Statistical Romance, Butler Neron

"I shall take my leave now, God Vritra."

Esmeralda bowed her head one last time and exited Prince Vritra's chambers with the elegance she wished she could maintain around the Asura royal.

… Tap! Tap!

As she walked through the doors and past the guards, they stared at her with lustful eyes. They weren't so oblivious as to miss the slight redness of her face──enough to tell them she had experienced something intense.

『Damn…』

They helplessly stared at her big, round backside, knowing they would never have the privilege of touching those two bouncing cheeks filled with nothing but heavy meat.

『Hrmm, life just isn't fair is it.』

In their own minds, they had already concluded that Prince Vritra had put something "big" inside her.

For these men, it was strange how much they had learned about the Asura royal's intimate affairs in such a short time since he'd woken up.

While they couldn't be certain whether or not Prince Vritra had slept with the two maids who had visited, they assumed he had. The loud moans of passion and arousal they'd heard weren't just figments of their imagination.

On top of that, Esmeralda emerged looking a bit sweaty and flushed, while the maid from earlier had left with her uniform half-worn and her legs wobbly.

To them, these were clear signs that not only did the Asura royal have a yam-sized artillery beneath his pants, but that he had also used it to penetrate these women's sanctuaries.

The guard on the left side of the door leaned against his spear and smiled wistfully at the guard across from him.

"I wouldn't dare compare myself to God Vritra, even in my wildest dreams, but I'd do anything to be him for a day. Just imagine all the women I'd get to be with."

He spoke as if he'd already fallen in love with the idea. But the guard on the right, who was much more serious, scoffed and looked away.

"Tch, I don't care for God Vritra. He and the other Fiendcelestials are tyrants!"

He gripped his spear tightly in frustration, gritting his teeth as if a vein on his head was about to pop.

...

Now alone in his chambers, Prince Vritra still had a rather indifferent expression, almost as if he was bored. He hadn't fully adjusted to his new identity, even though it had been months since his soul was transported to this new world.

A moment later, he called out to the system, and Esmeralda's status panel appeared in front of him.

---Esmeralda's Status---

[Individual Name: Esmeralda Bluenette Kirkwood]

[Fate Value: 130]

[Race: Human]

[Age: 36]

[Magic: Silver Magic]

[Aspect: None]

[Equipment: None]

[Current Affection for You: 210/300]

[Relationship Status: Lord-Servant]

[Seduction Success Rate: 70%]

[Current Affection for Lumis: None]

[Identity: She is the head maid of the Duranzia household and one of the few people who know Luciana's secret. In the past, she was the daughter of the village head of Kirkwood, a small village that came under the control of the Vayetran Church about 20 years ago.]

...

『I see…』

The Asura royal carefully examined the information on the screen while he thoughtfully rubbed his chin. Just by reading Esmeralda's updated status information, he had learned much more than he expected.

『I think it's starting to make more sense now. The maximum possible affection a woman can feel for me or a "hero" varies from person to person.

『For example, Esmeralda's maximum affection is 300, while Luciana's is 500, which is likely harder to reach because it's more difficult to charm a "heroine" than someone like Esmeralda, who's more like a side character.

『The seduction success rate measures how likely I am to successfully seduce my target. Although the system didn't explain how it's calculated, I'm assuming it's based on a target's current affection for me, divided by their maximum possible affection, all multiplied by one hundred.

『This would explain why my chances of seducing Luciana are low──her affection for me is still in the negatives.』

This information was crucial to him for many reasons, but the most important was that if he wanted to truly charm Princess Luciana in a way that Prince Lumis could never imagine, their next meeting had to happen when her affection for him was on the positive side of the stats.

『Now… how to charm a woman without meeting her.』

He silently pondered his next move.

Soon after, a swirling black portal appeared, and out stepped a tall, slender, yet firmly built middle-aged man dressed in a traditional butler's uniform.

His hair was completely white, and his stern expression was framed by a neatly trimmed white beard.

Though his face showed some signs of age, with a few wrinkles here and there, he still had a certain handsomeness about him.

Prince Vritra sat up in bed and comfortably crossed his legs into a lotus position.

"Neron, you're finally here."

The young Asura spoke calmly.

Neron bowed deeply, then straightened up and adjusted his thin, silver-framed, oval spectacles.

"Greetings, Young Master."

The man replied in a deep, steady voice that carried just a hint of raspiness.

Prince Vritra nodded and then asked, "That's good. I hope you've been keeping an eye on things for me while I've been out of commission."

Neron stared at Vritra in silence, a look of disappointment on his elderly face.

Sensing the awkward pause, Vritra glanced at him sideways and asked, "Didn't you hear my question?"

But the butler still didn't respond. Instead, he placed a hand on his chest and bowed his head slightly.

"Forgive me for asking this, Young Master, but why did you fake your own death?"

The man's voice was firm, showing he wasn't pleased with the young royal's decision-making, especially since he hadn't been informed ahead of time. It made him feel less trusted as Prince Vritra's personal servant.

『Is he really offended?』

Prince Vritra thought as he looked the elderly man up and down, surprised that he would act so childish.

Then again, this was Neron. Instead of calling him childish, Vritra preferred the word "overbearing".

If Vritra had to pick someone other than his mother as a motherly figure, it would be Neron.

The young Asura was certain that if it were possible, the old man would even breastfeed him.

Just the thought of it all made Vritra feel exhausted.

To avoid any unnecessary back-and-forth that would ultimately end with him apologizing, Prince Vritra decided to cut the conversation short.

"Look, I'm sorry for not giving you the full details of my plans, but just trust me when I say it's for the good of the Bloodgarden household. Now, can you answer my questions?"

Vritra's expression was impatient, and the old man could tell the apology wasn't entirely sincere. Still, he expected nothing more from the young master.

AHEM!

Neron coolly, but dramatically cleared his throat.

Perhaps to show the young master he took no offense.

"Young Master, I wasn't really expecting an apology from you. After all, I'm just a servant and don't deserve such kindness. But since you're insisting on apologizing, I'll humbly accept this generous gesture, even if I don't feel worthy of it."

Though Neron tried to sound humble and undeserving, Vritra could clearly hear the arrogance in his tone, which made him grit his teeth in anger.

… Hm?

Noticing the young master's annoyance, the old man took three graceful steps back. He then cleared his throat and gently adjusted his spectacles, careful not to make eye contact when the young master was displeased.

"Like I was saying… if you want to apologize to someone, it would be best to apologize to Lady Lilith. She believes you're dead and is heartbroken. She even told me she'd destroy Duranzia and use the souls of the fallen to bring you back. Isn't she quite the romantic?"

When Prince Vritra heard his fiancée's name, his face squeezed as if he'd just tasted something extremely bitter.

He looked intensely focused on Neron's words.

"D-, Don't tell me you've already informed her that I'm dead?! We both know this is all part of my plan!"

The desperate look on Vritra's face made it clear that he really hoped this was all a lie.

He leaned forward, waiting for a response.

Neron gave a mild smile and adjusted the lapels of his suit.

"I'm simply joking, Young Master. Hahaha! We both know how obsessed Lady Lilith is with you; she'd definitely disrupt your plans if she were here."

The old man spoke with a youthful tone. Maybe thinking back to when the couple were kids made him feel young again too.

… Sigh~

Feeling greatly relieved and sighing to show it, Vritra leaned back against his pillow and put a hand on his face.

『Good. I don't want that crazy woman anywhere near my business right now.』