The first step is always the hardest.
Sieg Becker thinks this every time. If you get caught in a trap on your very first step into a labyrinth, no matter how easy it gets afterward, you can’t help but feel like a failure. Likewise, if the first bite of food contains a lump of salt, even if everything else is delicious, there’s nothing to be done about that initial bad taste.
So Sieg believes that having a bad start in life is pretty unlucky. At least he does.

“Damn it. You bastards are so happy. I hate you.”
Sieg was sitting cross-legged in the shallow part of the bathing oasis, enjoying the view. The mixed-gender bath at this oasis was one of Tark’s most famous attractions; young couples and families were a common sight.
Everywhere he looked, Ogres and Dark Elves were taking advantage of the mixed bathing to get naked and cozy with each other (the father-daughter pairs didn’t look like they were related). Sieg felt happy watching the young Ogre and Dark Elf girls playing together in the oasis, but seeing couples and families made him feel sad.

Sieg mentally erected a partition in his mind and gazed blankly around the oasis, focusing on groups of girls without male companions.
At first, he had raged at Andy's harem situation, but as time passed, he found it hard to imagine himself achieving such a thing, leaving him feeling dejected.
"I could have been like that if things had started out differently..."
When it came to being popular with girls, Sieg was quite the catch: his looks were on par with those of actors in dramas, and he was tall, well-off, laid-back, and strong. In a rural area where there weren't many men or marriage prospects for women, he could probably have ended up with a harem-like situation if he had tried hard enough.
There would be no legal issues regarding the marriage system in Celesta either.
But could it really happen?
For Sieg, the answer was no.
He was actually an inexperienced virgin.
Sieg Becker hailed from the western region of Celesta near the Great Almonica River and was an orphan.

A short while after being born, I lost my parents when a band of thieves attacked our home. I was saved from near death by the adventurer Reed Becker and raised under his care.
My adoptive father, Reed Becker, specialized in looting ancient ruins and was also one of the few birdmen capable of flight for several minutes at a time. He would typically charge into the heart of dangerous ruins, steal treasure, and fly away with the help of his wings while fending off hordes of monsters.
And I… often sneaked along on my adoptive father’s adventures without him knowing, only to end up being chased by those monster swarms when he escaped.
This was around the time that my incredible speed developed. Humans tend to awaken all sorts of latent abilities when they nearly die.
“Hey there, human from yesterday at the tavern.”
“What?”
When I looked up, a giant ogre stood with his arms crossed. It was the man who had been serving as a bodyguard in the tavern last night.
His exposed and swinging member was quite bold for an ogre—it was right at eye level.

“Don’t get so close. Your dick stinks.”

“Stop sucking on it.”

“I’ll hit you.”

“Heh heh heh.”

The ogre sat down a meter away from Sieg.

“That was quite the knife, though. I’m not one to boast since I took it, but that thing could’ve bought an entire house if sold properly.”

“It’s no good. That’s my treasure. I need to get paid before they pawn it off.”

“…So those two aren’t your women?”

“No, they’re not mine...”

"If that were the case, something even worse might have happened..." He couldn't exactly tell her that the woman he was drinking with last night was actually a dragon. But she did seem to understand his dire situation, as the orc pouted and looked at him sympathetically.

"By the way, you haven’t asked about the quality yet."

"That’s none of my business. It depends on Oyas-san [the seller]."

"C’mon, c’mon... Look, do you know any pawn shops? I’ll try them if it comes to that, so tell me where they are."

"There's Trident商会on Razona Street. They’re the best for weapons appraisal."

"...Trident商会? Hold on a second. Are you talking about the one run by Tricorne Orc?"

"Looks like you know your stuff. I thought you were an adventurer, but turns out you're a merchant."

"I’m neither."

Sieg held his head in frustration.

"Hey, hey, hey... Tricorne... in the south, if someone says tricorne there’s a high chance they’re talking about that group..."

"What's up, bro? You got some bad memories with Tricorne?"

"Yeah, back then I did. Guess all we can do is hope for the best..."

A Tricorne Ogre is an Ogre with three horns, as its name suggests. Even among Plain Ogres—the standard type—Tricornes are rare compared to one-horned or two-horned ones, and they’re known for their strong bonds.

"Ugh! My jewel knife... damn it..."

"Well, well, let’s hope things turn out better."

"Yeah... you’re a good guy. Even if you’re kinda useless."

"Shut up. It just means I’ve used it a lot, so leave it be."

Encouraged by the surprisingly nice bodyguard Ogre, they left the oasis.

Though it was just a hobby, the possibility of losing something worth enough to build three sun-dried brick houses left Sieg unable to hide his shock.
“Damn… but I don’t think that chick could have suddenly gotten money yesterday.”
Even if he rushed over to the tavern, without any cash there wasn’t much he could do. Even though it was part of his job to manipulate information and important people, Sieg couldn’t steal from civilians. That’s why professional ethics were so important.
“…Damn. I guess all I can do is wait. At least I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave without paying.”
Since he had left the jewel knife as payment for drinks, he hadn’t touched his wallet, and there was still a little money in it.
He could use that to pass time.
Since he’d lost his drugs due to alcohol, he didn’t want to see any right now.
“Then… maybe I’ll hit up some cheap brothel.”
Sieg confirmed the weight of his wallet as he began walking down an alleyway looking for a cheap brothel.

Buying women was one of his hobbies. He had never been able to fall deeply in love with a single woman, but it didn't cause any problems since he walked around various towns as part of his intelligence work.

"Damn... I can't help feeling frustrated when I think about how Smithson's got six or seven beauties at his beck and call, getting laid for free..."

Sieg did not look quite as bitter as if he were muttering to himself.

"I really wish someone could tell me the secret of getting so close to such great women."

His words sounded sarcastic, but they weren't nearly as cynical as their content suggested. His vacant eyes reflected disappointment in himself more than a yearning for the situation.

"...There's no point in even thinking about it if I don't fit that mold."

Reed Becker had left for the Western Continent when Sieg was twelve years old, heading towards an area with many untouched labyrinths and ruins. However, due to repeated reckless pursuits by Sieg, Reed had been forced to leave him with a friend. Despite being a daredevil adventurer, his parents couldn't bear to let him continue on that path any longer.

Sieg spent several months in the port town of Timberless at the mouth of the Great Almonica River before moving to Quicksand. That same year, he passed the Ace Knight exam and earned the title of Ace Knight at twelve years old (the youngest record at that time).

Immediately thereafter, due to his unique style of escape artistry, he was directly assigned to the Special Intelligence Brigade.

At fifteen years old, Sieg experienced his first love. Despite being celebrated as the youngest Ace Knight, he was treated more like a prodigy or an oddity rather than someone his age. While this did satisfy his youthful vanity and made him feel comfortable, it didn’t quench his loneliness nor fuel his passion for work.

Most of his interactions were with Knights who were much older than him, which wasn't easy during his teenage years. Even when he sought out peers, most cadets around his age were officer candidates rather than combat soldiers, making conversation difficult.

Amidst admiration and adoration, he felt alone. It was Elsa, a two-year-older merchant’s daughter from the Afilium Empire, who healed his loneliness. She wasn’t intimidated by Sieg, the famous “genius Ace Knight,” nor did she come off as an ignorant oaf; rather, she embodied everything Sieg idealized.

Young Sieg didn’t take long to fall in love with her.

Shaking off memories of his youth, Sieg stepped through the entrance of a curtain made from several layers of thin fabric. Inside was a young dark elf woman waiting for him in what could hardly be called clothes.

“Dark elf?”

“You’re looking at me like I’m something rare.”

“My apologies. This is my first time seeing one here.”

“This place isn’t exactly the Dark Elf Colony, you know.”

“I can’t help but wonder why someone with a long life span would take up such an occupation in this cheap inn. It seems more suited to those who are starving or beastmen.”

The dark elf laughed.

“Dark elves don’t live on mist either. We buy bread and rent houses just like anyone else, and sometimes we fall for people or get cheated… And there comes a time when all you have left to sell is your body.”

“That’s true.”

It's a common story. A normal social structure.
Men and women exist, money exists, businesses exist, and if there is the desire to outdo others, then something like this will always happen.
There are always girls who end up like this.
Sieg does not feel pity or sympathy for them, nor does he burn with righteous indignation. He's no longer that young.
"Alright then, let’s begin. We agreed on a time limit."
"Yes. As long as the noon bell hasn’t rung yet, you can cum as much as you like. Though in your case... it might be best to take your time and make it last until the very end."
"You sure know how this works, don't you?"
Even if he’s told to let it all out, he doesn’t have to rush into ejaculation.
He wonders what Smisson is up to right now. Probably struggling to keep up with his ever-growing harem of girls, trying to please them all.

Sieg imagined that his cock wasn’t catching up, while his finger skills were improving. He then covered the woman and fondled her nearly exposed breasts, which were only framed by fabric and metal bits. He kissed down from behind her ear to the tip of it, parted her thin curtain-like covering with a finger, and began to tease her clit.

“Yah… nnn, customer, don’t grab me like that all of a sudden… you’re the customer and I’m here to service you…”

“I just want to confirm that my fingers remember how to please women. We have time, right? Come for me once.”

“Nn, kuh… already…”

The dark elf became docile.

Sieg continued moving his fingers.

He rolled her nipples with his tongue, peeled back the hood of her clit, massaged her anus, and coaxed out some nectar from inside her labia minora.

“Huff…”

“Nhaaahh…!”

At times he would surprise her by blowing in her ear and sucking it until it was slick with saliva.

The dark elf surrendered to pleasure, or at least pretended to.
“…………”
Even if it was just an act, he wasn’t a kid who would get angry over that.
That’s the spirit of her profession.
Sieg could shrug it off like that.
But then, he suddenly felt disgusted with his own face, which seemed familiar and expressionless.
(…Lying, exhausted, pretending to be fooled, pretending to believe that the lie was working, acting like they were both caught up in it…)
In the end, would he have to make a ridiculous face and cum just for her to keep up the lie she had painted over?
Was he paying money just to hide his true self, which was full of defenses and not truly immersed in anything?

…Feeling suddenly repulsed by himself, Sieg whispered to the dark elf girl.

“What’s your name?”

“…”

“I mean your real name. I can’t cum unless I call out my partner’s name.”

“Oh… Ariel.”

“A nice name… Ariel!”

He let his ego take over for a moment.

With that sense of satisfaction, he thrust into her crotch.

Sieging had been probing for secrets like this ever since his first love.
He wanted to know.

I want to know the truth.
I want to know what they're trying to hide.
I want to see them as they are, thinking no one else can see them.
That way, I'll feel at ease.
I think I know. That's how it is.

Even that name I just learned might be a pseudonym.

(…Come on, not me, right? )
He was harshly self-loathing.
How could he talk about love and passion with such cowardice and defensiveness?
In the end, Sieg couldn't focus on women because all he wanted to avoid was looking like an idiot.

Getting used to being an adult and knowing only the weaknesses of others makes it hard for one to be honest with themselves.

Sieg was truly terrible at confronting someone honestly, without any ulterior motive, just because he wanted to satisfy his own desires and passions.

That’s why he envied those who could still act on impulse and not worry about being mature.

“Ku... ugh.”

“...Customer?”

The dark elf looked puzzled as she sat up.

Sieg's member had softened and slipped out of her.

“I’m sorry… I guess I’m just a little flaccid today.”

“It’s my fault, I…”

“No, it’s not your fault. It’s just that I’m a bit limp right now.”

The dark elf got up and frantically buried her face in Sieg’s crotch.

Unlike with vaginal sex, the blowjob targeted his sensitive spots directly, making it impossible to ignore psychological factors. He quickly became erect and was led straight to ejaculation.

“U…guu, hhh!!”

“…n, ku, …ngu, nguu… nku, pfff.”

Then she swallowed his semen.

Sieg stroked the dark elf while still in a complex state of mind.

“…”

“You don’t need to look so happy just because I’m stroking you.”

Again, it was hard to believe. She seemed to be mocking me behind that happy face.

“...then stop petting me.”

The dark elf held his hand.

“I’m happy to be praised, even if it’s something like sucking a dick.”

“That so?”

“Yes.”

The dark elf buried her face in Sieg’s crotch again. This time she went at him slowly and calmly, bringing him to another orgasm just as the noon bell rang.

Sieg left the brothel and bought some thin pancakes from a food stall. He then leaped onto the roof of someone’s house, where he could enjoy them in private. For Sieg, jumping up to a three-story roof was no big deal.

Compared to the time when I was a kid and chased after my stepfather, leaping up a sheer cliff in an ancient mountain ruin, this is nothing.
"...Phew. Well, let's see if I can get them to pay me first. If Dragon Sister doesn't work out, then maybe Smithson will, or I could always borrow from Mr. Carlos."
Mumbling to himself, he tried to push away the feeling of emptiness that rose up in his chest.
Work and inanimate objects.
These two never betrayed him.
He did his job, admired inanimate objects, occasionally bought a woman for an hour or so and held her close. If everything went well, it all flowed together smoothly and he could live quite nicely.
And before he knew it, he was thirty-nine years old.
That's the only way of life left to him now.
"You think I'd be able to get up close with a beauty like you? Tell me if there’s a way."
This wasn’t envy towards Andy’s situation.

Andy’s envy of his “innocent youth.” His regret over having to grow up early and enter the adult world, where he had no choice but to take on a pose that eventually became everything about him. There was nothing else left for him to hold onto.
Amidst all this, Diane was an exception to Sieg.
Diane never deceived Sieg. She could confidently say there would be no benefit or amusement in deceiving him; she was strong, serious, and full of compassion.
She was the only person he could unconditionally trust, look up to, and on top of that, someone who suited his preferences perfectly—she was truly a goddess.
But because of her habit of peeking into secrets and shame, she failed to capture his heart, ultimately losing out to Andy.
“…Well, even Angeleos… in the end, if he got close, it would still be just like before.”
He couldn’t help but draw a line with someone who didn’t give him reason to trust them.
There was no need for such caution. There was no need to put on airs.
Deep down, he understood this, yet his ingrained “adult pose” could not be erased.

I always made excuses about work to avoid getting too close to anyone who seemed likely to become a serious relationship.
Whenever I was admired, I would betray them before the wounds could get deep enough to hurt.
Alongside my one part of feeling jealous that Anzerlos had been taken by Andy, there is nine parts of relief knowing that he will keep his distance without me having to push him away.
In short, this is who I am.
No matter how capable or handsome or strong I may be, I'm still a cowardly and insecure man with no sense of ease.
I can't change anymore.
Using the inflexible signboard of my name, Sieg Becker as an excuse, I laugh off glimpses of my own weakness and just keep on living like this.
I had given up.

Below me in the alleyway, I suddenly spot a familiar face.
It was that Dark Elf I'd been with earlier.

“Ariel, I’ve got some good fish,” the orc from the fish shop said with a smile. The dark elf—Ariel—opened her purse.

“Thanks for your hard work today, Ariel-chan… If I could pay you more, you wouldn’t have to go there.”

“No, it’s fine. Once I decided to do this job, I’m going to be the best at that inn,” she replied.

“I see… But don’t overdo it.”

Ariel tried to look tough in front of a dark elf girl (or rather, someone who looked like a girl but might actually be quite old) from a clothing store.

“…So you’re not using an alias then?”

Sieg felt embarrassed for having doubted her and was surprised by his own embarrassment. Doubting people was natural; it was part of being an intelligence officer.

…While he was still in shock, a sudden shout echoed through the alleyway.

“Ariel!! The dark elf Ariel!!”

“!?”

The alleyway’s atmosphere tensed up.

Several one-horned ogres barged into the alley, sweeping aside food stalls like they were nothing.

“What do you mean your earnings aren’t enough this month?!”

“I-I was sick last month...”

“Who cares?! Whether it’s some disease or whatever, I’m not responsible for that! You’re supposed to borrow from somewhere else and pay back what you owe!!”

“There’s no place left that’ll lend me money...!!”

“Well then, steal if you have to! It’s too late to act all high-and-mighty now. A slut who gladly became a pig is nothing more than filth!!”

Ah yes, that’s right.

It's a common story. A story that can be found anywhere.
A tale of love, deception, selling one’s body, and debt collectors.
Such stories are everywhere, everywhere you look.
In the north or south, among long-lived elves or humans.

“...Hah.”
Sieg Becker closed his eyes for an instant, recalling the end of his first love twenty-four years ago. The conclusion to that first love was also his first murder.
Ah yes, there’s no good ending for a spy. If I hadn’t done it, Elsa would have had her fingers and teeth broken one by one until she confessed under interrogation.
It's my fault for being deceived. It's my fault for falling in love.
But still.

It's ugly, but that’s all there is to it.
And yet, wherever and whoever they are, people fall in love without fearing being deceived, and live proudly.
That was all Ariel did: she smiled because she happily told her name without hesitation. But even so, Sieg didn’t believe her.
So what? Well, it should be enough for Sieg to rise up and clear his shame.
It’s childish to try to look cool in front of a woman by standing straight and making an ugly show of it.

"Hey, you stupid one-horned idiots!"

"Aaah!?"

Suddenly.

A tall, thin middle-aged man appeared next to Ariel.

"Hey, I don't like the sound of that."

"What are you… Disappear, Skinny Bastard!!"

"To steal in front of a soldier takes some guts."

"A soldier...!?"

"Calm down. This is our colony. …If we bury him, no one will know."

The Org said something unsettling.

Sieg grinned and knocked out one of the Orgs with a single blow.

"What…!? "

"Hey! What's going on Guts!!?"

Sieg had entered the distance in an instant, kicked her temple, and returned to his original position. But no one on the side street saw this movement.

“And… for you to treat such a fine woman like that right before me, it takes some guts.”

“What’s your deal…”

“Sieg Becker, age thirty-nine. Looking for a girlfriend.”

He winked inappropriately and smiled at Ariel who was stunned.

“I personally prefer you.”

“This jewel knife… is made in the Western Continent, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“There are only four of this type in the Northwestern Plains: one in Silphied’s Trading Company in Trot City, another in the Central Museum of Affilum Empire, and I have one myself.”

“The remaining one…”

"Hmm... So that means the man has come to this town, huh? Kukuku."

He shook his three horns as a cheerful laughter echoed.

"Keep it in mind. ...I’ve waited ten years for this moment!"

(To be continued)

It all started on the wrong foot.
That is what Sieg Becker always thinks.
For instance, if you trigger a trap with your very first step into a dungeon, you can't help but feel discouraged, no matter how easy the rest of the path might be.
If the first bite of a meal is a lump of salt, no amount of deliciousness following that can undo the damage.
Therefore, having a bad start is a quite profound stroke of bad luck in life. At least, that is Sieg's opinion.

"Damn it. Must be nice. You look so happy. Don't screw with me, you piece of shit..."
Sieg sat cross-legged in the shallows of the bathing oasis, treating himself to some "eye candy."
In this mixed-gender bathing oasis—which could be called a side attraction of Tarc—there were plenty of young couples and families.
Everywhere he looked, he saw the "benefits" of co-ed bathing: ogre couples and dark elf families (father and daughters who, no matter how you looked at them, did not look like kin) frolicking naked and flirting.
Watching groups of young ogre boys or groups of dark elf girls playing in the oasis brought a sense of happiness, but seeing the couples and families filled him with heartache.
Sieg tried to build a mental partition, focusing his gaze only on the solitary girls or groups of female friends as he stared blankly around the oasis.
He had initially flown into a rage at Andy’s harem-like situation, but when he tried to imagine whether he could—or even had—achieved something similar, the resulting vision was so depressing that he felt himself withering away as time passed.
"If only things hadn't gone so wrong at the start..."
In terms of popularity with women, Sieg belonged to the highly desirable category: his features were as fine as any stage actor's, he was tall, held a respectable position, was easygoing, and was physically strong.
If he went to a rural area where men were few and marriage prospects for women were low, and if he pursued women relentlessly without regard for appearances, it probably wouldn't be impossible to reach something close to Andy's harem status if he worked hard enough.
Under the marriage laws of Celesta, there would be no issue whatsoever.
So, was it actually possible?
In Sieg's case, the answer was no.
The truth was, he was a complete amateur—a virgin.

---

Sieg Becker was an orphan from the western region of Celesta, near the banks of the Great Almonica River.
Shortly after he was born, a bandit group raided his home, causing him to lose his parents. He was on the verge of death from starvation when he was rescued and raised by the adventurer Reed Becker.
His foster father, Reed Becker, specialized in raiding ruins and was a member of a small bird-like demi-human race known as Birdmen, capable of flight for several dozen minutes at a time.
Reed's style involved charging into the heart of ruins—a move most would call reckless—to snatch treasures, and then using his wings to outrun swarms of monsters in a single, desperate dash.
As for Sieg... he often secretly tagged along on his foster father's adventures, only to end up being chased by swarms of monsters himself after his foster father successfully escaped and left him behind.
His superhuman, high-speed movement abilities had begun to blossom during this period. It turns out that when a human faces death, various hidden talents tend to awaken.

---

"Yo, the human from the Bourgeois Knife yesterday."

"Oh?"

When Sieg looked up, a massive ogre was standing there with his arms crossed.

He was the man who had been working as a bodyguard at the tavern last night.

The impressive "equipment" swinging loosely and without any attempt at concealment was truly magnificent, in typical ogre fashion. It happened to be right at Sieg's eye level.

"Don't get so close. I can smell your junk."

"Don't try to suck on it."

"I'll punch you."

"Hahaha!"

The ogre moved about a meter away and sat down next to Sieg.

"That was quite a magnificent knife, though. Not that it's my place to say, having taken it from you, but really? It was a masterpiece that could probably buy a whole house."

"It's not 'fine.' It's a literal treasure. I've got to make sure that girl pays me back for it before I have to pawn it."

"...What's with those two? Aren't they your women?"

"No. It's not like that, man..."

"Then you should've just bolted without handing over the knife so earnestly... though again, not that it's my business to say..."

"In that case, things could have turned out even more disastrous..."

Naturally, he couldn't exactly say that the woman he'd been drinking with last night was actually a dragon. He couldn't say it, but the sense of tragedy clearly came through, as the ogre'ified his lips into a downturned pout, looking sympathetic.

"Besides, you haven't pawned it yet, right?"

"That's none of my business. It depends on the pawnbroker."

"Hey, hey, hey, come on, man... Do you at least know a regular pawnbroker you use? Tell me, just in case I need to try them."

"The Trident Trading Company on Lazona Street. If it's about weapons, their appraisal is flawless."

"...Trident Trading Company? Wait a second. Are you saying... from the Tricorne Ogres?"

"You know them well. What are you, an adventurer? Or a merchant?"

"Neither."

Sieg held his head in his hands.

"Oh man... Tricorne... If they're connected to the Tricorne in the South, things could be bad..."

"What's wrong, kid? You got some bad memories with the Tricorne?"

"A little, from a long time ago. Well, I guess I can only pray they aren't involved..."

The Tricorne Ogres were exactly what the name implied: ogres with three horns.
Even among the standard species known as Plain Ogres, the Tricorne were rarer than those with one or two horns, and they were famous for the strong sense of solidarity among their kind.

"Ugh. My jewel knife... Dammit..."

"Well, uh, I'll pray that luck is on your side."

"Yeah... You're a good guy. Even if you are a bit crude."

"Shut up. It's proof of how much I use it, so leave it alone."

Encouraged by the surprisingly decent bodyguard ogre, Sieg left the bathing oasis.
Though it was a hobbyist's item, the loss of something so expensive that it could have built three sun-dried brick houses was a shock Sieg couldn't hide.

"Dammit... But there's no way that lady has a way to make up the money, not with yesterday being yesterday..."
Even if he felt like rushing to the tavern in a panic, there was nothing he could do without money.
Sieg's job involved intercepting information and important figures, but even he couldn't go around stealing money and goods from civilians. That was precisely why professional ethics were vital in a profession that was so easy to go astray.

"...Shit. I guess I have no choice but to wait. I just won't let them leave without checking back."
Since he had only pawned the jewel knife in place of bar money, his wallet hadn't been touched, so he still had a little cushion in his pocket.
He decided to use the money to kill time.
Since his booze had been taken as collateral, he didn't want to look at alcohol right now.

"Then... I guess, women."
Checking the weight of his wallet, Sieg began walking through the back alleys in search of a cheap brothel.
Buying women's company was one of his hobbies.
He could never fall in love with a single woman, but since he traveled through various towns as part of his intelligence work, it caused no inconvenience.

"Seriously... Thinking about that bastard Smyson, surrounded by six or seven beauties, getting it for free... it's just depressing..."

Sieg's expression wasn't quite as resentful as his monologue suggested.

"Really, I wish he'd tell me. The secret to getting close to such high-quality women."

His words were laced with irony, but the sarcasm didn't carry as much weight as the content itself.

The momentary emptiness in his eyes reflected disappointment in himself rather than longing for the situation.

"...I shouldn't dwell on things that don't suit me."

---

When Sieg was twelve years old, Reed Becker set out for the Western Continent, a land said to hold many untouched labyrinths and ruins.
However, Sieg's repeated, reckless pursuits were discovered, and he was eventually placed in the care of one of Reed's acquaintances. Even for a parent, despite being a death-defying adventurer, it was an act of parental love—believing that enough was enough.

After spending several months in Timbares, a port town at the mouth of the Great Almonica River, Sieg migrated to Quika. That same year, he passed the Ace Knight exam, earning the title of Ace Knight at the age of twelve—a record for the youngest recipient at the time.
Immediately following this achievement, due to his unique style characterized by exceptional prowess in evasion, he was assigned directly to the Special Intelligence Brigade.

After several missions, Sieg experienced his first love at the age of fifteen.
While Sieg had been pampered as the youngest Ace Knight, he was treated more like a prodigy—or more bluntly, a freak of nature—rather than a boy of his age.
In its own way, this was a comfortable arrangement that fed his youthful vanity, but while it served as fuel for his passion for work, it could never serve as the drop of water to soothe his loneliness.
Interacting mostly with Knight-class holders who were far older was by no means easy for an adolescent boy; yet, when he sought peers, the military pre-cadets of similar age were almost all the children of high-ranking officials and nobility, far removed from the front lines of actual combat. They simply had nothing in common.
Amidst the praise and admiration, he was lonely.
The one who soothed that loneliness was the daughter of a merchant from the Affilm Empire, two years his senior. Her name was Elsa.
Being a foreigner, she showed no intimidation toward Sieg, even though he had become a celebrity in Quika as the "Genius Ace Knight." Furthermore, she lacked even a hint of the uneducated, disreputable aura one might expect; she was Sieg's ideal.
It did not take long for the young Sieg to fall head over heels for her.

---

As if trying to shake off the memories of his youth, Sieg passed through the entrance of a curtained area, where multiple layers of thin, veil-like cloth hung.

Inside, a single young dark elf woman waited, clad in clothes that could hardly be called clothing.

"A dark elf, huh?"

"You's looking at me like I'm a rare specimen."

"Sorry. It's my first time seeing a dark elf in a brothel."

"This is a dark elf colony, you know."

"To a lowlife like me, it just seems strange to see a long-lived race working a profession where they spread their legs in a cheap inn like this. I always figured this was work for the destitute or beastmen."

The dark elf laughed.

"Dark elves don't live on mist alone. We use money to buy bread, and renting a house isn't free. We fall in love, and we get deceived... and sometimes, we end up with nothing left to sell but our bodies."

"I suppose so."

It was a common tale. A natural part of the social structure.

Where there are men and women, money and commerce, and the desire to outmaneuver others, such things will inevitably occur.

There will always be women who end up this way.

Sieg was no longer at an age where he could feel indignation or righteous fury toward that.

He was past such youth.

"Well, let's get started. You said it's by the clock, right?"

"Yes. As long as it's before the noon bell rings, you can ejaculate as much as you like. Though, for a customer... I suppose it's more of a 'slow and heavy until the time is up' sort of affair."

"You know the drill, then."

Even if told to come as many times as he could, he couldn't just force himself to ejaculate in such a rush.

He wondered briefly how Sympson was doing. He wondered if that guy, in his own way, was struggling to satisfy women because he had increased his number of conquests too much.

He imagined that his member probably couldn't keep up, and that his fingerwork was likely the only thing improving. With that thought, Sieg leaned over the woman. He kneaded her breasts, which were almost entirely exposed save for the edges of cloth and metal fittings. He let his kisses trail from the base of her ear forward, then used his fingers to part her sex, which was barely veiled by a thin curtain of fabric, and began to massage her clitoris.

"Ah... mm... Customer, don't be so sudden... You're the customer, and I'm the service provider, so..."

"Sometimes I just need to confirm that my fingers still remember a woman. Besides, we have time, don't we? Just show me you can climax at least once."

"Nn, ngh... Honestly..."

The dark elf went quiet.

Sieg continued to move his fingers.

He rolled her nipples with his tongue, peeled back the hood of her clitoris, massaged her anus, and coaxed the nectar from within her labia minora.

"Haa..."

"Nnh, ahhh...!"

Occasionally, he would blow against her ear as a sudden surprise, coating it in the wetness of saliva.

The dark elf surrendered herself to the pleasure.
Or perhaps, she merely acted as though she were surrendering.
“…………”
Even if it was an act, Sieg was not a child to get angry over such a thing.
She was a woman of that profession, and that was the spirit of the job.
Sieg could rationalize it that easily.
Suddenly, he began to loathe himself for being someone who looked so knowing.
(…Lying, being tired, pretending to be deceived, pretending to believe the deception is working, and all of us pretending to be captivated by one another… is that it?)
In the end, would he also end up wearing a foolish expression and ejaculating for the sake of upholding a layer of painted-on lies?
Was he merely paying money to discharge his seed, solely to hide a self that was covered in defensive barriers and incapable of being truly captivated by anything?
…A sudden wave of self-loathing struck him, and Sieg whispered to the dark elf girl.
“Your name?”
“…?”
“Not a stage name. I can’t bring myself to climax unless I’m calling out the name of the person I’m holding.”
“…I see. Ariel.”
“A good name. …Ariel.”
For a single moment, he surrendered to his own ego.
With that sense of satisfaction, he thrust himself back into the dark elf's crotch.

Sieg’s habit of searching for a partner's secrets was a remnant of his first love.
He wanted to know.
He wanted to know the truth.
He wanted to know what the other person tried to hide.
He wanted to see the side of them they thought no one was watching.
Only then could he feel at peace.
Only then could he think, I know.

Though the name he had just learned might also be a stage name.

(…That’s not the point, you idiot!)

He felt a surge of intense self-loathing.

What use were concepts like love, passion, or even sex when he was so riddled with defensive walls and the voyeuristic urge to peek?

In the end, Sieg was unable to focus on the woman for the sole purpose of not wanting to expose his own foolishness.

When one becomes accustomed to being an adult, and too accustomed to uncovering the weaknesses of others, one loses the ability to be honest with oneself.

Sieg was profoundly bad at the act of colliding with someone else through nothing but his own raw desire and passion, without falsehood or ulterior motive.

That was why he envied the youth—and the immaturity—that allowed such a thing.

“Ku… ugh…”

“…Sir?”

The dark elf sat up with a look of suspicion.

Sieg’s member had gone soft and slipped out.

“S-sorry… I’m not feeling quite right.”

“I’m sorry, I…”

“It’s not your fault, Ariel. I’m just… a little limp right now.”

The dark elf sat up, hurriedly burying her face between Sieg's thighs.

Unlike with a vagina, fellatio—which targets erogenous zones with pinpoint precision—could not be masked by mere psychological willpower; he was quickly driven to an erection and led straight toward ejaculation.

"Ugh... guh...!!"

"...Mm, nng... ngh, ngh... nng, phew..."

Then, she swallowed the semen.

With a conflicted heart, Sieg stroked the dark elf.

"...♪"

"Don't make such a happy face just because I stroked you."

Once again, he couldn't help but doubt her.

He wondered if, behind that joyful expression, she was actually mocking him.

"...Then stop stroking me."

The dark elf clenched her hands.

"Being praised makes me happy. Even if the act is sucking a cock."

"Is that how it is, then?"

"Yes."

The dark elf buried her face in Sieg's crotch once more.

This time, her assault was slow and deliberate, devoid of any haste.

By the time that intensity built toward a second ejaculation, the midday bell rang.

---

After leaving the brothel, Sieg bought some thin flatbread from a street stall and jumped, unnoticed, onto the rooftop of a house to enjoy it.
With Sieg's strength, leaping onto the roof of a three-story building was effortless.
Compared to his childhood, when he had chased his stepfather through mountain ruins and scaled vertical cliffs with a running jump, this was nothing.
"...Phew. For now, I guess I'll try making a demand. If Big Sis Dragon doesn't come through, I'll just make Smyson pay... and if Smyson doesn't work out, I'll just make Mr. Carlos pay his debt."
He muttered to himself, trying to wash away the emptiness rising in his chest.
Work and inanimate objects.
These two things would never betray him.
Complete the work, cherish the objects, and occasionally buy and embrace a woman for a fleeting moment. If things went well, everything flowed together seamlessly, allowing him to live a cool, detached life.
Before he knew it, he was thirty-nine.
He had become unable to live any other way.
"It's not like I can ever truly get close to a beauty like you this late in life. If there were a way, you'd tell me."
This wasn't jealousy toward Andy's "situation."
It was envy of Andy's "innocent youth."
It was regret for his own life—a life forced into adulthood far too early. The persona he had adopted had, before he knew it, become his entire being; even if he wanted to strip it away, he had no other footing to stand on.
Amidst all that, Diane had been the sole exception for Sieg.
Diane would never deceive him. She was a woman so strong, serious, and filled with compassion that he could say with certainty that deceiving him would yield neither profit nor pleasure.
To Sieg, she was the only person he could trust unconditionally, the one he admired, and—on top of that, someone who perfectly matched his tastes. She was the ultimate, a true goddess.
However, his bad habit of peering into secrets and shame always got in the way, preventing him from winning her heart; in the end, Andy had beaten him to it.
"...Well, even with Anzeros... even if we had gotten close, it probably would have been the same as always."
With someone who lacks a basis for trust, one inevitably draws a line.
There is no need to be so guarded. There is no need to act so cool.
Somewhere in his heart, he understood this, but the "adult persona" ingrained in him would never fade.

Whenever a relationship threatened to grow too deep, I used work as an excuse to run away.
Whenever someone began to adore me, I betrayed them while the wounds were still shallow.
Alongside the one percent of resentment felt toward Andy for taking Anzeros, there was ninety percent relief—the certainty that Anzeros would maintain a proper distance on his own, without me needing to push him away.
Ultimately, that is the life of this man.
No matter how capable, handsome, or strong he may be, he is a weak-willed man: a coward, a poser, and devoid of true composure.
There is no changing now.
I have no choice but to live on, using the rigid facade of the name "Sieg Becker" as a shield, and laughing off the glimpses of my own weakness as if they were nothing more than a joke.
I had already given up.

Suddenly, I spotted a familiar face in the back alley below.

It was the dark elf I had noticed earlier.

"Ariel, I’ve got some great fish in today!"

The dark elf—Ariel—smiled at the words of the ogre fishmonger and opened her purse.

"Hard at work, aren't you, Ariel? ...If only I could pay you a high enough salary at my place, you wouldn't have to go to a place like that."

"No, it's fine. Since I've decided to do this, I'm going to be the top earner at that inn."

"...Yeah, I suppose. But don't push yourself too hard."

Ariel acted tough in front of the dark elf girl from the clothing shop (who, though she looked like a daughter, might actually be quite a bit older).

"...So it wasn't a stage name."

Sieg felt ashamed of his own suspicion, and was surprised by the fact that he felt ashamed.

It was only natural to doubt. Doubting was the job of an intelligence officer.

...As that shock lingered, a sudden roar of fury echoed through the back alley.

"Ariel!! The dark elf, Ariel!!"

"!?"

The air in the alley grew taut.

Several one-horned ogres burst into the alley, sweeping through the stalls as they went.

"The take is short! What the hell happened?!"

"Th-that's... I was sick last month..."

"Like I care! I don't give a damn what kind of sickness you caught, it's not my responsibility! The decent thing to do is to find a loan somewhere else to make up the difference!!"

"There's nowhere left to borrow from...!!"

"Ha! Then steal something, then! Don't start acting all high and mighty now, you slut who happily became a sow!!"

Ah, yes.
It's a common story. A story found everywhere.
Falling in love, being deceived, women selling their bodies, and debt collectors.
It exists everywhere, in every corner of the world.
In the north and the south, among the long-lived elves and the humans alike.

"...Ha."
Sieg Becker closed his eyes for an instant, thinking of the end of his first love twenty-four years ago.
The end of his first love was his first murder.
Ah, that's right—spies rarely get happy endings. If I hadn't done it, Elsa would have been slowly broken, finger by finger, tooth by tooth, during interrogation.
It was my fault for being deceived. It was my fault for falling in love.
But.

It’s uncool, but that’s all there is to it.
Even so, anywhere and by anyone, people fall in love without fearing they will be deceived.
And in doing so, they live with their heads held high.

All Ariel had done was state her name truthfully without doubting Sieg, and smile because she was happy. That was all.
But Sieg couldn't even believe that.
What of it? That's the question, but for Sieg, that alone was enough reason to take action to clear his name.
It was more than enough reason to engage in the unmanly, pathetic act of trying to look good in front of a woman.

"Hey, you dimwitted one-horns over there."

"Huh!?"

Suddenly, a tall, slender middle-aged man appeared beside Ariel.

"I couldn't quite let that slide."

"Who the hell are you...? Get lost, you lanky brat!!"

"You've got some nerve, trying to commit theft in front of a soldier."

"A soldier...!?"

"Hey, don't panic. This is our colony. ...If we just fold it up and bury it, no one will ever know."

The ogre spoke with ominous intent.

Sieg let out a smirk and, in a flash, knocked one of the ogres unconscious.

"Wh—!?"

"What happened!? Guts, what's wrong!?"

Sieg had merely closed the distance in an instant, kicked the man in the temple, and returned to his original position, but the movement had gone unseen by anyone in the back alley.

"And... calling such a fine woman a sow in front of me? You've got some nerve."

"Who the hell are you...?"

"Sieg Becker, 39 years old. Currently looking for a girlfriend."

He gave an uncharacteristic wink and smiled at the stunned Ariel.

"Personally, I'd prefer you."

"This jewel knife... it's made in the Western Continent, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"There are only four of this type in the Northwest Plains. One is held by the Sylphid Trading Company in the capital of Trot, one is in the Central Museum of the Affilm Empire, and I possess one."

"And the final one is with you, I presume."

"Hmm... Which means that man has come to this city... Heh, heh, heh, heh."

The man's three horns swayed as a delighted laugh echoed through the air.

"Keep an eye on that. ...I have waited ten years for this very moment!"

(To be continued)

It started off bad. That’s what Sieg Becker always thinks. Like, if you step into a dungeon and immediately trigger a trap, no matter how easy the rest of the path is, you’re bound to be hesitant. Or if you bite into a dish and find a lump of salt in the first mouthful, no amount of deliciousness afterward can make up for it. That’s why a bad start is a pretty serious stroke of bad luck in life—at least, Sieg thinks so.

"Damn it. Lucky bastard. So happy. You gotta be kidding me!"
Sieg was sitting cross-legged on the shallow edge of the bathing oasis, taking in the sights. The mixed-gender bathing oasis, a local specialty of Taruk, wasn’t short on young couples or families. Everywhere you looked, ogres and dark elves were taking advantage of the mixed bathing to get up close and personal—ogre couples grinding against each other, dark elf families (though the fathers and daughters didn’t exactly look like family). Watching the young ogres and dark elf girls frolicking with their friends made Sieg feel happy, but seeing the couples and families just made him wistful.

He mentally erected a partition, focusing only on the girls without partners or groups of girls alone, and blankly gazed around the oasis. He’d been furious at Andy’s harem situation for a while, but when he imagined whether he could achieve something like that—or even if he already had—he couldn’t help but feel sad as time passed.

"If only I hadn’t started off so bad…"
When it came to being popular with girls, Sieg was pretty much in the "highly desirable" category. His features were good enough to rival a stage actor, he was tall, held a decent position, had a great sense of humor, and was strong as hell. If he went to some rural backwater where men were scarce and women had few marriage prospects, and just started hitting on everyone without restraint, he could probably get close to Andy’s harem status—if he worked at it. Legally, there wouldn’t be any issues if the girl was a Celesta.

So, was it actually possible?
For Sieg, the answer was no.
The truth was, he was a complete virgin.

Sieg Becker was from the western Celesta region, near the Great Almonica River, and an orphan. Shortly after he was born, his parents were killed when a band of thieves raided their home, and he nearly died of starvation before being rescued and raised by the adventurer Lead Becker. This adoptive father, Lead Becker, specialized in looting ruins and was also a member of a rare, beastman-like race called the Birdmen—capable of flying for short periods. His usual style was to recklessly charge into the central chambers of ruins, grab the treasure, and then use his wings to shake off hordes of monsters as he made a quick getaway.

And Sieg… well, he’d often secretly tag along on his adoptive father’s adventures, only to end up being chased by the monster horde in place of his adoptive father, who’d already escaped.
His superhuman speed, far beyond that of ordinary humans, had started developing around this time. When a human nearly dies, all sorts of things awaken inside them.

"Yo, you, the guy with the bourgeois knife from yesterday."

"Huh?"

Sieg looked up to see a massive ogre standing there, arms crossed.

The same guy who’d been working as a bouncer at the tavern last night.

His member, which he wasn’t trying to hide and was swinging freely, was impressively ogre-sized. And it was right at eye level.

"Don’t get so close. It stinks."

"Don’t go sniffing it."

"I’ll punch you."

"Hah hah hah."

The ogre sat down next to Sieg, about a meter away.

"That's a pretty impressive knife, though. Don't get me wrong, I'm the one who took it, but is that really okay? That thing was a weapon of mass destruction, probably worth buying a house or two."

"Seriously? That's my treasure! I gotta make sure that girl pays me back before she pawns it off."

"...What's with those two? Isn't she your woman?"

"No. No, she isn't…"

"Then why don't you just hand over the knife and scram… though, again, I shouldn't be saying that."

"In that case, something even worse could've happened…"

He couldn’t exactly say, "The woman I drank with last night was actually a dragon," but the gravity of the situation seemed to sink in. The ogre pursed his lips sympathetically.

"…You haven't pawned it yet, right?"

"That's none of my business. Depends on how much Old Man's got."

"Hey, hey, hey, please… at least you know the pawnshop you usually use, right? If things get desperate, I'll try it out, so tell me."

"It's Trident Traders on Razona Street. Best appraisers for weapons around."

"…Trident Traders, huh? Hold on a sec. Could that be… the Tri-Headed Ogre’s?"

"You know about them? Thought you were just some adventurer, but you're a merchant?"

"Neither."

Sieg rubbed his temples.

"Damn it… Tri-Headed… there's a high chance they’re connected to the south…"

"What's wrong, bro? You got some bad memories with Tri-Headed Ogres?"

"A little bit, yeah. Well, let’s hope it doesn’t matter…"

Tri-Headed Ogres, as the name suggests, are ogres with three horns.

Originally, among the standard species called Plain Ogres, Tri-Headed ones were fewer in number compared to those with one or two horns, and thus known for their strong solidarity.

"Ugh… my Jewel Knife… damn it…"

"Well, let’s hope luck turns around."

"Yeah… you’re a good guy, even if you reek of manhood."

"Shut up. It's a sign of experience, leave it alone."

Encouraged by the surprisingly decent mercenary ogre, Sieg left the water bath oasis.

Even though it was just a hobby item, the potential loss of something so valuable—enough to build three sun-dried brick houses—left Sieg unable to hide his shock.

"Damn… but there’s no way that girl can come up with money so soon after yesterday…"

Even if he rushed to the tavern, without money, there was nothing he could do.

Sieg, whose job was to swindle information and important people, couldn’t exactly steal from civilians. A profession where one could easily stumble meant professional ethics were crucial.

"...Damn it. Guess I have to wait. At least I’ll make sure she doesn’t leave without paying."

Since he’d only pawned his Jewel Knife as a substitute for drinks, he hadn’t touched his wallet, so he still had some money in his pocket.

He’d use that to kill time.

Having lost his stash to the booze, he didn’t want to see alcohol right now.

"Then… women, I guess."

Sieg checked the weight of his wallet and started walking down a back alley, looking for an inexpensive brothel.

Buying women was one of his hobbies. He could never commit to just one, but as a side gig for his intelligence work, wandering through various towns wasn't inconvenient.

"Damn… thinking about Smayson getting to screw around with six or seven beauties for free… it’s infuriating."

Though he didn’t look quite so frustrated in his soliloquy.

"I really wish I knew the secret to getting close to women that good."

The words were laced with sarcasm, but not as much as they implied. In an instant, his hollow eyes reflected not admiration for the situation, but disappointment in himself.

"...Some things just aren’t worth thinking about."

When Sieg was twelve, Reed Becker departed for the Western Continent, where untouched mazes and ruins were said to remain. However, Sieg’s relentless pursuit of him had been noticed too many times, and his parents, despite being reckless adventurers themselves, couldn’t risk it any longer. They entrusted him to one of Reed’s acquaintances.

Sieg spent several months in Timberles, a port town at the mouth of the Great Almonica River, before moving to Quiq. That same year, he passed the Ace Knight exam and, at the age of twelve (the youngest record at the time), earned the title of Ace Knight. Immediately afterward, due to his unique, evasive fighting style, he was directly assigned to the Special Intelligence Brigade.

After several missions, Sieg’s first love arrived when he was fifteen. As the youngest Ace Knight, he was fawned over, treated like a prodigy, even a curiosity—hardly as an equal. It satisfied his vanity, but it didn’t fuel his passion for work, nor did it ease his loneliness.

Most of his interactions were with Knight Class holders far older than him, which wasn’t easy for an adolescent boy. And seeking companionship among peers was no better—the military cadets around his age were mostly officer hopefuls, spoiled brats who had no idea what real combat was like.

Surrounded by praise and admiration, he was lonely.

That loneliness was healed by a girl two years his senior, the daughter of a merchant from the Affilm Empire. Her name was Elsa.

Being a foreigner, she wasn’t intimidated by Sieg, the "genius Ace Knight" who was famous in Quiq at the time. Yet she didn’t come across as some uneducated floozy either—she was exactly what Sieg had always imagined.

It didn’t take long for the young Sieg to become infatuated with her.

Shaking off memories of his youth, Sieg stepped through a draped entrance layered with sheer fabric. Inside, a young dark elf woman waited, clad in something that barely qualified as clothing.

"A dark elf."

"You’re looking at me like I’m some kind of rare creature."

"Sorry. It’s just… this is the first time I’ve seen a dark elf working in a brothel."

"This is the Dark Elf Colony, you know?"

"For a guy like me—a small-time thug—it’s hard to believe such long-lived creatures would take up a profession like this in a dive like this. I always assumed it was for broke humans or beastmen."

The dark elf laughed.

"Dark elves don’t live on mist alone, you know. We buy bread with money, and renting a house isn’t free either. Sometimes we fall in love, sometimes we get cheated… and sometimes, when there’s nothing else left to sell but our bodies…"

"Yeah, I guess so."

A common story. A natural social structure.

If there are men and women, money and business, and the desire to outwit others, then this will always happen.

There will always be women like this.

Sieg didn’t feel pity or sympathy for it—he wasn’t old enough to burn with righteous indignation anymore.

He was no longer that young.

"Alright, let's begin. Time's the limit, right?"

"Yes. You can cum as much as you want until the noon bell rings. Though, for a customer like you… I guess it'd be lingering and drawn-out until the very end."

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Even if she tells me to empty myself, there's no way I can just start blasting away.

I wonder how Smyson is doing. Is he struggling with his cumshot techniques because he's got too many women on his hands?

There's no way his dick could keep up, probably just getting better at finger work and stuff, I imagine. Meanwhile, Sieg straddles the woman, groping her breasts which are practically exposed despite the thin fabric and metal trim, planting kisses from the base of her ear down to her lips, parting the scant cloth covering her slit with a finger, and swirling his digit around.

"Ah…! Don't just jump right in like that, customer… You're the customer, and I'm the service provider…"

"Sometimes I want to remind my fingers who they know. What? We have all the time in the world, right? Give me one good orgasm."

"Ugh… Mmmph…"

The dark elf goes quiet.

Sieg continues moving his finger.

Rolling her nipple with his tongue, peeling back the hood of her clit, massaging her ass, coaxing moisture from within her labia.

"Huff…"

"Nghaaaah…!"

Sometimes he catches her off guard with a blast to the ear, making it all wet and sloppy.

The dark elf obediently surrenders to pleasure.

Or at least acts like she is.

"…"

Even if it's an act, he's not childish enough to get mad about it.

That's just the nature of the job for a woman in this profession.

Sieg can compartmentalize it that way.

Suddenly, he hates how familiar all of this feels.

(…Lying, exhausted, pretending to be deceived, pretending to believe the deception works, pretending to be absorbed…)

In the end, is he just going to shoot his load with a stupid face on, just to maintain the facade of lies he's built up with this woman?

Is he paying her to release his seed, just to hide the fact that he's actually not passionate about anything, surrounded by so many precautions?

…Sieg suddenly feels disgusted with himself and whispers to the dark elf girl.

"What's your name?"

"…?"

"Not your stage name. I can't get it up unless I call you by the name of the person I'm fucking."

"…Right. Ariel."

"That's a good name. …Ariel…"

He indulges in one selfish whim.

With that satisfaction, he plunges his cock into the dark elf’s slit.

It’s a habit of Sieg’s to pry into someone’s secrets, something he hasn’t done since his first love.

He wants to know.

I want to know the truth.
I want to know what he’s trying to hide.
I want to know his side—the side he thinks no one else sees.
If I do, I can rest easy.
That’s what I tell myself.

Even the name I just learned might be a stage name.

(…No way, that’s not me!)
He was consumed by self-loathing.
What kind of love, romance, or sex is this—built on nothing but preemptive strikes and cowardice?
In the end, Sieg can’t focus on women because he just doesn’t want to look like an idiot.
When you get used to being an adult, when you get too used to knowing only people’s weaknesses, you stop being honest with yourself.
Sieg was terribly bad at the act of crashing into someone without pretense, without any reason other than his own desires and passions.
That’s why he envied youth—envied immaturity—for being able to do that.

"Ugh…!"

"…Sir?"

The dark elf looked puzzled as she sat up.

Sieg’s cock had softened and slipped out.

"S-sorry… I guess I’m not in the mood."

"I’m sorry, I—"

"Ariel, it’s not your fault. It’s just that I’m a bit of a flaccid one."

She scrambled to her feet and buried her face in Sieg’s groin.
Unlike a vagina, a blowjob can’t be faked with sheer willpower when you’re targeting a specific erogenous zone. He was instantly hard again, and she guided him right to climax.

"Ugh… guh—!!"

"…Nng, …ngg, ngguh… ngh, pffft."

Then, she swallowed it all down.

Sieg stroked the dark elf’s hair with conflicted feelings.

"…♪"

"Don’t look so happy just because I petted you."

He couldn’t believe it again.
Wasn’t she laughing at him behind that happy face?

"…Then stop petting me."

The dark elf took his hand.

"People like to be praised, you know. Even if it’s for sucking a dick."

"I see."

"Yes."

The dark elf buried her face in Sieg’s groin again.

This time, it was a leisurely attack—no frantic scrambling. By the time it built up to another climax, the noon bell rang.

Sieg left the brothel and bought some thin-fried bread from a street vendor, then snuck onto the rooftop of a building to savor it in peace. For Sieg, scaling a three-story roof was no big deal. Compared to when he chased after his stepfather as a kid, leaping up a sheer cliff face at an ancient mountain ruin in triple jumps—this was nothing.

"…Hah. Guess I’ll try nudging things along. If Dragon-nee-chan can’t handle it, I’ll just owe Smayson some money. And if Smayson can’t handle it, Carlos-san gets stuck with the tab."

He muttered to himself, trying to drown out the emptiness rising in his chest.

Work and inanimate objects.

These two would never betray Sieg.

Complete his work, adore inanimate objects, and occasionally buy a woman for a fleeting embrace. When he was in the mood, everything flowed smoothly, and he could live stylishly.

And before he knew it, he was thirty-nine.

He’d become incapable of living any other way.

"I can’t just go and get close to some beauty like you now. If there’s a way, tell me."

It wasn’t jealousy of Andy’s "situation."

It was envy of Andy’s "innocent youth."

Regret over his own life—forced to grow up too early, willingly stepping into the adult world. The pose he’d adopted had become everything he was, and now there was no foothold left to dismantle it.

But Diane was an exception for Sieg.

Diane would never deceive Sieg. She was too strong, earnest, and overflowing with compassion—a woman who could honestly say there was nothing to gain or find amusing in betraying him.

She was the only one he could unconditionally trust, admire, and—on top of all that—she perfectly matched his tastes. The absolute best, a goddess in every way.

But his bad habit of peering into secrets and shame always got the better of him, preventing him from winning her heart, and ultimately letting Andy get there first.

"…Well, Anzeros too… Even if he’d gotten close, it would’ve probably been the same as always."

He instinctively drew a line against anyone he couldn’t trust.

There was no need to be so wary. No need to put on such an act.

Deep down, he knew that, but the ingrained "adult pose" wouldn’t disappear.

Whenever he sensed a relationship might deepen, he’d always excuse himself with work.

Whenever someone admired him, he’d betray them before the wounds got too deep.

Alongside the one minute of frustration at Anzeros being taken by Andy, there was nine minutes of relief knowing Anzeros would naturally keep his distance even if Sieg didn’t push him away.

In short, that was this man’s life.

No matter how capable, handsome, or strong he was, he remained a timid, pretentious, and insecure man with a weak heart.

He couldn’t change anymore.

Shielding himself behind the rigid facade of Sieg Becker, he laughed off his own weaknesses as jokes and continued living this way.

He’d given up.

Beneath him, in the back alley below, he spotted a familiar face.

It was the dark elf he’d just been with.

"Ariel, we got some good fish in today."

The dark elf opened her wallet with a smile at the ogre fishmonger’s words—Ariel.

"Ariel-chan, good work out there… If we could just pay you more here, you wouldn’t have to go to places like that."

"No, it’s fine. Once I decide to do something, I’ll take the best offer at that inn."

"...Yeah, okay. But don’t push yourself too hard."

Ariel puffed out her chest in front of the dark elf girl behind the clothing store (though she might not look like a girl, she could be quite old).
"...It wasn’t a stage name after all."

Zieg felt ashamed for doubting her—and then ashamed that he was ashamed. Doubting was only natural. It was his job as an agent.

...Before the shock could subside, a sudden roar echoed through the back alley.

"Ariel!! Dark elf Ariel!!"

"!?"

The air in the alley tightened.

A one-horned ogre and several others barged in, sweeping aside stalls like they were nothing.

"Not enough agari? What’s going on!!"

"W-well… last month I was sick—"

"I don’t care! It’s not our problem if you catch some disease! You should borrow from somewhere else to pay what you owe!"

"There’s nowhere left to borrow from…!!"

"Hah, then steal it! Don’t act so high and mighty now, you slut who happily became a sellout!"

Ah, that was right.
A common story. A story found everywhere.
Loving, being deceived, women selling their bodies, and debt collectors.
Everywhere, everywhere it’s the same.
In the north, in the south, among long-lived elves and humans alike.

"...Hah."
Zieg Becker instantly shut his eyes, recalling the end of his first love twenty-four years ago.
The end of his first love was also the first time he’d killed a woman.
Ah yes, spies don’t get good endings. If I don’t do it, Elsa will be slowly broken down, limb by limb, finger by finger, until she’s nothing but a crushed heap for interrogation.
It’s my fault for being deceived. It’s my fault for loving.

But.

That’s just pathetic. That’s all.
And yet, everywhere, anyone still falls in love without fearing deception.
And lives with their heads held high.

All Ariel did was smile because she correctly introduced herself without Zieg doubting her—that was it.
But even that, Zieg couldn’t believe.

"So what?" Zieg thought, but the mere fact that he was getting up to clear his name would be enough.

It was more than enough for him to pull off such a pathetic, cringeworthy act of trying to look cool in front of a woman.

"Oi, you one-horned idiots with your dim-witted faces!"

"Agh!?"

Suddenly—

A tall, gaunt middle-aged man materialized beside Ariel.

"That’s something I can’t just ignore."

"What are you…? Vanish, you lanky bastard!"

"To steal in front of a soldier, that’s some nerve."

"Soldier…!?"

"Easy there. This is our colony. …If we fold him up and bury him, no one will ever know."

The Ogre spoke ominously.

Zieg grinned and instantly knocked out one of the Ogres.

"What…!?"

"What’s wrong!? What happened, Guts!!"

Zieg had closed the distance in a flash, kicked him in the temple, and returned to his original position—yet no one in the back alleys could have seen that movement.

"And… to try and get into this fine woman’s pants in front of me, that’s some nerve."

"What do you want, you—"

"Zieg Becker, 39 years old. Currently seeking a girlfriend."

He winked unconvincingly and smiled at the stunned Ariel.

"Personally, I think you’d be perfect."

"This Jewel Knife… it’s from the Western Continent, isn’t it?"

"Yes."

"There are only four of this type in the Northwestern Plains. One is with the Sylphid Trading Company in Trollot Royal Capital, one is in the Imperial Museum of Affilum, and one is mine."

"So, the remaining one…"

"Hmm… so that means the man who owns it has come to this town… heh heh heh heh."

He shook his three horns as a delighted laugh echoed.

"Keep it safe… I waited ten years for this moment!"

(To be continued)

It all started badly.
That's how Siegfried Becker always thinks about it.
For instance, if you step into a trap on the very first move of entering a dungeon, no matter how easy the rest of the path becomes, you're forced to retreat with your head held low.
If a lump of salt ends up in the first bite of a meal, no matter how delicious the subsequent courses may be, there's no way to undo that initial mistake.
That's why starting off badly is a profoundly unfortunate circumstance in life. At least, that's Siegfried's perspective.

"Damn it! How happy they look! You're kidding me, you bastards!"
Siegfried sat cross-legged in the shallow waters of the mixed-bath oasis, gazing at the scene before him.
The mixed-bath oasis, one of Tark's signature attractions, was filled with young couples and families—few were absent.
Everywhere he looked, ogre couples took advantage of the no-clothing rule to cuddle and flirt openly, while dark elf parents (though their daughters clearly weren't their biological children) strolled hand-in-hand.
Watching the lively young ogres and groups of dark elf girls frolicking in the oasis made him feel a surge of happiness, yet seeing those couples and families only deepened his melancholy.
Siegfried mentally erected partitions around himself, focusing instead on the unmarried girls or groups consisting solely of female friends, and gazed blankly at the oasis.
At first, he had raged in anger over Andy's harem-like situation, but when he tried to imagine whether something like that could ever happen to him—or if it actually did—he found himself overwhelmed by a sad reality. As time passed, his spirits sank further.
"If only things hadn't started so badly for me..."

In terms of popularity with girls, Siegfried was quite the catch: his features were striking enough to rival any stage actor, he stood tall, held a respectable status, had a great sense of humor, and possessed strong fighting skills.
If he went to a rural area where men were scarce and marriage prospects for women were limited, and pursued girls without hesitation or restraint, he could probably achieve something close to Andy's harem with enough effort—it wasn't entirely impossible.
From the standpoint of marriage laws, Celesta posed no obstacles whatsoever.
So, was it actually feasible?
For Siegfried, the answer was a definitive "no."
He was, in fact, an inexperienced virgin.

Siegfried Becker hailed from the western region of Celesta, near the banks of the Great Almonica River, and was an orphan.
Shortly after his birth, thieves raided his home, killing both parents; he was on the verge of death before being rescued and raised by adventurer Lead Becker.
This adoptive father, Lead Becker, specialized in tomb raiding and belonged to a rare bird-like humanoid race capable of flight for short durations.
His style involved charging straight into the heart of seemingly reckless tombs, stealing treasures, fending off swarms of monsters with his wings, and making a swift escape.
And Siegfried... often followed his godfather secretly on these adventures, only to find himself relentlessly chased by monster hordes in place of the fleeing godfather.
It was during this time that his extraordinary high-speed movement abilities began to flourish. When faced with the sight of humans dying, one tends to awaken to new realities.

"Well, you're the human from yesterday's bourgeois knife incident."

"Huh?"

As Siegfried looked up, he saw a massive ogre standing with arms crossed.

The man had been working as a bouncer at the tavern last night.

Unashamedly swinging his oversized member back and forth, the display was undeniably bold and characteristic of an ogre—and it happened to be right at eye level.

"Don't get too close. Your junk smells."

"Get lost."

"I'll hit you."

"Hah hah!"

The ogre stepped about a meter away and sat down beside Siegfried.

"Still, that was quite a magnificent knife. Though I say it myself, isn't it? A blade like that could easily buy a house if mishandled."

"Not so fast. It's genuine treasure. I've got to make sure that lady pays for it before she pawned it off on someone else."

"..." "So those two... aren't they your woman?"

"No, no, this isn't about that..."

"If you'd just handed over the knife without making a scene and slipped away quietly..." "Though I'm not saying this out of obligation," he added.

"In that case, things could have gone even worse."

It was impossible to tell the woman who had shared drinks with him last night was actually a dragon. Yet her desperation came through clearly, and the ogre pursed his lips in an expression of pity.

"Come on, you haven't pawned it yet, have you?"

"That's none of my business. It depends on the pawnbroker."

"Hey, hey, hey... please... Do you know any decent pawnshops? If anything happens, I'll check them out, so tell me where they are."

"It's the Trident Trading Company on La Zone Street. Their appraisers for weapons are top-notch."

"...Trident Trading Company? Wait a minute. Could that be the Tricorn Ogre's?"

"Don't play dumb now. I thought you were an adventurer, turns out you're a businessman?"

"Either way doesn't matter."

Zieg clutched his head in frustration.

"Hey, hey, hey... Tricorn... If there's a connection with 'Tricorn' down south, the odds are high..."

"What's wrong, brother? Got some bad memories involving Tricorn?"

"A while back. Well, I can only hope nothing comes of it..."

As the name suggests, a Tricorn Ogre is an ogre with three horns. Among standard Plain Ogres, Tricorns are far fewer in number than single- or double-horned variants, making them notorious for their strong sense of unity.

"Ugh... My jewel knife... Damn it..."

"Well, well, let's hope luck turns your way."

"Yeah... You're a good guy. Even if you stink a bit."

"Shut up. It's proof you've used it properly. Leave it be."

Encouraged by the surprisingly decent bodyguard ogre, Zieg left the Water Bath Oasis.
Even though it was just a hobby item, losing something so valuable—enough to build three sun-dried brick houses—left him unable to hide his shock.
"Damn it... But I can't believe that lady suddenly has money to make ends meet..."

He wanted to rush to the tavern, but without funds, there was nothing he could do. Even Zieg, whose job involved stealing information and key figures, couldn't simply snatch cash from civilians. That's why professional ethics are so crucial for a line of work that risks crossing boundaries.
"...Damn it. I have no choice but to wait. At least I'll make sure they don't leave me behind while I'm waiting."

Since he'd left his wallet as collateral instead of paying with the jewel knife, he still had some money left in his pocket.
He'd kill time with that.
With his drink confiscated, he no longer wanted to see alcohol.
"So... women, then?"

Zieg checked the weight in his wallet and began walking down an alleyway in search of a cheap brothel.

Buying women is also one of my hobbies.
I've never been able to fall deeply for a single woman, but since I walk through various towns as part of my intelligence work, it hasn't caused any inconvenience.

"Damn it... If that bastard Smyson keeps six or seven concubines and sleeps with them all for free, I can't help but feel bitter..."

Zieg didn't even look regretful enough to be called a mere muttering to himself.

"Honestly, I'd love to know the secret behind getting so close to such wonderful women."

A sarcastic remark, yet not nearly as laced with irony as its content suggests.

In an instant, his vacant eyes reflected less longing for the situation and more disappointment in himself.

"...I suppose it's not something one should try to imitate."

When Zieg was twelve, Lead Becker departed for the Western Continent, a land filled with untouched mazes and ruins.
However, after repeated reckless pursuits by Zieg were discovered, he was entrusted to a friend of Lead's. Even though he was an adventure-loving fool who knew no fear, his parents' affection reached its limit—they simply couldn't let him go any further.

Zieg spent several months in the port town of Timbares at the mouth of the Great Almonica River before moving to Queika. He passed the Ace Knight examination that year and earned the title of Ace Knight at just twelve years old—the youngest record holder at the time.
Immediately afterward, due to his unique style of evading capture, he was directly assigned to the Special Intelligence Legion.

After completing several missions, Zieg experienced his first love at the age of fifteen.
Though celebrated as the youngest Ace Knight, Zieg was treated more like a prodigy or even a rare beast than a boy his own age.
While this certainly satisfied his youthful vanity and provided a comfortable environment, it fueled his passion for work but failed to soothe his loneliness.
Most of the knights he interacted with were far older than him, making relationships difficult during adolescence. Yet when he sought peers, those around his age in the military academy were mostly officer candidates rather than frontline soldiers—mostly young ladies and gentlemen who had nothing in common with him.
Amidst praise and admiration, he remained utterly alone.

It was a girl named Elsa, two years his senior and the daughter of a merchant from the Afilum Empire, who healed his solitude.
As a foreigner, she showed no fear toward Zieg, the then-famous "genius Ace Knight," yet she carried none of the air of an ignorant fool. She was exactly what Zieg had idealized.
It didn't take long for young Zieg to become completely infatuated with her.

As if shaking off memories from his youth, Zieg stepped through the entrance draped in multiple layers of veil-like fabric.

Inside waited a single young dark elf woman, dressed in attire that barely resembled clothing.

"A dark elf?"

"You're looking at me like I'm some rare sight."

"My apologies. This is the first time I've seen a dark elf working in a brothel."

"This place is a dark elf colony?"

"To someone like me, a lowly scum, it's baffling that a long-lived race would choose such a cheap establishment to spread their legs. It feels more like work done by desperate humans or beastfolk."

The dark elf smiled.

"Dark elves aren't living in the mist either. We buy bread with money, and renting a house isn't free. Sometimes we fall in love, sometimes we get deceived... and sometimes, what we have to sell is no longer just our bodies."

"Well, that makes sense."

A common story. A natural social structure.

If there are men and women, money and commerce, and desires to outsmart others, then such things will inevitably happen.

There will always be women like this.

Zieg was no longer the age to feel pity or sympathy, nor did he burn with righteous indignation.
He was past that youthfulness now.

"Then let's begin. We were talking about timing, right?"

"Yes. Until the noon bell rings, you may release however much you like. Of course, for clients... it should be a slow, drawn-out experience until the very end."

"I get it."

Even when told to give as much as possible, there's no rush to finish immediately.
Jig wonders what Smaysen is doing. That man must be struggling with his own excess of women, perhaps resorting to some desperate technique?
His penis can't catch up anyway; maybe he's just honing his finger skills instead. Imagining this, Jig leans over the woman, kneading her breasts—barely covered by cloth and metal trim—and kisses from the base of her ear onward. He parts her labia with his fingers, teasing her clit with gentle movements.

"Ah... nnn, client, don't grab me like that right away... You're the customer, I'm providing service, so..."

"Sometimes I just want to confirm my own fingers remember how a woman feels. Come on, we have time, right? Show me once."

"Mmm... kkk... damn it..."

The dark elf calms down.

Jig continues moving his fingers.

He rolls her nipples with his tongue, peels back the skin of her clit, massages her anus, and coaxes fluids from within her labia.

"Haaah..."

"Nnnhaaaah...!"

At times, he surprises her with sudden thrusts, making her gasp and drool all over him.
The dark elf surrenders openly to the pleasure.
Or perhaps she's just acting as if she does.

"..."
Even if it's an act, she's not a child who'd get angry over such things.
That's the spirit of her profession.
Jig accepts this without hesitation.
Suddenly, he grows tired of always wearing that knowing expression.

(...Lying, pretending to be exhausted, feigning deception while believing it works, acting as though I'm lost in passion... Is that all?)
In the end, will this woman too have to put on a foolish face just to maintain her carefully constructed lies?
Will he pay only to release his seed, hiding behind a wall of defenses, truly unable to be absorbed by anything?

Feeling an unexpected surge of disgust at himself, Jig whispers to the dark elf girl.

"What's your name?"

"...?"

"Not your stage name. I can't get off unless you call out the name of whoever you're with."

"...Right. Ariel."

"Nice name... Ariel..."

For a moment, he lets his ego take over.
With that sense of satisfaction, he thrusts his member into the dark elf's crotch.

Jig's habit of probing his partner's secrets dates back to his first love.
He wants to know.

I want to know the truth.
I want to know what the other person is trying to hide.
I want to see them as they truly are, believing no one else is watching.
If I can do that, I'll feel at ease.
I believe I already know.

The name I just learned might well be a pseudonym after all.

(…That's not right, am I?! )
A surge of intense self-loathing washed over me.
What kind of love, romance, or intimacy exists when everything is shrouded in defensive walls and fueled by the mentality of a snarling turtle?
In the end, Sieg simply can't focus on women because he doesn't want to expose his own foolishness.
Once you grow accustomed to adulthood and become too familiar with uncovering others' weaknesses, you lose the ability to be honest with yourself.
Sieg has always found it deeply difficult to collide with someone purely out of desire and passion, without any ulterior motive or pretense.
That's why he envies youth—the kind of boldness that allows one to act freely, without concern for propriety.

"H-haa…!"

"…Customer?"

The dark elf looked puzzled as she sat up.

Sieg's erection softened and slipped away.

"I-I'm sorry… I seem to be in a bad mood…"

"My apologies, I…"

"Ariel, it's not your fault. I'm just a little soft right now."

She rose quickly, burying her face in his groin in a panic.

Unlike vaginal intercourse, oral sex targeting specific erogenous zones leaves no room for psychological excuses; it immediately triggers an erection and leads straight to ejaculation.

"Uu… guh…!!"

"…Nn, ku… nnng, nngg… nk, pffuu…"

And then she swallowed his semen.

With a heart full of conflicting emotions, Sieg caressed the dark elf.

"…♪"

"Don't make such a happy face just because I'm touching you."

Again, he couldn't believe it.

Wasn't that smile mocking him from behind?

"If so, stop touching me."

The dark elf gripped his hand tightly.

"I'd be happy to be praised. Even for something as intimate as sucking your cock."

"Is that how it is?"

"Yes."

The dark elf buried her face between Zieg's legs once more.
This time, her advance was unhurried and deliberate.
As the sensation climbed toward another release, the noon bell rang out.

Zieg stepped out of the brothel, bought a thin crepe pancake from a street vendor, and silently leaped onto the roof of a nearby building to eat it in solitude.
For someone with Zieg's legs, jumping onto a three-story roof was no feat at all.
Compared to when he had chased his stepfather up a sheer cliff by leaping diagonally across it during his youth while exploring mountain ruins, this was nothing remarkable.

"...Phew. Let me try calling in a favor once more. If Dragon-sis doesn't help, I can just borrow money from Smaysion; if not him, then Mr. Carlos will do."
He muttered to himself, trying to wash away the emptiness rising in his chest.
Work and inanimate objects—these two were the only things that would never betray him.
He did his work, admired his possessions, and occasionally bought a woman for an hour of intimacy. When things went well, everything flowed together smoothly, allowing him to live with style.
Before he knew it, he had reached thirty-nine years old.
This was the only way of life left open to him.

"There's no way I can truly get close to someone as beautiful as you now. If there were a way, tell me."
That wasn't envy directed at Andy's "situation."
It was longing for Andy's "innocent youth."
Regret over his own life, which had forced him to grow up too early and willingly step into the adult world. The pose he had adopted had gradually become all that remained of himself; there were no other footholds left to dismantle it.

Amidst this, Diane alone was an exception for Zieg.
Diane would never deceive him. She was a woman so strong, sincere, and full of compassion that one could confidently say she gained nothing nor found any pleasure in deceiving him.
She was the only person Zieg could trust unconditionally, the only one he admired, and ultimately, the perfect embodiment of his ideals—a true goddess.

Yet, a bad habit of peering into secrets and shame always got in the way, preventing him from capturing her heart. In the end, Andy had beaten him to it.

"...Well, even Anzeros... If he'd gotten close, I suppose it would have been just like before."
With someone lacking any basis for trust, he inevitably drew a line.
He didn't need to be so wary. He didn't need to put on such airs.
Deep down, he understood that, yet the ingrained "adult pose" refused to fade.
He always found excuses related to work to escape from those who seemed poised to form deep bonds with him.
Whenever someone cherished him, he betrayed them before their wounds could run too deep.

Alongside the fleeting regret of feeling slighted because Anzeros had been taken by Andy, there existed nine parts of reassurance: that even without actively distancing himself, Anzeros would naturally maintain a comfortable distance on his own.
In short, that was this man's life.
No matter how capable, handsome, or strong he might be, he remained a cowardly, pretentious, insecure man with a fragile heart.
He could no longer change.
Using the solidified reputation of Zieg Becker as a shield, he laughed off glimpses of his own weakness as mere jokes and continued living as he was.
He had given up.

Suddenly, looking down at the alleyway below, he spotted a familiar face.
It was the dark elf he had just embraced.

"Ariel, we've got some good fish in today!"
At the words of the fishmonger Og, Dark Elf Ariel's face lit up as she opened her wallet.

"Good work, Ariel-chan... If I could pay you a high enough salary here, you wouldn't have to go to such places."

"No, it's fine. Once I've made up my mind, I'll take the highest-paying job at that inn."

"...Right. But don't push yourself too hard."

Ariel tried to act tough in front of the Dark Elf girl from the clothing store—or rather, she looked like a girl, though she might be quite old.

"...So it wasn't a pseudonym after all?"
Zieg felt ashamed for having doubted himself, and then shocked by his own shame.
Of course he should have doubted; doubt is part of an intelligence officer's job.

...While that shock lingered, a sudden shout erupted from the alleyway behind them.

"Ariel!! Dark Elf Ariel!!"

"!?!"

The air in the alleyway instantly tightened.

A one-horned Ogre, accompanied by several others, burst into the alley as if clearing away stalls with a scythe.

"You don't have enough collateral! What's going on?!"

"Well, last month I was sick..."

"I don't care! Whether you get sick or not isn't my responsibility! You should borrow money from somewhere else to cover the shortfall—that's how it works!!"

"There's no one left who'll lend me any more...!!"

"Hah?! Then go steal something or do whatever you want! Stop pretending to be refined now, you sow-pig who willingly became a prostitute!!"

Ah, yes.
It's a common story. A story found everywhere.
Love, being deceived, women selling their bodies, and debt collectors—
These stories exist everywhere, in every corner.
Among long-lived Elves in the north or south, among humans too.

"...Hah."
Zieg Becker instantly closed his eyes, recalling the end of his first love from twenty-four years ago.
The end of a first love was often the first murder one commits.
Ah, yes. What good ending can a spy expect? If I hadn't acted, Elsa would have been slowly broken down and interrogated until not even a single fingernail remained.
It was my fault for being deceived. It was my fault for falling in love.

But...

That's just embarrassing. Nothing more.
Still, no matter where you are or who you are, people fall in love without fearing deception.
And they live with their heads held high.

All Ariel did was smile because she didn't doubt Zieg and introduced herself correctly.
Yet Zieg couldn't even believe that.

So what of it? For Sieg to wipe away his shame, raising his hips alone should suffice.
It's enough for him to act unmanly and try to impress a woman head-on—a truly pathetic display.

"Hey, you one-horned fool over there!"

"Aa!?"

Suddenly.

A tall, slender middle-aged man appeared beside Ariel.

"Hold on a sec, I haven't finished listening yet."

"What are you... Get lost, skinny-tall!!"

"How dare you commit theft in front of a soldier? What guts you've got!"

"A soldier...!?"

"Calm down. This is our colony. ...If we fold it up and bury it, no one will know."

The ogre spoke ominously.

Sieg grinned and knocked out one of the ogres' companions in an instant.

"Wha...!?"

"What's going on!? What did you do, Gatz!!"

Sieg had simply stepped into range, kicked the temple, and returned to his original position—all without a single bystander on the backstreet noticing.

"And then... how dare you call such a fine woman a sow in front of me? What guts!"

"What are you talking about..."

"Jieg Becker, 39 years old. Recruiting females."

He winked—an expression ill-suited to him—and smiled at the stunned Ariel.
"I personally think you'd be perfect."

"This jewel knife... it's made in the Western Continent."

"Yes."

"There are only four of this type in the Northwest Plains. One is held by the Sylphid Trading Company in the capital city of Trotto, another by the central museum of the Afilum Empire, and the third is mine."

"The remaining one, then."

"Hmm... So that man has come to this town? ...Heh heh heh heh!"

Shaking his three horns, a cheerful laugh echoed.
"Keep it safe. ...I've waited ten years for this moment!"

(TBC)