Ch.74The Correlation Between the Demon Lord and the Hero – 1

“So to summarize, a maid named Beatrice has been taking care of you since you were young, right?”

“That’s right. My parents were often busy with work. But they were worried about me, so they had no choice.”

“Then she must be at least in her late thirties now?”

“What?”

The matter of my first kiss was eventually settled with the explanation that it was with Beatrice, the maid who had been taking care of me since childhood.

It wasn’t a lie. She often kissed me when I was little, saying she couldn’t resist how cute I was.

Even now that I’m 18, she still asks for kisses, and when I firmly refuse, she gets so dejected that I occasionally allow it.

“Listen carefully, Mira. That person is like a mother figure to you. So it shouldn’t count as a first kiss. Absolutely not. Understand?”

Brunhild finally backed down only after “correcting” my “common sense,” insisting that it was closer to a motherly peck and shouldn’t count as a first kiss.

I could only nod obediently. Even though it was obvious. I wondered what kind of relationship Brunhild thought Beatrice and I had.

The day after that incident was the day we had decided to go buy limited-edition desserts together. Fortunately, Brunhild seemed unwilling to mention the previous matter again.

However, the line-waiting itself ended surprisingly quickly.

Due to Brunhild’s reputation having risen considerably after the recent incident, people who recognized her face voluntarily gave up their places in line.

Even so, we had arrived very early, so there were only about five or six people ahead of us.

‘Should I be shocked that there were that many people four hours before opening?’

It’s not even like this was a once-in-a-lifetime limited edition—while there was a daily sales limit, they still sold them every day.

The girls who came with us, including Aria, were chatting excitedly with two muffins each in hand. What was particularly surprising was that Brunhild had quite an interest in sweet things.

When I asked why, she explained that before being chosen by the holy sword, she was an ordinary country girl who could only rarely enjoy sweet treats, so they tasted especially delicious to her.

“Besides, there’s no girl who dislikes sweet things, right?”

“…Really?”

We returned to the club room with two desserts each, and under Rosaria’s direction, an impromptu tasting session began.

‘It’s extremely sweet.’

The strange muffin I tried after a long time was still sweet. Naturally, since it was made by throwing in everything that could possibly create sweetness—chocolate, strawberry jam, whipped cream, marshmallows, and more.

I put it down quietly after just one bite as my tongue stung from the sweetness, but everyone except me was eating with sparkling eyes. Brunhild tilted her head at me curiously.

“Mira, aren’t you eating?”

“It’s too sweet for me. You all can have my share.”

While I was cleansing my palate with chocolate that tasted bland by comparison, Brunhild received my muffin and stared intently at the bite mark on its surface.

Then, with a slight blush on her cheeks, she carefully took a bite from the exact spot where my lips had touched.

“……”

Priscilla, who had been nibbling on her muffin like a hamster, had a slightly troubled look in her eyes. For me watching from the side, it was maddening.

‘Was the impact of the plan too strong?’

One thing was certain—I couldn’t leave things as they were. I reached out to gently stroke Priscilla’s head and changed the subject.

“How is it, Priscilla? Delicious?”

“Sweet. But delicious.”

I continued stroking her head with a warm smile until the muffin was completely nibbled away, and Priscilla smiled happily the entire time she was being petted.

“…Why are you looking at me like that?”

I looked up, suddenly feeling gazes on me. The other three were staring at us. Aria answered with a chuckle.

“Leona says she’s jealous.”

“When did I say that?!”

“We’re almost there, right? It’ll be nice to get some fresh air for a change.”

“Ughh,” Rosaria stretched extensively. Her sweater, woven with threads connecting starlight, rolled up high, revealing not only her buttocks but also the thin white underwear beneath.

Her chest, much larger than her head, bounced dramatically. Despite her clothes riding up like that, Rosaria continued stretching as if to emphasize her chest, only adjusting her clothes after she was fully stretched out.

Of course, even after adjusting, her posture still revealed the flesh below her buttocks. Priscilla looked at her with disbelief from the side.

“You’re obscene. Utterly vulgar. Are you a pervert? Or do you have some kind of exhibitionist tendency? Why do you dress like that?”

“I’m neither. My clothes are like this because I lack holy power, and my body is like this because the original Rosaria was built this way—what can I do? Besides, the only one here to see is Mira, and I don’t mind showing Mira anything.”

Rosaria demonstratively lifted her breasts with her arms. The enormously heavy chest undulated like waves on her forearms. At the same time, her other hand slightly pulled up the hem of her skirt.

Priscilla looked at her with disgust and clung to me. It seemed she hadn’t tired of fighting despite arguing the entire way here. I stroked both their heads to calm them down.

At first, I only did it for Priscilla, but Rosaria complained about why I wouldn’t do the same for her, a fellow vessel, so I ended up doing it for her too. I still wondered why she insisted on receiving it as well.

After stroking for a while, I removed my hand from Rosaria’s head. She tilted her head in confusion.

“What? Why did you stop?”

“Do you want me to continue?”

“Of course. Priscilla is still getting petted.”

“Then say, ‘Please don’t stop and continue.'”

“……”

Rosaria glared at me, then gritted her teeth with a conflicted expression. It seemed her pride wouldn’t allow her to say such words.

“Do you want me to continue, Priscilla?”

“Yes. Please continue…”

Priscilla nodded with a bright smile.

“See?”

“…D-do whatever you want. Pet me or don’t.”

Though she said that, she was subtly pushing her head forward. I felt like teasing her a bit.

“Whatever I want? Alright. I’ll stop then.”

“What? Hey! Are you joking?! Who gives something and then takes it back?!”

Rosaria hit my arm repeatedly with an indignant face. But with her pathetically thin arms and complete lack of muscle, it didn’t hurt at all.

Rather, her breasts, bouncing wildly with each hit to my forearm, looked more painful.

“We have arrived.”

After continuing to stroke her head for an appropriate amount of time, the carriage stopped. I got out first, then helped Priscilla and Rosaria down.

Once all three of us were standing on the ground, the coachman, who had been handling the horses with mechanical emotionlessness, bowed his head and asked:

“Shall I return to pick you up at noon in two days, as you requested?”

“That would be perfect. Thank you for your work.”

“It is my duty as one who serves the House of Crate. I will see you in two days, young master.”

After sending the carriage away, I returned to the two. Priscilla and Rosaria were staring at a mansion the size of a decent castle.

One was the daughter of House Agnes, one of the Empire’s core families, and the other had lived in the Vatican, the epitome of luxury, so they didn’t seem particularly impressed.

“Where is this, Mira?”

“The summer mansion.”

“…Summer mansion?”

However, even these two couldn’t let this answer slide. Rosaria, sensing something strange in my words, asked again.

“To be more specific, it’s the August mansion. We have one mansion and one castle for each season, to stay in rotation. Since we move once a month, there are 24 buildings in total, counting both mansions and castles.”

And adding the mansion in the capital that could truly be called home, there were 25 in total. This was the kind of money-flaunting only House Crate could do.

Moreover, each building had its own concept and theme. This mansion’s theme was probably something like “refreshing coolness.”

The mansion, themed after a midsummer beach, even had palm trees and sand brought from the southern continent to create an actual beach within the garden.

When I first saw it, I wondered what on earth it was. I couldn’t adapt to it at all, but once I realized there was nothing I could do about it, I quietly accepted it.

“…Even the Vatican doesn’t do this.”

Rosaria’s mouth gaped open. It seemed that even the Pope, who practically monopolized half of this world’s healing methods and enjoyed all kinds of pleasures, hadn’t thought of changing mansions with the seasons.

Then, as if remembering something, she urgently asked:

“Wait. If it’s for August, does that mean it hasn’t been used at all until now? It’s May right now.”

“It’s fine. Beatrice cleaned everything up yesterday. She thoroughly cleans each place once a week, so it should be fine.”

Maintaining 25 mansions and castles in a ready-to-use state must cost a fortune, but to my parents, it seemed like insignificant money.

After that, I gave up thinking about House Crate’s wealth. There was no point in worrying about it.

“…So the Demon King is in there, right, Mira?”

Priscilla asked in a slightly subdued voice. I nodded.

“Before being the Demon King, she’s also a vessel like you all. Let’s go in. She’s probably waiting for us.”

“O-okay.”

I led Rosaria, who still looked dumbfounded, and Priscilla, who had somehow attached herself to my right arm, into the mansion.

Deciding to explain the internal structure later, I headed straight for the audience chamber, where we found someone already waiting for us.

“Ah, you’ve come, my friend.”

It was Elysiere.

Elysiere, who had risen from her seat with delight at seeing me, hesitated when she noticed Priscilla and Rosaria on either side of me.

Although I had told her in advance that I would bring them, it was clearly awkward meeting them in person. After all, Priscilla and Rosaria had essentially died because of the Demon King.

One had died vomiting melted internal organs from her mouth and rear due to the absorbed demonic energy, while the other had slowly rotted alive from a curse she took in Aria’s place.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Silence fell over the room.