The Dragon Slayer Revaston, an aura master who appeared after centuries, had countless rumors. He defeated an orc warlord, traveled north to become the knight of the ice dragon, entered a dark city alone to kill the vampire lord and save all its citizens. Finally, he hunted the dragon Grid, engraving his name in legend.

These were articles you could only read in the weekly in this peaceful city. That was six years ago. After his last feat, Revaston disappeared abruptly. That was legendary too.

Randolph used that as material for his novel. Of course, only the material. The actual content was about the charming bastard Briston enjoying one-night stands with beauties everywhere. Events happened, but they were secondary. If Revaston knew, he might rage and destroy Verdain Weekly with a single strike.

“If Revaston appears, Mr. Pulque would be thrilled. He’d interview him for a feature article titled 〈The Missing Legendary Aura Master! How Many Beauties Followed Him?〉”

Lily agreed.

“And you don’t need to worry, Miss Lily. You’ve drawn him so well.”

Anna said.

“All the men you’ve drawn were handsome, but this Briston is truly outstanding. Look at this butt. Unofficially, he’s the number one man other men want to be held by.”

“I don’t want to know who voted in that poll. At all.”

“But that gardener isn’t it?”

“Don’t be silly. Do you think I’m Mr. Randolph? Drawing real people without permission? It’s just a source of inspiration.”

She did want to touch him once. The magnificent pectoral muscles, the trapezius muscles visible through the shirt, the thigh muscles felt through the tight pants… If she touched them, they would surely rise. In many ways.

“The woman is a bit soulless this time too. She’s pretty, though.”

“Pretty is good enough. It gets good reviews.”

“From my perspective, knowing Miss Lily well, there’s no desire in this. Only the confidence you’ve struggled to pull out.”

“If you have to struggle to pull out confidence, it’s called an inferiority complex.”

Anna laughed.

Lily slumped over her desk. Anna’s words were correct. Her source of inspiration came from having no men and overflowing vitality.

And there was also an inferiority complex.

Her ex-husband used to say it was Lily’s fault that he couldn’t get it up. That she wasn’t attractive enough, that she was too eager. What else did he say?

‘I chose him because he acted like the world’s greatest casanova. Like he knew how to please a woman.’

Shouldn’t he have shown his ultimate move at least once?

‘I want to try.’

Passionate s*x with a real man.

The drawer was once again filling with romance. On the bed, at the desk, on the balcony couch. The drawings in the drawer had a clear model. While the illustrations sent to Verdain Weekly were purely inspired, the ones in the drawer were unmistakably Breck. Although she didn’t draw above the neck. Just straightening his waist and back would make the man in the drawing a completely different entity. Only the parts hidden under the shirt remained an unknown world.

Lily had sworn deep in her heart that absolutely no one should ever find out.

“Try seducing him.”

“I told you, I can’t. I’m a viscount. Even though I’m no longer called a lord, I’m still a notable and elder of this region. I’ve lived here so far and will continue to live here for the rest of my life. I can’t throw away my dignity for just one night of desire.”

“So, if that wasn’t an issue, would you consider seducing him?”

“Huh?”

Anna smiled as she peered at Lily’s face, which was lying down.

“To be honest, I think your problem is that you’re a coward.”

With that, she dangled an earring in front of Lily’s eyes.

“Transformation Artifact.”

“What?”

Lily shot up.

“That’s illegal.”

“It’s called a transformation, but it doesn’t completely change your appearance. It seems to overlay a slight illusion magic. The time limit is three hours. Changing hair color, eye color, and slightly altering the face should be enough.”

“You’re telling me to become someone else?”

“I’m saying, don’t worry about tarnishing your name and try seducing him.”

Anna offered the earring. Lily hesitated.

“But, why are you giving this to me?”

“Because I like you, Miss Lily. I also enjoy seeing people have some fun in life. Give it a try.”

“But…”

“If you change your identity, it’s not the viscount seducing the gardener. It’s just a woman seducing a man.”

Lily finally accepted the earring.

**

Breck picked up the branches Cohen had cut and put them in a sack. The thrifty head maid would use these branches to start a fire. Real firewood was used where more heat was needed.

‘Did she say something about roasting sweet potatoes?’

He tied a few branches into a separate bundle. Some potatoes and sweet potatoes had been sent from his hometown along with a letter full of worries from his younger sister.

His sister always worried whether he could work properly until the end. Breck understood her concern. The Breck his family knew was a fool who ran away at fifteen and returned empty-handed at thirty.

Of course, his family loved him. Even his sister, who had looked at him with the coldest eyes, hugged him and said she was glad he came back alive and well. Thanks to returning without any missing limbs, Breck was treated as the world’s greatest filial son.

Home was boring. This rural town was too. The only stimulating thing here was the quirky and funny Verdain Weekly. Breck kept up with Verdain Weekly and chuckled at Briston the Dragon Slayer.

This was the kind of boredom he needed. The past 15 years had been filled with too many events for a human mind to endure.

When he returned home, he had sworn never to hold a killing weapon again, planting his sword on a rock behind his house. Magic, spirits, dragons, they all drove him mad.

The strong-willed ego sword had screamed.

『You’d better plant me in the Ice Dragon’s cave!』

The Ice Dragon’s cave was too far, so Breck just planted the sword in a nearby rock. He still chose a spot sheltered from the wind and rain.

Who knows? Maybe in the distant future, another dragon slayer would emerge from this village. Perhaps a boy or girl full of adventure would visit the hill and have a fateful encounter.

“Breck, are you already done?”

Cohen was surprised to see the neatly cleaned garden.

“We could have cleaned it up together.”

“I picked it up and bundled it as I went.”

“Good boy.”

Cohen tried to pat his head like he would a 15-year-old boy. Breck lowered his head. But since Cohen had to stand on tiptoe, he settled for patting Breck’s back.

“Oh, you left one bundle. Roasting sweet potatoes with these branches and leaves will taste amazing.”

“Will it burn well even though they’re not dry?”

“We can leave them for a day or two to dry.”

“Do we really need to go that far just to roast sweet potatoes? Isn’t the mistress strict? Can we do that in the garden?”

“It’s fine. She’s not so petty as to worry about such things.”

Breck smirked.

There was a duality in the employees’ attitudes toward Lily. She was generally seen as a cold, precise, and stern person, and she appeared that way too. Even at home, her impeccable appearance gave the impression of a strict dormitory matron rather than a viscount, and she rarely smiled.

Rumor had it that she had ruthlessly driven out her cheerful and bright husband. There were whispers that she wasn’t womanly or that she was too cold to love anyone.

Yet, despite that, the employees enjoyed quite a bit of freedom. They claimed she was strict, but in specific situations, they would say she didn’t bother with such details, maintaining a relaxed and comfortable demeanor.

Salaries were never delayed. In reality, she hardly ever scolded anyone. Snacks were plentiful, and extra income came in occasionally. There weren’t many family members to serve, and Lily wasn’t the type to frequently invite guests.

In this context, working here was quite bearable. Though life was filled with labor from dawn till dusk, it was a given unless one was a wealthy person who didn’t need to work. He wondered if people found this difficult because they had only lived in this quiet countryside, unlike the harsh big cities.

‘Or maybe her ex-husband was quite something.’

Some people are skilled at ruining others’ reputations.

Breck thought of the viscount. It would be better if she adopted a softer demeanor. After all, it was her home, so she could wear comfortable gowns and let her hair down…

‘It’s her eyes, isn’t it?’