Chapter 18: This Absolute Bitch...!

The formation of an Inherent Realm via 《False Realm Magic》. If the caster successfully pulls it off, they essentially have free rein over their victim unless a specific countermeasure is deployed.

Under normal circumstances, the "orthodox" way to handle it would be to neutralize the effects with a barrier of one's own, then follow a complex series of steps to dismantle the realm from the inside. In my case, however, simply activating my first unique ability, 《Adaptation》, would be more than enough to do the trick.

Furthermore...

If I were to activate my second ability in tandem, I could ensure that Clarice’s dignity was never defiled again.

And yet... I found myself unable to make that choice.

Suppose I activated my first ability and changed the situation—then what?

After blatantly defying the royal family’s intent, how would I settle the matter afterward? As long as I couldn't think of a viable exit strategy, throwing a wrench into the works would only serve to worsen my standing.

In that case... what if I activated only my second ability and brought everything under my absolute control?

True, if I did that, everything would likely be resolved in my favor. Clarice would be saved.

However, the risks associated with the second ability would place my own position in extreme jeopardy.

That left me with only one option.

"Now then, Alvart-kun. Why don't you have a seat on the edge of the bed?"

I had no choice but to follow her orders.

Sierra sauntered over to where I sat, coming to a halt right between my knees.

"And next... spread your legs for me, would you?"

Again, I could only do as I was told.

In the very next moment, Clarice—who, like me, was a "player" in this twisted game—let out a desperate cry.

"Please, stop this, Sister! I don't care what you do to me! You can defile me as much as you like! So please, just leave Lord Alvart alone—!"

"Oh? Don't tell me you don't trust your beloved husband-to-be?"

"──!"

"This game is meant to test Alvart-kun’s heart, Clarice. If he truly is the man you believe him to be, then there won't be any problems at all."

If I could endure thirty minutes of whatever pleasure she threw at me without showing even the slightest reaction...

In that moment, Sierra would suffer a total defeat.

"Actually, you should be happy. I’m going to verify right here just how great of a man your precious Night King truly is. ...And I’ll do it in front of everyone."

The myriad servants, Clarice’s butler, Demitru—and Her Majesty the Queen.

If I managed to endure this perfectly before their eyes, not only Clarice’s honor but my own would be preserved. Conversely, Sierra would be the one mocked as a fool who acted like a common harlot.

"Clarice. If you truly can’t bring yourself to trust the Night King’s mental fortitude... I suppose I could change the game to something else?"

Clarice’s response came after a heavy silence.

"......I trust Lord Alvart, the Night King, more than anyone or anything in this world."

Being trusted by a beautiful girl certainly didn't feel bad.

But seriously...

Having that kind of pressure dumped on me in a situation like this is a massive problem in more ways than one!

"Well then. Now that the pleasantries are out of the way... shall we begin the game in earnest?"

No sooner had she spoken than Sierra’s hands moved to my trousers. After unceremoniously throwing open my fly, she paused.

"My. As expected of the heir to the Zesphiria line. You’re certainly well-endowed."

Well, since things have reached this point, there’s only one thing left to do.

Namely, an R-rated scene.

"You should be grateful. It’s not every day a commoner gets a princess to stroke him off."

Now, let me re-verify the proposition placed before me.

Do you reject the R-18 scenario? Or do you play until you die?

In short, I interpreted this as: the moment I reach climax, it’s an automatic Bad End.

Reflecting on my current situation, I was right in the middle of a sexual act.

"......I see. You’re holding out quite well."

Sierra was essentially an adult version of Clarice—a drop-dead gorgeous older sister oozing sex appeal. Purely based on looks, she was incredibly hot, and her delicate fingerwork was indeed more than enough to make any man moan.

However... I could still take it.

"It seems... in a certain sense, you truly are worthy of being called the Night King."

She seemed to be laboring under a misunderstanding, but it’s not like I actually spend my nights carousing.

It was a cruel irony, really...

But thanks to Linslet constantly working me over, I had apparently developed a staggering amount of resistance.

"Lord Alvart...! I knew it! You truly are...!"

I can do this. No, not in that way. I mean in the "I can actually win this" way. At this rate, enduring thirty minutes would be more than──

Wait. What? Something’s... wrong.

M-my body is starting to feel hot... and my senses are becoming... sharper.

"Oh my, oh my. You’re getting bigger and bigger, aren't you, Alvart-kuuuun?"

T-this feeling...! Don't tell me, this bitch...!

"You drugged me...! Lady Sierra...! You put an aphrodisiac in the dinner...!"

"Hmm? Whatever could you be talking about? Sierra has no idea~."

The manual stimulation, which I should have been able to endure, had now been rendered into an indescribable torment by this wicked woman’s scheme.

"Ghh...!"

Not yet. It isn't enough to break me yet.

However...

Just because I hadn't reached the point of no return didn't mean I could completely negate the pleasure.

And that was the trap.

"Ufufufufufu. All right, the second punishment is beginning~."

The moment the bracelet reacted, Clarice’s violation was confirmed. In that instant, the slime that had remained silent until now sprang into motion. It snared Clarice from behind with its tentacles.

"──!"

The arms that had been covering her breasts and crotch were now pulled away, leaving nothing hidden. Forced into a wide-legged sprawl by the slime’s tentacles, she was left to expose her most private areas to the gaze of the many servants.

"Ngh...!"

Clarice’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson. That shame and indignation were unmistakably my responsibility. Because of that, even as I was gripped by a terrible sense of self-loathing...

"How does it feel, Night King? The sensation of my breasts?"

I had my hands full just dealing with my own situation.

"They aren't just comparable to Clarice’s... fufu, they’re actually a tiny bit bigger, you know?"

Breasts so large they almost completely enveloped my fully aroused member. Sierra manipulated her world-class assets with terrifying skill.

Soft and doughy, yet incredibly tight.

The pleasure from that sensation alone would have been intense, but magnified several times over by the drug...

"Ahahahaha! The third punishment is beginning!"

Amidst her mad laughter, the massive slime restraining Clarice began to crawl its fluid body all over her, starting with its "massage" of her voluptuous breasts.

"Mmmgh...!"

In the original game, Clarice possessed the largest bust of any character. Now, they were being lewdly reshaped by the slime—squish♥ squish♥—until, at a certain point, the tips began to change in a different way.

"My, my. To think you'd get sensitive for a slime. You’ve grown into quite the little pervert, haven't you, Clarice?"

"Y-you're wrong...! I would never feel such a── nhieeeen!?"

The tentacles tormented her swelling peaks. The slime, having mutated its form to mimic human lips, began to suckle at Clarice—mwah♥ mwah♥—and then...

"P-please, don't look...! Lord Alvart...!"

Shame. Humiliation. Rage. And... sorrow.

The way those emotions manifested as tears made her look exactly like her counterpart from the original game—the version that had been violated by the original Alvart.

"Mm~, the dam has truly broken now, hasn't it?"

Was it the influence of the aphrodisiac? Or was I just getting excited by the sight of her being violated? Either way, once again, it was my fault. Clarice was being humiliated because of me.

"The fourth punishment is beginning~."

The slime continued its lewd assault, escalating its atrocities. It forced her arms up, exposing her armpits, which were now heavy with sweat and pheromones.

"Guh...! You... pervert...!"

Slurp. Lick. Slurp.

The tongue-like tentacles lapped at Clarice’s armpits, and then...

"──!? W-wait! N-not there!"

Clarice’s eyes widened in shock as a single tentacle, covered in countless tiny protrusions, headed toward the one place she didn't want it to touch──

"Nkyuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!"

The slime must have been secreting some kind of aphrodisiac from its entire body. If it wasn't...

"Ngh! Ooh! Ooooooooooh!"

There was no way Clarice would ever make such a vulgar, indecent sound.

"Ufufufufufu. It’s quite the erotic sight, isn't it, Alvart-kuun?"

She laughed. She laughed and laughed.

The wicked woman cackled, directing her sadism toward her own biological sister, her gaze alone cursing me with the fact that this was all my fault.

"Be happy, Clarice. Your idolized Night King is getting excited by your shameful display."

...I was certain that I wouldn't lose anything in this twisted game. Despite the aphrodisiac, I wasn't at the point of climaxing. Therefore, it was impossible for me to hit a Bad End.

However, on the other hand...

"The fifth punishment is beginning~."

With each passing round, the content escalated. If this were allowed to continue until the seventh and final time... Clarice would lose not just her chastity, but her very dignity. Just like when she fell into Alvart’s clutches in the original game.

"Lord... Alvart..."

The slime’s tentacles writhed, forming into a hideous shape resembling a man’s member as they moved toward Clarice’s core.

"Please... do not... mind me..."

Even in the face of the encroaching nightmare, she didn't direct a single shred of contempt toward the man responsible. Instead, a faint smile actually played across her lips.

"As long as you are safe... it does not matter what becomes of me."

Ah. Right.

It was as if I’d finally woken up.

"......What the hell am I doing?"

I could have handled this. I had the power to change it.

Despite being in that position, I was about to let Clarice be sacrificed. Because I didn't want to take the risk. Because my desire for self-preservation had outweighed my concern for her.

But the moment I witnessed Clarice’s nobility, I finally realized it.

There are things in this world more important than oneself. To abandon a soul as beautiful as hers just to save my own skin...

Anyone who would do that... is a piece of trash even worse than the original Alvart.

"......For now, I should at least settle for deceiving them."

As I whispered those words, I activated my second unique ability.

In the next instant──

Sierra’s inherent realm collapsed, and the scene returned to the royal palace’s dining hall. Along with it, the slime restraining Clarice vanished. Using magic, I instantly restored her clothing.

"I offer my deepest apologies, Lady Clarice."

"L-Lord Alvart...?"

Clarice looked utterly bewildered, seemingly unable to grasp what had just happened. Before her—and before me—Sierra was staring into the empty air, laughing.

"Ahahahaha! To think you'd lose your virginity to something like that! How pitiful!"

Nothing had actually happened.

But from the perspective of Sierra, her servants, the Queen, and the old butler... the hallucination of Clarice being violated by the slime’s tentacles was the only truth.

"Ah...! Forgive me, Clarice...!"

"Guh...! How tragic, Lady Clarice...!"

I felt bad for them, but I’d have to keep the truth hidden for a while. Until everything was settled, it would be tactically advantageous not to let them catch on.

"L-Lord Alvart. What in the world is...?"

"It is the work of my unique ability, Lady Clarice."

I explained the details of the second ability. As I did, a look of awe dawned on her beautiful face.

"T-that truly is... a power that can only be described as invincible."

"Yes. However, it is not something to be used lightly. It carries a heavy price."

That was why I had kept this power sealed. I would never use it for my own sake again.

However...

If it was to save someone who needed saving. Even if that person was a heroine I supposedly wasn't allowed to save...

I would no longer hesitate.

"Lord Alvart...! To think you would sacrifice yourself for my sake...!"

"No. It is the opposite, Lady Clarice. You were the one who saved me."

"Eh...? I saved you...?"

Clarice seemed unable to understand, but to me, it was the absolute truth. If I hadn't witnessed her nobility, I would have prioritized my own safety at the cost of her sacrifice. As a result... I would have surely suffered the agony of a lifelong guilt.

In the end... that’s just the kind of person I am.

I’d thought the same during Elise’s situation, but now I was certain. No matter how far I go, I’m irrational. I’m the kind of person who finds joy in prioritizing someone else’s life over my own.

...Well, that doesn't mean I’ve given up on a peaceful life, though.

Regardless.

I was left with only one thought: I’m going to resolve this incident no matter what underhanded methods I have to use.

"Allow me to thank you once again, Lady Clarice... and let me make one promise."

As I spoke, I glanced over at her.

"The sixth punishment is going to be even, even harsher!"

The rotten bitch seemed to be having the time of her life. From a distance, it was almost refreshing to see, but if she was going to drag me into it, I had no choice.

"Lady Sierra will eventually face her moment of reckoning."

"──! D-does that mean..."

"Yes. However, as I just mentioned, I am not speaking of this very moment."

If this were a scenario where offing Sierra solved everything and led to a Happy End, I might have just done it right then and there. I was certainly pissed off enough.

But... it was just a hunch, but I couldn't help feeling there was something more that needed to be resolved in Sierra’s scenario.

That was why I wouldn't finish her off immediately.

"I’ll let her run loose for a while... though I believe I’ve said that before."

Turning my gaze back to Clarice, I asked, "Will you trust me?"

She nodded instantly before speaking.

"The only one I believe in is you."

Feeling grateful for her devotion, I made a silent vow.

To hell with the Correction Force. To hell with my life’s mission.

If I didn't man up here, I’d be failing as a human being.

And so...

"I have no intention of calling myself the Night King... but just this once, I suppose I’ll play the part."