30-49

EP.49 The Female Knight Slowly Falls Into the Trap 

"Have you seen this person?" 

Eintri was diligently searching the village. 

Her goal was to find Theus. But Theus was harder to spot in the village than she expected. 

"No, there are so many people passing by, I can't remember..." 

"I think I might have seen him..." 

"Honestly, nobody remembers everyone they see, right?" 

All the answers she got were similar. 

It was somewhat expected, but the lack of useful information was frustrating. 

'This is a mission from Lady Milleille...' 

With growing anxiety, she wandered from place to place, eventually ending up in increasingly desolate areas. Of course, with her skills, back-alley thugs were no problem. 

'If I can't find anything here, I'll be in trouble.' 

A slightly damp, narrow alley. 

The sun didn't reach these streets, and a musty smell lingered. There were only a few shady shops worth asking at. 

Even a burly man would be tense entering a back-alley shop. 

But Eintri entered confidently, thinking she had no reason to be afraid. 

"Welcome!" 

She was greeted by a merchant with a kindly face. 

He looked like any ordinary shopkeeper, but as with all back-alley shopkeepers, there was a certain shadiness about him. 

Eintri had to suppress a frown at the strange atmosphere. 

"Have you seen this person?" 

Eintri showed her usual sketch. 

It was a likeness of the hero, drawn from information sent by the palace. It looked a bit different from the real thing, but was recognizable enough. 

"Hmm... definitely..." 

"Oh, do you know him?!" 

"Yes... I'm sure he visited Kaella's shop." 

"Tell me more about that." 

She finally found a lead. Of course she had to pursue it. If she let it go, who knew how much longer it would take. 

Even though she hadn't done anything strenuous, her heart was pounding. 

"Ah... as merchants, it's a bit awkward to talk about another shop's customers..." 

"I'm a knight sent by the lord of this land. For the sake of the domain's future, you must cooperate." 

Their conversation was subtly at cross-purposes. 

The merchant wanted a bribe, but Eintri was too naive to realize it. 

In the end, the merchant, quicker on the uptake, figured out what kind of person she was. 

"Ahem... We merchants live on our reputation, you see." 

"What does that have to do with my question?" 

"Even if it's another shop's customer, I can't just give out information for free." 

"Tell me what you want and I'll do it if I can." 

"Hmm... If you pay a modest information fee... I can quietly share what I know." 

Eintri immediately pulled out her purse. 

Even at a glance, it was heavy with gold coins, gleaming through the opening. 

It was far too much for an information fee. 

"Oh my...! So much..." 

The merchant quickly snatched the purse, just in case she changed her mind. 

He deftly tucked it away inside his clothes. 

"Ahem! Then I'll tell you. From what I've heard, he often visits Kaella's shop." 

"What kind of shop is that?" 

"A shop that sells nothing but lewd items. As far as I know, all the products are for women." 

"Lewd items...?" 

Eintri's knowledge of such things was hopelessly lacking. 

She knew what sex was, but lacked any related knowledge. She'd spent her youth solely on training. 

"Well... maybe a knight like you wouldn't know, but it's a shop that sells things for women to feel pleasure. I hear a lot of men buy them too." 

"Why would he go to such a shop...?" 

"I suppose he has women. From what I've heard, more than one." 

"Women...?" 

"He seems to be quite the womanizer. For more details, you should ask Kaella. As a customer, she'll know more." 

"Thank you for the information. So I'll need to visit Kaella's shop." 

Suddenly, the path forward was clear. 

She never suspected she was walking right into a trap. 

"Heh heh..." 

"Why are you smiling so creepily?" 

"I can't help it." 

As expected, Milleille had dispatched her knight. 

Even without asking around the village, Theus could get information from Kaella or Flora. Putting the pieces together, it was clear the one sent was her loyal Eintri. 

A black-haired female knight with a ponytail. 

Her beauty made it easy to gather information. She didn't even seem to be hiding the fact that she was looking for me. 

"Just as we hoped, the female knight Eintri is searching for me." 

"That knight is in for a rough time." 

Satiana looked genuinely sympathetic. 

She seemed to think Eintri would end up just like her. In truth, their situations weren't so different. 

But Satiana herself was now comfortable enough to come talk to me openly. 

"Even the most uptight knight will end up going to Kaella's place." 

"That woman's place?" 

Satiana openly frowned. She got along fine with Flora, but didn't care for Kaella. She had her reasons. 

"Eintri... poor thing. What are you planning to do this time?" 

"I don't plan to do anything yet." 

"You?" 

Her face said she didn't believe me. Of course, that didn't mean I would do nothing, but maybe she was being a little harsh. 

"She'll come here on her own, you know?" 

"What kind of trap did you set to get her to come here?" 

"I think Eintri wants to make contact with me. She doesn't seem to want to be completely hostile. Though who knows when that might change." 

"She wants to check you out up close." 

"Exactly. And if you want to keep an eye on a suspicious guy... what's better than going undercover?" 

A straight-laced knight wouldn't think of going undercover so easily. Pride, and the belief that she could just approach openly, would get in the way. 

But if Kaella gently nudged her, things would change. 

"It's a common story, right? An innocent knight gets ripped off by a merchant." 

"Would she really try to go undercover?" 

"You just have to dangle the right bait. Everyone has secrets they don't show others. Like this." 

You can't get certain information by approaching openly. To check if something is real, you have to go undercover yourself. 

If you make it seem plausible enough, it's hard to doubt. 

"Sounds like you have a lot of confidence in your bait." 

"I'll just spread rumors that I'm a womanizer who lets his guard down around women. And that I'm always recruiting beautiful maids. Isn't that enough?" 

"Not a single lie in that bait." 

"Ahem... Anyway, as a maid, she'll at least pretend to be obedient. Even the most upright female knight would see it that way." 

"And then you'll try to make a move on her?" 

It's all self-defense, after all. I'm just punishing a knight who snuck in. Even if I set the trap, she's the one who walked in. 

"I'll have to test just how strong the female knight's will is." 

It felt like waiting for a rare treasure. 

I could hardly stand the anticipation. 

"Womanizer." 

"If you call me that, I guess I’ll have to show you what a real womanizer is." 

I pulled Satiana close. She looked a little flustered, but didn't resist. 

The feel of her soft bottom against my hard shaft was unmistakable. 

"You said you were going to mess with the knight." 

Her blushing cheeks were cute. I could sense her expectations in the subtle mood. She’d gotten used to it by now. 

Lately, if I didn’t embrace her, she’d come to me herself. 

'That’s probably why she came now.' 

She approached pretending not to care, but it was obvious. 

Even as my hand slipped into her clothes, she only let out a lewd sigh. 

"Haa... huu..." 

"How many times has it been since you came to the mansion?" 

"I-I don't know... you’re always touching me whenever you get the chance, how could I keep count... anyway... ugh...! Don’t touch me..." 

The smooth fabric, the soft skin beneath. It always felt good to touch. I couldn’t give it up. 

Satiana’s voice was tinged with anticipation. 

"Huu... ugh... ♥" 

"Can I put it in here?" 

"Ugh... y-you never know who might come... ugh...!" 

The only ones who might visit were Flora or Kaella. But she was still embarrassed to be seen. Still, she couldn’t refuse my touch. 

"Just... huu... just touch me... ugh...♥" 

Looks like she’ll be coming to my bedroom tomorrow.