Ch.75Killing a Mosquito… #1

*Sigh.*

I looked down at the corpse lying at my feet with a deep sigh.

It wasn’t a monster but a beast—a rather ferocious wild boar that posed a threat to public safety.

Usually, wild boars outside the city walls weren’t dangerous enough to cause significant harm, but they occasionally attacked ordinary passersby, causing injuries.

That’s why they were known as harmful beasts.

“Excellent work, Grand Duke.”

I smiled awkwardly at the Captain of the White Guard who was clapping enthusiastically with a broad smile on his face.

Hunting a beast that charged straight at you was much easier compared to what knights had to deal with.

So I didn’t think it deserved any praise.

Moreover, it felt somewhat uncomfortable to be praised for such a trivial act simply because I was a high-ranking noble.

Though I couldn’t detect any such intention in the Captain’s eyes, I wondered if he might be flattering me too obviously.

I wiped a drop of sweat from my forehead with my sleeve and said:

“It’s nothing special. You and the other soldiers remove harmful beasts all the time, don’t you?”

“As humans entrusted with protecting the territory, it’s our duty. But for the Grand Duke himself to personally take action in maintaining public safety—that’s different, isn’t it? I truly admire you.”

“Your praise is so excessive that I don’t know where to put myself.”

Culling beasts that venture beyond their territory is also the responsibility of the lord of the domain.

While it was extremely rare for me to personally go hunting like this, broadly speaking, it was one of the duties I naturally had to fulfill.

Usually, I would order soldiers to handle it, but I had mixed in some purely personal motives—getting some fresh air and exercise.

“By the way, your guard is truly remarkable. She’s hitting her mark with every arrow from such a distance.”

“Ah, you mean Ellen? She is indeed an extraordinary woman.”

The Captain gazed in admiration at Ellen, who was leisurely stringing her bow while perched on a reasonably tall tree.

Perhaps due to becoming bigger and stronger than before, her eyesight seemed to have been greatly enhanced as well.

If she set her mind to it, she could spot targets from afar with her eyes, like using a sniper scope or telescope.

And even more improved than her eyesight was Ellen’s own combat ability.

It was natural that she would become stronger after obtaining the elven heritage, but seeing it firsthand made the impact all the more vivid.

If her arrows before were like ballista bolts, they had now upgraded to practically missile-level.

Perhaps if Ellen shot an arrow with all her might, it might rival a nuclear missile.

After all, she was a woman who could cause natural disasters on her own.

“She’s a bit far away. Could you go straight in that direction and bring her back?”

“Yes, understood.”

After Ellen blows off a wild boar’s head, soldiers waiting behind rush to the designated spot to retrieve the carcass.

I thought the soldiers might find these errands annoying or troublesome, but that was my misconception.

Perhaps because it spared them the danger and effort of hunting themselves, their faces were full of smiles.

“Well, shall we have lunch soon?”

Krauzer’s duchy was so vast that hunting was divided into zones according to dates.

Since it wasn’t a task that could be completed in a day or two, it had to be done with ample time.

Though faster progress was preferable, the soldiers carrying out the task were ordinary people too.

They needed rest, leisure, and food.

“Then, I’ll call the cook to prepare the meal.”

“I’ll help too.”

“What?! No, Your Grace, there’s no need for you to personally handle the wild boar with a knife…!”

When I rolled up my sleeves and offered to help, the Captain was extremely flustered.

It must have been incredibly burdensome for someone of Grand Duke status to personally cook outdoors.

Though Zion Altram’s character might be well-known from his time as a servant, the situation had changed significantly since then.

However, it was better for me to act directly to prepare food that suited my taste.

While efficiency and simplicity couldn’t be ignored when cooking for many people, the soldiers’ cooking seemed to pursue these two elements too intensely.

“Captain, you know well that I was originally a servant, don’t you? In a way, this is more familiar to me than to any of you, so please trust me with it.”

“But to have the Grand Duke perform such menial tasks is too much of an imposition…”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. What does social status have to do with eating? Both His Majesty in the capital and all of you are human beings. People need to eat to live, and the only difference lies in how deeply one appreciates that fact.”

I soothed the Captain, who was fidgeting in embarrassment, and began preparing the wild boar we would eat.

Of course, I wasn’t working alone—the cooks helped too, so the work progressed quite quickly.

◎◎◎

“This is nice.”

Late in the evening, Ellen, warming herself by the campfire, slightly raised the corner of her mouth.

Though we were with the soldiers, she seemed quite satisfied that Helena wasn’t around.

“Are you that happy to be away from Helena?”

“I don’t mind being with the Duchess. But what I like is being with the Grand Duke without her scrutiny.”

Ellen clearly stated her opinion with a smirk.

Two days ago, when Helena mentioned needing to clean up around the territory, I volunteered to go myself.

I was tired of being cooped up in the office—or rather, the study—doing paperwork every day.

Of course, I still had training sessions with Helena during that time, but even so, the tedium was unavoidable.

The paperwork was boring yet never-ending.

Moreover, perhaps due to my elevated status, I found myself wanting a vacation.

Just then, the hunting issue came up—with the good pretext of tidying up around the territory while exploring the refreshing forest.

For me, it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss.

—Oh? Then I’ll come along too…

At that time, Helena naturally expressed her intention to join.

She respected my opinion but didn’t want to be separated from me, which was understandable.

Given what Helena had shown so far, it was to be expected.

But I gently persuaded her to focus on the paperwork.

More precisely, I distracted her until she lost her senses, then forcibly convinced her in that moment.

Though going around with Ellen without Helena posed some risk, it was easy to get permission since we would be accompanied by over a hundred soldiers.

“Yes. How nice for you.”

“Indeed. Though soldiers are with us, this is still technically a date with the Grand Duke.”

Summer on this continent is cool even during the day, so it inevitably gets chilly at night.

Thus, even in summer, we needed to light a campfire and take measures to maintain body temperature.

Though not as much as in winter, we prepared things like blankets to keep from getting too cold.

“A hunting date. It seems both luxurious and not.”

“Isn’t this level of luxury natural for a ducal family? For example…”

When I muttered absent-mindedly, Ellen stroked my thigh suggestively with a seductive smile.

Since we were away from the group of soldiers out of noble consideration, she was uninhibited.

The absence of watching eyes can make people bold.

“If we did it here… no one would know?”

“No matter what, doing it outside is a bit much. And there’s nowhere to wash up.”

“I could wash you. You know that with my spirit magic, I can keep our bodies clean anywhere, anytime.”

Crack. As the sound of burning firewood tickled our ears, Ellen’s touch showed no sign of stopping.

If Helena, who had permitted this trip because of the many watchful eyes, saw this, she would foam at the mouth and flip out.

“And… they say forbidden things feel especially good. Especially when bodies intertwine…”

Honestly, if I said I wasn’t interested, I’d just be putting on airs, but I still had to reject her.

I grabbed Ellen’s hand, which was creeping up my thigh toward an increasingly intimate area, and shook my head.

“It would be a lie to say I’m not interested, but still, no.”

“Mmm! Why not?”

Goodness. I felt a chill watching what seemed like a femme fatale skilled in seducing men.

It was like an electric current and coldness simultaneously running down my spine, jolting me awake.

I couldn’t help it, as Ellen was acting cute like a child in front of me, with a body that had clearly developed more than before.

“There are too many eyes around.”

“Then we can go somewhere without people. Right? Don’t you want to hold me tight and share intimacy, Grand Duke?”

Ellen looked desperate to throw herself into my arms.

Both her lustful gaze expecting sexual pleasure and her increasingly bold caresses proved it.

Moreover, having confirmed that no one was watching, she breathed sweetly into my ear.

It was as if she was employing all the techniques she had seen and heard, which was both frightening and somewhat pleasing.

It wasn’t unpleasant to see such an attractive woman clinging to me like this.

“I said no.”

“You’re not impotent… for someone who can do it dozens of times, aren’t you being too timid? Even when a woman you can play with as you please is tempting you like this.”

While I’ve received much help from Ellen with her rich life experience, right now that experience was flying at me like fangs.

Though Ellen was my concubine, the idea of secretly embracing and rolling around with her like this made me uncomfortable.

Setting aside the physical arousal from her seduction, thinking of Helena made me reluctant.

Honestly, while I enjoy being with both women, I had been perfectly satisfied loving just Helena.

So, pushing away Ellen’s seduction was, in a way, natural.

Sorry, but mindless sex will have to wait…

“Enough now.”

“That’s so cruel…! Even when I’m trying so hard to seduce you, you reject me completely…”

After forcibly removing the woman’s hands that were climbing over my body, Ellen whined and showed signs of dejection.

Even at a glance, she looked like someone who had lost all confidence and was frustrated, which was quite pitiful to see.

“Is it… purely because of the Duchess? Without her, all the affection and passion you’ve shown me becomes like a lie…”

“Of course not.”

Actions speak louder than words. I embraced Ellen and gently patted her back.

I couldn’t bear to see the dark elf’s inferiority complex manifesting so gloomily on the surface.

“I’m just not in the mood to do it outdoors. And if I disliked Ellen…”

I certainly don’t dislike her. Rather, I like her.

Still, secretly sighing at the reality that things had to be this way, I slid my hand down to Ellen’s hip.

Then I firmly grasped the substantial flesh there. Even through the fabric, I could feel its elasticity and softness.

“Ahnn…!”

“I wouldn’t be caressing you like this, would I? Right?”

“Yes. You’re right, Grand Duke. Completely, completely right…”

After firmly grasping that delectable flesh and then patting it, her voice melted away the dark emotions as if they had never existed.

But my hand didn’t stop there and moved up to Ellen’s lower abdomen along her hip line.

I gently rubbed that lower abdomen as if soothing it and whispered in Ellen’s ear:

“Besides, with the evidence of my tamed female right in here… I couldn’t easily discard you, considering your efforts.”

“Th-that’s right…! You pressed down with all your might and stirred me up…”

“Yes. So stop worrying about unnecessary things and just think about how to please me when we return. You’re my woman too, after all. Understand?”

“Yes, yes…”

Ellen nestled against my chest like a child, constantly rubbing her cheek against it.

In a way, it looked similar to a pet being affectionate, which was quite adorable.

Even I thought my words were forceful and trashy, but they were quite effective. I just felt somewhat guilty for manipulating her.

Feeling that guilt, I was resolving to pay more attention to Ellen and Helena, who would be waiting at home, when…

“Ugh?!”

A sharp sensation at the back of my neck instantly dispelled such thoughts.