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"The head of palace intelligence must be dismissed immediately!"

"This could have escalated into a massive disaster!"

The nobles residing in the capital vented their anger in unison. Their outrage wasn\'t without justification. Most of those gathered had only a handful of personal guards, ranging from three to a dozen knights at most.

The reason they settled in the capital with such meager forces was simple. Cardi Luminel had established himself there, and the imperial palace was responsible for security.

It was inevitable for the nobles to be furious when this trust was betrayed.

"You must have been greatly troubled last night."

However, their heated atmosphere cooled instantly when the Emperor spoke. Some even hiccupped, wondering if they\'d raised their voices too much.

Finally, the Emperor presented a simple conclusion with an emotionless expression.

"As you demand, I\'ll dismiss the head of intelligence."

"...!"

Most nobles brightened visibly. They began imagining who might be appointed as the next intelligence head. The closer one\'s influence reached such a crucial position, the more exponential the benefits.

The Emperor was no stranger to their inner thoughts.

He calmly announced the new appointment, as if training monkeys.

"I\'ll appoint Court Count Arwel as the new head of intelligence."

"... Your Majesty?"

"Please reconsider!"

Many voiced their opposition. Among them, some tried to persuade the Emperor logically rather than pushing through recklessly.

"Your Majesty, how can you decide on such an important position on the spot, without following proper procedures?"

"This decision goes against the empire\'s custom of making decisions through council meetings."

Though their arguments sounded plausible, they failed to sway the Emperor\'s resolve. Instead, he countered their logic with their own reasoning.

"Then tell me, by whose custom did you all rush here demanding the dismissal of the intelligence head?"

"Well, that\'s..."

"I\'ve already bent custom once by yielding to your demands. What harm is there in bending it once more? As Emperor, I\'ve taken a step back. You should all take half a step back as well."

"..."

The nobles were dumbfounded.

With such a major incident, personnel changes in the palace were inevitable. Yet the Emperor made it seem as if he was doing them a favor by granting their request.

However, looking at the situation, it was awkward to argue otherwise. It was true that he had accepted their demand and declared he would dismiss the intelligence head, breaking with custom.

They had fallen into their own trap.

In this predicament, the sharper minds among them vaguely grasped the Emperor\'s intention.

\'Could he be trying to empower the Third Prince...?\'

Everyone knew who Court Count Arwel had been shielding from political strife. In fact, he was known to serve the Third Prince devotedly in court life.

\'Good heavens... Has His Majesty truly lost all human sentiment?\'

Likewise, no one was ignorant of whose negligence had led to the demise of the Third Prince\'s mother - the Second Empress. Yet here he was, unhesitatingly watering a potentially useful seedling that had entered the nursery.

It was common knowledge that the First Prince\'s qualities fell short of the current Emperor\'s.

Thus, the Emperor considered only the empire\'s continuation and bestowed this blessing on the Third Prince.

As if that level of support wasn\'t more than enough...

"I have one more announcement."

The Emperor held out a scale to weigh water before the assembled nobles.

"I\'ll entrust the aftermath to the First and Third Princes. I promise suitable rewards to whichever side produces results. However, to ensure fairness, Court Count Arwel\'s appointment as intelligence head will be postponed."

"My!"

"Is the succession race surfacing already...!"

Aftermath - in simpler terms, it meant counterintelligence work. Given cases like this recent one, where demons impersonated humans, the implication was to root them out preemptively.

This was the reason for delaying Court Count Arwel\'s appointment as intelligence head.

Thus, most nobles\' minds raced quickly.

\'He hasn\'t fully favored the Third Prince yet. If so, he would have seated the Court Count in that position without even declaring a competition.\'

\'His Majesty seems to believe... that surrounding oneself with capable people is also part of one\'s ability.\'

In terms of sheer competence, the promising Third Prince would likely overwhelm the First Prince. However, unlike the Third Prince, the First Prince had connections and influence built up over time.

A leader can\'t always be superhuman.

Therefore, relying on others\' abilities and heeding counsel is also a virtue. In this respect, the First Prince had already secured an advantageous position as a throne candidate.

\'Where to align oneself...\'

\'A single choice determines fate.\'

\'Can the Third Prince handle the Empress...\'

Everyone\'s concerns deepened.

Those in the First Prince\'s faction were eager, but those in ambiguous positions differed.

They needed to decide more carefully than ever.

For no one else but themselves.

---

---

Inside the racing carriage.

The only passengers were Elphisia and me. Perhaps that\'s why a naturally quiet atmosphere formed.

Normally, I would have babbled about something, but learning an unexpected truth made things a bit awkward. So I needed time to gather courage to probe into it.

"Hey, Elphisia."

"Yes?"

"It\'s news to me that you have talent in swordsmanship."

"What a ridiculous question. What\'s wrong with the Imperial Sword\'s only daughter wielding a sword?"

Thinking about it, that was true.

It would be more unrealistic for a daughter raised under a father called the Imperial Sword of Protection to not learn any self-defense. I finally realized why the Elphisia from the original story, who had been so vicious, hadn\'t been assassinated.

\'Even if weakened, a vampire is still a vampire...\'

Yet she had dismembered it without a scratch. Though I couldn\'t imagine it, I had to believe it since Glen had witnessed it with his own eyes.

"... Ah."

"Harte?"

Despite knowing it wasn\'t the right situation, my eyes shamelessly rolled towards Elphisia\'s thighs. Though slightly hidden by her voluminous dress, it wasn\'t hard to imagine what lay beneath.

Surely, those tantalizing curves slumbered there. Only after hearing Glen\'s story did I understand the existence of those alluring thighs.

\'Elphisia\'s lower body... was a beauty sculpted through exercise...\'

Surprised by this unexpected truth, I nodded silently. Then, suddenly reflecting on myself, I slapped myself with all my might.

Smack!

"Y-You! Are you mad? Why are you suddenly hitting yourself?"

"I\'m sorry... Elphisia."

"W-What?"

"I... I\'m sorry for sinning... truly..."

"What sin? You haven\'t done anything!"

"Well..."

There are two ways to anger someone: one is to interrupt them mid-sentence, and the other is...

...

......

Anyway, though I knew it was wrong, I kept my mouth shut.

"I can\'t say... absolutely not."

"You really have a talent, you know."

"What talent?"

"The talent for making me want to beat you."

Snap!

Elphisia folded her fan.

Why was it? Now that I knew everything, that didn\'t look like just a fan, but the form of a well-honed sword.

I was prepared to take the hit if Elphisia decided to strike. After all, I had undeniably sinned against her, and if it could improve her mood, that would be best.

But Elphisia\'s action right after lifting her bottom from the seat was enough to make me faint.

"... You need punishment."

"Pu-Punishment...?"

"Yes, a punishment that will be quite effective for you."

What punishment could be possible for someone like me who could reattach even a severed head? And in this cramped carriage, no less.

Suddenly, I found the punishment Elphisia proposed laughable. I shouldn\'t have done that then...

"Harte, you\'re so diligent you look like a pushover."

Elphisia criticized bluntly. Then she came over, crossing the seat towards me.

Finally, as she drew close enough to make my breath catch, she carefully sat on my lap.

Squish. Squish.

A soft sensation seeped through the fabric of my trousers. Elphisia\'s skirt was too thin. The feeling of her thigh skin wrapping around my knees, which I hadn\'t dared even fantasize about, settled down.

"E-Elphisia...!!!"

"Sh-Shut up! I have sensitive ears at this distance."

"No, how can I not shout when you\'re doing this...?"

"Kuh, you think I want to do this? I\'m doing this because I know you\'re weak to this kind of thing! I-I don\'t particularly want to cling to you as if I\'m fawning over you!"

Swoosh!

At that moment, she pushed her bottom all the way to my waist. In sync with that rhythm, I desperately arched my back. We were on the verge of our most intimate parts touching, close enough to indecency.

"D-Don\'t do this... Elphisia..."

"Then spill your true feelings without any more nonsense! I really don\'t care whether you resist more or not, but I have my own thoughts, you know?"

"Ugh... You used to make a fuss even when I just got close!"

"Uh, that\'s... um, it\'s okay when I\'m attacking!"

"Th-That doesn\'t make sense...!"

This is character collapse.

There\'s no way Elphisia could be this aggressive. Am I dreaming of flying in the sky right now? Surely... if not that...

... No, this must not be a dream. If this were a dream, wouldn\'t it undoubtedly be a wet dream? Wouldn\'t it be clear evidence that I\'ve defiled her?

Moreover, Elphisia and I even share the same bedroom...!!!

\'I see... Thighs are pouches of sin... Then how much more wicked sin does the butt... contain...?\'

In truth, I thought I had no libido.

I had never experienced lust towards women in the first place. Especially with Ibria, who was considered the most beautiful in the empire, I never once had impure thoughts despite being together every moment.

So I had no complaints about the fate of having to remain celibate for life.

How could I, who had been like this...

For what reason...

Commit sin now...! And towards Elphisia, who I must never love...

\'To harbor carnal desire without even loving... How am I any different from a beast in heat? Was all the training I accumulated in the temple in vain?\'

More than that, what is love? Even that concept is starting to confuse me now. This must all be due to the damn body\'s greed.

To think that thighs exerting such steady, elastic pressure could be so seductive...

I must be a pervert. Undoubtedly a super-pervert among perverts, especially excited by Elphisia\'s thighs.

\'Even if I cut off the male organ... it would grow back, right?\'

To think a baptismal name could be such a heavy shackle. Oh Lord, isn\'t this too cruel a test for leaving the temple?

It was while I was feeling deeply ashamed.

Elphisia whispered with a slightly flushed face.

"Kuh, ahem. Harte, it\'s also a sin to hide things from your spouse."

"Sin... you say?"

"Yes... sin. It\'s a sin. So confess quickly."

"Confess..."

"Yes, confession. I\'ll accept everything. Because I\'m your wife."

"Elphisia..."

With my reason slowly eroded by the elastic thighs, I was far from sane. That\'s why Elphisia\'s words penetrated my consciousness almost like hypnosis.

That must be why I spilled my true feelings that I wouldn\'t dare express normally.

"Elphisia..."

"Yes, Harte."

I feel like crying.

I truly felt the sensation of my eyes reddening from sadness.

Still, this was a place of confession, so I believed Elphisia\'s words and confessed the truth.

"...... I defiled you."

"What...?"

"Your thighs... your buttocks... the mole at their boundary... they\'re so vividly etched in my memory..."

If my future self heard this, he would have grabbed me by the collar for such mad talk. But to the insane me, self-control was merely ornamental. Thanks to that, I didn\'t even have the composure to check Elphisia\'s expression.

"I dared to harbor lewd fantasies... so please stop the punishment...? You, you, you, Elphisia... you\'re too sexy..."

"Crazy..."

"..."

"... Hup."

Elphisia belatedly covered her mouth after expressing a harsh word. In normal times, I would have stared at her with wide eyes.

But now I was a sinner.

Just a lowly creature that should hang its head endlessly.

"..."

Elphisia quietly liberated my knees from her buttocks and thighs.

Perhaps my sincerity had been conveyed.

We advanced towards our destination, filling the carriage with a tacit silence created by mutual agreement.

Far away, facing the direction of the carriage, stood the mansion owned by Viscount Peter.

It was a journey that had set out to seek unilateral consent from the Viscount couple from the start.

The first step towards isolating Glen\'s secret friend - Echo, began so lewdly.

---

---

Meanwhile, Echo, left behind at the Ducal residence, pondered over Harte\'s words.

[I see. So the Fragment\'s power is unleashed when your eyes open. That explains why I didn\'t sense it even after coming to the capital.]

He said this power to observe the shape of hearts was influenced by something called the Fragment. It felt strange, as if she had suddenly become extraordinary.

\'He said that person was the Director...\'

Echo\'s curiosity grew, prompting her to observe Harte. She wondered what kind of heart shape someone Glen respected so much would have.

But she was surprised by an unexpected result.

\'I couldn\'t see anything...\'

Rather than lacking a heart, it felt as if it was hidden behind extremely thick, multi-layered walls...

Though difficult to describe in words, it was clear that this Director was an enigma.

\'Ah, right! The Vice Director was interesting too.\'

The heart shape Echo observed in Elphisia was quite distorted. It was evidence that people aren\'t purely good. This was typical of the servants at the Peter mansion and Rochelle.

But surprisingly, her heart shape changed every time she looked at Harte.

Despite being a concept difficult to express, Echo could verbalize the comparison aloud.

\'It was fire... And a fiercely blazing flame at that.\'

Echo could only observe the shape of hearts. Therefore, she had no way to infer the nature of types she hadn\'t experienced.

That it somewhat overlapped with her own nature.

Something Echo would realize very slowly in the future.