I Anticipated This Much
Wearing a smile ripe with desire, Rebecca slipped smoothly into my embrace and began rubbing her entire body against mine.
"Uh, wait...?"
The sequence of movements was so utterly devoid of waste, so swift and nimble, that I couldn't even react in time.
...It wasn't news to me, but realizing the terrifying disparity in our physical capabilities sent a cold spike of tension straight down my spine.
If Rebecca made up her mind to bundle me up and kidnap me right here, wouldn't I just be taken without the slightest resistance...?
"Ssshh... Haaah... Lord Hangil. I am not particularly clever, you see, so I am quite dreadful at complicated thoughts."
"You don't look dumb to me. Aren't you just skipping the thinking because it's too much bother?"
"Fufu, did I appear clever to you? That does flatter me. However, that is not quite it. I am simply impulsive and utterly devoted to my desires."
She buried her face deep into my chest, nuzzling frantically while inhaling long, deep breaths of my scent. Then her hands began slyly wandering over my waist and hips.
...Being sexually harassed by a woman was a truly bizarre sensation.
"...Fufu, Lord Hangil. You are tense. Are you worried that I might pounce on you?"
"Well, no... not necessarily."
"How adorable."
Finding it difficult to hold her gaze—her eyes churning with a sticky, smoldering heat—I looked away. A low chuckle vibrated against my ear.
"Heheh... I want all of you. Enough that I could swallow you whole in a single bite. It matters not who you truly are. As long as you remain you, I wish to possess you, and I wish to be owned by you. I want to be teased by you again, and I want to indulge in pleasure until I lose my very mind."
"...Isn't that taking things a bit to the extreme?"
"Perhaps. But I have been this sort of creature ever since I came of age. When desire stirs, I must quench it; when greed awakens, I must claim what I crave. That is how I have lived, and that is how I shall continue to live."
"......"
Had Rebecca always possessed this kind of personality?
Then again, even back in the game, once her affection crossed a certain threshold, Rebecca was notorious for showing a startlingly aggressive, headstrong streak.
"It's a miracle you never ended up a criminal."
"Fufu, I have had that very thought myself from time to time. Yet while I remain faithful to desire and pleasure, deep within my heart resides an unshakeable conviction and sense of justice, you know?"
"I see. So you will claim whatever you want, but you won't cross the line."
"Precisely. The fact that I became a Gold Rank Adventurer and mercenary owes quite a lot to that temperament."
Squeeze.
Firmly grabbing a handful of my backside, she nuzzled her face and the nape of her neck relentlessly against the crook of my shoulder.
She looked for all the world like a cat scent-marking its territory.
"...Well, at least you're easy to read. I like that."
"Do you? Then would you kindly satisfy someone as simple and easy to understand as me?"
"Now that's a bit too sudden, don't you think?"
With a faint smirk, I gently pushed her back, stepped up alongside her, and draped an arm around her shoulders.
"Unlike you, I'm a petty, narrow-minded guy. I haven't reached a clear conclusion yet. So just wait for me a little longer."
"...Very well. However, I might not be able to wait very long, you know? If you tease me too much, I might just lose all reason."
A slight shiver ran through me at the feral glint in her eyes, reminiscent of a beast stalking its prey.
"...I'll keep that in mind. Well then, shall we continue our date?"
"Yes!"
Sticking close beside her as she hummed a cheerful tune, I strolled through the streets of Terabaon.
The rest of the date, however, could hardly be called wholesome.
Perhaps because she had laid her true feelings bare, Rebecca cast aside her restraint, relentlessly sending overt temptations my way. Unable to simply ignore her advances, I went along with them just enough to avoid crossing the final line.
Kissing, caressing, covertly revealing private patches of bare skin... It became an unbroken sequence of what amounted to foreplay.
As a result, by the time the date was over, my mental and physical stamina were utterly depleted from desperately clinging to my sanity and suppressing my urges. I collapsed onto the bed, completely exhausted.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, Muriel was lying right beside me, her face inches away, staring intently into my eyes.
"......"
The shock was so immense that my brain short-circuited.
"Guh...!"
Immediately afterward, my heart began thumping with such violent force that it felt like it would tear open. Clutching my throbbing chest, I squirmed in agony.
Muriel watched me writhe, her voice completely deadpan.
"I believe it is now my turn."
"Pant, pant... What? What's your turn?"
"A date."
"You... you hovered over me just to say that? Seriously?"
"Yes. There was no matter of greater urgency."
"Haaah... I swear, if you keep pulling stunts like this, I'm going to die an early death one of these days."
Sighing heavily, I slowly pushed myself upright—only for Cacciola to be dragged along with me, clinging stubbornly to my side like a cicada to a tree.
"......"
For some reason, she was completely naked, but I made a conscious effort to ignore it.
"Anyway, you could at least ask me out normally like a standard..."
I cut myself off mid-sentence, catching sight of Muriel's figure, and clamped my mouth shut.
"...Why the hell are you naked too?"
Panicking at the thought that I might have crossed the line, I frantically racked my memory.
Yesterday, I had definitely been dead tired after the date with Rebecca.
So after drinking heavily... I failed to fend off Muriel when she crept into my bed and passed out as if struck by lightning.
My memory ended right there.
"No matter how much I think about it, there's zero reason for you to be stripped down."
"I disrobed so that I might feel Lord Hangil's body heat more intimately."
"......"
A bizarre sensation washed over me, rendering me speechless for several moments.
It seemed necessary to address the reality I had been desperately trying to overlook.
"Well, I suppose that makes sense in its own way..."
"Does it?"
"No, it really doesn't, does it?"
"No. Though perhaps it could."
"...Really? Could it?"
"Yes. It could be seen that way."
Scratching my head with a dazed expression, I grew weary of thinking and simply nodded, finally voicing the question that had been nagging at me.
"Fine, let's say you stripping makes sense. Why am I naked?"
That was the crux of the matter.
For some reason, I was also in the buff, which meant that for a while now, the sensation of their bare skin had been vividly pressing against mine.
Soft, smooth, supple, warm, and sweetly fragrant—needless to say, my lower half was standing at full, furious attention first thing in the morning.
"I undressed you. Because I wished to feel Lord Hangil's body heat more intimately."
"...Did you now?"
A barrage of rebuttals surged up to my throat, only to quietly dissipate under a wave of sheer lethargy.
"Right, well... put some clothes on first."
"Since you are already undressed, why not bathe? I will wash you thoroughly."
"I can wash myself."
"......"
"Please, just listen to me for once. All right?"
When I practically begged while meeting her fixed stare, she finally gave a reluctant nod.
"Understood."
"Sigh... I honestly don't know what kind of master-servant dynamic this is anymore. Am I supposed to be the one pleading?"
Throwing on the clothes Muriel handed me, I sat down on the sofa and popped open a bottle of liquor.
"Mmm... Hangil..."
Left behind when I stood up, Cacciola mumbled in her sleep, her hands grasping at empty air. She eventually hauled herself up with messy bedhead, searching for me with bleary, unfocused eyes.
"Why are you over there...?"
"Hey. Hey! Put some clothes on before you take another step."
"Mmm... But it's a bother. Yaaawn~"
I stared dumbfoundedly at her wide yawn before shaking my head in resignation.
"I mean, I'm certainly not complaining about the free show, but the kids will be dropping by soon, so get dressed. Quickly."
"Ugh, fine..."
Sluggishly pulling on her clothes, she burrowed right into my arms as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"...Hey. Master."
"Hm?"
It was remarkably rare for her to address me as Master, so I peered down at her with a curious gaze.
"I think I'm about ready to challenge the trial again..."
"Not a chance. In my eyes, you're not even close, so keep dreaming."
"......"
Frowning unhappily without a word of reply, she pressed her forehead against my chest and began grinding it like a drill.
"Please, just once. Huh...? I'll definitely pass this time..."
"No."
"Both my mind and my body are completely fine now...!"
"From what angle? If that's the case, why don't you start by letting go and backing off?"
"......"
Clamping her lips shut once more, she began poking me repeatedly in the ribs.
"That hurts."
"......"
"I said it hurts, woman! For pity's sake, remember the difference in our physical stats!"
Smack!
When I delivered a crisp slap to her backside, her eyes narrowed into sharp slits.
"Then what do I have to do for you to let me take the trial again?"
"Whenever I judge that you're truly fine."
"And when is that?"
"Who knows?"
"...Please. Please?"
"Haaah... Muriel. Peel this one off me."
"Understood."
"Ah—?! W-Wait...!"
Hoisted into the air like an unruly stray cat, Cacciola flailed her arms and legs, her face crumpling as if on the verge of tears.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I was wrong! So don't push me away! Don't abandon me! Do you have any idea how agonizing it was holding back while you were on your date with Rebecca?! I have to replenish my intake today!"
"Replenish what intake exactly...?! Haaah, when you're acting like this, how could I possibly throw you back into that trial? Look at yourself objectively for once."
"I get it, okay?! It was my mistake! I just... I just wanted to taste that sweet happiness one more time!"
"Good grief..."
When I gave Muriel a chin gesture, she dropped Cacciola right where she hung. Landing with the supple, agile grace of a feline, Cacciola burrowed straight back into my embrace in the blink of an eye.
"Haa, haa...!Ssshh, haaah...!"
"Anyone watching would think I'd smeared my body in catnip or something."
Taking a swig from my bottle, I stroked her hair.
Just as things finally began to settle down into a quiet lull, someone threw the bedroom door wide open without even knocking.
"I got permission!"
Bursting into the room with pale blonde hair fluttering and a radiant smile lighting up her face was Cecilia.
"Oh-ho. You got permission?"
"Yes! The Pope and the Cardinal finally believed my words! Now we can depart for the Great Forest whenever we wish! Ah! By the way, I didn't say a single word regarding the elves' circumstances, so you may rest easy!"
"I didn't think that old man would ever allow you to travel unchaperoned... What on earth did you say to him?"
"I simply told him that Lord Hangil is the Champion of the Goddess, and he granted permission right away!"
"......"
I stared at the ceiling in dead silence, then slowly lowered my gaze back toward Cecilia.
"Run that by me again. What did you say?"
"Pardon? I said that when I told him Lord Hangil was the Champion of the Goddess..."
"...And he... believed that?"
"Of course! Have you forgotten who I am? I am the Saintess, the representative of the Goddess! When someone like me declares that you are her Champion, who could possibly contest it?!"
"......"
I glanced toward Wendy, who was standing quietly behind Cecilia. She offered a strained, bitter smile and subtly averted her eyes.
"......"
Wouldn't it have been infinitely better to just honestly state that we were going to rescue the elves?
"...Ah, whatever. I don't care."
It was guaranteed to cause an unbelievable amount of headaches later on, but since it hadn't blown up in my face yet, I decided to leave it to the future me.
"......"
Wait, now that I really thought about it, this was infuriating, wasn't it?
Strictly speaking, wasn't this the kind of trial the destined Hero was supposed to deal with? Why did it feel like I was doing the Hero's job for him?
"Hey, Alzen. I hear you're planning to take Vivian somewhere again."
Just as I was trying to douse my smoldering irritation with another swallow of alcohol, Weller glided into the room, glaring sharply at me.
"...Right. I anticipated this much."
Honestly, dealing with this was preferable.
"Sister. I was wondering when you'd show up. Have a seat first."
When I pointed the neck of my bottle toward the empty spot beside Cecilia, Weller offered a graceful greeting.
"Good morning, Saintess."
"Ah, y-yes... Good morning."
Exchanging brief pleasantries, Weller sat down with matching elegance.
"...Alzen. If possible, I would prefer to speak in private."
"Ah, if it's about the trip, don't worry about it. The Saintess over there is coming along too."
"What?"
As Weller shot her an unsettled, bewildered look, Cecilia could only smile awkwardly.
"...With the Saintess? Why on earth? What is going on here?"
"Well, reasons. More importantly, what are you going to do, Sister? Are you going to give Vivian permission to travel?"
"I need to know where she's going before I can decide whether to permit it or not! No matter how much I grilled Vivian, she wouldn't say a single word, which is why I came to see you out of sheer frustration."
"...Aha."
I had told Vivian to keep the details confidential, so she must have just stubbornly demanded permission without giving an inch of context.
She could have easily made up a half-decent cover story... For a genius, she was surprisingly inflexible.
"Hmm."
After a moment's contemplation, I smirked playfully and shook my head.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you either. It happens to be classified information."
"Haaah... I swear to keep it a secret. So spit it out already before you piss me off."
"Well, I wonder... what should I do?"
"You little..."
Just as I was thoroughly enjoying the sight of a vein throbbing on Weller's porcelain forehead, another visitor knocked on the door.
"Sir Alzen. It is me."
"Come in."
At my permission, Arpe eagerly pushed the door open, throwing her shoulders back with triumphant pride the moment she stepped inside.
"I finally secured permission! Truly, do you have any idea how terribly difficult it was? I almost couldn't endure it and nearly ran away from home... Eep."
Chattering away while completely tossing etiquette and imperial dignity out the window, she belatedly noticed Weller's presence and froze on the spot.
"...Hey. Just what the hell are you plotting?"
Weller's eyes narrowed even further, drilling into me with an icy, piercing glare.