I was currently riding in a four-horse carriage toward the Royal Capital with Elaine, Count Prucus's second wife and my second mother.
There were a total of six people in the carriage, including myself.
Two maids, Yuria and Melissa, were seated beside me, attending to my needs. With their striking beauty and dignified bearing, one might mistake them for nobles if not for their maid uniforms.
Someone else might see them and think they're nobles who became maids due to some hidden circumstances.
Across from me sat Elaine and two maids. One maid was elderly, while the other was a woman around Elaine's age. Though she was above average in appearance, she didn't meet my standards, so I felt no particular interest in her.
I'd rather embrace Yuria and Melissa, who are sitting beside me, than that maid.
Even if I wanted to embrace her, I couldn't do so immediately. As Elaine's personal maid, she would likely be of noble birth.
The carriage was silent.
At first, we exchanged various stories, but that lasted only a few hours. The Count Prucus Family was located on the kingdom's border, and it would take ten days to reach the Royal Capital. This included stops at villages along the way and nights spent camping.
I secretly glanced at Elaine, who stood before me. I knew she had recently turned forty, but her appearance still resembled that of a woman in her late twenties.
Her reddish-brown hair was elegantly styled in an updo, revealing a pristine, snow-white neckline. Though her face always appeared cold, I knew she was surprisingly warm-hearted.
The bodice of her lavish lavender dress was as full as if inflated with balloons, while her waist was so slender it looked as if it would snap if squeezed. The long, thick skirt concealed her lower body, but I was certain her legs were as beautiful as her upper body.
Hmm...
For a very long time, I had tried every possible approach to seduce Elaine. When we were at the mansion, I would seek her out whenever I had free time to chat. Even after becoming the Territorial Lord of Tevra, I didn't forget her, writing letters and sending gifts frequently.
Since the Count's Household was relatively close, I would visit Elaine about once a month, both to pursue her and to win over the clan's retainers to my side.
But Elaine remained completely unmoved. She seemed to possess an uncanny ability to sense when I was about to cross the line, forcing me to maintain my distance.
I had to admit that ordinary methods would never work on her.
Force myself on her? No. That's a last resort. Using aphrodisiacs is the same. Resorting to force would be admitting defeat.
Ordinary methods won't work. In other words, I need a dramatic approach. But even dramatic methods have their limits. The carriage is guarded by knights and soldiers, and Elaine is a mid-grade Magician capable of defending herself.
Clunk!
The carriage lurched violently to a halt. A frown creased Elaine's usually serene brow. Sensing her displeasure, the elderly maid flung open the carriage door.
A man in full armor approached. He was a man in his forties with faded blonde hair Gohong Dubicel, Leader of the Medal Knights.
"Sir Dubuisel, what's the matter?"
"My apologies, Madam. A horde of Orcs has appeared ahead. We'll clear them out swiftly. Please wait just five minutes."
This was a perfect opportunity to showcase my skills to the knights. I leaped to my feet and declared, "Sir Dubuisel! I'll assist you!"
Before Dubuisel could respond, Elaine turned to me and said, "Sit down, Yujin. There's no need for you to get involved."
"If I help, we can eliminate the monsters much faster!"
"Yujin, you're a noble, and Sir Dubuisel is a knight tasked with protecting us. Does it make sense for the person being protected to walk into danger themselves? Consider Sir Dubuisel's position."
"Baron, please trust us. We can handle orcs without difficulty."
Their words left me no choice but to sit back down. I had acted too hastily.
"...I apologize. My lack of foresight led me to disregard Sir Dubuisel's authority."
"No, Baron. We understand your desire to help us. But this task would only soil your hands and eyes unnecessarily. Please leave it to us."
The Medal Knights truly hunted down the Orc horde and cleared away the corpses in just five minutes. The carriage resumed its journey.
The problem is her status. Elaine is too bound by her identity as a Countess. To seduce her, I need to strip away that Countess facade first... Damn it. That's no easy task.
I racked my brain for a solution, but nothing came to mind easily.
A few ideas surfaced, but Elaine's iron-willed nature made it unlikely she'd fall for them. She might even see through my schemes.
There must be a way...
Day 6 of carriage life.
I still hadn't come up with a way to seduce Elaine.
Around noon, when the sun was at its zenith, the carriage arrived at a village on the plains. It was too large to be considered a village, yet too small to be called a city an awkward middle ground.
The villagers didn't dare look at us directly, their gazes and heads lowered to the ground as they trembled.
"We've arrived at Erenchir Village ahead of schedule, Madam," Dubicel said politely to Elaine. "It would be wise to rest here today and recover from our journey. The horses and soldiers need rest as well."
Elaine stepped out of the carriage, surveyed the village, and nodded in agreement.
"As you suggested, we'll rest in this village today and depart for the Royal Capital tomorrow morning. Our schedule is flexible, so there shouldn't be any problems."
The knights, soldiers, and servants couldn't hide their joy. While we were merely bored, this journey must have been both tedious and arduous for them.
Before entering the village's finest inn, I felt a strange unease.
Erenchir... Erenchir... That name sounds familiar, and it can't just be my imagination... Ah!
It came to me.
Erenchir Village had appeared in an episode of the Original Work. It was a village the protagonist, Kyle, had stopped at on his way to the Royal Capital. The episode was insignificant, which explained why it took me so long to remember.
The episode's content... Gasp!
I shivered, a realization running down my spine. If I handled this properly, I might be able to protect Elaine and finally earn her trust.
"Yuria!" I called out urgently.
Yuria had slipped unnoticed into an abandoned house at the entrance of Erenchir Village. The dust-choked dwelling showed no signs of recent habitation, likely having been neglected for a year or two. Only dilapidated furnishings remained.
The house's owner had probably died in an accident, and the villagers had likely scavenged any valuables or useful items.
Yuria knelt beside the dusty shelf Yujin had described and found fresh scrape marks where an old wooden doll had rested until recently. It matched Yujin's memory of a farmer figure holding a pitchfork.
Her expression sharpened, and she quietly slipped out of the village, unnoticed by anyone.
After finishing lunch, I suggested to Elaine, "Mother, why don't we take a walk together to digest our meal?"
"A walk? Do you think there's anything worth seeing in this village?"
"It's a village in a different territory from ours. Plus, I heard there's no ruling noble here. I'd like to look around at least once."
"..."
Under normal circumstances, Elaine would have refused. She knew it was better for the knights and soldiers if she stayed put at the inn.
But after being cooped up in the carriage for so long, even Elaine must have felt a bit restless.
"...Very well. A short walk wouldn't hurt."
The village offered little of interest. The houses were dilapidated, the streets filthy, and the villagers scurried away at the sight of us. Even the Self-Defense Corps, tasked with protecting the village, avoided us. The only remotely noteworthy sight was the market, which we observed from a distance.
"That's enough. Let's head back."
Then movement beyond the village limits caught my eye. I pointed at once. "Wait, what's that?!"
A massive wild boar was charging toward us with frenzied intensity. What was peculiar was the dark energy radiating from its body, the numerous wounds bleeding crimson across its flesh, and the wooden doll embedded in its forehead.
"Danger!"
"Leave it to us!"
The three knights guarding Elaine and me drew their swords and stepped forward. Aura flared around their blades.
Screeeeeeeech!
The enraged boar accelerated further, charging at the knights. They swung their swords, but the blades only inflicted shallow wounds on the boar before they were sent flying backward, crashing to the ground.
Elaine calmly observed the boar and cast a spell.
"Ice Wedge."
Thick spikes of ice erupted from the ground, targeting the boar. Yet the creature charged relentlessly, completely ignoring the ice spikes piercing its body.
"Mother! We need to get out of here!"
I swiftly grabbed Elaine and pulled her toward me, my left arm around her waist while my right hand braced her shoulder.
The boar charged at us, but its foot slipped, sending it tumbling upward like a clumsy somersault. The massive beast soared into the air.
Of course, I recognized what was happening at once. The doll in the boar's forehead was the very sign I had remembered from the Original Work.
Kuuuung!
The boar crashed headfirst to the ground. As the wooden farmer doll embedded in its forehead shattered, it emitted a blinding light that engulfed Elaine and me.
I was the first to regain consciousness.
I found myself inside a cramped, foul-smelling wooden hut. The stench of filth that filled the air with every breath was so overwhelming it made my head ache.
A cool breeze and the pale blue light of dawn seeped through the cracks in the closed wooden window. Cock-a-doodle-doo! Hearing the rooster crowing nearby, I felt an urge to turn it into fried chicken as I sat up on the hard bed.
The cloth covering me slid down, revealing my naked body. I instinctively reached for my smartphone, but then noticed Elaine lying beside me.
"Oh..."
Elaine was also naked beneath the blanket, still unconscious. Realizing how exposed we both were, I quickly pulled the blanket back over her and forced myself to focus.
I grabbed Elaine's shoulders and shook her gently.
"Mother! Mother! Wake up! Mother!"
"..."
Elaine's eyes snapped open. She shivered in the cool air, then clutched the blanket to cover herself when she realized she was naked. Though she noticed I was naked as well, she showed no particular embarrassment.
"...Where are we? Weren't we attacked by wild boars?"
"I don't know. I just woke up myself, and I was naked too."
I climbed down from the bed and turned my attention to the clothes on the wall, keeping my eyes off Elaine as much as I could.
"We should get dressed before figuring out what's going on. Are there any clothes nearby?"
"There are some."
I pointed to the clothes hanging on the wall. They weren't the ornate, high-quality garments we had been wearing before, but rather the worn, shabby clothes peasants might wear.
"...No choice, I guess. We'll have to wear these."
"Can you manage to dress yourself? Should I help you?"
"You underestimate me too much. I can handle getting dressed myself."