Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Piggyback (2)
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'…Piggyback?'
It was a word she hadn't heard in a very long time.
Artel paused for a moment to recall its meaning.
The act of one person carrying another on their back.
That was right.
Jeron was saying he wanted her to give him a piggyback ride…!
"Wha-what, piggyback…! What in the world…!"
Artel stared at Jeron with a face full of shock.
She had been prepared to help him with anything, but this request was far beyond anything she'd imagined.
Artel was so flustered she couldn't even finish her sentence.
"I know it sounds weird. But hear me out without misunderstanding. There's a reason."
But Jeron showed no agitation at all, his eyes calm and steady.
For someone making such an absurd request out of the blue—to a friend, and a friend of the opposite sex, no less—his attitude was far too composed.
Looking into those serene eyes of his…
It even made her wonder if he was truly serious, and she was the only one overreacting and jumping to conclusions.
"…A reason?"
"Yeah. Like I said earlier, I have something important coming up."
Jeron nodded with a resolute glint in his eyes.
"I can't tell you exactly what it is, but it's extremely important. So until then, I need to conserve all my energy. Even walking is a luxury."
"Th-that serious…?"
"Yeah. Artel, can you help me out like this?"
What could it be that he had to save even the energy for walking?
Of course, common sense dictated this was nonsense.
But everything Jeron had shown so far had defied common sense.
'With Jeron… it might actually be true.'
He wasn't someone who could be judged by ordinary standards.
Artel thought.
In fact, there was a similar tale in the legend of the first hero.
The story of how, before a crucial battle, he spent a full week under a waterfall in a valley to temper his mind and body.
Maybe Jeron was in some kind of special meditative state like that…
That thought reignited her curiosity.
What could this important matter be that even the always laid-back and lazy Jeron had to go all out for?
And at the same time, her mood lifted a little.
After all, in preparing for something so crucial, he had asked for her support—her, and no one else.
That was why.
"…A-alright. If that's the case, I'll help."
She slowly turned her back to him.
She bent her knees slightly to make it easier for Jeron to climb on.
"…Since it's to help with something important."
She murmured softly.
"Yeah. Thanks, Artel."
Jeron's voice came close to her ear.
A moment later, his body carefully settled onto her back.
'…He's light.'
He really had been telling the truth about getting by on bread alone for meals—he was much lighter than she'd expected.
And very soft.
From Jeron's body pressed fully against her back came a soft texture, along with a faint, pleasant scent.
Thump, thump.
For some reason, her heart began pounding much faster than usual.
Worried that Jeron might hear her heartbeat through her back, Artel tried to calm her racing chest and took careful steps forward.
"Haa…"
Then, from behind her, Jeron let out a deeply satisfied sigh, as if he were truly comfortable.
His warm breath brushed her nape, and Artel flinched involuntarily, letting out a short gasp.
"Hn…!"
"You okay? Am I too heavy?"
Jeron asked with slight concern, but Artel hurriedly shook her head.
"N-no. Don't worry about it."
He really wasn't heavy at all.
As a battle mage, she had steadily trained not just her mana but her physical strength as well.
It was just… this strange sensation every time Jeron shifted position or exhaled that was the problem.
But for some reason, she felt like she couldn't let it show, so Artel pretended as if nothing was wrong and kept walking in silence.
As she headed to the cafeteria like that, students who witnessed the bizarre sight whispered among themselves.
"Eek! Look at that! A couple giving a piggyback ride in broad daylight at the academy!"
"Huh? Isn't that Lady Artel of the Rosendal family?"
"And the one on her back is Jeron Airgia?"
"No way, why is Lady Artel giving him a piggyback…?"
"Could it be those two are… you know…?"
Hearing the murmurs from all around, Artel felt her face burning hot.
This was just purely helping Jeron with something important, yet they were misunderstanding it as some improper relationship.
It was embarrassing, but strangely, not in a bad way.
***
'…This actually worked?'
That was my thought as Artel carried me on her back toward the cafeteria.
Asking for a piggyback ride out of nowhere—what even I thought was the request of a madman.
I'd laid down a flimsy excuse about conserving energy for something important…
Given Artel's personality, I figured she'd reject me with contempt.
But unexpectedly, she willingly offered her back.
I was more surprised by that fact.
'I was even planning to guilt her into it with the dungeon rescue debt if she refused…'
Looks like my affinity-building worked better than expected.
And then.
Ding!
[An astoundingly slothful action!]
[Slothfulness +200!]
'…Insane.'
I marveled once more at the system message floating before my eyes.
200 points from one piggyback ride.
That's on par with sleeping through an entire morning class.
Of course, getting carried across the sacred academy grounds in broad daylight with everyone watching.
Hard to imagine anything lazier than this.
Ugh, but… the flood of attention is intense.
Even with all my past antics, this one takes the cake.
Even I couldn't pull this off every time.
And Artel wouldn't give me a piggyback every time anyway.
I should save it for when I really need a slothfulness boost.
When we arrived at the cafeteria, Artel carefully set me down in a chair.
"Rest here. I'll get the food."
She even volunteered to fetch my tray.
I slumped in the chair, waiting for her.
'If she's this accommodating, maybe I can try the next slothful plan I prepared?'
Surprisingly, I had one more slothful act in mind.
As I was thinking that.
"Jeron."
Yuria, who had come with us, sat down across from me with her tray.
"You said you have something really important coming up, right…?"
She hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a small voice.
"So you need to conserve energy…! Eating must be tiring too…!"
She scooped a spoonful of soft cream soup with her spoon and carefully held it to my mouth.
"I-I'll feed you! Ahh…"
Her eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment, her face flushed red.
'…'
I was momentarily stunned by the scene before me.
Being fed.
This was exactly the second slothful action I'd planned.
I thought this one might be a stretch, but out of nowhere, Yuria was offering it herself.
'She really believed my nonsense without a shred of doubt.'
Artel had the dungeon rescue debt, but Yuria and I had no such thing.
I'd planned something lighter for her…
What a good kid.
I couldn't refuse her pure kindness.
"…Ahh."
As I opened my mouth, Yuria carefully fed me the soup.
Warm, soft flavor spread in my mouth.
While I was eating the soup like that.
"…What are you two doing?"
Artel returned to our table, tray in hand.
She stopped in her tracks upon seeing Yuria feeding me soup.
Cough.
Almost choked.
I haven't done anything wrong, so why this guilty feeling?
"A-Artel…! I-I just wanted to help Jeron too…!"
Yuria startled and made excuses.
"…"
Artel glanced in turn at Yuria, her spoon, and me.
Her eyes were quite cold, making me a bit worried.
'No way she'll react like she did with Ciel…?'
But.
"…Conserving energy for eating too. That's a reasonable idea."
Artel nodded as if convinced and sat down quietly.
Instead.
She stabbed her fork into some salad and held it to my mouth.
Without looking directly at me, acting all cool and aloof.
"Here."
"…?"
No, Artel, you too?
I looked at her questioningly, but she averted her eyes and said.
"Soup alone lacks nutrients. Eat some veggies and meat too."
And so my slothful meal began.
I just sat there, letting the two of them take turns feeding me.
I felt like a baby bird being fed by its mother birds.
'Might awaken a new fetish or something.'
I didn't plan on anything ulterior.
Honestly, it felt good.
[Slothfulness +10!]
[Slothfulness +10!]
…
And the slothfulness points were piling up like crazy.
Just like that, I managed to gather all the remaining slothfulness points needed to buy [Shadow Barrier]—not in two days, but in a single day.
Back in the dorm that evening, I opened the slothfulness shop.
[Purchase 'Shadow Barrier' skill for 3200 Slothfulness?]
'Purchase.'
With a satisfied smile, I checked out my new defensive skill.