"Rip—!"
With the very last strand of fabric torn away, the posture Lucrezia Zola had barely managed to maintain immediately collapsed, and she sank down against him.
Freed from the restraint of cloth, her flat abdomen tightened under gravity and tension alike, the smooth plane quickly sharpening into a clean block of definition.
Just as Akuto had said, Lucrezia Zola's affection had already cleared the line.
So barely a dozen minutes later—while Akuto was still pressing gentle kisses to the witch's violet-sheathed toes—he heard the system's familiar chime.
[Ding!~]
[Congratulations, Host. Fortune has been extracted successfully.]
[Fortune Source: Lucrezia Zola.]
[Void Sun initial ability slots +1. Current total initial ability slots: 7.]
[Ding!]
[Congratulations, Host. Hidden Achievement completed — Fully Subdued "The Witch of Sardinia," Lucrezia Zola.]
[Congratulations, Host. Reward obtained: The Witch's Chosen One (Gold).]
[The Witch's Chosen One (as the name implies): A special trait. After obtaining this trait, you gain a very large favorability bonus with witches, shrine maidens, magical girls, and other magic-aligned girls.]
[In addition, when such beings pray to you, not only will their strength increase, your strength will also receive a significant boost.]
Akuto didn't pay the reward much attention.
His focus never left the captivating witch in his arms—like he meant to overwhelm not only her body, but even the thoughts in her head, flattening everything into a single, breathless surrender.
Lucrezia didn't yield an inch, either. Like the gentlest water, she met him with a softness so complete it felt like permission—an unguarded kind of cooperation that made everything more intoxicating.
…
Elsewhere.
On Karin's side.
Karin agonized for a long time over what she should wear. In the end, under Akuto-sama's instruction, she made her decision—no changes at all. She would go in the maid uniform she always wore.
A little after eleven, Karin stared at herself in the mirror. Her body trembled faintly from nerves and unease.
Her mint-green hair spilled down in long waves, pearlescent in the moonlight, and the yellow bow tucked into it quivered with every breath she took.
"Is… is this really okay?" Karin murmured, her voice tight. "Shouldn't an occasion like this be more formal… more proper?"
She couldn't picture herself appearing before the new king dressed like this.
If she had a choice, she would have worn something she truly liked. It wasn't that she disliked maid attire—she did like it—but that was the kind of liking you had for everyday dressing up. It wasn't something she wanted forced onto every situation, no matter what.
But she'd already lost the right to choose.
All she could do was obey Akuto-sama's order and wear her usual maid dress—down to the same style of stockings and shoes. The most she could manage was picking underwear that looked as cute as possible, and scrubbing her hair and body until she felt spotless.
Beside her, Elianna seemed to sense Karin's anxiety. Holding down her own uneven breathing, she offered a quiet reassurance.
"It'll be okay, Karin-san. Akuto-sama is very gentle," Elianna whispered. "He'll… he'll make sure tonight is something you'll remember for the rest of your life."
Elianna spoke with an earnest certainty, because Akuto had indeed left her with an experience she would never forget.
"Is that so?" Karin pressed her lips together. Her distinctive, catlike mouth curved into a helpless little smile. "Then I suppose… it's worth looking forward to."
She wasn't lying.
She really was—at least a little—looking forward to tonight.
There were three main reasons.
First, Karin had read Liliana's novels many times. She'd developed a natural, almost instinctive goodwill toward the man who had saved Liliana from disaster. And beyond that, Akuto's succubus bloodline all but guaranteed that no woman's "first impression" of him would ever be low.
Second, Karin had received a small portion of Akuto's "symbiote" from Elianna. After swallowing it, she could only describe the result as… disturbingly good. Her favorability toward Akuto rose, and her body began to crave him in a way she couldn't ignore.
Third, Karin had to admit something she didn't want to admit: if she went searching on her own, she probably wouldn't find anyone more exceptional than Akuto in this lifetime.
So overall, Karin wasn't as resistant to serving Akuto as she thought she should be.
What truly scared her was what might happen afterward.
From the way Akuto had been acting lately, he'd stopped hiding anything. His most basic desires were laid bare in front of everyone. And it was precisely because he was so blunt about it that someone "low-status" like her could even be given an opportunity at all.
But an opportunity was an opportunity—and Akuto gave out far too many.
Today, Karin had even seen "Diana Milito-sama" inside the estate.
As Liliana's maid, Karin knew exactly who Diana was: Anna Milito, Liliana's magic instructor, and the owner of the Milide House Bookstore on Berini Square in Naples.
She belonged to the strength of an earlier era, yet her styling looked strikingly youthful—something she personally hated being teased about.
Diana wasn't a maid or a servant. So why was she staying in the same estate Akuto was using?
The answer was obvious—Diana, like Karin, had been designated by the new king as someone allowed close to him.
Karin could understand why Akuto might single her out. She was cute, her potential for growth was significant, and Akuto likely had a fondness for uniforms—so it wasn't hard to imagine why his attention would land on her.
But… Diana?
Diana was Liliana's teacher.
If Akuto did something like this, how was Liliana supposed to face her own teacher in the future?
After turning it over and over, Karin could only arrive at one conclusion—
Akuto-sama was probably a scoundrel. Maybe he'd only targeted them because of their connection to Liliana. Maybe he would take what he wanted and leave without a second thought.
Most Godslayers were free spirits, unbound by ordinary ties. At the pace the new king was collecting women, he could gather dozens—hundreds—in mere months. And someone like that probably wouldn't accept the restraints of a "harem," either.
From ancient times to the present, Godslayers were infamous for being unreasonable—and irresponsible.
And if she served the new king tonight…
Then there might never be "another man" for her afterward.
The thought that tonight might be the first—and only—deep, intimate closeness she would ever have with the opposite sex made Karin unnervingly meticulous while bathing and preparing.
Because if she couldn't resist…
Then all she could do was endure—and try to savor what she could.
No matter what, today was an extremely important day for her.
…
Time passed.
In the Milan estate, the midnight chimes rang out—twelve soft strikes swallowed by the night.
Moonlight filtered through stained glass, spilling mottled colors across the carpeted corridor.
Because this estate had been set aside specifically for Akuto's rest, only those he permitted were allowed inside.
At this stage, aside from the reception staff at the front desk, the only people who could enter the inner rooms were Erika, Elianna, Karin, Lucrezia Zola, and Diana—Liliana's magic instructor.
That was why Karin and Elianna could move down the long hallway without a sound.
With each step of her black-stockinged feet, Karin's maid skirt—deep blue trimmed with white—swayed like a blue rose blooming in the dark.
At her side, Elianna wore a maid outfit almost identical in cut, only in deep green.
Maybe drawn by the motion Elianna's body made when she walked, Karin glanced over absentmindedly.
Elianna might be clumsy, but the rise and fall of her chest was noticeably fuller than Karin's. Between Lucrezia, Erika, and Elianna, it seemed the new king liked girls whose curves were more obvious.
Even so, Karin didn't lose confidence.
She was still young—still fourteen—but she'd matured early. And because of that, she understood all too well what it meant that Akuto had ordered her and Elianna to come in maid uniforms.
There was no doubt about it.
Akuto was the kind of king who enjoyed "roles," scenarios, and control.
And this time, he hadn't only summoned Liliana's maid—he'd also brought Liliana's teacher, Diana, into the estate.
That meant he was interested in Liliana, too.
And if he was interested in Liliana, then Karin had one small comfort: Liliana had a slender, delicate build. If he liked Liliana, then he couldn't hate that type.
Couple that with his indiscriminate appetite and the way he openly demanded private attendance, and Karin made a bold guess—
The new king was probably the type who "liked everything."
If that was the case, Karin believed she only needed to do one thing: bring out as much of her own charm as she could.
But then the question came—
What was her charm, exactly?
Her scheming personality? Her lacking figure? The maid uniform itself? The black stockings and little leather shoes? Or was it… simply her age?
Or—was it only because she was Liliana's maid?
Normally, Karin wouldn't have sunk that low in her own thoughts. After all, Akuto had also taken interest in Elianna; maybe he simply liked "maids" as a trait.
But today, she'd seen Diana.
Diana was Liliana's magic instructor. She'd originally only come to investigate the aftermath of two gods' battle, and because she happened to be nearby, she'd followed the commander to pay respects to the new king.
And yet Akuto had brought her into an estate only servants and the king's permitted women could enter.
Someone of Diana's standing could never be a servant.
Which meant Diana, like Karin, had been granted that kind of "private" status.
Once Karin understood that, she fell into deep self-doubt.
Was the new king really calling them because he wanted them?
Or was it only because of their relationship to Liliana?
The thought made Karin's already bitter mood sink even further.
She might be the "little devil" type, but she still wanted her partner to like her—not someone else.
A word floated into her mind.
Partner.
Karin let out a quiet sigh.
To even think of herself as the new king's "partner" felt… absurdly lacking in self-awareness.
If she couldn't hope for something like that…
Then the only thing she could hope for was that the new king would at least give her a beautiful first experience—something she wouldn't regret.
With a tangled heart, Karin looked again at Elianna's smiling face.
Elianna was, in a way, the same as her.
Because Elianna had served the new king last night… and still, today, she'd been summoned again.
(End of Chapter)
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