Show Me Your Passion
I'm sorry, Vice President...
The man before me trembled, shoulders shaking as he bowed his head in apology. His name was Joseph Siegmund, a freshman who had just entered the Academy this semester. He was the one who had caught my eye during the entrance ceremony, chatting with Arwen. After summoning him to the student council room and probing him, it seemed the goddess Elysia had granted me a golden opportunity—Joseph was staying in the same dormitory as Arwen and had enrolled in the exact same classes.
That was why I had taken the risk of information leaking and specifically asked Joseph to keep an eye on Arwen. For a man who cherished his tiny territory, issuing an order disguised as a request was as easy as eating cold porridge. After all, the disgusting Leopold stood behind me.
I flashed Joseph a bright smile and said,
"What reason could there possibly be for you to apologize, Joseph? Surely you didn't fail something as simple as just following Arwen around."
"W-well, I've never done anything like tailing someone before..."
"Heee... So you're saying you failed?"
I rose from the vice president's seat in the student council room and approached Joseph with deliberate slowness.
"Hiiik? I did my best to hide near the Reinhardt mansion and saw him go inside, but I couldn't find any trace of him coming out! Please believe me! So please, at least spare our territory's trading post!"
Our poor Joseph had dropped to his knees, practically groveling before me. He knew all too well that if I uttered even a single word to Leopold, every merchant caravan passing through his lands would vanish.
I pressed the tip of my shoe against the chin of the pathetic, sniveling Joseph, who was younger than me, and lifted his face to meet my gaze.
"I understand that you tried your best, Joseph. I have no hobby of destroying peaceful territories either. Instead, I expect you to fulfill my request without fail next time."
"O-of course!"
Joseph answered with fervent enthusiasm, as if he had found hope amid despair. In doing so, a bit of his spit splattered onto my shoe. I briefly considered smashing the jaw that had dared dirty me with his filthy saliva, but I held back. His face needed to remain intact if he was going to spy on Arwen without raising unnecessary suspicion.
What the hell is he up to outside?
I was curious about Arwen's schemes, but there was no way for me to find out right now.
Damn it, I thought he'd be out cold, but the bastard was wide awake.
The dwarf's rugged hand, never once leaving the uninvited guests, fidgeted near his waist. If he decided we were enemies, he would draw the dagger at his belt without hesitation and charge at anyone who had invaded his domain.
"U-um, what should I..."
I could feel Emilia's grip on my arm growing tighter and tighter. She probably never imagined that a foul-tempered, ugly dwarf would be waiting for her. And right now, the only person who could calm this explosive, chaotic situation was me.
"Please calm down and listen to what I have to say, Wolfgang."
"Did you just tell me to calm down? If some complete stranger barged into your place out of nowhere, could you stay calm? Khaak, ptoo!"
Wolfgang spat at my feet and glared at me. As expected of the Wolfgang brothers—they all had the same fiery temperament. Still, the Wolfgang operating in Bremen was probably the most gentlemanly among them. If the dwarf we had met in the underground passage had been the ill-tempered Wolfgang from Schubern, he would have charged at us immediately, whether with a dagger or a dildo in hand.
Thankfully, this was the relatively rational Wolfgang of Bremen, which was why I had chosen to visit so abruptly. Besides, the quest's time limit was already tightening around my throat, so I had no leisure to slowly fulfill the prerequisites one by one.
"How did you find this place? And more importantly, who told you how to get a key from the master?"
"There was no leak. I investigated it myself. Your existence, the method of contact—everything. It was all to meet you, Wolfgang."
"Hmph. Why should I believe the words of an intruder who has no evidence?"
"Because we are not mere intruders. We are distinguished guests who will bring you gold."
To avoid provoking Wolfgang any further, I slowly removed the bag slung over my shoulder.
"Don't move! If you're thinking of trying anything funny, I'll gut you with my dagger right—"
"Whether it's funny or not, why don't you see for yourself?"
I opened the mouth of the bag toward Wolfgang, who still watched me with wary eyes. Inside were over forty bottles of Viagrak that we had brought from Emilia's laboratory, filling the bag to the brim.
"This is a potion? And the purity of the mana looks quite high..."
Wolfgang's voice, which had been raised with anger and excitement just moments ago, calmed down the instant he saw the Viagrak. As expected of Wolfgang—he could sniff out the scent of money like a ghost.
"It's not an ordinary potion. I'm sure you've heard of the stamina enhancers that are secretly popular among the nobility, haven't you, Wolfgang?"
"Of course. My brother who settled in the imperial capital brags nonstop about how much profit he makes reselling them... Wait, does that mean this potion is the same stamina enhancer that's trending in the capital?"
"No. This is a new stamina enhancer that we developed."
"New? You people made this?"
"To be precise, the lady here, Cassandra, created it. The name of the stamina enhancer is Viagrak. In the ancient northern tongue that has since been lost, it means 'expansion.'"
"Viagrak, huh... That's one hell of an intense name."
Wolfgang's gaze was now completely fixed on the Viagrak rather than on us.
Just as I thought. I knew he would definitely show interest.
Now that Wolfgang had begun to show interest in the product, it was the perfect time to persuade him. I quietly whispered to Emilia.
"Miss Cassandra, why don't you say something too? You're the one who made the Viagrak."
"That's true, but I'm not sure if I can explain it well..."
"Didn't I tell you before? Making a strong impression is important."
"...Understood."
Emilia seemed to have gathered her courage. She released my arm and stepped forward. After clearing her throat, she began explaining the Viagrak without any unnecessary embellishments.
"Ahem. Both its effectiveness and duration far surpass what's currently popular. And because it boasts such high purity, it has almost no side effects."
"Hoo... So you're saying you created something this incredible?"
"It's not something worthy of such high praise. As long as one has a solid foundation in magic potions, anyone can make it."
"Puhaha, building that solid foundation is the hard part. You're a young lady with both great skill and humility."
Surprisingly, Wolfgang seemed quite pleased with Emilia's calm and straightforward explanation.
"So, since you've boldly revealed yourselves as the creators, I doubt you simply want me to buy the goods. Tell me what you want from me."
Wolfgang asked directly about their purpose in approaching him. The way his eyes rolled like abacus beads suggested he had already roughly guessed what kind of request we would make.
Now it was my turn again.
"It seems you've already guessed. We're looking for a stable sales route for Viagrak."
"You know how difficult it is to sell magic potions that haven't been approved by the Empire, right?"
"Of course. And we also know very well that this is an opportunity to make a fortune in one fell swoop."
"Hmm..."
Wolfgang stood silently, twisting his beard. He was clearly weighing the pros and cons in his head. After a moment, he spoke.
"As it happens, I know an imperial official who's an expert in this field. He's a friend who works in a city near the imperial capital."
"And that means...?"
"It means I can get the goods into the capital without issue. If Viagrak's effects are truly superior to the existing ones, as you claim, we should be able to seize a significant portion of the market."
"That's wonderful! Then let's sign the contract right—"
Emilia jumped in hastily again at Wolfgang's positive response, despite my repeated warnings. But this time, it wasn't me who scolded her—it was Wolfgang himself.
"Don't be so hasty, young lady. It's still too early to sign a contract. The most important step remains."
"The most important step? What would that be?"
Instead of Emilia, who tilted her head in confusion, I was the one who answered Wolfgang.
"Verifying the product's performance."
"Correct. This friend knows his stuff."
We already knew how incredible Viagrak's effects were since I had taken it several times, but Wolfgang did not. Merchants, after all, only believed what they saw and heard with their own eyes and ears.
"Then please tell us how you would like us to prove it."
"Keh keh keh. Isn't there only one way to test a stamina enhancer? And luckily, we have actors ready—quite the handsome man and beautiful woman, I might add."
Wolfgang let out a grotesque laugh as he looked back and forth between me and Emilia.
"You can't mean... you're asking us to have sex right here..."
My words trailed off at Wolfgang's demand, which completely shattered common sense. Wolfgang nodded with a perfectly straight face.
"That's right. With such an attractive witch and a young man, it's only natural you'd already be in that kind of relationship, so what's the problem?"
At the same time, he made a vulgar gesture—forming a circle with one hand and repeatedly thrusting his other index finger through it.
Naturally, Emilia was horrified by the conversation, which had taken a bizarre turn. She stepped forward and snapped at Wolfgang.
"W-wait! What are you even saying?!"
"Was I not clear? If that young man over there drinks the stamina enhancer and has sex with you, young lady, then I'll sign the contract."
"No, I understood the content. What I want to know is why we have to have sex! Wouldn't just having him drink it be enough?"
"I need to see with my own eyes whether the one who drank it can ejaculate properly, whether his partners are satisfied, and confirm the effects before I introduce and sell it to nobles. Besides, it's been a while since I've seen a beautiful woman having sex. Show me your passion. That's the condition for our contract."
"If that's the case, we'll lend you the medicine so you can test it yourself, Wolfgang..."
"Drink some unknown drug? No way in hell. I only have one life. Plus, this damned Bremen doesn't even have a proper brothel."
In the end, Wolfgang's true goal was to watch me and Emilia have sex and relieve his pent-up sexual frustration. If it had been the Wolfgang from Schubern, he probably would have demanded to borrow Emilia's pussy directly, so in a way, the Bremen Wolfgang who settled for simply watching could be considered relatively polite. Of course, Emilia clearly didn't see it that way.
"T-this is ridiculous."
Emilia's body trembled as if she were fed up with Wolfgang stubbornly sticking to his conditions. Having to lose her virginity in front of a hairy dwarf voyeur would feel like the sky was collapsing for her. But unlike Emilia, who looked as if a bug had crawled out of her food, I was cheering inside.
Fuuuuck yeah! This is exactly what an adult game is about!
The condition for the contract was to show him a sex show? I felt nothing but gratitude toward Wolfgang for playing the role of a supporting character in an adult game so perfectly.
"Could you come over here for a moment?"
When it became clear that talking with Wolfgang was getting nowhere, Emilia grabbed my hand and dragged me into a corner.
"Go ahead and discuss it between yourselves. I won't run away—I'll be right here. Keh keh."
Wolfgang watched us with a laugh that bordered on mockery. Emilia lowered her voice so he wouldn't hear.
"Ar... I mean, Albert. This is insane. There must be another way to convince him. Don't you think so too?"
"Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Wolfgang is going to change his mind."
Eventually, Emilia's voice rose.
"So you're saying I have to have sex in front of that perverted old man?!"
"Ahem, I can hear everything, you know. And by dwarf standards, I'm still quite young..."
Wolfgang cleared his throat after being openly called a pervert, but Emilia, whose eyes had rolled back in fury, paid him no mind.
"Isn't there any other option? Like finding someone else to help us instead of Wolfgang?"
"Unfortunately, the only person I know right now who can help our business is Wolfgang."
"No way..."
"I won't say there's zero chance of finding another helper, but no one knows how many weeks or months it might take."
"Months? This is our last chance. We can't afford to delay any further..."
Last chance? What does that mean?
I knew Emilia was in a bad financial situation. But from the way she spoke, it seemed she was running out of time as well. Perhaps the deadline for repaying borrowed money was approaching. And I, who had received the quest, was in the same position—I needed to earn a large sum of money within a set period.
I brought my lips close to Emilia's ear so Wolfgang wouldn't hear and whispered quietly.
"Professor, I don't think accepting Wolfgang's condition would be so bad."
"Of course you'd think that, Arwen. You've been looking for any chance to stick it inside me at the Academy too."
"I can't deny that... but that's not the only reason. We don't know when another opportunity to sell the product might come. However, if you refuse, I'll give up and cooperate with you in finding another helper."
"I... I..."
Emilia bit her lip, unable to continue. When I placed the blade of choice in her hands, her pupils shook like reeds in the wind. Her heart was probably trembling just as violently. And finally, the words she forced out were—
"I'll do it."
It was a single sentence filled with her determination to sell Viagrak even if it meant abandoning her chastity.