I returned home from that tea party Naoise had invited me to.

When I say ‘returned home’, I don’t mean to the Tuatha Dé mansion, but to the room we were renting at the castle.

I did what I came to do. Even if Meena tried to do anything to Naoise and his knights, it would be no use.

Naoise’s pride as a knight would force him to abide by the decision he made for that duel and keep away from Meena.

…One thing that concerned me was that thirst for power Naoise showed at the end. If his thirst for power was stronger than his pride, then there was a possibility that Meena would take advantage of it.

After all, she was a demon. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that she was capable of granting power to humans.

Which was why I contacted Maha using my secret communication network to arrange for surveillance to be put in place.

While doing so, the girls and I took a hot bath and washed ourselves in our respective rooms, then we changed our clothes and gathered in the communal area.

We had a meeting to chat and discuss our plans for tomorrow and beyond.

[This room is so convenient you’d want to live in it forever.] (Dia)

[As a servant, I feel uncomfortable here, as if the meaning of my existence could waver at any moment.] (Tarte)

The room we were renting had a large communal area, a bedroom for each of us, a kitchen, and a complete set of equipment, probably because it was a room for state guests.

The food and drinks were of the finest quality and at our disposal, and most of them were delivered to us as soon as we ordered them.

[Yeah, it’s comfortable here, but I feel more at home in Tuatha Dé, and I prefer the meals Tarte makes for me.] (Lugh)

[I am glad to hear it.] (Tarte)

[I really have to start picking up cooking after all. And your mother did say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.] (Dia)

[Ahem…! Anyway, let’s talk about our plans for tomorrow.] (Lugh)

…I chose to attend Naoise’s tea party, but there was actually one more invitation I accepted. The kind that I could never, ever turn down.

Now that I had the title of Holy Knight, I could avoid practically any kinds of situations and events, but there were still a few exceptions.

[Tomorrow, I’m meeting with Duke Romanlung. …I can’t believe they’re sending out invitations in joint names with the royal family. There’s no escaping this one. And the reason for that is their reason for meeting me.] (Lugh)

The sender was, like Naoise’s family, House Gephis, one of the four major dukedoms.

It was also the household that was deeply involved with the hidden side of Tuatha Dé.

Tuatha Dé only wielded its blade for the sake of the country. Therefore, we could only act on orders from the royal family.

However, that wasn’t to say that we accepted every single royal order given to us.

Duke Romanlung, one of the four major dukes, was the one who judged whether their orders were really in the best interests of the country or not, and entrusted those tasks to Tuatha Dé.

And when we completed our assassinations, he was the one who reported it as contracted service to our nation.

To sum it up, he was Tuatha Dé’s boss.

And the fact that he was entrusted with that duty meant that he was the most trusted nobleman in the whole kingdom.

To begin with, I had been looking for an opportunity to greet the daughter of House Romanlung since the day we enrolled at the academy, but there had been so much trouble to deal with I had to postpone that plan.

And now that I was in the royal capital, I was finally going to meet her.

…One wrong move, or even just half of one, and it’s not just my life, but all of Tuatha Dé that is forfeit.

Of course, that was making me nervous.

[Say, Lugh. I don’t suppose I can come along with you, can I?] (Dia)

[They’re awfully strict. It says here that I’m only allowed to bring one attendant with me, but I can’t bring anyone else.] (Lugh)

[What do you think would happen if we disobeyed them and I came along with you?] (Dia)

[This letter was stamped with the royal seal. If we disobeyed an order from the king, I would be the only one to be executed at best.] (Lugh)

[Ugh… When you put it like that, I can’t deny it. Tarte, be sure to protect Lugh for me as well, okay?] (Dia)

[Yes, you can count on me! I will protect Lugh-sama even if it costs my life!] (Tarte)

As always, Tarte was passionate about her duty.

[I appreciate your enthusiasm, but you need to take care of yourself. I’d be sad if my precious Tarte got hurt.] (Lugh)

[Ehh…!? Please… Calling me precious is…] (Tarte)

Tarte blushed and pressed her cheeks.

[So you can naturally say stuff like that sometimes.] (Dia)

[I just try to be honest with my feelings, especially towards you two and Maha.] (Lugh)

We were a team.

I wanted as few secrets as possible between us.

…But it was precisely because I was hiding a lot from them that I thought that way.

[Hmm. But I feel sorry for her since when you do that, you always get her into the mood only to leave her hanging afterwards. You too Tarte, you gotta go for it without hesitation. For some reason, Lugh has been obsessing over that sexy lady as of late. Apparently, he’s not satisfied with me alone. So we need your sex appeal, Tarte.] (Dia)

[S-Sex Appeal?] (Tarte)

[That’s right. I don’t mind sharing Lugh with you, and I’d much rather have him be satisfied with you than let that old lady take him away from us.] (Dia)

[…I told you already, I don’t see Countess Granfelt that way.] (Lugh)

[Yeah, I know. And I’m sure of it after what I saw today. You think of her as an enemy. I was just messing with you a bit. I’m going to go back to my room. I want to work on the magic spell that flashed into my mind at lunch.] (Dia)

Dia said as much or as little as she wanted, then she went back to her room.

[Oh, by the way, I’ll be wearing earplugs today to help me concentrate, and once I concentrate on magical research, I won’t be able to hear anything else. Good luck!] (Dia)

Said Dia in a suggestive tone.

After she was gone, I glanced at Tarte once more, and she was blushing even harder.

Then she squeezed out her voice.

[Um, Lugh-sama… Do… Do you remember when I said that I would be more useful to you if I used sexual acts for assassination?] (Tarte)

[I do. Then I put a stop to that.] (Lugh)

One of the assassination techniques, seduction, was noticeably effective and had been used since time immemorial.

Tarte’s beauty, sexiness, and gestures that unintentionally aroused men’s curiosity were innate in her.

However, her personality wasn’t suited for this.

And above all, I didn’t want her to engage in that sort of practice.

[After you stopped me, I said that I would not learn seduction techniques for assassination, and that I wanted to use them to attend to you as your maid. I remember your reply back then.『We’ll talk about it some other time. I don’t feel like embracing a girl who was quivering just from being pushed down by a guy.』] (Tarte)

[Yeah, I did say that.] (Lugh)

To my surprise, she remembered it word for word.

[So… Would you mind if… that ‘other time’ was now?] (Tarte)

[Why bring that up all of a sudden?] (Lugh)

[It’s not sudden! I’ve always wanted you to make love to me, but I was a little scared of that, so I’ve been trying my best to stop being scared because you said that time will come once I’m not scared anymore. I’ve been refraining from asking you to make love to me. But you’ve started deepening your relationship with Dia-sama, you’ve seen other women too, and you’ve been eyeing that lewd lady as well… I don’t want to wait any longer.] (Tarte)

…She was looking composed, but was she actually concerned about what I did with Dia and how I’m dealing with Meena?

The latter was a completely false accusation, though.

[Haah. Tarte, let’s just settle down for today.] (Lugh)

Tarte looked as if it was the end of the world, and I felt a pain in my chest.

I guess I wasn’t clear enough.

[It’s not that I don’t want to sleep with you. But you’re still under the residual effects of【Beastification】, right? If you decide something without cooling down first, you’ll regret it afterwards.] (Lugh)

[That has nothing to do with this! I have always felt that way! Besides, I can only say this now, when I’m not thinking straight!] (Tarte)

…She got so excited her manner of speaking got strange, and she said something really outrageous at the end.

[You were frightened last time, but now you’re actually ready, right?] (Lugh)

[I’ve been studying! And right now, I just want you so much I could eat you up, so I’m not afraid at all!] (Tarte)

[Studying, huh. Then I suppose that’s why you were observing us yesterday.] (Lugh)

[Hyauh!? This can’t be…! Oh no… You knew I was there?] (Tarte)

[There was no way I wouldn’t notice you. Not when you were staring at us that hard.] (Lugh)

Besides, Tarte was doing more than just peeping at us.

[Ughh… Um, well… I apologize. I was too curious.] (Tarte)

[I forgive you this time. But please don’t do that again. If you want to watch us so badly, ask Dia for permission next time.] (Lugh)

[I won’t do it again!] (Tarte)

Tarte answered immediately.

At that moment, I forcibly and tightly hugged her.

Then, I felt her body with my hands.

[Looks like you really are fine now.] (Lugh)

Last time, she was frozen stiff and trembling, but now she was different.

She felt soft, she let me embrace her, and she hugged me back.

[I will not be afraid of you anymore, Lugh-sama. So… Please take care of me.] (Tarte)

[Alright. Then let’s go to my room.] (Lugh)

[Yes, sir… Please enjoy yourself with me.] (Tarte)

It was typical of Tarte to ask me not to be gentle with her, but to enjoy myself with her. She was putting me as her first priority.

She really was a good girl.

And that’s why I wanted to take good care of her and love her.

I’ll take the lead to make her first time the best experience of her life.

Also, I should do something about the door.

I had a feeling that Dia was anticipating this, or rather, that she had been instigating Tarte.

I was convinced Dia wouldn’t peek through the keyhole like Tarte did, but I had to be careful, just in case.