Chapter 1 - Misunderstanding
I had come to the riverside to enjoy a night walk for the first time in a while.
Once the sun set, this place became sparsely populated, exuding a serene atmosphere that made it truly ideal for savoring a moment of leisure.
The cool night breeze pleasantly tickled my face. The faint moonlight peeking through the clouds seemed to gently embrace the world that had welcomed the night.
"This is it. This is the stuff."
At this hour, there was no way anyone else would be wandering around, so I could express my feelings exactly as they were while watching the moonlight reflected on the river, and no one would say a word about it.
It felt as if I had become the master of the wide river flowing across the capital. A special experience only available at this exact moment, in this exact place.
For this, I could gladly pay about 6 silver. An amount that exactly matched the fine for violating the late-night curfew.
But I wondered why I couldn't see a single patrolling guard today. Weren't they coming to shake me down for money?
Strange. There was no way they were all off duty as a group.
"Up we go."
I stood up from the bench with those pointless thoughts. Since it had come to this, it wouldn't be bad to take a patrol around in place of the guards.
But thinking about it, this meant a war veteran and prospective Knight Commander was personally conducting a night patrol.
Oh. That sounded pretty cool when I put it that way.
Besides, I was probably the only one in the Empire who could dress up criminal acts like violating the late-night curfew and trespassing on another department's duties so gloriously.
"Pffth..."
Truly useless thoughts. A silly laugh burst out on its own.
Meanwhile, as I indulged in the luxury of displaying such a thoroughly relaxed state of mind, the fact that the tiresome war had already ended over a month ago suddenly hit me.
"Is it really all over now?"
I asked the empty air, still unable to quite believe it, and before I knew it, the moon had already passed its zenith.
Normally, this was exactly the time when enemies would launch a raid. Seeing as nothing was happening even though I was completely defenseless like this, it seemed the war really was over.
*Fwsh!*
"Ah, got it."
The fact that the greatest enemy threatening me right now was a flying insect obstructing my vision was, on one hand, pleasing, yet also somewhat unfamiliar.
To think peace felt unfamiliar. This was all happening because the past me, still swinging a sword on the battlefield, was jealous of the current me lazing around in the capital.
Well, I guess it'll sort itself out with time.
Anyway, this leisurely life ends today as well. Starting tomorrow, I have to work for the Empire again.
Right now, my biggest headache was whether to wear armor or a uniform to the Knight Commander inauguration ceremony.
Armor was probably better, right? Honestly, uniforms were a bit stifling. And they didn't suit me.
"But Knight Commander... Knight Commander..."
Muttering the name of the newly bestowed title brought on a fluttering feeling, just like when I first held a sword.
It truly was a magnificent title. Even the pronunciation rolled smoothly off the tongue.
I was done with ominous titles like Frontline Assault Commander or whatever Vanguard Commander, which made it sound like I'd turn into a pincushion riddled with arrows just by hearing them.
As I walked on, preoccupied with various other thoughts.
'...But what the hell is that guy doing?'
A single loach had appeared, sending ripples through the tranquil peace.
Constantly looking around and checking the surroundings. Anyone could see it was a suspicious person.
Wearing a hood covering their entire body, face included, so identification was impossible, but at least their build didn't look very large.
'Doesn't look like someone who came out for an ordinary night walk...'
My instincts as a criminal who had committed the terrifying petty crime known as the late-night curfew whispered to me that this fellow offender was no ordinary person.
In my experience, those who hid their faces were all scoundrels with impure intentions.
Unlike me, who had come out in comfortable clothes without any weapons, this one undoubtedly harbored sinister purposes.
I reined in my thoroughly relaxed bearing and settled my presence, then quietly hid my body and followed behind the figure.
The result of carefully observing the suspicious person's movements.
'What the hell... Could it be a spy?'
It became clear that this person wasn't merely suspicious but a dangerous element.
Not content with simply observing the surroundings, they continuously crossed back and forth over the bridge, clearly trying to memorize the layout of the city.
Though their movements were terribly clumsy and awkward, that outfit combined with those actions made them the very picture of a textbook subversive element—more than enough grounds to be arrested as a criminal caught in the act.
So I quietly stared at their back and seriously contemplated.
'What the hell should I do with this guy?'
Let them wander freely as they were and gather information on them in reverse, or immediately capture them and hand them over to the security office.
Honestly, since I didn't know their identity, it was impossible to assert which option was better, so I figured it was best to just go with my instincts.
Since it had come to this. Let's watch a little longer.
Eventually, the figure, who had been wandering for quite a while, stopped in the middle of some dark, grassy field.
'There was a place like this?'
I'd wandered around this area a lot, but this was the first I knew of such a gloomy spot on the riverside promenade. If they really were a spy, they'd probably try to make contact with a liaison here.
I tensed slightly and observed their actions even more carefully.
*Rustle*
However, the scene that followed was of a kind that far transcended my imagination.
When the figure suddenly removed their hood after stopping in place, what was revealed was long, soft silver hair and slender shoulders.
'What the hell is this situation?'
As the situation flowed in a direction I couldn't have predicted even in my dreams, beyond the level of being out of control, my mind full of various thoughts went blank in an instant.
A peculiar feeling as if my head had been struck by a battering ram. A bewilderment I'd rarely experienced even on the battlefield dominated my mind.
What exactly was the proper response when an unidentified person suspected to be a spy infiltrated deep into the capital and suddenly started stripping in front of you?
Should I treat it as a classic honey trap and respond accordingly? Or should I view it as some kind of deception tactic?
Could it be that I'd already fallen victim to mental magic or sorcery?
Already confused as I was, witnessing her subsequent actions left me frozen in place.
"Haa..."
Along with the faint but clearly audible sound of hot breath, she completely cast off the hood that had precariously hung around her shoulders, revealing her back to the outside world.
Astonishingly, the woman had been wearing nothing underneath the hood.
'Get a hold of yourself!'
For a moment, I'd nearly been entranced by the curves drawn by her back, but I desperately pulled myself together by shouting internally at myself.
Damn it. Spy or pervert, why the hell was her waist so slim? And why was her pelvis so wide? Her thighs were a bit thick, but that was actually better.
Besides, if her chest was spilling out to the sides like that, they must really be enormous...
Even seeing only her back, she was undeniably a rare beauty. At that level, maybe I didn't even need to see her front.
Even the mysterious silver hair starting to sparkle in the moonlight added to her charm.
The fact that she was a beauty with long silver hair and distinct curves reminded me of Princess Alicia; I wondered if her back alone might even rival the princess's.
I'd thought I'd gotten tangled up in a troublesome and dangerous affair, but with an eyeful like this, the hardship was worth it.
The possibility that this woman wasn't a spy but a beauty with somewhat unique hobbies was gradually increasing.
If she was a highly trained spy who had noticed my presence in advance and was showing her naked body to seduce me, I even thought it might be fine to just let myself fall for it.
Well, she probably wasn't, and she didn't seem to be trying to do anything stranger here, so I decided to just appreciate that audacious back a little longer.
I knew it wasn't the most honorable thing to do, but honestly, wasn't it too much of a waste to arrest her right away?
'Ooh...'
As I continued admiring her back, the woman slowly began reaching toward her own breasts.
This looked like... I was about to witness something even more precious than mere nudity.
But right at that moment.
*Rustle*
'Damn it!'
Some wild animal—whether a rabbit or a raccoon—just had to pass by and make noise!
Startled by the sound, the woman hurriedly turned around and recognized my presence. Unfortunately, there was no cover nearby, so I was completely caught.
A sharp scream erupted from the woman as she spotted a dark man who had been peeping at her from behind.
"Kyaaaaah! W-who are you?!"
I immediately tried to apologize to her, but the moment I saw her front revealed before my eyes, I was rendered speechless.
'Ah.'
Just how many men in the Empire had seen the naked body of the Imperial Princess?
* * *
'What do I do, what do I do, what do I do!'
Alicia von Diana Solaris.
Bearer of the noble status of Imperial Princess. Known as the flower on the cliff for her innate beauty, she was now facing the greatest crisis of her life.
'Have I been found out? Really?'
The secret hobby she had enjoyed covertly until now had been exposed.
And to a strange man, no less.
'W-what should I do...'
Besides, though he was far away and hard to see clearly, that man looked very large and frightening.
Alicia couldn't even guess what that unidentified thug would do to her.
Though it was already far too late, she couldn't help but shed tears of regret, cursing her past self who had planned tonight's outing while blinded by desire.
At the end of a foolish choice made for a single night's pleasure, the innocent lamb had finally come face to face with a ferocious beast she could not handle.
Who on earth was he? He had a rather masculine face, but countless scars made his impression incredibly fierce.
Moreover, he stood a full head taller than even the carefully selected Imperial guards, not to mention the nobles of the capital.
His developed muscles couldn't be hidden even by light clothing, and despite being bare-skinned, his shoulders looked as wide as if he were wearing armor.
To Alicia, he looked closer to a beast than a human.
"Hah, fuck..."
Furthermore, the terrifying man, who hadn't even answered the question asking his identity and had been staring holes into Alicia's completely naked body.
Finally, as if unable to endure it any longer, he growled and even spat out crude profanity.
'H-he's scary...'
Facing the man, Alicia felt a primal terror for the first time in her life, as if she had become a herbivore standing before a predator.
Her legs had long since lost their strength. The only thing keeping Alicia from collapsing right then was one single thing.
That was her pride as the Imperial Princess.
Each time she felt the man's gaze, her heart pounded violently with fear, and her body retreated without her realizing it, but.
Alicia shouted again with all her strength.
"I-I asked who you are! W-why are you here, at this hour, how did you get here?!"
But the man showed no reaction to her shout, merely standing there blankly.
This place was undoubtedly one Alicia had scouted in advance, canceling even regular patrols through great effort—the most secluded spot in the capital, a perfect party venue for her alone.
Yet the oppressive aura radiating from that man, who was nothing more than an uninvited guest, had come to dominate the entire space before she knew it.
Alicia was terrified of the man. Just what kind of life had he lived to emit such a ferocious momentum so casually? And toward a powerless woman, at that.
*Thud!*
In the end, as she unconsciously backed away to distance herself from the man, she ended up collapsing right where she stood.
'T-to think I, of all people, would come to this...!'
Even amid her fear, Alicia felt tremendous shame.
It wasn't just because she was exposing her naked body to a strange man, but because the fact that she, the Imperial Princess, was cowering before an unknown ruffian was truly miserable.
"D-don't look!"
So Alicia tried desperately to hide her unsightly self, wrapping her body as much as possible to protect herself from the mental shock, but.
It was completely useless.
The man maintained his spine-chilling silence, looking down at her in the same posture.
'Aah, I... even I, the Imperial Princess, am merely laughable to that man no matter what I do.'
Alicia could no longer endure that gaze. She had tried her best, but this was her limit.
In that instant, Alicia felt as if something inside her had snapped.
Having realized that no measure would work, she had finally given up.
At last, like a beast, she began crawling on all fours across the ground, pleading toward the man.
No trace of dignity as the Imperial Princess remained in that sight.
She was now nothing more than a young lamb about to be devoured by a predator.
"A-aaaaah...! No, don't come near me! P-please...!"
Perhaps taking Alicia's desperate struggles as a sign that the prey had been completely neutralized.
Finally, the man began slowly approaching her.
One step. One step.
With each step the man took toward Alicia, all manner of ominous imaginings raged through her mind.
In Alicia's imagination, the man became a black magician who corrupted women with hypnosis.
He became a legendary womanizer who stained innocent country maidens with unknown pleasures.
He became a barbarian who ravished the bodies of pure noble ladies at will, spewing beastly lust.
All three were scenes from the erotic novels she enjoyed, but she felt it wouldn't be strange at all if even worse things happened to her.
'...I suppose I am now at that man's mercy.'
The man's eerie red eyes and Alicia's icy blue eyes met.
*Gulp.* Having properly faced the man's face, Alicia unconsciously swallowed.
By now close enough to touch if she reached out, the man's size felt even more massive, and she herself felt even more frail.
'G-good heavens... how can...'
Up close, the man truly possessed a terrifyingly formidable body.
His forearms seemed almost as thick as Alicia's own thighs, and his shoulders were far wider than they had appeared from afar. The pectoral muscles peeking through the gaps in his shirt looked like lumps of stone.
And... his lower garments bulged outward as if about to burst.
Facing that obscene shape, her head seemed to spin for some reason, and her lower abdomen began to tremble slightly.
Furthermore, she felt blood rushing uncontrollably to parts of her body too shameful to speak of.
The man's large, rugged hand reached toward Alicia, who no longer resisted and merely looked up at him with a blank expression.
Seeing that, Alicia squeezed her eyes shut.
'Aah, O goddess...'
However, despite quite some time passing, nothing happened.
She felt no hand crudely groping her vulgarly large breasts, nor any hand trying to explore the forbidden place that must never be violated.
As time passed, curiosity began to feel stronger than fear, so Alicia cautiously opened her eyes slightly.
"...Are you alright?"
There, the man was extending his hand toward her with a composed face.
Blink, blink. After blinking her eyes for several seconds, Alicia finally grasped the situation.
'C-could it be... was it all a misunderstanding?'
Come to think of it, how suspicious must she have looked to that man?
Objectively speaking, Alicia had been dressed in extremely suspicious attire, and it was possible that the man, who happened to be out for a night walk, had come across her by chance and was observing her in order to report her.
In other words, he was just an ordinary Imperial citizen who happened to look very fierce.
The fact that he was holding his hand out to her, staring with blank eyes as if asking what on earth she was doing here.
The possibility of the former was far higher than the possibility of him being a ruthless rapist and murderer of princesses.
Shame rushing in belatedly dyed Alicia's face as red as a ripe tomato.