Chapter 11: Deals that never work (9)

“Hmm, I feel exhausted even though it doesn’t seem like I did much.”

“Agreed. I just can’t seem to get used to this.”

“Isn’t Lady Natalia a noble? From a very prestigious family, no less.”

After my conversation with the princess, my companions, including the hero and even the usually stoic Laura, were venting their frustrations.

Natalia, in particular, looked the most worn out.

Well, being surrounded by the solemn king and countless officials would wear anyone out, even me, who usually blends into the background.

The pressure of making a direct report must be overwhelming.

Still, it was a little surprising that Natalia, from the illustrious Knightheart family, found such situations uncomfortable.

“Even as part of a prestigious family, I represent the military. I’m not very well-versed in this kind of thing.”

“Hmm… I see.”

While it was odd that a noblewoman from such a family had become a knight, I decided not to press further, seeing the rare darkness in Natalia’s expression.

For now, the most important thing was figuring out what Deros did in Eureka and how he acquired the magic stone.

There’s no point in thinking about other matters.

Moreover, if the currency revaluation turns out to be true and Deros needs a lot of money for it, he might delve into trading magic stones.

If I were the hero, I’d go after Deros first.

“Hero, are you busy today?”

“Huh? No, I don’t have anything planned.”

“Then… I’m sleeping over at your place tonight.”

Unlike the somber Natalia, Laura acted as if she didn’t even hear the hero’s comment about being exhausted, declaring she would stay the night.

Seriously, what a crazy little minx.

The thought of “Is she out of her mind?” came naturally, but seeing how the hero’s “Eyes of Charm” even ensnared the princess, it might be impossible to resist.

If that’s the case, Natalia is bound to join in, too.

While the situation isn’t bad for me—since it means I can visit Deros’s shop in peace—it’s still unsettling.

“What about you, Natalia?”

“No, I’m fine. I don’t really feel up for it today.”

“What? Why not?”

Laura, as if assuming the hero’s participation was a given, only asked Natalia, but her answer was unexpected.

You’re telling me she’s not going to sleep with the hero?

Coming from that living-onahole knight, her answer was so surprising that I accidentally let out a noise, and judging by his reaction, the hero felt the same way.

“Natalia… are you serious?”

“Ah, sorry, hero. I just want to be alone today.”

“Well, that’s fine by me, but…”

Welcoming her refusal to sleep together seems a bit strange.

True to form as a degenerate eroge protagonist, he didn’t even consider her feelings.

Still, it was unusual for Natalia, that temptress, to refuse.

Could it be that the hypnosis is wearing off?

“Then, let’s part ways here. Sarah, you’ll be on leave until His Majesty calls again, right? Do you have any plans?”

“Oh, I think I’ll be busy for a while, so you don’t need to worry about me, hero.”

What a pervert.

Claiming to be tired but still scheming—does his head run purely on lust?

I can understand wanting to assault the saint, but there’s no way I’d let that happen.

Sorry, but this game has to end in a bad ending.

I must never fall for the hero’s tricks.

“Well then, everyone, good work today.”

“… Goodbye.”

Laura climbed into the hero’s carriage, and we exchanged farewells.

Natalia had already left, and the hero just waved silently.

Only Laura responded to my goodbye, and she looked overjoyed.

Well, she gets to monopolize the hero for the night, after all.

Today, I’ll graciously play Cupid for them.

“To the commercial district, please.”

“Yes, I’ll take you there comfortably.”

I boarded the carriage prepared by the royal palace and gave my destination.

Naturally, the carriage was heading to the commercial district.

I needed to meet Deros there.

The red glow of the setting sun had vanished, and the moon was beginning to rise.

The city began to light up with luminous stones, creating a beautiful scene.

“Isn’t it a nice night view?”

“… It is.”

The remarks of people full of hometown pride usually sound the same, but this time, the coachman’s words genuinely resonated with me.

The view, with boats drifting through the canals and the multi-colored glowing stones scattered throughout the city, was stunning—so much so that I couldn’t help but marvel, “Is this really a fantasy world?”

If only this weren’t an eroge, I might have wanted to live here forever.

But in the end, an eroge is an eroge.

And I have no desire to live my entire life as a woman.

So, such fleeting wishes vanish like bubbles.

“Here we are.”

“Thank you. No need to wait for me; you can head back right away.”

“Hohoho, thank you for your consideration.”

The coachman expressed his gratitude repeatedly and turned the carriage around.

Since Deros’s shop was at the far edge of the commercial district, it was close enough to walk back to my lodging.

There was no need to make the coachman wait.

On my way to Deros’s shop, I realized something—

I was still wearing the ceremonial robes I had on when I entered the royal palace.

No wonder… People kept staring at me. Damn, with a walking brothel right in front of them, who wouldn’t stare?

Fortunately, as I got closer to the shop, the area was deserted—

Not a single soul or even an ant in sight.

At least the embarrassment of my outfit subsided a bit in that solitude.

Knock, knock.

I rapped on the closed door of Deros’s shop.

Even though night had fallen, he probably hadn’t finished cleaning up yet.

But strangely, there wasn’t a hint of movement inside.

“… I’m coming in?”

If Deros wasn’t around, this was my chance.

Though he likely had things well-hidden, if I could uncover information about Eureka or the magic stone, it would be a jackpot.

So, I had no choice but to enter the dark, unlit shop.

The only problem was that Deros was a shrewd merchant.

Shrewd merchants never take a break—

Even late at night, they’d secretly shave off the edges of coins or double-layer the bottoms of sacks to avoid taxes.

The key takeaway? They always have shady dealings going on.

“Oh, what’s this? A guest?”

But whatever shady dealings Deros was up to, I’d never know.

Because Deros was lying there, a cold corpse.

Moonlight, previously obscured by clouds, now spilled through the window.

As my vision adjusted, I saw it—a man with black hair, covered in blood, standing near Deros’s body, which had a hole in its chest.

“Listen, you won’t believe the lengths I went to for that magic stone.

Turns out, getting Eureka’s magic stone from Deros was impossible.

So, I figured I’d just use him and toss him aside.

But those bastards not only intercepted the magic stone midway but also alerted the saint to it, didn’t they?”

The man, who had the same black hair as the hero, grinned widely as he rambled on.

His sharp teeth and upturned lips were occasionally visible.

I thought of running, but for some reason, my body wouldn’t move.

It wasn’t like I had trouble breathing, yet my breaths became shallow, and my lungs screamed for air, as if trying to expel everything inside me.

That’s how unnerving the man’s behavior was.

And Deros’s mutilated corpse surpassed anything I could have imagined.

“See? I had no choice but to kill him. Right?”

Then the man pressed his forehead against mine, locking eyes with me.

The action was unsettling—what was its purpose?

“Haha, as I thought, it doesn’t work. The Eyes of Charm are reserved for one hero only, huh? What a shame.

I had so much fun with it.”

Speaking nonchalantly about the magic stone and even the Eyes of Charm, the man continued.

Before I could make sense of what he was saying, another figure appeared, throwing me further into confusion.

“I find your claim of ‘interception’ distasteful.

Wasn’t it part of the agreement?”

“We were discovered by the saint because of you.”

The newcomer had skin as pale as porcelain and wore a gothic suit.

What stood out were the large bat wings protruding from his back and the ram’s horns curling from his head.

An incubus.

One of the late-game bosses who, alongside the succubus, approaches the hero.

Their goal is to steal the magic stone the hero possesses.

But in the game, the succubus ends up hypnotized, becoming the hero’s s*ave.

Naturally, the incubus gets double-crossed by the succubus and dies.

The key to defeating them lies in strengthening the Eyes of Charm to resist the succubus’s allure.

But why was an endgame character here now?

It didn’t make sense.

“Well, no matter.

I’ll leave this to you, so don’t mess it up.”

“Don’t worry.

I’ve already absorbed the magic stone, so I won’t go down easily.”

The mysterious man disappeared like smoke, leaving just the incubus and me in the shop.

At least the suffocating pressure on my chest was gone.

“… What the hell is going on?”

“Greetings. My name is Cain, and for now, I’m cooperating with the hero.”

But the unfortunate part was that the incubus, who had introduced himself as Cain, began raising his claws toward me.

Damn it.

That damned hero—when did he start pulling this crap behind my back?