After that, the months passed without incident. Since the day I had my suspicions about Van, Elle had been coming here every few days to train, and Olympia, who had returned to the Demon Empire, had been communicating via telepathic about the same frequency.

It seems that the Demon Empire is planning to march back to us as soon as the winter is over. Based on what they learned from the last time, this time they will not be using a mixed force with the monsters, but rather a formation with the monsters in the forefront and the Imperial Army in the back.

According to Olympia, this time, the focus will not be on magical beasts such as black wolves, which take advantage of their mobility, but on demons with firepower such as dragons and hill giants. At the fortress, they seemed to be reflecting on the fact that they couldn't make use of the firepower of the dragons in the forest, but if they were crushed before they could attack, I don't think they would know if their decision was correct or not.

It may be time for a major battle between the Kingdom and the Demon Empire, but before that happens, I'm working on a plan. I haven't even started on the first stage yet, but if this succeeds, it could bring about the internal collapse of the Demon Empire, which would be very advantageous for the Kingdom. I'm looking forward to it.

Today, Elle is still training at the mansion. She's clearly composing her formulas faster than before, and she's not making any mistakes. It's a little different from the method I taught her, but I think she's good enough to pass the test.

「That's all for today.」

「How did it go, Master?」

「Oh, there's nothing more for me to say. All that's left to do is for you to improve the accuracy of the magic.」

She smiles and is happy when I praise her. Considering the fact that at the beginning she was not much different from other magicians around, she has grown tremendously.

As I was thinking about whether it would be a problem to take on a new apprentice when Elle became a little more skilled, before I knew it, Elle was hugging my arm.

As a magicians, I had no problem with this, but there was one thing that bothered me. It's about Van.

「Elle, how is Van doing now?」

「What? He left the fort a while ago, but I don't know where he is now though」

「I see.」

It was after I went to the fort that I saw a change in Elle's technique composition. It may have been unavoidable, since I was the only magician who could serve as a role model until then, but Elle's formula structure has no similarities to the formula structure used by magicians in the kingdom. If anything, the composition is more in line with the Demon Empire.

The only person I can think of who might have had a conversation with her about the formula is suspicious. In other words, there is a possibility that Elle's magic was influenced by Van.

As far as I could tell, he wasn't a magician, but the missing part of his memory is suspicious. I know it's almost impossible, but he could be under the influence of a formula I don't know about.

「Elle, if Van contacts you, stay out of him. He might have something to do with the Demon Empire.」

「Uhh, okay. If you say so, Master.」

Anyway, he's left the fort, hasn't he? I probably shouldn't have let him swim around so much, but I didn't have any conclusive evidence, so I didn't want to take any strong measures.

The next time I see him, I'll catch him even if I don't have any more evidence. The only way to eliminate an unknown threat is to make it disappear. I don't like to kill people, but the safety of my surroundings is my first priority.

「By the way, Master, I see you've hired a new servant.」

「Yes, I did.」

「They're all Dark Elves, aren't they? If that's the case, can I count on you?」

Elle is hugging my arm, her body moving up and down as if she's rubbing against me. She's so close to me that I can see the undulations of her body, and I can even clearly feel her breasts and nipples that are being crushed.

Her cheeks were flushed red as she looked up at me, and no matter how I looked at her, she was in heat.

「Master, I'm fine today.」

A normal man would have no choice but to attack Elle here, but I felt her action of hugging me in her arms was more like a child spoiling a parent than a skinship with the opposite sex.

「I wasn't in the mood for that right now.」

I pulled Elle off me gently and she obeyed surprisingly obediently. It was a bit of a letdown, since she usually resisted desperately at this point. I wondered if there had been some kind of change in her mind.

「What's the matter?」

「I'm sorry, I must have annoyed Master.」

I looked at Elle, who answered with a face that said it was nothing, and wondered if this was also due to Van's influence.

At first, I thought that Elle would never miss him, but I was wrong. My lack of foresight is partly to blame for this, but it's not too late. I promised myself that if I ever found him again, I would examine his head thoroughly.

※

「Imperial Capital, is it?」

「That's right. I'm not going sightseeing.」

I was currently having tea at the invitation of Sophie and Natalia. The three of them, including the waiter Tia, looked at me strangely at my words. Of course, for those girls who can't use Transfer, they don't even know where it is.

The Imperial Capital is nothing more than the capital of the Demon Empire. The reason why I needed to go to the middle of such a hostile place was because of the plan I had ordered Olympia to carry out beforehand. The other day, I received a report from Olympia that the first stage of the plan was ready, so I decided to go to the Imperial Capital right away. I was planning to transfer to the hideout where I went to buy slaves before, but if Olympia was right, it would be faster to transfer directly to the residence of the Gran family.

「It's some kind of mission or else you're going to buy some dark elves. I don't think the Yard would go to such a dangerous place except to experiment with magic and find women.」

Natalia did not take kindly to the increase in the percentage of elves in the house. If they had been men, it would have been a different story, but with all women, she could only think that I was adding more women.

「Natalia-san, that word is disrespectful to Yard-sama, isn't it? It was Yard-sama's good intentions that brought them into the house.」

Sophie didn't doubt me. It was natural that she had overheard the conversation between the king and me at that time, but it was a good thing that she was on my side, as it would weaken Natalia's momentum.

「But what is your mission? Can you tell me, if you don't mind?」

「It's my fault if you think I'm working under orders from the kingdom, but it's mostly for personal reasons.」

The kingdom's strategy has been more defensive since the capture of the fortress, so I haven't heard of any plans to attack the Demon Empire as of yet. But I would rather have the matter settled quickly than have it become a stalemate.

「What, are you going to look for a new woman after all?」

「No, I'm not. I'm not going out to play.」

「It's not illegal for you to personally investigate the Demon Empire, but if you do too much, people will suspect that you're working for them, so please keep it in moderation. The people in the mansion will be worried if something happens to Yard-sama.」

Sophie seemed to have a vague idea of what I was going to do. Tia hadn't said a word since a few minutes ago, but I think she has a general idea. Natalia still seems to have a question mark.

「Don't worry. I can't go into details, but things are going well for the most part.」

If everything goes as planned, Olympia should have almost all of the people of the Gran family in her control by now. We're planning to use that as our base of operations in the Demon Empire, but until we succeed, only Olympia and I are to know about our plans.

Natalia is rather soft-spoken, and Tia doesn't really know what I'm capable of, so if she hears that I'm going directly to the Dukes of the Demon Empire, she'll probably say she'll go with me.

I thought about telling Elle, but I wasn't sure if it would be okay to tell her, since her mood had obviously changed recently, so I put it on hold until I got Van.

「Don't say that. Come on, just a little.」

「Natalia-san, I'm sure Yard-sama has his own thoughts on the matter. I'm sure he'll let us know when he feels it's safe to talk.」

「Mmm, fine.」

Sophie was chiding Natalia for her persistent attempts to insist. Both of them seemed to be convinced for the time being, but considering the fact that they were glancing at me, I guess they were eager to ask.

Tia, on the other hand, did not try to ask anything from the beginning. She knows that there is some information that should not be known. This is the difference between those who are used to handling classified information and those who don't have much experience.

「Will you be going away for another month or so like you did at the fort?」

「Are you leaving again, Yard? Come on, stay at the mansion.」

As if to distract the two of them, Tia asked me something else. She's good at this kind of follow-up, which is one of the great things about her. Neither of them seemed to want to take the question that seriously, and they immediately took up the topic that Tia had broached.

「No, I think I'll be able to home early this time. Still, I may need to be away from the mansion for a few days. Sophie, Tia, you're in charge of the mansion while I'm gone.」

「Hey, what about me?」

「Just make sure you don't let any suspicious people in. And don't go out alone too much.」

Natalia's face was a little sulky, as if she was unhappy with my answer. However, what can I expect from someone who has never done anything particularly beneficial for the mansion?

「When do you plan to leave?」

「I will be leaving this afternoon.」

I've heard that Olympia is already preparing to receive me, so I want to get there as soon as possible. I'm sorry to the girls for telling them I'm leaving so suddenly, but I'm going to prioritize my plans here.

「...... I understand. Don't worry about us, just do your errands in peace. Also, please let us know about important things much earlier. We have our own preparations to make.」

「I'm really sorry. I'll try to be more careful from now on.」

Sophie responded to the sudden talk with a smile, but her words were filled with light sarcasm. I'm aware that I've been neglecting her, so I apologize to her honestly.

I've already told her about Tia and Natalia. I apologized to her the day after our wedding night, and she forgave me, saying that it was normal for a nobleman to have a concubine. In return, I promised not to take any side rooms or concubines until she was pregnant.

That's why the three of us are gathered here. Although I have not made a commitment yet, I'm planning to take both of them as my wives after I find out that Sophie is pregnant. It was a moment that made me realize how generous Sophie was.

※

After lunch, I went back to my room, packed my necessary belongings in a bag, and used the <Advanced TransferGreater Teleport> to transfer to the Demon Empire. I asked Olympia to move to an empty place to designate a location. Light flooded out of the magic circle and instantly transferred under her. The place I arrived at was a bedroom. Perhaps this was her room.

「I've been waiting for you, Master.」

Olympia was not dressed in her usual clothes, but in a gorgeous dress that a noblewoman would wear to a party. She had said that after returning to the Imperial Capital from the fortress, she had temporarily left the military service to return to her parents' home in order to rest her body and soul, so she must be dressed as a Duchess now.

She has fiery red hair, a face that looks like it's reeling, and a serious attitude that makes her look as strong as a man, but the way she's dressed gives her a kind of elegance that's appropriate for an adult woman. She is similar to Margarete, but there is a difference in that her atmosphere does not change even when she wears a dress.

Incidentally, her red hair is a rare color even within the Demon Empire, and is said to appear only on people of the Gran family.

「Yeah. I'm sorry to bother you so soon, but are we ready for the meeting?」

「My father won't be back until the evening, so we'll have to wait a bit.」

「I see, in that case, I could have come a little later.」

「My apologies. As an apology, I will serve you to the best of my ability until my father returns.」

She pulled up the hem of her dress, revealing her lower half. She was not wearing any underwear and was already in heat, her love juices dripping down her thighs.

She shivered happily as I reached my fingers into her wet crotch and lightly stroked her crack, causing more of her love juices to flow. It was unimaginable to see her in her usual serious mood of debauchery.

「I can't believe you're already this wet, it seems you've been looking forward to me so much.」

「Yes, just the mere mention of Master's presence was enough to make my body tingle. ......」

I didn't play with any particular sexuality or preference when I put the <Dominate> on her. In other words, all of her lewdness and special sexual proclivities were hers, whether she was aware of them or not.

She seems to be in heat, hoping that I will make a move on her, but now is not the time. Besides, I'm not in the mood to be appealed to so blatantly. It's not that I can't have a lewd woman, but it's important to have a gap.

「Unfortunately, but I'm not interested in hugging you right now.」

「What, are you dissatisfied with something?」

「I'm not dissatisfied or anything, but I'm not in the mood. If you're going to do this, go ahead and comfort yourself.」

「No way. ......」

She's making a sad sound, but I'm not going to feel sorry for her every time she does that. She's got a masochistic streak in her, so I'm sure she's getting off on my cold words. In fact, even though she looks disappointed in her words, there is a slight smile of torment on her face.

However, making people obey you requires candy and a whip. If I keep refusing her wishes, no matter how many times I rewrite her memories using <Dominate>, her mind will gradually drift away. This magic is not a panacea.

「Come here.」

「Y-yes.」

I sat down on a nearby bed and stretched out my fingers to her private parts. I didn't break her virginity membrane, but I pushed my finger in and out to the right place and scratched around inside.

「Aahh, ahh, Master's finger is.......!」

She became enraptured the moment my finger was inserted, tightening her grip on my finger and devouring the pleasure. One after another, her love juices overflowed and soaked my hand, but I didn't care, I played with her vagina.

「No, Master, you're making me cuuum. ...... Ahh, Aahhhhhh!」

The moment she grabbed my arm, she climaxed and tightened her grip on my fingers. A lot of juice flew onto my hands and arms, which made me uncomfortable, so I shook my arms to get rid of the fluid.

She fell toward me, her legs shaking. Apparently, she had lost her strength. I held her as she fell and rubbed her ass, which was still basking in the afterglow of her climax. Her breasts are above average, but this one has a lot of flesh as well.

「If you want my affection, don't ever betray me, okay?」

「O-Okay.......I'm Master's, Ngnhhh....loyal servant.......」

I was generally satisfied when she replied in a debauched voice, and continued playing inside her to my heart's content until her father came home.