The Wizard, the Slime, and a Business Opportunity (1)
The Wizard, the Slime, and a Business Opportunity (1)
#
"Oh, you're back?"
When we returned from the Witch’s house, Yuri was waiting for us at the Guild’s dungeon entrance. From the way she kept shifting from one leg to the other, she seemed to have been standing there for quite some time.
"Why are you out here? Why not wait inside?"
"Just because. You guys went off to work, so it feels a little wrong if I'm the only one resting."
Yuri said that and smiled bashfully. What was she, a puppy waiting for its owner? She shouldn't flash a dumb grin like that. It made me feel ticklish inside.
Yuri immediately latched onto my other arm, opposite Reni.
"What did you do there?"
"You know that witch who lived near the unicorns the other time?"
Before heading back to the Elf House, I sat down at a table set off to one side of the Guild lobby to rest a little and gave them a quick rundown of what had happened.
As for the part where we led the Bicorns away... well... Reni frantically tugged at my elbow, so I glossed over it. She probably did not want to become a target for teasing. Of course, I intended to tease her anyway. Reni was adorable when she whined.
As the story was winding down, Yuri furrowed her brow. She looked like something was nagging at her.
"But..."
"Yeah?"
"So, um... when the wind pollinated the flowers, that... curse? It was lifted?"
"Yeah. I did it with the wind, and I shook the branches too."
"You didn't actually say you confirmed it was lifted, did you?"
"I didn't."
The curse being lifted was something I'd confirmed through a system message. Mentioning that would be the same as telling her I was an Awakened from another world, so I'd left it out.
"But she just believed you that easily? Isn't that letting things go a little too smoothly?"
"..."
Now that I thought about it, she had a point. If I hadn't confirmed it via the system message, I would have been uncertain too. Could it be... had that Witch figured something out about me?
"Don't you think that Witch is a little dangerous? I can't figure out what she's thinking..."
Yuri hugged herself and shuddered. The idiot trio had reacted the same way. Why did everyone tremble like mice before a snake whenever the Witch was involved?
"...Well, it'll be fine. She'd lived in a dungeon for a long time, right? It's a place where a lot of nonsense happens, so she probably just takes it in stride."
After wrapping up the conversation, I went to the Guild counter and handed the Witch's note to Lize. When she opened it, she looked like she'd seen something astonishing and started to make a big fuss, but I slipped away quickly before the conversation could drag out.
We were just about to leave the Guild when Yuri suddenly yanked at my side.
"What?"
"We're heading to that elf's mansion now, right?"
"That's right."
"Then how are we going to do our... amplification from now on?"
"...!"
Right. I definitely should have sorted that out when Ariel brought up staying at the mansion. So much had happened today that I hadn't even thought that far. Actually, this was the single most important part of my daily routine!
"Sh-should we just do it in secret for a while? I could sneak back out at dawn..."
Yuri made the suggestion, but I had to refuse. It wasn’t just about sex for me. Spending the whole night together mattered in itself!
What to do... I glanced at Reni, and her entire body had gone rigid. Her face was drained of color. What was with her all of a sudden?
"...Let's think it over on the way bac—"
"Found you! Black-hair!"
A man's shout rang out abruptly. When I turned toward the source of the voice, the Silver-tier adventurer I'd faced at Sivter's mansion was standing there.
"At last, I've found you. I've been waiting!"
He looked quite excited, judging by the way his shoulders were heaving. That bastard. Did he have a grudge against me? That had been a business duel. Or had Sivter put him up to this?
Ariel, you stupid elf. You said Sivter was only targeting you!
I drew the Holy Sword from its scabbard and ushered the two of them behind my back.
"Hold on. Girls. Get back. This guy's danger—"
"No, that's not it!"
Not it? When I glared at him with suspicion, he approached with both palms held out toward me, as if to show he had no hostile intentions.
"I came because I had a request. Put your sword away. It's nothing bad."
His face was slightly flushed as he spoke.
...What the hell was up with this son of a bitch?
#
The guy's face was slightly flushed. But I didn't sense any hostility from him. No, he actually seemed like he wanted to act friendly.
It was weird.
Even though it had been a business duel, he had no reason to act this way toward me. Because of me, he'd been falsely accused of being gay, so we could not exactly call ourselves friendly, even as empty politeness. Then why did he seem so... chummy?
"...!"
Oh shit, no way!
"Stay back!"
This bastard was actually gay?! He hadn't become aroused because of my skill—had he been targeting me from the beginning?! And now he intended to jump me in broad daylight?!
"G-girls! Help me!"
"What? What's going on?"
"Th-that guy's the one! The one I fought at that pig's mansion! Th-this bastard likes men! He got turned on seeing me and came all the way here!"
"What?!" "Excuse me?!"
Fuck! An instinctive fear of an actual gay guy crawled up my spine! Even monsters hadn't frightened me this much! When I made such a scene, the man began to panic as well.
"N-no! That's not it!"
"Shut up! You would-be rapist! Girls! Call the guards right—"
"Gah!"
His face bright red, he threw his sword onto the ground in front of me.
"Take it! I'm unarmed now! Is this good enough?!"
"..."
"..."
Seeing as he'd chucked his sword, it didn't look like he was planning to rape me.
"Urgh... hrm..."
"Hrm, hrm."
An awkward silence passed. I caught my breath and then spoke.
"Ahem. I'm sorry. But I can't accept your feelings. I prefer women, so..."
"Would you please just hear me out!!!"
Why was he yelling and making a fuss?
...
After we both calmed down, the Silver-tier adventurer spoke in an even voice.
"I have no idea why you thought that. I have no interest in men."
What? Then why had he come looking for me? The guy kept stealing glances at my girls. Don't tell me this bastard dared to be interested in my women?
"Hmm. Talking here is a bit difficult."
That didn't seem to be the case. Something about him suggested he wanted to talk with just me, one-on-one.
...Wait. Come to think of it, had I told the girls how I'd beaten this man? I hadn't! Damn it! I had something to hide as well.
"Girls. I'm going to go have a quick chat. Just wait a bit."
"...What are you talking about? You were making a huge scene just a moment ago, weren’t you?"
When I said we'd talk just the two of us, Yuri openly put on a suspicious expression. After I soothed them a little, the Silver-tier and I started talking off in a corner.
#
"Hmm. My name is William. You may already know, but I'm a Silver-tier. Until recently, I was working under Sivter."
"I'm Yoo-jin. But..."
William had used the past perfect. Had been working? So he'd gotten kicked out? Because of me? I tensed my body and chose my words carefully.
"Ah, um. I'm sorry. I didn't expect things to turn out like that..."
At that, William let out a chuckle.
"It wasn't because of you. I'd been thinking of quitting soon anyway. If anything, it was for the best. I'd been hearing bad rumors lately. It felt like something bad would happen if I stayed any longer."
This man was more sensible than I'd expected. I nodded for him to continue.
"Ahem, ahem. I don't know why you think I like men. I have a lover too."
"Ah, yes."
"A woman, naturally."
"I see."
"In fact, that's the reason I sought you out."
"..."
William was beating around the bush without getting to the point. What exactly was this bastard trying to say?
"Ahem, ahem."
William cleared his throat for no reason, as if finding it a bit difficult to broach the subject.
"Hmm. Uhhm... when I clashed with you... well... I felt a certain sense of, uh, elation."
...Of course you did! I had cast Heat on you during our duel! Fuck!
"...Don't look at me like that. I swear I have no interest in you."
I played dumb.
"I have no idea what you mean."
"Don't play dumb. I didn't become a Silver-tier adventurer merely for show. You used some method to make me like that."
...This guy was pretty sharp. Shit. I was screwed. Should I pickle him in Aphrodisiac Slime and wipe his memory? No, it was already too late for that.
As I stayed silent and still, William lowered his voice into a friendly tone, as if to reassure me.
"Would it be possible for you to make me feel that... that elation again?"
"...I really don't know what you're talking about."
When I brazenly stonewalled him, William looked around, then dropped his voice further. His body language made it seem like he wanted to share something extremely personal.
"After you made me that way, I was able to, hmm, confirm my manhood that night."
"Manhood..."
"Come now. You know perfectly well what I mean. Let's not be coy."
William made a certain gesture with his fingers. A circle, with a finger moving back and forth through it.
"In any case, thanks to you, I was able to have quite a wonderful night. So what I mean to say is..."
Having opened with that, his face flushed, he suddenly started spilling out the sorrows of a middle-aged man in a torrent. There were a lot of figurative expressions, but by now I thought I knew what this bastard was trying to say.
"So what I mean to say is... would you help make that possible for me once more? I'll compensate you handsomely."
As he said that, William subtly showed me a coin purse bulging with silver coins.
...That was it. This bastard had come to ask me to serve as his human Viagra.