The first time Jeanette Christina Von Montaigne, a Baron’s daughter, served as Yuria Michelle Von Minshir’s tutor, I, Hal Raymond, provided her transportation by carriage.
On the way back, I encountered a junk shop. Inside a cage, I found Sophie Anne=Marie Yuma Yver, a former Second Princess and an acquaintance of Ly, in a drastically altered state.
Sophie was barely alive and had been modified into a “Human Dog.” A “Human Dog” is a sex slave whose limbs have been amputated at the elbows and knees, catering to customers with peculiar fetishes.
Of course, Level 2 slaves can be euthanized, so her condition was not illegal. However, such horrific modifications were not handled by the Raymond Trading Company. According to rumors I had heard from Gaspar about the industry, the disreputable slave trader Bashle Company was responsible. The Bashle Company was also involved when Mathias Moreau, a usurious lender, facilitated the purchase of sisters Solange and Mariel Dutois of the Old Kingdom of Vandis, who had attempted suicide by drowning due to debt.
Sophie was already broken, and the junk shop had been commissioned by a customer to carry out the euthanasia. Ly, Sophie’s acquaintance, pitied her and requested that I see her off. I negotiated with the junk shop owner, but he was initially reluctant, citing his contract with the customer. Nevertheless, I managed to purchase Sophie at the seller’s asking price.
The purchase price was a staggering 10 gold coins (equivalent to approximately 1 million yen) for a discarded slave, but my finances were generous. I had previously earned 50 gold coins (equivalent to approximately 5 million yen) for rehabilitating Jeanette Christina Von Montaigne, a Count’s daughter.
Ly and I brought Sophie back to the Base Mansion of the “Princess Harem.” Despite our efforts to allow Sophie to pass peacefully with her body intact, her appearance was restored, but her mind remained broken.
Then, as Ly was about to end Sophie’s suffering by placing a blade at her neck, a miracle occurred, and Sophie regained her senses. Currently, Sophie is bound by Slave Contract Magic, with her recent memories sealed. While I generally avoid using mental magic due to its severe side effects, I deemed it unavoidable in Sophie’s case.
Incidentally, Liliana also suffered greatly from a form of self-punishment (lynching) when she escaped from the high-class brothel “Drop of Rose,” but she had fainted immediately then. Sophie, on the other hand, had been toyed with until her mind broke, so I judged memory sealing to be necessary.
Furthermore, Sophie is in a peculiar state where her missing limbs are being mimicked by Kirika and my Summoned Beasts, Mimi No. 1 and Mimi No. 2. I intended to welcome Sophie into the “Princess Harem” as she was.
However, there was a complication. When Sophie was the Second Princess of the Yver Duchy, she was known as the “Princess Knight” and commanded a retinue of elite female knights. It was rumored that she had a fondness for beautiful girls and had taken advantage of them. If this continued, the Party Members of the “Princess Harem” could fall victim to Sophie’s predatory behavior. This is apparently known as an NTR (netorare) flag, and I had to avoid such a situation.
“Hal, Sophie touched my rear. Can you do something about it?”
When Tirna visited Sophie’s bedroom to make the bed, Sophie, feigning sleepiness, had been persistently groping her. Moreover, her touch was incredibly skilled, and she had even tried to insert her fingers into Tirna’s panties, which was malicious. Tirna, who reported this to me, had tears in her eyes. Furthermore, Tirna is still young and a virgin, whom I have not touched myself.
“Hal, Sophie gave me a lewd look at my chest, so I gave her a punch as punishment.”
Elise also reported that when she passed Sophie in the corridor, Sophie had been staring intently at the cleavage between her breasts. Her gaze was reminiscent of a middle-aged pervert, so Elise retaliated with a punch to encourage reflection.
Several other complaints were received, and we decided to hold a “trial in absentia” without the defendant, Sophie, present. Sophie should currently be fast asleep on the bed in the private room I had given her. In fact, Kirika and I had instructed Mimi No. 1 and Mimi No. 2, the Mimics disguised as Sophie’s limbs, to drain Sophie’s spirit and stamina. Therefore, Sophie was likely exhausted.
“Now, let us commence the ‘trial in absentia’ for Sophie, whose penchant for beautiful girls has become excessive. Are there any objections?”
“We have no objections!”
The twelve members of the “Princess Harem” gathered in the living room on the first floor unanimously agreed to the commencement of Sophie’s “impeachment trial,” also known as a “trial in absentia.” The attendees were myself, Elise, Mai, Swan Hilda, Ly, Kirika, Tirna, Freya, Edele, Dietlinde, Liliana, and Shera. Alicia, an observer, was not yet aware of Sophie’s arrival at the “Princess Harem” Base Mansion.
“First, let us establish the facts. Will the victims please come forward?”
“I was groped, though it was through my clothes—”
The first to testify was, surprisingly, Ly. She recounted how Sophie had snuck up behind her in the corridor and embraced her. During the embrace, Sophie had lewdly groped her breasts. Ly was indignant, feeling that her act of saving Sophie had been repaid with such disrespect, thus smearing her reputation. Incidentally, Ly and Liliana are distant relatives of Sophie, and Ly is of a higher status than Sophie. Consequently, Ly had slapped Sophie in return for the breast groping, but one could say it was her own fault.
“I was kissed on the neck—”
This time, it was Liliana. As they were walking side by side, Sophie suddenly stumbled and embraced her. While in that embrace, Sophie kissed her on the neck and attempted to lick her nape with her tongue, so Liliana pushed her away. Several other testimonies were made, and the fact-finding concluded.
Sophie’s current position is similar to that of Liliana and Shera a short while ago. That is, she is provisionally admitted to the “Princess Harem.” Formal admission to the “Princess Harem” requires passing an “Initiation Rite” known as “Quality Check.” Recently, I had been leaning towards the idea that the “Quality Check” might not be necessary. However, for the sake of shared fate, there were those who insisted on its implementation for spiritual reasons, while others like Elise enjoyed the undressing of beautiful girls with lewd intentions. The underlying sentiment seemed to be that they should undergo the same painful experiences as I did, equally.
“Are there any opinions in defense of Sophie?”
“Come to think of it, Sophie has always had a retinue of beautiful girls around her since childhood. Perhaps her actions now are just light physical affection for her…”
Liliana once again took the stand and began to defend Sophie, but her words only served to expose Sophie’s past misdeeds.
“I will also report my findings. After subjecting Sophie to ‘regression hypnosis,’ I discovered that she had acted upon her attending maids and female knights. According to Sophie’s explanation, although she was born with a female body, she had the heart of a man.”
In other words, Sophie had gender dysphoria.
“Is that true!?”
Liliana was surprised by my investigation results. Of course, all the Party Members of the “Princess Harem” were astonished to varying degrees. While rare, some individuals are born with a gender identity different from their perceived sex. It seemed Sophie was one such case. Having the heart of a man, she was naturally interested in beautiful girls.
“Now, let us proceed to the verdict. Is Sophie innocent or guilty?”
“Guilty!”
When I asked for their verdict on Sophie’s guilt, it was unanimous.
“Understood. Then, what shall her punishment be?”
“How about a slave band affixed to her neck with a bell attached?”
“Kirika, that’s too lenient. If it were me, I would confine her in restraining clothes until she reflects.”
“Elise, wouldn’t it be better to remove the Mimics that are currently mimicking her limbs?”
“Edele, then perhaps we could command the Mimics to administer punishment if she engages in improper behavior?”
“Freya, you sometimes say something sensible—”
The discussion regarding Sophie’s punishment became heated, with everyone offering their opinions. In the end, it was decided that if Sophie engaged in improper behavior, and the victim declared ‘Guilty!’, the Mimics, Mimi No. 1 and Mimi No. 2, which were mimicking her arms, would slap her cheeks. Afterward, Kirika and I gave instructions to Mimi No. 1 and Mimi No. 2, embedding a hidden command specific to me. The details of this hidden command will be a surprise for later. Furthermore, while opinions such as having Sophie wear a girl’s dress to encourage her awareness of being female, or forcing her to acknowledge her femininity by “inserting my penis” were voiced, the plan to implement cross-dressing has provisionally been decided. Moreover, although Sophie is currently treated as a pampered pet by the “Princess Harem,” Shera surprisingly became anxious that her place might be revoked. Elise and Freya, who were embracing the tearful Shera while indulging in her body, were operating as usual. On the other hand, Ly and Liliana, having been humiliated, were strongly advocating for harsher measures.
After Sophie’s “trial in absentia” concluded, Liliana moved to embrace me, but Elise and Dietlinde had already preempted her, so Liliana retreated with her shoulders slumped. Liliana herself is a beauty comparable to Ly of national ruinous proportions, but perhaps due to her complete lack of combat ability, she is rather gentle. In a way, she is a true princess, but in the “Princess Harem,” a collective of princesses, she often finds herself falling behind.
Thank you for reading.
Episode 23-2, Thorns of Remembrance and Meddling ①, is scheduled for pre-publication at 0:00 on September 25th.
