Seduction☆Strategy

Translator: Kagura

Editor: Millinia

Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!

Chapter 23

After everything that had happened with the minstrel and understanding my previous mistakes, I apologized to Hans with all my might.

What kind of sexual harassment was that? Getting invited to take a bath together with someone who was almost 20 years older than you…?

Hans, who was blushing slightly, stopped me from apologizing with a sweet smile.

“I was well aware that Keigo-sama had no ill intentions. You like taking baths, don’t you, Keigo-sama? It made me happy thinking that you are sharing what you find enjoyable with me!”

Hans-kun is seriously an angel!!

“In the first place, helping with bathing is part of the job of a servant, you know? So it’s okay… However, I was surprised when I was asked to take care of the poet…”

When he mentioned it, my mind accidentally wandered and the image of the minstrel’s naked body flooded my thoughts, causing me to blush.

Even if we were of the same sex, embarrassing things were still embarrassing.

“Please be careful, Keigo-sama. Not all people are as kind-hearted as you are.”

“… I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused you so many times…”

I apologized and thanked the pretty boy who was concerned about me.

Having someone who would point out your mistakes was invaluable.

Because when they do point them out, it was because they were thinking about the best interests of the other party… me.

“Have you been having a good time while I was gone? Keigo Sakura?”

Fr-from this moment, I was expecting to receive some intense criticism, but thankfully I wasn’t going to get beaten up…

The red-haired general had returned home after a successful month-long expedition.

It seemed that in this world, there was almost no such thing as a war between countries.

Every 20 years or so a calamity, also known as the dragon, would strike.

The existence of magical beasts that attacked people was also prevalent and made it difficult for conflicts between people to occur.

It was probably a case of, “there is no time for war.”

Therefore, the knights existed almost exclusively for the purpose of defeating magical beasts.

Recently, there had been reports of large-scale damage by magical beasts near the border, so an expeditionary force had been assembled and dispatched under the leadership of the general.

That general had finally returned.

I heard that it was customary for the people to welcome the return of the knights by throwing flower petals as they lined up along the main street.

The few knights who stayed behind and I were waiting in line at the training grounds of the castle, though.

It seemed that most of the return ceremony had already been completed, and the lines dispersed upon the general’s single order, “Dismissed!”

After that, the only people who remained were those who were waiting to be happily reunited with their friends for the first time in a long time.

The general left his horse in the hands of his attendants and stood in front of me, clad in his armor.

The cloak draped over his shoulder was black with red trim. Wow, that’s really stylish.

Underneath the cloak he wore a black ensemble. In addition to the armor, his sword was also black.

Only the breastplate and sword belt were engraved with red decorations.

…General, you are actually quite the attention-seeker, aren’t you?

His red hair looked ridiculously lustrous.

I opened my mouth as I stared in awe at the muscular body that looked stunning in the battle dress.

“You look so cool in that armor, General.”

“That’s not right, is it?”

“Errr, welcome back.”

“Yes, I’m back. So, how’s it going?”

“I made an effort.”

“… Oh?”

“Frankly though, it was all in vain.”

“Follow me for a bit.”

The next thing I knew, my vision was spinning.

As the general was easily carrying my body on his shoulders, he turned to the person standing by his side, who seemed to be his adjutant, and announced, “I’m going back to my room. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

He picked me up like a sack of potatoes, and I was carried away.

Once Bard reached his office in the top floor of the barracks, he dropped me from his shoulders.

He brushed past the soldiers who had approached him to help him take off his armor, and then ordered them to leave.

Only the general and I were left in the room.

“Well, Keigo…?”

I desperately begged for my life in the face of the death sentence that was about to begin.

“You know, don’t you, General? The power of the Goddess is useless without a loving relationship. So, I was removing obstacles in the way of it. I was increasing my favorability with the people around me. Now it’s only the timing that remains in obscurity. When the time comes, everything should change all at once for the better. Probably.”

“You’re saying a lot of redundant things, aren’t you?”

“I’m aware that I blurt things out a lot.”

How should I put it, I’ve been blabbing a lot…?

It was difficult to develop a relationship with love…

Thinking back to my colleagues, the prince, the poet, and even my attendant made me feel depressed.

Maybe the mountain that needed to be overcome wasn’t so high for people with normal love experience.

But for a 35-year-old single virgin, there was an Everest looming ahead.

It was the highest mountain in the world… Speaking of which, I wondered how tall the highest mountain in this world was exactly?

Bard looked down at me with an exasperated stare as I stood upright.

His gaze was painful.

“…Well, because you’re an otherworlder, it will take some time for you to get used to this place. It’s not like you didn’t do anything, so there’s no need for me to corner you.”

I’ve been acquitted! ! !

I was an honest man, so my face lit up with a huff as I started feeling elated. Bard smirked.

“I also didn’t do what I was supposed to do, so…”

His hand deftly wrapped around my forearm and held the back of my head.

Unable to escape, his approaching lips overlapped mine.

…Umm, Bard-san. Do you want to start here…?

I preferred it on the bed. It was really comfortable.

No, after experiencing it in the stable, I didn’t think I’d mind doing it anywhere else…

While I was thinking about this, our overlapping lips quickly parted.

Huh? I opened my eyes, which had been closed.

His amber eyes were so close.

“… Didn’t you even kiss?”

“… Before this, with you, and then with no one—”

Bard narrowed his gem-like eyes and then brought his face near mine again.

His tongue slipped between our overlapping lips.

Thinking it would be just another quick peck, I trembled at the invasion as our tongues entwined.

My body reflexively tried to escape the embrace of his strong arms.

I had no choice but to accept his tongue while it ravaged my mouth as it wished.

“… I’m not going to penetrate you now, so don’t worry.”

I was released from the deep kiss.

I had inadvertently forgotten to catch my breath. I had briefly leaned my face on Bard’s chest before raising it up as I let out ragged breaths.

Because the general was still hugging me and wouldn’t let me go…

His hand, wrapped in armor, stroked my hair.

“I had read your letters.” Bard muttered as he looked off into the distance. “Now that I think back on it, your letters to me had brilliant attempts of dodging my question. Writing of trifles like, ‘the lunch I had yesterday at the diner was delicious,’ or ‘the summer flowers were blooming in the garden.’”

“I’m sorry. I felt too guilty to write the truth, and I didn’t want to lie.”

“Sometimes when I opened the seal, candies and stuff would come out.”

“Was it to your liking?”

“…It was a nice change of pace.”

“That’s good,” I chuckled.

It was a very careful selection. It satisfied the General’s refined palate, didn’t it?

Bard glanced down at me in his arms and sighed, “…Keigo. Do you know how to take off armor?”

“I dont know.”

“Right. I figured as much.” The General, who had not yet removed his armor, muttered in mumbled speech, “…I should have taken it off first.”

When I put my arm around him and touched his back, I could feel how the metal fittings were joined together with intricate mechanisms.

Certainly, this would be impossible to take off by oneself.

“Shall I call your subordinates from earlier?”