Chapter 8: Chapter 8: A Bath and Second Briefing

"Aaaaaahh~ This is the life!"

Relaxing in the bath of my mansion, I let out a huge sigh of joy as I submerged myself in the hot water.

Jonah has gone to sleep after storing the magic items we looted from Marquis Anderson's hidden stash into a safe place. It's been three days since he last slept. Formerly trained assassin or not, there's a limit as to how long one can stay awake for.

Jonah isn't just my butler. He's also my bodyguard who protects me from any sneaky intruders after my life. Basically, he's a former assassin I hired to take care of other assassins. Because of which, he is known as the Assassin Killer whom many skilled assassins came to fear. Making my life somewhat a bit more peaceful.

But it's also because of that additional job of his that he had to stay up all day and night to remain alert, so that I can sleep without any disturbance.

And that's why this mansion exist. With the written ownership under the name, Luna Midnight, which is the alias used by the woman me, this mansion serves as a another safe spot for me besides my room in the palace to relax without any fear of assassins coming. Allowing Jonah to have his beauty sleep after staying up for several days straight.

It also acts as another base of operation for the Info Guild like the Secret Garden flower store.

With that said, I ponder to myself. "What should I do with this?"

The Divine Dagger taken from Marquis Anderson's hidden stash is in my hands. I had totally forgot to pass it to Jonah so that he could store it as well, which is why it's with me in the bath.

Obviously, judging by its appearance, this God Almighty item won't remove my curse. But... I am curious on what it can do.

The problem is how do I figure that out...?

 Should I just use it now? Or...

Yeah... Just to be safe, I should read the text craved on the blade first. But it's in the ancient language and translating it will take time, so...

"Bah. I'll do it later!" I said, putting the artifact aside and stopped thinking so hard because, like I've stated, I'm taking a bath right now. And bath times are for one to relax their mind and body.

And speaking of body...

"Hngh~!"

My hand has drifted down to my groin, touching the most erogenous parts of my female body as I let out several soft moans of pleasure.

I'm relaxing a bit too hard here. But...

"Haa~ Ah~"

This feels good~

We have just started with investigations. But assuming that things are about to become more complicated, I decided to let myself go off right now and release whatever bottled up stress I have at the moment. So that I can focus on the mission later on.

"Aahnn~"

It's funny... Whenever I'm a man, my sexual attraction is towards women than it is to other men. But when I'm a woman, it becomes the opposite. I guess this goes to say that the Transformation Curse does not only affect me physically, but mentally as well. Because, well... what I want to say is: "Oh god. I need something phallic in me right about now."

Yeah... something like that— Uh wait, what...?

After noticing a radiant light in the corner of my eye, the Divine Artifact which I had placed next to me has transformed into a... into a... umm....

It transformed into a freaking dildo!

...

This sight is really absurd. However, now I'm intrigued.

The reason why it changed was because I wanted something phallic, didn't I? If that's the case...

As I hold the Divine Artifact which had turned from a dagger to a tool for sexual pleasure, I pondered for a moment on what I would want next and decided that anything would be fine.

A small box, I guess.

The moment I thought about what I want it to become, the Divine Artifact glowed as its shape begin changing into a small cuboid object that fits in the palm of my hand.

The transformation was almost instant, which amazed me greatly as I proceeded to have it change into more stuffs.

A short sword, a harp, a handheld bell, a bracelet, a ring, brass knuckles, a handkerchief. The Divine Artifact in my hand transformed from one object to another, becoming many shapes and sizes with each object it changed into.

"Puhehehehehehehe~"

Upon my discovery on what the Divine Artifact could do, I couldn't help but to giggle in joy.

This thing can change into any object the wielder desires! The possibilities are endless! I think!

There are magic items that can do that as well. But those types only have a few forms they can transform into, which were set beforehand. And they can break easily depending on their material and how they are used. Especially if they are weapons.

However, for this tool, there is no object it cannot transform into. Although I have yet to test that, I can say for certain that it can change into anything, so as long as the object is a solid state.

I am trying to make it turn into liquid but so far, nothing is happening.

What's more, this was just the surface of what I have uncovered.

If... let's just say, if I were to turned it into a key, could I open a locked door with it? Could I open any locked doors with it?

That terrifying thought shook my mind. Because if that is possible, then anything else that I would think about using this thing would also be possible.

Just which God exactly made this artifact? The God of Convenience? This thing is way too handy to be collecting dust in some hidden storeroom. Marquis Anderson must have not realised how good this Divine Artifact was and left it in his secret collections, thinking it's just some golden shiny dagger made by the Gods, perhaps.

How foolish of him... But thanks to that foolishness, I now hold possession of this god convenient item. Also, since it is a Divine Artifact, it cannot be broken no matter what, which is a huge plus for me.

I will graciously make us of this tool for whatever missions going forward. But first...!

Become a dildo again.

I'm still horny~

***************

It is some time around noon, I'm assuming. The sun is shining the brightest in my eyes as I was forcefully awaken by its light.

"Ugh... can someone shut the curtains..." I muttered moodily, not wanting to wake up just yet and indulge myself under the warm comfort of the blanket instead. 

"Understood, Master." said a woman's voice as I hear the blinds being drawn with the light no longer in my eyes. However, by then it was hard for me to return to sleep. What's more, I got up, wondering...

"How long have you been there, Rosalina?"

"Ever since Master fell asleep after becoming a man. I have been watching over you this entire time." Rosalina replied. And to my displeasure, I frowned.

"First off, you know I don't like being watched while asleep. Secondly, you could've just join me in the bed, you know. Without your clothes on, that is." I smirked, poking a teasing comment at Rosalina as a joke.

"If that's what Master wishes, then shall I join you naked right now?"

"Oh yeah. Totally. That would be grea— I beg your pardon?"

Before I could say anything, Rosalina started disrobing.

"Stop stop stop!" I yelled, jumping out of the bed and stopping her from going further. "I'm not feeling aroused now. Do that when I am."

"Understood, Master." Rosalina replied, fixing her clothes back in place as I breathed a sigh of relief.

Rosalina can't take a joke. She is more serious and straightforward than Jonah, working diligently as my... as Lady Luna's personal and loyal maid.

Being an executive of the Central branch of the Info Guild as well, her job is to manages and train any newly hired individuals I sent to her for them to be working for nobles in the Capital later on, as a way to gather intelligence from inside of their households.

Little Maggie is to be one of those agents eventually under Rosalina's tutelage. The information I have on her led me to believe that she can be trusted as such. Although, hiring her at that time was definitely a spur-of-the-moment on my part. Hehe~

"By the way, Rosalina, is Jonah awake yet?"

"Yes. He is waiting outside of your room currently. Shall I call him in?"

"No. Help me get changed first, will you?"

"Understood, Master. And another thing to add, Miss Vivian, Leo and Mister Eobard are also waiting for you in the dining room with lunch ready. Will you be joining them there?"

"Of course. Meals are more fun when taken with others." I said. Then, I got myself dressed in some nice and casual clothes and went to meet with my Info Guild executives in the dining room, with Jonah and Rosalina following behind me as I left my room.

We passed by some servants of the house who are also Info Guild employees, but they heed me no mind. Because to their knowledge, I, the Playboy Fifth Prince, am the secret sponsor of the Info Guild and is therefore normal for me to "visit" this mansion that I had practically paid for.

"Well well well. Look who's finally here and looking all fashionable no less." Eobard commented first as I walked in. Without waiting, he had already started eating without me. Gnawing down on the leg of the chicken roast on the table.

Leo and Vivian have also done the same with a balance variety of food on their plates.

"Seems like I kept you all waiting, huh?" I stated and took my seat. "Let us eat then. We can discuss investigation results later."

My first action was to go for the pastries. Dessert always comes first for me, before anything else. Normally, I wouldn't do this in front of Father or other people I'm not well acquainted with. But since there are only friends whom I trust here, I don't care about that.

"Mmm~ The cheesecake is so good."

"Hahaha! Always the cake lover, aren't you, little prince?" said Eobard.

"That's where you're wrong, my friend. I love all forms of sweets. Cakes included. So I would appreciate it if you do not call me a 'cake lover'" I humbly rectified his mistake, to which Eobard laughs.

"As you say, boss."

While I was chatting with Eobard, Vivian went ahead and placed some food other than pastries on another plate before handing to me.

"Thank you, my dear." I graciously expressed my gratitude with smile, finishing the slice of cheesecake first and clearing my mouth with water before moving on with the main course.

Delicious, was the only thought in my mind as I ate.

Eventually, our lunchtime was over.

After Rosalina and the other servants cleared the table, they left with Jonah locking the doors behind them, leaving only me, him and the executives excluding Rosalina to be the only ones in the dining room now. Allowing us to begin discussing the results of our investigations.

"So first up, I'll begin." I said, speaking first. "Jonah and I found some clues in Marquis Anderson's mansion, along with proof of his possession of the Pleasure drug. It is likely that an aristocrat named Gulliver Gold is a supplier for said drug, using one, if not, several of his businesses like the Perfume Fiora, to secretly send stocks of the drugs to the distributers like Marquis Anderson and possibly, Viscount Kir...?" I turned to Leo, asking for a confirmation on the last part.

Leo nodded. "We also believed that to be true." he said. "Miss Vivian found multiple invoices from a textile business owned by that aristocrat while we were in the Viscount's office. We also found evidence of the nobleman's possession of the drug." he added.

"I see. Then our next investigation target is the merchant aristocrat, Gulliver Gold. If he's a supplier, then it's possible that we can find the drug's manufacturer through him." I stated.

"Ok. So then, is it my turn to report now?" Eobard asked.

"Yes. There is one more important thing that Jonah and I came across. But I'll tell you all after your report." I said, allowing Eobard to inform us of his investigation result.

"So, how did it go?"

"Well, pretty great actually. I beat up like twenty guys that night before their big boss Zacky arrived to stop us." Eobard answered proudly, as Leo subtly scorned at him.

"Battle maniac..." the boy muttered.

Vivian on the other hand seemed indifferent to Eobard's methods. Being his fellow co-worker longer than Leo has been, she has become used to it by now.

Then, Eobard continued his report. "After that, I followed Zacky to his office and had a chat with him. Apparently, the Dark Guild knows nothing about Pleasure. If anything, it was their first time learning of the drug's existence in the country."

"I see..."

The Dark Guild is an underground organisation that dabbles in illegal activities. Drug dealing is one of them. Which is why if they have something to do with Pleasure, they would have some useful info for sure. But to hear that they know nothing about it at all, indicates that they aren't involved in this problem.

I personally know their boss, Isaac, whom Eobard calls "Zacky" as his nickname. That man may be many things. But a liar ain't one of them.

So if the Dark Guild have nothing to do with this matter, we can say for certain that this problem isn't that big of a threat as we initially thought. If anything, the problem seemed to only be affecting the nobles of the Neutral Faction. That conversation Jonah and I heard between Marquis Anderson and the cloaked man is further proof of that.

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"So umm, Lady Lu— I mean, Prince Sol...? What was that one thing you came across last night?" Leo asked, almost calling me Lady Luna which he is mostly used to calling me as.

"Right. That one thing... It was more of a person than an object though." I said, thinking about how I should explain what we witnessed.

"Well, basically... Jonah and I saw the mastermind behind this Pleasure problem."

A dead silence loomed room. The expressions of everyone turned into shock.

"W-What?" said Leo, unable to comprehend what he had just heard.

"Hold on. Seriously?" Eobard doubted my words as well, as it's not a common occurrence that a person would run into the mastermind of some shady business. Something like that can only be chalked up to pure coincidence and nothing more.

However, that pure coincidence did, in fact, happened.

Meanwhile, Vivian's left eye which is not covered by her bangs can be seen opened wide from astonishment. Even a quiet girl like her was unable to contain her surprise.

The only one who isn't surprised is Jonah, since he was with me at that time.

"On that night, he was holding a secret conversation with the Marquis in his office. Unbeknownst to them that we were already there, hiding."

"Why were you hiding?" Eobard asked. "Couldn't you use your magic on them?"

"I had a bad feeling and decided to hide instead. It turned out to be right. The mastermind is a magician. Therefore, we had to stay hidden under the Invisibility Cloak."

"I see." Eobard smirked. "Sounds like your butler had a bit of a good time." he said.

"What do you mean by that?" Jonah glared at the smirking Eobard, who happily answered.

"Oh, you know what I meant, brother. Had the little princess's wonderful orbs pressed against your chest, didn't you?" he said.

However, Jonah kept his silence. Which only answered Eobard's question more than enough.

"Guys, this is not the time. Also Leo sitting is sitting right there. So please refrain from any adult topics." I reprimanded Eobard.

"Yet talking about drugs is valid, huh?" he retorted.

"Well, as long as it's not the birds and the bees, then I see no worries."

"Umm, what is the birds and the bees?" Leo questioned with a look of innocent confusion.

"Birds are a flying creature that you see all over the city and the bees are the ones that make honey. Got that, kid?" Eobard sarcastically replied.

"I know what they are! I was asking what the phrase means." Leo argued. But before they started fighting, I cleared my throat, preventing them from going further as they remained silent.

"Eobard, you should really stop picking on your colleagues."

"Haha. Sorry." said Eobard, with no reflection on his actions whatsoever.

Oh well...

"Ahem. Anyways, while we were hiding, we overheard the conversation between the mastermind and the Marquis." I continued speaking about our findings. "Turns out, they were using the drug to bring nobles from the Neutral Faction into the Third Prince's Faction. And after hearing Eobard's report on his investigation at the Dark Guild, it would seemed that only the nobles of the Neutral Faction are the ones being affected by this mess."

"So it's like what the blockhead said: A constipacy."

"It's pronounced 'conspiracy', kid. Da heck is a constipacy?"

"Shut up, muscle freak."

Haah... These two really get along well, don't they... I say that with a sarcastic tone in my head.

"ANYWAYS...! I believe it's safe to say that this matter won't become a national problem." I stated loudly, stopping Eobard and Leo from fighting... again. "However, it is still a problem nonetheless. So our next target to investigate is the aristocrat, Gulliver Gold, and every noble of the Neutral Faction. The former is so that we can find the manufacturer location, whereas the latter is to figure out who else in the Third Prince's Faction are involved in this scheme."

"And what about the mastermind behind the matter? Are we not going to investigate him?" Leo asked.

"No. Although I said that we saw him, Jonah and I were unable to see his face. However, just from his voice alone, I think I know who it was under the hood."

"So we do know his identity. What's the problem then?" Eobard inquired.

"The problem is that I do not want to correct for once. The man I'm thinking about is someone I know personally; someone whom I respect greatly; someone whom I would never imagine to be behind such a thing. But then again, he is also one of the few people in the country that I hold very little information on. Which is why it is possible that the person Jonah and I saw was his true face all along."

As I was visibly expressing my hesitation to name the individual, Jonah stepped up and asked, "Your Highness, please... give us the name."

...

I took a short while to calm my nerves. Then, I answered.

"Archduke Zeke Aragon Silvacaster, the younger fraternal twin of the King and... my uncle."

"Your uncle is the mastermind!?" Leo yelled in shock.

"I can't say for certain, but it most likely is just from the voice I heard. My uncle's voice has a... certain tone that is rather distinct from others. So if there's anyone I can think of, it's him."

However, my uncle is a patriotic man who loves his country and cherishes others' lives more than his own. Which makes me question if the person Jonah and I saw was really him. What's more, he's supposed to be part of the Neutral Faction as well. Which makes me wonder even more why he is working with the nobles of the Third Prince's Faction.

"Hold on now, little prince." Eobard spoke up. "Isn't your uncle supposed to be in the South where his territory is? How can he be here then?" he asked a valid question. However...

"It is possible for the Archduke to appear in the Capital unexpectedly." said Jonah, answering in my stead.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"The Archduke is a magician. Which is another reason why His Highness assumed the mastermind to be him, besides from recognising his voice. As for the nature of his magic, it's—"

"Teleportation." I jumped in at the last sentence. "My uncle can transport not just himself, but other people and objects as well to wherever he's been to. Which is how he gets around in the country."

"That's... amazingly convenient."

"Yes, it is..."

That's only what he told me he could do, however. Which made me believe that he can do more than just that.

I then stood up. "Enough about my uncle for now. If he really is the mastermind behind this Pleasure problem, finding the manufacturing location may lead us to finding out whether he's involved or not."

However, Uncle is also a meticulous and cautious man. So we may just not find anything on him, unlike with Marquis Anderson and Viscount Kir when we infiltrated their estates.

"Vivian. You and Rosalina will be joining me to investigate Gulliver Gold."

Vivian nods her head, acknowledging her orders.

"Eobard and Jonah. I want the both of you to go to every noble household of the Neutral Faction that are in the Capital and find out who else are distributing the drugs to them. I'll write you a list on the houses to investigate, so that you both won't mess up."

"Understood, Your Highness."

"Okie dokie~!"

"And Eobard, no beating up people this time, all right?"

"Of course. I'll be on my best behaviour, Your Highness~"

I highly doubt that...

"Finally, Leo..."

He perked up excitedly. "Yes, Prince Sol?"

"You can go home for the time being." I said, killing the child's enthusiasm.

"What?"

"Take a proper rest. You haven't really slept much yet, have you?"

"Uh, I-I..."

"Go home and rest. I will be needing you soon enough in the future. When that happens, I want you to be in top shape. Understood?"

In the first place, a child like him shouldn't be working so hard, so much. Which is why I'm letting Leo rest for a few days until we find something more. But considering Leo's personality, he wouldn't be satisfied with that explanation. So, I gave him that excuse instead, stating that I will be needing him later on.

"Y-Yes! I understand. I shall go home and rest properly." said Leo, accepting my orders with a cute smile on his face.

If I was still a woman now, I would probably be internally fawning over that face he's making.

"All right then. You guys know your next mission. Jonah, Eobard, the both of you will be the busiest ones among us here. Vivian, you can go take a rest in one of the guest rooms if you haven't had enough sleep yet. Our mission will begin tomorrow. And Leo, give your mother my regards, all right? And the children at the orphanage as well. I will be bringing lots of cakes the next time I visit, so they can look forward to it. With that being said, this meeting has ended. You may all leave now."

"Yes, Your Highness." Leo bowed and made his leave first.

Next was Vivian who went off to get herself a proper rest.

Jonah remained in the room since he is still working as my butler at the moment. Whereas for Eobard, he raised his hand.

"Hold on, little prince. Do Jonah and I start our mission now or tomorrow?"

"As soon as I hand you both the list, would be best. So yeah, now." I reached out my hand to Jonah, who passed me a pen and some papers.

"But your mission with Vivian and Rosalina begins tomorrow? Why?" Eobard inquired out of curiosity as I wrote.

"Because you see, my friend, I actually found a Divine Artifact last night at the Marquis's home with Jonah. I have already figured out what the item can do more or less, and that it will not be able to remove my curse. But, I still wish to test out its capabilities further. Therefore, I will be doing just that for the rest of today." I answered, leaving the man satisfied with my response.

"Okay then. Hope you have fun with that."

"Oh, trust me. I will."

I finished writing just then and handed both men each a copy of the list of nobles in the Capital, who are part of the Neutral Faction.

"Here your list. Now... screw off already."

"Guhahaha~ Aye aye, sir!"

Jonah and Eobard then left the dining room together. Leaving me to be the last to leave where upon exiting, I see Rosalina standing outside, waiting for me.

"Did you hear our conversation inside?"

"Yes, Master. My apologies."

"No need to apologise. Saves me the trouble of explaining the mission to you. Come. Let's go to my room now."

"Understood."

I returned to my bedchambers with Rosalina following behind. But as I opened the door and stepped inside, I find Vivian soundly asleep on my bed.

This is not a guest room, girl. What are you doing here?

"Haah..." I sighed, placed the blanket over her body and left her be. Sitting by the table instead to begin experimenting with the Divine Artifact.

But where is the Divine Artifact? One may ask...

The answer: It was on my wrist all along. I turned it into a bracelet prior to going to sleep after dawn.

Now then... let's see what else you can really do, Divine Shapeshifter.

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