I Was Reincarnated As An Instructor In An R18 Game... - Chapter 21

Elysia, Erika, and the maids finish their preparations and leave the mansion.

The butler, who came to see us off at the entrance, bows his head to us.

Elysia and Erika looked like they wanted to say something but held back and walked outside.

The butler is one who serves the Deus family.

Therefore, he listens to the master of the house, but he has a heart.

The butler didn’t stop the head of the house from sending Elysia to be embraced by other nobles like a prostitute, but he didn’t approve of it.

That’s why, when Elysia was mentally worn down, he gave her sleeping pills.

Even though she was physically fine, he made it seem like she was sick.

It was his own way of rebelling against the head of the house.

…Well, even so, it seems she was taken out once a year.

And this time, the reason why the Count abandoned Elysia.

The butler must have told a lie. Saying she didn’t have much time left, or that the doctor had abandoned hope.

Since the butler, who had always obeyed the Count, said it, the Count likely believed it without question.

As expected, even the Count couldn’t bring himself to have a woman like that be embraced by other nobles.

It wasn’t out of concern for Elysia, it was for the Count’s self-preservation.

If Elysia died after being made to sleep with someone, his own position would have been at risk.

If Elysia is no longer useful, then there’s no reason to keep taking care of Erika.

That’s why he abandoned her.

I understood the reasoning, but I can’t say it was right.

If he’d stopped it sooner, ruin could’ve been avoided…

Without saying a word to the still-bowing butler, I left the mansion.

–

“When you said moving… did you mean to Suzuya?”

Erika murmured that because Suzuya was coming into view.

Erika’s mansion was on 9th Street, and Suzuya was nearby on 8th Street.

To Erika, who tilted her head and said that, I shook mine and pointed to a building across the main street from Suzuya.

A long horizontal wall stretched on, with a single lonely door like the back entrance of some luxury inn.

It’s probably more than twice the size of Suzuya.

Smiling, I pass the key to Erika. She receives it with both hands, a bunch of question marks practically floating over her head.

“I’ll rent it to you for one large silver coin a month.”

“…Which building are you talking about?”

Smirking at Erika’s dumbfounded look, I point to the big building once more.

Since it’s going nowhere, I grab Erika’s hand, take her to the door, and have her unlock it.

Entering the building with Erika, we’re met with darkness and the musty smell of dust—likely due to the late hour.

I turn on the light magic device located near the entrance.

Erika is stunned by how spacious it is inside.

After all, just the depth of it was about the same as Erika’s whole mansion.

The first floor had a wide open layout with rooms along the edges; the second was filled solely with rooms.

To put it simply, the second floor was like an apartment complex.

There were six rooms on the first floor, and eighteen on the second.

Leaving the stunned Erika behind, I call out to the maid behind us.

The maid I spoke to was the one who had suddenly appeared before.

“Maid-san, it’s okay to make noise in this place. Sorry to ask while you’re busy, but can you at least clean the bedrooms? There are cleaning supplies you can use.”

“…It’s no trouble at all. I doubt it’ll even take two hours.”

Holding her skirt out a little with both hands, she gives a small bow, maybe that’s a maid’s way of greeting.

…Ah, right. That’s called a curtsy.

I show the maid where the cleaning supplies are, then tell her we’ll be staying at the Suzuya inn until the cleaning is finished.

Incidentally, Elysia was already taken to the inn by Niimi.

She’s probably suffering from lack of exercise and poor nutrition. In a way, calling it an illness might not be wrong.

Minty, one of the three adventurers who came along with the still-stunned Erika, speaks up.

“Hey, hey, Erika-chan, want to hire us as your bodyguards?”

“…Eh?”

“We really like you, Erika-chan~ So, how about hiring us?”

“Ah, okay…”

“Thanks! We’ll talk payment tomorrow! Nighty night~!”

Minty grabbed Erika’s limp hands shook them vigorously, then let go and smiled as she headed back to the Suzuya inn.

As Minty talked, Satur and Rolle couldn’t help but smile awkwardly.

Satur is the leader, yet Minty’s the one doing the negotiating…

With her unresponsive and seemingly zoned-out, I lifted Erika in a princess carry and headed home.

When I opened the door at home, Niimi and Elysia were seated at the table.

Elysia was peacefully sipping the tea that Niimi brought her.

Niimi looked at me with Erika in my arms and smiled with a hint of concern.

“What happened?”

“Well, a lot happened today… so she probably shut down because of it.”

“Oh dear.”

After seating Erika next to Elysia, she instinctively wrapped her arms lightly around her.

Elysia smiled with a hint of worry but put down her tea and gently embraced Erika back.

I sighed in relief at the sight and then spoke to Niimi.

“Sorry, I’ve decided to rent that building to Erika.”

“…There’s nothing to apologize for. Rather, I’m proud as your girlfriend.”

Embarrassed by Niimi’s words, I awkwardly scratched my head.

That building was meant for the future. I bought it to turn it into the second Suzuya.

The price was ten gold coins. Why was a building that should cost at least one platinum coin so cheap?

That’s because the previous owner passed away inside that building.

It’s a so-called accident property; I bought it at a low price because it was known for its bad reputation.

In my original world, ghosts would be scary, but in this world with monsters called ghosts, actual spirits probably don’t exist.

Even if they appear, we just have to defeat them.

–

“I’ve shown you a rather embarrassing side of myself.”

Some time passed, and Erika cleared her throat with embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Elysia was smiling joyfully as she looked at Erika’s side profile.

She’d been tense every day until now; she was probably glad for the peace that had finally arrived.

But we have to make sure that peace lasts.

I smiled as I began to speak.

“Bribes… who do you think usually accepts them?”

With a thoughtful expression, Erika resting her hand on her chin as if thinking deeply about my question.

Once she reached a conclusion, she began to answer.

“It would be someone with high status… like a noble?”

“…Speaking of which, do you think the royal family takes bribes?”

“That’s impossible.”

Erika declared without hesitation.

Of course. If someone accepts that kind of thing, other nobles will raise the bribe amounts in response.

Then they’d do whatever they want, and the kingdom’s peace would be lost.

But what if the nobles ‘voluntarily’ donated? The kingdom would gladly accept it.

The country has no shortage of money. Besides, it’s only been two years since the war ended.

I don’t think the damages from that time have been fully compensated.

The town looks peaceful, but what about what’s inside?

That’s why we’ll ask the nobles to ‘voluntarily’ give donations to us and the kingdom.

When I explained that to Erika, she looked exasperated.

Niimi and Elysia were also smiling wryly.

“So… you have a plan, don’t you?”

“Yeah, just leave it to me.”

I gave a wicked grin and nodded.

I didn’t show it on my face, but my gut was boiling with anger.

Nobles are involved, so strategic marriages and undercutting are inevitable.

…But I will never forgive that he treated his wife like a prostitute.

I won’t forgive you; you won’t die so easily. I’ll make you suffer and suffer, yet you still won’t die.

I’ll give you a life like that as a gift.

I hope the nobles who embraced Elysia and the Deus Count are looking forward to it.

I’ll make you offer your lives to the kingdom you belong to.

Chapter length 3085 characters.