Chapter 201: Chapter 202: Well-Behaved Cats Like the Kitchen Stove! (7)

“Cariote, have you found out anything about Nebula?”

I had made an agreement with Cariote during the lull before the banquet began.The plan was to investigate Nebula, the owner of ‘Steg Maia’.Cariote was supposed to gather information on Demiurge Nebula in the women’s lounge. However, she just blushed and mumbled to herself, seemingly overwhelmed by the unfamiliar setting.

Bing-geul— Bing-geul—We twirled on the marble floor, hand in hand, blending in with the other couples in the banquet hall. We must look like an ordinary pair, right?Taking advantage of the scattered attention of the party, I whispered softly into Cariote’s ear.

“It’s fine if you didn’t find much. I’ve gathered some crucial information that might help.”

I had managed to collect various details about Nebula in the men’s lounge.

Demiurge Nebula.Also known as the Duke.Apparently, she’s a woman who rules imperiously while maintaining an aloof and haughty demeanor. A highly capable being whose hobby is collecting husbands.She’s already amassed 24 husbands and plans to acquire her 25th at today’s banquet.

“She’s exactly the type I can’t stand.”

I’ve never been fond of older women.I had no interest in Nebula, as she was so much older than me that it was impossible to guess her age. And collecting husbands?According to my conservative views on fidelity, women should only have eyes for one man. It’s absurd for women to be with multiple men.

Now someone might ask.

─Judas, you have three wives, so why should a woman only have one man? Isn’t that unfair?

It was an extremely rational and valid question.To answer this simply, I could say it’s ‘just my preference’.It’s just my preference!I’ve always been a hypocrite who lives as he pleases.If I had followed rules and lived conscientiously, I wouldn’t have become a thief!

Anyway.Today is the day of the banquet where Demiurge Nebula of Domination and Reign welcomes her 25th husband. Afterwards, there’s supposed to be a punishment ceremony for an ill-mannered brat.

“This punishment ceremony is a crucial event. They say it’s a ritual that brands the very existence of the criminal, turning them into an untouchable outcast.”

You could call it an official public shaming. And if my hunch is right, the brat to be punished today is most likely Cecily.That’s the information I uncovered.So my plan is to secretly rescue Cecily or negotiate with Nebula to escape this place before the 25th husband selection concludes.

“Cariote, do you follow so far? I’m planning to catch Nebula’s attention at the husband-selecting banquet. During that time, I want you to try to find Cecily.”

“…I understand, but how do you plan to catch her attention? You said we didn’t come here to fight. We can’t choose to stop it by force, right?”

I see.Does Cariote want to hear the details of my strategy?I told her.

“I have a perfect strategy. From what I heard, today’s 25th husband is practically already decided. But they say that man is refusing to become the husband.”

I recalled the conversation I overheard in the men’s lounge.

━I’ll be the one receiving the most handkerchiefs from women at this banquet, Oscar.━Hmph, suit yourself. I’m determined to be chosen by Lady Nebula today.

The men’s lounge was like a waiting room for hosts hoping to be chosen by rich madams, and in reality, it wasn’t much different.Most of them even looked pretty like gigolos.

Apparently, all the men who came to ‘Steg Maia’ are potential candidates to be Duke Nebula’s husbands. Becoming Nebula’s husband is said to be a great honor.However, the man who is supposedly set to be the 25th husband has been refusing the position for a very long time.

━That Florian guy must be crazy. How dare he refuse to become Lady Nebula’s husband? A mere commoner.━He’s so foolish that he doesn’t even realize he’s receiving love beyond his worth.

Women are often described as creatures of jealousy, but I had a different thought.Men’s jealousy was equally ugly, terrible, and hard to watch.But thanks to that, I was able to gather quite a bit of information.That a man named ‘Florian’ has been refusing to become the 25th husband for a long time. And that many men are sharpening their knives to take that 25th position.It was information worth using.

“Why is this Florian guy refusing to become the Duke’s husband?”

Cariote suddenly asked, her curiosity piqued.I didn’t know the reason either.If I had to guess, he might be conservative like me that dislikes women who see multiple men, or perhaps he just doesn’t like older women. It was probably something along those lines.

“Anyway, I’m going to enter the competition for the 25th husband to buy time and attract attention to myself. While the commotion unfolds, you can find Cecily. She’s likely near the prison area.”

That concluded my perfect plan’s explanation.Cariote was taken aback.

“Enter the competition? Are you planning to become Nebula’s concubine?”

“No, I’m just buying time. Besides, there’s no way I’d be chosen among such impressive men. To be honest, I’m not exactly a ladies’ man.”

Until recently, I was a lifelong bachelor, a virgin through and through.Come to think of it, I’m still a virgin now.…Why am I still a virgin when I have a daughter?It’s because I’ve never been popular with women, in many ways.You can imagine how unpopular I was when women trembled at rumors that I was wife-hunting in the Kingdom of Ordor.But Cariote pressed on, sounding somewhat anxious.

“What if you actually get chosen as the 25th husband? The Duke might notice you’re special. Don’t you know women are drawn to exceptional men?”

Women are drawn to exceptional men, she says.I never thought I’d hear Cariote say such things.Now that her appearance has changed to that of a noble lady, it seems her heart has also followed suit. Indeed, outward appearance carries such weight.However, Cariote’s worry was unfounded.

“I can perfectly disguise my presence. I don’t know how powerful this Duke Nebula is until I actually meet her, but I’ll conceal myself so thoroughly she’ll never notice my existence.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I was a being derived from Nocturne, the Demiurge of Backlight. If Nocturne could do something, I could do it too, and often better.Backlight.Just as a shadow becomes unrecognizable when lit by sunlight, I could perfectly alter my existence.Even after explaining this, Cariote still seemed uneasy.

“Judas, remember that if things go wrong and you become Nebula’s man, children like Cecily, Naru, and Hina won’t be born…!”

I see.I patted Cariote’s back to signal not to worry.But Cariote got angry.

“…How dare you pretend to comfort me while undoing the back strap of my underwear!”

Right at that moment, Pat- Pat— the lights in the banquet hall began to dim and converge on one spot.On a fairly high platform stood a woman dressed in a splendid uniform of purple and yellow.Her hair was golden and swaying lightly, and her posture - with a cavalry sword stuck in the ground and her waist ramrod straight - was that of an imperial conqueror.Indeed.Is that woman perhaps the Demiurge of Domination, Nebula?Standing about 2 meters tall with a dignified physique, she certainly looked the part of a ‘god’.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, and all distinguished guests! I am Nebula ta Parvelium Metresantrite, the rightful ruler of this elegant city, ‘Steg Maia’!”

Wa— The applause was thunderous.I felt like I was at some fanatical religious gathering.I was a bit nervous, wondering if that woman might notice my existence, but fortunately, I seemed well-hidden among the crowd.

“Well then, you should go now.”

I said to Cariote.She moved slightly away from me and looked at me with somewhat wistful eyes, then grasped the hem of her skirt and disappeared into the crowd.

# # #

As Cariote separated from Judas, she couldn’t shake her anxiety.She was certain that Judas would catch Duke Nebula’s eye.No matter how well Judas hid his identity and altered his presence, Cariote believed Nebula would surely find him, and Judas would steal her heart.

Of course, he said not to worry, but…

To Cariote, Nebula seemed like a woman brimming with spirit. Indeed, she appeared worthy of calling herself a ‘god’.If such a woman were to set her sights on Judas, could he really resist?

‘No, Judas is a womanizer. He likes any woman, so he’ll surely give in and fall for her. The problem is that she’s no ordinary woman.’

Cariote somehow disliked the idea of Judas being with Nebula.If so, there was only one solution.To quickly rescue Cecily and escape this place.

Pat—

Cariote skillfully navigated through this winding and complex tower to find the way leading underground. Perhaps because everyone was at the banquet, there were few people, making progress smooth.

“Cecily!”

Cariote called out softly upon reaching the underground prison.She searched here and there for Cecily, but couldn’t see the small child anywhere.She was having trouble because karma tracking wasn’t working well, perhaps due to being in another world’s domain.

Tong- Tong—The sound of someone hitting iron bars with something like a hard stick echoed.

“Fuck! You bastards! You fucking losers! Get me out of here!!!”

It was a vulgar curse and at the same time a desperate lament.Realizing that the sound was coming from even deeper below the underground prison, Cariote headed further down as if possessed.It was pitch black there, filled with darkness without a hint of light. If Cariote didn’t have eyes accustomed to darkness, she surely wouldn’t have been able to take even one step forward.

This seems to be a place like a punishment room or solitary confinement.

Tong- Teong— Tong— Tong—Cariote continued to move towards the source of the loud noise.And after some time, she finally discovered a person shouting like a beast trapped in an iron cage.The blonde hair had grown so dirty it covered the floor, the face was grimy with dirt, and the clothes were so tattered that their original form was unrecognizable.Cariote frowned and wanted to hold her nose at the appearance that resembled the ‘beasts’ she had hunted rather than a human.

Open—At that moment, Cariote’s eyes met those of the beast-like woman in the darkness.Those eyes were the only blue thing in this pitch-black prison.

“Could you… be… Cariote?”

Cariote was greatly shocked by the woman’s question.Soon, tears burst forth like a flood of emotions rushing in.Through her blurring vision, Cariote finally uttered the word she had buried deep in her heart for a very long time.

“Mom?”

Cariote recognized the woman trapped in the cage as her mother. Even after a very long time, a daughter was bound to recognize her changed mother at a glance.The same was true for her mother, Leone.She recognized at a glance the daughter she hadn’t met for over 10 years, even in the pitch-black darkness.She was overjoyed.At the same time, she was filled with great regret.Despite it being the reunion they had longed for so much, unfortunately, mother and daughter couldn’t embrace each other.Because a thick iron wall stood between them.

“It won’t break!”

Kang—! Kang—!Cariote was furious at the unimaginably sturdy lock.To have her mother right in front of her but unable to save her.

“Mom! I’ll save you! Just wait a little! Just a little! I’ll get you out right away!”

“My daughter, let me see your face! You’ve grown so much! You’ve become a fine young lady even though I couldn’t take care of you!”

Lady Leone didn’t care about escape or anything like that. She was just happy to see the actual appearance of her daughter that she had imagined alone in this solitary confinement cell many times.So while she was touching that face with her hand, a good idea occurred to Cariote.

“Mom, I’ll call Judas! That man should be able to pick this lock!”