Chapter 87

Forest night.

In the bedroom of the mansion, I was lying on the bed, spread-eagled.

Somehow, I felt tired.

So many things happened today.

The Pegasus family, the dungeon exploration, reselling, the branch office, and the distribution of the deceased's belongings. As a result, I found out about the fake puchi Ely.

I was caught by Rubele, and Tety's problem was discovered.

What did I solve today? Maybe just that Spica of the Almagest got better and Lana grew up?

I was planning to take it easy since the rejuvenation was on track.

It was a busy day.

Tomorrow will probably be busy too.

--- What should I do about the fake puchi Ely?

As I sighed, Liricia returned to the bedroom.

She seemed to have taken an elixir bath with Tety, who dislikes baths.

Puchi Ely has already been given to her.

"You look tired, Master."

"Yeah, a lot happened today... The biggest problem is still the fake puchi Ely, I guess."

"Before counterfeits start circulating, it would be better to make puchi Ely available nationwide."

"I'll have to deal with major merchants..."

"If we could use the church's power and organization, it would be easier to spread puchi Ely..."

"Sophisia said it's not recommended... There are power struggles and such. But no matter which method we choose, it feels unsatisfying... It leaves a bad taste."

"Why is that?"

As Liricia asked innocently, I tilted my head, still with my eyes closed.

"Hmm... Maybe because we're always reacting. It's just a temporary fix, and if they come up with another method, it will happen again..."

"Indeed... It doesn't solve the root problem."

"To really tackle the root, we need strong power... Ah!"

I sat up abruptly on the bed.

Liricia, who was standing beside the bed, took a step back in surprise.

"I see! I found the source of my frustration!"

"What is it, Master!?"

"Whether it's the church or merchants, as long as we can't patent the manufacturing method, we'll always be on the receiving end. I can't take the lead. That's why I feel frustrated!"

"Indeed... But there's not much we can do in the current situation," Liricia said in a dark voice.

I covered my face with my hand and thought.

What's the problem? What's different from those who succeed?

At that moment, I remembered what Sophisia said.

'Backed by the church's power, they were making a lot of noise.'

"I see... Right now, I don't have any backing like a country or organization. It would have been fine with small business, but with puchi Ely becoming such a big issue, there's nothing I can do as an individual."

"But will you look for someone to back you up now?"

"There is one person I can talk to. He's a very kind old man."

"Eh? -- Could it be the king!?"

"That's right. But he's just someone who's interested in me. He's too kind to be forceful, and I don't have any negotiation cards. The nobles have a lot of power in this country... No, wait a minute?"

Due to Marius, many nobles received reprimands and fines.

In the case of Sir Thomson, the nobles and high-ranking government officials were held collectively responsible.

-- The current king seems to have a much better atmosphere... and more power.

If I can handle the conversation well, maybe I can do something about puchi Ely.

No, I need something more to negotiate with, or something to offer as a favor.

"Hmm. I guess I should meet him and talk. He said I could visit anytime."

"That's right. How about bringing puchi Ely as a gift?"

"Yeah, that's a good idea. You're right, Liricia--Eh!? Liricia!?"

I was surprised to see Liricia still standing beside the bed.

She had just come out of the bath, her white skin tinged with a light pink, and her slender but well-endowed figure was on display.

She was slightly bowing her head in embarrassment, covering her chest and waist with her hands. Her wet, silver hair flowed with the curves of her body.

Unlike her usual bathrobe, the pink nightgown she was wearing was see-through and seductive.

Liricia fidgeted with her fingers and blushed as she whispered.

"I got this today at the clothing store... It's called a negligee. They said Master would surely like it."

"Oh! I remember that couple was up to something... This is what they meant."

"A, ah... Is it strange? If you don't like it, I'll change right away..."

"No, Liricia looks beautiful in anything. In rags, her beauty stands out, and in beautiful clothes, she doesn't lose her beauty... But more than anything, her beauty reflects her heart--"

As I expressed my honest feelings, Liricia's cheeks flushed as if they were on fire.

"I, I'm glad, Master..."

Liricia, with her silver hair gently flowing, came to lie beside me.

She began to undress me with her slender fingers, looking up with a cute smile.

I naturally stroked her head, and Liricia closed her eyes in pleasure.

"You're even cuter than usual... Or were you standing there to show me your whole body? I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner."

"No, I'm glad you complimented me. Thank you, Master... Mmm"

Her delicate lips descended.

I responded by entwining my tongue with hers.

The warm moisture made a lewd sound.

-- It seems I can give my angel a holy wave tonight.

The fatigue that had been bothering me earlier was gone, thanks to Liricia's earnest attire.

As I caressed her slender body and large breasts through the see-through negligee, I said,

"What a beautiful wrapping. I want to hold you, Liricia, with your angelic charm."

"Oh, Master... I'm glad..."

Liricia smiled shyly and lay on top of me.

The hem of the see-through negligee spread out, swaying seductively like a flower.

I supported her slender waist firmly and became one with her in the silence of the night.

◇ ◇ ◇

Meanwhile.

In a large temple filled with an evil atmosphere, a seductive woman in a revealing outfit -- the evil goddess Skrasis -- was talking to an evil statue in her hand with a wicked smile.

"Hehe, it's going well. I'll praise you."

At Skrasis's words, the evil statue trembled.

"Hehe, what a blessing! Thanks to the favor of the evil goddess Deathsize!"

"Hehe, you're a good one. Shall I grant you permanent power?"

"What, what! You're finally going to grant it to me!"

"Sure. I'll give you a part of my power, the [Death Offering]--Ha!"

"Oh... Oh! Power is surging... This is..."

"Send a red bouquet to the person you want to kill, and they will die of illness after the number of days equal to the number of flowers. You can kill troublesome people without being suspected."

"What a wonderful power for me! Thank you, Deathsize! I will work even harder to spread your faith!"

"Good. Work hard. But don't become like Thomson?"

"Hehe!"

Skrasis cut off the one-sided communication and put the evil statue back on the shelf. Various evil statues lined the shelf.

Nearby, there was a tatami-floored area where the demon king was sitting in a kotatsu, signing the back covers of books.

He was making a large number of promotional signed books.

As he opened a new book and signed it, he said,

"Is it okay to give power so easily?"

"What can I do? With Thomson dead, it's harder to get information from the capital... After spending decades building the organization, it was wiped out."

"If you act rashly, you'll be outmaneuvered by Alec?"

The demon king stopped signing the books and looked up.

But Skrasis twisted her body to show off her good figure and laughed through her nose.

"Hmph. Alec is just a fool. He won't notice."

"He's not a fool. He just lacks common sense."

"Same difference."

"Because he lacks common sense, he sometimes takes outrageous actions. That's how I and Miko were defeated. You should be careful too."

The demon king scowled and warned her, but Skrasis put her hands on her hips and posed. Her large breasts jiggled under her revealing outfit.

Her attitude showed no sign that she was taking the demon king's words seriously.

"Whatever. But since he came to my territory, I should have killed him."

"We would have died if we couldn't drive him out in five minutes. And with the guiding angel, Alec couldn't be killed in five minutes."

"Then, he should have been killed on the way back for the crime of intruding on the king's presence."

"For a commoner, maybe. But to drive Alec back, I had to recognize him as a hero. So he's not guilty. If I had killed him, I could have escaped, but Miko would have been targeted as my subordinate."

"Heroes are treated well."

"That's what it takes to be my opponent, hahaha!"

The demon king threw back his head and laughed.

Skrasis shrugged her shoulders in exasperation. Her long, black-purple hair swayed seductively.

"Okay, okay. -- Where's Miko?"

"He's gone. Finally, the system to prevent Alec from entering the country absolutely has been established. He's been using my subordinate Goub to do it."

"How long are you planning to stay?"

"Until the evacuation facility in the demon world is completed--yes, it's done."

The demon king finished signing the books and started packing them.

Skrasis watched the work with a furrowed brow.

"What's that?"

"Hahaha! It's a new work to further corrupt humans, 'Being a Hero Isn't Easy Either'! I can even give you a copy if you want?"

"It's just a vulgar novel with one man and many women having sex. It's lowbrow."

At Skrasis's mocking words, the demon king glared at her with a vicious look.

"What are you saying! Entertainment is the power to corrupt the masses! I will dominate humans culturally with this power!"

"It has no artistic value. Only by manipulating hearts with beauty can you truly show your greatness."

"How many people can understand art? What you're doing is just a self-indulgent clay play! -- Clarity is power!"

"What! You slime-like demon king, who's only interested in lowbrow things! -- Short for Slime King!"

"What did you say, you! You're getting cocky just because you're in a low position! -- I never want to see your face again, get out!"

"This isn't my house."

"Ku...!"

The demon king ground his jagged teeth in frustration at the evil goddess's calm correction.

However, he didn't get out of the kotatsu. It seemed he was comfortable.

Avoiding Skrasis's exasperated gaze, the demon king prepared a new sheet of paper on the kotatsu and started writing something.

"Fine... I'll let it go for today."

"Very high and mighty."

"But the final boss of the novel will be an evil goddess! You'll make it intense at the climax! Hahaha!"

The demon king laughed and continued writing on the manuscript.

Skrasis sighed, brushed her long, black-purple hair with her hand, and returned to her workspace.

"Really, what a lowbrow demon king... But what he says does have a point. If it's too highbrow, people won't understand. It's not bad to aim for both nobility and accessibility."

As the demon king's laughter echoed, Skrasis kneaded the clay, infusing it with evil.

[Three more days until Skrasis dies after seeing a life flash before her eyes.]

I'm sorry for the delay.

Thank you for the bookmarks and ★ ratings.

I'll do my best to deliver the next chapter as soon as possible.

In the meantime, if you like, please enjoy the new work. (I have a stock of this one.)

Tentative title: [I Will [Heal] Everything ~The Young Man Expelled from the Village Repairs the Garbage He Finds and Rises to Greatness!~] https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6104gm/