The Witch's Coercion (11)
The Witch's Coercion (11)
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"But I sense nothing within you, Priestess?"
"...Wh-what?"
The Witch said it with a face that looked a little apologetic. It almost felt like she was sorry for betraying our expectations. Well, that aside—what did she just say?
More than one thing was confusing me, but I had to get this straight first.
"C-can you really tell something like that? Are you certain?"
The Witch smiled gently.
"I do not know how things were where you lived, but this world does have contraceptive magic. Naturally, to cast contraceptive magic, one must first confirm whether a child is present. And I feel no seed of life within the Priestess."
"I-is that so?"
Of course it was. I'd never once turned 「Irresponsible Pleasure」 off. But then why had Reni been going on about being pregnant and all that?
"Nnnh... Y-Yoo-jin..."
"Uh, yeah?"
Trembling, Reni turned to look at me.
They said the eyes were the windows to the soul. I looked into Reni’s eyes and swallowed. They contained emotions that no single word could express.
Shock, betrayal, sorrow, rage...!
I couldn't say a thing, just kept swallowing, when Reni spoke in a shaking voice.
"L-last time..."
"Last time?"
"You said... you said you'd make a baby with me... last time... last night!!!!!"
Last night? When did I ever...
"!"
Right. During that threesome! Yuri had made me lose my head, and I'd pounded away with enough force to fuck someone to death while threatening to get her pregnant. There had even been a semen-induced pseudo-pregnancy!
Had she been holding onto that this whole time?!
Yuri had recognized it as a bluff and let it slide, but I never told Reni that.
So she'd taken that literally?! Reni did have a tendency to believe my nonsense exactly as I said it, but good god—I had dug my own grave!
"Priestess of the Goddess, there's no need to be so impatient."
At the Witch's soothing tone, Reni whipped her head around. A rage-filled movement, as if to say what would you know. Her fury was so fierce that even Yuri and Ariel stayed quiet, but the Witch alone looked unruffled.
"That man received a mission from the Goddess, did he not? Until it is completed, various restrictions bind him. Surely you were aware of that?"
The Witch was saying something oddly similar to the excuse I'd given Reni before. But how did she even know that? Had she analyzed all my skills while pretending to be on the receiving end last night?
"Nnh..."
Reni lowered her head, seeming somewhat dejected after hearing the Witch. I didn't know whether to call it fortunate that we had gotten through the situation.
The Witch smiled warmly.
"You needn't be in such a hurry. You will have as many children as you desire."
Saying that, the Witch winked at me. W-was she saving me?!
Come to think of it, I'd never met anyone in this world who took my side so proactively.
She was no ordinary Witch...! She was... Mommy! Witch Mommy! Mama for short!
Reni quietly wrapped her arms around mine. But she must not have cheered up completely yet, because she just stared silently at the floor.
"Urk?"
I felt a light pinch at my side and turned to find Yuri staring at me with an utterly incredulous look.
"No, wait. Forget that for a moment. Did you tell her everything? Weren’t you supposed to hide it if you didn’t want the royal castle to drag you away? For someone in that position, aren’t you being far too loose-lipped?"
"Y-you think so?"
I had nothing to say.
No, wait. On second thought, I did have something to say. I'd only talked about it when it was absolutely necessary. And this time especially, I was pretty blameless. The Witch had already figured out every answer; she'd summoned me just to confirm.
"Don't be too hard on him. No one but me would have noticed."
The Witch said it as though she were chiding Yuri. Taking my side even on this. A little more of this and I felt like I might actually call her Mama.
As if reading my mind, the Witch showed another benevolent smile and continued.
"But someday, a clash with the royal castle will be unavoidable. Prepare yourself for that time."
"..."
The Witch had voiced something a little unsettling.
We were minimizing contact with the royal family so that no unnecessary rumors would spread.
But I didn't know how long we could keep that up. The Goddess's mission, by its very nature, felt like something that could only be resolved through contact with a lot of people. And the more people I was exposed to, the higher the chances that the fact I was a Summoned Person would be exposed too.
"But he's carrying out the Goddess’s mission, is he not? I doubt the royal castle could drag him away so easily..."
At Yuri's objection, the Witch took a sip of tea and then spoke.
"The Goddess is already striving to help through various means, but even she cannot dictate every little personal affair. She can intervene to keep a single ant from dying, but mediating so that ants get along with one another is far more difficult."
"...That's a blasphemous thing to say."
"It is a crude analogy, but that is what I mean."
At Reni's muttered protest, the Witch closed the topic with those words.
"But preparing for a clash with the royal castle... how would we even... prepare for that?"
"It is simple."
At Yuri's uneasy question, Ariel, who had been silent until now, spoke up.
"He need only become important enough that the royal castle cannot recklessly drag him away. This city is perfectly suited for that. Because of the Great Labyrinth, the Guild possesses unusually strong autonomy here."
"It is?"
"Yes. Unlike elsewhere, this city grants the Guild strong autonomy. If he becomes an asset to the Guild and convinces it that he will not harm the royal family’s interests, no problem should arise."
Ariel shut her mouth as though there were nothing more to say.
Yeah, she was right. Come to think of it, I felt like I'd read something along those lines.
Unlike in other cities, when the heroes were being received here, it wasn't the nobility who took the lead but guild officials and major clan masters. Now that she mentioned it, I remembered something about this place having the largest magic-stone production and therefore wielding a lot of clout.
"You're all talking about some seriously big stuff like it's nothing..."
Yuri muttered it, and honestly, I agreed. An ordinary little guy like me was listening to talk of becoming a major guild figure, and the whole thing felt increasingly unreal.
At Yuri's down-to-earth comment, the Witch smiled.
"It's not such a difficult feat. Dungeons have been undergoing constant shifts lately, have they not? The Guild will have its hands full. If you just work a little more proactively, the Guild will provide a great deal of support."
"But the Goddess's mission is..."
"Carrying out the Goddess's mission is well and good, but creating the overall conditions to carry out that mission is also important."
Reni's timid protest was cut down with a single stroke. But the Witch's words didn't end there.
"And Priestess, do you not need to become a little more accustomed to using Divine Power? I am sure you already know that."
"..."
The Witch’s tone was mildly scolding, and for once Reni listened quietly. Something seemed to have struck home. The Witch was good at reading people, but she kept saying things only the two of them understood, which frustrated everyone standing beside them.
"I believe there is nothing more to discuss. Thank you for coming."
With that, the Witch issued a dismissal. Having nothing more to say ourselves, we rose from our seats. Or rather, it felt like my body had moved before I'd even thought to do so.
As we were leaving after giving our final farewells, the Witch said something meaningful.
"Call me again if the need arises. It has been a long time since I enjoyed myself this much. I feel as though I missed out on half my life?"
Still in her youthful form, the Witch flicked her red tongue out.
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"...Lost out on half her life? What's that supposed to mean?"
"..."
I pointedly ignored Yuri's ominous muttering. If I got dragged into that right now, we might end up kicking up the same fuss as earlier. Sure, what I'd done with the Witch was meant to counter her reverse sexual assault, but in the end, I'd enjoyed myself too.
Anyway, summon me again? And she'd said she'd lost out on half her life. Did that mean we'd be doing that again...?
"..."
I tried hard to shake off the memories of the Witch that were creeping up on me. This wasn't the mood for lewd thoughts right now.
Ever since a moment ago, Reni had been clinging tightly to me with a somewhat gloomy expression. She'd been like this ever since she heard there was no baby. But why...?
I gave Yuri a subtle look.
'I've got something to talk to her about privately for a minute, so could you give us a little space?'
'What? Why should I?'
'Look at her face. The mood's been weird for a while now.'
'...'
Yuri stared at me as though I were pathetic beyond belief. Then she grabbed Ariel and pulled her back.
"Ariel? There's something I'm a little curious about..."
And just like that, we had a brief moment to walk alone together. I carefully studied Reni's mood, then opened my mouth.
"Reni?"
"Yes..."
"Why... why do you want a baby so badly?"
Reni looked up at me as if she were upset.