Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Not Easy
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...Not easy.
-I know it can only be filled through sexual intercourse.
"......?"
It wasn't that I hadn't heard her. On the contrary, I was flustered precisely because I'd heard her loud and clear.
The Stigma grants its owner omnipotent power, so it's not all that strange even if it demands something harsh in return.
But sex as the price? It wasn't just difficult—it was so bizarre it threw me for a loop.
I stared blankly at Dodo's face, and she quickly added, emphasizing it again.
"I-I'm serious."
"Hmm."
Right. No matter what the Stigma demands as payment, it's not something I can refuse.
Still, out of all the possible Stigmas, I couldn't help but wonder why my Restoration Stigma specifically required sex. I had some questions for the Goddess about that.
In any case, Dodo wasn't the type to lie to me.
So I made a snap decision. Cheshire Cat was bleeding out—we didn't have time for long deliberations.
"Got it. For now, Dodo, check on Cheshire Cat. She can't die on us."
"Ah, okay!"
With the patient right there making her itch to get to work, Dodo bolted toward Cheshire Cat the moment I gave the order.
She paused mid-stride and tossed one more line over her shoulder.
"You don't even need penetration, right? Just some physical intimacy should do it! Ugh, this is so embarrass—"
She whipped her head away and dashed back to the fallen Cheshire Cat.
Now that Dodo was tending to her, I finally had a moment to think.
Tyr and I stood side by side in silence for a beat.
"Florian."
"What."
"No matter how you go about it, you know you have to recharge it, right? Elbalom runs entirely on your abilities. We can't afford any issues with the Stigma."
"I know."
Even without the Stigma, my skills as a Shadow were top-notch.
But building an organization to rival Elfriede meant more lives under my protection, making the Stigma's power indispensable.
I knew. I knew.
I let out a deep sigh and nodded. But who to make physical contact with? That was the dilemma.
Physical contact fell into two categories: combat or skinship.
Combat meant pounding on someone you wanted to beat.
Skinship required mutual affection as a prerequisite.
That was one of the ironclad rules I'd lived by, even as a wastrel.
"If you know, then get on with it. You've got the looks, and even a fiancée."
"Not easy."
"Not easy my ass, you son of a—"
"Son?"
"Sorry."
Tyr bowed her head.
Anyway, because of my principles, picking a target was tricky. But conveniently, a certain rabbit caught my eye.
Ellis casually gripped a blade of mana, finishing off Humpty and Dumpty without a second thought.
It felt strange.
She'd been so polite with me that I'd almost forgotten: deep down, she was a born villainess.
The kind who killed without hesitation. Hence the odd feeling.
Maybe I'd changed Ellis's fate.
No, I had changed it. I wasn't just rewriting my own life—I was altering others' destinies too.
A strange sense of responsibility came with it. I still didn't fully grasp what it meant.
Ellis pulled out a handkerchief with a rabbit print and wiped her hands as she asked me.
"Looks like those guys we let go at the edge of the territory delivered the message properly, Master. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten this cocky."
"Yeah."
Ellis sighed, wiping sweat from her brow.
"The more I think about it, the more their attitude pisses me off. Master, should we track them down now? We've caught Cheshire Cat. Time to rip out the roots."
"Ellis, want to handle that?"
Ellis nodded vigorously.
"Yes! Let's use this chance to set an example!"
"Sounds good. But go alone."
"Pardon?"
"I'm busy. And you're the one annoyed, not me. So you handle it."
Ellis cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Ahem... Tohihi~"
She snapped her fingers, dispersing the mana dagger.
"Being from the healing department makes me soft-hearted again. I'll mull it over slowly."
"Just shut up."
"Yes, sir."
Tyr, who'd been listening quietly, couldn't stay still. She seemed the most anxious of us all.
And sure enough, she prodded me again.
"Anyway, back to the point. What are you going to do? You need to recharge the Stigma fast."
"Not easy. It has to be mutual."
"Florian!"
A vein bulged on Tyr's forehead. She was about to yell something when—
"Heeeuk..."
A weird noise cut her off. The sea turtle tilted her head.
"...What? What's that sound?"
Neither Ellis nor I could explain easily. Ellis quietly clamped a hand over her mouth.
What had I been thinking, ordering her to climax at the sound of my name? And what had Ellis been thinking, obeying so faithfully?
Life was full of mysteries. No one bothered explaining to Tyr.
Tyr parted her lips again.
"Anyway, Florian, please keep my words in mind..."
"Heh, ngh?!"
"......?"
Ellis shuddered, cutting Tyr off again. The sea turtle eyed her suspiciously.
"Flo..."
"......"
"...rian?"
"Haaah..."
"What a crazy bitch."
Tyr shook her head.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
I nodded in agreement.
Whether it was my fault or hers, she was definitely crazy.
But now she was a "doesn't commit crimes" crazy bitch.
The man who changed one woman's fate. That was Florian. I didn't say it aloud, lest she clamp her thighs again.
"E-Excuse me!"
But suddenly, Ellis bristled.
Thighs squeezed tight, hand gripping her crotch, she shouted.
"M-Master's the one who made me like this! At least you shouldn't think of me that way!"
"Whoa... turning your fiancée into that..."
Tyr's jaw dropped.
Her gaze toward me was now pure "human scum."
"Misunderstanding."
"What's there to misunderstand? Anyway, she'd be all for recharging the Stigma. Climaxes at your name alone."
"Still not feeling it."
"Eat your fill, then toss her? Is that it? Your fiancée?"
Did this need explaining? And if so, how? I pondered, then got pissed.
I gripped the Witch's Curse—Cheshire Cat's signature hammer—in one hand.
"You know, your mouth's getting out of line."
Tyr dropped her defiant glare and shrank back like a turtle.
"Sorry. I was jealous of your happy couple life."
-Heeeeng?!
Even as Ellis convulsed like she'd been shocked, I added a hasty order.
"...Call me Boss from now on."
"Got it, Flo-ri-an Boss."
-Haaah!
"This bitch is doing it on purpose."
I raised the hammer handle to bonk Tyr's head.
"M-Master! No! Tyr has to build Elbalom's structures!"
"Keep blocking and take the hit instead."
Clang!
"Urk!"
Ellis snatched the hammer from my hand and smashed Tyr's skull.
A clear crack rang out as Tyr crumpled.
The crisp sound suggested her head wasn't too full.
"Phew... Tyr, you insolent bitch. Here, Master."
I took the hammer wordlessly. Like I'd always thought, she wasn't all there either.
"Master, what now?"
"Nothing."
Ellis clung to my arm and started walking briskly.
"By the way, I kept hearing about recharging the Stigma earlier. How do you do it?"
"Sex."
"?"
In the mansion's bathtub, I sank into thought.
"Not easy."
Yeah. My strict principles made me extra cautious about sex involving penetration.
In short, not easy.
How far does 'skinship' go, exactly?
-You don't even need penetration, right?
Dodo's words echoed in my ears.
Fortunate misfortune, or lucky break? Hard to say.
"......"
I stopped thinking and grabbed Trivi from the tub's edge. Strange presences stirred outside the door.
"Who's there."
The reply came.
"Maaaster... C-Can I come in?"
Wait, hold on.
But the door opened before I could answer.