Chapter 319

Chapter 319

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 319: Lady Vera (10)

If I didn’t mishear her, the Duchess just proposed this to me:

-“Will you marry me?”

-“Or will you become my son?”

What a level of boldness! Truly, she’s a woman who matched her impression. To think she’d speak so directly—it was honestly so shocking that I felt my jaw about to drop.

But I quickly composed myself and assessed the situation. Marriage or adoption. If you thought about it, both were attractive proposals. No, there’s no need to think twice—they’re excellent conditions. It’s like being spoon-fed an opportunity.

It’s as if a woman ran to me naked and embraced me.

Let’s consider marriage first.

“…!”

No, this was bad.

Just thinking about it was making me feel a certain weight down below, and I was about to reach full arousal. Excitement naturally rose within me.

Marriage was definitely advantageous.

If I were to marry… No, I hadn’t actually gotten married yet, but if I did, then I could fully enjoy this beautiful, confident, capable, and sexy Duchess as much as I want.

And it would all be perfectly legal. Without any issues. Even if I spent the whole day indulging her, there wouldn’t be any repercussions. There would be no need for methods like coercion or seduction. Marriage would mean sharing a bed is expected and unproblematic.

It’s simple.

Ridiculously simple.

In that state, I could easily train the Duchess and turn her into my slave.

Just by enjoying nightly marital relations, she’d eventually become perfectly trained without realizing it.

At that point, all her power could end up in my hands. Of course, it wouldn’t be as easy as it sounds since no one holds absolute power. If the Duchess started following my will, her subordinates might rebel.

Wait a second… her subordinates. Were they all women? If they’re female knights, I could summon them one by one after securing the Duchess and train them to make them mine. If I took control of her entire faction that way, there would be no issue.

I needed to look into this.

“You seem surprised.”

After a brief silence, as I was lost in thought, the Duchess spoke. I remained quiet, but the Saintess sipped her tea and responded.

“Frankly, it’s an unexpected proposal.”

“It’s a simple matter.”

A simple matter.

“After resolving all the chaos, the only person who can unify people’s hearts is none other than the ‘Saintess of the Goddess Church.’”

The Duchess emphasized the term “Saintess of the Goddess Church” while looking at the Saintess. That’s correct. A Saintess could not become a king. A Saintess was a Saintess, not a monarch.

So, she’s asking the Saintess to support her in becoming king herself. The Saintess, as a symbol of unity for the people, would gather them, and the Duchess would govern.

In essence, she intended to make herself king.

She had read the situation exceptionally well.

Count Saidin would fall, and the Saintess, leveraging her title, would grow stronger by overcoming this chaotic situation. Add to that Kyuse, a talented and young general.

By bringing us into her fold, she believed she could make herself the center of it all.

A truly sharp assessment.

“So, we need to unite. From what I see, General, you are currently serving the Saintess, correct?”

“That’s correct. Regardless of what happens, I intend to serve the Saintess and the Goddess.”

At those words, the Duchess smiled.

“Ufufu. That is precisely why the Saintess values you so much. Therefore, I will use you as a strong symbol of this alliance.”

I looked at the Saintess.

“…”

She was managing her expression.

“Whether through marriage or adoption, forming such a bond would serve as the strongest evidence of our alliance.”

“I’d like to hear the conditions.”

“Of course.”

ㅡThwack.

When the Duchess extended her hand, a female knight approached and handed her a document. We took it and began reading.

“Hm.”

If I married her, there would be restrictions.

For several months each year, I’d need to stay with the Duchess instead of at my Demon King’s castle. Essentially, I’d be shuttling back and forth between two women.

Well, that was a given. It wouldn’t make sense to form a marital alliance and then live apart all the time.

In any case, this arrangement would naturally allow the Duchess to exert her influence over the Saintess freely. Having the most capable general taken away would mean trouble for us.

And then, there was the second option.

The terms of becoming her adopted son.

If I became her son, I wouldn’t need to live with her as I would in a marital alliance. However, the alliance’s strength might weaken due to the physical distance.

Additionally, there was the possibility that the Duchess could use the marriage card on someone else.

But honestly, that didn’t matter.

Even if I became her son, it didn’t change the fact that I’d be sleeping with the Duchess. On the contrary, I could use the guise of being her son to get closer to her and seduce her.

Once a woman fell for me, do you think she’d ever look at another man? The destructive pleasure I provided had been proven time and time again. Every woman in the Demon King’s castle was utterly devoted to me.

Wait, thinking about seducing her even as her son…

Good grief, I really have turned into a full-fledged incubus.

“There’s no need to decide right away. But I’d appreciate it if you could respond quickly.”

The Duchess said this, to which the Saintess replied:

“I understand. This is an important matter, and we must decide properly. Now, let us dine.”

The banquet commenced immediately.

Naturally, decisions like this couldn’t be made on the spot. It required much discussion.

While dining, we continued our conversation. The Duchess mentioned she would stay in the area a little longer to wait for our response.

This was nothing short of silent pressure to decide quickly. It showed how urgent this matter was to her. Well, let’s send her off after the banquet and convene to discuss further.

Gathering in the meeting room with the executives:

“I can’t allow that!”

“Yeah! What kind of marriage alliance is this?!”

“If you marry, what does that make us? Concubines? No way!”

“I, I oppose the marriage!”

As expected, there was an explosive reaction.

The Saintess flatly rejected the idea, practically throwing a tantrum. Reika shouted loudly, and even Vanessa voiced her displeasure at the idea of becoming a concubine.

Nekri also timidly opposed it.

“What is marriage, Master?”

“Oh, Sharan.”

Sharan didn’t understand marriage.

“It means a man and a woman come together.”

“Aren’t we all already together?”

“That’s true, but…”

This was official business.

“The point is that it’s made official! Hey! What marriage?! Why don’t you just stay single?!”

Reika shouted.

Wow, everyone was really losing it.

“Reika, do you dislike it that much? Even though I’m the one getting married?”

“Unless it’s with me, just shut up about it.”

Wow, I couldn’t believe Reika was saying such things!

“What?! If marriage is on the table, then it should be with the Saintess…!”

Were they about to start a catfight?

“Quiet! Calm down! I’ve already made my decision!”

“What…?”

All eyes turned to me.

“I’ve decided to become an adopted son.”

“Wow!”

The women executives, who had been freaking out at the mention of marriage, immediately brightened at the word “adoption.” I get it. They all wanted me to stay single. I’d be extra nice to them from now on.

“Still, isn’t this too emotional a response for such a matter?”

“Hey! It’s not about emotions! If you marry, you’ll have to live in her territory! That’s part of it!”

“Exactly! That’s what I wanted to say!”

At least they had thought it through.

“Yes, exactly. That’s why I decided on adoption. If I were to form a marital alliance, I’d have to spend three or four months a year living in the Duchess’s territory. But what would it mean for a Demon King to leave his castle?”

Everything I had built so far.

My subordinates.

My people.

I’d have to leave them all behind and live in the Duchess’s territory alone. Of course, while living with the Duchess, I could train her—that much I was confident about.

But I needed to be cautious. If I, as the Demon King, left my castle unattended, who knew what kind of snowball effect it could trigger? I couldn’t take that risk.

So, adoption it is.

“Besides, even as an adopted son, I can still train the Duchess.”

“Seriously? You’re thinking about doing that even as her adopted son…”

Vanessa looked exasperated.

“Adoption is just a formality.”

Even in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, everyone was adopting others left and right. Just look at Lü Bu; he had so many fathers. Adoption didn’t really mean much.

It’s more like forming a sworn brotherhood, except I was the big boss.

“So, I’ll become her adopted son. From there, I’ll find opportunities to meet her and train her. Eventually, her faction could become ours.”

After my explanation, everyone nodded in agreement.

“Haah. Hearing that puts me at ease. Marriage? Absolutely not. Oh, but…”

“Yes?”

“Isn’t it true that you’re already this Saintess’s adopted son?”

“I never said that.”

“But you’ve been calling me ‘Mother’ this whole time…!”

“That’s just words! Just words!”

“Hrk!”

The Saintess immediately grew sullen.

“How many mothers do I even have? Anyway, if I’m the Saintess’s adopted son, I can’t be the Duchess’s adopted son, so naturally, the marital alliance—”

“Ah! I was joking! Just think of yourself as a child of my heart!”

Fine. Do as you please.

“Phew. What a relief. Hey, don’t even think about marriage anymore. You’re basically married to all of us already.”

“Reika…! Thank you for being so honest!”

“Shut up, you bastard.”

“Yes.”

In any case, the Duchess’s proposal ended up strengthening our bonds even more.

“So, shall we just have an orgy then?”