The effects of Levi's hypnosis seemed almost too effective… so effective, in fact, that Richelieu had truly embraced the illusions within her own mind. It left him a little overwhelmed.
Still, Levi had no choice but to keep going.
Even hypnosis had its limits—too drastic a shift in behavior might shatter the illusion, exposing everything.
That meant he had to maintain this bizarre posture, this awkward position, even if it looked ridiculous.
Thankfully, Richelieu's "confession" finally came to an end.
Levi let out a long sigh of relief.One he hadn't realized he was holding in far too long.
Richelieu, however, was staring at the "divine revelation" in her hands with an expression of pure delight.
…
"I've received your sincerity," Levi declared.
A few minutes later, he stepped out from behind the partition of the confessional. "Now then, let's talk about your compensation."
"As long as you'll forgive me," Richelieu replied without hesitation, "I'll accept any form of compensation you demand."
"Any form…?" Levi repeated, narrowing his eyes as he studied her.
"Yes."
He had already released her from hypnosis, so Richelieu was perfectly aware of everything that had just transpired.
And yet, despite how strange and unexpected the process had been… the end result was the same.
"In that case," Levi said at last, looming over her, "I'll state my terms."
Richelieu's long golden hair shimmered beneath the dim lighting of the confessional, her noble figure kneeling before him like a penitent priestess.
The cardinal leaned forward and kissed him reverently. "Please, speak."
Tch…
Levi had to restrain the urge to run his fingers through her silky hair. "You will devote yourself entirely to me. Body, soul, and everything you are will belong to me."
Richelieu blinked, her amaryllis-red eyes shifting as though something within them had changed.
"My lord… I already have."
Levi closed his eyes briefly, checking the mission window. No completion message yet.
"I believe your words," he said calmly. "But I have my own way of verifying sincerity."
Richelieu nodded obediently.
"Good. Then now—it's time for you to show me everything."
Again she leaned forward to kiss him. "Yes, my Commander, my Lord, my beloved… I will show you everything."
The confessional's dividing wall had finally found its greatest purpose: pinning down a shipgirl.
Levi grinned with satisfaction, his palm landing firmly on the white folds of Richelieu's dress.
"Tell me—do you wear this same outfit every day?"
"There are many variations," Richelieu answered from the other side of the wooden board, her voice muffled but teasing. "But this one is the most common. As the Cardinal of Iris, after all, I must maintain the dignity of my position."
Levi gave her another light smack. "And what is your position?"
"I am the leader of the Iris fleet~" she purred.
Richelieu was quickly shedding her earlier nervousness. Each playful strike from her Commander only made her more mischievous, her voice laced with flirtation as if daring him to continue.
"And what else?" Levi pressed, his hand rising and falling again.
"Ohh…" Richelieu's hands were trapped on the opposite side of the partition, helpless to soothe the places where he struck her. All she could do was taunt him with her words. "I am also the first flagship of the Free Iris."
"And?" Levi's tone was patient, almost lazy. He had all the time and energy in the world today, more than enough to toy with this shipgirl who kept provoking him once she loosened up.
He smacked her from a new angle. "What else?"
"Mmm…" Richelieu pretended to think, her voice low and playful. "I am also a Cardinal of the Iris Church."
"Keep going."
He wasn't satisfied yet. He wanted to hear just how many titles she could invent before she reached the one that mattered.
"Well… I'm Jean Bart's older sister. Strictly speaking, we aren't on the same faction, but blood ties don't lie…"
Levi cut her off with another sharp strike. "That one I already knew. What else?"
"I'm also one of the shipgirls who adores Commander Cats… I think the word for that kind of person is… cat slave?"
Levi rolled his eyes and activated his x-ray ability. The only thing he saw through the partition was damp soil, and it made him sigh. "Not what I'm looking for. Keep going."
"I… I can't think of anything else," Richelieu finally admitted, her voice dripping with surrender. "Except that I am already utterly devoted to you, Commander."
"Took you long enough," Levi smirked. "If you'd said that earlier, you could have spared yourself the trouble."
"Mm… But Commander, how do you know this wasn't a reward for me?"
"…You little…"
Her words were barely out before Levi's strikes grew harder.
So she enjoyed being spanked, huh?
Fine. He'd indulge her.
Levi had thought that punishing her from both sides would at least temper her playfulness.
But Richelieu only grew bolder, her movements brimming with energy.
"My Commander, my Lord, my Master…" she moaned.
Levi froze for a moment.Oh, hell.
Was this really turning into a reward for her?
Whatever. A reward was still a reward.
As long as she submitted and the mission cleared, that was all that mattered.
And so, pinned helplessly against the confessional wall, Richelieu experienced her "first time" in that sacred space.
…
Later, in the rest chamber.
"So, my Lord… is this the kind of position you prefer?"
"I didn't expect you to enjoy it," Levi shot back.
"I am a member of the clergy," Richelieu said with a sly smile. "Isn't it natural for me to enjoy such… sacrilegious play?"
Levi groaned. "If someone else heard you say that—if, say, Algerie heard it—"
He stopped himself, mind flashing through names.
Vanguard? Yeah… judging from his impression, she'd definitely be into it too.
Algerie? With her temperament, maybe not obvious at first glance… but honestly, the odds were still pretty high.
The more Levi thought about it, the less he could find a proper counterargument.
"…Well? You can't refute me, can you?" Richelieu teased.
"Heh…"
Fine. If words couldn't shut her up, he'd use something else.
Levi silenced her with the most direct, physical method available.
"Mmm…"
A few minutes later, Richelieu looked up at him, flushed and smiling. "Commander~"
Levi tapped her cheek with his palm.
"My Lord~"
"Hm?"
"My Master… you seem to have quite the fondness for my lips."
Levi traced a finger across her soft, crimson mouth. "So full and red… of course I do."
Richelieu's eyes gleamed as she gently wrapped her lips around his finger.
When Levi withdrew his hand, he gave her shoulder a firm pat.
Understanding the signal, Richelieu shifted, turning her back to him.
"My Lord~"
"Yes?"
"Tell me… are you familiar with Plato?"
"Of course," Levi answered. "He was a philosopher—"
"That's not the Plato I mean," Richelieu cut in with a coy smile. "I meant… another kind entirely."