Piery flinched in surprise. It was the first time since she came to this mansion that her head felt clear.

After finishing sex, Piery’s face flushed. A Head Maid mixing bodies with a Hero? What kind of cliché from an erotic novel was this?

’Still, I’m surprised. What have I been doing with my life until now? It’s like a bright light has shone into a place that was covered by dark clouds!’

She looked at Lucian. Unlike other Heroes, he wasn’t just rough. Rather, he was revealing an inner gentleness.

"Are you okay? Did I thrust too hard... It must have hurt a lot, right?"

"Ah, I’m fine. My lower back is a little stiff, and, umm."

"I’m sorry."

"No, it was good... In fact, my mind feels clearer."

"Did you have a headache?"

Lucian tilted his head, his ahoge swaying. Could she have had a headache due to the aphrodisiac?

Piery shook her head, though she wasn’t sure herself.

"No, it’s strangely that feeling..."

"Let’s get dressed before the Lord arrives."

"The Lord? Which Lord?"

Piery asked an unexpected question. Lucian chuckled. Was this woman joking?

"The Lord of Weaverpool."

"But he passed away, didn’t he? Or rather, he went missing."

Lucian was suddenly terrified. For the Head Maid to joke that the Lord was dead? But looking into her eyes, it didn’t seem like a joke.

Instead, Piery was startled and clutched her head.

"Ah, ahh...! That’s right, I remember now. I, I finally remember!"

Piery suddenly trembled. She brought her knees to her chest and shook her head.

Lucian hurriedly asked about her condition.

"What’s wrong? Please calm down, okay?"

"No, I hate it, I hate ittttttt!"

Piery was practically screaming. When Lucian finally restrained her with force, Piery burst into tears.

"That Lord, that bastard pretending to be the Lord! He lured his son and made me his slave! He touched my body all over, ugh!"

"Piery!"

"That son of a bitch, uwaaaaaah!"

Piery vented her fury. It was as if she was spewing out years of pent-up rage all at once.

Lucian was dumbfounded.

’For the Head Maid, who was so cold, to change like this. Something must have happened! Something related to the Lord...’

Lucian, who had been at a loss, hugged Piery. He held her tightly and whispered in her ear.

"It’s okay, it’s okay. Please calm down first, because I’m here. I’ll protect you no matter what happens!"

"Protect me...? Someone like me, a war orphan sold to this mansion?"

"What do you mean, ’someone like you’? Even if the time we’ve known each other is short, we’ve mixed bodies, haven’t we? At the very least, I don’t abandon women I’ve mixed bodies with. So tell me!"

Lucian smiled as he finished speaking. As she was a close aide to the Lord, he felt he could get clues from her.

Seeing Lucian’s smile, Piery finally calmed down.

’Perhaps, for the first time, a man I can trust... has appeared?’

She slowly, hesitantly, parted her lips.

***

I was surprised too. I hadn’t expected the Head Maid to be so agitated.

But I calmed her down. There was a lot I wanted to hear from her. The Head Maid held my trembling hand and spoke.

"H-h-h, my name is Piery, h-h-h."

"Yes, I am Lucian."

"I, I am... Haa!"

"First, drink some water and calm down. Don’t worry, it’s just the two of us here."

Piery took the water cup I offered and chugged it down. But her trembling didn’t stop, and soon she even wet herself.

Pshhhht..

"Ah, I’m sorry... I, I do this when I’m scared."

"It’s okay, it’s okay! Calm down. I’m here, aren’t I?"

Having finally calmed down, Piery curled herself up even more. Like someone being chased.

"First, what do you mean the Lord is dead?"

"Ah, Lord of Weaverpool. He was truly a wonderful person. He was someone who could be a role model for everyone."

"That doesn’t match what you just said, does it? Is he really dead?"

"The current Lord is a fake."

I was completely surprised. Wait, this is different from the information I received before, isn’t it?

Piery nervously scanned her surroundings excessively before continuing.

"That person isn’t even the Lord to begin with, nor is he noble enough to be called an aristocrat!"

I was speechless.

’What is this? I haven’t seen this in the information. It wasn’t this kind of thing in that ledger either. No, could it be connected?’

I waited for her next words. Piery trembled and gritted her teeth.

"That person is the cult leader of a pseudo-religious cult, the cult leader...!"

"Those Who Recite Sins?"

"Yes."

"I see, so that was it."

"Huh?"

This time, Piery tilted her head in surprise. Ah, so this is how it connects.

What I had learned from the ledger. What I had learned from the information.

And finally, what I had learned from raiding Those Who Recite Sins’ archives the day before.

These three pieces of information were different, but there was one thing they led me to suspect.

That the Lord of Weaverpool was a tremendous hypocrite, and that he had some kind of relationship with Those Who Recite Sins.

But Piery’s words twisted this in reverse.

The original Lord of Weaverpool was dead, and the current Lord, whether disguised or not, was the cult leader of Those Who Recite Sins Cult.

’So that’s why this motherfucker only appeared at night. Because he had to pretend to be the Lord during the day. But why is everyone being fooled?’

First, I told Piery what I needed to say.

"Listen carefully. Actually, I came here to take down that cult leader. His cult launched a preemptive strike against our territory."

"That person?!"

"It’s quite surprising that he was pretending to be the Lord from the start. According to the information I had, I suspected that the Lord had fallen and was acting as the cult leader of Those Who Recite Sins."

A hollow laugh escaped me. Wow, so this is how it turns out.

Reality is always more spectacular than fiction, truly. To think he was a pseudo-religious cult leader, not the Lord I thought he was.

Piery’s pupils trembled. As if I was about to confront a disaster.

And then Piery wet herself a little again. She’s a little bed-wetter, isn’t she?

"No, don’t confront him!"

"We’ll talk about that later. But you said you were his slave?"

"Ever since that person became the Lord, I’ve been draining the Lord’s son’s ’water’ every night..."

"This is insane."

Such a beautiful woman, for just that? Just imagining it makes me so fucking angry.

K

Piery laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Of course, I haven’t allowed him my virginity, but I think the son will do something soon."

"Why?"

"That cult leader bastard created a document to forcibly marry me to his son. I, I’m going to be defiled now!"

Piery clutched her head and shook it. It seemed she wasn’t in a very good situation either.

It was regrettable. It was fortunate that her virginity had already been taken, but for such a capable and beautiful woman to suffer such a fate. I couldn’t accept it.

"But I don’t know why I was released from the control."

I was unconsciously flustered. In truth, I couldn’t say it was because the aphrodisiac’s effect was strong.

What’s appropriate at a time like this?

The divinity possessed by a Hero!

"Perhaps it’s because you mixed bodies with me?"

"Huh?"

"I, actually, I possess a holy sword. And I’m an apostle chosen by the Goddess."

I showed her the Dawn Guardian. Enveloped in brilliant light, it perfectly embodied the image of a holy sword.

Only then did Piery nod.

"Ah... so that’s it! Hero Lucian, thank you so much. Haa."

"Haha, don’t mention it. But I have a question. Did that person use a disguise?"

"It’s not a disguise. Even now, all the other servants besides me, everyone in this territory, hasn’t noticed!"

"What?"

"That fake Lord... the cult leader can control people’s minds."

Only then did I feel like all the pieces of the puzzle were falling into place.

Controlling people’s minds. I couldn’t tell how it was done, or what its limits were.

However, judging from Piery’s words, it seemed the entire territory was in the cult leader bastard’s grasp.

’No wonder he can’t be exposed even if someone wanted to. With mind control and acting, too.’

While I was surprised internally, I rested my chin in my hand and asked Piery.

"Then the Lord I met must have been that cult leader bastard, right?"

"Yes, that cult leader used some kind of tool to make people believe he was the real Lord. And the original Lord body can’t even be found."

It was a series of shocks. The cult leader of a pseudo-religious cult that was growing in scale.

The entire territory was being manipulated by just that one bastard.

Then something came to mind.

"Uh... wasn’t the original Lord a brown-haired man with a bob cut?"

"Yes, that’s right."

Piery tilted her head, then nodded. I asked again.

"I couldn’t see clearly, but he was wearing loose-fitting clothes on his arms and legs."

"Yes! How do you know? Did you meet him?"

Piery’s answer made my mind go blank. I had seen the original Lord before.

’Fuck, the corpse I saw in Those Who Recite Sins’ hideout was the real Lord’s corpse.’

I couldn’t even laugh. I wondered who that corpse was and why it was there, but now I know.

That cult leader bastard was desecrating his corpse. Wow, what a truly insane motherfucker.

And then I realized.

’Then the Lord of Weaverpool was indeed a good person, not a hypocrite. The current Lord is a fake, so that fake was the one doing the things written in the ledger.’

Honestly, even though he was an enemy, I was impressed. To plan all of this alone and execute it perfectly.

And to brazenly turn the territory’s underground passages into a hideout, desecrating the real Lord’s corpse and even singing hymns.

My god, it’s enough to make Satan cry and cling to his pants!

’Does he want to live like he’s in a territory-building novel? First, take one territory, then the whole world?’

I think I understood why the pastor was boasting and making grand claims. The cult leader must have believed he would definitely succeed.

"I’m scared. When will that pig-like bastard come to violate me... And if he finds out I’ve been released from his mind control, the cult leader won’t just stand by!"

"Piery, do you want revenge?"

I asked seriously. Piery looked at me for a moment, then made a tearful face.

"Revenge? But..."

"Do you want it, or not? Just tell me that."

Piery looked at me seriously. Her yellowish-green eyes gazed at me, reflecting my image in her corneas.

She was looking only at me. As if we were the only two people in the world.

"I want to."

A low but clear voice. I smiled faintly.

"Then I’ll help you!"

"Huh? But..."

"However, there’s something Piery needs to do for me. It might be difficult, though."

She had to be brave. Now that the truth was revealed, I couldn’t delay any longer. What if that cult leader bastard tried to swallow the entire world?

Later, it would be impossible to stop him. Right now, it’s just one territory, but he could end up controlling even the imperial family.

Piery swallowed dryly.

"What is it? What do I need to do?"

I told Piery what she needed to do. It was actually a more difficult task than it seemed, but it was important for her to be brave.

"...If you just do this, he won’t be able to touch you for a while. He won’t even know that his control has been broken. Just in case, I’ll give you this potion. Drink it if you feel you’re in danger."

I also gave her a mental immunity potion. Piery smiled, yet lowered her head.

"I don’t know if I can do it well."

"Then, do you trust me?"

"...I want to trust you."

Her gaze grew warm. As if to reciprocate, I lightly kissed her cheek.

Piery’s face flushed slightly.

"Alright. That’s enough. I’ll be back soon. When I do, I’ll get you out of this hellish place. I promise!"

"A promise?"

"Even if it costs me my life."

As a Hero, and as a man, I promised.

I would help her. Compared to the Fiora incident, where she was threatened by Koldo, this incident was even larger in scale.

Therefore, there were things to prepare. I finished my preparations to leave and immediately exited the mansion.

I immediately summoned Lynn and mounted her. Let’s run, Lynn!