Chapter 103: SIDE Oster Country Noble, Bernard Audley

I punched the wall over and over. Skin tore, and blood trailed down my wrist.

“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”

But the pain was irrelevant. The smoldering feelings inside me only flared up more.

“Ah… what a disaster. I was so close, so close to having that beautiful boy as my own…”

Just the thought of his obsidian gaze, defiant and angry, sent shivers of excitement through me. When I tore off his shirt, the skin revealed was equally beautiful. A strange color not seen in this continent, accentuating the slightly pink protrusions on his chest.

I had imagined him to have a well-trained body as a knight, but contrary to my expectations, his physique was almost delicately slender.

The somewhat innocent neck, the slim waistline – every part of him was tantalizing.

“Ah… poor Takumi. Being with those barbarians, he must be feeling so scared and alone right now…”

I wiped the bloodied fist with my shirt, sat heavily on the bed, and covered my face with my hands.

The bed, with just a simple piece of cloth, was cold and hard, impossible to lie down on.

No, even if it were a luxurious bed, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep with my emotions running high. I was so close to having that beautiful young man.

But somehow, the Black-winged Knights figured it out, stormed into the mansion, and snatched him from my grasp. They locked me up here without a word.

How outrageous! They’re just knights, yet they dare to treat a nobleman like this? This Ritzheim country is insane.

They accused me of violating the ‘Slave Trade Prohibition Law’… Ridiculous.

The people I traded as slaves were just commoners. Aren’t commoners just like livestock?

What’s wrong with trading livestock?

“Ah… back to square one. First, I need to contact my father in the Oster Kingdom to arrange for a settlement… But, haha. I found his weakness. Next time, I’ll take my time. I rushed it too much this time.”

When I mentioned that monkey-like girl in front of Takumi, his expression changed instantly. Remembering that moment brought a grin to my face.

I remember every word of my ancestors’ notes about the summoning ritual, especially the part about the ceremony. And I have the experience from last time.

Once I arrange for a magician, I can perform the summoning ritual as many times as needed.

Takumi is kinder than I expected.

I just need to summon another person from a different world, take them hostage in front of Takumi like this time, and he will fall into my hands.

“Haha… Oh, I’m so looking forward to the day I go to fetch you, Takumi…”

“――I doubt he’s waiting for someone like you.”

“!?”

I removed my hands from my face and looked up in shock.

“Eh…?”

Before me stood a boy. Bathed in the moonlight filtering through the barred window, his deep green hair shimmered beautifully. Despite his slender features suggesting he was probably not yet fifteen, the blood-colored eyes held a cold, sharp light, his expression not childlike but reminiscent of a wise man who had lived for hundreds of years.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?”

I looked around frantically. There were no signs of the outside door being opened. The room’s only window was sealed shut, and not within reach of the boy’s height. The only other items in the room were a bed, a chamber pot, a chair, and a table. There was no apparent way for the boy to have entered…

“Sigh. I’m glad I gave him that tracking bag. That man really tends to attract the quirky types.”

The boy scratched his head with a cynical air, completely unlike a child. Upon closer inspection, I noticed goat-like horns curling from his head. An Aesir child, perhaps?

“Tracking bag? I don’t understand, but did you come to rescue me?”

“Rescue, huh? Well, you could say that.”

The boy smirked mischievously and looked at me. Something about his smile sent a chill down my spine, but I dismissed it as my imagination.

“That’s great! Thank you, I’m relieved! Let’s get out of here then. Oh, but what about Takumi?”

“That man’s fate concerns you so much?”

The boy stared at me intently with his deep red eyes. I nodded affirmatively.

“Of course. A person as beautiful as him needs my protection. I can’t leave him with those brutish knights; something might go wrong.”

“You really are similar to him.”

“My father, you mean? I’m often told I resemble my mother more.”

“Not your father. Someone from much earlier.”

Before I could ask him to clarify, the boy’s hand loomed in front of my eyes. Suddenly, everything went dark.

“Ah… Gah!?”

“To believe your own fabricated stories as reality. To assume your vile desires as normal and force them onto others…”

“Gah, oh… Vuh!”

It wasn’t the room that had darkened; my eyes had rolled back in their sockets. But by the time I realized this, my body was already stiffened, unable to escape the bed or the boy’s grasp. Drool dribbled from my mouth, but I couldn’t even wipe it away.

“Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. As you know, he’s a kind man. I can’t let him be troubled over someone like you.”

That was the last thing I heard.