Ch.7272. They say that all humans possess sexual preferences of either S or M.

*Crack!*

“Ahng♡”

*Crack!!*

“Heep!!”

There are times in life when I don’t know what I’m doing.

Especially before I possessed this body, when I was in the military.

Standing on the training grounds early in the morning, listening to the regimental commander’s speech, a thought suddenly struck me.

Who am I?

What exactly am I doing here?

The expressions of the other soldiers weren’t much different from mine.

They were all staring at the commander’s speech with lifeless faces.

*Crack!*

“H-harder, please!”

My feelings right now were just like back then.

The more I swung the black whip at Evalin, the more self-loathing I felt.

“…Is that enough now?”

“Don’t you still have two more left?”

“Fuck!”

*Crack!*

“Mmm♡”

They say all humans have S and M sexual preferences.

Most people just don’t realize it because they aren’t heavily inclined toward either side.

It was surprising enough that demons had such preferences, but to think Evalin would be an M.

The situation was utterly ridiculous.

Honestly, I wanted to refuse Evalin’s request.

Even if someone I loved asked me, I’d hesitate—so why should I swing a whip to satisfy a demon’s preferences?

However.

Ironically, it was a request I could easily fulfill.

All I had to do was pick up a whip and swing it at Evalin a few times.

At first, I swung it gently out of compassion, but Evalin angrily complained that I wasn’t taking the request seriously.

Eventually, I closed my eyes and swung repeatedly.

She seemed extremely satisfied, letting out girlish moans while biting her lips to prevent the sounds from escaping the room.

*Crack!*

After one final strong swing, I collapsed into a chair and gulped down whiskey.

The bottle was already showing its bottom.

This definitely wasn’t a request I could handle sober, so I’d been drinking throughout—and now I’d nearly emptied the bottle.

“Now are we really done?”

Evalin sat down with a word of thanks.

She tried to lean back but winced, furrowing her brow.

“…Ouch! You fulfilled my request so well… thank you.”

“You’re not planning to make the same request again later, are you?”

Evalin cleared her throat while rubbing her back.

“Ahem! I risked my life to provide information about the Death Forest. I believe I’ve earned the right to make such requests.”

“Sigh… so you are planning to do it again. What benefit do you even get from this?”

“Until I made the request, even I didn’t understand why I wanted this. But now I know for certain.”

“That you enjoy being hit?”

“It’s not simply about enjoying pain. It’s the thrilling feeling of you dominating me.”

Whether human or demon, this damn world is full of crazy women…

If I ever meet a normal woman here, I should marry her immediately.

‘Sigh…’

But what can I do?

If swinging a whip a few times gets me information more precious than life itself…

As I sat there in resignation, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

“But if you need to be hit to feel that thrill, couldn’t someone else do it instead of me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, what if someone else whipped you instead?”

I tilted my head, and Evalin looked at me with contempt.

“Are you talking about that human who gave me that unpleasant look?”

“Yeah, Jawill Wilson. He’s a decent guy. He’d probably be willing to whip you.”

“Absolutely not! How could the Succubus Queen allow herself to be struck by such a frivolous human!”

I belatedly realized that sexual preferences aren’t something just anyone can satisfy.

With disappointment, I had no choice but to nod.

“Right, there are clear differences in preferences that should be respected.”

“…I’ll ask again next time.”

“Fine, but could you leave now? I drank too much and my head is spinning.”

“Alright.”

After confirming that Evalin had left the room with her dignified stride, I couldn’t help but laugh, perhaps due to the alcohol.

The delayed realization of “What the hell did I just do?” hit me hard.

*Glug-glug-glug*

I turned the whiskey bottle upside down, draining the last drop into my mouth, and gazed out the window.

The sun that had been high in the sky was now setting.

I placed the empty bottle on the table and muttered:

“…There are no normal people here.”

*

“Fireball!”

*Kweeek!*

┗+1 Patience has increased.

┗+1 Wisdom has increased.

Hunting near Lake Estate rather than the Death Forest for once felt relatively easy.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and looked around.

“Luna, are you collecting all the magic stones?”

“Yes, but it’s been a while since I hunted with you, young master. I’m having trouble keeping up with your pace.”

Of course she would—I’ve been hunting like crazy with Lucien in the Death Forest, gaining enormous stat increases, so there’s bound to be a difference.

“I’ll try to slow down from now on.”

“N-no! I’ll do my best to keep up!”

Perhaps because it was particularly hot today, Luna’s clothes were damp with sweat.

I sighed briefly, sheathed my Raiden Sword, and sat down in the shade of a tree.

“No, I’m tired. Let’s rest a bit.”

“…Then I’ll rest too.”

After picking up the last of the magic stones from the ground, Luna Brill Heart sat in the shade to cool off.

With the impending monster wave, I was too preoccupied to pay much attention to Luna.

However, I couldn’t neglect managing her affection deficiency score, which is why I came out hunting with her after so long.

“How’s training with Rio and Jawill Wilson these days?”

“It’s good. Hunting monsters together is fun now.”

“And Jawill Wilson?”

“He was struggling at first because he’s naturally timid, but he seems to have adapted quite well now.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Luna suddenly perked up as if remembering something.

“Oh, right! You’ve been spending a lot of time with Jawill Wilson’s niece lately, haven’t you?”

“Yeah, since she doesn’t have parents, there’s no one to teach her things, so I’ve been helping out.”

“I saw her the other day—she’s so young but her swordsmanship is impressive. Is she a genius?”

To be precise, Luna is the genius, while Lucien is a dragon—naturally strong by birth.

I told Lucien to hide her power as much as possible at the mansion since there are many watching eyes, but was it too much to ask?

“She is a genius. Smart and talented in swordsmanship.”

“Ah… so that’s why you keep taking care of Lucien.”

A sudden chill ran through me during our conversation.

What if Luna became jealous of Lucien? The thought filled my mind.

Surely she wouldn’t be jealous of a girl with the appearance of a ten-year-old, but that logic only applies to women with normal thinking.

I glanced sideways at Luna and continued speaking.

“I just think of Lucien as my daughter.”

“Oh, you think of her as your daughter?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“…I see.”

Is that not right either?

It’s ridiculous to have to explain, but I was trying to convey that I absolutely don’t see her romantically.

Luna Brill Heart’s expression wasn’t good—perhaps she simply disliked my attention being on Lucien at all.

I adjusted my posture and smoothly continued.

“Why that face? Do you want to be my daughter too?”

“What?!”

“I never thought of you as a daughter since we’re similar in age.”

“…Then how do you think of me?”

“As a woman?”

*Ding! ♪*

━Luna’s Affection Deficiency

= 60 → 50 changed [↓ 10 decrease]

Luna Brill Heart seemed satisfied with this answer, her face turning as red as a radish as she fidgeted with her fingers.

“A woman…?”

“Yeah, why? Would you rather be my daughter?”

“N-no! I want to be a woman!”

Luna Brill Heart hastily waved her hands.

Seeing that the issue was somewhat resolved, I brushed the sand off my backside and stood up.

“Now that we’ve cooled down a bit, shall we continue hunting?”

“Yes!!”

The hunting proceeded smoothly after that.

Now, not only goblins but stronger monsters occasionally appeared within Lake Estate, but they posed no problem.

After successfully finishing the hunt and heading back to the mansion:

-L-look, it’s Young Master Selden! He’s been hunting monsters again today!

-Look at that sack on his back! It must be full of magic stones!

-How can someone be so diligent? He’s on a completely different level from other nobles!!

-Kyaa! I made eye contact with Lord Selden!!

The villagers cheered, looking back and forth between me and the sack of magic stones.

Now accustomed to such welcomes, I casually waved my hand.

-Long live Young Master Selden!!

-Our Lake Estate has improved so much since Young Master Selden arrived!

-As I said before, this isn’t exile—Baron Byron must have sent Young Master Selden for our sake!

Enjoying the cheers, I arrived at the mansion where several knights and Federicks bowed respectfully upon seeing me.

“Welcome back, sir.”

“Here are the magic stones.”

“Yes!”

I handed the sack of magic stones to the knights and tilted my head in confusion.

It was unusual for the always-busy Federicks to come out to greet me in front of the mansion.

“Is something wrong?”

Federicks wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief and spoke.

“…Another invitation has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”