Annoying Attention

I bit back a twitching smile and asked, "A kiss? What the... Whoa!"

Prostia’s face brushed right past mine. Her teeth clicked together like a shark’s jaws. ...Is this what she calls a kiss? This noble bitch?! Does she think "kissing" and "biting" are synonyms?

Still, she’s incredibly fast for a 0.7% manifestation rate. A dragon is a dragon, after all.

"You. You said you came here for me, so why are you dodging?"

"..."

I didn’t answer. To be precise, I was busy analyzing the system window. I see. So that’s how it is.

The manifestation rate had gone up by 0.1% since a moment ago. There was only one logical cause: our hug.

I’m not entirely sure why, but I suspect it has something to do with the vow she and I made. Prostia had manifested through a contract between Sor and some unknown entity. With those two out of the picture, I’m the only one bound to her in a relationship similar to a contract. Perhaps the vow acts as a medium, and physical contact or certain actions with me trigger an increase in her manifestation rate.

Given that Prostia was the one who suggested a kiss, I’m fairly certain of it.

......Let me think about this for a second. What’s the downside to kissing her?

Absolutely none.

In fact, kissing a polymorphed dragon—one who is drop-dead gorgeous, noble, elegant, and possesses a fiery, multifaceted charm—is, frankly, a massive win.

Plus, she said she’d use this to fulfill the favor she owed me, so I have no reason to refuse. Even if the manifestation rate rises, one kiss won’t cause a dramatic spike, so that’s not a problem either.

It’s a win-win in many ways, but... there’s just one thing bothering me.

...Is it really okay to kiss her like this, as if I’m holding her weakness over her?

[No, you brat. Just... oh, just... seriously... just do it...]

Oh, whatever. Honestly, it’s like that, isn’t it?

My thoughts didn’t last long. Whoosh! Prostia tried to slam her face into mine again.

“Hup!”

Thwack!

I barely managed to block her with both hands. My right hand was on her forehead, my left pushing against her shoulder, but she kept snapping her teeth and trying to close the distance. It was like a scene from a horror movie.

"No... wait a minute, Lady Prostia."

"Hey! I said I’d even use up your wish, so why are you complaining? Just hold still and let me kiss you!"

"No, seriously...!"

I glanced back at Mullin. She had pulled out some dried snacks from who knows where and was munching on them while watching the show.

"Hey, you fucking bitch."

"Enjoy the show, brother."

Seems like you’re the one enjoying it.

Click! Click!

Damn it. At this rate, my lips are going to get shredded. Fine. Preemptive strike it is. I pulled my left hand away from her shoulder, grabbed her chin to stop her from snapping her teeth, and leaned in.

I felt a surprisingly soft sensation against my lips.

"Hmm...?"

Prostia tilted her head, then her face immediately lit up.

"Oh, ohhh...!"

"...Are you alright?"

"Hurry! Hurry, do it more!"

Prostia probably just wanted to raise her manifestation rate, but hearing her say that made it sound like she was begging me for a kiss, which was incredibly arousing.

Ah, no. I shouldn’t have lewd thoughts about such a noble being. Not to mention, she’s a creature I fought to the death with, and her true form is a monster. I shouldn’t forget that. ......Those stray thoughts vanished the moment I pressed my lips to hers again.

"Hmm... but is this how it’s done? From what I know, it’s supposed to be about chewing on each other’s lips..."

"I don’t know who taught you that, but they were certainly full of malice."

"It’s an etiquette passed down among us dragons, though?"

"......"

Dragons have some truly idiotic tendencies. We kissed a few more times after that. Honestly, I thought I’d be fine even if we kissed.

But once we actually started, the fact that I was kissing a beauty no one could ever touch made me uncontrollably excited.

It was truly ecstatic.

But, but you know... this is frustrating. What I mean is, just touching lips is barely scratching the itch. Can you even call this pecking "kissing"?

No, it isn’t.

I recalled my past experiences. Every single one of them was ecstatic. Immediately after, my tongue nudged at Prostia’s tightly shut lips.

"?"

The way she looked up at me in confusion was incredibly cute. My god. I never thought in my life I’d see the day where I’d find Prostia—this human form—cute, even if I could respect her as a holy being. Prostia couldn’t stand the confusion and pulled away.

"What are you trying to... mmph."

I didn’t miss the chance as her beautiful, perfectly sized mouth opened, and my tongue darted in like a spear. I invaded her holy mouth.

"...Aung?"

Her voice was cute, but I could feel her trying to bite my tongue with her teeth, so I hurriedly tapped her mouth to tell her that wasn’t it.

She seemed to understand, and though still confused, Prostia stayed still. I explored every corner of her mouth with my tongue. I wondered if her polymorphed body would feel different from a real human, but it was exactly the same. No, if anything, her body temperature was slightly higher, which only added to the strange excitement.

That was when.

"Umm."

"?!"

Prostia pushed her tongue back against mine. It didn’t seem like it was out of excitement, but rather just mimicking what I was doing. I pulled away in surprise, and Prostia said confidently:

"So this is how humans kiss!"

"You knew?"

"Of course! I’ve experienced it before!"

"..."

......Excuse me?

Why does that make me feel so gross??

"I experienced it within the play of illusions."

"Illusions?"

"It’s like a world of dreams. The sensation is identical to reality. There, I created both the male human form and the female human form you saw earlier, and enjoyed the play of sex."

"I see."

Isn’t that just a form of masturbation...? But thank goodness. She’s still pure...! If it’s just in her imagination, I think I’m okay with it. And she said she did it with her own forms, anyway. But wait, she said the male form I saw earlier?

......Why? They’re both Prostia, but it felt strangely shitty.

To erase that shitty feeling, I kissed her again, and Prostia accepted it without any resistance, mingling her tongue with mine.

"Hmph. You're too clumsy."

Too clumsy? Is that what she said? I thought I’d kissed plenty of times, but am I still clumsy?

"Phew. I have gathered all the information on human pleasures and injected it into my human form to experience it. Someone like you is nothing to me!"

Oh, is that so?

[Heh heh heh heh heh.]

The Remnant laughed. It was an ominous laugh, as if it were looking forward to what was to come. Since the laughter stopped—perhaps because the battery died—I ignored it and focused back on the kiss.

"Haum. Mm.. mm? Slurp. Mmph."

"Slurp. Slurp. Mmm, chu."

When I gently sucked on her tongue, she tilted her head but left it to me. Before I knew it, my hand was on her slender lower back. Prostia might not be feeling excited at all, but my body temperature was rising steadily with excitement. I could hear my own breathing and the wet sounds of our tongues mingling clearly in my ears.

"Mm, eut, chu. Chuuut. Mm? Eut, eut... eut...!"

Is she suffocating? I pulled away for a moment to be considerate, and Prostia blinked, then suddenly lunged at my lips. Then, as if she didn’t understand it herself, she opened her eyes wide and stared at me.

Cute. Fine. I’ll raise your manifestation rate for you, big brother style. Just give me your lips.

As I let my overflowing saliva spill into Prostia’s mouth, she let out a soft "Ah" and swallowed it well, despite her confusion. I ravaged her wet, moist mouth with my tongue, and our tongues met again, whether she was trying to follow my lead or stop me, I couldn’t tell.

I wanted to see that lewd contact with my own eyes, so I pulled my tongue out of her mouth, and Prostia’s tongue chased it all the way out. Soon, two tongues were meeting in the air, mingling obscenely.

"Uut. Eut...!"

"Haa. Haa."

Excited, I hugged her slender waist until it felt like it might crush. Maybe it was just my imagination, but Prostia’s body seemed to have gotten even hotter.

"Eut. Uah. Uah... slurp. Slurrrp..."

Her hot breath touched my nose. Is she getting a little excited? But she said she’s tasted all the pleasures of the world herself; would she really get excited by just a kiss? Is she actually a total amateur even at lewd stuff?

Well. Whatever. She’s cute and lewd enough as it is.

"Slurrrp. Slurp. Slurrrrp."

That was when Prostia’s two hands went up, wrapped around my shoulders, and slid upward.

...?

Is she trying to hug my neck? Prostia, of all people, as if she were actually excited—

"Brother and sister."

Along with a cold voice that felt like pouring ice water on heat, Mullin approached and kicked me in the abdomen.

"Gah-huck."

I rolled away, jumped up, and glared at her with murderous intent, but Mullin got angry as if she were the victim.

"You were making such a fuss as if it were a serious matter, but you two are just in heat. There are high-end hotels on the floating island or in the capital below; why don’t you go there?"

"...."

Now that I think about it, it must be absurd from Mullin’s perspective. I’d forgotten about this woman. How embarrassing. Still, I didn’t show it and looked away from Mullin. When I looked at Prostia, she was touching her own lips as if flustered.

Wow. Did I really just kiss such a noble, beautiful woman? No. She’s a dragon, but still, it feels so good. A wave of emotion washed over me. At that moment.

"...?"

What is that number? Did the manifestation rate jump by nearly 7% just from mingling tongues?

"Mmm... huh? Ah! Uaaah!"

Seeing Prostia jumping around with a joyful face, it was clear that the manifestation rate had indeed risen.

Huh? It’s going down?

"Oh my. It seems that was a temporary increase, and there is a separate fixed value."

A temporary value and a fixed value. Judging by her words, the 8% from earlier was a temporary spike that fades over time. The fixed value would be the one that doesn’t disappear even as time passes. Prostia, who said it so casually, gestured to me. Don’t tell me she wants to kiss again?

"Now, my dear. Let’s ki... mm.. ki..."

"?"

"Ki..ki..ki...ss...mm...?"

Why can’t you say "kiss"? The way she tilted her head, as if she didn’t know the reason herself, was incredibly cute.

"Stop making a fuss and let’s head back first. Seeing as it is, it doesn’t look like you’re going to go berserk."

"......"

"...Well?"

"Fuck off."

I said that, but Mullin’s opinion was reasonable. If I kept kissing her according to my desires, the noble dragoness’s manifestation rate would keep rising, and if it went beyond a certain point, it would become uncontrollable.

Having reached an agreement, we returned to the principal’s office with Lady Prostia, who kept muttering, "What is this...?" like a robot that had just awakened its emotions.

A dark, dirty tavern. Located in the outskirts, far from the Yang district in the capital, in the so-called "slums." In a shabby place completely different from the brilliant capital, a man dressed as a knight silently gulped down a bottle of old liquor. Having run out of booze, the knight shook the bottle for a moment, clicked his tongue, and threw it away.

A woman approached him. She was a blonde, tanned, delinquent "girl." Yet, she somehow gave off a pure impression.

"You’re Mile, right?"

"......Yeah?"

That was right. He was Mile, the knight who used to guard the heir of the "Serton Count’s family."

"Who are you?"

The woman didn’t answer. She only said this:

"Don’t you want revenge on Yeodre?"

"...!"

Mile’s eyes widened, but they soon returned to normal as he scoffed.

"Revenge? Revenge for what?"

"You chased him wanting to be his servant, but it was hard even to enter the capital, and you looked everywhere to meet him, only to find he’d already found a servant. After the floating island incident, he became an overnight star, and now it’s nearly impossible to even see his face, right?"

"..."

"You threw away the foundation you’d built while chasing him, couldn’t settle into the high cost of living in the capital you blindly came to, got pushed out, went to a dungeon to make ends meet, got injured, lost your items, and now you spend your days soaked in alcohol..."

Who is this woman? Why does she know so much about someone like me? Mile was confused. And if she knew this much, she would also know that Drae had done nothing wrong. She would know well that Mile was just a fool who chased Drae with his own expectations and failed, so what was her intention in saying this? Yeodre was innocent. If he had any fault, it was just planting a dream in Mile.

And that was the worst sin of all.

"It looks like you’ve run out of money, too."

"What are you?"

Heh heh. The woman’s thin ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠laugh... it was exactly like the laugh of a demon I’d seen once, sending shivers down my spine.

"I came here with the intention of cooperating since our goals seem to align. You. Don’t you want revenge?"

"...What are you talking about? To begin with, Yeodre doesn’t even know I exist."

He might have known my name back then, but he would have forgotten it by now, obviously. Revenge, she says. There’s a limit to venting one’s anger.

But the woman knew. Humans never operate on reason, and in such miserable situations, they absolutely need a target to resent. The woman, the strategist of the Gold Taeyang clan, was a believer in the theory of original sin.

"Just listen to what I have to say."

"Even if I listen, there’s nothing I can..."

"There is."

"..."

"Society, you see. If a few people gather, even the strong can be screwed over, don’t you think?"

As Mile stared with dazed eyes, the woman smiled.

"Don’t you want to drag him down and make him miserable?"

And 10 minutes later. Mile left the tavern. In the hand opposite his missing wrist, he held a heavy pouch filled with gold coins.

One of the empty rooms in the academy.

"Hello! Mr. Yeodre!"

"Who?"

I couldn’t help but ask back stupidly. He was a guy who looked likable—not incredibly handsome, but handsome enough to feel realistic. In one word, a "hunnam." And judging by his tone and smiling face, he even seemed kind. Beside him, a cute, white-haired woman who looked to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠be my age, dressed in wizard robes, was bowing repeatedly with her hands folded politely.

And the man... he was submerged from the waist down as if trapped in a magic circle, and to top it off, he was bound tightly with magical chains. It was quite a sight to see him smiling even in that state.

For reference, I had left Prostia in the next room after sensing someone else in the principal’s office. She whined, but she understood.

"He’s an Outsider."

"An Outsider...?"

I couldn’t help but be even more confused ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by the principal’s words. It was only natural; it hadn’t been long since the floating island incident, so they were accepting Outsiders, whom they didn’t usually accept? Of course, I had restrained him in a way that would make anyone else freak out.

“It’s not that Outsiders can’t enter the capital or the floating island at all. It’s just that they can only enter after being subjected to all sorts of restrictions, leaving them in a state worse than an ordinary person.”

“The capital might not be that strict, though.” Listening to the principal, I looked at the Outsider’s condition. I don’t think I’d be safe if I were trapped in that magic circle, yet he was talking to others while wearing that thing.

"I’m Hett!"

"Ah, yes. Hello. I’m Yeodre."

"W-wow...!"

"..."

His eyes were sparkling. It was the kind of gaze that seemed to admire me.

"It’s an honor..! I really enjoyed watching your fight against the Outsider Killer on the community! I really, really respect you!"

"..."

No, he really wasn’t hiding his respect. Damn, it’s uncomfortable. If it were a handsome but shitty-tempered guy like Kaits, I could at least act like a jerk, but I can’t say anything to a good-natured hunnam like this. Besides, he seemed genuinely happy to meet me, so I couldn’t spit on a smiling face.

......

Heh.

My lips curled up. Honestly, I’m happy. Sometimes when I read manga or novels, I’d scoff at characters who liked being praised mindlessly, but experiencing it myself... it’s addictive. In this situation where discomfort and happiness coexisted, Hett was chattering away when he went "Ah!" and looked at the white-haired beauty next to him.

"Ah, this is my colleague, Haina!"

"Ah, hello."

Watching them introduce themselves, I finished assessing my feelings about them. Although currently neutralized by the magic circle, my sharpened intuition let me roughly gauge their strength. According to that intuition, they were stronger than the Murderers I’d seen before, excluding Veil. In other words, they were quite strong.

"If you don’t mind, would you like to exchange contact information with me? I, I won’t bother you, just talk sometimes...!"

"Mr. Hett. What about what you told me?"

"Ah. S-sorry."

At the principal’s piercing words, he bowed his head in apology, cleared his throat, and stated his real purpose for coming here.

"I don’t have a clan yet, but I have people I’m close with."

Hett tried to put on a serious expression before speaking.

"I’ve brought a message from Ranker #2, Reina."

"...?"

Rank #2??

"To summarize, she said she’d like it if you could get along."

Hett said that with a bright smile.

The principal told us to contact her when we were done, and we left the office for the reception room. The business ended quickly. Well, we didn’t send him back immediately; we talked about this and that, and Hett kindly told us in detail how the current situation with the Outsiders was unfolding.

It was almost just small talk now. But this, too, was enjoyable.

"So, I think you’re really amazing, Mr. Drae!"

"Oh, come on, it’s nothing."

"......"

Me and Hett sitting on a bench talking. And Mullin watching from a little distance away with a sour face. It had already been an hour, so it was no wonder she looked like that. No, honestly, I was surprised too. Who knew I, who only thought of myself as an outsider, would have a talent for conversation? Of course, it was only possible because Hett was such a good person.

After stating his purpose, he didn’t bring up any work-related topics at all, and seeing him talk cheerfully about what monsters he’d caught or how fun his travels were made me happy too. Especially Haina, the wizard he traveled with; they were in a relationship, and listening to episodes about her made me feel like I was watching a pure romance, making my heart flutter for the first time in a while.

My first impression of Hett was that he was happy but a bit uncomfortable, but now my perspective had shifted quite favorably. This person was living the adventure I wanted to have in this world, the adventure I enjoyed in games. I found myself admiring him. Also, he was a purely good person, something I hadn’t seen in a long time.

The quest talk was fun, too.

As I said earlier, he was living out the adventure of a game, so he said he often went into dungeons to catch monsters.

"So I was fighting the Big Beetles and Dark Woodpeckers in the dungeon at the same time...!"

"Ho ho. Where is that dungeon located?"

"Ah. The Forest of the True Demon next to Sers!"

"...?"

There was a dungeon next to Sers...? Why didn’t I know that...?

[Because you weren’t interested.]

Don’t hit me with facts.

"Ahem. Ahem."

Mullin coughed as if to tell us to stop already, but I thought of all sorts of topics to keep the conversation going even more. You fucking bitch, the more you suffer, the happier I am. However, our "insider" Hett noticed Mullin’s reaction and bowed his head.

"I’m sorry. You must be busy, and I was being inconsiderate..."

Then he stood up and whispered to me.

"Since you’re close with the 'Saintess of Pulverization,' I hope things go well for you two."

Close??

As both Mullin and I stiffened and twisted our faces, Hett let out a flustered, hearty laugh. That bitch. Her ears are sharp, too. I hate you too, you fucking bitch. But wait, before it was the "Mad Nun," and now it’s the "Saintess of Pulverization"? How many nicknames does that crazy woman have?

As Hett stood up, he looked at Haina with a face dripping with love. She also bowed her head to us while looking back at Hett with eyes dripping with love. The adventure stories Hett had told us so far were no different from his love stories with Haina, and perhaps because we’d been listening to those stories until just a moment ago, I could feel the trust they had for each other.

I said playfully:

"Invite me to your wedding someday."

"Oh, ah, ah! Hahaha! Mr. Drae, you’re too much!"

Watching Hett scratch his head in embarrassment and Haina blushing, I was swept up in strange emotions. "Something" from the past came to mind, and then Kaits, who had asked me to show him the past, came to mind too. They ended badly, but I hope these two are different. Promising to meet again later, I sent them off.

Zzzzing.

As soon as they left, a warp gate was created in front of us. The principal is a person in a hurry, too.

The moment I stood up, Mullin grumbled.

"Why are you wasting an hour with trite adventure stories?"

"Fuck off, Massacre Nun."

At my words, Mullin ground her teeth and said:

"There is no such nickname. I don’t know any nickname like 'Saintess of Annihilation' either. So don’t call me that as you please."

There was an excuse like "Saintess of Annihilation" too...?

I turned my head, made a shocked face, and then grinned. Seeing Mullin flustered for once is truly enjoyable.

"Whatever."

"This bastard, really...! There’s a limit to how much I can take!"

I ignored her and stepped into the warp gate. Beyond the gate was the principal’s office.

"It’s started."

The principal said in a serious voice.

According to Hett, Outsiders are currently busy because of a certain quest. That quest is about the Monster King.

Although the details of which Monster King it is and where it will appear haven’t been revealed, one of the Monster Kings will appear soon, and depending on the achievements in that quest, the future landscape will change, or so they say. I, we who are here, know that the Monster King’s name is Askatlof.

Honestly, I was a bit surprised. What Pois and Kaits told me was supposed to be top secret.

According to Hett, even Reina, the Ranker #2, seemed to have only heard vaguely about the Monster King’s appearance and didn’t know that the Monster King was Askatlof. In fact, this could be misinformation fed to me, a suspicious person who had contact with Pois. In other words, a bluff.

Since they are Ranker #2 and #3, wouldn’t the competition be fierce?

And another message from Reina. "I’m looking forward to a sparring match with you." Or something like that. The honorific "you" (geudae) and the fact that she’s looking forward to a sparring match. Is she a warrior type?

Just looking at her name or tone, she sounds like a Japanese-style girl swordsman. But, I am looking forward to it. Since Pois, who was Ranker #3, was so strong, I can’t help but wonder what she, the #2, will be like...

But then the principal said in a voice mixed with laughter:

"You seemed quite happy."

"Yes?"

"I thought Instructor Drae would have no interest in anything other than women."

"...?"

"That’s right. Who knew you’d like hearing about other people’s love lives so much..."

Mullin chimed in. What’s wrong with liking adventure stories?

"We can talk about other things later, but a recruitment war for you has begun."

"Recruitment war?"

"Even so, thanks to us blocking them in time, it’s less severe now, but I don’t know if more people like that Outsider will come to see you."

People coming to recruit me? Honestly, it doesn’t hit home.

The principal, having sensed my expression, made a sullen face.

"Your attack power is something very special. Most people still don’t ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠recognize you and underestimate you, and it seems only a few have realized your true worth, but Instructor Drae."

"Yes?"

"Be careful."

Her gaze was serious.

"While there are gentle people like him, there will definitely be those who act coercively."

"Coercive...?"

"It’s hard to explain in words, well, it’s better to experience it yourself. It won’t be a big deal for Instructor Drae anyway."

Boom!

Suddenly, the door to the principal’s office burst open. There’s only one person who can enter so recklessly right now. It was Prostia, who had been in the next room for the past hour. It’s only natural that she would be annoyed at being stuck in a room for an hour, having been locked up until now. So I turned around to soothe her, but...

"D-Drae! Hello!"

"What is it, girl? Move aside."

"Hau..."

"...?"

What kind of combination is that? Lady Prostia, El, and Asita with a frightened expression were standing there.

“Welcome.”

Even though the door was broken, Principal Lenea showed a broad-minded side, not showing any sign of caring.

"What’s the matter? Ms. Elisia. Ms. Asita."

Then El put on a serious face and said:

"Excuse me. Principal. I apologize for the rudeness."

"No. It’s fine."

As she accepted the apology, the principal asked with her eyes, "What is your business?" and El answered.

"As the heir to the Graize family, I have come to make a formal request to Instructor Drae."

A request? El looked at me with a serious face.

"I want to take his class."

"M-me too..."

Only after hearing that did I remember the fact that I didn’t have any students yet.

"I’m jealous..."

Meyal, who had to go to her family home in a little while, flapped her legs while looking at the clouds drifting in the sky. Course registration for Drae. Meyal, too, wanted to take Drae’s class. Because there was no one who taught as well as he did. Also, Drae might have forgotten, but... he had promised to restore her family’s lost vision...

Really?

Such words echoed somewhere in her heart.

Isn’t it just that she enjoys being with him? And didn’t she harbor wicked feelings toward her friends who registered for his class, leaving her behind?

Meyal stood up as if to shake off her thoughts. It was time to go home.