After that night where I don't remember what happened, with the exception that Lambert's aunt left the room in the morning and wasn't staggering, it seems nothing serious happened.
Except for me; my waist hurts a lot, as if I had done a bad stretch.
I was returning with Barbara in a carriage.
We were both severely tired.
She clung to my arm and gave me kisses on my cheek.
Officially, I can say that my future mother-in-law is my lover.
The future mother of my children.
It feels a bit obscene to say that, but at the same time, I will make a mother and her daughter happy.
Before she put something in my drink, she told me to hide our relationship from Eli and Lily until graduation.
When I become a duke, I can freely have lovers; she said she would get me the best women she could find.
The Rosenberg Household needs many children, so she demanded that she be the priority to get pregnant due to her age.
I'd like to find a way to make her younger.
That way we could have more babies.
But right now, I'm worried about my back pain.
Once we arrived at the mansion, Glenn received us.
Barbara acted as if she had drunk too much, and thanks to my back pain, I could pretend I carried her.
Some servants came and took her straight to the bath; as for me, I went straight to sleep. I'm tired, and my back hurts.
At least, it was a good night.
◇◇◇
Razel was fast asleep.
Lily went to his room to wake him up.
She thought: (They must have had a lot of fun at that party.)
She touched his cheek with her index finger to see if he would wake up. But he only drooled more.
She decided to let him sleep and went to breakfast.
She walked down the long hallway and ran into Cordelia.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Lily ojou-sama."
Lily raised her hands at the polite greeting.
"Such courtesy isn't necessary! Besides, I'm not yet an official member of this family. And being called that still feels strange to me."
It had only been weeks since she started living in a huge noble's house. She wears elegant clothes, not second-hand ones, and eats delicacies every day.
Cordelia said. "In that case, how would you like me to call you?"
Lily replied. "Just Lily is enough, at least until I get used to being a member of the nobility after a few years."
The head maid looked at her and bowed her head.
That caused her enormous cleavage to hang in the air and then bounce up and down very quickly.
Lily was amazed by that powerful cleavage.
"In that case, I'll call you Lily-san when no one is around to avoid misunderstandings. Does that sound good to you?"
"S-Sure."
"Then, if you'll excuse me, I'll go continue my work."
"Y-Yes."
Cordelia made a very elegant half-turn; that spin caused her breasts to swing wildly and sharply.
A brief, loud thud was heard.
She walked normally.
But Lily from behind watched as those fleshy globes bounced with every step.
(I-Incredible! Mom's are much bigger... no, maybe those are enormous?)
She swallowed a little saliva while watching her leave.
(I wonder if my breasts will grow that big?)
Lily massaged her breasts a little; they were large for a teenager, but the women she saw at home were on a different scale.
She continued on her way straight to the dining room.
◇◇◇
Once breakfast was over, she and Eli were going to see if Razel was still asleep.
But that didn't happen.
Someone was outside the mansion, requesting to speak with the duchess or whoever was in charge.
Glenn, using an old-fashioned telephone, spoke with the gate guard.
"I understand. Let him in."
He hung up the phone and stopped Eli.
"Eli ojou-sama, please wait a moment."
"Yes? Is something wrong, Glenn?"
Eli stopped along with Lily; she replied to the butler, a little intrigued by the call.
"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but your fiancé and your mother are still sleeping after arriving just a few hours ago. Therefore, as you are the only one with authority, I ask that you attend to the visitor."
Something like that wasn't unusual, but still, Eli asked.
"I understand. Let him in."
◇◇◇
A man arrived at the mansion; it was Baron Grin.
Eli received him, and Glenn served him tea.
Once he finished drinking, he spoke.
"I thank you for the tea; it was very delicious."
"Thank you."
Baron Grin looked around like an enthusiastic child, but it was in a very unpleasant way.
"I came to give you this."
He took out a letter and handed it to Eli.
She opened it, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"This is!"
"Yes."
He smiled wickedly.
"I am a palace official; I only follow orders, but I was notified of the content in advance in case you had questions, so I could answer you."
Eli looked at that letter, and sweat ran down her forehead.
"B-But, what you're asking is impossible!"
She stood up and pointed at the letter.
"The content of this letter demands that some vassal of the Rosenberg Household goes exterminate earth-eating worms in the territory!"
"We have no affiliated adventurers or knights capable of doing this!"
"It's impossible for us to fulfill this!"
But Baron Grin smiled slightly.
"Lady Rosenberg, the moment you accepted the letter, the acceptance was fulfilled."
"That's absurd! We weren't even notified of this in advance to take measures like rejecting it or postponing it!"
Eli didn't understand why the palace sent them something so absurd. To make it worse, having "accepted" the "order," the Rosenberg Household is obliged to fulfill the agreement.
"I'm sorry, but I can't do anything to help you. The palace perhaps sent this to test if the Rosenberg Household is useful. Now, if you'll excuse me..."
Baron Grin got up and picked up his coat and hat as he walked to the door.
A servant was there to open the door for him, but he stopped immediately.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot."
His wicked laugh was unpleasant.
"The time limit is one week. Those worms are annoying to us. I wish you the best of luck."
The baron left.
◇◇◇
Eli collapsed onto the sofa, clutching her face fervently.
"Is this some damn joke?!"
"Is it impossible to do something like that without vassals?!"
The Rosenberg Household was just recovering after years of losing good subordinates; the problem with the new and remaining ones is that they are inexperienced people.
Those who remained after what happened are servants or officials of their faction.
The new ones are inexperienced knights.
Accepting something like this is impossible.
"Besides, what are these earth-eating worms in our territory?"
"How do they know there are those monsters in our territory?!"
Glenn served her some tea; Eli lazily got up to take the cup.
As she did so, Glenn told her.
"This might be what your mother mentioned when we went to the dukes' meeting."
"...?"
"She told me that the hostility towards us, her family, increased because we recovered what was lost. As you should know, there were many nobles who had companies or mansions in the duchy, but after we recovered it thanks to the future duke, they became very angry."
"In that case, they should focus their anger on the palace, not us, or am I wrong?"
Without changing his serious expression, Glenn replied.
"I'm afraid that's impossible. Everyone knows that if they try to damage the image of the imperial family, that man would come to finish them. If they denigrate the palace, it doesn't matter, but the emperor is untouchable."
Eli had heard rumors of the emperor's protector.
The Twilight Saint.
A man so strong that the first time he was seen on the battlefield, he killed over 500,000 soldiers in less time than it takes to prepare tea.
Also, they say there was once an attempted rebellion by a corrupt house; in the game, they were known as the Hardie family. Enemies that would appear in the second year of the academy, but it seems they were eliminated before that.
The head of the house was tortured for seven days without being killed.
He died when he truly regretted trying to take over the palace.
She heard that story as a child and thought it was a horror tale.
Eli murmured to herself.
"It would be really bad if they think we are rebels and send him after us. But, we have no one to send."
Glenn made a comment.
"Lady Elize, if you'll permit me a word."
"Say it."
"What if you ask your fiancé to do it?"
Razel appeared in her mind. That warmed Eli's heart.
"Rejected. My fiancé will soon go on a mission with Prince Cid and the dukes. Asking him for something like this is impossible."
"In that case, I..."
"Glenn..."
Eli stared at the butler.
"Don't you remember that my grandfather told you that you no longer needed to do that?"
"I remember it perfectly, miss, but..."
"But nothing. I will fulfill my grandfather's wish, and you won't get hurt for us again."
"Then what will you do?"
Eli stood up.
"The answer is obvious. The women of this house will take that order!"
Glenn's eyes widened like plates upon hearing such a barbaric idea.
◇◇◇
Eli ordered Glenn to bring her fiancé's concubines to the room.
A couple of minutes passed, and the last to arrive was Celia, who was still in her pajamas.
Once she heard what the legal wife said, she...
"EEEEEHHHHH!"
Lost her composure.
"ARE YOU CRAZY OR SOMETHING?!"
"No. I'm perfectly sane."
"What you're saying doesn't indicate that!"
The others, on the other hand, silently accepted what Eli said; only Celia resisted.
"Rejected! Impossible! I don't believe it! Don't even dream of it!"
Eli gave her a disappointed look.
"Why don't we leave this to honey? Isn't it the duty of men or the future duke to take care of the territory?"
"Besides—"
Eli grabbed Celia's chin; she looked like a squeaky, squashed toy.
Celia got scared as she looked into Eli's eyes.
(What is this?)
The beautiful cherry-colored eyes turned into bright and sinister demonic eyes.
Her mouth showed that the girl she was looking at repulsed her.
This was the villainess Elize in all her splendor.
"You're saying you're the kind of woman who expects her man to do all the work for her, right?"
Eli's strength increased along with her wicked gaze.
"Razel will undoubtedly be the head of these lands in the future. As his future wife, I must be by his side and watch over the safety of the duchy just like him."
Celia understood what she was saying.
"It seems you've forgotten this."
But that only scared her more.
"You are just a concubine. The only reason for your existence is for your womb to house the future cousins of my children. As the future wife and lady of this house, I don't want my little ones to associate with bad company."
"Do you think I can't undo the fact that you're a concubine? Do you think I can't ensure that, even if you have his children, you won't get a single copper coin? Huh?!"
Celia thought as she looked at the villainess.
(What's wrong with this girl?! She's so scary! Her personality has completely changed, and now she looks like a demon.)
She trembled.
"Answer me: will you move that butt to help the house? Or do you only serve to make my man happy when I'm not around?"
She wanted to cry, not because of what she said, but because of her face.
The face of the game's villainess was what made her suffer.
"I'll help! It will be an honor to serve the Rosenberg Household! I'm extremely happy!"
Hearing those words, Eli's demonic face returned to that of a sweet girl.
"Good! With that said, girls, let's prepare to leave. We can't allow only the men to be the ones who have to move the house forward."
"Let's go!"
Everyone raised their hands and shouted, overflowing with energy.
Only Celia remained there, and once the others left the room...
"What the hell was that?!"
She shouted with all her might.
◇◇◇
The girls were inside a carriage heading to the location on the map.
It was a deep cave near one of the borders of the duchy.
The four girls were dressed in adventurer clothes; the attire was light armor that only covered their arms, elbows, legs, and back.
Eli used a sword as she was an apprentice of the Lyonnet Style, but she never finished the course.
Lily had arrows and a club; she had been practicing a lot since the last time she went to one.
Evelyn used a staff; such a thing was outdated, but no one said anything about it.
And finally, Celia used an expensive rifle with magic bullets.
She was the only one among them qualified as a real adventurer; it was because of her father.
Her adventurer name was Cecilia the Sleepy, a D rank despite her age.
She told them everything they should know about being an adventurer and the dangers involved.
Among them, she told them that earth-eating worms are dangerous because they eat earth, causing collapses and tremors, but if one of them consumes human flesh, it becomes a man-eating worm. It was undoubtedly a dangerous creature; the required rank to hunt it was B rank and above.
Upon learning that, Eli cursed the man who gave them the letter and the palace.
A day passed, and they finally arrived at the cave.
After disembarking, they entered ready to face the dangers.
◇◇◇
"Guh, this place is horrible."
Celia gave a cheerful comment about her adventure with the girls.
At the head went Eli, followed by Lily, behind her went Evelyn, and finally Celia.
The reason for being at the end was not because she was a coward; it was to protect the others from the rear.
The place was dark and cold, but thanks to a magical device known as a [golem lamp], the place was illuminated.
They were sold at a very cheap price, and their duration was a maximum of three days, but depending on the intensity of the place, they lasted two days.
Once they entered, Evelyn took out the flying lamps in the shape of round bats, and they began to illuminate the equivalent of a VIP room in a stadium.
The girls had been walking for a few hours, and Celia calculated the time.
"Let's rest here for today."
"There's no point in traversing this entire place if we're tired."
Everyone agreed.
Evelyn lit a magical campfire with a device resembling a soda can, which created a magic circle, and flames came out of it.
To prevent any monster from approaching, Evelyn activated a spell.
"Thread magic: friendly guardians."
A blue thread came out of the sphere of her staff and formed different animal shapes.
Once they were safe, they proceeded to eat.
◇◇◇
"It was delicious~"
The girls finished their dinner.
Everyone was happy with the food; it was only the first day of their adventure, and despite their situation, they were happy.
Eli was enjoying spending time with her sister and her "friends."
To pass the time, they decided to talk about themselves.
Eli told her story, Lily did too; both new girls watched how they blushed when they talked about how Razel saved them.
The next to speak was Evelyn.
"I don't know my mother; my father has been taking care of me since I was a baby."
"He raised me alone and taught me everything I know. The day he became a holy mage, he was happy that his research was a success. Of course, I was happy too."
"And when did you find out about the engagement?" Eli asked curiously.
"I wouldn't know how to tell you. Razel-kun is a classmate I never interacted with. I met Celia-chan during the academy attack because she comforted me so I wouldn't cry."
"And... I think that's it. I like being here; I was never able to socialize with other people besides my dad. At the academy, I would return to my room to study or sleep."
"If what you say is true, and we add what we saw, how did you end up in the lowest class? I'm not criticizing, since Prince Cid and Razel are there too."
Evelyn smiled as she told them.
"I did it on purpose. Getting a bad grade... My father gave me a test with possible or past questions, and I scored 100 points."
"Huh?"
Everyone made the same surprised gesture.
"Why did you do it?" Lily asked. "I'm sure you would have gone to the best class if you had gotten an excellent grade."
Her smile remained on her face.
"Before entering the classroom that day, I saw them. A group of boys laughing happily."
"They all seemed normal; another group of boys were studying, and another was boasting about their family achievements."
"It was there that I asked myself. –What if I were like them? I'm sure I'll get a good grade; they look like those rumored lazy boys that the teachers talk so much about. Yes, if I went to the class where the show-off boys are, would I be laughing like them? Could I become friends with them?"
"The answer was obvious. Of course not!"
"The place where I would undoubtedly have fun would be with the carefree boys. Of course, this decision came at that moment; it was already too late to get a good grade, and when I got home, I told my father."
"Do you know what he told me?"
"Was he angry?"
Evelyn denied it.
"He told me. –As long as it makes you happy, experience it. Joy, sadness, pain, hatred. Every emotion that a human being should experience, I want you to be able to understand it. There's nothing wrong with your actions as long as they are to prove that you are human."
The girls were a little perplexed by that response; they expected something else.
The last to speak was Celia; she spoke after letting out a sigh.
"I like money; every human being needs it; there's nothing wrong with that."
Eli didn't say anything since she knows that money is the most precious thing in the world, but she knew there is something much more important.
"A couple of years ago, my mother left us with a huge debt. It wasn't like yours, princess, but it was very big. My mother... that hussy got into debt at a casino and put our territory up as payment; you can imagine what happened."
Celia's face showed how annoyed she was remembering.
She was eight years old when she watched her house being taken over by the casino; her territory and relatives scattered, as some lived in the same county.
Her mother disappeared with a man; she was beautiful; Celia got her beauty from her.
They had nowhere to live, so they both had to become adventurers.
On the first day her father became a D rank...
"Daddy!"
He returned with a scar on his face.
He was attacked by a low-level monster. But even so, it was dangerous.
Her father told her.
"I'm fine, it's just an occupational hazard."
But she knew it was a lie; the pain of the scar was reflected in his forced smile.
When she turned twelve, she was promoted to D rank adventurer like her father; her talent was firearms.
Her aim was top-notch.
They called her sleepy because she was always sleeping.
She stayed up many nights to ensure her father returned safely.
One day, she found out he fought against a queen spider, but a strange boy helped him, and from that day on, her father smiled.
It seems he found a friend.
"When my dad told me about the engagement, I said. –I don't care; as long as he supports me and isn't an abusive man, he can have all the women in the world for all I care. –I wouldn't know how to tell you if I would love him since I don't believe in those things, but I haven't seen his greatness either, so he seems like a normal boy to me."
That was Celia's opinion.
A normal opinion.
She could be Razel's concubine, but no one demands that she loves him.
Unfortunately, she said the wrong words.
"Hey."
And that made someone angry.
"What did you say about Razel-kun?"
The cheerful Lily was showing black eyes and a dark smile while Celia backed away.
"Hey, say it again. Did you say Razel-kun was a simpleton? You said it, didn't you?"
"I didn't say that! You heard wrong!"
First, the legal wife shows herself aggressive, and now her adopted sister becomes crazy; what's wrong with this family?
Just like in a certain horror movie, Lily crawled straight towards Celia; her black eyes terrified her.
"What's going on!?"
As luck or misfortune would have it for her, a tremor occurred.
Everyone got on guard.
Quickly, Lily returned to normal, and Celia couldn't believe how this pure and cheerful girl changed her somber expression to an innocent one.
"Is the worm approaching?"
"No, it's something else!"
"Earth-eating worms make noise from the depths; this noise is different! Whatever it is, it's approaching from the depths of this place!"
Everyone's gaze focused on one place.
Something was coming, and very fast.
In that dark tunnel, a large body approached.
The girls were terrified and ready to fight.
But their resolve was crushed upon observing something that wasn't what they said in the letter.
"It can't be..."
What they weren't told.
"... You must be joking?"
And what the palace didn't know.
"There's no way a group of pretty girls can fight that!"
Is that this place wasn't a hideout for earth-eating worms, but...
"What the hell is an earth dragon doing here!?"
An earth dragon's nest.