Translator: RaidenTL

Chapter 129: There Is No Eternal Happiness

"Haaah..."

The Young Lady panted, staring blankly up at the ceiling.

She looked quite satisfied. I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of pride.

"Sion."

"Yes, Young Lady."

She gently took my hand and interlaced her fingers with mine.

Gripping it tightly as if she never wanted to let go, she looked at me and smiled.

"I... I finally became a woman today."

"Pardon? You were always a woman."

"No, I don't mean biologically. You know what I mean. I became a real woman."

She smiled, stroking her belly.

I couldn't help but chuckle at her words. Seeing her so satisfied made me feel both bashful and gratified.

"To think Yuria was keeping something this good all to herself this whole time? That's so outrageous, I feel like I should make her buy me dinner for three days straight."

"Hahaha. Three whole days?"

"Yeah. I think that's fair."

"Your desires have become quite modest."

"Shouldn't one wish for things according to the state of their wallet?"

"I suppose that's true."

The lighter your pockets, the thicker your skin has to be. Pride doesn't put food on the table, after all.

"So, speaking of which... when are we going into the Labyrinth together?"

"I'd like to go in this weekend, but there's a lot going on. It's hard to set a precise ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠schedule."

There was so much to do, and with only one body, it was difficult to handle everything alone. I wished I had a clone who could take over some of the work for me.

"You have to go to the Labyrinth, and you have chores piled up... You're busy. Then why not hire a secretary?"

"A secretary?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't it be better to have someone handle the paperwork for you?"

"A secretary, huh..."

That actually sounded like a great idea. It would be wonderful to have someone to represent me and handle tasks on my behalf.

I was wasting too much time running around everywhere myself. Just training to better utilize my Subspace Pocket was overwhelming enough, and trying to manage the Underground City development project at the same time was making my head spin.

I wish the Underground City would just develop itself.

If only I could use a Clone Technique, or if I could place bodies of myself in various locations and swap between them. Either one would be a godsend.

"I should look into getting a secretary."

"Right. You said you have plenty of money. You could just buy a smart one among the slaves."

"If only Olivia's eyes were fully healed, I could give her more work. It's a shame."

"Olivia is smart, for sure. I've talked to her a few times, and her knowledge is incredible."

"Exactly."

It would be great to have someone to handle things for me. Maybe I should look into buying another slave.

"I'll take your advice and find a secretary, Young Lady."

"Make sure it's a man."

"A male secretary? No, traditionally, secretaries are supposed to be women..."

"You already have plenty of women around you! Why do you want to add more? Let's go with a male secretary."

"A male secretary? That sounds awful. And what if the bastard tries something with you, Young Lady?"

"What? What kind of delusion is that!"

"Gah!"

The Young Lady reached down and squeezed my cock firmly, glaring at me.

"If you conquered me with this, have some confidence. From what I can tell, I don't think I'll ever find anything better than this for the rest of my life."

"Okay, okay, I get it, so could you please let ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠go? It hurts when you squeeze that hard."

"Sorry... did it hurt?"

"Yes, it hurts. Look."

"Oh dear. It's gone all sullen. Should I blow on it for you?"

"...Yes."

"You're not even going to refuse?"

"How could I refuse that?"

"Ha. Aren't you a bit too honest with your instincts?"

"Then stop being so pretty."

"....."

Her face flushed red, and she slowly moved down.

"So... should I really blow on it?"

"Yes. I'll leave it to your omakase."

"What's an omakase?"

"It means I'm leaving it up to your best judgment."

"Is that what it means? Is that also the Eastern language?"

"Yes. It's Eastern."

Accepting the explanation, she gently blew on my limp cock.

"Pain, pain, fly away~"

"Hehehe."

It was a bizarre sight, but somehow, it was incredibly satisfying. Knowing that she cherished my 'precious part' as much as I did made it throb and stir.

"But Sion."

"Yes, Young Lady."

"I don't think I've ever properly sucked this before."

"Uh, I suppose not?"

"So I'm curious."

"If you're curious, you should try it."

"Hehe."

She toyed with it as if it were a new plaything, then began to lick it with her tongue.

"How is it? Slurp."

"If you use your teeth, it'll go limp again."

"Really? So I shouldn't bite?"

"Augh, of course not! Why would you bite it!"

"Alright, alright. I won't bite. No overreacting. Promise."

"Promise..."

I couldn't exactly refuse when she reached out her hand like that. Since I promised not to overreact, I tried to relax my mind.

"Slurp. Haaah. It's so big my jaw hurts."

After sucking on it for a while, she eventually let go and rubbed her face, her jaw aching.

"If your jaw hurts, you can stop. There's nothing left to come out anyway."

"I guess you can't shoot anymore today... Next time, I'll really give you a proper blowjob. Okay?"

"Yes. I appreciate the sentiment."

She wiggled her way back up. Then, she forced her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way into my arms, resting her head on my arm as a pillow.

"Sion."

"Yes, Young Lady."

"Today was a very happy day."

"I'm happy too, Young Lady. I'm glad we could be happy together. Right?"

"Yeah. We are. But, you know..."

She trailed off for a moment.

Then, she just stroked me in silence.

"Young Lady?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah. I just got lost in thought. Today is a happy day. But because I know that not every day will be happy... I find myself wishing this moment would last forever."

"I think I know that feeling. The feeling of wanting the world to just stop right here, right?"

"Yeah. That's it. I find myself wishing the world would just pause for a bit. Even though I know it's greedy."

Greed.

Yes, it probably was greed.

Everyone wishes for happy times to continue, to be eternal.

I was no different.

But happiness always comes to an end eventually. And moments of pain always follow once the happiness fades.

"Perhaps..."

"Mm-hmm?"

"Perhaps happiness is more valuable because there is pain."

"You mean happiness feels more precious because of the suffering?"

"Yes. If we were happy all the time, I think we'd eventually forget what happiness even is."

"You mean we'd grow numb to it. That might be true. I think you're right, Sion. If happiness continued indefinitely, people would surely forget how truly happy they are."

"Exactly. That's why happiness can't be eternal. Because then, it wouldn't be happiness anymore."

"I see. I agree. I'll admit that pain makes happiness valuable."

The Young Lady nodded. Then, she looked up at me and smiled.

"In the future, if a moment comes that is so painful I feel like I might die... I think I'll remember today."

"Today?"

"Yeah. It's the day I first learned about a man in detail. It's also the day Sion and I became one. And it's the day I decided on my true partner."

"Leah..."

She kissed my cheek.

"I... I'm never going to die. I'll survive until the very end and stay by your side, Sion."

"That's what I should be saying."

"No. I'll protect you. That's how it should be. I'll protect you, so you have to keep moving forward until the end."

"Until the end?"

"Yeah. When I look at you, Sion, it's like watching a bird flying toward its nest. So sometimes... it makes me really anxious. I'm afraid you might just fly away and disappear."

"No way. I... I have nowhere else to go back to."

"But still. That's how I feel. Like... an arrow flying relentlessly toward its target. Sometimes you feel precarious. Probably even more than my need to descend the Labyrinth, you have a very big reason why you must go down there. Right?"

"...."

She was certain.

That I would go down to the very end, no matter what.

"So, I'll protect you as much as I can. I feel like an opportunity to take a great leap forward will come soon. I just have a feeling. So when that time comes, it's okay to lean on me."

"I appreciate the sentiment."

"It's not just a sentiment. Before long, I'm going to become strong. I have a powerful feeling. I'm certain I'll become stronger during our next trip into the Labyrinth."

"It's just a feeling, right?"

"Yeah, a feeling. That thing called Roah that's calling to me... I feel like my eyes have been opened because of it."

"You don't... hear voices or anything, do you?"

"It's not like that. I just have a hunch. A gut feeling, I guess."

"If anything feels strange, you have to tell me immediately."

"It's okay. It's not a bad feeling. In fact... it feels familiar."

The Young ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Lady stared into the darkness of the room.

What was she seeing? What was she feeling?

I didn't know, but it wasn't something I could stop or prevent.

I could only hope that the Malice of the Labyrinth wouldn't reach out to her.

*

Somehow, I ended up spending the night with the Young Lady.

I didn't know when I had fallen asleep, but when I opened my eyes, it was already dawn.

"Are you awake?"

"You're already finished getting ready, Young Lady."

"I have a habit of waking up early. My eyes just open naturally."

"I see. Are you leaving right now?"

"No. Let's go out together. I'll wait."

"Then give me a moment. I'll get ready right away."

I put on my clothes, following her lead.

Since the sun had just risen, it was colder outside the inn than I expected.

"My hands are cold. Hold my hand."

"Yes, Young Lady."

Holding hands with her, we walked through the morning city.

Merchants just beginning their day, street vendors laying out their wares, and adventurers lying on the streets after a night of heavy drinking.

All sorts of people began to fill the quiet city.

"The morning is quietly bustling. I like this atmosphere."

"It is nice to walk leisurely while everyone else is busy."

"You know exactly what I mean, don't you?"

"Doesn't that just show how well we click, Young Lady?"

"We do click. That's probably why I was drawn to you."

The Young Lady and I shared similar tastes.

Our hearts were in sync. I had felt it during those few days we spent together in the Labyrinth for the first time—we understood each other strangely well.

"It's here. This is the lodging where I'm staying with the others."

"I've definitely memorized it this time."

"Good. Thanks for walking me back."

"Of course. It's the least I could do."

"Um, Sion..."

"Yes, Young Lady."

"Before you go... give me a hug."

"Shall I? Come here."

I pulled her close, her nose red from the cold, and gave her a tight hug.

"I like you."

"Me too. I was going to say it first."

"Hehe. I was faster."

"I guess so."

She was fast. I always seemed to be one step behind.

"Sion, you know..."

"Yes, Young Lady."

"You must never die. Okay?"

"Why are you stating the obvious? I won't die easily."

"But I'm anxious. I'm worried that... the Labyrinth will try to kill you."

"The Labyrinth trying to kill me? Well, I've already felt that. But it won't be able to kill me easily. I have a very stubborn lifeline."

"Yeah, that's right. You have a long life ahead of you. But don't let your guard down, okay? Because we have to live happily together for a long, long time."

"Right. We have to live long and happy lives."

"Yeah. I want to live a long time with you. With Yuria, too. And my friends."

"I'll work hard to make that happen."

"I'll work hard too."

She didn't leave my arms for a long time.

With this, I had another reason not to die.

Moira had already warned me once not to make her a widow.

And now, Leah was telling me not to die so we could live happily together for a long time.

I never had any intention of dying in the first place. If I die, it'll be of old age.

"Young Lady, it's about time we part. Look, Rika is waiting."

"Does Rika look like she didn't sleep?"

"Yes. It looks like she waited for you all night."

"Oh, Rika. She could have just gone to sleep."

"She's a guardian knight who only cares for you, Young Lady."

"Yeah. Rika likes me too much. I should treat her better... but I haven't even been able to pay her salary for a month now..."

"Well, that can't be helped. Rika is the one who chose to stay with her lord even in poverty."

"Yeah, I guess so. Hahaha."

Laughing, she finally pulled away from me.

"See you later."

"Yes. I'll come by again. When I buy a house, let's live together."

"Yeah, let's do that. Hurry up and buy a house so you can support me. Okay? Then I'll serve you as my Master for the rest of my life. Only in bed, though."

She gave me a mischievous grin and waved. I turned around after watching her enter the lodging.

Rika, who had been waiting for her at the entrance, gave me a slight nod as I left.

Rika was really going through a lot, too. Coming all the way to the Labyrinth City to struggle alongside her master.

"Haaa. It's cold."

It was time to go home. But I couldn't go straight back.

There were people who had been waiting for me since last night.

I stepped into a pitch-black alleyway where the morning sun did not reach.