Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Lillian, You Won’t Be Able to Touch Me So Recklessly.
I locked the door.
Only after confirming that the system window had completely disappeared did the breath I’d been holding finally burst out roughly.
“ Hoo……. ”
Total affection: 20.
Last night, I’d risked my life just to barely earn 10, but today’s event had handed me 5 practically for free.
“ Isn’t this easier than I thought? ”
I couldn’t stop the laughter leaking out.
The moment I returned to my room, I immediately opened the gallery.
[Chat] Hey, you scrubs lololololol Lillian’s easy as hell
Author:
KangkangRobot’s post ended and the event immediately started.
A main event popped up, and some idiot bitch named Lillian started acting up, so I crushed her with words lololol
Then Elara thanked me and gave me +5 affection?
Isn’t this free as hell? lolol why were you guys so scared?
[2 Comments]
WhiteMage: Oh, congrats on clearing the first one. Guess you weren’t a scrub after all? The real stuff starts now though.
BlondBigBoobsDaisuki: This bastard’s laughing? The real game starts now though?
‘The real game starts now…… my ass……’
I snorted.
What, there’s a second and third one too?
Gogumador: Rookie, you’re getting cocky just because you cleared the first event. Every newbie says this kind of thing.... Be careful. The difficulty jumps hard starting from the second one.
KangkangRobot2nd: Dumbass lololololol now the real game begins, they’re seriously gonna try to kill you. Especially Lillian? That bitch is a black mage witch. She can take you down without even lifting a finger.
WhiteMage: Like Kangkang said, Lillian’s the mage of the Hero Party. You can’t handle her........ Did you provoke her or something? While talking?
‘Provoke?’
I didn’t even need to dig through my memory.
The things I’d said to Lillian moments ago replayed vividly in my head.
‘……Your manners are even worse than the rumors suggested.’
‘……Are you seriously ill? You should book an appointment in advance.’
Did that count as provocation?
The moment I realized it—
A reply notification from Gogumador popped up.
Gogumador: If you provoked her, then you’ve entered hard mode. For reference, if you’d sent Lillian away politely without provoking her, she would’ve been way less aggressive....
After tonight, there’s a high chance she’ll attack you. Especially because despite being a mage, she specializes in “assassination.”
At that final word, my spine froze over.
“ Fuck, what? Assassination specialist……? ”
The grin that had been on my face instantly vanished.
Yeah, I’d definitely kicked a hornet’s nest. I could feel my fingertips turning cold.
“ No, wait, how…… how do I…… ”
Pressing a hand to my forehead, I hurriedly typed a reply.
Hey then what the hell do I do? I seriously provoked her though?
KimSilsil: lolololololol this bastard’s genuinely fucked? lol
AnywayTheLegalWifeIsOne: Now then, our precious newbie. First, calm down. The way to survive is... ah fuck, I don’t know either!
Ah fuck, I’m being serious here, help me you bastards
Gogumador: Since Lillian’s a mage, you should prepare something that protects against magic. Especially mental attacks, so you really need to be careful.
How the hell do I defend against magic?
KangkangRobot2nd: Idiot, did you forget what Gogumador said? Use the 「Gallery Shop」. That’s literally what the 10,000 points exist for.
Ah, right……!
It felt like an air hole opening in my suffocating lungs.
「Gallery Shop」.
Keeping the gallery window open as a translucent overlay, I immediately activated the [Shop] tab.
“ Damn, there’s a lot of items…….”
As I scanned the list before my eyes, I repeated Gogumador’s advice to myself.
‘Magic defense,’ ‘Mental protection.’
‘If she’s a Hero Party mage, isn’t she some crazy bitch who casually drops meteors or something?’
I began desperately searching for an item capable of blocking that kind of power.
While scrolling down endlessly, something suddenly caught my eye.
‘Oh, this is it……?’
[ Anti Potion ]
Effect: Completely blocks physical and mental magic for one day.
[ Cost: 1,000 PT ]
1,000PT.
Since I had 10,000 points, I could survive ten days with this…… no, wait, it said ‘for one day.’
10,000 points meant exactly ten days’ worth.
Meaning I’d have to chug this potion every day until Lillian gave up.
“ Ah, fuck…… the cost efficiency sucks. ”
More importantly, simply drinking this and blocking attacks…… felt lame.
After all the trash talk about booking an appointment in the reception room, that wouldn’t make me look cool at all.
Instead of the defense category, I searched through the trap category again.
Like that [Golden Banana Peel] item I’d seen earlier.
My scrolling finger suddenly stopped.
[ Mischievous Goblin’s Ink Pot (Single Use) ]
Effect: Upon detecting a low-level mental attack or curse (1 use), the attack is nullified.
Additional Effect: Simultaneously brands the ‘caster’s’ face with the mark [Idiot] for 24 hours.
(Cannot be removed through magic or physical washing)
Cost: 900 PT
“ …… ”
A [Idiot] brand.
I could already picture it.
Tomorrow, that proud and arrogant black mage Lillian……
Returning to the mansion with the word “Idiot” stamped clearly in the middle of her forehead.
This was absolutely the one.
‘You need a proper lesson from this quack teacher, huh? Right, Lillian?’
It was 100 points cheaper than the Anti Potion, yet the effectiveness was a thousand, no, ten thousand times greater.
“ Good. I’ll block tonight with this……. And if I’m screwing her over anyway, might as well chain a combo together. ”
From the trap category, I also added that other item I’d been eyeing earlier into the cart.
“ Perfect. ”
……Without hesitation, I bought every item I had my eyes on.
[ Total 1,400PT used. (Remaining Points: 8,600PT) ]
“ Alright, preparations for welcoming our guest are complete. ”
♣
Night deepened.
Preparations for my “guest” were finished, yet the first thing calling for me was still my actual job as a counselor.
Though the storm named 「Lillian」 had swept through during the day, night still arrived at the mansion as always.
— Knock knock knock.
“ ……Teacher. My mistress is waiting. ”
The old butler’s voice was still mechanical, but today, it somehow felt like there was emotion hidden within it. Earlier during the day, when I had stood against Lillian, he was the only one who had shown killing intent.
The hallway was cloaked in darkness.
Following the butler’s guidance, I once again walked the familiar path toward Elara’s room.
“ Teacher. ”
“ Yes? ”
The old butler suddenly stopped.
It was unlike his usual behavior.
This man who always acted like a machine……
He turned his body toward me and glared sharply.
“ Let me warn you…… Counselor Teacher, do not interfere with my mistress’s affairs. If your actions negatively affect my mistress in any way, then…… I will never forgive you. ”
……Whoa, that’s intense.
Just like earlier when his eyes carried killing intent, he looked dangerously sharp.
I met his gaze directly.
“ My apologies, but I merely fulfilled my duty as a counselor. Furthermore, the thing causing my client the greatest distress is precisely her former Hero Party companions, isn’t it? A client should never be left exposed to such stress factors. ”
……That’s what I said firmly, though my real thought was: if her defense mechanisms reactivate again, I’m dead.
However, apparently displeased with my answer, he glared at me once before muttering lowly.
“ We shall see. If harm comes to my mistress because of you, then…… I will not forgive it. ”
“ Very well. Then do so when the time comes. ”
I answered just as firmly with a smile.
As though finished saying his piece, the old butler resumed leading the way.
Without saying anything further, I followed him until we once again stopped before the enormous doors of Elara’s room.
Today, before any knock could even sound, a voice came from inside first.
— ……Come in.
Without a word, the butler opened the door.
The room was different yet again from yesterday.
Instead of sitting in her armchair, Elara perched precariously on the windowsill, looking down not at the moon but at the dark garden below.
No candles were lit in the room, leaving only pale blue moonlight illuminating her silver hair.
And tonight, instead of the scent of tea, there was the faint aroma of wine.
“ ……Please sit. ”
Without turning around, she spoke.
Naturally, I sat in the chair opposite her.
“ Teacher. ”
“ Yes, Lady Elara. ”
“ ……Why did you do that earlier? ”
Here it comes.
An interrogation about the daytime 「Lillian」 event.
“ I’m not certain what you mean. In a situation where my client was being threatened, I merely fulfilled my duty as a ‘teacher.’ ”
“ Duty? ”
Elara turned her head and looked at me for the first time.
With the moonlight behind her, half her face was hidden in shadow.
“ You acted foolishly. Lillian is the Hero Party’s mage. Do you understand what it means…… to define that woman as ‘evil’ and make an enemy of her? ”
— ……Bzzzt.
My skill picked up the “noise” hidden within her voice.
The words “foolish” and “do you understand the meaning.”
This wasn’t “reproach.”
It was “anxiety.”
She didn’t think I was foolish.
She was worried that I might get hurt.
I didn’t miss the opportunity.
“ From what I understand…… the word ‘foolish’ can also be another expression for ‘worrying’ about someone. ”
“ ……! ”
At my words, Elara’s shoulders stiffened.
Jumping down from the windowsill, she crossed the room in two quick steps and stopped right before me.
“ ……Who exactly is worrying about whom? ”
— ……Bzzzt!
An even fiercer noise than before.
A perfect lie.
“ Don’t misunderstand, Teacher! You’re merely my ‘counselor.’ Whether you get hurt or not is none of my concern, but…… ”
She reached as though to grab my collar, only to freeze midair.
Even beneath the moonlight, her ears were vividly red.
“ ……If you go and die on your own, then who’s going to continue my ‘counseling’? ”
I smiled softly.
Time to play along with this tsundere young lady’s logic.
“ Haha, I see. So Lady Elara values her ‘counseling’ more than my life? ”
“ O-Of course……! ”
— Bzzzt!
“ ……Then that’s a relief. ”
I cut her off and looked directly into her eyes.
“ Because I also value Lady Elara’s ‘counseling’ more than my own life. ”
“ ……. ”
This time, there was no noise.
My sincerity pierced through her lies.
Trying to hide her flushed face, Elara quickly turned away and looked back outside the window.
“ ……Enough with those quack-like lines. More importantly, Lillian said something earlier. ”
She deliberately changed the topic herself.
“ ‘So, have you found that precious color of yours yet?’ ……That’s what she said. ”
Mimicking Lillian’s voice, Elara laughed bitterly.
That laugh was filled with “noise.”
“ Teacher. ”
“ Yes. ”
“ ……Do you think I can truly become ‘white’? ”
This question.
The deepest core of the self-loathing revealed by the woman whose second defense mechanism had collapsed yesterday—the fear that she herself might become “gray.”
She wasn’t seeking comfort.
She wanted a “logic of salvation” capable of satisfying her insane black-and-white worldview.
The moment I tried comforting her with “You’re already white” or sympathizing with “Everyone’s like that,” I myself might become “gray.”
So I drew out the same logic that had shattered her defenses during counseling.
“ Lady Elara. ”
I steadied my breathing.
“ If Lillian or the Hero Party you despised were standing here right now, would they ask themselves the same question you just asked? ”
“ ……. ”
“ They do not agonize over whether they can become ‘white.’ They rationalize the ‘gray’ things they did as unavoidable, or as deserved ‘rewards,’ deceiving themselves into believing they are ‘white.’ ”
I stepped one pace closer to her.
“ You saw that ‘filth.’ And eventually, you confessed it yourself. That you, too, nearly became like them. ”
“ …… ”
“ But you did not rationalize it. You did not compromise by saying, ‘This much is acceptable.’ ”
Once again, I hammered into place the same logic that had saved her last night.
“ You rejected becoming black…… no, becoming ‘gray.’ ”
Looking at her seriously beneath the moonlight, I smiled softly.
“ You ask whether you can become ‘white’? Lady Elara, rather than becoming ‘gray,’ you instead trapped yourself inside this mansion while hating yourself and fearing you might already be ‘black.’ Isn’t that itself the most perfect proof that you are ‘white’? ”