Three days ago, Cassol, outside the Lord's Mansion—

Men in black uniforms—soldiers, not guards—paced in formation by the gate. They shifted ranks from time to time, every move full of force. They were called the Security Corps, but they were a proper army, the Lord’s cultivated violent outfit.

Captain Fulin Speer wore a sharp uniform, a cigar clenched in his mouth. He looked casual, but his eyes kept sweeping for slackers. Everyone was wound tight. The Great Secret Treasure had already turned the city restless. This morning, investigation teams from the Heavenward Tower, the Pantheon, and the Knighthood arrived in Cassol together. They were meeting the Lord right now. The tension only spiked higher.

(Aah... damn Great Secret Treasure, look at the mess you dragged in...)

If not for this chain of incidents, he’d be on vacation. In his usual brothel’s top suite, arms full of top courtesans, not stuck here in sweat with his men.

Just then—

The pacing soldiers lost focus. Their steps got messy. Their eyes kept sliding away.

Regulars with strict training, spacing out on a day like this?

Already in a foul mood, Fulin snapped. He flung his cigar to the ground and bellowed, “You little shits! It’s not break time! Slack off again and I’ll shove a cactus up your ass—”

“Ah, good morning, Captain Speer.”

“Morning—don’t test me, I mean it—eh, eh?”

Only then did Fulin notice who the soldiers were sneaking looks at, and who had greeted him.

Even iron-willed soldiers would have their eyes pulled by this girl as she approached. She was that beautiful. Her face carried a crystalline, dreamy grace, more vivid in the morning light. Her shoulder-length silver-gray hair caught the sun, a long lock at the back swaying slightly with each step.

A girl who could wear a princess dress without a hint of mismatch was, at the moment, in a maid’s outfit.

A black one-piece dress, a clean white apron, a laced headband. Head to toe, she was the image of a maid. But thanks to the previous Lord’s taste, the mansion’s maid outfits had a small “upgrade”: the skirt and apron were short, only covering half the thigh; the bow tie and cuffs were trimmed with cute lace; the dress had a cleverly simple corset, cinching the waist and lifting the bust.

It could stir desire yet still kept a measure of elegance. You could tell how much work the lecherous ex-Lord put in while still posing as a gentleman.

On any ordinary young girl, this maid outfit would just be eye candy. On this girl, it was flat-out cheating.

Her figure was a piece of art crafted by the gods. Curves in all the right places. Bust and hips just full enough to call lush. Everything else soft and feminine without looking frail. Her legs, sheathed in white stockings and shown by the short skirt, were heaven’s own masterpiece. Likely thanks to her looks and aura, though she’d been in the mansion less than two months, she’d already become a full maid. Among the servants, she was well known.

“Uh, ah, morning, Nelis...”

Fulin recovered and managed another greeting. The girl, Nelis, answered with a gentle smile. As she passed, Fulin caught a faint scent—gardenia blended with mint. Clean and pleasant.

“Out this early?”

“Just running a small errand. Thank you for asking, Captain.”

Speech, manner, poise, etiquette—flawless. She was the template of a perfect maid.

“Ah, right, Captain.”

She felt around in her apron pocket and drew out a sugar-wrapped candy the size of a fingertip. Fulin took it, peeled the paper, and revealed a glossy green candy.

“...Mint?”

“Bought it at a general store in town. It’s tasty. Would you like one?”

“I’m not supposed to while on duty... whatever. I’ll accept, just this once.”

“I’m glad you like it. Then, I’ll be taking my leave.”

The girl glided away, exchanged greetings with the Mystic Warriors at the gate, and slipped through the side door into the mansion grounds. Only when she vanished did the soldiers reluctantly look away. For men stuck in dull routines, this girl who often passed by the mansion’s edge was an oasis. Even without a chance to talk, a few extra glances were a welcome refresh.

“She’s gone. What’re you staring at? Move it! You want that cactus in your ass?!”

““““““We’re terribly sorry!!!!!!!””””””

Shaken by Fulin’s roar, the soldiers scrambled to fix formation and resumed patrol.

——————————————

Nelis Sizer left the errand deliveries in the storeroom and stepped out. She’d been out since dawn, but showed no hint of fatigue. After greeting her coworkers, she picked up her cleaning kit and started her routine.

“Yo, morning, Nelis.”

“Pretty as ever today.”

“Hang in there, little newbie~”

“Thank you for the concern, seniors.”

Nelis bowed with grace. Even facing senior maids instead of a master, she executed the etiquette taught in “onboarding” to a T. The seniors could only smile wryly. She had only just become a full maid, but her skill matched the oldest servants. Even at the roughest heavy tasks, her natural elegance never dimmed. No one knew how she did it. Older maids whispered about who this newcomer really was. With looks and bearing like hers, she didn’t need physical labor to get by. Maybe she was the Lord’s illegitimate daughter, brought home under the guise of hiring a maid?

“Seniors, I’ll go tidy the bedding in the east rooms. Excuse me.”

“Go on, go on. While the laundry room’s free, make it quick.”

“Okay.”

“Want a hand?”

“I can manage on my own. Thank you.”

Nelis walked off with measured steps, greeting every servant she met, until—

“Ho, hello there, Nelis~~”

At a deserted corner, a voice stopped her.

A slightly overweight man in his forties stepped out of the shadows. His face shone with oil. He’d sprayed too much cologne to hide his body odor; it was pungent. A strange grin hung on his lips.

“Ah, Mr. Debro...”

“Heh, back again? You say you don’t like it, but here you are.”

“Please don’t say that...”

The lake nymph of a girl turned flustered. She lowered her head to hide her blush. Debro lifted her chin with an equally greasy hand, grin widening.

He’d watched her closely from the moment she entered the mansion. Always elegant, always beautiful, with poise beyond her years. Untouchable. But so what? She was just a maid. Debro, seasoned in night life, used a few tricks and reeled her in. Those sweet lips and tongue. That delicate body. The shy first time... all of it belonged to him now.

“I thought I’d have to wait till evening. Didn’t expect you couldn’t hold back now. You’re adorable, Nelis...”

“Please, not here! If someone passes—”

“Alright, alright. My room’s just nearby. Since you’re here... don’t leave, okay?”

In the room—

Two, three moves, and their clothes were peeled back. He pressed down on that outrageously beautiful body.

“Hah... hah... sir, please... go easy...”

Don’t take the clothes off. Just pull the panties aside. That was his kink.

“Mm... mmm... sir... Mr. Debro...”

He licked, tasted, kneaded—savoring every inch.

“Mm... ah... ahhh!”

Finally, the main act. No lingering. He plunged straight in—

Right then, Debro felt like the happiest man alive.

————————————

“Ah... ah... Nelis... Nelis... Nelis!!!”

I tried to treat the shrill voice behind me as wind past my ear, flipping through a ledger taken from Mr. Debro’s drawer.

Pantheon, Heavenward Tower, Knighthood. Mercenaries and adventurers. And infamous villains... none of them are easy. Let’s hope this doesn’t spiral.

“Ahhh... ahhhh! My goddess... only... only mine...”

I took a few seconds to lock the new info in memory. I put down the ledger and accepted another thick book carried to me by a tiny fly. Complex magic seals wrapped it, but still within range. Ten seconds to crack, tops.

It was the deployment record of the main forces around the Lord’s Mansion for the Security Corps—really, the army. Compared to yesterday, it had shifted again. No more predictable patterns. More things to watch.

“Mm! Ah! Ah! Aaaah! Keep... keep going... ah... mm... mmph, mmph...”

“...”

Even with my confidence in handling interference, soaking in noise like this is too much. I’m a quiet sort, after all.

The files were read and returned to place. Time to let him finish.

I rose from the desk, made sure I’d left no trace, and walked to the bed.

The high-ranking man in charge of personnel info at the mansion—Mr. Debro—was still on the bed, howling. He kept changing positions, moving in periodic thrusts. Truly eye-opening.

The creature dueling him tightened, then relaxed, over and over. Soft tendrils brushed his back. Mouthparts tangled with his lips and tongue. It looked like a life-sized caterpillar fused with a porous sea sponge, every hair replaced by a hollow tentacle. Naturally, it was a new breed I’d raised—a male-use lewd bug.

This child can release large amounts of refined hormones with potent hallucinogenic components. It makes lusty men see extremely vivid illusions. Its body can match them, delivering top-tier pleasure. As for its main diet... better left unsaid.

I snapped my fingers lightly. The lewd bug tightened all over. Mr. Debro let out a weird cry, twitched a few times, then fell asleep with a satisfied face.

The long lock of hair trailing behind my head stretched longer and loosened. It spiraled out in the air, forming a man-sized vortex, pitch black at its center. The bug slid off the bed and dove into the spatial vortex formed through my hair as the medium, vanishing.