---

“…I can’t understand.”

“What are you talking about…?”

“What’s so good about this?”

I was stroking Blanshe’s head as she lay on a makeshift bed inside the wagon.

“It’s good enough. Ah, over there… Please stroke that side too.”

“……”

She seemed to be enjoying it, so I silently moved my hand. The beast ears on Blanshe’s head twitched every time my hand touched them. It wasn’t just my imagination—it was real.

She is an artificial half-human, half-beast who received the heart of a magical beast. Through the magical power flowing in her heart, she can exert strength beyond that of a human. I knew from the start that she could transform into the form of a magical beast if she wanted to…

‘Just from stroking her head a few times… her ears and tail pop out?’

Blanshe had taken off her armor and was comfortably lying down in a full-body catsuit. A bluish tail, resembling that of a feline, swayed back and forth. Given her cool demeanor, it felt incredibly alluring. If I had to compare it…

“A leopard, huh?”

“A tiger.”

“……”

Blanshe corrected me as soon as I finished speaking.

Indeed, the ‘Frost Beast’ that was transplanted into her resembled a blue tiger, so her correction was accurate.

Then, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

“By the way… I thought it would be cold, but it’s not at all.”

The Frost Beast is a noble magical creature that roams between the Demon Forest and the Annulment Zone. Its fur, which looks as smooth as silk at first glance, is said to be so cold that it can freeze anything it touches. Naturally, her ears and tail should be the same as the beast’s.

“Ah, I’m consciously controlling it, so you don’t have to worry. If I were an ordinary magical beast, I would have harmed anyone other than the one I acknowledged as my master, but I…”

“…So you’re tame towards your master, huh?”

“Yes… Huh?”

Blanshe, who had been lying down, suddenly sat up and denied it.

“Ah, no! I mean, it’s not that I acknowledge the Count as my master, but other magical beasts are like that! My master is only Lady Bella…!”

“I understand, so there’s no need to explain.”

“I just didn’t want you to misunderstand!”

“Don’t worry. I didn’t misunderstand at all.”

“I didn’t ask you to stroke me for that reason. You always reward only Miss Wendy, don’t you?”

Huh? Why bring up Wendy all of a sudden…

“You’ve… always been like that.”

Blanshe, as if she had just remembered, vented her grievances to me.

“I’ve been helping you, Count, but I’ve never received any reward…”

“Blanshe. Wendy is my exclusive maid, and you helped me to repay your debt.”

“Kuh?! That’s true… but…”

Judging from her reaction, it seemed she had completely forgotten about the debt.

Of course, bringing up the debt now would be ridiculous. She has already become a reliable ally to me. Naturally, any hostility or wariness towards me is now nonexistent.

I took out my pocket watch to check the time.

“The meeting is soon. There’s not much time left for stroking. If you want more rewards, lie down again.”

“Ah?! Yes…”

Blanshe, who had been at a loss for words, seemed to value the time and eventually lay down in front of me again. And she entrusted her body to my touch.

“Mmm…”

Blanshe soon let out a pleasant sound and raised the corners of her mouth.

I thought she was just making noise, but it seemed she really wanted to be stroked.

Blanshe is a character who maintains a consistently blunt and businesslike attitude, matching her cool appearance. Her current behavior was definitely unfamiliar.

But although I was a bit bewildered, I accepted her personal request for a reward.

It’s true that Blanshe’s help was significant this time, and she has helped me in ways I may not even be aware of. She made this request to me just as I was thinking of repaying her in some way.

Temperance and ruthlessness. That is Blanshe’s motto.

Even if she wanted such a reward, as a ruthless assassin, she could only keep it in her heart. She couldn’t have made such a request to her current master, Bella.

Honestly, it wasn’t a difficult task.

In fact, it was quite enjoyable. If I had the time, I would want to do it regularly.

Especially the soft texture of the animal ears made me unconsciously focus on stroking them. It was a different feeling from stroking Wendy.

I think this is called animal therapy.

What particularly caught my attention was her tail. As she said, it stretched out long like a tiger’s, and the fluffy fur was visible.

Suddenly curious, I looked at her hip area, but contrary to my expectations, there was no hole in the catsuit where the tail came out. The seam was faint and opaque, so it seemed the tail, like the ears, was made of magical power.

That’s when it happened.

“…Do you want to stroke it?”

Oops. Did I look too obviously?

Blanshe avoided my gaze and muttered.

“…If you want, you can touch it. It’s fine if it’s you, Count.”

Under normal circumstances, I would have refused, but out of curiosity, I readily accepted.

“Alright. Then… I won’t hold back.”

I grabbed the tail swaying in front of me.

“Eek?!”

Blanshe twitched as if she had been electrocuted.

I held her tail in my hand and stroked it back and forth.

Perhaps because it was made entirely of magical power, it was much softer than I had imagined.

“W-wait?! Where are you touching?!”

“? Didn’t you say it was okay to touch the tail?”

“The tail?! That place…”

“Do you not like it?”

“Well… Touching the tail is fine, but…”

Blanshe, uncharacteristically, stammered as she spoke.

“Something, something… Your touch is too… Ah, no. Anyway, the tail… is off-limits. Touch somewhere else.”

The only other place to touch was her body.

Her toned body, revealed through the full-body catsuit, was sensual to me as a man.

However, exercising ‘Patience,’ I firmly shook my head.

“No… It’s too difficult to touch.”

“Huh? It’s not revealing, so it’s fine, right…?”

But according to Blanshe’s standards, it seems this outfit isn’t particularly revealing. I couldn’t understand her sense of modesty.

Previously, when she said I could touch her freely, it must have meant that it was okay to touch her when she was wearing this outfit.

In front of me was a beauty pleading to be touched more.

It was a situation that could be called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a man, but for me, it was closer to a crisis.

After all, I am Tristan.

If someone were to see me like this, I wouldn’t know how to explain myself.

Given my position, being alone was rare, so if someone were to barge in…

*Bang-*

“Co-Count! Are you okay?!”

As expected, the door opened, and Wendy rushed in, out of breath. She was carrying bandages, plasters, medicine, and other first aid supplies.

“Are you hurt anywhere?! I heard there was a battle with a demon earlier… but… huh…?”

Faced with this embarrassing situation, Wendy, the symbol of misfortune, froze for about five seconds.

During that time, the bandages in her hand fell one by one, rolling on the floor, creating a scene straight out of a morning drama full of melodrama.

Then, with a trembling voice, she shouted.

“…Ma-Master?! Wh-what are you doing?!”

At that moment, Blanshe moved at an unbelievable speed and covered Wendy’s mouth.

“Miss Wendy. Listen carefully.”

“Mmmph?!”

“This is your dream.”

“Mmmph???”

Blanshe’s face was dead serious as she said this. Wendy desperately shook her head.

“Mmmph…?! Mmmph!”

“It’s a dream.”

“Mmmph?! Mmmph!”

“A dream.”

“Mmmph……?”

“Dream.”

Perhaps due to Blanshe’s hypnotic-like murmuring and the lack of oxygen from having her mouth covered, when Blanshe removed her hand, Wendy was nodding with a dazed expression.

“R-right… This is a dream…”

“That’s right.”

“A dream… A dream where Master becomes a cat…”

“A tiger.”

“Ah, a t-tiger… Blanshe Master is a tiger…”

“Good.”

Blanshe proudly stroked Wendy’s head.

I wanted to question what was so good about it, but since she managed to handle the situation, I kept my mouth shut.

Truly, the skills of a former assassin…

“Hehe… Such a vivid dream…”

It was good that the situation was resolved, but Wendy suddenly hugged me with a bright smile.

“Being able to hug the Count like this feels like a dream…”

“Wendy. This isn’t a dream…”

“Huh?”

“…It is. You’re definitely dreaming.”

It pricked my conscience to lie to those pure eyes, but I had no choice.

“Really… If only I could have dreams like this every day… Hehe…”

Thinking it was a dream, Wendy hugged me without hesitation.

Meanwhile, Blanshe was subtly trying to slip away. But Wendy’s senses were sharp.

“Master. Where are you going…?”

“…I have something to attend to.”

“But it’s a dream, right?”

“Yes… Even in dreams, I have to work.”

“You can’t even rest in dreams…?”

“Well… That’s just how it is for adults.”

“I see… Adults have no choice…”

What are you agreeing to?

Blanshe left those words and slipped out of the wagon. Just before the door closed, she bowed to me as usual, sending chills down my spine.

She left the cleanup to me.

This was truly troublesome. The meeting was about to start.

If I left now, I might not be late…

“Count, don’t go to work…”

Wendy clung to me like a kangaroo, with no intention of letting go.

“…I’m an adult too, you know?”

“No… I don’t want you to go… I’ll hate you…”

I managed to get through the crisis, but now I was in a difficult situation.

Wendy was under the illusion that this was a lucid dream. If I gave any orders carelessly, she might realize it wasn’t a dream.

“Wendy… I understand how you feel, but I have to go now.”

“Then…”

Wendy, who had been nuzzling against my chest, raised her head and whispered something only I could hear.

“Give me a kiss…”

“No.”

I refused immediately.

My firm attitude made Wendy tear up.

“Wh-why not…? It’s a dream…”

“Well…”

Her forehead or the back of her hand would have been one thing, but now Wendy was asking for a kiss on a place higher than her cheek.

No… Wendy.

I can handle being the notorious Tristan, but I can’t handle being the lolicon Tristan.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

How could I soothe this girl’s heart and refuse her request when she thought this was a dream and could ask for anything?

I racked my brain and spoke to Wendy as gently as possible.

“…If I do that, I’ll wake up from this dream with you, so no.”

“……”

Wendy’s eyes gradually widened, and then her face turned red.

She buried her face in my chest.

“…Wendy?”

“T-today’s dream is so vivid…”

Wendy, overwhelmed by embarrassment, mumbled in a small voice.

“I don’t want to wake up like you said, Count… I’ll just stay like this…”

“…Good girl.”

“Hehe… For some reason, I feel shy today…”

I gently stroked Wendy’s back and hugged her. She seemed to enjoy it, as she rubbed her cheek against my chest in response.

Finally, I had overcome the successive crises.

But I had to pat her until she truly fell asleep.

Being late to the meeting and getting scolded by Bella was perhaps an inevitable outcome.

 

---