92. Side Effects of the Lewd Amanita Muscaria
92. Side Effects of the Lewd Amanita Muscaria
"First, let's think for a moment."
One mustn't get anxious just because a situation had blown up.
If there was one thing I had learned in my short life thus far, it was that people who could swiftly handle a crisis the moment it erupted were a tiny minority among minorities.
And unfortunately, I did not belong to that minority.
I was the epitome of the common man, the type whose mentality shatters right alongside the situation when things go wrong.
Thus, rather than fussing and scrambling to do something hastily, it was right to step back and distance myself by a single stride.
"Fuuuuu—alright."
Minerva had fallen into it right before her NTR Rank was about to rise.
The reason was probably the Lustful Clown Mushroom.
As far as I knew, the Lustful Clown Mushroom's effect possessed the power to cloud the target's reason and heighten the body's carnal desires.
Simply put, it was called the 'Lustful Clown Mushroom' because it produced an effect akin to 'heat'.
What made it even more vicious was that its range was not limited to humans—it drew in and aroused the surrounding animals as well, meaning it could hit zoo+Utopia in a single instant.
A fox mounting a rabbit.
That such a worldview could actually occur.
'So that's why the bestiality event triggers simultaneously....'
Anyway, to sum up the situation:
"We're fucked."
[Goddess Athena: We're fucked.]
".....?"
[Goddess Athena:....?]
What was with this goddess?
I felt a new goddess, one I hadn't seen until now, looking down upon me and delivering an oracle.
'No, why?'
Flustered, I looked up at the sky, and another oracle came down.
[Goddess Athena: Fighting.]
"...How disorienting."
She seemed to be cheering me on, at least.
For now, I went the opposite way from where I had walked—no, I did not.
Rather, I moved forward, heading from east to even further east.
[Goddess Athena: You are not turning back the other way?]
"This mountain takes about five hours to circle once. I've been walking for about four hours now while searching for the mushroom, so if I'm going to find Minerva, it's correct to keep going straight rather than turn back the other way."
[Goddess Athena: Composure without panic or haste. And wisdom on top of that.]
+10 points.
I could almost hear Athena's delighted voice.
...Right now, your apostle is on the verge of being bestialized in real-time, and you have some fine nerve, don't you?
"So the direction has been decided...."
What remained was finding Minerva somehow, but the problem was, would finding her be easy just because I looked?
'If I wander around searching one by one, I'll probably be late.'
I would be late in more ways than one.
Thus, the best course was to make Minerva come to her senses and come to where I was, but if that were possible, there was no way I would just stay still.
"Agape, as an 8k keyboard."
In that sense, I did not stay still.
I transformed Agape into an instrument so that I could play while walking.
[Goddess Athena: Why do you bring out an instrument?]
"The effect of the Lustful Clown Mushroom is the loss of reason, the pursuit of instinct. If that's the case—then besides the carnal desire, Minerva's other desires would also be amplified."
It was a simple rationale.
In case anyone had forgotten, Minerva was a heavy metal fanatic.
Normally, she cosplayed as if she wasn't, but if you saw the limited events, you could witness her donning a wig and shredding on an electric guitar.
The props in her room also looked normal on the surface, but if you unfolded beneath her bed or behind her bookshelf, the abyss would just seep out.
"Normally, she might have just ignored it... but in a state where she's lost her mind, if she hears death metal, she'd probably go bonkers and come running, don't you think?"
[Goddess Athena: Adaptability to the situation as well. Lady Hera, by any chance, this child to me—]
[Main God—Hera: Do you want to die?]
[Goddess Athena: —I would like to bestow a blessing upon him, would you permit it?]
[Main God—Hera: That is permissible.]
'Yeesh.'
Lady Athena's situational adaptability seemed far from ordinary as well.
[Main God—Cronus: Snatching away my child....truly my child....]
'What is Cronus on about at a time like this?'
I ignored him outright.
As I've said several times, that was not what was important right now.
"The difficulty... it's right to do it on easy mode, right?"
I could see clearly before my eyes that she would come running like a dog the moment she heard even a death-metal-esque tune.
On top of that, my hands were trembling right now and I felt like I couldn't play accurately anyway.
'There wouldn't be a problem if I made mistakes, but'
Still, the saying goes that a red skirt is prettier—higher accuracy would probably make her find me faster.
If I were going to consider that far, it made sense to raise the difficulty and add extra modes, but this was essentially a half-prayer-meta situation, so I just glossed over it.
"Fuuuuuu...."
It's going to work out.
I moved forward with quick steps and began to play.
The title of the song was, KOROSE (Kill Them).
One of the theme songs from the previously mentioned DMC (Detroit Metal City).
Playing Agape, I dashed through the mountain as if half-running.
And the result was....
"Kyaaaaaaaaaa!!! Hell Kaiser! It's Hell Kaiserrrrrrrrrr!!!!"
".....Hieeek...!"
The effect
was way too good.
****************
"S-so... I'm so sorry. Without realizing it, I just...."
"It's fine. In life, people make mistakes sometimes."
I blew away Minerva's [Heat] [Lust] [Confusion] statuses by playing Agape.
Seeing her barely manage to regain her senses after I strummed the B Chord at an expert level a few times, the mushroom's poison must have been no small degree of strength.
'She says she took precautions in her own way, but...'
To attempt blocking the mushroom's spores with just a cloth wrapped around her mouth and nose.
If she had worn a great KF-Mask, this wouldn't have happened; it was truly the result of carelessness.
'And on top of that, running over because she heard death metal is also absurd.'
If thanks to that her life and virginity were saved, then no matter the means, she reached Olympus, so wasn't it fine?
Minerva still couldn't lift her head, but I didn't particularly care.
"Anyway, the mission is over with this. It's a little late, but it's not yet time for the last train to leave."
"Uu.... uuuu....."
"...I said it's fine, you know."
"I am not fine....."
".....I see."
Minerva looked down, her face flushed red.
At any rate, all missions were successfully completed, so it didn't matter, but...
It didn't seem like she'd listen even if I said more, so I just decided to leave her be.
"Then shall we head back now? If it gets any darker than this, it really feels like we'll have to take the last train."
"...I'm sorry."
I couldn't even be bothered to reply anymore.
After that, we each went our separate ways.
I returned home and saw Mai for the first time in a while...
"...Sniff.... sniff sniff...."
"What are you doing?"
"Detecting a strange smell from Big Brother. A smell that, when sniffed, makes me feel good....?"
"What's that supposed to mean."
It was a bit bewildering to hear that a smell I'd been drenched in sweat with for a week was a pleasant smell.
Admiring Mai's way of earning points in strange aspects, I finished my shower and came out.
"Hm? Strange. The good smell is gone...."
"...Do you have a smell fetish or something?"
"That is not it. Already confirmed. The source was Big Brother's room trash bin."
".....In the trash bin, what?"
"Tissues."
"..........."
From now on, I had to make sure to flush used tissues down the toilet.
...
..
.
Meanwhile, around that time, Minerva's case.
"Strange...."
Minerva collapsed onto her spot, unable to even take off her armor.
She let out a moisture-laden sigh and barely began to remove her clothes.
"Hot... my body's, stuffy....."
A body that felt as if a fever were rising.
However, there was no sense of being sick. Rather, it was a floating, pleasant sensation.
Additionally, a bizarre, ticklish feeling between her legs.
"....Nngh..."
No.
Something like this...
Is wrong, but I can't stooop....!
"Hngh.... hnngh....!"
Minerva placed her hand over her chest, beyond her clothes.
Even though she did nothing more than that, not even a single additional action,
"Thi...is...!"
Minerva's hips shook finely as if a tingling lightning bolt had struck her entire body.
'....Why?'
She knew.
She could not say she didn't know.
It was a situation she knew intellectually.
A development she was well aware of through Merk's storytelling.
But if there was one difference, it was that no particular person came to mind—or rather...
"...Chrono..?"
Not, no one.
Not entirely no one.
A man surfaced in her mind.
Though it had been a short period of less than a week, the image of the man who had been with her constantly was drawn out.
"No, way....in the first place, Chrono already has a partner—nngh.... hnngh....♥"
No.
This is wrong.
But her hand kept moving, and before she knew it, she was desiring it.
A strange sensation.
A euphoria as if she'd been injected with a drug.
'Could.... it... be...?'
Exactly as those words suggested.
"It can't be... but... still, maybe....."
Clouded reason.
Breath quickening.
A floating, heated body, and a body gradually pursuing instinct.
The symptom that followed was only one thing.
"Hell, Kaiser.....?"
Minerva was intoxicated by the 'Lustful Clown Mushroom'.
"Nngh... uuuuu...! No... it's, noooooot... allowed...."
She had covered her face with leftover cloth to protect her airways, but spores still lingered on the outside.
Spores were smeared all over the armor, and naturally, they remained on Minerva's body, on her skin.
Fortunately, when Chrono was present, he had detoxified her with [Power Chord], but since she hadn't yet washed up, spores still remained on her body.
As a result, she had become intoxicated by the 'Lustful Clown Mushroom' spores once again.
"No... this heart, this feeling... I really can't bear it....!"
It was because of the Lustful Clown Mushroom.
"Kaiser.... Kaiser, niiim....!!"
It was because of the Lustful Clown Mushroom.
"Oooh.... nnuuugh....!"
The side effects of the Lustful Clown Mushroom.
"....Is this... the thing Merk called 'love'...?"
She was simply intoxicated by the spores of the Lustful Clown Mushroom.
As a side note.
[Apostle of Athena—NTR Rank 1]
[Lord Zeus appeals of his frustration.]
"...Hoo."
Ter quietly let out a breath.
Sure enough, it turned out like this after all.
But this too was within his calculations.
"Mars, I have a proposal for you."
"Hahh? What kind of bullshit are you gonna spout now?"
Ter spoke toward Mars.
"Make a bet with me. The event for the bet is who processes more missions."
".....Heeeeeh?"
A diversionary tactic.
A mindset of putting out the most urgent fire first.
The plan itself was fine, but.....
[Mars: 72p]
[Jupiter: 31p]
"What a fucking pathetic bastard."
"....How...?"
Ter's skill was far too lacking to defeat Mars, who had already completed her apostle awakening.
Human-wave tactics were only possible if there was a corner to squeeze into—if the gap was overwhelmingly vast....