Lemumni
A moment later, the communication crystal went completely dark.
And with it, a smile bloomed on Carol's lips — beautiful, yet somehow carrying an unmistakably sinister edge.
"…Did the threats go well?"
"Hehe. Please mind your wording, Jun. It wasn't a threat — it was persuasion."
"Persuasion. Right. Persuasion. So what exactly did you say to persuade them?"
"Nothing much. I simply informed the staff that personal one-on-one meetings with me might be scheduled in the near future, and I let the adventurers know that good commissions might not be coming in for a while. That was all."
…And that's not a threat?
Carol's words had been framed as possibilities, not certainties. But anyone with half a brain could tell that those possibilities would harden into certainties depending on how people chose to behave from this point on. She hadn't issued a single forceful command, yet anyone listening would have heard a threat loud and clear.
"Hmm… yeah, that checks out as persuasion."
"Hweh? J-Jun, you're seriously calling that persuasion?"
"Yep. Pure, one-hundred-percent persuasion."
Well, there was no real need for Jun to point out the distinction. Whether Carol's words counted as threats or persuasion, they still worked in his favor either way. And a woman who looked as sharp as she did wouldn't have delivered that kind of thinly veiled pressure for no reason. A little of that was probably necessary to snap anyone who'd seen Jun's face back to their senses.
"Is that so? Has the definition of persuasion expanded while I wasn't looking? That doesn't seem right…"
"What are you fretting over, For? It's already over and done with. Here — have some candy and forget the whole thing."
"Waah! A lollipop!"
After quieting Fortuna — who had been tilting her head in genuine confusion — with a treat she adored, Jun turned back to Carol.
"I'm glad I seem to have found a good partner."
"Hehe. Likewise. I'm truly delighted to have a partner with such a flexible way of thinking."
"Hahaha."
"Hohoho."
"Heeheehee. Lick, lick! So yummy!"
Jun was pleased that his assigned partner was competent. Carol was pleased that hers was someone she could actually talk to. Fortuna was pleased that her lollipop was delicious. All three of them could smile in perfect contentment.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
"Uwaaah!"
"Open the door! Open the damn door!"
"Please, just once! Just let me see him one more time!"
Even with a door thrashing violently right in front of them as if holding back a zombie horde, the three of them kept smiling. Meanwhile, a handful of staff and adventurers — jolted back to reality by Carol's kind persuasion — began subduing the people who had turned into zombies.
Confirming the situation through the door, Jun let out a sigh of relief. Carol spoke.
"Well then. Let's leave the cleanup to them and finish our own business."
"Let's wrap it up quickly. Using my power made me hungry."
"Hehe. Understood. Shall we, then?"
Carol smiled gently and took the lead. Her smile carried more than beauty — it radiated kindness and a quiet maturity. Fortuna occasionally, very occasionally, wore a smile like that, but as noted, those moments were rare enough that Jun found himself half-mesmerized as he followed behind her.
And then his eyes fell on the full, generous curve of her hips wrapped snugly in a tight skirt, and the healthy thighs sheathed in brown stockings.
Sway. Sway.
They moved so temptingly. Just watching them made him swallow hard without thinking. Somehow it felt like his gaze had been deliberately drawn there — was that only his imagination?
In any case, Fortuna noticed his reaction. Still licking her lollipop, she looked back and forth between Carol and him, then linked arms with him and asked, blunt as ever.
Jun, do you like that woman?
…When you say "like," do you mean as a partner, or as a concubine?
Hmm… tell me both.
As a partner, I like her a lot. As a concubine, though… a bit less so.
Really? That's surprising. Her looks would rank near the top among humans. Is our little Juni getting a little too picky?
And whose fault is that?
Heeheehee. Gee, I wonder whose. For doesn't know~
The mischievous little angel, playing dumb with a grin even though she knew perfectly well.
Flick!
Ow!
You're so cute I want to bite you, so please tone it down a little, Angel-nim.
Heehee. Okay!
Jun lightly disciplined her with a flick to the forehead, then, keeping an eye on Carol, continued.
It's not that I don't like her looks.
Thanks to a certain angel who possessed absolute beauty, his standards had climbed absurdly high — but even through those elevated eyes, Carol looked remarkably beautiful. And yet the reason he wasn't putting her on the concubine shortlist was…
"This is the guild's slaughterhouse. All high-value carcasses are butchered and appraised here. You won't find a finer facility anywhere in the Empire. However, the dwarf craftsman we brought over from the Elangs Empire is rather… particular…"
Midway through pondering the reason, Carol, walking ahead, happened to glance back.
Jun's gaze drifted, unbidden, to her chest.
So demure…
Truly demure breasts. Had they belonged to a certain angel, they would have bounced into a lively dance the moment she turned. Carol's modest chest, however, stayed demurely in place.
…Moments like this really do make you think the gods are fair.
The gods had granted her excellent looks, talent, and figure — but they had withheld one thing: a generous bosom. For a breast-loving breast saint, it was a tragedy worthy of tears.
Looks like a solid B-cup, maybe a borderline C… but compared to For, it's just… not there.
He simply wasn't drawn to them. Thinking back to his previous life, even a B or C would have been something to be grateful for — but with the world's strongest pair of breasts right beside him, his eyes just didn't linger. Apparently his standards for breasts had risen even higher than his standards for faces.
"…Jun."
A soft voice that somehow sent a chill down the back of his neck.
Jun flinched and slowly raised his eyes.
There was Carol's smile — bright and pleasant on the surface, yet somehow not pleasant at all.
Did she catch me staring at her chest? The hood should have hidden my eyes…
"Yes? What is it?"
Jun answered as if he had nothing whatsoever to feel guilty about. Carol narrowed her eyes and shot him a suspicious look, but he only tilted his head in innocent confusion and kept the ironclad poker face going to the end.
"…You are paying attention to what I'm saying, correct?"
"Of course. You were explaining the precautions so we don't offend the craftsman."
"Ah… you really were listening."
"I told you I was."
From long practice — running radar, managing daily life, operating his core, and more all at once — multitasking had become something close to a passive skill. And with the radar's range drastically reduced, freeing up plenty of mental bandwidth, holding a conversation while thinking about something else was easier than eating cold porridge.
Still, I really hope this gets registered as a skill soon.
In the fight against the assassin leaders, Jun had hit the limits of his multitasking. Worrying about how they would attack, whether to block or dodge, which weapon to counter with and how — all of it had left him sluggish. Aside from the spatial magic he was most familiar with, he hadn't even managed to use his other spells properly.
Having abilities you can use means nothing if your head's too scrambled to use them.
Exploring a labyrinth would put him in situations far more dangerous than that fight. To draw out a hundred percent of his power when it counted, he needed to forge his multitasking into an actual skill.
How should I train for that?
While turning the problem over in his mind, Jun checked their surroundings, confirmed no one else was nearby, and pulled off his hood.
Carol's face flushed scarlet at high speed. Thoroughly flustered, she stammered,
"Ehk! J-Jun, why are you taking off your hood all of a sudden?"
"You said he's extremely particular. If he sees my face, maybe he'll be a little more cooperative?"
"…He probably will. No — more than probably. He almost certainly will."
"Then let's go like this. Give me what you need to give me, and do what you need to do."
At that, Carol nodded, rummaged through the handbag she was carrying, and pulled out a pair of cotton gloves and a mask, which she handed to Jun.
"Here. I'll cast the Purification Spell right away as well."
"Alright."
Carol's Purification Spell settled over herself, Jun, and Fortuna. Once they were ready, she opened the slaughterhouse door.
"What are you dawdling for?! You think I've got time to burn?!"
The moment the door was halfway open, a rough, thoroughly irritated, and unnecessarily loud voice came barreling out. Sensing Carol's mood plummet into subzero territory, Jun stepped into the slaughterhouse ahead of her.
"My apologies. There was a bit of a disturbance."
"And who the hell are y— …hm. Fair enough. That can happen."
The dwarf who had been completely incapable of anger management took one look at Jun's face and immediately became a model of self-control. The transformation was so startling that Carol stood there with her mouth hanging open.
She didn't look likely to recover anytime soon, so Jun left her to it and continued the conversation with the dwarf himself.
"The Cerberus carcass is fairly large. Where should I put it?"
"Over there. On the blue sheet."
Thud!
"It's out. Please confirm that I extracted half, as per the contract."
"Doesn't look like I need to check."
"Even so. It's better to be thorough with contracts, don't you think?"
"…You're a sharp one. Fine. Alright."
At Jun's repeated request, the dwarf pulled a monocle from his coat, put it on, and began inspecting the Cerberus carcass without further complaint. Relieved by the cooperative attitude, Jun turned to Carol to wrap up the contract — and what he saw was this:
"…Carol, what are you doing right now?"
"I'm checking whether the scene in front of me is a dream or reality."
She was pinching her own cheek with her own hand.
Just how much of a terror was that dwarf on a normal day…