The Main Character is the Villain

It looked like I was suddenly about to become a married man. After much deliberation, I had finally decided to get married.

In this kingdom, a lord's independent judgment was fundamentally respected, but for grave crimes, one had to follow the kingdom's basic laws. For example, just because I caught a crazed lesbian murderer who had raped dozens of women in the trade city and castrated and killed dozens of adventurers on sea voyages, it didn't mean I could pardon her as I pleased.

The kingdom would entrust her treatment to me while I held Eve captive, but if I just pardoned her on a whim, there was bound to be an immediate intervention. So, I needed a suitable excuse to pardon Eve, and thankfully, I also had the title of a member of the 'Hero's Party' that had once again defeated the Demon King.

With that, if I, who defeated the Demon King, asked for a pardon for her and a mermaid, there was no reason the country wouldn't grant it.

So, requesting a pardon for Eve was easy, but I needed a reason. If I just asked for a pardon, the kingdom would be in a difficult position, so I had to provide a plausible reason. The reasons were 'conversion to the Archdeity Church' and 'she is the one I will marry.' The first option, converting to the Archdeity Church, was a situation where she was screaming she'd rather die, so Eve had no choice but to marry me.

I'd caught a beautiful woman, and it would be a waste to just kill her. A beauty on Eve's level was worth the title of a married man.

A member of the Hero's Party is a guy crazy with sexual desire who wants to fuck a mermaid, who would stop him? Fortunately, the doctrine of the Archdeity Church had nothing against fucking mermaids, nor did it say that humans could only marry other humans.

Thanks to that, I sent letters to the Archdeity Central Church and the Royal Palace with a clear conscience. To summarize the contents,

I want to marry the mermaid hybrid, Eve. However, she has committed such cruel crimes that she currently has criminal status. Instead of a reward for defeating the Demon King as a member of the Hero's Party, please pardon Eve and her mother, the mermaid. And please build a swimming pool in our mansion.

"Why the swimming pool?" Eve, who was beside me, asked. After some very enjoyable sex yesterday, I had unfastened Eve's chains and allowed her to walk freely inside the mansion. The servants, having heard the rumors about Eve, were trembling in fear as if a rabid dog had been let off its leash in the mansion, but after I convinced them multiple times that Eve was safe, they seemed to have finally come to an understanding and started their work.

Of course, that didn't mean the servants would approach Eve or speak to her. People avoided her as if she were a plague god. Eve seemed displeased by this, but she didn't go out of her way to say anything.

"We can't keep Cellu in the bathtub forever."

Cellu herself was bored, and the servant who brought food to the bathtub looked annoyed, so this issue had to be resolved as quickly as possible. If I were to build a swimming pool with our territory budget, word would get out immediately, so it was best to request something like this from the state.

"Right. Hey, but you keep calling my mother..."

"She's our mother now."

"......Fuck, I really can't get used to this."

Eve scratched her head. Leaning against my side, she watched me work all day long. Thanks to that, Aira, who had always tempted me during work hours, was now standing in a corner, trembling.

And so, a few days passed. The replies came back faster than I expected. And just as quickly as those replies, a rumor was spreading through the Peta Territory that I was a mermaid-fucker. It seemed that when I was with Sieri and Aira, people were quite good at keeping silent, but apparently, the fact that I was having sex with a mermaid was something they just couldn't keep to themselves.

Thanks to that, while letters were flying in from all directions, strange rumors circulated in the territory, like how I had gone crazy after living too celibately, or that the sexual 'feel' of a mermaid was so fucking good it had made even that lord lose his mind.

Three letters had arrived. They were from the Church, the Kingdom, and the Elf Kingdom of Ahildern, respectively. From the Archdeity Central Church,

- The Southern High Priest's decision is a beautiful one that upholds the motto of the Archdeity Church. We acknowledge that love knows no borders or races and respect your choice. However, it is regrettable that you did not consider the social repercussions or controversies this decision may cause.

came a letter that, while very politely chiding me, still acknowledged the marriage itself.

From the Royal Palace,

- The Royal Palace accepts the request of Peta Lusius and pardons the murderer Eve and her mother, the mermaid, of their sins. However, should Eve divorce Peta Lusius or commit an act equivalent to her previous crimes, this pardon will be revoked, and the criminals Eve and her mother, the mermaid, will be sentenced to death by boiling.

came what was effectively a permit.

"What's death by boiling?"

"It's being boiled to death."

"Fuck, what kind of fucking..."

And I have no idea how far the rumor of me being a mermaid-fucker had spread, but a letter had also arrived in the name of Ahildern Erina of the Elf Kingdom, and its contents were quite the spectacle.

-Peta Sirius in heaven would surely bless the fact that you made a better choice than bestiality.

Fucking bitch.

The territory was regaining its peace. The guild master of the trade city of Esta sent a letter denouncing my insane choice, but I ruthlessly ignored it. The village residents were slowly recovering from their initial shock and were starting to show signs of acceptance.

Besides me having sex with a mermaid, I hadn't shown any particular change in behavior or indulged in luxury, so it ended up being just a temporary issue. The gossips still went around talking about my, Peta Lusius's, bizarre sexual desire, but there was no further commotion. It was their freedom to gossip behind my back, but saying such things to my face would be an insult.

There isn't a single bastard who would call a mermaid-fucker who can smash a person's head with his bare hands a 'mermaid-fucker' to his face.

And so, my life at the mansion seemed to be maintaining its peace. Cellu was satisfied with the swimming pool being built step by step, and Eve, though annoyed at having to learn refinement as the lord's wife, was nevertheless satisfied.

Even Aira, after some time, seemed to have gotten somewhat used to Eve.

But there was one person, Sieri, who had become truly anxious since Eve's arrival. I hadn't been calling Sieri to my room recently, and with the rumor of me being a mermaid-fucker spreading, it seemed she felt a sense of anxiety about her position.

She would blatantly come to my room on her days off and ask if I wasn't going to have any 'consolation' today, or she would suddenly butt into my conversations with Eve. That night was one I spent without sleeping with either Eve or Cellu. I had work to take care of in my office late into the night, and I was on my way back to my room after finishing up the documents.

Seeing a suspicious shadow lingering in front of my room door, I silenced my footsteps. I cautiously approached through the darkness and lunged from behind.

"Kyak!"

Slender shoulders, a cute voice, and the scent of incense commonly used by the Archdeity Church nuns brushed the tip of my nose. Soft hair grazed my cheek, and in the light leaking from the crack of the door, I identified the shadow.

"Sieri?"

It was Sieri. With a flustered expression, her arms and neck caught in my grip, she was frozen stiff. I couldn't understand why Sieri was standing in front of my room door at this hour.

"Sieri. What's wrong?"

Sieri looked at me with a flustered face, then turned her head and spoke.

"U-um... I heard you're getting... married. To... th-the mermaid."

I took Sieri's hand and pulled her into the room. Sieri cautiously entered my room and timidly wrapped her arms around herself.

I closed the room door and said to Sieri.

"Sieri. So, did you come to congratulate me?"

"U-um... now that you're getting... married... I was wondering if you might not need my consolation anymore..."

Sieri, red as a carrot to her ears, was trailing off. I stroked Sieri's head and held her tight. Sieri buried her face in my chest and asked again.

"U-um... with all due respect... I... d-don't really understand... why you, My Lord, are marrying that... criminal."

Sieri was forcing out each and every letter. For her timid disposition, this was likely the best she could do. I held her head tighter and spoke in a small voice.

"Sieri. We all commit sins. Right? There is no one in this world who is innocent, and I myself have done many things that go against the doctrine of the Archdeity Church while managing this territory."

"Ah... I didn't mean that you, My Lord..."

As I blamed myself, Sieri tried to take back her words in a flustered voice. I held her face even tighter against me, preventing her from speaking.

"Eve is a sinner who has committed crimes. But at the same time, she is an unfortunate person who has only memories of being ostracized and abused. Sieri. Does the Archdeity Church say to always give severe punishment to criminals?"

"No... A criminal must be given a minimal chance... to repent."

"Yes. That's right. I want Eve to reflect on her sins and blend in with people. But she had already committed too many crimes, so I couldn't save her just by petitioning. I needed a reason. That's why I appealed to family affection. Through marriage, I pleaded for just one chance, because Eve would become my wife."

"Aah... Then, the reason you married her, My Lord, was..."

Sieri's eyes were wide as she looked at me. Tears were streaming from both of them. What kind of tears were those? Were they tears of repentance for her own misguided heart, or tears of realization? Either way, it didn't matter to me.

"It doesn't matter what you think, Sieri. But I just want you to know that the one I like the most is you, Sieri."

I said this as I caressed Sieri's face. Sieri nodded, her face blushing. I slowly pushed Sieri against the wall and kissed her. Soft lips parted and tongues tangled. After indulging in each other's lips for a long while, I grabbed Sieri's pants and spoke.

"I need consolation, Sieri."

"Yes....."

Sieri said, breathing heavily.