Chapter 103
Chapter 103
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Eve of the Storm (5)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"W-Wait... seriously... s-sex?! What the hell do you mean by that!!!"
Seriph, the virgin guaranteed by Zimoshin himself, flushed beet red at Edelbert's blunt wording and cried out.
Her face was a mix of embarrassment, shame, and utter confusion.
Her white cat tail thrashed so wildly it seemed like it might vanish altogether.
"Hmph. That's knowledge far too advanced for a noble saintess like you."
Edelbert crossed her arms and sneered.
It wasn't exactly something she should say, considering she was forcibly kept a virgin by the Curse of Rejecting Inferior Intrusions.
I watched the two of them for a moment before turning my gaze to Edelbert.
"Looks like I'm interrupting your conversation. I'll come back later."
"No need. We're basically done here anyway. You came to train, right? Just wait a moment."
I'd hesitated to open the door because of the heavy atmosphere, but luckily, Edelbert told me to stay.
I stood there quietly, observing Seriph and Edelbert.
They were clearly sisters, but it was an oddly mismatched pair.
Part of it was the difference in their positions—the saintess of the temple and the head of the Explorer's Union—but more than that...
'Seriph seems to really dislike Edelbert.'
I recalled the conversation I'd had with Seriph back when I visited the temple district and received a miracle from her.
—A wicked demon who abandoned her faith, a vile traitor...
Edelbert hadn't mentioned Seriph at all, but Seriph had called Edelbert a vile traitor.
'They're not exactly on good terms. I wonder what kind of story they just shared.'
I'd vaguely overheard keywords like the 5th floor, 20th floor, and seal from beyond the door.
Last time, when I'd confessed about encountering Gluttony, Edelbert had said something similar.
Secrets about the Labyrinth—information accessible only to top mid-level explorers.
But thanks to the mention of the 5th floor, I could make some guesses.
'Did something similar to what I experienced on the 5th floor happen on the 20th? And they were sharing info about it?'
My thoughts stopped there.
"Looks like you're done talking. Don't you need to head back to the temple soon?"
"...Eek!"
It was because Edelbert had draped her arm over my shoulder.
Slither.
Her black cat tail coiled around my waist.
Seriph's wide eyes involuntarily darted to Edelbert's arm and tail.
"Now I have to 'train' my one and only disciple as his master."
Edelbert pressed her body slightly against mine as she said that.
Seriph's body flinched at the gesture and the word "train."
Her white cat ears twitched busily, as if scheming something.
"Ahem. I can't allow that. As a servant of Zimoshin, I owe Balkan a great debt for what happened last time. I need to stay with him until I've repaid it."
"Hm. Can't you repay that at the temple? Or better yet, just grant a suitable miracle right now before you go."
"...Balkan is a rising star drawing a lot of attention these days. And personally, I'm interested in his growth, so at least let me observe the training..."
"I forbid it. As head of the Explorer's Union, I can't just stand by while you scout a promising future explorer who's also my prized disciple."
"......"
Sizzle.
Sparks flew from the eyes of the two cat sisters.
Edelbert, leader of her faction, and Seriph, holding a key position, were quarreling over placing me in their respective organizations.
'What a swelling feeling in my chest.'
Separate from my resolve to keep pushing forward, Seriph was getting utterly dominated by Edelbert.
Seriph had lost the argument, her tail and cat ears drooping limply.
"It was nice catching up after so long. Time to go. Alright, let's head out too, my disciple."
Edelbert's grip on my shoulder tightened.
As I naturally started to follow her...
"......S-Sis..."
A faint voice crawled from behind.
I froze.
Edelbert's movement halted.
I blankly stared at Edelbert, who had turned to stone.
Grin—
Edelbert's lips curved up to her ears.
"...?"
It was a goofy smile that didn't match the Edelbert I'd known at all.
Like a stern, expressionless doting dad who only cracks a silly grin when his cute daughter acts all cutesy.
'...What the?'
I rubbed my eyes, blinked a few times, and shook my head before snapping out of it.
In that time, Edelbert had returned to her usual stoic face.
'Was it a hallucination?'
Just as that thought crossed my mind...
Snap! Crack!
Edelbert's black cat tail whipped through the air violently, like a cracking lash.
The tail thrashed wildly, unable to contain her instinctive emotions.
That expression on Edelbert's face hadn't been a hallucination.
The cold, impassive Edelbert—who barely reacted to anything except sex jokes—had been completely disarmed by her little sister's frail "Sis."
"Well, it wouldn't be so bad for your 'little sister' to watch the spar. As your 'big sis like the sky above,' I'll allow that much."
I felt Seriph behind us clench her fists tightly at Edelbert's words.
She seemed deeply humiliated at having called her "Sis" herself.
"Hmph."
I looked up blankly at Edelbert, who let out a pleased hum.
"What are you staring at so intently? Is there something on my face?"
"No, just... it was a bit unexpected..."
I was a little shocked.
'...Who would've thought that Edelbert is such a siscon.'
It felt like a massive gap moe, completely clashing with her image.
At the same time, I felt a strange sense of kinship.
'My fundamental reason for exploring the Labyrinth is all to find my little sister, after all.'
A little sister who hates her big sis.
A big sis who loves her little sister too much.
I was curious about what had happened between them, but I didn't have time to dwell on it.
"Today starts with hand-to-hand combat. Raise your guard."
The brutal training session began.
"You've grown again in the meantime."
Was it from drinking Diana's breast milk and using my free points?
Edelbert noticed my spec-up after just a few training rounds.
"I got a bit lucky."
"Hm. Luck, you say."
I grabbed Edelbert's offered hand and stood.
I no longer tired so easily after a few spars. I'd learned how to properly distribute my stamina.
"Milky white sweet luck—must be a first for you."
"......"
As expected, Edelbert had figured out the source.
But did she have to be so direct about it?
Well, it wasn't unbelievable coming from Edelbert... but it still blew my mind.
"Don't drink too much. It's quite a burden on her side too."
Edelbert had said that even after Diana's retirement, her power was still needed.
"...I'll be careful and drink whatever she gives me."
"That much is fine... Yeah, she must have her reasons."
Among Diana's curses, the especially dangerous ones like [Lewd Frail Corruption Pattern Curse] and [Breast Milk Orgasm Stat Drain Curse] needed meticulous management.
Both came with the fatal side effect of level drops.
I mentally calculated Diana's libido management log and milking schedule.
"Milky white luck...? What's that?"
Seriph, who had been listening to our conversation, tilted her head, unable to follow.
Her sense of smell and her hyper-perverted fantasy circuits seemed inferior to Edelbert's.
"Something like that exists. A chaste saintess like you will never know."
"...Stop with those belittling remarks."
Seriph huffed, clicked her tongue, and approached me.
Woooong—
Pure white energy flowed from her fingertips into my body.
Vitality filled my slightly fatigued form.
"Ah. Thank you."
"Hehe. It's only natural as a servant of Zimoshin."
Seriph said that, then shot Edelbert a glare.
"Even if it's sparring, isn't the intensity too high for training? Even the temple's paladins don't train this aggressively."
"Don't insult my disciple by comparing him to mere paladins. He can handle this much."
"I-I'm not insulting him! I'm just worried...!"
Seriph panicked at Edelbert's words and waved her hands at me.
I gave a wry smile as I observed the two.
'Are they actually closer than I thought...?'
They bickered, but it wasn't at the level of "you're dead, you bitch" and biting each other.
It was entertaining to see the ever-proper and demure Seriph hissing, and the usually impassive Edelbert turn a bit sly.
"That's enough sparring for today."
"Already?"
I voiced my doubt at Edelbert's words.
Her usual training sessions with me were merciless marathons that squeezed every last drop of strength until I could barely crawl.
I still had plenty of energy left—why end it now?
"If you collapse from exhaustion, she won't get to see this."
Edelbert pulled an item from thin air.
I narrowed my eyes against the sudden burst of blue light.
The object, enveloped in the mystical glow unique to relics, was... a book.
A tome as thick as an encyclopedia.
"Urgh—"
Just seeing the book made my head ache instinctively. My brain, conditioned by short strap lengths, recoiled from books on reflex.
Wah. Me baby Balkan. No wanna read book.
But that only piqued my interest more. A relic in book form.
"A r-reloc magic tome?"
Seriph's awed question answered my question.
Relic magic tome. The name alone screamed extraordinary.
"Precisely, a relic in the form of a magic tome containing the [Weakness Insight] spell. Read it cover to cover, and regardless of talent, learning, or skill, you'll comprehend the magic. A precious item."
Just reading it was enough? A groundbreaking effect.
An old memory surfaced.
Back when I took the academy's Labyrinth escort request, the students had lamented:
—Do you know how much mages struggle to learn even one spell? Some immature kids spend an entire school year on a single one.
—Mana circuits are ridiculously sensitive bastards. Mess up engraving one, and it dissipates uselessly, explodes inside you, explodes outside—super dangerous.
—And every night and day, you're memorizing theory and laws nonstop—no time for anything else.
"A relic that skips all that with a snap, huh."
"Exactly."
Edelbert nodded. I voiced another question.
"But why give it to me?"
Because Edelbert had placed that precious relic magic tome in my hands.
"Why else give a book? So you can read it."
"You know that's not what I meant."
"Hm. Disciple. Remember the promise I made last time?"
"Ah."
Before training with the hypnosis relic, while talking about Gluttony, Edelbert had promised something.
—You did something big. Not really compensation, but soon, as Union head, I'll hand you something.
This relic magic tome was Edelbert's promised reward.
"Thank you. I'll read it carefully."
I took the book and bowed deeply.
A relic she called precious herself.
I hated reading usually, but magic? That changed everything.
Magic. Just thinking it made my heart race like a kid again.
I knew of mana, magic power, spells—but I'd never had a chance to wield them.
And the spell's name was badass: [Weakness Insight]. It had to be hugely useful in combat.
My whole body itched to dive in.
Edelbert gave a slight satisfied smile at my reaction.
"Urghhh..."
A anxious groaning came from behind. Seriph stared at me with unease.
"Th-the temple also decided to provide proper compensation for last time's damages!"
"Hm. I rewarded merit, while the temple compensates for 'damages.'"
"......"
Seriph broke out in cold sweat at Edelbert's smugness and pulled two small slips of paper from thin air.
She handed one to me.
A paper stamped with the Zimoshin Church's emblem.
Not ordinary paper. Far tougher and more luxurious than the contract I'd used with Kakchi for the slave pact.
"It's a Curse Removal Voucher. Removes one curse without any cost or payment."
"Ooh..."
Another great card.
In the Labyrinth, you could gain miracles called blessings for new life and glory, but you could also pick up horrific, absurd curses.
Curses like turning into a slime humanoid, turning tsundere, Rejecting Inferior Intrusions, and more.
The lineup of curses I'd seen so far was no joke, so I tensed up instinctively.
So far, luck had favored me with blessings, but keep diving in, and eventually, I'd hit a curse once or twice.
Plus, curse removal costs skyrocketed with each use.
If I got hit hard and lacked funds, I might not afford removal.
This voucher would be a huge future help.
I pocketed the paper with satisfaction and eyed the other one still in Seriph's hand.
"What's that one?"
At my simple question, Seriph gripped the paper tighter and flinched.
"This is... it doesn't mean anything weird, just remember it as a small token of thanks. Ahem. It's definitely not for anything strange, and unlike the curse voucher, you can use it multiple times, so just say the word anytime..."
What could that paper be to make her lay this much groundwork?
'Something even better than the curse voucher?'
After over ten minutes rambling about the paper's details, Seriph finally handed it over.
I looked at the paper now in my hand.
Unlike the elegant signature on the curse voucher, the handwriting here was crooked and cramped, as if embarrassed.
But it was easy enough to read.
On the white paper was a single sentence.
[Seriph Adeline Free Use Pass]
I stared at it blankly for a long while.
Then I looked at Seriph, who had given it to me.
"......"
Seriph, face flushed and head bowed, said nothing.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
But her pure white cat tail spun like a propeller, speaking volumes for her feelings.