SEVEN.

Hurried footsteps crossed the enormous corridor that seemed to have no end.

It was Marquis Miller Lewis, the Chancellor of the Graham Empire and the Emperor’s close aide.

Even though he hadn’t even reached the vicinity of the Purification Room, the pheromones filling the Marine Palace made Miller’s mind dizzy.

How many doors had he passed and how many stairs had he climbed?

Miller hurriedly tidied his clothes when he spotted the Commander of the Imperial First Guard Knights in the distance.

Finally, his quick steps came to a halt in front of Cedric.

“I seek an audience with Duke Cedric. May Areis’s blessings always be with you.”

Miller bowed his head with proper etiquette.

It was a bow lower than reverence, going down to below the other’s chest.

In contrast, Cedric’s straight head didn’t move an inch. A brief eye contact acknowledging the courtesy was all there was.

However, even with just that, Miller seemed overwhelmed as if it was an honor.

In this world, magic power was what divided the classes.

It was a world ruled by the logic of power, where the strong prey on the weak.

The weak submit to the strong. This was the law of nature and the truth of this world.

Therefore, even among nobles, the hierarchy differed greatly depending on magical power.

Among them, a duke with powerful abilities was an inviolable, dignified existence.

In fact, the Edwards, Wilkins families, along with the Grand Duchy of Hunt, had been royal families that ruled kingdoms.

Although their status as monarchs had faded over time after the Graham Kingdom unified the empire, their influence remained formidable.

After all, the power they possessed didn’t diminish.

In any case, Cedric was the only duke known for his gentle nature.

If it had been Noel, he would have blown Miller away with wind as soon as he saw him, and Hector would have pressed him down to crawl on the floor.

“His Majesty is waiting.”

Cedric made way for Miller.

Despite only hearing the word ‘His Majesty’, Miller swallowed hard.

As he wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers, the heavy door opened.

And at the same time, thick pheromones poured out.

* * *

The noble golden hair symbolizing the Graham family shone brilliantly in the sunlight.

Eyes blue as if they contained a clear sky.

Kaisis, the Grand Master, was so beautiful that it was difficult to distinguish whether he was male or female.

Even surrounded by numerous superior guides, only Kaisis caught the eye.

But as beauty often comes with poison, Kaisis’s nature was cruel and merciless.

Miller fixed his gaze on the floor to avoid looking at Kaisis.

He was leaning back on the bed, and the guide lying between his legs was licking his c*ck, performing f*llatio.

“You don’t know, you say……”

“……”

Kaisis’s fingertips gripping the guide’s head tightened.

“Mmph!”

The guide performing f*llatio choked.

It was because his p*nis stabbed the throat due to the pressed force.

Tears welled up in bloodshot eyes and the guide struggled as if in pain. But the expressionless face looking down at Miller didn’t even flinch.

Rather, as if displeased that the purification had stopped, Kaisis pushed his c*ck deeper into the guide’s mouth.

“Not only did you fail to find her, but you don’t even know her surname.”

“……”

Miller’s eyelids trembled weakly as he lay flat on the floor as if he had become one with it.

Since entering the Purification Room, Miller hadn’t uttered a single word.

Only an eerie glint had flashed in Kaisis’s blue eyes.

“I didn’t know there were so many women with that name in my empire.”

Charlie.

Not only was she the purification guide for the Grand Duke who was insensitive to pheromones, but she was also the woman embraced by the infamous Hector.

That was all Kaisis knew.

Even this would have been unknown if it weren’t for the young lady who had been bragging about having a purification ritual with Hector during a recent tea time with the Imperial Princess.

“If this is all I’ve found out……”

At that moment, Kaisis pushed away the guide.

It was because the guide’s teeth had scraped the c*ck as they opened their mouth to breathe.

Thud–!

Thrown back by the strong force, the guide tumbled helplessly onto the floor.

The situation that would follow was obvious.

Miller closed his eyes to seemingly erase the thought that came to mind. The other guides did the same.

“Y-Your Majesty. Please give me one more chance… Ugh!”

The guide who was begging for forgiveness suddenly clutched their throat.

“When did I give you permission to speak?”

Soon, along with the chilling voice, a golden light flashed in the guide’s rolling eyes.

“Keurgh!”

Kaisis did not tolerate speaking without his permission. And the price to pay for violating this was death alone.

Miller once again bit his already closed lips.

“Or are you not searching properly?”

Kaisis stared at Miller as if the guide didn’t matter at all.

“……”

Miller had searched for every woman named Charlie within the empire.

Thinking it might be a nickname, he had even investigated all names containing ‘Cha’.

But he couldn’t find even a trace, let alone a family name.

The woman Kaisis was looking for did not exist anywhere in the empire.

He was beginning to doubt if she was even a real person.

“Find her.”

Kaisis stood up, shaking off the guides clinging to them.

“Find her by any means necessary.”

She’s a woman who could ease Hector’s breathing. Then she would surely do the same for him.

No, Hector’s purification must not happen, even if it means killing her.

Kaisis’s powerful aura that spread out made the air vibrate.

“Break down doors and storm in if you have to, but bring her before me.”

By now, the guide who had been coughing had stopped moving and was lying cold and still.

* * *

A deep concern had settled over the Hunt family.

It was because of Hector, who was complaining of pain.

Once awakened, the chest pain struck Hector at all times.

While eating, while working, and even while he was just breathing, his chest throbbed.

Not only the diagnosis, but even the cause was unclear.

Originally, those of Master rank and above were capable of self-healing with magic power.

This included not only external wounds but also internal damage. It was a natural principle that the stronger the magic power, the stronger the healing ability.

This meant that no one could treat an illness that Hector, a Grand Master, couldn’t heal.

Of course, in cases of severe injuries from attacks, a doctor’s help was needed as it consumed enormous magic power.

But Hector had neither been attacked by magic nor was it a severe case.

Thinking it might be Kaisis’s doing, they even tried mental healing magic, but there was no significant improvement.

Scratch– Scratch.

The sound of the pen tip echoing in the office stopped.

Hector, furrowing his brow, stroked his throbbing chest.

On the desk lay a report of monster appearances in the Shatron region.

“Your Grace……”

Tanner looked at Hector with worried eyes.

Charlie was the same.

“Perhaps we should have a purification ritu……”

“I said no.”

“……”

Tanner’s suggestion was rejected before he could even finish speaking.

Hector was certain it wasn’t the price of his ability.

He had lived his entire life in the pain of his ability. It was impossible for him not to distinguish it.

But he couldn’t face the period of expedition and blessing like this either.

Moreover, Kaisis knew of Charlie’s existence.

“Sigh……”

Hector, overcome with frustration, rubbed his contorted face.

Hector’s condition was at its worst, with both physical fatigue and mental pressure combined.

Even to Tanner, who had been by his side for a long time, it looked serious.

How much worse must it be for Charlie who was watching?

Causality, they say. Usually, when someone is incarnated into a novel and changes the story, strange things happen to try to return to the original work.

She even wondered if the time of annihilation had been accelerated because the original work had been distorted due to her.

At that moment, feeling a warm pheromone, Hector turned to look at Charlie.

Charlie, holding a ship carving in her hand, was staring blankly at him.

In that instant, a memory flashed through Hector’s mind.

[Clink- Clink-]

And Hector came up with an idea.

* * *

It was more than a bolt from the blue.

“W-What, what kind of service?”

Charlie’s mouth gaped open, engulfed in shock.

Even Tanner’s eyes were wide with bewilderment.

“I said sleep service.”

On the other hand, Hector was very calm, without the slightest change in expression.

In his heart, he wanted to pick up Charlie right away and head to the bedroom.

But Hector had learned through his previous experiences that he shouldn’t act forcefully.

Of course, the current situation couldn’t be considered to be Charlie’s voluntary choice, but still.

Anyway, Hector waited for Charlie’s answer, scraping together as much patience as he could muster.