Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Because of coins, I gave her the ribbon. Why is she misunderstanding it like this?
Ria, you probably still don’t get it either.
What kind of alchemy catalyst is underwear supposed to be?
I’m going insane.
But what am I supposed to do?
I actually need it.
“W-what the hell?! You’re buying underwear for 1 silver?”
“Hey! Take it off! It’s only been three days since I washed it, so it’s fine, right?”
“I can even sell extras if you want.”
In an instant, the lower-ranked mercenaries stripped off their underwear.
Then they put their leather armor back on over bare bottoms.
They weren’t even embarrassed.
The mention of “1 silver” had completely flipped their eyes.
Ria came back carrying a huge pile of underwear.
There were even leather panties mixed in.
Why are leather panties even a thing?
How do you even wear that?
…No, wait.
Can you wear it?
Maybe it’s a fetish thing.
Typical side characters in a weird fantasy world.
Every single one of them had surprisingly high-quality underwear.
So this is what fantasy world underwear looks like…
But I started tearing up for a completely different reason.
What the hell am I doing?
Still, if the results are good, it becomes a coin mine.
But then—
[Cannot convert into coins.]
…It was a failure.
Of course.
There was no way it would be that easy to spawn a heroine.
Still, I wasn’t giving up.
Maybe I should target nobles next.
Maybe heroines are basically people who influence this world on a huge scale.
Or maybe they just influence me personally.
Either way, I’ll go for them when I have more money and influence.
I told Ria to give each mercenary an additional silver and made them sign confidentiality agreements.
Then I sent them away.
After that, I took out the black ribbon I had pulled earlier.
“Ria. Come here.”
“Yes, master.”
Her face suddenly turned red.
“I got this for you. An artifact I made through alchemy. It’s yours, so don’t lose it.”
Since it’s a unique item, no one else can use it anyway.
I stepped behind her and gently gathered her silver hair.
My fingertips brushed the soft nape of her neck.
Her shoulders flinched.
Carefully, I tied the black ribbon into her hair.
“T-this is such a valuable artifact…”
Her cheeks turned bright red in an instant.
And then—
[Heroine ‘Ria’ affinity increased!]
[+50 → +60] [Reward: +10 coins]
It went up!
Yes, this is it!
This is what I wanted.
Even though it’s a small amount of coins, it still counts.
But then—
Ding!
Huh? Again?
The system screen turned golden and flooded my vision.
[Condition fulfilled.]
[Heroine ‘Ria’ has equipped the item: Black Ribbon of the Maid]
[Special reward triggered]
[210 coins awarded!]
“…What?”
I almost screamed.
210 coins just for equipping a heroine item?
This is a new coin mine.
Hard to obtain, but still—basically trash items otherwise.
But Ria was more shocked than I was.
“H-huh?!”
The moment she tied the ribbon, her eyes started glowing strangely.
Without even talking to me, she grabbed a broom as if possessed.
Swish—!
Swish swish swish—!
In an instant, her movements became unbelievably fast.
Everything she passed became spotless.
Like magic.
Cleaning proficiency increased by 10%.
Sounds minor, but for a Sword Expert like Ria, it was a massive buff.
“W-whaaat?! M-master!!”
She collapsed to the floor, tears forming in her eyes.
“This… this is a real ancient alchemy artifact…!”
She hugged the ribbon tightly like treasure.
She clearly believed it was something legendary.
And honestly…
Maybe it was starting to feel like it.
Ria’s eyes changed completely.
She no longer doubted me.
In her mind, I was now something like—
A world-saving alchemist carrying forbidden ancient knowledge.
The more I spoke nonsense, the more she believed it.
“…What are you thinking so deeply about?”
“Oh! N-nothing! I was just amazed at your artifact, master!”
“That’s the power of alchemy.”
“…Then… should I give you my underwear right now?”
She said it seriously.
Then she actually started lifting her skirt.
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait.
“No! No need!”
But she didn’t stop.
She handed it to me with a completely serious expression.
“P-please use it for alchemy!”
“F-fine!”
This is getting worse.
Then—
“Master… do you not like my underwear?”
“…That’s not it…”
This misunderstanding is spiraling.
I was just trying to explain alchemy catalysts, but now everything has turned into this.
And then she said something even worse.
“Before… you used to steal my underwear and wear it on your head.”
“…Huh?”
“Every time.”
“EVERY TIME?!”
So that idiot used to do this regularly?!
I didn’t even have time to defend myself.
Then she added—
“You also said my scent was better than spices…”
I almost died on the spot.
Stop.
Stop right there.
I don’t want to know more.
But she didn’t stop.
“And you said when you had headaches, wearing my underwear helped…”
“MY HEAD HURTS!”
“Yes! I thought so!”
She immediately rushed over and placed something soft on my head.
…Wait.
This is—
Underwear.
She tied it like a hat.
Warm.
Soft.
Strangely comfortable.
“…Why does this actually feel good?”
Of course it does.
Because this idiot used to do it all the time.
Now I was standing there:
Holding underwear.
Wearing underwear.
While Ria was calmly putting on another pair right in front of me.
What kind of situation is this?
I’m just a normal guy (allegedly).
“This is all for saving the world, master.”
“…Yeah, sure…”
At this point, I needed survival strategy more than anything.
If I don’t raise affinity fast…
Ria might end up killing me the moment she finds out the truth.
So I guess I have no choice.
I need to keep farming affection points.