The Wizard, the Slime, and a Business Opportunity (4)
The Wizard, the Slime, and a Business Opportunity (4)
#
After calming Niniel down and sending her back to her room, Ariel had been about to part ways, but the black-haired man stopped everyone, saying he had something to discuss, so she quietly sat back down. His grave expression suggested that he was about to say something extremely important.
Silence settled over the reception room.
Why at a time like this... Could it be that he had a way to resolve Niniel's problem?
No, that couldn't be.
Niniel's problem was something that not even the Hero had been able to resolve.
The healer known as the Hero of the previous generation had said that his own power could not heal Niniel and had cast a spell that sustained her life in exchange for Ariel’s mana.
And so after her mana was sealed, Ariel had poured her efforts into alchemy. The spell that healer had cast was in place, but Niniel's illness was gradually worsening, and she could not simply sit idle and do nothing.
But progress on the research into the illness was slow, and because of that Ariel had staked her family's fortune and sought the aid of the Magic Tower.
As ever, the breed of people called wizards, or alchemists, had a singular talent for squandering money. Literally short-handed, Ariel had no choice but to fund their research, however reluctantly.
But her family assets had dwindled bit by bit, and most of the research had shown no significant progress.
That was when Sivter had appeared.
Forgiveness of her debts, unlimited support for new research funds, and marriage.
It had been a trap. He had used the money as an excuse to interfere in Ariel's every move, and he had been determined not to loosen that shackle until after the marriage.
Half in despair and half resigned, Ariel had accepted that fact.
Then one day a black-haired man had appeared.
Fortune.
That was the only way Ariel could describe the stranger named Yoo-jin who had appeared one day.
He had completed the quest she had posted without much expectation concerning a researcher's whereabouts, and he had even brought back the man's research journal and slimes.
And that was not all; through some method or other he had even toppled Sivter's Champion.
He'd said he'd done it because he wanted companions, but the circumstances didn't add up.
He himself possessed the ability to bring down a Silver-tier opponent, and given the capabilities his comrades had displayed in the dungeon, there was no way he would need a half-baked wizard like Ariel.
But... Ariel had let the matter pass. If he felt some goodwill toward her, perhaps she could make use of him. It was shameless, but Ariel was in no position to quibble over the means.
That was why Ariel had not asked what he wanted until now. If he demanded something she could not pay, he might leave. In any case, Ariel was short of hands.
On top of that, he had conceived a new business item and provided her with the raw materials.
One stroke of fortune after another.
Although Ariel had stopped visiting the temple after learning that Divine Power could not heal Niniel’s illness, she almost felt that she should offer a prayer of thanks to the Goddess.
"Ahem. Hm."
At Yoo-jin's dry cough, a sudden unease came over Ariel. Why in the world was he treating her and her sister with such goodwill? And what would the price be?
"So... what do you expect will happen to Niniel’s condition from here?"
Put more bluntly, he was asking how much longer she had to live.
"I cannot say for certain. As you know, there is no precedent for this. But judging by how it has progressed so far... perhaps as little as one year... Beyond that, even I cannot guarantee anything."
Ariel had tried to keep emotion out of her words, but even so she couldn't help the slight tremor in her voice at the end.
"What about that green slime...?"
"..."
Ariel closed her mouth. Perhaps reading her expression, he, too, did not press further.
The healing slime had been of no use after all. It would help with recovering her assets, but it would be of no help with the fundamental problem: healing Niniel's illness.
He glanced at the priestess beside him, and she nodded.
An unusual atmosphere. The priestess called Reni wore a strange expression, somehow angry yet on the verge of tears, and the archer who coveted the bow looked as though she had no idea what was going on.
"The truth is...."
What followed was unexpected. He revealed that he was a Summoned Person from another world and an Awakened. Ariel had heard that the Hero of this cycle had been summoned at Guardian’s Fort in the east.
It would have been impossible not to know. The healer who had been the previous Hero had already informed her about it.
And so, with the meager connections she had, she had looked into their abilities, but finding none related to healing or curse-breaking, she had withdrawn her interest early on. Yet he was a summoned person?
Indeed. If that were the case, it explained a great deal of the mysterious abilities he had displayed.
He seemed to want to talk somewhere Rebecca was not present, but there was no need for that. To the sisters, Rebecca was family, and for all intents and purposes their guardian.
Without saying any more on that subject, he laid out his own story. How he had been driven from the royal castle, and how he had met his comrades.
Ariel listened in silence. He was dragging out the story like this for a reason. And at last...
"So... there may perhaps be a way to lift the curse on Niniel."
"How...?"
For some reason he seemed to be stalling. Just as Ariel was about to lunge forward, grab him by the collar, and shake him, he opened his mouth again.
"I possess quite a unique ability. One that amplifies the capabilities of whomever I make contact with..."
Ariel had heard that story as well. Magic that temporarily draws out latent potential, Holy Magic, artifacts... what in the world did that have to do with illness? Seeing Ariel's expression worsen, he hastily added,
"My ability is not something temporary like that."
He continued, explaining that the effect could last from several hours at minimum to dozens of hours at most. Even so, what did that have to do with anything?
"Permanent amplification is also possible."
".........!!!!"
Permanent amplification? Ariel was not foolish enough to miss what those words meant. Rebecca also went completely rigid.
"Yes. Whether it's total mana, stamina, or anything else—permanently. And it isn't limited to a single application. There is a daily limit, but it can also be stacked."
"That's...absurd...."
"It's something His Eminence the High Priest and I have confirmed."
The blonde priestess even brought the Church's guarantee to the fore. If so, then that meant—
"Yes. With your permission, I believe I could apply amplification to Niniel."
Apply permanent amplification to Niniel. If they could make Niniel's recuperative power and stamina vastly outpace the illness, wouldn't that be as good as the illness not existing at all?
With her sharpened hearing, Ariel could hear Rebecca’s breathing turn ragged. Ariel swallowed dryly.
"H-How...."
But instead of getting to the main point, he was, for some reason, talking around the subject.
"And according to Reni, there can be no such thing as an impossibility when it comes to curse-breaking with Divine Power."
Ariel knew that theory as well. She had heard it after paying a fortune to bring in the High Priest. But it was only a theory; in practice, there had been no improvement. Hearing it again merely left a bitter taste.
Why was he bringing that up?
"I received power directly from the Goddess."
He was not finished. He said that he could directly infuse someone with powerful Divine Power, and the blonde priestess nodded as well.
Ariel had not forgotten the High Priest’s words: “Niniel’s curse repelled the Divine Power.” In that case...
Ariel had been mistaken.
He was not merely another stroke of good fortune.
He was salvation itself, delivered to the sisters.
"S-so, uh... wh-what do we need to do?"
At Ariel's question, he shut his mouth as though, for some reason, it was difficult for him to speak.
Though consumed with anxiety, she could not bring herself to press him.
The moment she was about to lift her long-cold teacup to wet her throat, he opened his mouth.
"You need to have se—sexual intercourse with me."
"Pfft."
Ariel spat out her tea.
#
Cough, cough.
Ariel hacked and coughed as if she'd come down with consumption. Yeah. Even I thought the timing had been bad.
Releasing Divine Power through sex! When I'd first received this ability I'd thought it was great, but now that it had come to this, it was a hell of a headache. It was way too embarrassing.
No, come to think of it, I'd thought 「Sex Warrior’s Performance」 was a ridiculous ability even then. My semen was Divine Power. You goddamned virgin Goddess!
"Agh, hot!"
...Anyway, right now I had to be shameless!
Crrrack.
Wh-Whoa, from somewhere came the hideous sound of molars being pulverized... Both Rebecca and Reni were grinding their teeth! No, fine, I could let it slide for the loyalty-incarnate assassin-butler, but Reni, even you shouldn't be doing that!
"...It even releases Divine Power on top of it? The Goddess really does have some taste..."
Yuri muttered in utter disbelief. Her mouth hung open so far that she looked ready to drool. Don't look at me like that. It wasn't as though I wanted this either!
"...Would you explain?"
After dabbing at her mouth with a handkerchief, Ariel stared at me fixedly. Her expression hadn't changed, but the look in her eyes had. If before they had been filled with heat, now she was staring at me as though she might fire lances of ice from her eyes.
Damn it, even after laying all that groundwork, this was the result.
I went ahead and explained everything up to now, even bringing out the Holy Sword.
"So, wh-when someone absorbs my, my semen, Divine Power is infused into them... a-and that's how it works..."
"..."
This was weird. Seriously weird. I was clearly trying to help you all, so why did I feel as though I were spouting idiotic nonsense?
"Hoo... Th-Those words are true."
Reni, who'd been grinding her teeth, provided supporting fire. I supposed business was business and personal was personal. B-But even so, you were scaring me... Reni...
At that, Rebecca, who up until then had still been grinding away, suddenly stepped forward one pace.
"This man's words cannot be trusted."
What?
"No, these people's words cannot be trusted."
Rebecca shot flames from her eyes.
"She may be a priestess, but if they are lovers, could they not be deceiving us for their own benefit?"
"L-Lovers..."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
While Reni squirmed in embarrassment, Yuri questioned Rebecca in a voice that had gone cold.
"Last night this priestess paid a secret visit to Yoo-jin's room. And she performed said act."
No, holy shit! How the hell does she know that?!
While I remained speechless in horror, Yuri suddenly bolted up from her chair and began fiercely pointing fingers.
"Agh! Sis! You said we couldn't because we're in someone else's house! You said it'd only be pushed back by a day! Are you seriously pulling this?!"
"Ah. Aaah..."
You two made that kind of agreement while I wasn't around?!
The mystery was solved. Since we were at someone else's house, I'd thought they would just let it slide, but Reni had put her mind to work and tried to slip in during the gap!
No wonder she had made such a fuss about going back at dawn, completely unlike her usual self! That was to destroy the evidence of her crime?!
Reni covered her face with both hands and buried it between her knees. She was completely down for the count!
"No, more importantly, were you watching? How do you even know?"
"It is a butler's professional duty to keep track of movements within the mansion."
"I-Is that so? Even at night?"
"Yes."
I'd ended up using casual speech without realizing it, but Rebecca seemed to pay it no mind.
"Sis! How could you do that?! You cut in line again!"
"N-Now that I think about it..."
Under Yuri's continuing barrage of condemnation, Reni abruptly raised her head.
"It was because I was worried Yoo-jin might be... uncomfortable... That's it! Y-Yoo-jin becomes uncomfortable if he doesn't do it! B-Before too, whenever he was alone, he always... mph?!"
I clamped Reni's mouth shut.
Reni had completely panicked and was blurting out anything and everything! Just how far was this priestess planning to run her mouth?!
...
"So, is that the truth?"
After all that commotion, in the somewhat calmed atmosphere, Ariel asked again. Reni and I nodded, but she still didn't seem convinced.
"In that case..."
"That is unacceptable."
Rebecca cut off Ariel's words and interjected. To stay for even a confidential discussion and, what's more, to interrupt her own mistress... that was no ordinary relationship.
"I still cannot trust you."
Then what am I supposed to do about it?
"Would you believe me if I demonstrated it?"
Having said that, I turned to look at the two of them. Yuri was glaring at me like she wanted to kill me, and Reni, for some reason, had her eyes gleaming...
Crack.
When I turned at the ghastly sound of something being destroyed, Rebecca was wringing the table. The wood crumbling in Rebecca's grip... the solid timber turned into toothpicks and dropped to the floor.
Shit, if those hands caught me, there literally would not be enough left to recover my bones...!
"On me..."
Huh?
"Test it on me."
...What?