Chapter 1: The Reward

Every front has a back.

There are those who live in the shadow world, harboring supernatural abilities that can never see the light of day. They have existed since the Warring States period, and their conflicts have continued long after the unification of the nation. That battle extends even to the present, and in this land, a great many sorcerers are locked in struggle.

As the sorcerers who had survived to the modern era glared at and checked one another, ripples were sent through their society.

A former civilian, now a sorcerer, had single-handedly brought down a Sorcerer House once hailed as impregnable.

A man in the service of the Hiryuuin House. His name was Shiga Inui.

A meeting was being held regarding the fact that he had destroyed one of the Sorcerer Houses all on his own. It was a meeting to bestow a reward upon the individual who had achieved such merit in the recent battle. Ordinarily, the retainers and sorcerers of the combat units who participated in the fighting and produced results would receive a suitable monetary reward, but this time, it was for Shiga Inui alone.

“Boy.”

Hiryuuin Yuubi. She was the mother of three, yet she possessed a youthfulness that belied her status as a widow. With a sway of her brilliant crimson hair, she gazed from her seat of honor at Shiga Inui, whose head was bowed low.

“Your work in this battle was magnificent. Draw near.”

At her words, Shiga Inui shuffled closer to the Hiryuuin matriarch. She continued to beckon him with her hand, and he approached until the gesture stopped. He was now close enough to touch, with Hiryuuin Yuubi right before his eyes. Dressed in a kimono, she wrapped both arms around his head, pulling him into an embrace against her chest.

“What is it you desire? Speak it. If it is something I possess, I will give you anything. Money? Fame? Or perhaps… my body?”

Her body. Did her body mean he could take this beautiful Hiryuuin matriarch for himself? The retainers stirred. As a reward, it was surely the most exquisite prize imaginable.

“You serious, Yuubi-san? Damn, that’s incredible.”

Shiga Inui said, his excitement growing.

“I do not speak idle words. Boy… no, Inui. I would not even mind bearing your child.”

She smiled, the corner of her mouth curling playfully. There was only one man who had ever known the embrace of the Hiryuuin matriarch in her entire life. To be chosen meant that he would be considered of equal worth to the man she had chosen as her lifelong partner.

“Mother-sama!”

Hiryuuin Yuubi’s daughter cried out, leaping to her feet at the same time. It was Mineki Shian, who carried the Hiryuuin bloodline and currently served as the head of a branch family.

“You jest too much! To say that this man is the equal of my father? That is impossible!”

The assembled vassals nodded in agreement with Mineki Shian’s words. Their sharp eyes fixed on Shiga Inui with disdain.

“…And what is this? Are you all suggesting that there is some error in my words?”

Hiryuuin Yuubi stroked Shiga Inui’s head as she stared down her retainers. Her gaze was enough to silence every last one of them. The man at the center of it all, Shiga Inui himself, was the only one with a different thought in his head.

No way, this is amazing. To think I get to spend a night with the Dragon Goddess-sama herself…

He pictured Hiryuuin Yuubi’s nude form and its sweet fragrance, his excitement building even further.

“…Tch.”

Mineki Shian gritted her teeth. It was true that their victory in the recent battle was thanks to the merits of Shiga Inui, who had charged in alone. He was a low-born cur, but it was a fact that he was skilled. In terms of power, technique, and combat, there were even aspects of his ability that she had to admire. But everything else about him was garbage. He was far too worldly, too vulgar. For such a man to spend a night with the divine being that was her own mother, Hiryuuin Yuubi, was an utterly unforgivable act. And yet, Hiryuuin Yuubi herself had been the one to propose it. She was inviting him. He would be a fool to refuse.

“…In that case.”

Mineki Shian clutched the collar of her clothing.

“It is not necessary for Mother-sama to sully her body… His reward is something that I shall give him.”

Mineki Shian, a carrier of the Hiryuuin bloodline. Though she was from a branch family, considering his service, it was perhaps more fitting that she be the one to deal with him.

“You say that you will be his partner?”

With a dissatisfied expression, she explained her reasoning.

“Considering Inu… Inui’s service, it does not warrant Mother-sama being his partner. However, it is a fact that he has performed a corresponding service. As one who carries the blood of the Hiryuuin, I believe it is most appropriate that I am the one to serve as his partner.”

Hiryuuin Yuubi had only ever known a single man. She could not allow her to defile her body any further. She could not allow the dignity of the head of the Ryujin House to be diminished. If she had to offer up her own body for that cause, she would not regret it.

But faced with her life-or-death decision, Shiga Inui simply looked at her face and replied with a puzzled expression.

“Eh, what? Shian-chan is? In that case, no thanks. Don’t want it, don’t want it.”

Waving his palm from side to side, Shiga Inui declared that he did not require the reward. For a moment, Mineki Shian was taken aback by his completely different attitude from how he’d acted with her mother, but his insolence soon brought her anger roaring back.

“Wha?… What?! You… you bastard!”

He had his own reasons for his reaction. He explained them to her simply.

“Because it would definitely leave a grudge, right? With the Dragon Goddess-sama, there’s that mature grace, but you, Shian-chan… you’re, how do I put it… you seem like you’d be a huge pain about it later.”

That was his reason. Apparently, he was already thinking about what would happen after spending the night with her. He spoke with the conviction that she would, without a doubt, do nothing but complain and nag incessantly.

“A pain…?”

Mineki Shian was dumbfounded. Hiryuuin Yuubi, who had been listening from the side, couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.

“Fwah! ‘A huge pain about it later,’ he says… How precious. Well then, boy, what is it you desire?”

Shiga Inui glanced around at the people in the room. Most of them did not acknowledge him in the slightest. They continued to send him looks filled with hatred and contempt. Seeing this, he adopted his usual flippant, easy-going demeanor and spoke lightly.

“Well, seeing as there are so many people dissatisfied with my achievements, I don’t really need anything. If I had to say… well, getting a little pocket money would be more than enough.”

His words were also directed at those who refused to recognize his abilities. The retainers who had accomplished nothing for years could brandish their authority and prestige as elder vassals without lifting a finger. They couldn’t stand the fact that an outsider had suddenly appeared, turned the tide of battle, and won military fame, making them feel as if their own positions were in jeopardy. An anomaly like him was, by his very existence, a reason to be rejected.

“Don’t screw with me, you bastard!”

It was Mineki Shian who raised her voice. She grabbed him by the collar of his chest and forcibly pulled him to his feet. Her anger was directed at his claim that he needed no reward. It felt as if he were saying her body had no value at all, and she felt completely mocked. She might be inferior to Hiryuuin Yuubi, but for her generation, she possessed a rather stunning physique. The firmness and elasticity that came with her youth were things that even surpassed her mother.

“Come to my house right now. And take me!”

She couldn’t just breathe a sigh of relief that her shameful proposal had been rejected. Being rejected brought with it its own kind of humiliation. So, to prevent her own words from being dismissed, she became stubborn and began to press Shiga Inui.

“No, I told you… I don’t know what you’ll say to me afterward, so I said I’m good.”

Seeing her intensity, Shiga Inui felt the pressure but talked back nonetheless. Her face turning red, Mineki Shian fired back.

“That’s pity. Are you saying you see me as beneath you?”

No, no… his expression seemed to say that wasn’t what he thought at all. But his frivolous look had zero persuasive power. Perhaps she was well-acquainted with his personality, one that would never try to curry favor. Seeing through him, Mineki Shian’s cheeks twitched as she sneered.

“Or is it something else? You lack the confidence, is that it? Are you just running away because you can’t satisfy a woman?”

Shiga Inui had been trying to dodge the situation. But at her words, his expression turned serious.

“Huh? …Shian-chan, you’ve got that wrong.”

He, too, had things he would not yield on. Having been looked down upon by her, letting it slide went against his principles. You could say that Shiga Inui had been masterfully played by Mineki Shian’s taunts.

Only paper lanterns illuminated Mineki Shian’s private room. A single futon was laid out, with two pillows placed upon it. Having purified her body, Mineki Shian was dressed in a thin underrobe. The tips of her black hair, which brought to mind a vivid hydrangea, were still damp.

“Let’s get this over with quickly.”

With defiance in her eyes, Mineki Shian glared at Shiga Inui’s face.

“Jeez… Seriously, Shian-chan…”

Are you really sure about this? He tried to confirm, but she snapped at him, calling him persistent.

“Silence, Inu. I made the offer, so I will not swallow my words.”

Mineki Shian called Shiga Inui “Inu,” a nickname laced with contempt. To allow her body to a man she despised… what is wrong with me, she thought. She let him open her robe, exposing herself before him as she lay down on the futon.

“But do not forget… this is a one-time thing. Just because you’ve held me, do not think you can act familiar with me.”

Shiga Inui understood her resolve. He must have realized that trying to slither his way out of it now would be, conversely, a grave insult to her. He took off his sunglasses and shrugged off the jinbei he was wearing, then straddled her.

“Like I would, right? …This is just for tonight… It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but hey, I guess I’ll let myself have some fun tonight. You should try to enjoy it too, okay, Shian-chan?”

Just for this one night. Hearing those words, Mineki Shian accepted it. She covered her chest with her arms and closed her eyes.

(This is my first time… It will only hurt. I’m used to enduring pain.)

Recalling the sex education she’d studied, Mineki Shian began to count the seconds to maintain her composure. Shiga Inui reached out and touched her body… and in the dead of night.

Ngh, ah

　　　wait… stop it 　no, I said stop　　　wha—

　ah… hha, ugh…

d’nt… say such, sweet, th’ngs…

　　　　chu… nnhha!

Hahh… hahh… 　　　　　　　　　　? wha, huh? 　　!?　y-you bas—

Igh— Inu! Stop, don’t, say, th—!

　　sa,

　don’t call me… cute…

nngh, i…　　Ah!

That day, …her sweet voice echoed throughout the room.

“…”

Shiga Inui felt awkward. He wanted to believe everything that happened last night was a lie. He had gotten carried away, said all sorts of things, even cruel words. When it was all over, he was overcome with self-loathing.

(So awkward…)

Mineki Shian slept with her back to him. Starting today, he might be subjected to an unbearable amount of sarcastic remarks. The thought was daunting, and he couldn’t help but sigh.

(Well… it was a one-time thing, and she did say she wouldn’t let it drag on…)

Still, he knew their chance encounters would feel different now. At the very least, he probably couldn’t treat her the same way.

(…Guess I’ll just try to act as normal as possible. Shian-chan also told me not to get the wrong idea.)

He got out of the futon. He planned to go straight home and go back to sleep. He put on his clothes. They felt strange, sticky with sweat and various other bodily fluids. He decided he would wash himself the moment he got home.

“Inui-sama, your bath is ready.”

As he was walking down the hall, a maid called out to him.

“Nah, I’ll bathe at home, so I’m good.”

He declined and tried to hurry away.

“No, no, please do not be so reserved. Ah, I have school today, so I have to go get my stuff.”

Shiga Inui made up a random excuse to leave. But a hand gripped his shoulder with surprising force.

“Even though you do not study? It would be a much more meaningful use of your time to take a bath and eat breakfast before you go, wouldn’t you say?”

“Wh-You…! You’ve got some nerve…”

The maid’s fingernails dug deeply into his shoulder. The reason she was so insistent on keeping him here was probably to discuss the future. From their perspective, their cute and beloved master’s first night had been stolen by a commoner outsider. If he didn’t take responsibility, her value would remain tainted, and no one would ever want her. Therefore, for the sake of her happiness, they were preparing to force this man to marry her. The proof was that while their mouths were smiling, their eyes were not.

(You don’t really think you can go home, do you?)

That’s what Shiga Inui felt their gazes were screaming at him.