Chapter 89

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 89

Chapter Title: Is It Wrong to Pursue a Harem in a Hot Spring Village? (2)

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Pop, thud.

She hopped down lightly.

"Oof."

"Yi Hyun? What're you doing?"

"Jumping off while dressed like this is a concept... well, sort of."

"Jeez, she's at it again with the dumb stuff."

"It's not dumb. It's tradition."

I ignored Hilde's snark.

Instead, I fixed my gaze ahead.

I stared at it with deep emotion swelling in my chest.

'This is EisenGardt!'

It took way longer than I thought.

Even though it was just a week.

Everyone around said this was pretty fast...

Me, Yi Hyun, a man with K-blood in my veins.

Lazy carriage rides don't suit my temperament.

By the middle, I felt like I was gonna die of boredom.

'But.'

Unfortunately, arriving wasn't the end.

If anything, it was just the beginning.

From now on, we had to search for the Hero.

In this ridiculously huge territory, diligently.

'About three days left until the hint.'

It wasn't completely hopeless.

But the hint wouldn't come ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠until about three days from now.

Until then, we'd have to search blind.

'Guess I'll just gather info for now.'

I cleanly gave up on finding her without the hint.

Time to do some preliminary investigation.

Blindly combing this massive territory without clues would be inefficient as hell.

'Lilliana, Luna, Clara. Hang on just ten more days. I'll find her quick and come back to pound those pussies raw!'

"Alright, let's get started. Hero search."

A week after leaving the capital.

The Hero search operation finally kicked off.

The first thing we did was request cooperation.

EisenGardt was ruled by a marquis.

Obviously, we needed permission for the search, but...

Luckily, it didn't seem like it'd be hard.

Thanks to Blanc and my titles.

"Captain of the Imperial 2nd Knight Order, Blanc."

Blanc was the head of the 2nd Knight Order.

And the Imperial Knight Orders?

They were the emperor's blade, plain and simple.

If the 1st guarded the imperial family, the 2nd guarded the empire.

Even if they paled in prestige to the 1st.

Blanc's reputation carried weight.

"Quartermaster directly under the imperial family, Yi Hyun."

My rep speaks for itself.

Husband material for Princess Lilliana.

Did that land?

"...For His Majesty's people to gather like this is a great honor. Make yourselves at home. If you really find the Hero, I'll throw a feast for you."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Seemed like it did.

Thanks to that, we were all relieved.

The knights who heard the news reacted the same.

"Captain, you're back already?"

"Rummaging through the marquis's territory—even with imperial orders, His Excellency might feel a bit uneasy..."

"If you'd gone alone, maybe. But Yi Hyun came with."

"Ooh! Look at our Yi Hyun, all grown up."

"Isn't he too big a deal now? It's not even been a year since his Blessing awakened!"

Everyone was cheerful.

Laughing and chatting away.

The 2nd Knight Order's prestige was holding strong, which felt pretty good...

"Hehe, he's my man♡"

"...Uh, yeah."

"Y-Yeah."

"Huh? Why are Hilde and Silpi acting weird?"

"Well..."

"......"

'You guys need to work on your poker faces.'

Suddenly the mood turned thriller-movie tense.

Couldn't relax for a second.

"Even if Yi Hyun became Her Highness's match, what he likes most is... Guh?!"

I grabbed her 'hand' right away.

"Blanc, you can't make faces like that in front of the knights~."

"Nail♡ pulling hurts so baaad♡"

Her legs spread wide.

The frog-leg pussy dispenser sprayed.

Thanks to that, we got through it safely.

Blanc's image got a bit weird, sure.

But it was nothing new, so all good.

I glanced casually at Hilde.

She got the hint and cleared her throat.

"Ahem, let's begin. Pair up in twos for investigations, and mark the map when you're done!"

"""Yes!!"""

The knight ladies saluted.

They paired off and scattered.

Their serious faces—like nothing happened—made it clear why they were the 2nd Knight Order.

"Yi Hyun, what about you? I'd love to tell you to hole up in the lord's castle."

"I've gotta search too. With the imperial folks here."

I hardened my expression.

Everyone else was serious about the mission; I couldn't just goof off...

"Don't follow any weirdos like last time. No eating snacks from strangers."

"......"

'Geez, how long are you gonna bring up ancient history?'

Hilde was nagging.

About that one time when my INT was 1 point.

"Don't worry. Today we're just checking sightings."

"Hey, take good care of our boy."

"The Goddess watches over him. No worries."

"Leave it to us~."

"I trust you."

Hilde finally relaxed after getting promises.

Lumine and Minerva were 'imperial investigators.'

She figured they'd protect me.

"Captain, let's go."

"Eek, ugh♡"

"Sigh, gotta hit the hot springs first to wash up..."

With that, the two left.

Hilde supported Blanc, who waddled off on frog legs.

Lumine and Minerva finally stuck close to me.

"Phew, now I can breathe~."

"Yi Hyun, thanks to you, we can find the Hero♡ Thank you♡"

"No biggie. Let's go."

"Yay~."

And so began Day 1 of the Hero search.

Members: me, the sage, the saintess.

...Historic party lineup, all things considered.

Two info-specialty holders.

Saintess with top-tier utility for her level.

We could probably find a secret base no problem.

'What if we find her before the three days?'

I even felt baseless confidence, but...

Sadly, it vanished quick.

Three hours into the search.

Zero results.

"A woman with insanely huge tits? I'd love to see that, heh."

"I've done business on these streets for years, but no such face."

"Ahn~? Why look for the Hero at the adventurer guild?"

"Sorry, never seen her."

Bust, bust. Bust after bust.

Was no one seeing the Hero?

The other knights were the same.

No matter who we asked, just 'no idea.'

Zero info.

"What the heck is going on?"

Emergency meeting convened.

Convener: me, Yi Hyun.

Attendees: Lumine, Minerva.

Everyone looked grave.

"I kept checking for lies with my Blessing, but no one was fibbing."

"I checked steadily too—no kidnappers or suspicious types."

Minerva and I were cleared.

Left with Lumine, but,

"Couldn't sense her either. A soul as pure as the Hero's should be detectable from afar with Blessing."

She came up empty too.

What the hell was going on?

"Sigh, worst-case scenario."

"Minerva?"

"Assuming the prophecy's real. Two possibilities now."

Minerva made a V-sign.

Then folded her middle finger.

"One: The Hero's here, but already dead."

"...!!!"

The Hero dead?

I nearly stopped breathing in shock, but,

"Low odds. Wasn't a life-threatening curse at least."

"I believe so too. The Hero wouldn't go down that easy."

Both ex-Hero party members were calm.

Clearly convinced she was alive...

They said that, but they were anxious.

Makes sense. I'd be scared too.

I reached out quick.

Grabbed both their tits at once.

"No sad faces allowed!"

"Mmmph?!"

"Hey, Hyun♡ What're you doing outside♡"

"Would the Goddess see a dead person and go 'Hero here~'?"

'Then she'd be a bitch, not a goddess.'

Perfect logic to reassure them.

Bonus: fingered their nipples.

Effects were immediate.

"Y-Yeah♡"

"The Goddess wouldn't, mmm♡ do thaaat♡"

"Exactly. So no worrying—breaks my heart."

"Got it, so stooop touching♡"

"Goddess♡ How dare you doubt, it's siiin♡"

They went wild with joy.

This was Yi Hyun-style dark fantasy, after all.

The mood brightened up nicely.

"Phew, so? Second possibility?"

"That is...♡"

"Sex later. Business first."

"R-Right."

Minerva steadied her breath.

Then pointed with her index finger.

Glossed with pussy juice—did she finger herself just now?

"The Hero might be dodging us on purpose."

"Oh?"

She's dead set on hiding.

Intriguing hypothesis.

"Why couldn't Lumine sense her soul?"

"Hiding her presence somehow. She's the Hero."

"No sightings?"

"Maybe erased memories of anyone who saw her?"

"Possible?"

"She's the Hero."

"......"

Feels like karma from all the 'because Yi Hyun' excuses coming back. Nah.

'That's why everyone called me next Hero.'

"Key question: why's she avoiding us?"

Changed the subject quick.

Lumine jumped in.

"Right! Why avoid u—."

"To her, we're the 2nd Knight Order now."

"Meaning?"

"A girl erasing memories of sightings—think she'd show up to the 2nd Knights now? Not you or me."

"Aha."

Perfectly got it.

Hero: hiding for some reason.

Lumine and Minerva: look like 2nd Knights.

Plus, they're hiding identities.

Lumine's top secret. Minerva no exposure.

Luna emphasized it multiple times.

'No wonder it's hard.'

So, hide-and-seek.

Us seekers. Hero ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hider.

Empire's strongest already using memory wipes and presence cloaks.

What's the diff from a boss cheat map?

No wonder we can't find her.

'Would've been screwed without the hint.'

Not much left.

"Let's search two more days—no, three."

"Three? Why?"

"Can't quit yet. Gotta comb thoroughly."

"Hmmm, that's it?"

"Lord's castle has a crystal orb. I'll negotiate with the capital. Might reveal Minerva's identity if needed."

"As expected of Yi Hyun♡ So wise♡"

Hope bloomed on Lumine's face.

Minerva smirked.

I smiled back.

"Trust me. I'll find the Hero for you."

"Please, Hyun."

"Yep."

Hero search Day 1.

Ended on a hopeful note.

One more thing.

A monumental event hit at night.

"...My turn next♡"

"Nyaa♡ Ah, it's still my turn♡"

"Still not satisfied? Hilde, lamenting I only now see your vulgar nature..."

With Blanc busting the harem anyway.

We went full foursome sex.