After my secret meeting with Meena the snake demon was over, I went back to the room the girls and I were borrowing.

The negotiations went well in my opinion.

They were mutually beneficial for both of us, and there was enough credibility to back them up.

I opened the door to my room.

[Oh look, the cheater is back.] (Dia)

[Welcome back, Lugh-sama.] (Tarte)

I was greeted by Dia and Tarte.

Dia was pouting and puffing up her cheeks, while Tarte had a sad face and her eyes were moist.

Their reactions were so predictable I almost laughed.

Tarte took my coat and hung it on the wall.

[I wasn’t having an affair. It was for a job.] (Lugh)

[What kind of job does it take to meet with a woman with that much sex appeal? She definitely has a thing for you too. She wants to eat you up.] (Dia)

Eat me up… That does sound accurate.

In more ways than one.

[I need Countess Granfelt for her influence. With her, I can have quick access to this country’s information, and act more easily.] (Lugh)

[Liar, as if a countess could have that much political strength.] (Dia)

The ranks of the nobility were, in descending order, duke > margrave = marquess > count > viscount > baron > knight.

Normally, she didn’t have that much influence, just as Dia said.

[Even if she doesn’t have that much authority herself, the men she has ensnared do. I can only wonder how many of the metropolitans she’s made into hole brothers.] (Lugh)

[Um, Lugh-sama, what is a “hole brother”?] (Tarte)

Tarte tilted her head.

Since I was having a hard time explaining it, Dia spoke up.

[That’s what you call men who’ve had sex with the same woman. So what Lugh just said was that that sultry woman seduces one influential metropolitan after the other. By the way, if Lugh made a move on both you and me, we would become rod sisters. That’s the female version of hole brothers.] (Dia)

[Hyauh…!] (Tarte)

Tarte’s face turned bright red.

I guess it was too stimulating for her to hear.

On the other hand, as someone who had been part of nobility for so long, Dia was used to that sort of conversation.

[Hmm… So, Lugh, I guess you’re part of her ‘brotherhood’ now.] (Dia)

[If I had really done it with her, I wouldn’t have returned so soon. I can’t tell you everything in detail, but my relationship with her is strictly business-like. She did try to tempt me, but your face flashed in my mind, and I rejected her.] (Lugh)

When I took Dia into my arms, her body was stiff at first, but then she relaxed her muscles.

[…Okay, I‘ll believe you. She didn’t leave that much of her scent on you, anyway.] (Dia)

[Thanks. Do you believe in me as well, Tarte?] (Lugh)

[Of course. You are not a lecher after all, Lugh-sama.] (Tarte)

I wouldn’t say that I wasn’t lecherous.

I had as much libido as my age would imply.

Although, I wasn’t so childish that I would say it out loud.

[Um, Lugh-sama. A letter from Naoise-sama has arrived.] (Tarte)

[From Naoise?] (Lugh)

Come to think of it, Marquis Granvallen, who brought us here in his monster carriage, expressly told me that he was one of Naoise’s comrades on the way here.

That’s why I was expecting Naoise to make a move, but I didn’t think he would do it now.

[What should I do with this? I’ve got more than enough excuses to refuse, but…] (Lugh)

[You have received plenty of invitations. Um, you have received this many other invitations since your absence.] (Tarte)

Tarte spread a bundle of written invitations on my desk.

There was a mountain of invitations to parties and other events.

Our stay in the royal capital couldn’t last, I wanted to pick the most worthwhile of them, and rejecting all of them would be a politically valid decision since choosing any of them could worsen my relationships.

…No matter which of them I chose, the designated group would surely brag to everybody else about how I, the Holy Knight, had chosen to join them.

I was the Holy Knight, a “Chosen One” who had received an oracle from the Goddess, and I even had a track record of killing demons.

In the eyes of all the aristocrats, I was an attractive and promising existence that would keep climbing the social ladder from now on.

[It’s not just tea parties, they even sent me mating requests.] (Lugh)

[You’re so very popular, I see.] (Dia)

[How dare they…!? Lugh-sama is not a horse!] (Tarte)

The objects of those requests were self-explanatory.

The stronger your magic, the higher the probability that your children would be born with it, and that was what they were after.

Using money to hire a high-spec man to conceive a child with when one’s male partner was deceased or impotent was common practice.

Still, even if said partner was still alive and had no sexual dysfunction whatsoever, the couple may still desire a strong man’s essence for their household.

…This tendency was more common in higher-ranking families, especially those that had adopted their son-in-laws, and one of them was among the ones who had sent me those requests.

Once, there was a man who was renowned for his strength. A prestigious noble who wanted a child from that man thoroughly investigated which brothel was his favorite, had his daughter pretend to be a prostitute, and rigged the contraceptives so she would get pregnant. That kind of anecdote was a testimony of how much nobles wanted to leave behind excellent descendants.

Of course, there were also surrogate babies born from high-spec mothers hired with money, but men had fewer hurdles to overcome, so it was easier for them to do it.

[An aristocrat’s status is determined by the power of their mana, and they would discard everything about ethics to achieve that. Same goes for respecting people’s feelings, because those requests might as well be a roundabout way of asking me if I didn’t want to leave a proof of my existence behind in case I died in battle against the demons.] (Lugh)

[Anyone would rather back off if they were told something like that.] (Dia)

[Um, what is your opinion on this, Lugh-sama?] (Tarte)

[I agree with Dia. I don’t want to think about what would happen after I die.] (Lugh)

Tarte looked dejected by my reply.

…I hope she’s not saying that if I ever wanted to leave a proof of my existence behind, she would give me a hand with that.

I feel like her brakes have been coming loose lately. I’d better watch out.

I skimmed through the participation letters.

Not just Naoise’s, but all of them.

Naoise was my friend, but that wasn’t a good enough reason to give him priority.

And finally, I read his letter.

It contained a list of participants.

They were all young and talented people. That selection was very typical of Naoise.

And then…

[Tarte, I’ve written a letter for Naoise. Put it in an envelope and deliver it to him.] (Lugh)

[Understood. Ah, so this means you will attend his party.] (Tarte)

[Are you sure about that? Even though there are other parties where you could make more connections instead of wasting time with a bunch of kids playing knights.] (Dia)

[That’s harsh.] (Lugh)

A faction of young talents. It was only a group of people whose skills were recognized, but who had no achievements, and no influence on anything.

In the first place, most of them hadn’t even taken over as heads of their families yet.

Saying that they were playing knights, as Dia put it, was pretty fitting.

Even so, I decided to go.

[There’s a name on the list that I can’t overlook. The name of Countess Granfelt is written jointly with that of Marquis Granvallen.] (Lugh)

There was no way I could ignore Countess Granfelt… the snake demon, Meena.

The reason her name was written together with that of Marquis Granvallen, who brought us here in his monster carriage, was probably because both of their families were related to Gran, but that snake woman wouldn’t do anything without a motive either.

Naoise was in danger, and I was also concerned about those young talents he had assembled.

That snake woman was indeed smiling suggestively as I left her room back then, but was it because she knew we would meet for the third time?

Once again, she beat me to the punch.

[Ugh, I knew it, you like that lewd woman.] (Dia)

[…So Lugh-sama… has a thing for lewd women like her… I-I’ll work on it!] (Tarte)

[It’s not that I personally wish to see her. It’s just that leaving her to her own devices could prove dangerous. Especially among a crowd of clueless sheep.] (Lugh)

If they weren’t careful, Naoise and those other promising youths would fall victim to that woman.

Even if they were currently inexperienced, they were still the ones who would eventually carry this country on their shoulders.

Dia was looking at me suspiciously.

If I told her that that woman was a demon, she would surely consent to my decision, but my agreement with her forbade me from saying it.

No matter who I was dealing with, I always abided by my contracts.

So I decided to convince her another way.

I gave Dia a kiss.

It happened so suddenly that she just widened her eyes in surprise, while Tarte covered her face with her hands… and peeked through the gaps.

[I see you don’t believe me. I’m telling you, you’re the one I love the most, Dia. Let’s go to the other room. I’ll prove it to you through my actions.] (Lugh)

As I said that, I carried Dia like a princess.

She didn’t struggle.

[Gosh, you sure can be forceful sometimes.] (Dia)

[Do you hate it?] (Lugh)

[…I don’t. I want you to love me too, Lugh.] (Dia)

[Then let’s go.] (Lugh)

I hadn’t made love to Dia in a while.

Somehow, doing it in the Tuatha Dé mansion was hard.

With the exception of the meeting room, my dad’s office, and the torture room, the Tuatha Dé mansion wasn’t very soundproof.

…And although the soundproofing wasn’t great, there were two people who would listen in.

However, we were now in the royal castle.

We could make love in peace.

[I-I will go send the letter!] (Tarte)

Tarte’s face turned deep red, then she took the letter and left the room.

It was thoughtful of her.

Let’s not let her consideration go to waste, and make out to our heart’s content.