As he briskly walked through the streets of Starwater City alone, Reivan forced his hood down while subtly making sure the special skin mask was securely stuck to his face.

'I sure hope nobody sees me...'

He had long since upgraded from the silver ring that shrouded him in an illusion that would break when someone touched the affected area. The special skin mask he was wearing was a finely crafted tool made by an Ascendant artificer that offered their knowledge when they found out about Reivan's... overt activities.

With the skin mask, he would be at ease. As long as he wasn't subjected to a thorough anti-magic check like the ones at country borders and didn't meet a non-ally Ascendant, he was confident his disguise would never be seen through.

'Everything's ready...'

Reivan gulped at what he was setting out to do. He'd even called in a favor for the Sword Star to sneak him out of the palace without anyone else noticing. Naturally, he needed the old man to guard him too... until he entered a more private setting.

Luckily, the old man was quite fond of him and consented to his late-night requests, in exchange for the very minor favor of visiting more often.

'Shit. Maybe I shouldn't do this after all...'

Reivan was starting to get cold feet but he shook his head and continued walking. He had to get rid of this annoying feeling today. Any more interruption to his royal duties would be far too detrimental. Who knew when the heat would abate if he just left it alone?

Anyway, it definitely wasn't because he wanted to have steaming hot sex with a beautiful woman.

'Yeah... yeah. I'm doing this for the nation! It is essential that I'm at my best so I can fulfill my duties to the state. I'm not just some horny bastard!'

Feeling as if he had sufficiently gaslighted himself, Reivan walked with lighter steps to his destination.

Reivan looked up and marveled once again at the Serpent's Haven. It really was amazing that the abused prostitute he rescued a year ago managed to build something so grand within a year of being saved — even if she did have help from him and Ouroboros.

'Anyway, now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't come here using my identity as Ken.'

Wouldn't it reduce his prestige as the organization's boss if he was caught sneaking into one of his own brothels? Sure, The Haven was marketed as a type of bar right now, but people fucked in there sometimes, so it had naturally built up a reputation as a seedy establishment.

'Elsamina and the girls would never look at me the same.'

With all of that in mind, Reivan ducked into a nearby alley so he could readjust the illusion masking his face and maybe change his clothes.

"Eh? Is that you, Master?"

"...huh?"

Reivan squinted as his eyes cut through the darkness of the alley. Despite the lack of light, a figure came into focus —a young woman with lustrous, dark brown hair, concealed beneath a long hooded cloak that concealed everything below her neck.

"Aila?" he muttered, immediately recognizing her from her brilliant amber eyes.

"Yes, it's me. Wow, you recognized me even though it was so dark?" Aila smiled sweetly as she ran up to him, hooking her left arm around his. Her other carrying a small package wrapped in paper. "What brings you here so late at night? Goodness, did you come for me?"

Reivan hesitated for a moment. His initial plan was to come in as a customer. Then try his best to charm one of the ladies into giving some special service. He even brought quite a bit of money to help smoothen the deal.

But Aila's discovery of him and the memory of what she'd told him before raced through his mind. He cleared his throat and feigned confidence. "I decided to take you up on your earlier offer."

The woman's eyes widened as her mouth gaped in shock. "Really? You're not just teasing me are you...?"

"Yes..."

'I'm going all-in now!'

There was no backing out now that he'd been discovered. He may as well step forth with confidence!

"Oh my..." Aila covered her mouth as her cheeks burned slightly. "I didn't expect you to agree. I've heard about how you reject sister Elsa again and again, so I thought..."

Reivan's heart plummeted as he asked, "Does that mean you don't..."

Before he could complete his question, he found his lips sealed and his mouth invaded by something warm. Then the pleasant smell of sweat and something else wafted into his nose. And right in front of him, too close for comfort, was Aila's beautiful face.

When Reivan finally got his bearings, their lips parted and Aila was staring into his eyes while licking her lips. "Perish the thought. I just grew shy when you caught me unprepared. Furthermore, I'm not exactly dressed for such a special occasion."

Reivan looked down despite himself and noted that under her thick cloak, Aila had been wearing some simple travel wear.

"All day, I've been out on an errand to pick this up." Aila sighed, gesturing at the parcel she was holding.

"Oh?" Reivan hastily tried to mask the excitement from the kiss by making casual conversation. "Something important? Drugs?"

The brunette giggled, her pleasant voice tickling his ears. "Drugs? You must be joking, Master. I'm not keen on trying out the prison life right after escaping the slave life. The cross-city checks in this country are very strict. Especially since I'm a foreigner and all."

"Then...?"

Aila was about to answer when she seemed to realize something. A seductive grin crossed her face as she stepped forward to hug him.

"They're contraceptives."

She bit her lip and her eyes narrowed.

"You really came at the perfect time, Master."

Reivan was led to a hidden back entrance that was only known to employees. There was even a hired guard from an official Aizenian security company and everything.

Of course, the guard raised an eyebrow at first, but Elsamina had apparently briefed him about what Ken — Elsamina's boss — looked like. So the guard let Reivan through even without Aila's input.

"Master, please be quiet, okay?" Aila held him by the hand as she navigated the halls. "We don't want the others to know you're here."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Aila turned around and kissed him deeply again. Afterward, she stared into his eyes and whispered. "Just because."

Reivan nodded, savoring the taste left on his lips. "Okay."

'I don't care about anything else right now...'

The heat was definitely getting to his head because he couldn't stop thinking about what they were about to do. Aila's repeated kisses had only made it worse. He didn't know where she was leading him either, but all he knew was that he would likely become a very happy person there and that she didn't want anyone else to know of his presence.

His mind was too full of fantasies about the stuff he wanted to try with Aila. All the dirty things he'd only heard or read about, he would finally be able to try them himself.

Reivan was going to be the protagonist of his own smut story, so he was too busy to think about trifling things like why Aila was so secretive.

"Oh, shit." Aila cursed and clicked her tongue as she peeked behind a corner, snapping him out of his fantasies. "Fuck, why are they here..."

'She just cursed...'

Aila had always spoken so elegantly whenever they talked so this came as a great surprise to him.

'That's so fucking hot.'

But he was so deeply entrenched in lust that her curses somehow turned him on even more. He finally couldn't resist and hugged her from behind, his hands exploring the insides of her shirt.

"Ah—!" Aila barely stifled her yelp. She looked back with a slightly troubled expression. "Master, please wait until we reach my room.♥"

"I can't wait though..."

"Oh geez... you're making it hard for me to wait too."

She took another look at whatever it was that concerned her so much then looked at Reivan with a resolute expression.

"Fuck it. Let's just do it in someone else's room. Everyone should be at work anyway."

Reivan was dazed in passion as Aila pulled him inside the nearest room. He was then pushed onto a soft bed as an intense womanly smell wafted into his nose, further intensifying his thirst. His view of the ceiling was soon replaced by Aila's face. She had straddled him and was now stirring the insides of his mouth with her tongue.

"Mmm!♥" In his lightheaded state, Aila broke away to catch her breath as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

The slow, graceful movement riled Reivan up, and soon, they forcefully exchanged places.

"Oh?" Surprise colored her face but she soon smiled and placed her arms behind his head to pull him closer. "I prefer leading, but Master can try it if you want..."

Reivan didn't know or care about what he or anyone wanted. But what he did know was that...

Bang!

"Kiala...! I knew you were goofing off in your room again!" Elsamina burst into the room with fury on her face. "You have a shift, you know! We have enough manpower problems as it is!"

"Huh!?" Aila yelled in surprise as she tried to push Ken away. But he was like an immovable rock. In the end, she pushed against his hard muscles in vain.

'Oh, wow. These are really nice...'

Aila couldn't help but feel him up despite the current situation.

"Hm?" Elsamina frowned as she looked at the scene. "Aila? This isn't your room... I thought you were someone else. Also, you brought a man here! That's unusual... you said you were saving yourself for someone. Oh, wait, is this him...?"

"Ah, yes he is. Anyway, don't mind me, sister... please leave us alone— Ah!♥" Aila barely covered her mouth before a moan escaped her. The young man on top of her didn't seem to have noticed the intruder. He'd opened up her shirt at some point and was now investigating her body with his tongue.

And he was surprisingly good at it too.

'This is convenient. She shouldn't be able to see his face at this angle...'

Her big sister would only see Ken's back and his face was obscured by her... assets.

Elsamina shook her head. "God, how much did this guy drink to be this drunk... He hasn't even noticed me."

"Ahaha..." Aila did her best to stay calm and bluff her way out of this. She pushed Ken's face even further into her cleavage while shooing Elsamina away. "Sorry, sister. Please give us some privacy..."

"Alright, alright..."

Aila inwardly sighed in relief but almost yelled when she saw Elsamina walking further into the room, stopping right beside the bed.

"Big sister...?? I said leave...!" she whispered loudly.

"Relax, I'm just taking this." Elsamina waved her off and then pointed down at the parcel that Aila had thrown aside earlier. "You should've given this to me before fucking your boy toy. Geez. What'll you do if someone gets knocked up cuz you delivered this late?"

Aila watched in horror as she reached down, praying that her breasts were large enough to completely hide—

"Master!? Is that you!?"

'Damn! Is it because my tits aren't big!?'

Aila bit her lip in frustration, knowing that the jig was up.

Reivan didn't understand why, but he didn't get to have sex with Aila.

'Why must I suffer like this...?'

It was the worst feeling he'd ever experienced. Right up there with the first time the black rat cursed him way back when he wasn't used to the pain yet.

'I wanna have sex, I wanna have sex, I wanna have sex, I wanna have sex, I wanna have sex...'

Sex was all he could think about as he was led to sit down on a plush, velvet sofa right next to Elsamina. His breathing was rough and his senses were numb from shattered expectations, but he tried his best to listen to what the two women were talking about.

Elsamina crossed her arms and glared at Aila. "What in the world were you about to do to our Master!?"

The young woman shrunk into herself and replied in a tiny voice. "Wasn't it obvious...? We were about to fuck..."

"He's our master!"

"He was the one who came onto me! And I wanna do it too, goddamnit!"

"You little...!"

"I've only ever done it with fat old guys! I wanna do it with someone handsome too! You're just jealous cuz he didn't come to you, right!?"

"Hah!? What did you say!? You have no right to tell me that when you obviously drugged him! Just look at the poor guy! He looks just about ready to eat you! And not in a sexual way!"

"You're talking out of your ass! Where would I even get drugs that intense...!? He seemed off from the moment I met him! The master must've taken one too many aphrodisiacs while he was fucking some other chick."

"Oh, shut up. He's obviously a virgin!"

"Well, you've got me there..."

Reivan's cheeks twitched as he frowned. He felt indignant at their assumption but was too dazed to say anything about it.

'Damnit. It's true, but...'

Elsamina's kind voice tickled his ears as he felt a soft hand on his forehead. "In any case, he's obviously not in his right mind now. And he seems to have a fever too. You shouldn't have agreed so readily."

"But it was my chance to do it with him..."

"In this state? You of all people should know how unpleasant it is to be taken advantage of while drugged. Shame on you!"

"Ugh... fine. I'm sorry. I was wrong. But he was alright at first! I swear! Just a little sweaty and his eyes were shifty... but he talked clearly! He only got like that after I kissed him a couple of times... he looked cute, so I just kept doing it. I didn't know he'd get like this!"

"That's a great excuse. Why don't we tell this to the others? Just to see if they believe your bullshit."

Reivan's vision was growing blurry and his breathing was becoming rougher and rougher until he felt a soft tug. Then a pleasant softness enveloped his face.

"Goodness, look at him... Aila, return to your room. I'll take care of him for now."

"Wha—!? Get his face outta there! You're just gonna do him after I leave, aren't you...!?"

"I won't! He just looks tired, so I'm comforting him!"

"Like hell, I'll believe you. You're the one who likes him the most! Don't think I didn't see you giggling over one of his letters one time!"

"Sh-shut up! Leave! Now!"

Reivan felt someone pulling him from behind, trying to separate him from the heavenly sensation wrapped around his face but he resisted with all his might.

"Shit, he won't budge...! He's attached to your tits...! Fuck!"

"Just give up and get out of here."

"I won't! I'm the one he went to!"

"Gah! You're really persistent... Guards!"

"What the hell...!? you're really gonna call the guards on me? You're so petty! Just cuz he doesn't want an old hag like you, you're gonna separate us!?"

"Old ha— I'm not old!"

There was a huge fuss, but Reivan couldn't care less about any of that, nuzzling his face into the softness. A delicate pair of hands stroked his hair while he indulged in this luxury, so he couldn't help but try to dig in further.

"Goodness, what a mess... And you, Master. What in the world happened to you? Why are you like this...? Oh, but don't worry. As long as I'm here, I won't let Aila won't take advantage of you."

'Aila...?'

Reivan's hazy thoughts formed the images of the beautiful young woman who promised to make him a man tonight. He couldn't help but think of all the fantasies he had on the way here.

'Aila's gone? Then who...'

If she was gone, then what was he supposed to do now? Should he just go back? Could he go back like this?

The dilemma seemed to brush away the haze clouding his mind for a moment, because his vision cleared enough for him to see what had been smushing his face.

'Breasts...'

Looking slightly up, he witnessed a beautiful pair of green eyes adorning the most perfect face he'd ever seen. Framing the woman's features was a head of flaming red hair that seemed to embolden the fire smoldering within him.

"Elsa..." Reivan muttered through rough breaths, his gaze locked on her. "You... should not have interrupted. We were about to... hah... get to the good part..."

"Oh... Oh, I see." Elsamina's face morphed into one of disappointment, then one of annoyance. She roughly pushed him away. "My apologies. I was just worried about the chastity that you seemed to be so protective of."

'What...'

"I have been making such blatant advances, and yet you always, always refuse. But you meet Aila once, and suddenly, she's all you think about?"

"All I think abo— that's not the case..."

"Is there something wrong with me? It's not as if I'm asking to be your wife. I just really want to repay you for all you've done and honestly... I've discovered that I have a preference for younger men! No, rather, I have a preference for you! Damn it, I went and said it... Gah. It's about time I let you have a piece of my mind!"

Reivan silently listened to her air out her frustrations at him. About how troubled she was because she didn't know if it was okay to have such unique preferences. About how she tried looking at other younger men just to see if she'd like them too.

But in the end, it was always Ken who filled her fantasies.

"I can't believe you're even lying about your age just to avoid the subject. Am I really undesirable? Is it because lots of men have used me? Am I dirty to you...!?"

"That's not...!"

Before he noticed, a stream of tears was already running down the side of Elsamina's face and he felt something within him snap.

"Wha—!" Elsamina squeaked in surprise as she was pushed down on the couch.

Observing the beauty under him, Reivan felt some slight hesitation.

'Wait, isn't this rape...?'

But then she looked at him with what he could only perceive as anticipation. "You're stopping...?"

'Fuck. Let's just check her favor to make sure...'

He hadn't done so in a while for fear of seeing something that would change their relationship forever. But he just had to make sure before taking that final step.

~^+— Unit's Statistics —+^~ Name: Elsamina

Species: Human

Realm: Mortal

Age: 26

Sex: Female

Special Abilities [NONE] Might: 9 Extra Skills Elemental Affinities: [Fire] [Business Intuition] Favor: (Affection / Desire / Admiration / Curiosity) 100 / 100 Threat Level: This unit is too weak!

'What the... she has a new skill. Wait, that's not important! At least not now!'

Reivan ferally ripped his clothes off since he couldn't be bothered. He then eyed her body greedily. "You asked for this!"

"Ah!♥"

"And for the record, I don't think you're dirty or anything like that. You're beautiful."

"Oh..." Elsamina still looked confused, but her face suddenly burned red. "But, I'm suddenly feeling shy all of a sudden..."

Reivan could wait no longer and started stripping her dress off, causing her to panic.

"W-wait!"

"I'm not waiting!"

"Geez... At least take me to dinner first..."