Into the Creations-Chapter 79: [] Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated in a Count’s Family [3]

"Eugene Pruckus. Is it true that you attempted to assault your personal maid?"

A woman with auburn hair, seated at the desk in the study, looked directly at me as I stood silently before her.

Elaine Kassirot.

She was a beautiful woman. Her glossy auburn hair was elegantly tied up, revealing her neckline. The blue dress she wore suited her perfectly, and her chest was notably large, a D-cup. Above all, her flawless, translucent skin was captivating.

'Indeed. This is a fantasy novel. A beauty like her is hard to find in real life.'

In the absence of Count Pruckus, she held the highest authority in the mansion. She was the mother of the protagonist, Kyle Pruckus, and my step-mother.

"Don't stay silent. Speak."

Her cold auburn eyes and voice snapped me back to attention. I had been lost in her beauty.

"...It's true."

I admitted it readily. There was no other choice. Lexi had run through the mansion screaming, and many servants had witnessed the scene. If I lied, an investigation would quickly reveal the truth.

'This isn't as big a deal as it seems.'

Of course, it was wrong. My reputation would take a hit, but I was young, and it was only an attempt. It wasn't a major scandal yet.

'Being young is an advantage, whether in Korea or here. Heh.'

Moreover, I knew Elaine's personality. Despite her cold appearance, she was rational and warm-hearted. In the original story, the protagonist Kyle deeply respected his mother for these qualities.

"That personal maid is the only daughter of Sir Elvis."

"Yes, I'm aware."

"...What was your reason for doing such a thing?"

Of course, it was because I was horny. But I couldn't say that.

"I wanted to experience sex. I read in a book that sex is a very pleasurable act. I was curious."

"..."

Elaine closed her mouth and looked at me. Her perfect poker face gave no hint of what she was thinking.

'She must be in her mid-30s? Being a mid-level mage, she looks like she's in her late 20s.'

As I was lost in irrelevant thoughts, Elaine spoke.

"...I see. You've reached that age. You underwent the coming-of-age ceremony last year and were recognized as a man, so it's natural to be curious about sex. But the book you read was wrong."

"Huh?"

"It's true that you feel pleasure when your sexual desires are satisfied. However, the immense pleasure described in books doesn't exist. Don't blindly believe everything you read."

"...Yes."

As I replied, I pondered the meaning of her words. A woman who had experienced proper sex wouldn't say something like that. At least, the women I've had sex with were so overwhelmed with pleasure that they fainted.

'...Ah, right. Elaine was in a political marriage with Count Pruckus.'

In the original story, Count Pruckus didn't deeply love Elaine.

'So she has little sexual experience. Heh.'

How could I seduce Elaine?

Forcing her would be out of the question. Elaine is a mid-level mage. She could easily overpower me in my current state.

"I've already apologized to Sir Elvis and his daughter. Sir Elvis was deeply disappointed in you."

"...I've shown a disgraceful side of myself. I'm sorry. This won't happen again."

"Good. You are a direct descendant of the Pruckus family. Always consider your position before acting, and be mindful of your surroundings. Your disgrace is the disgrace of the Pruckus family."

"I'll keep that in mind."

How should I seduce Elaine? Elaine is rational and logical. Relying on emotions to develop a sexual relationship would be impossible.

Using an aphrodisiac at the right time could be one way.

'Using an aphrodisiac would be a waste.'

I believed in my abilities. Even if it took time, I would seduce Elaine without the help of an aphrodisiac. I would definitely have her.

"I've given Sir Elvis's daughter some time off. She will also step down from her position as your personal maid. For the time being, a new butler will attend to you."

"...A new butler?"

My face twisted.

My body, Eugene Pruckus, has a congenital heart condition. Because of this, I receive various considerations within the mansion.

One of them is having a personal servant live in the room next to mine in case of emergencies. There's a door connecting my room to the servant's room, and it's never locked. This allows the servant to enter my room immediately if I collapse due to my heart condition.

'So a guy is going to be living next to me? This is insane!'

I had no desire to be attended to by a man. Even if he didn't lay a finger on me, I wanted to be served by a beautiful woman.

"It's fine. I'd rather be alone for now."

I'd rather be alone than be attended to by a man. A man coming close to adjust my clothes?

Ugh! Just the thought made me nauseous.

"I can't allow that. Considering your health, having a servant attend to you is not optional but necessary."

"Mother. I'm really fine. Look at my face. Hasn't my complexion improved recently?"

I emphasized my health.

I didn't say my heart condition was cured. There was no need to discard such a good excuse now.

"...Indeed. I haven't heard any reports of you having an attack in the past month. Come here and hold out your hand."

I approached Elaine and held out my hand. The moment Elaine's delicate hand grasped mine, a small blue magic circle appeared beneath my hand, and a cool breeze swept through my body.

'Magic. What kind of magic is this?'

It didn't feel dangerous.

"...Your body has become healthier. However, a heart condition can flare up at any time."

It seemed she had used magic to examine my body. Since she wasn't certain my heart condition was cured, it was likely not a precise diagnostic spell.

"Mother. I'm really fine."

"It might just be a temporary improvement in your health."

Elaine showed no signs of backing down. After some thought, I decided to deceive her.

"Mother. Actually... I found an ancient artifact in the study."

"An ancient artifact?"

Elaine looked genuinely surprised.

In this world, ancient artifacts are objects containing the power and knowledge of ancient civilizations. Simply being old doesn't make something an ancient artifact. It's just an artifact.

"Yes. I found an old book in a corner of the study. When I opened it to read, a light suddenly poured out... The book disappeared, and an ancient artifact appeared."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Ancient artifacts often possess powers beyond magic. In this world, they are considered priceless treasures.

"I wanted to investigate the artifact privately. If I told you I had it... you would take it from me."

"..."

Elaine fell silent. Silence was as good as agreement.

"Some ancient artifacts possess dangerous powers. You must have heard the story of Earl Peril."

Earl Peril.

I knew about him from the original story.

Earl Peril obtained an ancient artifact in a labyrinth and carelessly used it, resulting in a curse that caused his body to rot. The curse slowly consumed his body over a week. Despite using magic, potions, and blessings, the curse couldn't be lifted. Earl Peril died after a week of suffering.

It's a cautionary tale about the dangers of ancient artifacts.

"The artifact I have isn't dangerous like Earl Peril's. It's been a month, and as you can see, my health has improved."

"I've heard you've been creating strange and unusual items lately. Is that also the power of the ancient artifact?"

"Yes. That's correct."

It seemed she believed me.

The Pruckus family has been a prestigious noble family since the founding of the kingdom. The study is like a library, filled with many old books.

This wasn't a spur-of-the-moment lie. I had thought about this deception for the future and had already considered its plausibility.

"Can I see this ancient artifact?"

"Of course. Ah, but only I can use it. I let some servants touch it, but nothing happened."

"You let servants handle such a dangerous thing?"

"...I'm sorry. But nothing happened, really."

I took out my smartphone from my pocket and handed it to Elaine. She examined it closely, even using magic to inspect it.

Even if she accidentally pressed the power button, it wouldn't matter.

[You can hack Seong Eugene's smartphone for 28 minutes.] 

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Thanks to my hacking skill, I had full control over the smartphone.

"It looks peculiar. It doesn't react to mana or magic... Is this really an ancient artifact?"

"Yes."

"How do you use it?"

"Give it to me. As I said, it only responds to my touch."

I took the smartphone and rubbed my finger on its surface. The screen lit up.

"This is the ancient artifact, the smartphone, in operation."

"Smartphone?"

"See, there's text written here."

I used my hacking skill to display text on the screen.

Well, something along those lines.

"The name of this ancient artifact is written here as 'smartphone.'"

"...I've never seen these characters before. They're completely different from any ancient script discovered so far."

I lied shamelessly. Speaking confidently increases credibility.

"To think it contains knowledge of objects from an ancient civilization... If that's true, it's an incredible artifact."

"Ah, but the knowledge is limited. It doesn't know anything about the magic of the ancient civilization."

"Is that the smartphone's ability?"

"It can store objects and create ancient items at regular intervals."

"...What?"

"By 'ancient items,' I don't mean objects with immense power. It can only create trivial things. Trivial. Let me show you."

I opened the Play Life app and took an item from the inventory. By the way, others can't see the Play Life app. Once, while fiddling with the app in real life, Oh Jun-hyuk caught me and thought I was drunk, moving my fingers without even turning on the smartphone.

Thud!

An air conditioner remote fell from the inventory.

"...What is this?"

"I'm not sure either. I'll have to investigate."

Elaine fiddled with the remote, examined it, and then handed it back to me.

"It's best to keep this ancient artifact a secret. I'll forget what I saw today. You must also be careful."

Elaine said. Although we weren't related by blood, Elaine was a trustworthy person. She wasn't the type of stepmother who favored only her own children.

In the original story, when the eldest and second sons fought over the heir position, she didn't take sides but watched over them with an equal gaze. It's no wonder the protagonist respected her.

"Yes. Ah, Mother! I have a gift I'd like to give you."

"A gift?"

"Yes."

It's earlier than planned, but I don't think it'll be a problem. In fact, I think now is the perfect time.

I returned to reality, prepared the items I had stored in the inventory, and placed one on her desk.

Elaine recognized it immediately.

"A wristwatch?"

It was an elegant, vintage-style women's wristwatch. A cheap one I bought from the market. No brand. But it looked quite stylish.

"Yes. But it's not a magical watch."

"The ancient civilization wasn't just about magic; it also had advanced engineering, which has since declined. This must be an engineering-made watch. It's a precious gift. Thank you."

She didn't seem overly excited.

It would be strange if someone of Elaine's stature got overly excited about a pretty watch.

I took out another item from the inventory.

"...A pretty glass ornament. What's the liquid inside?"

"It's not an ornament. It's perfume."

A round, sky-blue glass bottle.

In this world, glass itself is easy to obtain, but such glass crafts are quite expensive.

"It's perfume from the ancient civilization. I'd like to give it to you as a gift."

"Thank you. How do I use it?"

This time, she showed interest. Like me, she was born into nobility. It's impossible for her not to be interested in beautifying herself.

"Ah..."

She let out a small gasp as she smelled the jasmine perfume. It was a modern perfume made with the perfect ratio. It was impossible not to be enchanted.

'Selling modern items to make money. That's my brilliant plan!'

With the money I earn, I'll buy all the mana awakening potions.

It's a perfect plan, 120 out of 100.

***

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