Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Farewell, Encounter (3)
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"Dil...? Deal?"
I muttered in confusion, and the woman waved her hand dismissively with an expressionless face.
"If you're too embarrassed to talk about it, that's fine. It happens. I get it since I'm a woman too, and I understand Diana."
No, what the hell is she talking about?
"Diana and I aren't in that kind of relationship."
I hadn't slept with Diana.
Diana? Of course she's hot. Just hot? No way, she's insanely hot.
Honestly, I still sometimes recall the time I grabbed her breasts firmly.
The soft, squishy, plump sensation of those large mounds crumpling under my grip, leaving wrinkles in her gray dress, and the sweet moans that escaped every time I kneaded them—they still echo in my ears now and then.
Diana's dil...? Honestly, I'd welcome it. If I could, I'd want to.
'But I can't.'
I had to think about the future. I had a firm goal of finding my little sister. Martial prowess was just the bare minimum to achieve that.
If I let my lust consume me while floundering as a junior explorer, I'd never grow any further.
If, just if, I ever got involved with Diana.
I'd wake up stretching beside her in bed every morning, chat idly over delicious meals, run the inn together, go on fun dates occasionally, and every night, we'd make love until we passed out. We'd probably have enough kids to form a soccer team.
That kind of life.
It'd definitely be good. Definitely happy.
But every night during sage mode, I'd surely yearn for my little sister.
And regret it.
Regret why I didn't search harder for her back then.
I didn't want to feel that regret later, at least.
A flicker of doubt crossed the woman's face at my response.
"Hmm...? Really? Considering Diana's curse, I figured you'd picked her up to use as a masturbation toy. Guess I was wrong."
This woman has zero filter. Anyway...
'Diana's curse?'
It was incredibly intriguing.
"No way. Do you know about the curse on Diana?"
I had a status window, but due to the level gap, it was filtered—I only knew the rough count of her blessings and curses, not the details.
The woman nodded indifferently, then asked me instead.
"You don't know? What curse Diana's under?"
"Yes."
Only then did her face show a hint of realization. Still expressionless, but there was a subtle shift.
"Well, yeah. It doesn't make sense for a man who's not even a woman to stick around knowing about Diana's curse."
At this point, I had to wonder.
What kind of curse did Diana have that made this woman assume right away I was keeping her as a sex toy? And what was with that reaction?
"Uh... Aren't you Diana's friend?"
"Friend... more like former party member. Until she got cursed and retired to raise the kid."
The woman in front of me was Diana's former party member from her explorer days. Someone who knew Diana back then!
But screw that, that wasn't important right now.
"W-Wait a sec. Kid? Like, a crying baby?"
"Yeah."
"...Diana has a kid?!"
Diana was married? But she didn't have a wedding ring or anything?
Still, given the immense sex appeal radiating from her entire body, it strangely made sense that she could outshine even a hot mom with a kid.
The shock made my head spin.
"Oh. Looks like you misunderstood. It's not Diana's biological child. She adopted the daughter of a deceased party member and raised her."
Thankfully, the woman quickly corrected my misconception.
A party member of Diana's who died for some reason.
Diana had adopted their daughter, who lost both parents in an instant, and raised her as her own.
'So, adoptive mother and daughter, huh.'
Yeah, it didn't make sense when I thought about it.
Zirnier had called Diana a virgin who hadn't even held a man's hand just a few months ago.
'Phew.'
A sigh of relief escaped me before I knew it.
I wasn't sure exactly why I felt this way, but a deep sense of relief welled up inside.
At the same time, Diana seemed even more amazing.
No matter how much you cared for a dead comrade, adopting and raising their child took more than ordinary resolve.
From my perspective, with my second party already in shambles, it felt nearly impossible.
'If Diana had been my mom.'
Abandoned by my parents and raised in an orphanage with my little sister, I'd always fantasized about parental figures.
If a woman like Diana had been my one and only mom, opening the path ahead for me, maybe I'd have lived a proper life.
Of course, pointless delusion.
"Haven't seen her since sending her to the academy, so I don't know their relationship now, but whatever. That's not the point—back to the main topic."
Diana's adopted daughter was apparently at the academy now. That explained why I hadn't seen her at the inn.
I was even more curious about Diana's backstory, but the woman seemed disinterested.
"No interest in learning from me?"
And she made the offer again.
"I can make you hard, tough, and huge."
For a split second, her body caught my eye.
'...Definitely...'
One slip, and I'd end up hard, tough, and huge myself.
But regardless, I eyed her suspiciously.
Still expressionless. Didn't seem like a sex joke.
...Or maybe I couldn't tell. That 'you're a dil' line was too shocking.
"What kind of teaching are you talking about...?"
So I just asked straight up. Was my brain tangled from the barrage of shocking statements and wording?
It somehow sounded like she was offering to teach me sex—what the hell was she even going to teach?
"A warrior teaches a warrior nothing but combat. I'll teach you how to fight."
"Why suddenly offer to teach me something like that?"
"Because you sensed me."
She pointed at me with her finger.
"Earlier. You flinched, right?"
"I didn't flinch."
The first time our eyes met, I'd felt some primal instinct. But that wasn't flinching.
I'd just been startled by the sudden sense of near-death.
Less flinch, more like a twitch.
"Don't lie. I saw you jolt and reach for your axe."
"......"
The woman rarely smirked. The corner of her mouth twitched up ever so slightly on her otherwise blank face. Seeing her tail swish, it really seemed like a smile.
Meanwhile, my face soured the opposite way. I'd never been teased like this before—'Who've you ever flinched from in your life?'
This humiliation—I'd pay her back with a proper lesson someday.
Even if right now, it was unimaginable.
"Don't be embarrassed. You should be proud. Sensing my presence at your level is impressive enough."
I roughly got what she meant.
Like how a third-rate swordsman can't gain insight from a swordmaster's path.
If the gap in skill is too overwhelming, you don't even feel the danger.
'But I detected that unidentified killing intent she emitted and reacted right away.'
That must've piqued her interest.
Nyaong—
A cat's meow came from somewhere. A black cat had appeared, climbing up her toned body to her shoulder.
Shhrrk.
The woman casually unfolded the paper the cat held in its mouth, then her slightly smiling face during our talk crumpled. Her whip-like black tail smacked the ground.
"Tch. Gotta go. Was hoping for a beer."
Her blank expression soured a bit more.
Stoic as ever, but she gave off the vibe of an office worker ordered back during commute after a problem cropped up.
Considering her level, maybe executive level.
'Or even higher.'
"Disciple. You've got talent. Seize opportunities when they come. Tomorrow morning, find Etelbert at the Explorer's Union. Just drop the name—they'll know."
"Wait, I haven't even said if I'm i—"
She vanished in an instant, faster than I could perceive, without hearing me out. Totally doing her own thing.
Name: Etelbert. Surname: Adelrine, same as Serif's.
Cat tail but no ears—can't tell if cat beastkin or human.
A bizarre powerhouse who declared me her disciple, said her piece, and left.
Bonus: Wording that felt like it bypassed brain filters and just hammered in.
"Before I go."
Etelbert reappeared before me, like she'd forgotten something.
She pointed at the paper stuck to the door of the Cozy Winter Night inn.
"If you want to stay chaste as a man, I recommend not going in there for the next three days."
"Pardon?"
But I'm an employee here.
The paper said closed for a week. Dated four days ago—three days left.
Regardless, Etelbert's words were contradictory.
In this perilous labyrinth city, to protect chastity, shouldn't I stay at Diana's inn?
"You really don't know, huh. Disciple. Listen well."
Etelbert continued with her signature blank face, looking at my dumbfounded expression.
"Diana in curse rampage mode is the most dangerous female in this labyrinth city."
—If you wanna voluntarily live as Diana's living dildo forever, I won't stop you.
Leaving those words, Etelbert departed.
I pondered her offer to take me as a disciple for a moment. Made a decision of sorts, then snapped back to reality.
And gazed at the firmly shut Cozy Winter Night inn.
Was it because she'd spooked me? The inn that always warmly enveloped me now felt like the final dungeon housing the ultimate boss in slumber.
'Should I go in or not.'
I opened my status window for no reason, checking the new blessing I'd gained.
After some deliberation, I made my choice.