I responded to Patricia's words with skepticism.
"…Really?"
"Yes… Should I tell you who it is?"
"Yeah, tell me."
As I listened to Patricia, I asked Armonia a question.
'Armonia.'
[Yes.]
'Who is Berius?'
[…He is the prince who lived next to Lena.]
'Ah, that brat.'
Wait, wasn't it Aronia Beri?
I'm the type who doesn't bother memorizing names of people unrelated to me, so I'd forgotten his name.
But the brat himself was impossible to forget.
'Damn bastard, how can I forget what he did to Lena and hugging Viola?'
[You did forget his name, though.]
'When playing a game, I don't memorize every extra's name.'
It felt like a waste of energy to even remember the names of such insignificant characters.
Patricia whispered in my ear and pointed in a direction with her eyes.
"She's the one, sleeping in the corner of the bed over there."
"Hoh…"
I immediately checked her traits.
======
[Name: Melia]
[-Traits-]
[Saintly], [Maternal], [Selfish], [Emotional], [Guilt]…
======
Judging by the traits, it seemed like she was just taking care of him out of pity.
'Ah… So she doesn't actually like him, just gives him some attention.'
[Also, among the women here, she seems the weakest in presence.]
Earlier, I noticed that the others were actively trying to seduce me, she was more passive.
Still, seeing that "selfish" was listed among her traits, she wasn't really any different from the others here.
She was probably just pitying Berius.
But the fact that she felt pity for him was a red flag for me.
'I can't just let this slide.'
[…?]
'Right now, it might just be one person pitying him, but if it becomes two or three, everyone might start tiptoeing around the brat. Emotions are contagious.'
If all human hearts were purely evil, that itself would be a form of order. But when genuine kindness appears, people start recognizing the line between good and evil.
They begin to restrain their wickedness, conscious of the goodness within them.
'Well, I don't have to worry about someone like Patricia, but if the other five also catch this pity, even she might start holding back.'
[If today really is the last day, I think we should cut this off decisively.]
'Hmm… What should I do…?'
I stroked Patricia's lower abdomen, where her vulva tattoo was engraved, as she looked up at me and wagged her head like she was begging for praise.
"Hngk…!"
"Okay."
"…?"
Before leaving this place, I'll give you one last gift, Berius.
***
After putting Patricia to sleep, I headed to the humans' quarters in stealth mode.
And as I moved around in stealth, I noticed one thing…
"Wh-Who's there?! Uh… S-Sorry!"
"You there, lurking around! Stop right—uh… S-Sorry!"
"Die! Uh… S-Sorry!"
I got caught everywhere I went.
On top of that, using stealth unnecessarily led to weird misunderstandings…
'Now that I think about it, this is the Demon King's Castle. Trying to sneak around with just Level 8 Stealth was the problem.'
[You'd need at least Level 20 to bypass such tight security. And even then, it'd depend on luck.]
'Good thing I didn't try this at the Hero Academy. I'd have been caught immediately.'
The Demon King's Castle and the Hero Academy's disciplinary building were different in scale, but since both were key strongholds for important figures, they couldn't be too different.
Not wanting to invite misunderstandings, I dropped stealth and headed openly to the humans' quarters.
Just as I arrived and was about to sneak into the building…
"Ah, gotta pee…"
"…"
Sensing someone coming out, I pressed against the wall and activated stealth again.
As I awkwardly hid, a man with sleepy eyes trudged out of the building entrance, rubbing his eyes.
"Damn it… Why do I have to walk all the way to that outhouse every time I need to piss…"
".…"
Even though I should've been in his line of sight, he didn't notice me at all and headed to the outhouse.
I openly followed him, laughing inwardly.
'Hah, if I level this up, it'll be insane. Wasn't that guy just pretending not to see me?'
[It's definitely a huge help for survival. If you have the chance, I recommend raising it before other offensive skills.]
'Got it. I'll think about that later…'
The outhouse wasn't too far.
About a 20-second walk from the building.
'Ugh… I could never do my business in a place like that.'
[The hygiene does look terrible.]
The exterior was bad enough, but the moment I got close, a foul stench hit me.
The nobleman arrived at the outhouse and started banging on the door of a small shack next to it.
"Hey! Come out!"
"Ugh…"
After some aggressive knocking, someone opened the door irritably and stepped out.
Though his appearance had changed a lot, I recognized him immediately.
'No way… Is he living here? Ugh…'
[I doubt it's by choice.]
No one would willingly live like this.
Probably forced into this shack to handle the humans' needs.
The brat grumbled and went into the outhouse with the nobleman for some quality (?) time before coming back out.
Still dutifully removing chastity belts, I see.
Since he's being blackmailed with Lena's safety, he's still working hard.
To test my stealth, I openly stood next to them and listened to their conversation.
Neither noticed me at all.
"Ugh… Damn it, why do I have to do this every night…"
"That's my line."
"Shut up… Well, I'm out. Prince of the Outhouse."
The brat scowled at the nobleman's mocking words before speaking quietly.
"…Where are the women today?"
"Why? Gonna jerk off looking at their skirts?"
"N-No!! It's just… no one came today."
"Dunno. They were called away for something important, so they're not coming back tonight."
"…"
The nobleman left, uninterested in the brat's response.
The brat stood still until the nobleman was gone, then muttered to himself and went back into the shack.
"Mel's not coming today either…"
Once he was inside, I dropped stealth and headed to the guest room.
'Seriously, the moment Lena's gone, his eyes wander?'
[He might see her as separate from Lena.]
Armonia's theory was that if Lena was his protector, this noble girl Melia was just a temporary emotional crutch.
Whether his feelings were good or bad, I didn't like it.
'Alright, then… Let's go write a vow!'
Humming, I walked to the guest room with light footsteps.
***
The six noblewomen woke up around noon and started chattering noisily.
"Ah! Waking up during the day feels so good!"
"Seriously… It's been so long…"
"I don't care about anything else, but at least let us sleep like this…"
They all chatted cheerfully while looking at me with pleading eyes, begging me to take them with me.
I smiled and spoke.
"Let's eat first. Since we're all here, let's have a meal together."
"Yay!"
At my words, they quickly changed clothes and rushed out to prepare food.
With them gone, the room fell dead silent.
'Speaking of which, what's Beatrice up to?'
[Probably saying her final goodbyes to her colleagues.]
'…'
I guarantee it—tomorrow will be the day fireworks go off in the Demon King's Castle.
Beatrice was a pitiful one too.
The Demon King's subordinates were all massive, exceptionally powerful beings.
Meanwhile, Beatrice just wandered in and out of the hero's dreams once, yet she held a high-ranking position. No wonder they resented her.
With no real friends, she spent her time with her underlings.
The problem was, having lived without friends for so long, she played pranks without hesitation—pranks she shouldn't have.
Now that Beatrice is part of our family, there won't be any issues.
Though it'd be awkward if she wanted to return…
'I'll check on Beatrice tonight.'
Lying on the bed, I stared at the ceiling and communicated.
'Armonia, tell Viola and Lena I'll be late.'
[Already done.]
I chuckled and kept staring at the ceiling.
'Hehe… The vow… How effective will it be?'
***
Patricia's voice echoed softly in the dark hallway of the Demon King's Castle, accompanied by the sound of her shoes.
"Haa… You'll take me next time, right?"
Patricia muttered weakly as she headed back to her quarters.
She had clung to Seong Suho, crying and begging, when he said today was his last day, but he only apologized and promised to return someday.
Still, that promise was hope for Patricia and the other noblewomen.
With that hope, they could endure a little longer.
The bold, defiant Patricia from when they first met was long gone.
To her, Seong Suho was now a savior.
The belief that he would save her bloomed in her heart—and with it, her lower abdomen grew hotter.
"Haa… Ever since last night… Something feels off. It feels too good…"
Unable to see her own vulva tattoo, Patricia mistakenly thought it was just the effect of her love.
As she walked, giggling and stroking her lower abdomen, she suddenly felt the urge to pee.
"Haa… The guest room today was so nice… Now I have to use this filthy place again…"
Nearing her quarters, Patricia grumbled and turned toward the outhouse.
When she arrived, Berius was just finishing cleaning and stepping out.
"Hey, I need to pee. Take off my underwear."
"Ugh…"
"…Could you at least speak nicely?"
Normally, Patricia would've let it slide, but something boiled inside her.
'Haa… What's this…? I feel weird.'
She couldn't pinpoint the feeling.
Patricia entered the outhouse and lifted her maid skirt as usual.
Under the moonlight, her chastity belt was fully visible.
Berius, annoyed but also excited, began removing it.
As he did, Patricia's heart started pounding wildly.
'Haa… Haa… Wh-What's this…? My heart feels like it'll burst…'
It was just a routine act, but seeing Berius holding her underwear made her body burn.
'This… This… Haa… Haa… I can't take it anymore!!'
With her skirt still lifted, Patricia pressed her crotch right in front of Berius' face.
Stunned by her unusual behavior, Berius stared at her groin.
"Wh-What are you doing?! Hurry up!"
"You… You're so rude…"
"Wh-What? Aaah!!"
Patricia dropped her skirt, grabbed a nearby mop, and started swinging at him.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
"Aah!! Wh-What are you doing?! It hurts!!"
"Haa!! You deserve this!!"
Madness overflowed in Patricia's eyes, filling Berius with terror.
She'd scolded and flicked him before, but never like this.
Berius, unable to comprehend the situation, couldn't defend himself.
His hands were tied by the chastity belt, and Patricia's fury left him no room to resist.
After a relentless beating, Patricia finally stopped, panting heavily.
"Haa… Haa… If you act up again… Haa… I'll beg Master to turn Lena into a cripple! Got it?!"
"Ghk…"
Berius' face was bruised, and he could barely speak.
Patricia finished her business, reattached her chastity belt, and left the outhouse.
'Th-this feels… so good? Hehe…'
A twisted smile hung on her lips as she walked back.
***
Holding my nose behind the outhouse, I watched Patricia leave and muttered:
"The effect is undeniable."
I checked Patricia's vow as she walked away excitedly.
======
[Patricia (Subjugation Stage 1)]
Vow: When with Berius at the outhouse, her sadistic tendencies activate.
======
***
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