When he regained his senses, he found himself in the residence of the 2nd Princess, Hedera.
Stepping into a princess’s residence? He would have never imagined it before, but now it felt completely natural. That’s because it was all initiated by the 2nd Princess.
Zekiel recalled what had just happened.
“First, the 2nd Princess Hedera appeared.”
Surprisingly, Arcne sensed Hedera’s presence and immediately suppressed her own mana and desires. After binding herself up again, she even acted nonchalantly as if she were a captive.
Ah, of course, she did at least send Zekiel a telepathic message.
“Stack up a lot of sperm, okay? Hehe, when we’re alone next time, I’ll make sure to extract it all.”
It was practically a declaration of war.
No one other than Zekiel himself had made that promise and even pinky-sworn it, so backing out now was out of the question.
“….”
Suddenly, he was reminded of a female spider mating as it devoured a male. The fact that he had been bedridden for days after merging with the 1st Princess.
He really didn’t want to end up like that again. Zekiel quietly thought that a countermeasure was necessary.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
Suddenly, Hedera’s voice broke his contemplation.
Zekiel quickly organized his thoughts. After all, what was currently before him was a princess, and he absolutely couldn’t zone out focusing on other thoughts.
“Your Highness, what brings you to summon me to your residence?”
A princess brought a man into her residence?
Regardless of the truth, rumors would inevitably swirl around. Maybe Hedera had been aiming for that from the start.
Well, whatever rumors might be, that was fine. As long as Zekiel remained proud of the truth, it was all good. But the real problem was…
“Why was I summoned?”
Though she had said there was an urgent matter, it appeared that there wasn’t anything particularly urgent about this summon from Hedera.
“You said there was an urgent matter.”
“Umm.”
Hedera trailed off.
Was it about Arcne? Or maybe it was about the ticket? Zekiel’s mind was filled with worries pertaining to those, but the reality was something different.
Hedera seemed to be preoccupied with something else. She hesitated considerably while speaking.
“If I don’t do it this way, the inspector won’t come.”
Her tone was filled with disappointment, and she even pouted her lips.
Zekiel was quite surprised internally. It was the first time he had seen an expression like that from the adult Hedera.
“I opened the dimensional passage to the demon realm. Then I heard that the inspector had awakened. I thought he would look for me right away…”
But instead, she continued.
“Imagine my surprise; he went straight to the Judgment Division first. To meet that demon woman, no less. And they even referred to the inspector as ‘the western one’… a demon god.”
Her tone was filled with disappointment, but her gaze was definitely not directed at Zekiel.
She was crossing one leg over the other, turning her face away like she was sulking.
“Well, I guess that’s possible. I opened the dimensional passage, went to rescue him, and was just waiting for him to wake up, but it seems I didn’t even cross his mind. The inspector…”
Zekiel fell into quiet contemplation.
Without the help of the princesses, Zekiel would never have returned safely from the demon realm. It goes without saying they had offered tremendous support.
“Now that I think about it…”
Hedera had been making considerable efforts to approach Zekiel for some time now.
From occasionally calling him over to chat whenever she had a moment, to regularly asking if there was anything he needed.
He knew very well that it was a generous and grateful gesture.
However, at the same time, it was something that didn’t quite match with Zekiel.
There was nothing he could do. While she, resembling a dragon, was fundamentally long-lived, Zekiel, with his terminal illness, was fighting for every moment.
Even if Hedera suggested taking time to chat for him to take care of himself, Zekiel couldn’t spend that time idly. He was pressed for time.
It was a difficult situation to explain in detail.
Moreover, if he explained everything just as it was, she’d definitely understand but would still be disappointed. Zekiel sincerely hoped Hedera would return to her cheery self.
Thus, he said:
“The demon god is such a dangerous being that I had no choice but to head straight to the Judgment Division upon waking. I couldn’t predict when he would cause trouble.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Arcne… he couldn’t predict her at all. Who knows when she might declare herself Zekiel’s exclusive□□? Just thinking about it sent shivers down his spine.
Hedera subtly rolled her eyes.
“So after visiting the Judgment Division, were you planning to come looking for me? Because I doubt that’s the case. I really wish the inspector would answer honestly.”
“Honestly… it’s a bit difficult with the 2nd Princess.”
“….”
At that, Hedera’s lips puckered out like a duck’s. Her expression was so gloomy that if someone poked her finger, tears would probably start flowing.
“Difficult… I’m difficult… well….”
Just as Hedera was preparing to retort.
“I’m usually not one to get nervous, but I get pretty nervous around you, Your Highness. It’s hard to even face you. It must be because you’re incredibly beautiful.”
“….”
Hedera quietly blinked.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I guess it’s because I want to make a good impression as the inspector. Whenever we meet, I worry about making mistakes, and it makes my head whirl. It’s hard to stay calm and I get all jittery.”
That wasn’t exactly a lie.
Indeed, the 2nd Princess’s beauty far exceeded the average standards, and being with her left Zekiel wondering what other princesses might do.
Sssss…
The princess started twirling her finger in Zekiel’s hair.
“What? If you thought that, you should have told me earlier.”
Her previously sulky expression turned a little red.
“Well, if you see me as a woman, it makes sense to be nervous. I didn’t think of that until now. I mean, I’m beautiful and elegant after all, so I should have considered the inspector’s perspective, but I was about to feel upset about it.”
“Yes. Alright.”
“…Feeling nervous and awkward seeing me isn’t a bad thing. From now on, keep feeling that way towards me. Good job. I didn’t realize this.”
“….”
Before long, the look of disappointment disappeared from Hedera’s face. The princess cleared her throat, her face still slightly flushed.
“I guess I should get a bit closer from now on. It must be my destiny as a graceful being. The inspector should consider it an honor for a lady like me to approach.”
“…Yes.”
Anyway, it seemed like her frustration had been effectively alleviated.
“By the way, what about the demon god’s fate?”
“Oh, about that.”
Did her sullenness evaporate, causing her enthusiasm to rise for conversation? Hedera cheerfully opened her mouth.
“Well, for now, it’s been postponed. Opportunities to capture a demon god are few, and they’ve been babbling nonsense, so I have a lot to confirm about their authenticity…”
Authenticity.
Zekiel felt uneasy about that term.
Unfortunately, his apprehension was proven correct. Hedera’s next words hit the nail on the head.
“Especially, they’ve been showing excessive affection and loyalty towards the inspector. As the Tower Master, it’s something I have to verify. In the end, we clever princesses found a method to ascertain the truth of the statement.”
“What method?”
“We’re going to see how the inspector uses the five tickets. Honestly, there’s no better way.”
“…Will we really be able to figure it out that way?”
“Figure it out? If all five are used to genuinely shower affection and make the recipient happy, that would imply that the demon god’s words were empty, right?”
Suddenly, a glint sparkled in Hedera’s eyes.
“On the other hand…”
A strong momentum began to radiate from her.
“If they’re used in some mediocre way and don’t satisfy the other person, that’s a sign that their heart has already wandered. So there’s a high chance they’ve been having an affair with the demon god.”
“….”
Zekiel felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.
This meant that in order to dispel any suspicions of an affair with the demon god, he needed to pour affection into the ticket’s recipient and completely satisfy them to prove his affection.
…How was he supposed to satisfy three people? How?
Zekiel desperately spoke.
“I don’t think this is a suitable time frame. There’s still the punishment issue pending with the Purple Magic Tower.”
“No, it’s quite appropriate. It has to be now or never.”
“Now that I think about it, the term ‘affair’ seems a bit off-base. I don’t even have a lover to begin with…”
“…Huh?”
Hedera’s pupils turned into slits like a dragon’s. In an instant, an overwhelming energy surged, making his hair stand on end.
“…Nothing at all.”
“Alright, there’s really nothing much to worry about, right? It’s obvious how the inspector should be using the tickets.”
Hedera’s glare shot towards Zekiel.
“You did say earlier that you get nervous and tense just looking at me, right? To ease that, we should have some time alone together. And it seems like such a chance has just come up.”
“….”
The words Zekiel had thrown out were now circling back like a boomerang, choking him all over. What to do now?
Suddenly, Hedera donned a sly glimmer in her eye.
“I’m slightly worried that the inspector might make a mistake in his over-excitement. He mustn’t waste the tickets in silly ways just because he thinks too hard about me.”
Thinking that Zekiel said he got jittery whenever he looked at her beauty, she had grown exceedingly confident.
“Well then, wouldn’t it be a good idea to have a little taste of what kind of things could happen if you used a ticket on me?”
At that moment.
Swish─
A piece of black clothing flowed down to the floor.
Only after a moment did he realize it was the pantyhose Hedera had been wearing under her dress.
Settling back into a plush chair with her legs crossed, she brazenly extended one foot toward Zekiel.
“What do you think? I could let you lick it.”
Zekiel just felt bewildered.
…He had a feeling he knew who had taught her these kind of temptations.
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