Bribed by the Demon Lord Right Before the Ending

■ Return to the Demon King’s Castle □

After burning the night away, Violet returned to her room around 2 a.m.

Though she verbally said she wouldn’t sleep with me, it seemed she thought sharing a bed like last night was too risky.

If she were to bump into my father-in-law in the morning while leaving her room, there would be no way to explain herself.

After Violet returned to the matrimonial bedroom, I looked toward the closet that still remained tightly closed.

There was no sound coming from inside.

It was deathly silent, as if a mouse had died.

“Camilla?”

Sensing something amiss, I softly called her name and slowly approached, opening the wardrobe door.

-Puff!

An intense, lewd fragrance burst out, causing me to instinctively furrow my brow.

I knew exactly what this smell was.

It was the pheromone scent emitted by a succubus when excited.

I immediately conjured wind to expel the trapped odor from the wardrobe.

She must have hidden in the cramped space and watched our entire intimate act. Drenched in sweat, likely from the heat, Camilla was exhausted and asleep.

“…….”

I carefully picked up the sleeping Camilla with both arms and gently removed her from the wardrobe.

A deep stain was left on the spot where she had squatted.

I laid her down on the bed and shook her small shoulder with one hand.

Soon after, Camilla’s eyelids began to flutter.

“…Mmm.”

At first, she only tossed and turned, but upon regaining full consciousness, it seemed the events before she fell asleep came back to her, and she abruptly sat up.

As a result, her eyes met mine exactly where I sat facing her.

I handed her a cup of water.

“How was it? What did you think watching us in real-time?”

Thirsty, she emptied the cup in one go and then asked for another.

As I dutifully tilted the pitcher for her, this time she held the cup with both hands and sipped the water slowly.

“It looked extremely pleasurable.”

I nodded at her words.

“There are individual differences, of course. Since Violet is a beastman, her body is more sensitive. Moreover, beastmen experience periods of estrus regularly.”

“Estrus?”

“To put it simply, it’s a period when the impulse to preserve their race intensifies. In cases of wild lamias or harpies among beastmen who lack males, they sometimes kidnap men from other races during their estrus to relieve accumulated sexual desires.”

“I see.”

Camilla nodded and looked at me.

“There’s one thing I’ve become certain of through this incident.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re very skilled at handling women. And you also possess excellent language skills to lead relationships between men and women.”

…What? Is she praising me now?

Since I couldn’t understand her meaning just from the context of the conversation, I decided to hear her out further.

“And even though I was unconscious, you didn’t touch a single hair on me. So, I’ve judged you as someone trustworthy.”

I felt somewhat baffled.

“Are you really saying you trust me just because of that?”

At this, Camilla tilted her head and asked,

“Then, do you want to ravish me?”

“Sleep! That’s not what I meant!”

As I raised my voice in confusion, Camilla covered her mouth and chuckled.

“So, you can look flustered too.”

In our conversations, I usually took the lead with Camilla.

But this time, I couldn’t deny that I had fallen into her rhythm.

Eventually, I sighed deeply and ruffled my already tangled thoughts.

“Let’s be honest with each other. To be blunt, teaching you thoroughly brings me no benefit. It’s just an annoying responsibility dumped on me. Frankly, I could just throw you a textbook and tell you to study on your own.”

“So, you’re dissatisfied with the lack of reward?”

“…If we must nitpick, yes.”

“Then how about thinking the opposite way?”

“What do you mean by that?”

I stared intently at Camilla for making such a strange suggestion.

Receiving my gaze, she placed her hand on her greatly swollen chest and spoke.

“I’ll give you the opportunity to color me with your own desires. During the time I’m being taught, any kind of intimate act is permissible. Just don’t forcibly take my virginity.”

“Does that mean the process itself is the reward?”

“That’s right.”

…This was the first time in my life I’d received such a bold offer.

I’ve never had a steady girlfriend. Occasionally, I spent a night with a woman I met during travels when our hearts aligned, or when I wanted to relieve sexual tension, I visited brothels.

My master scolded me to get married before becoming an old bachelor, but frankly, the women who clung to me because of my status as a grand mage or the wealth earned through patents seemed superficial and unappealing.

Considering all these factors, her proposal was quite tempting.

To mold the beautiful succubus, Camilla—a virgin—according to my preferences.

For wealthy perverted nobles, this would be something they’d gladly pay millions for.

‘Anyway, the water has already been spilled.’

Once started, it wasn’t easy to stop halfway.

That’s the nature of inertia.

Camilla must have considered all these facts before gathering the courage to make this proposal.

After much deliberation, I finally spoke.

“Alright. Then let’s do it this way.”

First, I agreed.

“For the next three months—exactly three months—I will teach you. If you wish, I can provide some sex education as well. However—”

But I added a condition.

“However?”

“After that period, I will ask you one question: Do you wish to continue this relationship?”

At this, Camilla hesitated, biting her lip.

But since no better alternative came to mind, she eventually accepted my terms.

“Alright. Let’s do it that way.”

It was a secretive contract made between us in the dead of night when everyone else was asleep.[[#]]The morning of the last day dawned.

Having overworked my waist for six hours the previous night, I massaged my tingling lower back as I sat at the dining table.

On the opposite side, Camilla sat calmly, already having finished her meal.

On the surface, nothing had changed between her and me.

A guest of the Demon King’s army and her attendant maid.

But beneath that lay the relationship of teacher and student.

We agreed to start the serious education once we returned to the Demon King’s Castle, as she wished.

“Here! This is good for your health, so try some! You need to eat heartily if you’re going to work hard today!”

Perhaps due to spending two consecutive nights tumbling on the bed with me, Violet’s purple fur gleamed with luster.

I tasted the bitter vegetable salad she offered and shivered at its bitterness.

Things that are good for the body are always bitter.

But I preferred living short and hearty.

‘Men are naturally carnivores.’

As I naturally reached for the minced meat with my fork, Violet lifted the bowl and placed her hands on her hips.

“Hey! Picky eating is bad for your health!”

“…”

Are you my mom?

With a reluctant expression, I had to consume the salad on the plate almost forcefully.[[#]]Even in autumn, working under the blazing sun without any shade for long periods is quite exhausting.

Therefore, tasks are usually done during less hot times of the day.

“Huff.”

I wiped the beads of sweat forming on my forehead and looked around.

Now, no matter where I turned my head, I couldn’t see any golden waves.

We had finally harvested all 30,000 pyeong of land.

Feeling drained from magical exhaustion, I trudged out of the field when, from behind, Camilla approached me with a dry towel, having observed everything.

“Good job.”

“Ah, thank you.”

After roughly wiping off the sweat with the towel she handed me, I asked,

“So, are we heading back to the Demon King’s Castle now?”

“Yes. Since you’ve successfully completed the task assigned by the Demon King, you can now return to the castle.”

For some reason, I felt a profound sense of nostalgia and turned around.

It was truly over now.

As I stood there lost in thought, Violet, who had led the villagers by example, approached and asked,

“Master Mage, will you stay for dinner? We’ve decided to hold a small party with the villagers to celebrate the end of the autumn harvest.”

Instead of answering her question right away, I glanced at Camilla beside me.

She shook her head.

“I apologize, but Master Partarth, who belongs to the Demon King’s Army, has the duty to report the completion of his mission to the Demon King first above all else.”

“Ah….”

Upon hearing that, Violet unconsciously wore a regretful expression.

But one must listen to people until the end.

“On the other hand, once the mission report is complete, there’s no legal basis for me to force Master Partarth’s actions. So, participating even late would be fine, right?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected twist, Violet’s face lit up with a broad smile as she nodded.

“Yes! Of course!”

Thus, the first mission I received after joining the Demon King’s Army concluded peacefully amidst warm vibes.