I Became the Master of the Empress

211 – 215

Today, I look at the artificial skin Maximilian brought.

“Hmm… isn’t this color too unnatural?”

I click my tongue at the shoddy artificial skin that seems like something from a 90s movie shoot.

“Tsk. This won’t do! Can’t we match it closer to human skin tone?”

“That’s… I’m not sure unless magic is used. With the dyes discovered so far, this is the best we can do.”

Maximilian frowns, his eyes bleeding.

“Is that so? Hmm…”

It’s better to avoid using magic if possible.

If we try to deceive the demons with magic, there’s a high chance of getting caught.

“I’ll give you a bit more time, so do your best.”

Bringing this artificial skin before Locust would be no different than asking to be killed.

For now, I can drag out the negotiations with Amon as long as I like. There’s plenty of time.

We could probably delay it by at least three months.

Maybe even longer.

That’s how inept Amon is in this regard.

“Ah! Right, Maximilian, please give this to Ea.”

As I open the desk and take out a wand about 45cm long and a neatly folded cloak, Maximilian asks with a puzzled expression.

“What? But what is this?”

“Your wedding gift.”

Maximilian and Ea got married.

Ea is a princess of the Kingdom of Sardinia, but unless the Demon King appears, she won’t become queen as in the original work, so I decided to give her a gift in advance.

Benian’s wand and cloak.

Both are treasures to magicians, no less.

Benian, one of the sons of the first hero and the Gold Dragon Rike El Sadat.

He established the Imperial Academy to teach magic to humans, which he learned from his mother Sadat.

In other words, he could be called the master of all magicians.

His wand and cloak were gifts handcrafted by his mother.

In the original work, the wand amplifies magical power, and the cloak protects against magic, curses, and physical attacks.

They are among the few items that even a Swordmaster cannot cut through.

If by any chance I fail, having Ea possess these would give me some peace of mind.

Because if Locust catches on to my trickery during our meeting, he will kill me.

“Hmm… It looks incredibly luxurious?”

Maximilian carefully observes the wand he’s holding.

Is he an idiot? He would know it’s an incredible item if he just put a little mana into it.

I ask him.

“Have you tried infusing it with mana?”

At my question, Maximilian scratches the back of his head awkwardly.

“I don’t know how to handle mana.”

“What? Aren’t you a magic engineer?”

A magic engineer who can’t handle mana? How absurd is that?

“Well, I am a magic engineer. But a magic engineer uses mana circuits, materials, chemistry, rather than handling mana itself. I can’t handle mana, but being a magician was a childhood dream of mine.”

“Ah…”

There’s no reason why I can’t become a mage, even if I’m not good at handling mana.

As long as I use mana stones, I can solve it to some extent.

I nodded my head at those words.

“That’s right… Anyway, can you bring this to Eria for me?”

I had been eyeing the chance to give this to Eria for a long time. This time, I decided to do it.

Originally, I should have been at the Academy, but I had the army bring it back.

“Yes, if His Majesty the Emperor gave it to me, Eria would like it too.”

“That’s great.”

***

A few days later, one night.

-Ssss…

“Umm…”

-Ssss.

I woke up with a gentle touch that kept bothering me.

What’s going on?

I’m dying of sleepiness.

Is it Theodolania?

I thought she might be trying to take away my blanket, so I tensed up my body.

Hmm? That’s strange.

The gentle touch of someone unbuttoning my pajama buttons woke me up.

“What… what’s going on?”

“Ah? Did you wake up?”

The natural-sounding voice of Theodolania and the person sitting above me made me think.

What’s going on?

-Zip!

I shook my finger and turned on the nearby light bulb.

The person sitting above me, Theodolania, was unbuttoning my buttons with a strange gaze and a reddened face.

“What are you doing?”

“Hmm… That’s because you look hotter than that.”

Theodolania’s voice was full of sensual undertones.

I’m speechless at her blatant seduction.

“You’re getting hotter up here.”

“Ugh…”

She blushes deeply as she rises from my body. I sigh.

Should I try to sleep again?

I button up and lay back down, trying to rest.

She embraces my back.

“Are you just going to sleep?”

“Snore… snore…”

I pretend to sleep, even making a snoring sound.

“Don’t you want to hold your beloved wife?”

Beloved wife?

Well, Theodora is indeed beautiful.

She’s been called the most beautiful woman in the empire since her princess days.

And lately, she’s been even more alluring.

But, I don’t know, it’s kind of cute when she says it herself.

With that thought, I gently embrace her, her arms around my neck.

-Pat pat.

I pat her back a few times and release her arms.

“Are you done? I’m going to sleep again.”

As I say that and turn to sleep, she seems dissatisfied.

“What’s wrong? Is this all?”

“You asked to be held, so I held you. I’m sleepy and need to rest now.”

At that moment, Theodora mutters.

“Geez, you’re like an old man.”

“What?!”

An old man? How rude!

“What… What are you talking about?! I’m barely in my mid-twenties!”

I rise in disbelief and glare at Theodora, who instead gives me a subtle smile.

“If so, why don’t you want me?”

“How old am I? Why bring that up? It’s not because you’re so promiscuous that I’m like this, is it?”

When I retorted, Theodora looked flustered as she spoke.

“Wh-… promiscuous?! Don’t you have any respect for a virgin?!”

“Why do you want a virgin to act modestly if she is one? Shouldn’t she behave like one?”

I say this, not because I am a s*xist, but simply because I take advantage of the backward customs of this place.

Theodora makes a frustrated expression as my words have the desired effect.

Seeing that, I thought to myself that I had won again today.

“If it’s not that… then what is it?”

“What?”

“I’ve heard that even when men become old, they still desire women. You’re not like that, are you? Could it be that you’re not interested?”

Shocked and appalled, I am rendered speechless.

Am I not interested?

How many times have I wanted Theodora in a day?

If it weren’t for the danger to my life, I might have already been rolling around with her and even had a child by now.

And yet, I am not interested?

“T-That’s… that’s nonsense! I’m in my mid-twenties now!”

Her bewildering argument breaks my composure.

“Hmph! I’ve heard that men, even if their wives just show a little skin, want to go to bed with them, and don’t leave their married wives alone. But you’re not like that, so it’s reasonable to have doubts, isn’t it?”

Unable to listen quietly anymore, I rise from the bed and glare at her.

Am I not interested? What absurd nonsense is this?

I want to prove right away that I am not disinterested by hugging her, but that’s not easy.

“Ugh…”

When I can’t say anything, Theodora smiles triumphantly as if she has won.

Phew… calm down. This is all Theodora’s scheme.

Provoking me to impregnate her, then killing me and seizing the Grand Duchy.

Of course, since I’ve been deprived of my inheritance, the possibility is slim, but Theodora doesn’t know that yet.

But as I am left speechless, Theodora looks slightly puzzled.

“You…?”

She stops mid-sentence.

“Enough! I’m going to sleep separately tonight!”

I would have shared a bed with her until we dealt with the demon worshipper, but under suspicion of being impotent, it’s just too hard to stay with her.

I’m not some man who hangs his head in shame.

As I rise from the bed,

“Are you running away? Maybe you should talk to me and get a doctor’s consultation…”

Run… run…

Why does the word ‘run’ scratch at me so?

“I am not! I’m not impotent!”

With that, I hastily leave the bedroom.

“No! Seriously. Isn’t calling someone impotent crossing the line?”

I’ve reached my office, but I’m still not over it.

***

“Hmm…? That’s strange?”

When I was with Devian.

Seeing his robust (?) figure, he’s certainly not impotent.

I said it out of anger for making me seem like a lewd woman, but unexpectedly, his angry reaction made me wonder.

“He’s definitely not incapable, right?”

When we hugged and kissed before, or sometimes when he was asleep, I’d see his pants tenting…

He must get erections just fine.

“But why doesn’t he do it