Two Reasons to Team Up with Lillia
There were two reasons I ended up in the same group as Lillia. The first was to lower the difficulty of the upcoming Eldorado episode. During this field trip, Lillia would fall into a trap. The one who would push her into that trap was none other than Tia, her personal secretary. On the surface she appeared utterly loyal to Lillia alone, but in truth she was a spy planted by Highrun, chairman of the Eldorado Merchant Guild. Highrun had shrewdly embedded one of his own people as insurance against any possible betrayal.
Complete sly old snake, that one.
Anyway, Lillia gets stabbed in the back during this excursion. To be precise, it happens because she shows signs of turning on him first.
That’s the first reason.
The second reason concerned the final exam episode and her abilities. To stand against the demon that appears in the final exam, I needed the rewards available on this route. With those in hand, killing the demon would become almost effortless.
No harm in helping Lillia out.
Her talent and potential were on par with Luden’s. Building a solid connection with someone like her would undoubtedly prove useful later.
Think of it as investing in Lillia coins.
As those thoughts crossed my mind, a familiar voice echoed in my head.
I wasn’t seducing anyone. What kind of wild delusions was she cooking up now, muttering strange things to herself? The real problem, however, was Sherry. She was staring at me with an odd look in her eyes, clearly misunderstanding the situation.
“So that’s how it is. You already had someone in mind.”
“M-Miss Sherry?”
Scarlet mana erupted from her body like flames. Even though it was clearly mana, the heat radiating from it felt scorching just standing nearby.
I need to calm her down first.
With that thought, I quickly grabbed her shoulder and spoke softly.
“Please calm yourself, Miss Sherry.”
“Eep!”
The next instant, her face flushed crimson as she pulled the mana back in. Soon Sherry mumbled in a thoroughly embarrassed voice.
“You’re too close, Baran.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
I stepped back to restore some distance and scratched my cheek. At the same time, I asked her,
“Did you not have anyone else in mind to partner with besides me?”
“Um… Risa’s in the production department, after all.”
She nodded with an awkward expression. I tilted my head.
“What about Miss Kanya?”
“Ah, she decided to join her own faction.”
“I see.”
In the end, Sherry—who was practically a loner—hadn’t managed to find a partner. Seeing her look so dejected made me feel like the guilty party.
But at that exact moment—
“Then would you like to pair with me?”
Luden, standing beside us, offered the suggestion with a completely indifferent face. Sherry jumped in surprise at the unexpected proposal. As I watched the two of them, I fell into brief thought.
Not a bad development.
I had been worried Luden might end up partnering with some strange character unlike the original story—like an extra such as myself. I’d hoped things would stay as close to the original as possible, and fortunately she had approached Luden instead. After all, there was a Luden route in the original work too.
The protagonist was male in the game, though.
Well, even if the protagonist was female now, it probably wouldn’t make that much difference.
“It seems like a good idea, Miss Sherry.”
“R-really?”
“Yes. You mentioned wanting to talk with Miss Luden anyway, didn’t you?”
Her face instantly turned bright red. She must have been mortified that her embarrassing past had just been dragged into the open. Embarrassed enough, in fact, to start punching my shoulder repeatedly.
“Sounds like everything’s settled. Shall we get going, then?”
At that moment Lillia slipped between us and linked her arm with mine. The other two stared in bewilderment at her sudden intrusion. From behind, Miroel—who had been quietly observing—muttered under her breath.
After leaving the classroom with Lillia, we went straight to report to Professor Dale. He looked rather surprised when he saw the two of us together.
“Oh? The two of you in the same group? That should be interesting.”
“Doesn’t it?”
Lillia flashed a seductive smile, clearly pleased by his reaction. As a normal person, I had no idea what these two usually thought about on a daily basis.
As expected of a quick-witted elf, she suddenly fired a sharp question my way. I pretended not to hear her and asked Dale,
“More importantly, is this acceptable?”
“Yes, of course. By the way, have you decided on your destination?”
“Ah, we’ve decided to visit a dungeon our guild is currently conquering,” Lillia answered. Dale nodded in understanding.
“Then it should be relatively safe. Very well. Both of you, take care not to get injured and return safely.”
With those parting words, we left Dale’s laboratory.
The next day.
Lillia, having finished her preparations, waited quietly at the appointed spot. Though it was called a meeting place, it was really just in front of the Eldorado branch office.
Hmm. I honestly didn’t expect her to pick me.
In truth, I had planned to simply hire a partner with money and handle things alone. After all, the place we were heading to was a dungeon currently under conquest by the guild, so I hadn’t intended to show it to anyone. But when the partner was Baran, the story changed completely.
Baran had played a decisive role in the previous incident. While the rest of us—including myself—had defeated Jack, objectively speaking we had only won because Baran had held Sherry back. Without him, it wouldn’t have been strange if someone had died that day.
I absolutely must form a connection with that man.
While she waited with those thoughts in mind, Baran soon appeared.
“Sorry for making you wait.”
Lillia smiled at him.
“Not at all. I didn’t wait long.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Though it is rather surprising.”
“?”
He tilted his head in confusion. Lillia smiled with her eyes.
“Since you can’t see, I was worried you might have gotten lost on the way.”
“Ah, the first thing I did upon arriving here was memorize the route.”
“Aha. That must have been quite the task.”
“Not at all. I’m used to it now.”
Baran answered with a gentle smile. Of course, cold sweat was pouring down his back internally.
“Shall we get going, then?”
“Yes, let’s.”
With that, the two of them began walking side by side. Before long they reached their destination.
The area in front of the dungeon was packed with mercenaries. They must have hired quite a few. Even Miroel clicked her tongue in astonishment.
While Miroel observed the mercenaries, a shout rang out.
The mercenaries who had been lounging around immediately straightened their postures like soldiers greeting a commanding officer. Soon a muscular man who appeared to be the leader approached.
“How are the preparations coming along?”
“Nearly complete.”
The mercenary leader answered Lillia’s question with a confident voice. She quietly surveyed the surroundings.
“No incidents of any kind?”
“None at all.”
“That’s good to hear.”
“More importantly, the blind man beside you…”
The leader narrowed his eyes as he looked at me. Well, it was only natural to react that way when a blind person showed up at a dungeon.
“He will be accompanying me this time.”
“I never imagined I would see Lady Lillia walking alongside a boy her own age.”
The leader sounded genuinely surprised. Lillia answered with a bright smile.
“Even I can’t spend all my time working, you know.”
As she spoke, Lillia naturally slipped her arm through mine. The next moment, I felt the soft pressure of her chest against my forearm.
I couldn’t refute her. Honestly, it felt like she had nine tails waving behind her right now.
Well, I suppose this is also her way of looking out for me.
On the surface it might look like simple coquetry, but the real intent was clear: a warning not to touch this man. The leader had narrowed his eyes in displeasure moments ago. Lillia had caught it instantly and was making her position clear—don’t you dare lay a hand on him.
“Ahahaha. You two seem quite close.”
“More accurately, Miss Lillia is simply showing kindness to a blind person like myself.”
I played along with her rhythm and offered a polite smile. The mercenary leader bowed his head.
“I see. In any case, we still have work to finish, so we’ll take our leave.”
With that, the leader withdrew. I turned my head slightly as I watched him go.
“It should be fine now, yes?”
“Hehe, so you noticed my intention after all?”
“Of course. How could I miss it when you were being so obvious?”
Behind us, Miroel flinched, then suddenly stared off into the distance. Looks like our master hadn’t noticed.
“Most people don’t catch it. Anyway, since you understand, keep your arm linked with mine.”
“Pardon?”
“If you pull away now, they might get suspicious again.”
“That’s… true.”
Rather than invite more suspicion, staying linked like this was safer. It was better than inviting unnecessary trouble.
Though the fact that Miroel was clinging to my other side as if refusing to lose out felt a bit much.
Honestly, what man would refuse skinship from two beautiful women?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a businesslike voice reached my ear.
“You have arrived?”
When I turned, a woman wearing glasses and projecting a distinctly intellectual image came into view.
“You’re here, Tia?”
Indeed. The woman before us was none other than the culprit behind the upcoming incident—the one who would betray Lillia.
“Yes. And the person beside you is…?”
“Ah, the companion who will be joining us this time.”
“A pleasure to meet you.”
I extended my hand toward Tia, careful to avoid any sense of discomfort. She shook it with a smile. Of course, while our hands met, our thoughts were entirely different.
Unfortunately, a variable has appeared.
I’ll have to make full use of her.