Chapter 143
Chapter 143
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 143
Chapter Title: Token
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It wasn't hard to grasp the true intent behind Minerva's words. I stopped in my tracks.
Minerva had her arms wrapped tightly around my shoulders and neck from behind, pressing her breasts firmly against my back, so I couldn't move anyway. The fresh lemon scent wafting over me was just icing on the cake.
Her intentions were obvious with talk like that, and if I answered "I know," what would happen next was even more predictable.
"Was it too sudden a question, my child?"
"Is this how you treat someone who already knows?"
"Then, to make it easier for you to answer, I'll give you some options."
She extended her right hand. Her fingers looked incredibly soft, without a trace of calluses, and her long nails were meticulously painted with black manicure.
Minerva spread her right hand palm-up toward me and brought her lips to my ear, whispering softly.
"First option: Answer that you know."
With those words, her thumb folded down. It was an utterly absurd choice, one that laid bare Minerva's innermost thoughts.
"Second option: Answer that you know."
Her index finger folded. I replied, packed with disbelief.
"The first and second options are the same."
"The words are different, aren't they?"
"......"
"Third option: Answer, of course you know."
This time, her middle finger folded. Her remaining ring and pinky fingers stood straight up vertically. Was it even possible for a human hand to fold three fingers while keeping the ring and pinky perfectly vertical?
It was so ridiculous that my eyes were drawn only to that.
"Fourth option: Answer that you're ready to reveal the locations of the ancient scrolls right now."
"Isn't that option way too obvious?"
"Hehe, is it?"
Minerva half-ignored my words and wiggled her still-extended pinky finger playfully.
"Fifth option: Answer that you can't tell right now."
Her last finger folded. She gently clenched her fist.
"Does that make it easier to answer? Come now, choose, my child. Which one?"
"You seem to be asking under the assumption that I do know."
"Oh? If it feels that way, I'm sorry. Instead, I'll add one more option. Sixth: Answer that you don't know. How about that?"
Minerva giggled and tickled my cheek with her finger. The sixth option was given, but it felt meaningless.
"What happens if I pick 6?"
"It'll be a shame, but I'll have to say it's correct."
"And 5?"
"I'll say it's correct, then give you a little extra points."
"I can guess 4 without you saying. Correct, plus massive extra points?"
"You catch on quick. If you want the extra points bestowed personally by the Eternal Mage, feel free to choose it."
I didn't even want to ask about 1 through 3. The answers were obvious.
"Can you tell me what these extra points get me?"
Instead of answering, Minerva nipped my left earlobe with her lips. My body twitched reflexively at the lewd sensation.
Sensing the twitch, Minerva pursed her lips and began nibbling my ear. She lightly sucked the lobe, gently bit with her lips, flicked her tongue. Wet sucking sounds echoed right by my ear.
After toying with my earlobe for a while, Minerva pulled her lips away and whispered sweetly.
"Don't you know, my child?"
"......"
I held my tongue. Yeah, I could guess. If mixing our bodies would lead to finding the ancient scrolls, Minerva would spread her arms and legs wide in welcome.
The problem came after that.
*I'm not ready yet.*
More precisely, not ready for the aftermath.
Lize naturally needed to be taken responsibility for, and I'd ambiguously gotten involved with the Pope sisters too, so responsibility there as well. With Cecilia suddenly showing possessiveness toward me, adding Minerva to the mix?
What would happen next was plain as day. Until I grew enough to handle that situation, I had to draw a firm line.
Of course, Cecilia and Minerva's feelings weren't the kind of love like Lize's or the Pope sisters', but precisely because of that, I couldn't cross the line with Minerva.
"If you don't like this, how about a deal? Anything I can do, I'll make it happen."
Seeing me silent, she proposed a trade now. Probably remembering the deal where she'd help rescue the wingless nightmare in exchange for finding the crystal scroll.
This one gave me real pause. The Eternal Mage herself was offering anything as a trade condition. It was undeniably tempting.
If I was confident I could handle Minerva afterward, that is.
Just for finding one crystal scroll, she was going this far. If I brought her all the rest? I couldn't even imagine what would follow.
"You're hesitating, my child."
Noticing my uncharacteristic pause, Minerva pressed her body even closer. She seemed to see this as her chance. The plush sensation against my back intensified.
"If you're really torn, how about we try this?"
"......"
After teleporting out of the magic tower, I stared blankly at the ring in my left hand. Platinum band with a silver-white gem the size of a fingernail embedded in it.
A ring symbolizing Minerva, proof that she would take responsibility for all my actions in the Empire on my behalf.
In the extreme, even if I killed someone while wearing it, the blame would go to Minerva instead.
*I have no intention of doing that.*
Minerva's face showed she was certain I wasn't the type to commit crimes willy-nilly. That's why she could offer this so casually.
What chilled me more was her laughing as she said she could easily cover up murders on her own, so no worries.
By her account, this was a sort of "bribe." One to make me think positively about her proposal later. Separate from the trade she suggested.
It meant try out her power once, and if you like it, demand more.
*Can't let Cecilia find out.*
The gifts from the Popes could be brushed off somehow, but receiving a token from Minerva? She wouldn't let that slide.
With my current means, I had no way to restrain Cecilia, so it absolutely couldn't get out.
A fleeting, silly thought crossed my mind: like with Lize and the Popes, maybe Cecilia was helplessly weak in bed too. But I shook it off.
This wasn't some smut world, let alone one loaded with 19+ modes. Conquering women with dick in bed? Get real.
As I thought that, I opened the door to my room. There sat Lize on the bed. She grinned at me.
"You're back? You're late."
"Yeah. Had some stuff to handle."
I casually passed Lize to pack my things, then suddenly sensed something off and turned.
"......Why are you here, Lize?"
"Why do you think? Because of you."
"Me? What did I do?"
"You're asking when you know?"
Lize shot up from the bed and strode toward me. She dragged me to the bed. I let her pull me by the wrist without resistance.
She yanked me right up to the bed's edge, lay back first looking up, then pulled my arms so I loomed over her. I braced my hands by her face.
"Didn't I say we should fuck hard one last time before you head back to me?"
"......You meant that for real? Not just a joke to send me off smiling?"
"You thought it was a joke?"
Her blue eyes widened. I averted my gaze.
"If my pussy gets spiderwebs from you ignoring it, you gonna take responsibility? No one else can clear them out."
Her word choice always scrambled my brain, but since I'd misheard her on purpose, I shut her up with a kiss instead of excuses. Lize wrapped her arms around my neck like she'd been waiting.
We pressed lips with wet smacking sounds, swapping breaths for a while, then parted. Lize's eyes were already half-lidded.
I spoke in a playful tone.
"But I already said I'd head back by evening. Gotta pack, so should we stop here?"
Lize's eyes narrowed pettily, pinching my side. Not hard, just playful—keep kissing, she knew I knew.
I smiled and kissed her again. Slid my tongue in. Lize accepted it willingly.
When our tangled tongues finally parted, Lize panted with hazy eyes, speaking in bursts.
"......Tomorrow morning, when you leave, that's fine."
"Stand outside from tonight till morning? I'll get on the Knight Captain's bad side my first day."
"They're standing guard here from tonight till morning anyway? Same difference."
Lize mimicked me on purpose, pointing at my bulging crotch. I chuckled lightly and slipped my hand into her dolphin pants.
In the end, we didn't step out until the next morning. We'd spent most of the time in the bath to leave no traces, so at least our skin was fresh.
Turned out, Lize had coordinated with the other three Knight Captains ages ago. To tell Aurora and my knights the assembly time had changed.
She'd hidden it to the end because she wanted me to vent the thrill of sin—standing knights outside while I stood hard inside—on her.
I kneaded this seductive knight's ass hard with a touch of revenge. Lize yelped in surprise, shivered, got wet again, and fussed at me to stop.
Aurora watched us with a subtle look in her eyes.