Kanggrif's plan

"Sir, Robert has arrived." 

Bark, the butler, appeared at the dimly lit room's entrance and reported in a low voice, head bowed, to the figure inside. 

"...Is that so? Prepare those individuals," Kanggrif's voice emerged, sounding languid and indulgent, as if resting on a bed after endless pleasure. 

"Understood." 

Inadvertently catching a whiff of the heated air inside, Bark quickly exited, casting an envious glance before swiftly leaving. 

Little did he know, the scene inside the room was quite different! 

In his imagined scenario of serving Kanggrif, Kanggrif was suspended naked, and there was a woman in revealing leather, wielding a cat-o'-nine-tails, mercilessly lashing him. 

"Sir, are you leaving?" 

A seductive voice rang in the room, followed by the sound of the long whip slicing through the air and Kanggrif's cries, a mix of pain and pleasure. 

"Ah! Yes... My plan is about to be set in motion!" 

"Ah! Well, that... the scum should be completely kept away from the Duke's residence! Ah!" 

"Stop now. That's enough for today. I'll lavish you with affection when I return." 

Kanggrif's suspended body was lowered to the ground, and he started putting on his pants under the care of several alluring maidens. 

"I'll provide you with healing." The woman with the whip uttered a spell, and Kanggrif's wounds quickly healed under the radiance of holy light. 

"No, don't completely heal them. I want to feel the presence of the goddess!" 

"Very well. The goddess will continue to favor you." 

The woman seemed satisfied with Kanggrif's determination and gently caressed his chest. 

"Then we'll await the loyal devotees of the goddess to come and adore me." 

Kanggrif, filled with excitement, struggled to control his primal instincts. After finally regaining composure, he patted his hair, straightened his appearance, and walked out of the room. 

"Goddess above, today I will ensure this day becomes the most painful memory for that scum!" 

"I will use his suffering to please you, to praise you, oh great Whip of the Divine Will!" 

"May the goddess bless me... Ugh!!!"

Walking through the secret passage, muttering to himself, Kanggrif was about to open the door when a hand suddenly covered his mouth and nose from behind!

"Who!? Mmm..."

He barely struggled before losing consciousness, reluctantly lowering his head.

"Tsk, nobles really know how to have fun! They even have secret passages with women hidden in their houses!"

"By the way, who do you actually like? Last time, you had me bewitch a man!"

The thief behind him emerged from the shadows, and Turner looked at the unconscious noble on the ground, puzzled.

"Never mind, it doesn't matter to me! He's been in there for too long! I need to hurry!"

"Too bad! I wanted to see the difference between noble women and the ones in the brothel!"

Glancing at the end of the room with disappointment, he picked up Kanggrif and quietly left the secret passage, meeting his contact outside.

"Sir, why did you let them go?"

In the pitch-black room, one of the girls asked the gentleman beside her, somewhat puzzled.

They could have easily subdued the thief, so why let him go?

"I sensed something unique about him, either he's under divine protection or he possesses some special item."

"Our operation is about to succeed, there's no need to expose ourselves for an insignificant noble."

"But... the injuries?"

"Just a whipping, at most it will be seen as a case of private punishment. No one will notice us."

"The thieves' guild kidnapped a noble for ransom; it has nothing to do with us."

"Yes."

The woman adjusted her hair, knelt before the statue in the corner of the room, removed her clothes, and forcefully lashed herself with the cat-o'-nine-tails.

"Great suffering maiden, I pray to you."

"Ah!"

...

"Goddess above! Do nobles always play this wildly!?"

"Turner looked at Kanggrif's back, covered in whip marks, and nudged his companion with his elbow, whispering:

"Take a look! This guy's a masochist!"

"Huh? What did you say? Focus on the job! Our time... Goddess above!"

The constantly tidying-up companion found Turner's teasing annoying, turning to look with impatience after being nudged a few times, then exclaimed loudly.

"You two idiots! Shut up... Oh!"

The leader, observing the commotion outside, turned around with a dark face and muttered under his breath but got startled.

"Boss, the last time I saw a back this messed up was when I got caught by a noble as a kid for stealing!"

"I didn't expect they'd go so harsh on their own!"

The leader interrupted their discussion, lowering his voice:

"Regardless of whether he's a masochist or not, it doesn't matter!"

"Quickly get him in, and let's retreat immediately! I have a bad feeling about this!"

Turner and his companion glanced at each other, nodded, and closed their mouths, speeding up their actions.

Their boss had an uncanny intuition, which was why he had risen from a small dockside pickpocket to a squad leader in the Grissom City Thieves Guild.

...

Lydia felt her face stiffening; she couldn't make any other movements.

"The first time eating such delicious food, but I can't eat much..."

"The gazes of those men are filled with greed and desire... so different from Lord Robert's."

"Noble ladies... why, even though they're smiling, do I not feel any warmth?"

"The world of nobility is truly terrifying..."

Unaware of the thoughts of the girl beside her, Robert observed the expressions of the people around him and the dishes, thinking it was almost time for dessert at the banquet.

"The time is almost here; the thieves' guild is about to act, aren't they..."

"Speaking of which, why did Kanggrif come to Rupert's place this morning..."

"Lord Robert!!!"

Before Robert could figure out the reason, a loud shout woke him up, and he turned to look at the newcomer.

Bark, Kanggrif's personal butler, was looking at Robert in disbelief, and then, as if unable to contain his anger, he walked over and shouted:

"Lord Robert! How can you appear at this gathering!? This is a provocation to noble etiquette!"

His loud shout drew the attention of everyone in the hall. Bark, his neck flushed, impolitely yelled at Robert:

"And, you even allowed this filthy half-elf slave into Count's event! What are you thinking!?"

Robert steadied Lydia, who had shrunk back in confusion, and narrowed his eyes, calmly asking:

"Why can't I attend this gathering?"

"Bark seemed to have heard something unbelievable and shouted loudly:

"Today, this is an occasion only meant for the heirs of each family!!!"

"You are not qualified to be here! Please leave immediately!"

Hearing Bark insulting Robert, Lydia, who was initially somewhat scared, couldn't hold back and began to argue:

"You're talking nonsense. Lord Robert was clearly invited by Count!"

She wanted to continue, but Robert gently held her hand, stopping her.

Lydia looked back at Robert, puzzled, only to find he shook his head without changing his expression:

"It's useless, no need to argue."

Indeed, Bark turned to look at Duke Rupert and loudly asked:

"Lord Rupert! Is this true? Did you really invite this... invite Lord Robert to this event?"

That was quite an insincere slip of the tongue!

Robert looked bored, waiting for their less-than-sincere performance to unfold.

Sure enough, Count Rupert, who had been smiling all along, now turned serious and slowly shook his head, saying in a deep voice:

"No, I never invited Robert to this gathering!"

"I have no idea why he would appear on my estate!"

Pandemonium ensued; the entire venue became noisy, and everyone grew interested, eagerly watching this farce.

"Hehe, is Robert going to be completely shunned from the social circle this time?"

"He should leave quickly; otherwise, those ladies don't even notice us. I've been rejected several times already!"

"Interesting, interesting! Are they going after Robert?"

Indeed, most people present could tell that this was a scheme targeting Robert, but no one stepped forward.

Even the ladies who had been around him were now simply watching with great interest, whispering among themselves.

"How will you handle this, Robert?"

Watching Robert's calm demeanor in the midst of the crowd, Nadia, isolated from the rest, took a sip of wine quietly.

"Lady Audrey!? Aren't you going to say something?"

Lydia looked at Countess Audrey, who was smiling next to Rupert, in disbelief.

"Me? What should I say? I'm not clear about these matters either."

Raising an eyebrow, Lady Audrey waved to Robert, smiling and saying:

"Robert, come and visit again next time~"

"Lord Robert, please take this bastard with you!"

Smiling, she nodded at the countess. Robert turned his gaze back to the overly involved butler, Bark. The smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by seriousness as he said:

"Bark, you need to think clearly; defaming a noble is a serious crime!"

"This is my last question to you: are you sure you want to proceed this way?"

In his fervor, Bark seemed to snap back to reality. His face twitched, and then he stared at Robert seriously, saying:

"Please do not delay any further; leave this place quickly and stop tarnishing the Duke's reputation!"

"Guards! Take Lord Robert away!"

Suddenly, four well-equipped guards rushed in from the door, their faces excited as they charged towards the two delicate beauties.

Although Robert always claimed to be a squire of a holy knight, his physique was superior compared to certain nobles who were hollowed out by indulgence.

However, compared to many warriors with a barbarian bloodline and a height that often approached two meters, Robert's concealed figure under the formal attire looked fragile.

Plus, his delicate face and Lydia's teary, angry expression made him appear very fragile.

Gently holding Lydia's slender hand, Robert whispered softly in her ear:

"Don't be afraid. I've promised, I'll protect you."

Turning around, Robert shouted at the four approaching guards:

"Outrageous! Who allowed you to attack two nobles!"

[Charm Humans!]

[Charm success!]

The four seemed startled by Robert's shout, freezing in their tracks before stumbling forward due to momentum, falling directly in front of Robert and the others.

No one expected this turn of events. They whispered in surprise, observing Robert, whose demeanor was vastly different from usual:

"What!?"

"Ah!"

"It's like the first time hearing Robert raise his voice?"

"Who's private guards are these four people?"

"They seem to belong to Kanggrif..."