

The sight of a gentleman born in the land of gentlemen showing distaste for refinement, the dance of a Romanian immigrant woman who rotated slowly while awkwardly waving her limbs intermittently, and the sight of those red bastards from North Korea stuffing pounds into the prostitutes’ pockets.

For me, it was all too fresh and fascinating a spectacle.

Back in those days,

There was no particular reason why that peculiar midsummer night’s memory resurfaced again.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

Simply because the woman’s attire contained such obscene yet titillating stimulation that tickled the heart.

Before this strange distortion, I could not escape the feeling of dizzying intoxication.

Episode 21 – Peace of Our Time

I was shocked by Veronica’s appearance, which I had never seen before.

It wasn’t just because of the obscenity of her outfit.

Wasn’t she the one who hadn’t sent a single message for over a week, from before I arrived until today?

She, whose whereabouts and activities had been completely unknown, suddenly appeared in the middle of the night, and moreover, dressed in such attire.

It was only natural that I was left speechless.

“…You keep staring, it’s making me embarrassed.”

A pure white bunny girl.

The spotlessly white garment, like a symbol of her position as a saint, possessed an aura difficult to describe.

The color, forming a stark contrast with her obsidian-like hair, was the essence of complex emotions.

The high-rising panty line accentuated the natural curve of her buttocks, while the white jacket elegantly complemented what could otherwise be perceived as a vulgar outfit.

Yet it tightly constricted her body.

With each plaintive breath, the jacket would swell as if about to burst.

And what about the leotard that tightly wrapped her thighs?

While covering her porcelain-like supple skin, didn’t it bind her buttocks and legs to emphasize their provocative form?

And that tail, like a single dot precisely placed.

Like a single point commanding overwhelming presence on a pure white canvas. The fluffy tail positioned just below the end of her waist contained an indescribable mix of cuteness and breathtaking allure.

It would be no exaggeration to say that this charm was the final puzzle piece completing the outfit.

“…What do you think?”

Veronica spun around once in place and then posed her question. However, distracted by her erotic attire and seductive smile, I failed to provide a timely answer.

“……”

A strange silence lingered.

Whether it was due to the awkwardness, or a belated realization of reality, a sudden sense of shame colored the saint’s face, but.

Veronica cleared her throat and flipped her hair that extended down her back.

“Hmm, hmm… It seems the shock is too great for words.”

“…How did you even get in here?”

As if struck, my sleeping consciousness belatedly surfaced to reality.

I finally gathered my wits and posed a question that somewhat missed the point.

“Your room, Major?”

“I don’t recall giving you an access card.”

“I heard the Grand Duke allocated a room to each of you—the Major and our siblings? The rumors are widespread. The Archmage endured tremendous expenses to gather his disciple and the disciple’s companions in one place.”

“…And so?”

“With everyone gathered in one place, I thought something interesting might happen. I discreetly inquired here and there about whether I could sneak in, and fortunately, I made connections with the hotel staff.”

“……”

“Thanks to that, I could secretly swipe a key.”

With a jingle, the saint waved the key hanging from her index finger and gave a mischievous smile.

The saint’s confession of yet another impulsive act was beyond absurd, to the point of being dumbfounding. Even I, accustomed to her pranks, was at a loss for words.

After being dazed for a while, I soon began to bicker with Veronica. It was more like an interrogation than an argument.

“What happened with Francesca? You said you’d persuade her. Don’t tell me you did nothing and just came here…”

“Is that really important right now?”

“Of course it’s important!”

At my desperate retort, Veronica’s lips curved smoothly. Her full smile seemed so genuine, as if representing the saint’s benevolence and generosity.

“…More important than me?”

Warm breath roughly tickles my skin. The saint, who had somehow stepped closer to me, pressed her body against mine in an almost embracing posture.

Her voice was moist with emotion, her hot breath tickled my nape, and the sensation of her breasts, changing shape with each press, was vividly transmitted through the thin fabric between us.

It was truly maddening.

“Heh… Your expression is so amusing.”

From a distance close enough that our lips might touch, Veronica began to whisper softly.

With a face that kept smiling, as if something was greatly amusing her.

“Put aside those troublesome worries for a moment. Would you like to sit down first?”

“…Haa, aren’t you taking this joke too far?”

“Oh my, weren’t you the type who liked this sort of thing?”

Tap. A finger touching the corner of my lips.

“You’ll naturally know the outcome if you wait just a little.”

So just a little bit.

Would you play along with me?

After playfully placing her finger on her lips.

Whispering softly as if afraid someone might hear, Veronica turned and walked toward the living room. All the while, I could only stare at the fluffy tail swaying left and right, not knowing what was happening.

…Play along?

What exactly did she want me to play along with?

With the sudden announcement, anxiety began to creep into a corner of my heart. This situation felt somehow familiar, as if I had experienced it before. With such a subtle sense of déjà vu.

Sure enough.

My uneasy premonition hit the mark once again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be amazed! This is not an event that comes every day. A show you’ll never see again if not today! And that is, drumroll please~”

The saint, with her hand on the doorknob, suddenly raised her voice.

Spouting bizarre phrases that were difficult to interpret, while dressed in that outrageous outfit.

After flinging the door open with all her might, she spread her hands toward the living room with a “Ta-da!”

I met the gaze of the two women waiting in the living room.

A second saint in an erotic outfit.

And an alchemist I never expected to see here.

I felt as if I had been struck on the head with a hammer.

As my vision blurred, the first saint’s bewitching tongue play penetrated my numbed eardrums.

“Tonight only, for one day!”

“A private shopping experience where you can purchase the ‘finest goods’ in this land!”