Daily Life in the Capital
I barely managed to get my trembling legs under control by the time I reached the inn. A sigh escaped me as I stepped inside.
"I'll head back first, so you take your time getting there♥"
Lumina's words echoed through my skull — the same Lumina who'd just fucked me senseless and then taken off first. I honestly couldn't believe it.
Hell. Outdoor sex. In the capital. I was losing my mind.
The first floor of the inn was surprisingly quiet. That didn't last.
A thunder of footsteps!
The heroines came pouring down from upstairs and swarmed me from every side. What was this, a posse here to arrest a wanted criminal?
"Lashu, you little shit! Where the hell have you been?"
"You promised you'd hang out with meee!"
"Hang out? With who? Lashu is mine, you damn shrine maiden!"
The women burst out and boxed me in. Right. I'd told them we'd meet up in the morning.
Goddammit, I just wanted to rest. I'd been walking around for over an hour, and on top of that I'd squeezed in a secret fuck session. I was exhausted!
I looked at Lumina in particular. She was huffing and puffing like she hadn't just seen me at all.
Do you have a conscience, Miss Rabbit?
"Uh, uhh..."
The second I answered like an idiot, the women only got more fired up.
"We were going to go eat together! Fuck!"
"Where did you gooo?"
"Lashu, you didn't sneak off to meet some other woman, did you?"
It was an incredibly passionate reaction. So passionate I started wondering if I'd become these women's lord and savior.
"Let's just enjoy some daily life in the capital for now. Come on out — I'll explain everything."
I headed out onto the street with the women and walked them through everything that had happened so far. My aunt in particular praised me for deceiving Rimani, calling it a solid result.
Heh. Feels good to get complimented. Even better when it's from a beautiful woman!
"We're going to need some kind of plan."
I tossed the line out casually, my eyes already wandering over the surroundings. Maybe it was because this was the capital, but the women's outfits looked more refined — and a lot hotter. Underboob fashion had even become the default around here. Goddammit, wasn't hanbok the original underboob look back in my country?
Aki asked, looking flustered.
"Um, why is everyone staring only at us?"
Now that she mentioned it — people, especially the men, were shooting us looks of envy and jealousy.
No, wait. Were they just looking at me?
"It's because all of you are gorgeous."
I answered while stretching. Lumina flicked her ear.
"Whatever. This capital's huge and there's a ton of places to go. Let's haul ass all over town! 'Kay?!"
"Hey, Lumina."
So she just wanted to play around after all. I wasn't even sure she'd listened to a word I'd said.
For some reason, my aunt was in on it too.
"Hehe. Sometimes you need the leisure to take things slow. If this Rimani fellow makes a move, there'll be a commotion — and that'll be our signal, won't it?"
"Ahem. I suppose so. Then I guess we should spend some time thinking of a plan."
"Don't worry. It'll come to you easily enough — the same way merchants invest in powerful families."
"Invest?"
I asked because I didn't know what that meant, and Aki slipped in to stroke my hair.
"It means merchants offer women or goods to powerful families so they'll look on them favorably. It's common in the capital♥"
"Ah, I see!"
That's Aki for you. She'd been a lord's wife, after all, so she knew all kinds of things. Renata-maman was probably the same, right?
I stopped and contacted the women inside the ring, asking if they wanted to come out and hang. The women answered by stepping out of the ring themselves.
"Whoa, even more women?!"
"That short little bastard... I'm so fucking jealous."
"Holy shit, the body types, the skin colors — he's got variety."
"I'm jealous. Is he a hero or something? How well is this guy doing...?"
The stares directed at me grew even hotter. Dinora smiled with satisfaction.
"Oh my, the capital? It's been a while."
"This is my first time. The capital has a really chaotic feel to it."
Fieri reacted with her usual coolness.
I had the women introduce themselves to each other. Watching them all greet one another so awkwardly was pretty entertaining. After that we went shopping, or sat in a café drinking unfamiliar desserts and beverages while we talked.
Conversation always brings people closer. It was no different now.
"Oh my, I was the same way! The capital's transportation is so convenient!"
"A famous masseuse, I see. They call her Dinora of the Divine Hands, don't they?"
"Fieri, is it livable in there?"
"Yes, Lady Dinora has been taking good care of me."
"A world inside a ring, huh. Hey, hey. I wanna go too! There's a hot spring in there, right?"
It had gone past a conversation blooming and was practically an ocean of chatter.
Well, look at that. I can't even get a word in. Still, it's a nice sight.
I smiled silently. The women talked casually about the lives they'd lived, or about whatever topics had their interest these days. Watching them, they looked just like high school girls chattering the hours away.
Looking at them like this, the heroines are just ordinary women. Really pretty, really pure...
I soaked in the rare peace and looked around the café. The longer I looked, the more something unusual stood out.
Come to think of it, the staff here... the races and species are all over the place, aren't they?
And the one who shone brightest among them was the female manager, giving crisp instructions while pitching in with the work herself.
That's the manager, right? Tits are fucking huge, body is insane, and those hips are ridiculous! She looks like a K-pop idol from back home.
My eyes kept drifting to her whether I wanted them to or not. She was an Eastern woman with long, pale wine-colored hair swept up in a stylish bun, and catlike blue eyes. That feline face paired with a glamorous figure that had to be at least a 75F — it seized the eye and wouldn't let go.
The café's called Hanuri, right? I thought the name was unusual.
Even while I was watching, several guys tried to hit on her. She shut every last one of them down. I thought I was watching an iron wall in action.
And she's not an easy woman, either. Damn. She's actually unique.
Then Fieri raised her hand and put in an additional order.
"A shake cake and a caramel Einspänner, please."
"Yes, ma'am. How would you like the cream?"
"How do you handle the cream here? Do you leave it at room temperature?"
"We keep it in a magitech refrigerator, held just slightly below room temperature."
"Then the rate of spoilage in the other foods would be more..."
The two of them were starting to talk shop. I'd probably understand if I knew anything about baking.
Fieri's household skills are top-tier, and her dessert-making is on that level too. And this woman can keep a conversation going with her? This girl's the real deal!
I was impressed. And then I got greedy.
I wanted this woman. Up close, her figure was even more spectacular, and her ass was so springy I wanted to smack it just once.
I caught the conversation of the people around us.
"Damn, that manager's body is incredible."
"Don't even think about it. She's Count Xia Jinping's wife."
"I heard he snatched her up and forced her in."
"Hey now, watch your mouth!"
Xia Jinping's wife, huh. And just like that, the threads connected again.
Sorry, but I was taking this woman too. By any means necessary.
"Ughhh."
A thick stench of alcohol suddenly filled the air. Someone stumbled into the café making zombie-like noises.
"Heheheh, I'm wasted. Hey, miss, c'mere!"
A drunk middle-aged man sat himself down wherever he pleased and called the manager over. When she approached, he threw her a lecherous look and asked,
"So, what's your name?"
"Is there something I can get for you, sir?"
"I asked your name."
"It's Min Jiyou."
"Alright, Jiyou. Think of it as sitting on your uncle's lap. Sit right here. Right here."
The middle-aged man grinned and piled on the sexual harassment. Voices of disgust rose from the surrounding tables. And yet not a single person stepped forward.
Because right now, six points of light were flickering at the man's solar plexus.
The world's going to hell. A late-stage Expert, and the bastard's eating his age backwards. This is the capital, so every kind of asshole crawls out of the woodwork.
A sigh slipped out on its own. Time for me to step in. My aunt caught my arm.
"And just what do you think you're going to do?"
"A little re-education. Show and prove!"
I walked over to save the manager. Even in the middle of all this, the manager named Min Jiyou stayed polite.
"Sir, this isn't that kind of establishment."
"So you're saying we should go somewhere that is? Heheheh, fine by me. Miss, bring me some coffee."
"Sir..."
"I said bring it."
"Please leave."
"You fucking cunt. You not hearing me? I said bring me some coffee!"
The middle-aged man showed his true colors. His eyes were as wide as they could go, and his lips were trembling. Even so, Min Jiyou's expression didn't change — as if she felt no fear at all.
"A woman should obey a man, but this bitch just keeps running her mouth, you filthy whore!"
Min Jiyou's eyebrow twitched, just slightly. The world's going to hell. I slipped in between the two of them. Ugh, the booze stench.
"That's enough."
"...The hell? Who's this brat?"
"How about you stop there and try proving there was a reason you were born into this world?"
"Who the hell are your parents? Huh?! How badly were you raised that you'd talk back to an adult? Get the hell out of here!"
"Mister. You are one lucky guy."
"The hell are you talking about?"
I snorted a laugh and fired back at him. Killing him would be a bit much — I'd just have to cripple him.
"If I'd been your old man? I would've erased you while you were still in the womb."
A pleasant breeze blew in through the wide-open window. The restless atmosphere went dead silent in an instant. In inverse proportion, the middle-aged man's face turned beet red. Rage had climbed all the way to the top of his skull.
I stood in front of the manager as if to protect her. The middle-aged man ground his teeth.
"What? You little shit...!"
The middle-aged man raised his hand. But I had something, didn't I?
Brainwash
I activated the necklace's ability. The necklace flared with light, and the middle-aged man hesitated.
Sure, he was drunk, but the guy was still a late-stage Expert. Just the amount of ki the necklace burned through was enormous.
I thought the Heart gap would make it fail. Did it work because he's hungover?!
This was the only window! I drove my fist into the middle-aged man's solar plexus with everything I had. Hard enough to shatter his sternum.
Hwoosh — BAAANG — whoooooosh!
An enormous updraft sent the middle-aged man flying out through the open window.
"Guhhk, bleeeegh!"
He staggered around on the ground and even started vomiting. Truly disgusting. I better not age like that. I tossed him a line.
"I let you live. Be a good boy."
The people around us were stunned.
"What the hell? That kid?"
"That's Imperial Regular Knight level! You didn't even see that punch, did you?"
"They say the smallest peppers are the spiciest. Damn."
I turned to the manager. Her arms were trembling — the tension must have finally let go.
"Are you all right?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes..."
"Be more careful from now on."
I said it coolly and went back to my seat. Min Jiyou followed after me.
"Um, may I have your name?"
"Lashu Leonhart of Gailwards. Ah, the sikhye here is pretty good. One sikhye, please."
"Pardon? Ah... yes!"
I even placed an order like nothing had happened and sat back down. As I was eating a nearby shortcake, my aunt pressed herself against me.
"Nephew. What was that just now...?"
"Ghk, don't be mad! It was a build-up. A build-up."
"A build-up?"
The women glared at me like they didn't believe a word. I just smiled awkwardly.
It was a build-up, okay? It was!