After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 168
### Episode 168: After the Sudden Hug
I have no idea what kind of cover-up Gretel made, but when Michaela eventually returned, I was relieved to see that her attitude hadn’t changed. It seems she hasn’t given up on this sexually harassing boss. However, whenever our eyes meet, she quickly looks away—so, yeah, she’s definitely on guard around me. I deeply regret what I did in the heat of the moment earlier.
“I’m sorry, Michaela. It was sudden, and you must have hated it.”
“N-no, I was surprised, but… it wasn’t *that* bad, or rather…”
Hmm, “wasn’t *that* bad” means it was still somewhat bad, right? Sigh… it really was an act of harassment, so I should refrain from doing that in the future. I’ll start by apologizing sincerely.
“I’m really sorry. I won’t do it again, so please continue to protect me as you have been.”
When I bowed deeply, Michaela looked at me with a somewhat stunned and surprised expression. Huh? Did I say something weird?
“Lutz-sama, you’re quite a strange person. I always thought high-ranking noblemen were all about doing whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, without a care for others, and never reflecting on their actions…”
Her view of nobles is pretty harsh, which doesn’t quite match her cute face. I guess she’s had some unpleasant experiences with them before.
“I actually kind of like you, Lutz-sama. But girls need to prepare themselves for things like that!”
With that, she turned around and ran off again. Huh? What did she mean by that? Was she saying, “If you let me prepare myself, it’s okay”? Or is there no deeper meaning? If I misunderstand and push too hard, she might end up hating me…
Caught up in my teenage angst, I found myself worrying alone.
◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇
That evening, I visited the opposite side of the city, where the Dark Clan had built their base. I couldn’t ask Gretel to accompany me for some reason, so I had Michaela come along instead.
I wasn’t there for breeding purposes—both Ayaka-san and Saya-san are already happily pregnant. There are apparently plenty of other Dark Clan members waiting in line for breeding, but Ayaka-san has decided to save that as a special reward for significant achievements, so she’s not allowing it freely.
“So… you mentioned that I might be able to help Margherita-sama,” Ayaka-san said as she gracefully placed a cup of fragrant green tea and freshly made, still-warm steamed buns in front of me. The nostalgia hit me, and I couldn’t help but gobble one up immediately. The soft texture of the bun and the gentle sweetness of the red bean paste filled my mouth. Ah, Akitsushima culture is amazing. Glancing to the side, I saw Michaela, who had a blissful expression as she carefully rolled the still-hot bean paste in her mouth. She’s still just a young girl, after all; sweets are the best way to win her over.
“Lutz-sama?”
Ah, I almost forgot the main topic. Ayaka-san was looking at me with a puzzled expression as I sat there like a fool.
“Y-yeah. It’s something only someone like you, who’s a master of dark magic, can do.”
“If our dark magic can be of use to you, Lutz-sama, we have no objections…”
“Yes, dark magic specializes in debuffs, right?”
“Indeed, weakening the enemy’s attack and defense power is a fundamental skill for dark attribute magic users. I’ve also studied it extensively.”
“Does it work against light attribute users?”
“Of course, but against someone with a high-level light attribute, you need a caster with even greater magic power for it to be effective.”
As expected, that’s the answer I was hoping for. Then maybe…
“Well then, Ayaka-san, can you weaken an S-class light magic user?”
“Yes. After receiving your seed twice, my magic power, which was originally A-class, has increased to SS-class. Now, with the third child in my womb, I feel my power has grown even more. At this moment, there shouldn’t be anyone on this continent who can resist my debuff dark magic.”
The usually modest Ayaka-san puffed out her chest with rare confidence, emphasizing her impressive chest armor. As expected of a woman from this world, she has a strong attachment to magical power. But just as she said that, she suddenly widened her eyes as if realizing something.
“Oh, could it be that the person you want to weaken is…”
“Yes. I think you’re imagining the right person. Let’s discuss the specifics.”
Good, the preparations are complete. All that’s left is to conduct the experiment.
Michaela, who was sitting beside me, stared at me with a curious expression. Don’t look at me with those innocent eyes—I’m plotting something so devious right now that I could never tell a woman about it.