After the secret meeting with the snake demon tribe and Meena, we return to the room we're renting.
　I think we had a good negotiation.
　It's mutually beneficial, and we have enough to trust.　I open the door to my room.

'Ah, here comes the cheating man.
Welcome home, Master Rouges.

I was greeted by Dia and Tart.
　Dia had a muffled look on her face and puffed out her cheeks, while Tart had a sad look on her face and her eyes were moist.
　It was so predictable that I almost laughed.
　Tart takes the jacket and hangs it on the wall.

'I wasn't trying to be unfaithful. It was work.'
I mean, what business is it of mine to meet a woman with a lot of lust for women? I'm sure he has a thing for you, too. I'm going to eat her.

I'm going to eat them and you're right.
　In more ways than one.

I need the Countess Grunfeldt's help. If we are to get up to speed on the situation in this country, we need to do it quickly and easily.
Bullshit, the Count doesn't have that kind of political power.

The rank of the nobility is, from the top, duke > frontier count = marquis > count > viscount > baron > baron > knight.
　Essentially, Dia is right, not so much power.

''Even if she herself has no power, the men she has coaxed have power. How many hole brothers do we have in the middle?''
Excuse me, Master Roug, what do you mean by the Hole Brothers?

Tart is tilting his head.
　I'm having a hard time saying it, and Dia opens her mouth.

'It means we're buddies who had s*x with the same woman. What Lugue said was that the woman with the lustful look on her face was replacing all the powerful men in the center. By the way, if Rougues messed with both me and the tart, we'd be the pole sisters. The opposite of hole brothers.
Hi.

Tart is blushing.
　It was a little too stimulating.
　On the contrary, Dia's been in the aristocratic society for a long time and is used to such stories.

''Hmmm, so that's why Rougu has joined the brothers.
If I did, I wouldn't be home so early. I can't tell you all the details, but it's just that we have a business-like relationship. He asked me to join him, but I saw the look on Dia's face and I said no.

I pulled Dia into a hug and she stiffened up at first and then relaxed.

''Well, I'll trust you. I don't have that much of that woman's scent on me.
Thank you. Do you trust the tart?
Of course. Master Lugue is not a naughty man.

It's not that I'm not a naughty person.
　I have a s*xual appetite that's appropriate for my age.
　But I'm not young enough to show it.

Hey, Mr. Rogues. A letter from Mr. Neusch.
From Neusch?

Come to think of it, when I came here, the Marquis of Grandvallen, who carried me in the demon carriage, had gone out of his way to tell me that he was Noish's companion.
　That's why I expected Noish to make some kind of move, but I didn't expect the timing to be right.

''I don't know what's going on. There's no shortage of reasons to refuse.''
I've received many invitations. Let's see, I've received this many other invitations since Master Roug's disappearance.

Tart spreads a stack of invitations across his desk.
　Parties and other invitations are coming in a heap.

My time in King's Landing is short, I want to choose the most meaningful ones possible, and if I choose any of them, I'll be on the horns, so it's politically possible to refuse them all.

I'm a holy knight, an oracle of the goddess, a chosen one, and I've even had a track record of killing demons.

I'm a tasty existence in the eyes of all the nobles, and I'm also a promising stock that will continue to rise in the future.

Not only do you have a tea party, you even get requests to breed me.
You're a very popular guy, Lug.
Oh, no. Master Rogues is not a horse.

Seeding is just what you read.
　The stronger the magic, the higher the probability that the child born will be as well, and that's what they're trying to do.
　If the man is dead or incapacitated, it's common to hire a good man for money to plant a child.

But even if the man is alive and has no s*xual functioning problems, he may still want a strong man's semen for his home.
　.........That tendency is common in upper-ranking families, even those that have adopted a son-in-law, and this request included such families.

Once, there was a man who was renowned for his strength. A nobleman who wanted to have a child from that man had checked out the man's favorite brothel, had the young lady pose as a prostitute, had the young lady pose as a prostitute, and by manipulating the contraceptive device, he had obtained a child. Such anecdotes suggest that aristocrats were greedy to preserve their superior blood.
　Of course, it is possible to hire an excellent mother and have a baby through a surrogate with money, but the fact that the hurdles are lower for men makes it easier for them to carry out such a practice.

The aristocracy's status is based on their magical strength, and for that reason, they blow all kinds of ethics out of the water. And people's feelings, this is a far-fetched way of saying that you might lose your life in a battle with the demon race, so don't you want to leave a living proof before that?
It's the opposite of what you'd expect.
Well, what do you think, Mr. Lugue?
I'm with Dear. I don't even want to think about what happens after I die.

Tart made a disappointed face.

Lately, Tart's brakes have been breaking down. Let's be careful.

I go through all the participation letters.
　Not just Neusch's, but all of them.
　Neusch is a friend, but that's not the only reason to put him first.
　Finally, I look at Neusch's letter.
　It contained a list of participants.
　They are all what we call young talented people. It's really like Neusch.
　And..........

'Tart, I've written a letter to Neusch. Wrap it up in an envelope and deliver it to me.
Yes. Oh, you're joining us.
Oh, really?　I could make more connections instead of playing knights with all those kids.
It's poignant.

Young and talented. That's only because they are recognized for their talent, but not for their achievements, and they have no say in the matter.
　Most of them have yet to take over the head of the family in the first place.
　It's appropriate to call it playing knights, as Dia says.
　Still, I decided to go.

''There was a name I couldn't ignore. The Countess of Grunfeldt's name is written jointly with the Marquis of Grunvalen.''

Countess Grunfeldt the snake demon race, there's no way we can ignore Meena.
　The reason why she's jointly named with the Marquis of Grandvallen who brought us in a demon carriage is probably because she's a blood family linked to Gran, but that snake woman won't do anything in vain either.
　Neusch is in danger, and I'm also worried about the talented youngsters Neusch has gathered.
　That snake woman had a rather meaningful smile on her face when she was leaving, but did she know that they would meet three times?
　Again, I was beaten to the punch.

'Mmm, I knew I wanted a naughty girl like that.
I'll do my best.
'I don't want to see you personally. It's dangerous to leave them alone. Especially in a flock of naive sheep.

If they are not, all the promising youngsters under Neusch will fall prey to that woman's poisonous fangs.
　Even if they are inexperienced now, they are the ones who will carry this country on their shoulders sooner or later.
　Dia looks at me suspiciously.
　If I told her that the woman is a demon, she would be convinced, but I can't do that because of my contract.

I'm going to hold up my end of the bargain, no matter who I'm dealing with.

So we'll try to convince them in a different way.
　I kiss Dia.
　It was so unexpected that Dia rolls her eyes and Tart covers her face with her hands.......watching all the way through the gaps.

'I don't trust you. I'm telling you that I love you the most, Dia. Let's go to the other room. I'll prove it by my actions.

As he says this, he gives Dia a princess hug.
　Dia doesn't resist.

'God, rogues are so pushy sometimes, aren't they?
No?
No, no. I want Roug to love you too.
Let's go.

It's been a long time since I've made love to Dia.
　Somehow, it's hard to do in the Touahade mansion.
　Touahade's mansion, with the exception of the conference room, my father's office, and the torture room, is not very soundproofed.

........And even though the soundproofing isn't high, there are two guys who are listening in.
　But this is a royal castle.
　We can make love without worrying about it.

"I'll send a letter!

Tart turned red in the face and left with the letter.
　He was very thoughtful.
　Let's love each other to the fullest so that we don't ignore that concern.