Chapter 96

A chill ran down my spine.

Lord Audley, with a look of ecstasy, loomed over my body, which was lying supine on the bed.

And then, with those thick hands, he rudely groped my upper body. Even though it was over my shirt, being touched like this by a man I had only met once made me feel utterly disgusted. Goosebumps rose on my arms all at once.

Moreover, “No, Audley-sama! What on earth do you think you’re doing!!” There was no need for polite language or honorifics in this situation anymore. “What happened to Haruka-chan? She’s safe, isn’t she!!!”

I twisted my body trying to dodge Audley’s hands while glaring at him.

Then, Audley twisted his lips into a sleazy smile. There was none of the refreshing aura he had when we first met.

“Aah, that girl? Don’t worry, she’s in a different room. When I summoned her, I was disappointed by the unexpected results, but she has served well as bait to lure you in. I owe her my thanks for that.”

“Summoned… Haruka-chan?” My eyes widened at the unexpected words.

Audley snorted with disinterest. “Ah, don’t get me wrong, Takumi. I never intended to summon such a young girl. It was you that I wanted to summon.”

“…Me?”

I don’t understand. What does he mean?

As I stared at Audley in confusion, he seemed to reflect on past events, his gaze distant.

“The truth is… I wanted to have you for myself. But, I couldn’t approach you easily; you were tightly guarded by that commander and vice-commander of your knight order. I couldn’t even meet with you, let alone invite you over. I was pondering what to do when I came across the writings my ancestor left behind. ‘Ah. My ancestors got hold of this wicked tome long before the Ritzheim Magical Kingdom was established.'”

“Ancestors?”

“Yes, they’ve lived on this land long before us. And back then, to protect the people from the monsters and evil that plagued this land, they led the summoning rituals and summoned a ‘savior’ from another world.”

“!”

That’s the era when the Demon King was summoned…!

But then, why is Audley a noble of the Oster country? Weren’t his ancestors from Ritzheim?

“According to the diary, the man who was summoned as the ‘savior’ had the audacity to claim all wartime achievements for himself and insisted on becoming the founding king. …Indeed, his power might have been immense. But in the first place, had my ancestors not summoned him, he would have never come to this world, right? Don’t you think it’s a preposterous claim?”

This man, if you listen to him without saying anything…! Who does he think he is! The Demon King didn’t come to this world because he wanted to! And on top of that, in the end, he was killed along with the person he loved…

“And of course, my esteemed ancestors did not acknowledge that foolish claim. They challenged him and the powerful clans backing him as saviors, to a fair and square fight.”

Challenged to a fight by the powerful clans backing him as saviors? Wait a minute. Then, the ancestor Audley is talking about is… the ones who assassinated the Demon King’s wife!

“Assassination, it’s not what you’d call a fair and square fight, is it?”

“What?”

Oh, no. I’d been trying my best to hold back my retort, but I couldn’t help myself in response to such an absurd story, and I ended up speaking out!

“No, what I mean is, the story I’ve heard seems to be quite different from yours, Audley-sama. According to what I’ve been told, your ancestor attempted to assassinate the ‘Savior,’ and as a result, only the lady ended up dying.”

Audley gazed at me, his eyes wide open as I spoke dispassionately.

“And then, consumed by hatred and sorrow, the ‘Savior’ lost control of his power and eventually became what is known as the ‘Demon King.’ Isn’t that correct?”

“…I’m surprised. You know about that, too?” Audley put on a particularly sorrowful expression and slowly shook his head. “But it seems you’ve only heard the convenient story crafted by the Ritzheim Magical  Kingdom. After all, what’s the big deal about a woman dying? On the battlefield, there’s no distinction between the lives of men and women.

Well, let’s get back to the story. My ancestor bravely challenged the ‘Savior’ to battle and was defeated. Afterwards, that ‘Savior’ revealed his true nature—the ‘Demon King’ you speak of. Indeed, my ancestor was right. That man was not fit to be king. Of course, by the time he showed his true colors, my ancestor had already wisely fled to the neighboring country of Oster.”

There are too many shocking revelations.

I never would have guessed that this person’s ancestor was the one who assassinated the Demon King’s wife.

However, this would explain why he knew the method for the summoning ritual to call Haruka-chan. It seems Haruka herself is unaware that it was Audley who summoned her to this place… She’s probably been sweet-talked by this man.

“So, it was your ancestor who left behind the knowledge of the summoning ritual, and you used it to summon Haruka-chan to this world, right?”

“No, that’s not it. As I said earlier, I never intended to summon such a girl.”

Huh? I’m confused again.

While I was pondering this, Audley touched my cheek with a blissful smile. “It was by chance that I saw you when you arrived… The moment I saw you, I wanted you to be mine.” He traced his fingers down my cheek and neck.

The instant he touched me, I felt a wave of disgust and stood up.

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s my hobby to protect beautiful things, to keep them by my side, to adore them. And the rarer they are, the better. All three of my servants are also exceptionally beautiful, with rare hair and eye colors, aren’t they?”

Come to think of it, the three servants that followed Audley did have unusual eye and hair colors. I thought they were just flashy, but I hadn’t paid much attention to the fact that it could mean something. To me, nearly everyone from the country of Ritzheim has unusual hair and eye colors!

“To collect people as a hobby, that’s not what I’d call a good taste.”

“Haha, what’s the matter? Are you jealous?”

Hearing Audley’s eerily delighted laugh, a chill ran down my spine.

Ugh, I can’t stand this man! How can he respond like that to what I just said?!!!

“I yearned for you, contemplating desperately how I might make you mine. I even went to the perfume shop you often visit, but the clerks there, they just wouldn’t divulge anything about you…”

Audley’s fingers, which had been softly tracing my nape, now started to peel away at my collar.

His fingers next stretched towards my shirt, and with almost enough force to rip it open…

Hey, hey, this shirt’s pretty expensive, you know!!!!

And besides, Gazelle bought this for me, so don’t tear it!

“At that time… I found a journal left by our ancestors. It was like divine revelation. It detailed a summoning ritual that had brought forth a person from another world, a ‘Hero’ with black hair and eyes. I immediately realized that you too must have come from another world, as no information about your country of origin or family lineage was available.”

“….Could it be that?”

“Yes. If I couldn’t have you, I thought perhaps I could possess a young man with the same black hair and eyes by performing the summoning ritual.”

Despite the merciless words, Audley smiled carefreely.

But then his smile clouded over, and with a theatrical gesture, he sadly furrowed his brows into a figure-eight and shook his head.

“That girl’s hair… it’s not quite black, almost like a dark brown, isn’t it? Can you understand how disappointed I was? But what was summoned… was a woman as unlike you as could be, lacking in grace and intelligence, like some kind of monkey. Moreover, upon closer look, even her hair and eye color weren’t truly black…

“You brought that girl to this world for such a frivolous reason!!!!” I couldn’t hold back any longer and yelled at Audley. “Do you have any idea how much suffering you’ve caused her, being torn away from her family and friends…” But I couldn’t finish my words.

Audley’s raised palm struck my cheek hard. “Takumi. Be a good boy and don’t raise your voice too much,” Audley told me in a relaxed tone, as if admonishing a naughty child. “This room is quite secluded, but it’s not soundproofed. Sorry about that. But I do welcome your sweet chirping.”

A tearing sound echoed.

My shirt had been completely ripped open.

“But it turned out to be the right decision to keep that girl close at hand. It was also right to influence the lady from the perfume shop. I had heard that you frequently show yourself at that store. I figured that if I sent her there, you would definitely try to make contact with her.”

And just like that, I had fallen into this man’s trap… Damn it!

“Honestly, such roundabout tactics are bothersome and not my style. But it seems that commander and vice-commander of the Black-winged knights hold you in high esteem. They never left you alone during the escort missions, keeping me thoroughly at bay…”

As Audley looked at my now half-naked torso, he let out a sly grin. My body stiffened involuntarily at that vulgar, lewd smile.

Ugh… that’s right. Gazelle did warn me to be wary of Audley…

But, but! If I don’t return to the Knights, Gazelle and Felix will surely come looking for me! So I just have to hold on until then… Wait, what the!!!!

Why is this guy trying to take off my underwear too!!!

“What are you doing!!!”

“Oh my, you’re quite the shy one, aren’t you? But this is in the way if we are to connect.”

“C-connect… huh?”

Audley’s words were something that my brain refused to understand.

Eh? No way, does this person… intend to engage in such acts with me!!!

I stared at Audley in stunned silence. I had assumed that the reason I was tied to the bed was merely to prevent my escape. I had not even remotely considered that this man might see me as a sexual object, just as Gazelle and Felix did not.

“Having such desires for me… I never thought you’d be one of those disgusting guys!”

“I thought you were just a crude guy who had no interest in women. I even thought you might be one of those men who prefer other men. But it seems you’re quite innocent, huh? Well, that’s more to my liking.”

Audley’s eyes filled with lust as he tried to forcibly pull down my underwear.

“There’s nothing more enjoyable than developing the body of an innocent child. Hehehe… Don’t worry. I’ll soon turn you into a lustful one who eagerly worships my c()ck. I’ll make you a f*cking sl*t!”

N—No!

I struggled violently, kicking my legs in an attempt to land a blow on Audley’s face. However, Audley easily dodged my efforts.

“Takumi, be good. Do you want your legs tied up as well?”

“There’s no way I can be good! Besides, you can’t truly possess someone just by forcibly binding their body like this!”

“So, you don’t care what happens to that girl?”

At Audley’s words, I froze completely.

Looking down at me as I stood still, Audley narrowed his eyes in satisfaction. “That’s right, be a good boy. …I don’t intend to harm your body, but that little girl is a different story. Moreover, I possess not only the ritual for summoning but also the formula for sending back. If you want her to return to her original world unharmed… heh, you understand, right?”

“You coward…!”

Damn it…!

Since coming to this world, this man is the first to make me feel such disgust!

I gritted my teeth and glared at Audley.

However, Audley seemed pleased with my cessation of resistance. With a smug nod, he removed the undergarments from my legs and spread them apart.

Just as Audley’s fingers were about to touch there, I inadvertently let out the names of two people.

“…Gazelle, Felix…”

I closed my eyes tightly. If I didn’t, tears of guilt and disgust seemed like they would spill out, and I didn’t want this man to see me cry. With my vision shut off, Audley’s rough breathing sounds felt disgustingly close to my ears.