"Senior, let's search for and protect the missing Third Princess."
"I don't mind, but why?"
Alan chatted with Sophia, the receptionist, at the Commerce Guild they had stopped by on the way from a commission.
"If a commoner has a Harem Skill, they don't get bullied too badly. But if you're a noble, they call you useless or something like that. I imagine it's even worse for royalty."
"That's fair — I went through the same thing, though…"
"Besides, she might be a colleague from a past life. With my[Bond of Reincarnation], I can probably figure it out."
"I see. But I've never met the Third Princess… Ugh, my head… Princess Guard, a run-down cottage, a rose-pink ring…"
"Are you alright, Senior?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just remembered something unpleasant. I do know the Third Princess, though. Let me go look for her.[Perfect Research]."
◇◇◇
"Why… why is this happening to me?"
Gloria Kingdom's Third Princess, Celene, had gone out incognito to the castle town with Natalia, one of her Princess Guard, to lift her spirits. From behind, she was struck by lightning magic and knocked unconscious.
When she came to, she was in a building with nothing but pink walls.
Natalia was nowhere to be seen.
Where was she?
She had a few questionable qualities, but Natalia was the one retainer who looked out for her. Now there wasn't anyone like that around.
"Hehe, now isn't this a fine specimen! I wonder what the opening bid will be. That gentleman up there must be delighted indeed."
An aged procuress was appraising her like merchandise.
Then she was made to watch lectures on the intimate acts between men and women.
It was all classroom learning — observation only — but the intent was crystal clear.
Watch and memorize.
They couldn't force her into practical experience because that would lower her value, but it was only a matter of time.
Eventually every one of her firsts would be auctioned off, and some perverted noble would buy them.
The other abducted girls faced the same fate.
Once their "education" was complete, girls disappeared from the building, and before long, another beautiful girl was brought in.
From the way the procuress talked, Celene had been deceived and sold.
There had only been one person at her side who could have hit her with lightning magic.
Even someone as sheltered as she was could figure that out.
It was her retainer, Natalia.
What she couldn't understand was why Natalia had sold her to a place like this.
The kingdom should have been paying her salary handsomely.
Before she could ever figure out the reason, the day she had dreaded finally arrived.
◇◇◇
Of the three great underground organizations, one was "Kachō" — the mastermind behind illegal brothels.
Kachō ran a black-market auction.
That auction, which specialized in the buying and selling of daughters belonging to high-ranking nobles both domestic and foreign, was about to showcase Celene as its star attraction.
Celene was dressed in a lavish outfit designed for easy removal and paraded before a line of men in grotesque masks wearing nothing but their undergarments.
"My my, this is splendid. Impeccable finish, I must say."
"The finest talent we've had in the last ten years."
"A delicate yet solid frame — she seems to possess a beautiful, complex sensibility."
"An elegant and alluring body."
"Three in a row now — truly extraordinary quality."
The half-naked spectators praised her in overlapping voices.
And then, just as the bidding was about to begin, she vanished without a trace.
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Skills:[Reverse][Divine Eye][Sword God][Gentleman Thief][Dark Magic][Rock-Iron Magic][Holy Magic][Space-Time Magic][Scorching Magic][Freezing Ice Magic][Magic Hand][Temptation][Pain Relief][Complete Status Ailment Resistance][Flame Spirit's Protection][Phantom Demon][Gale and Thunder][Dark Spirit's Protection][Supernatural Strength][Thunder God Blade][Great Luck][Clear Storm Magic][Humility][Heaven's Gate][Ninja Master][Eloquence][Seeker of Truth][Whisper of the Abyss][Super Intuition][Spear God][Fist God]
Rank: Orichalcum