A woman wearing a golden mask and a staff member walk through a long, narrow corridor.
“This way, please.”
“If it’s not to your liking, would you prefer another room?”
Following silently behind them, I listened closely to the staff member, who kept nervously glancing at the woman in the golden mask.
“No, this place will do.”
“Understood, then…”
“Alright, you may leave us now.”
Though this place was originally meant for noblewomen, the staff’s attitude toward her was far more respectful than toward any other customer.
Well, it was only natural—after all, the face behind that golden mask belonged to the ruler of this empire.
“Shall we deliver the item you won later, or…”
“I’ll take care of it myself.”
“…Understood.”
Naturally, I couldn’t help but feel tense as I followed someone who had just purchased me for 12 billion gold.
“Why are you so tense?”
As I swallowed dryly, a lazy voice suddenly reached my ear.
“Is this your first time, boy?”
“…!”
“Oh my, what a surprise. It really does seem to be your first time.”
The emperor, who had somehow already wrapped her arm around my shoulder, grinned ominously as she dragged me into the room.
Even if it felt like I was being pulled into a monster’s lair, I had to endure it for the sake of what lay ahead.
‘I have to start fighting the dark mages in earnest now—can’t afford to be swayed by the emperor.’
The emperor might be a final boss candidate, but the true root of all evil in this world was still the dark mages.
And their gathering at the “Shadow Assembly” would likely signal the beginning of war.
If I ended up treating the emperor as a potential enemy in such a situation, it would only complicate things further.
That’s why I had to settle things with her today, here and now.
“Ha ha, not much of a talker, are you?”
……
“In that case, I won’t say much either—but surely you can at least thank your buyer.”
I kept my words to myself while glancing at the emperor, but the moment I saw her close the door, I quietly smiled.
The moment that door fully closed, it would begin.
This shop had top-tier soundproofing and security magic for a back alley joint, so there was no fear of our conversation leaking.
As soon as the door shut, I would quickly remove my mask and expose the emperor’s secrets—
‘…Huh?’
Just as I was about to raise my hand to the mask on my face, I froze with a stunned expression.
‘Why can’t I move my hand…?’
Now that I noticed, it wasn’t just my hand—my entire body felt frozen, as if paralyzed.
Rustle…
Just as I began to panic at this strange phenomenon, I heard the soft sound of fabric slipping nearby.
“Why are you just standing there?”
“Come here.”
The emperor, seated on the bed with her outer robe removed, beckoned to me with a languid smile.
…!?
And the next moment, my legs began to move on their own.
I quickly tried to tense my leg muscles, but it was no use.
My entire body moved as though controlled by strings.
‘…Mind control? No, that can’t be it.’
The emperor’s signature ability—”mind control”—flashed through my mind, but I quickly dismissed it.
That was because I had been deliberately avoiding eye contact with her to resist her power.
Moreover, if I had truly been mind-controlled despite my precautions, I wouldn’t even be aware something was wrong.
Ordinarily, mind control prevents you from realizing you’re being controlled at all.
But in that case, what on earth was happening now?
“Sir Whitney, why the long face?”
“……Ugh.”
“Do you have something you wish to say?”
As I silently sweated and struggled against the control, the emperor’s words—spoken while she had half-unbuttoned her clothes—made me let out a soft groan.
‘She found out long ago, didn’t she.’
Maybe I had grown too complacent while dealing with the increasingly docile Lady Meredia.
Of course the emperor wouldn’t be so simple.
Still, if she had already realized it, why was she continuing to undress?
It was getting harder and harder to know where to look.
Yet at this point, I couldn’t even avert my gaze or turn my head.
“Very well, I’ll allow you to speak.”
In this high-tension moment, the emperor suddenly snapped her fingers with a grin.
“…That’s possible?”
“Hehehe… Of course it is.”
As she glanced behind her and asked a question, a giggling voice suddenly emerged—and then something shot out from under the blanket.
“Aha ha…”
At the same time, I found I could speak again and finally began to grasp what was going on.
…A puppet master.
Among the four high-ranking members of the Shadow Union were the Puppet Master, Death Knight, Shadow Witch, and Jester.
After encountering the Shadow Witch who had infiltrated Lumen Ordo and tried to recruit me, I was now face to face with another one.
“Hello! Nice to meet you~”
Though appearing as a teddy bear half my size, that only confirmed this one’s true identity as the Puppet Master.
‘There were rumors the emperor had joined hands with the dark mages… If that’s the case…’
According to the Shadow Witch I met before, each of the Shadow Union leaders followed the “Great Shadow” while secretly plotting their own schemes.
So the one now grinning creepily from under the blanket must be working with the emperor.
Just like how the Shadow Witch had tried to recruit me.
‘Looks like this shop belongs to that guy.’
In the original story I know, the Puppet Master was famous not just for top-tier summoning, but also for a dark magic that allowed them to control intruders within their domain.
No wonder the whole shop had that weirdly cute, exhibition-like feel.
Turns out this entire store was the Puppet Master’s lair all along.
“How honored I am, Your Majesty.”
“…Hmm, your voice is calmer than I expected.”
There was no point in staying silent, so I spoke up.
The emperor tilted her head slightly as she looked me over.
“Do you perhaps have some hidden card?”
“……”
“For example, your lovely fiancée?”
To be honest, that hit the mark too precisely, and I had no choice but to shut my mouth.
“Heehee! Sorry, but this place was built with help from the Shadow Witch!”
As if sensing my reaction, the Puppet Master’s clone hopped off the bed and spoke in a mocking voice.
“From the moment the door closed, every room here became part of a maze. And in each room, we’ve placed one of our dummy puppets.”
With such security in place, it was no wonder the emperor could be so relaxed even against Meredia.
“Even if your little maid has her analysis eye, it won’t be enough. Her jewel eye, suited for firepower and destruction, won’t be able to find this place by morning.”
That wasn’t surprising, but when the emperor casually mentioned the “analysis eye” and “jewel eye,” I couldn’t help but frown a little.
It meant she knew not only the princess’s power, but also Parsha’s.
Just like Meredia, the emperor was no ordinary human.
“…And what if I destroy this entire place?”
“Even setting aside the high treason of trying to harm the emperor, you won’t be walking away unscathed.”
Though I tried to float the possibility as a last resort, the emperor, as expected, had already foreseen it.
“Very well. I’ve lost.”
“Hmm?”
“Then, what do you intend to do now?”
With a slightly resigned expression, I asked the question, and the emperor, narrowing her already thin eyes further, stared at me in silence.
“Are you going to kill me here?”
“…Pfft,”
Unable to endure the silence, I asked again, and the emperor finally burst into laughter and opened her mouth.
“Why would I get rid of you? That would be a tremendous loss, no matter how I look at it.”
“Then…”
As I tried to urge her to continue, I went silent the moment I saw her begin to undo the rest of the buttons she had left open.
“Sir Whitney, do you know why an emperor like me sneaks in and out of a place like this?”
“……”
“This is a rather serious matter, so listen closely.”
And so began the emperor’s one-sided tale.
“Do you know why, at this age, I’ve never been married, nor even been with anyone?”
“…I’m not sure.”
“That’s because I was born infertile.”
Realizing that resistance was futile, I listened with a hollow expression, but the unexpected truth from her lips drew my attention.
“And the reason for that lies in the ability I was born with.”
“Your ability?”
“Though the world calls it a blessing, it’s actually a mark of a cursed fate.”
As she spoke, her slitted eyes opened slightly, making me flinch—but fortunately, there was no sign of mind control.
“Did you know? Those born with the potential of the Demon King can only reproduce with each other.”
“…Ha ha.”
“Don’t ask how I found out. The story gets too dark from there.”
With half-open eyes, the emperor continued with a chillingly changed expression.
“Do you understand now why rumors say I’m gathering people with special abilities?”
“…No way.”
“Some think I’m building a corps of ability users, but they don’t know what they’re talking about.”
The more she spoke, the more the pieces in my mind began to come together.
“I’ve simply been trying to create an heir.”
Though the mental picture formed by those puzzle pieces was rather disturbing.
“The problem is that for some reason, nine out of ten people with such power are women.”
“Occasionally, a man would appear, but none of them were suitable partners for me in any sense.”
Then, to make sure I didn’t misunderstand, the emperor once again narrowed her eyes and asked me in a gentle voice.
“Do you understand now why I come to places like this?”
When I remained silent, she pouted slightly and answered her own question.
“You’re surprisingly slow on the uptake. If I happen to find a suitable partner by chance, I could even have a bastard child, couldn’t I?”
I didn’t know what kind of expression to make at that, so I just gave a bitter smile.
Then, suddenly struck by a dreadful possibility, I hastily asked the emperor.
“Then why did you purchase me?”
“Sir Whitney, let’s not play dumb.”
With a smile far more wicked than before, the emperor whispered to me.
“You too were born with the fate of the Demon King, weren’t you?”
By then, the conclusion I’d just reached became even clearer, and I started sweating cold bullets.
“If you really want to hear it from my own lips, I understand. I’ll forego the dignity of an emperor and say it plainly.”
The emperor, who had been shameless all along, now grinned from ear to ear and delivered the finishing blow.
“Here and now, shall we create the future bastard child who will one day rule the empire?”
At that moment, her upper garment, now fully unbuttoned, slipped down smoothly.
‘This was the one method I really wanted to avoid.’
And with it, I firmly resolved not to use my last resort unless absolutely necessary.
Cliche Novel 