Volume 4 Chapter 40 Special Training ② ♡
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
She stood at about a hundred and fifty centimeters.
Her red hair, tied back with a white ribbon, framed a short–skirted girl knight.
Her speech was strange, but—Eugenia, as she was called—had a remarkably pretty face. In fact, nearly every member of the Order of the Lightning Knights could be described the same way. Raised from childhood on fine food, made to train their bodies with care, taught to mind their hair, their skin, and their manners once they came of age—lined up together, they were the very image of noble daughters groomed to perfection.
This red–haired knight girl—Eugenia—might have been short, and her chest nearly flat, but even so she struck Kian as one of the more beautiful members of the Order.
His eyes lingered a moment on the healthy legs extending from beneath her white miniskirt.
Unlike Rita the fox beastwoman, Eugenia went barefoot in strappy sandals, the cords binding tight around her shapely calves.
”Lord Kian? Are you listening~desuno?”
”Ah, forgive me.”
Kian tore his gaze away from her lovely legs, replacing it with a mild smile as he met her eyes. Then he reached into his pocket and drew out three Azrael gold coins.
”Here. Take these.”
”What~desuno, this? Gold coins…~desuwa, aren’t they?”
”What else would they be?”
He spread his hands as though stating the obvious.
”No need to pretend. You were eavesdropping, hoping to squeeze money out of the royal family, weren’t you?”
”…What?”
Kian bared his teeth in a theatrical grin.
”Ms. Amora is Sir Scipio Crete’s fiancée, yes? Kukuku… Imagine if word spread that she was having an affair with me. A scandal for the royal house itself. I intend to use that as leverage, to force Scipio into granting me privileged standing in the merchant guild.”
”Wha—!?”
”Ms. Eugenia, why not join me? Oh, what luck! I needed someone who could claim to have witnessed our affair, someone to run off and inform Scipio. You’d be perfect for the role.”
”D-don’t be ridiculous~desuwa!”
Her face flushed as red as her hair. She slapped aside his outstretched hand, and the three Azrael gold coins—worth four years’ wages for a western adventurer—clinked against the damp sand and rolled away.
Hands folded flat against her modest chest, Eugenia looked up at him with a fierce, defiant glare. The size difference was absurd—Kian stood over two meters tall, towering half a meter above her. Like a bear before a child. And yet, driven by righteous fury, she did not flinch in the slightest.
”You and Ms. Amora were… consenting, weren’t you~desuwa?”
”Oh yes. I seduced her. Incredibly easy, really. Earnest, innocent, untainted. All it took was stoking her fears about the future with Scipio, then whispering a few kind words, and she fell into my arms.”
”You villain! Kian of Izerland, I have never seen such depravity! Is this what Ramsey’s hero has become!?”
”They do say ‘heroes love beauty.’ It’s no exaggeration to claim I clawed my way to the top for the sake of bedding beautiful girls. Every race, every beauty this world has to offer—I want them all. What man wouldn’t dream of that?”
”P-pervert…!”
”Ms. Amora suits me well enough. If you keep quiet, I might enjoy her a little longer yet. Next time, perhaps in a public place—nothing like the thrill of nearly being caught.”
”Stop that at once!”
Eugenia’s eyes widened as she cried out. Then, startled, she glanced toward the door of the latrine.
”No one’s watching,” Kian said lightly.
But she did not trust his word—she checked herself, peering out to make certain before facing him again.
”I was beginning to think better of you today…! To learn your true nature, that you’re nothing but a cad exploiting your unmarried state to devour women—! If your fiancée knew, she would weep! You should be ashamed!”
”Why? Women are replaceable. Do you think there’s a single one in this world who wouldn’t desire my seed? Wealth, status, superior offspring, my own martial strength—they’ll come swarming, eager and begging.”
”You…”
Eugenia faltered into silence. Then, for reasons even she might not understand, she looked at him with something like pity.
That expression made his blood boil. Even if it was all a charade, he decided at that moment he would have to punish her.
Eugenia repeated herself, voice hard with conviction.
”Withdraw from Ms. Amora, villain. She sacrificed herself for family and country, accepting Sir Scipio’s proposal. To trample on that resolve further—Zeus himself might forgive you, but I will not~desuwa!”
”I don’t need your forgiveness. I’m not taking your body, but hers. And since I left Izerland, I’ve been running short on women. To sate my excess desire, I still need Amora’s convenient little body. I won’t be letting her go.”
”…If a woman could be found to satisfy that excess desire of yours, then you would release Ms. Amora~desuwa?”
”Well, now that you’ve seen us, the risk is greater. If I had another outlet, I might discard her. But finding a local wife here isn’t so easy, even for me.”
”In that case, I can introduce you to a high-class brothel for merchants.”
”High-class courtesans are fine, but they cannot compare to Ms. Amora. A member of the illustrious Lightning Knights, trained to perfection. Groomed hair, flawless skin. A girl offered to royalty—the pinnacle of Crete’s beauty. Compare that to women who sell themselves for coin. No matter how much money you spend, you cannot buy an Amora. If you were a man, you’d choose her too.”
”…So you truly refuse to release her.”
”Not while I lack a replacement. Are we finished here? If so, I’ll be meeting Ms. Amora on Sandy Beach—”
”Wait.”
Eugenia’s voice cut sharp and low. She took a deep breath, as though to steel herself. Then she stepped forward, pressing a pale hand to her flat chest, and cried out:
”I will become your… your plaything! So—so release Ms. Amora! I won’t breathe a word of this scandal. In return, I’ll obey whatever you command!”
Her voice wavered with unease. She knew full well she was offering a bargain with no benefit to him.
Compared to Amora—tall, curvaceous, breathtaking—she was small, flat-chested, hardly equal.
And Kian stood to gain power by blackmailing Amora and Scipio besides.
By any normal logic, it was a hopeless offer.
But for Kian—whose true aim was to devour the Lightning Knights one by one—Eugenia’s desperate proposal was nothing short of a gift.
The next prey had presented herself.
Her body might be small, but otherwise she was exquisite. In fact, her slightness would only add variety to his harem, a different flavor to savor.
”You?” he mused. “Hmmm.”
”H-how about it~~desuno? My face is fairly pretty too, isn’t it~~desuwa!”
”We won’t know if you can replace Ms. Amora until we try. Naturally, neither of us knows the other well. Our bodies might be entirely incompatible. Even something as simple as disliking the other’s scent could make intimacy unbearable.”
”W-why get so specific all of a sudden…? Isn’t any girl good enough for you?”
”I’m no pig that eats whatever slop it’s given. I’m a gourmet.”
”I-I don’t get what you’re saying at all~~desuwa! So then, what? If we go on a date, and you find me acceptable, then I’ll do as a… substitute~~desuno?”
Kian snapped his fingers.
”Exactly. As it happens, there’s a place on Grass Island I’ve been meaning to visit. Since you patrol the island as part of the Order, you’d make an excellent guide.”
”And where exactly do you intend to take me?”
”I’ll tell you at our rendezvous tonight. Do you have duties tomorrow?”
”No, it’s my day off~~desuno. One whole day free, then back on duty the second~~desuwa.”
Kian gave a small nod of approval.
”Diligent folk on this island. In a town on the eastern edge of the Franz Kingdom, at this time of year, everyone would be drinking in taverns.”
”Of course the north and Crete are different! Snow locks you indoors up there. But listen! I didn’t agree to chatter idly with you~desuno! Just tell me the time and place for this so-called date!”
”One hour from now. In front of my merchant house.”
”O-one hour!?”
Her blue eyes widened. A pale hand went to her sun–protected cheek as if in distress.
”Please… could we make it after dark? 19.00 or later. Someone from the Order might see us otherwise, and I must prepare dinner for my younger brother and sister.”
”Someone from the Order might see… where do you live?”
”Right next to the base~desuwa.”
She pointed southwest. Likely one of the state dormitories for knights. Maribel, too, had once considered building dorms for the standing army—it was expensive, but more efficient than letting soldiers return to scattered homes.
Kian nodded.
”Very well. 19.00, outside your dormitory. But don’t think you’ll be coming home early tonight.”
Eugenia lifted her chin.
”I understand perfectly well. I’ve chosen to take Ms. Amora’s place, and of course I know what that entails.”
With that, she pointed at the gold coins scattered across the ground.
”Our discussion is over, is it not~desuwa? Then pick them up. Money mustn’t be wasted.”
”They’re yours. Accept them as hush money.”
Her blue eyes narrowed sharply as she glared up at him. Still, she bent down and gathered the coins one by one.
”These belong to you~desuno. I apologize for knocking them aside. Here, take them back.”
”I don’t want them. Consider it your allowance for tonight’s date.”
”…Anything dropped within the base must first be handed over to the quartermaster. If you refuse, I’ll place them in the lost-and-found basket at the guard station!”
Half-snapping now, she stared up at him again. But when he still refused to accept them, her nostrils flared.
”To think you’d treat money so carelessly! Unbelievable!”
”You’re the one who slapped them out of my hand.”
”Good day, Lord Kian! The gold coins will go into the lost-and-found. If you regret it later, you may fetch them yourself!”
Whether she understood her position or not, Eugenia turned on her heel and strode briskly away from the latrine.
Kian watched long enough to confirm she was indeed heading toward the guardhouse as declared, then returned to Sandy Beach, where Amora was waiting.
* * *
Back at his merchant residence, he wasted no time bathing, changing, and then throwing together a simple meal—bread, ham, and cheese, washed down with water—as he sorted through the post.
Letters had arrived from the merchant guild, notifying him that the procedures for his guild’s establishment were proceeding without trouble, and that the advance payment for today’s lecture had already been deposited into the guild account.
Another envelope bore the seal of Crete’s royal house: an invitation to the parade and evening banquet on the tenth day of the new year, along with a list of the taxes he owed. There was no tithe for the Church, he noted. As in Azrael, Crete’s political, military, and religious powers were unified, and so taxation too was centralized.
Once finished, he carefully brushed his teeth, freshened his breath, and set out.
The sun had nearly set. By the time he reached the rendezvous point, darkness would have fallen completely. The base lay several kilometers away, but mounted on Chinchin, he could arrive quickly without breaking a sweat.
Since Eugenia had made clear she didn’t want anyone in the Order spotting her night excursion, he left his beast tied in a distant bamboo grove. From there stretched nothing but open plain, a long expanse of grass road leading to the base. No cattle or sheep grazed this southeastern corner, no tourists or villagers passed by. The emptiness made it clear why the quartermasters did business within the base itself. Carrying a magic lamp, he hurried on foot.
Soon he spotted her. At the rocky wall just west of the gate stood a girl with her red hair bound in twin-tails.
It was Eugenia.
Earlier that day she had worn a plain ponytail. Now her hair was tied up on either side with ribbons that looked almost like cat ears. She wore a simple white one-piece dress, over which hung an open wine-red wool coat. Her feet were in leather boots, her lower face hidden behind a black cloth.
Even in southern Crete, the nights grew chill, the winds sharp. Sensible attire, he thought.
Kian approached in his usual shirt and trousers. Eugenia met him with a glare from eyes heavily lined with makeup. Glitter sparkled at the corners, perfume clung to her hair and skin—a sweet rose scent. For all her scowl, she looked anything but frightening.
Kian looked down at her with a pleasant smile.
”I’m delighted, Ms. Eugenia. You’ve gone to such lengths to dress up for me.”
”Haaaaah!? You’ve got it wrong~~desuno! Who would primp for a scum like you… tch. This disguise is only so no one recognizes me, wherever you drag me tonight. If a patrol saw me, it’d be disastrous. And this island is a closed community—half the townsfolk already know my face~~desuwa.”
”Even so, being able to go on a date with such a lovely girl—it’s the best.”
”I’m feeling the worst~~desuwa! So? Where exactly will you be ra**ng me tonight~~desuno?”
Kian pointed westward, across the plains.
”I heard there’s a gathering place on the west coast. A social spot where rich tourists and pampered sons and daughters of noble houses come together.”
”A social spot? Grass Island doesn’t have anything like that~desuwa. If it were Water Island… wait. Don’t tell me—”
Kian’s teeth flashed white in a grin.
”There’s a nude beach on the west coast, isn’t there? Where people bathe under the moon. And after dark, the place fills with thrill-seekers, indulging in… everything.”
Grass Island might have been a tourist destination, but at night entertainment was scarce. Beyond taverns in the fishing villages—where drunken card games mingled with narcotics—the only allure was the secret beach. Wealthy young men and women flocked there, and rumor claimed it turned into an orgy every night.
Even Crete’s military authorities—the Lightning Knights, the garrison—turned a blind eye. To forbid the beach would provoke outrage among the rich islanders. In effect, it was a government-sanctioned free zone of vice.
Eugenia yanked off her beret, veins bulging at her temple as she rounded on him.
”Don’t tell me you’re ordering me to join some orgy~desuno!?”
”Of course not. You’re my woman. I’d never share you.”
”I never agreed to be your woman~desuwa! Just one date and you’re already claiming me? Don’t flatter yourself!”
Kian let his brows droop.
”Oh? Weren’t you going to take Ms. Amora’s place?”
”…Yes. I will.”
”I might have a look at that beach later. But what I’m more curious about is the village nearby—the one with fifty residents. They say alchemists and herbalists there sell all manner of goods to… enhance pleasure.”
”They live there, yes. A handful of shady weirdos.”
”You’ve been?”
”I was assigned to night patrol in that area once. The place is a menace. With all the noble brats flocking in, enforcement is impossible. And the noise! Didn’t their parents ever teach them to keep quiet at night~desuno?”
Kian spread his arms wide.
”Tonight’s destination is one of those shops. To buy… cleansing slimes, aphrodisiac lotions, adult toys.”
”Wha—!? C-cleansing slimes? You mean—!”
”You might be using them, Ms. Eugenia.”
”Wh—!”
”That’s why I want to choose together. Don’t worry. I’ll cover everything from my own pocket.”
”…!”
She froze, speechless. Then her knees quivered beneath her dress, and she looked up at him with sheer disbelief. As his grin widened lewdly, the black cloth over her mouth trembled.
”Very well,” she said at last. “I understand the purpose of tonight’s… date. But that shameless beach lies over ten kilometers away. With Physical Enhancement I could arrive quickly, but you—do you plan to use Leap continuously?”
”I’ve prepared transportation. Too conspicuous here, though. Let’s walk west for a while.”
”…Understood.”
She set off at once. The moon was thin, the land dark, but she walked untroubled, unafraid. Even knowing Kian’s overwhelming strength, she bared her back without hesitation.
”After seeing my power this afternoon, how can you carry yourself with such audacity? Are you really that much of a fool?” he asked, falling in step beside the twin-tailed knight.
”How rude! Calling someone a fool to their face—are you trying to start a fight~desuno?”
”Knowing I could snap your neck in an instant, yet still showing me your back—isn’t that stupidity? Even a wild rabbit has more sense.”
”You’re living in a mansion borrowed from the Chatillon family, aren’t you?”
”I am.”
She adjusted her cap, striding gracefully and noiselessly through the dark. Her eyes, larger than usual beneath the makeup, never left the path ahead.
”If you gleefully committed some grisly murder on this island, the repercussions would reach Chatillon as well. And your head magician in Izerland’s salon would find her political position severely strained. When I begged you to release Ms. Amora, I spoke for your sake too, Lord Kian. As a hero of Izerland, you should act in a manner befitting that title.”
Given how her comrades had gone out of their way to harass and even try to kill him during training, her lecture rang hollow. Still, she was not wrong, and so Kian held his tongue.
Eugenia spoke matter-of-factly.
”No matter how wary I am, against someone who can wield multiple secret techniques, I wouldn’t last ten seconds. I’d die anyway. So what good does it do to fret about the chance of death~~desuno? Far more constructive is to think about how I might correct your behavior~~desuwa.”
”C-correct me? You?”
She halted mid-step in a sudden Leap, looked up at him, then resumed walking.
”Yes. You’re like an undisciplined child—wasting money, treating women like objects, behaving as though the world revolves around you. Isn’t that shameful? You must be at least ten years older than I am.”
”You can tell my age just by looking at me?”
”Of course. Thirty, perhaps? Lord Jibril was twenty-eight, if I recall.”
”That’s not from my appearance, then.”
”――――”
For once, Eugenia faltered. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she murmured, “S-so~desuwa, that’s true.”
”You don’t seem afraid of me at all.”
”No, I am afraid. I’m simply choosing not to show it. You’d dislike being called a monster to your face, wouldn’t you? To treat someone that way is rude~desuno. That’s why I’ll interact with you as I would anyone else. If that displeases you, say so.”
Kian rumbled deep in his throat.
”Good. A girl like you will be worth making cry.”
”…For the record, I am afraid, so could you not say things like that? And I have younger siblings—eleven and twelve. They’re not yet adults. Please don’t kill them.”
”Whatever you think of me, I won’t. I’ll tease you sexually all I like, but I’ll always return you safely. And when you do, you’ll be begging to be trained by me again.”
Eugenia turned on him with a look one might give a madman, then silently faced forward once more.
Once they were well clear of the base, Kian signaled his beast Chinchin circling above to descend.
* * *
The ride west was filled with talk. Eugenia—Eu, as she was nicknamed—spoke of her past.
She was the current head of the Barba family, a knightly line long in service to Crete’s royal house. Eighteen years old.
Her parents, uncles, and aunts had all perished in the war ten years ago, fighting desperately to defend Azrael’s warrior monks from enemy magicians. All were killed in the end, magicians and kin alike.
She had then lived under her grandfather’s care until his death—ironically the very day after she passed the entrance exam to the Order of the Lightning Knights. Now she resided in the military dormitories with her younger brother and sister, thanks to Medea’s permission.
Though noble by classification, the Barba family had sold off all lands and holdings after the war. Nothing remained. Should she die in battle as her parents had, her siblings would at least survive on the insurance payout until adulthood. If the worst came, Captain Circe had agreed to serve as their guardian.
”That’s enough tragic backstory. Makes you harder to assault.”
”Haah!? You heartless man~~desuno! You might look handsome, but inside you’re the vilest scum~~desuwa!”
”Funny, that’s exactly what my fiancée wrote in her last letter—’scum.’”
”Obviously! She’s seen your true colors! …Wait, you do have a fiancée~desuno!?”
”You’re good, Eu. Ms. Amora and I are both boke-types. I needed someone to play the straight man.”
”Ms. Amora is obviously the straight man! And me? If anything, I’m more of a boke—nnhooohh!?”
”Ah, I forgot to mention we’re descending.”
”You… you perverted hero!”
Kian ignored her twitching, makeup-framed eyes as Chinchin brought them down.
Ahead, past a low rise, the beach spread out in a glitter of countless lights. To the right, inland, stood the shadow of a small settlement, warm lamplight spilling from its windows.
This was nothing like the villages on the eastern edge of the Franz Kingdom, which fell into pitch darkness after sunset. It was more akin to Chatillon, where night never truly ended.
From the beach came the rowdy cries of youth—”Woooh!” “Hahaha!”—echoing idiotically over the waves.
”Once more, I look forward to your company tonight, Lord Kian,” Eugenia said as she descended gracefully from Chinchin. He offered a hand; she placed her fingers upon it with perfect etiquette.
”You do realize this isn’t a date, don’t you? From here on, I’ll simply be doing indecent things to you.”
”――――”
”So then, may I touch your rear? And while we walk, cling to my arm. I’d like to grope you all the way to the village.”
”Eeeehhh…”
”Please. I want to touch the bottom of an eighteen-year-old knight.”
”Y-you’re disgusting.”
”Can’t I?”
When Kian let his shoulders sag, Eu sighed, lifted the hem of her coat slightly, and pressed close enough for her twin-tails to brush against him.
”…Go ahead.”
Her hair and nape carried a scent that thrilled him. Roses, sweetness, youth. Walking the sands like this, about to visit a nudist beach and a shop selling erotic tools—he nearly laughed at the thought of returning to Izerland and its nightmare of a double date.
Crete was paradise. So many pretty girls. Sex with Guria was exquisite, the affair with Amora delightful, and everywhere he turned there were young maidens in their blossoming teens.
’You should return to Izerland. Christina will cry if you don’t.’
(…Yes. That’s true.)
Christy… was she doing well? The thought flickered as his hand cupped Eugenia’s rear over her skirt. Though flat-chested and slender of limb, she had the firm, yielding buttocks of a warrior.
’Good muscle, born of effort. But lacking the natural strength to reach its true potential. A shame.’
”Fine ass.”
”You’re utterly revolting~desuno. Honestly, what am I even doing?” she muttered as his hand kneaded her.
Together they walked the sandy shore, heading toward the narrow woodland path around the hill.
”First, we’ll need cleansing slimes and an aphrodisiac lotion. Lead the way, Eu.”
”…Please, gods, don’t let me run into any of my colleagues—nhhooohhh!?”
As she whispered her prayer, his fingers pressed deeper into the cleft of her rear. Her proud blue eyes flared with anger as she glared up at him.
”Remember—you must prove to me that you’re more suited as my relief than Ms. Amora.”
”I-I know that already! Nngh…♡”
His hand traced teasing circles over her skirt. She twisted her body subtly, quickening her pace toward the path.
Notes:
• Amora – Scipio’s fiance, and the knight of crete.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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