Waiting

Contrary to Lyrica’s anxiety about being abandoned soon, her daily life continued without much change.

The ducal brothers treated Lyrica the same as before. In fact, after that day, they began calling her “fairy lady,” and though Lyrica was embarrassed at first, she soon grew accustomed to the nickname. 

The servants of the ducal household, including the butler, didn’t know about her nymph bloodline, but they remained kind to her nonetheless.

As time passed, Lyrica’s anxiety faded. However, without realizing it, she found herself constantly craving affection from the ducal brothers. 

Lian, Noel, and Lucas looked at her with loving eyes when she begged for their cum more frequently than before, and they fed her their s*men whenever she wanted. Lyrica was happy taking all three c*cks simultaneously.

Lyrica also excelled at the tasks Lian assigned her. At first, she struggled with unfamiliar duties, but with help from the tutor assigned to her and Lian’s assistant, she gradually became accustomed to them.

Lian began entrusting her with more internal affairs of the ducal household one by one. Each time, he would kiss Lyrica when she expressed joy at being useful, and then thrust his c*ck into her on his office desk.

Lucas and Noel, with support from the Magic Tower and the Imperial Court respectively, tracked the slave traders who used the aphrodisiac. After a prolonged period of waiting, they successfully captured one of the supplier’s underlings.

Since the underling was likely under a silencing spell as well, Noel’s subordinates secretly followed him in rotation for several weeks.

By following him, they discovered a middle manager. The Imperial Knights tracking this middle manager soon found themselves at the empire’s border. 

They observed the middle manager crossing the border toward the Kingdom of Saibria, contacted Lucas using a magical device he had provided, and then raided the location.

With Lucas’s help, Noel arrived in Saibria within three hours. He left Lucas, who was flailing about claiming magical exhaustion, with a subordinate and hurried down to an underground storage room. 

In the storage room, a balding, pot-bellied man was struggling while tied to a chair. When Noel removed his gag, the man shouted loudly.

“Cough, cough! You, you… How dare you! Do you know who I am! You insolent fool, untie me this instant!”

“Who do you think you are to speak to me so rudely?”

The pot-bellied bald man flinched at Noel’s intimidating response and carefully examined him. Soon, the man’s face turned pale.

“T-that emblem on the sword is the Empire’s…! Wait. Black hair with blue eyes… C-could it be Noel Valter? The Sword Master himself!”

“Tsk… Such an oblivious man created that drug? Lily, are you sure you caught the right person?”

In response to Noel’s doubt, a tall knight with short brown hair that swayed gracefully frowned and replied.

“Captain, I’m hurt. Do you know how exhausted I am from chasing that rat-like man? Despite looking so round that he should be rolling around, he was surprisingly good at hiding. I was so annoyed that I almost beat him up when I caught him, but I barely restrained myself.”

“I understand. Your manner of speaking… Hey, you, what’s your name?”

“P-please spare me! I don’t know anything! I-I’m sorry!”

The man began to tremble and beg. Lily poked him repeatedly with her sword sheath, taunting him.

“You don’t even know your own name? Captain, isn’t he a complete idiot? How can he claim to know nothing but then apologize? Should I beat him until he opens his mouth, Captain?”

“Sigh… I’ll handle this. You wait outside.”

“Yes, sir!”

After Lily left, Noel drew his sword and pointed it at the man’s neck. When bl＊＊d trickled from his neck just from a light touch of the blade, the man trembled to the point of nearly fainting and wet himself.

“P-please spare me…”

“Under whose orders did you make this drug? Answer that, and I’ll spare your life.”

The man began to confess readily. Just as Lian had predicted, he was a nobleman from the Kingdom of Saibria. His name was Gavin, and he was the Finance Minister of Saibria. 

He claimed that he hadn’t made the aphrodisiac himself but had secretly diverted some of what was produced in the royal palace.

Samuel Saibria, who had seized the throne through rebellion, was a leading war hawk who resented the previous king’s subservience to the empire. 

As soon as he ascended to the throne, he pondered ways to avenge past humiliations and bring down the empire. Rastin, the black mage who had aided his rebellion, suggested spreading the aphrodisiac.

“Why an aphrodisiac specifically? There are poisons and narcotics too.”

“I heard that using aphrodisiacs had become fashionable among imperial nobles… By disguising it as a commercially available aphrodisiac, we could easily addict them…”

In the empire, which had grown complacent from long-lasting prosperity and peace, decadent and hedonistic culture had recently gained popularity. 

Aphrodisiacs were part of this trend; when used in small amounts to avoid addiction, they easily provided pleasure, so many couples used them. Crimes also frequently occurred at salons and parties where drugs were secretly slipped into drinks to target noblewomen. Saibria seemed to be targeting this vulnerability.

“Ha, these bastards are truly vicious, aren’t they?”

When Noel’s expression turned fierce, Gavin trembled and began making excuses.

“B-but we haven’t spread it yet! The drug is still in an incomplete stage, with a deep color and strong smell that’s noticeable when mixed with anything. We were still experimenting because it needed to cause gradual addiction, but the effect was too powerful! We haven’t done anything harmful to the empire yet! Please spare me!”

“You haven’t done anything harmful to the empire? What about the drug you distributed to slave traders? Do you know how many people died because of it?”

“W-well… I thought it might be profitable…”

Noel couldn’t hide his astonishment at Gavin’s subsequent words. When Samuel’s rebellion showed signs of success, Gavin had pledged allegiance by offering his entire fortune. 

Though he was appointed Finance Minister for his contribution, he was desperate to rebuild his lost wealth. When Gavin learned about the aphrodisiac, he thought it could be highly profitable if utilized properly, so he secretly diverted some and sold it to slave traders. He even hired a mage to cast a silencing spell as a precaution, but this trouble still ensued.

“Since slave trading is illegal in the empire, I thought everyone would keep quiet about it… sob…”

“To be exposed by such a foolish man with such a short trail. Judging by the looks of it, this country was doomed anyway. You’ll have to repeat everything you just said before His Imperial Majesty.”

Noel coldly gagged him again. Gavin struggled with bulging eyes, but Noel ignored him and dragged him upstairs. After handing Gavin over to his subordinates, Noel approached Lucas, who was lying face down in a tent, and told him about the conversation in the underground storage.

“Huh… If we had delayed a bit longer, something terrible might have happened. It’s all thanks to Lyrica. Our Lyri did something amazing.”

“We need to report to His Majesty quickly. Can you teleport?”

“Do you think it’s easy to bring you here from the capital in just three hours? We’ll need at least half a day more if we’re taking that Gavin fellow too. Magic isn’t omnipotent, you know.”

“D＊mn, I guess we won’t make it home today.”

Noel sent his subordinates ahead and only managed to reach the Imperial Palace the next morning. Trembling at the Emperor’s promise to spare his life if he told the truth, Gavin revealed everything he knew. The Emperor was furious upon learning of the Kingdom of Saibria’s plot.

“Those ignorant, arrogant fools have forgotten the empire’s grace and are running wild. Imperial Knights Captain Noel Valter, listen. I grant you full authority to punish those who act recklessly without foresight and show them the majesty of the empire!”

By the Emperor’s command, an expedition against Saibria was organized. Noel couldn’t return to the mansion due to war preparations. When Lyrica heard the news from Lucas, she looked distressed.

“A sudden war! What if Lord Noel gets hurt?”

“Lyri, Noel Valter is unlikely to get hurt. You know what a Sword Master is, right?”

“I do know, but still…”

Lyrica could only pace anxiously. She had heard that Noel and Lucas had uncovered the Kingdom of Saibria’s plot while investigating the aphrodisiac she had consumed. 

Rationally, she knew it was fortunate they had discovered the evil plot in advance, but she couldn’t help feeling that Noel’s deployment to the battlefield was somehow her fault. 

‘If I hadn’t been kidnapped by slave traders and hadn’t taken the aphrodisiac, Lord Noel wouldn’t have had to track it down and go to war.’

Seeing Lyrica’s troubled expression, Lucas felt a twinge of jealousy.

“Lyri, if the war drags on, I might have to join too. Will you worry about me this much as well?”

“What? Lucas is going to the battlefield too?”

Tears welled up in Lyrica’s eyes. No way! Surely Duke Lian won’t go too? If so, she would follow them.

“Then I’ll go with you. If Lord Noel and Lucas get hurt, I can heal you, right?”

“That’s not possible, Lyri. You know what would happen. If the aphrodisiac’s effects kick in while you’re there, you’ll be begging other men to f*ck you too, right?”

“Sob… But still…”

Lyrica’s resentment toward the Kingdom of Saibria deepened. Why would they create such a drug that took away people’s freedom? 

Lucas held the tearful Lyrica in his arms, kissed her eyes, and comforted her.