In the basement of the Irene School’s main building, there is a meeting room that is rarely used.
Quietly, the door to the dark, prison-like room, devoid of light, creaked open, and four shadows stepped inside.
Clad in black robes and hiding their faces by the dim candlelight, they entered the meeting room, closed the door, and removed their robes.
In the dark basement, the figures of Sylvia, Julia, Sora, and Irene emerged.
The four took their seats at the round table, and Sylvia quietly spoke up.
“Well then… let’s begin the 7th ‘Yuren Strategy Meeting.’”
*
The first to sense the seriousness of the situation was Sylvia.
Having lived in the harsh world of merchants and nobles since childhood, Sylvia had grown cold inside.
Though she smiled on the outside, all she found behind it was a world filled with ruthless gains and interests. It was during this time that she met Yuren.
At first, he was just a capable and trustworthy partner.
However, as Sylvia worked alongside Yuren, she began to notice his inexplicable actions more and more.
He helped her without regard for gain, worried for her, and trusted her.
In a world where everything operated on strict contractual relationships, experiencing this kind of goodwill left Sylvia’s heart troubled, and she suspected Yuren had some ulterior motives.
Well, he did have motives.
Yuren recognized Sylvia as family.
Though Sylvia had received love from her family and parents, due to her position as a noble and merchant, she never felt it entirely.
She never imagined she would feel such a form of love in her life.
As she started to feel more comfortable and happy in her time at Irene School with Yuren, Sylvia began to ponder the seriousness of the situation.
She was the one destined to inherit the Edward Consortium.
Being overly special towards Irene School would not bode well for her as a consortium leader.
However, she was acutely aware that her heart was drawn to Irene School, which felt like family now.
Thinking that the imbalance in her heart would not be beneficial for inheriting the Edward Consortium, she contemplated ways to resolve the situation. As she received a suggestion from her father about a match, an idea struck her.
‘(Right! I can just marry Yuren!)’
If she were to enter into a marriage with Yuren, everything could be resolved.
Then, her caring for Yuren, and Yuren’s caring for her, as well as the collaboration between Irene School and the Edward Consortium, would not be an issue.
Impressed by her genius, Sylvia decided to choose Yuren as her future husband in their second year of acquaintance…
And three years passed without any progress!
If things continued this way, she might have to face a matchmaking arranged by her father—a very serious situation indeed.
And this predicament wasn’t unique to her.
Julia had spent a lot of time with Yuren as childhood friends.
He might be clueless and foolish at times, but he was responsible and put in more effort for his family than anyone else, not to mention he was the most handsome guy in town!
Not seeing any rivals, Julia thought that if they simply continued spending time together naturally, they could eventually marry, just like all the townspeople.
But before she knew it… 15 years had flown by, with new rivals popping up, and no real progress between them!
The situation was dire.
Recently joining the Irene School’s competition, Sora found her situation to be somewhat better.
Though she had faced misunderstandings about a fraudulent marriage, Yuren remained her life’s idol and savior.
No matter how capable one might be, it was a reality that rebels against the system were inevitably disliked.
Having fled the Magus Society, Sora thought she might never create a proper game or magic again.
But Yuren came to her, offering her opportunities, trust, and rewards.
That alone was enough for her to pledge lifelong loyalty, not to mention he was also incredibly attractive!
Having learned about the Empire law that allows for multiple marriages as long as there’s mutual consent, Sora actively began to appeal that even as a concubine, she could happily live with Yuren.
There was even this incident.
In the shower room of the Irene School’s accommodation, Sora waited after using the shower that Yuren used.
If Yuren caught a glimpse of her naked body, even if it wasn’t a sure thing, she thought their relationship might progress a little.
‘(What if we end up spending our first night together? Eek!♡)’
As Sora waited, she heard Yuren’s footsteps approaching.
Thud… thud… thud…
‘(Yes! Here it comes!!)’
In time with Yuren’s footsteps, Sora came out of the shower with nothing but a white towel barely covering herself.
If the door opened now, she could drop the towel in surprise.
Just patting herself on the back for such a flawless plan, the door swung open.
Clunk!
“Eek!♡”
The moment the door opened, Sora dropped the towel with a scream, exposing her bouncy, toned S-line body unique to her beastfolk heritage to the world, all while anticipating a night of passion…
Yuren’s eyes, however, were shrouded in darkness.
“Oh! Sora! So you were here. I could feel your magical energy, so I blocked my sight just in case. Don’t worry, I saw nothing.”
“Ah… Yes… Thank you, Yuren.”
In that moment, Sora realized why neither Sylvia nor Julia had managed to strategize against Yuren until now.
The ‘Shield God’s Barrier’ built by the Yura Republic to block the Zers Empire seemed weaker than this.
*
No matter how fantasy or unique the era may be, it wasn’t easy to view the romantic competitors favorably.
But with circumstances being what they were, the narrative had drastically changed.
For the three of them, Yuren felt like ‘a farmer who doesn’t reap his harvest.’
He was an inexplicable farmer who planted seeds, proudly declaring, “Grow well!” while passing by without ever harvesting.
That was how everyone felt about Yuren.
And with the risk that if they hoped for him to take action, they might all end up as old maids, the three decided to join forces.
A party was formed to strategize against the lovelorn Demon Lord Yuren.
“Sora, have you tried using that on Yuren?” Sylvia asked.
Sora replied with a gloomy expression, “Yes, Sylvia, I sprayed the Luring Potion that Julia got from the lab, and we spent about an hour together. But… he didn’t budge at all.”
“Really? I heard it was a potion so potent that even dragons would be lured by it…”
Julia had obtained the ‘Love Potion MK.99’ from her home, the Juel School.
It was said that the longer you smell it, the better the effect, so Sora bravely took the initiative to challenge Yuren, but ultimately it was another failure.
From the side, Irene, acting as the ‘strategic advisor’ for the Yuren operation, took a spoonful of ice cream and said, “Kids, didn’t I tell you? Yuren’s magical resistance is so high that those things won’t work on him.”
Irene took another bite of ice cream and continued, “To me, Yuren’s love life resembles that of a teenage elf. He probably won’t awaken to romance for another 300 years.”
“300 years? That would mean my fifth descendant might get married around then,” Sylvia sighed.
“Is it really the only option?” the three contemplated, having received Irene’s advice about the ancient elven couple-raising methods.
Yet, the three wanted to strategize against Yuren without relying on that.
“They say the mansion will be completed in a month’s time.”
“Is that where that room you mentioned earlier will be made?”
But ultimately, every other plan sank.
With no remaining options, the three decided to follow the method Irene had suggested.
“Yes… A room called ‘Room of No Exit Without Sex’ will be created in the basement of the mansion. Let’s settle this there.”
The ‘Room of No Exit Without Sex’— a magic constructed by elves with long lifespans, who have low reproductive urges, was created to ensure they can bear offspring.
The only way to escape this magically sealed room was to either solve the riddles and traps left by a mysterious god or… through sex.
The trio planned to lure Yuren into this room once the mansion was complete.
Shiver.
“What was that? I feel chills down my spine…”
At that moment, Yuren, who was engaged in a ranking match in Dune, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
