Chapter 129: Rest (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 129: Rest (4)
I had Shedia tail the pink-haired slut, Christina. I needed to find out if she was just another one of them or an ordinary woman. A few days after I sent her, Shedia returned.
She gave me a detailed report of Christina’s daily routine. To put it bluntly, the conclusion was this:
Christina was, indeed, a pink-haired slut.
I rubbed my eyes and sighed.
“I should have told him to stay away from pink-haired girls before we parted ways that day.”
No matter how depressed Mars was over the original pink-haired slut, Isabelle, I should have ignored it and said something.
If I had, none of this would be happening today.
I’d been too complacent.
‘Now what do I do about this…?’
How could I handle this without any messy loose ends? As I tapped the table, lost in thought, I felt Shedia’s gaze on me. She was staring intently, still in the same posture she’d held while giving her report.
“Is there something else to report?”
Shedia shook her head.
“Then why are you still standing there? And just so you know, you’re not getting a moonstone for this job.”
Shedia pouted as if to say I was being cheap, but she didn’t leave. It seemed this wasn’t about a moonstone.
“I don’t have time for this. If you have something to say, say it quickly…”
“What is sex?”
“Huh?”
“What is sex?”
So I hadn’t misheard her.
The way she asked with such wide, innocent eyes made me wonder if my ears were playing tricks on me.
“Are you really asking because you don’t know what it is?”
At her age?
I knew she’d had a unique upbringing, but wasn’t this a bit much?
However, it seemed it wasn’t as bad as I thought, as Shedia shook her head.
“I know what it is. It’s the act of a male inserting his genitals into a female’s genitals and moving back and forth. If the female is fertile and the male ejaculates semen, a child is conceived.”
“You know your stuff. So why ask?”
“I was curious why people have sex when they’re not fertile. The woman I was tailing, for example, and you and Katarina. You two seem to do it very often. You can’t have a child from it, though. It’s so inefficient.”
“…You saw? Me and Katarina?”
“…”
Shedia slowly averted her gaze.
She saw. She definitely saw.
“Katarina is going to be so disappointed when she finds out.”
“I-I didn’t mean to look. It’s just… I heard her screaming, so I went because I was worried…”
At the mention of Katarina, Shedia became visibly agitated. Her voice trembled, showing just how flustered she was.
“I-It’s true…”
“Shedia, your intentions don’t matter here. What matters is the result: you spied on us. Ugh, what to do? I guess you won’t be able to speak to Katarina for a while.”
“Urk…”
To the current Shedia, Katarina and Leslie were her only sanctuary. The thought that she might lose one of them made her eyes tremble.
I held out my hand to her.
“One moonstone fragment, and I’ll keep my mouth shut.”
“..!!!”
Her trembling eyes darted around the room before finally settling on me. She seemed to contemplate it for a moment, then, with a grimace, she took out a moonstone fragment and placed it on my palm.
Even after receiving it, I didn’t pull my hand back.
Shedia looked at me, her face asking what I was doing.
“One more.”
“You said one!”
“That was then. A moment ago, you were wondering if you should just kill me, weren’t you?”
“N-No, I wasn’t!”
“Good children don’t lie.”
“I’m not a good child!”
“Okay. In that case, I’ll take two more—”
With a whoosh, another moonstone was placed on my palm. I smiled in satisfaction and closed my hand.
“Don’t do that again. Got it?”
“Ugh…”
Shedia glared at me through narrowed eyes, her lips jutting out in a pout.
Is she angry or just sulking?
Either way, leaving her like this didn’t seem like a good idea. I cleared my throat and changed the subject.
“You asked why people have sex so often even if they’re not trying to have children, right? It’s because they’re in love.”
“Love?”
Shedia’s voice rose, though her face was still fixed in a pout.
“Yeah. Don’t tell me you don’t know what love is, either.”
“I don’t.”
What in the world do you know?
“Love is… to put it simply, when your heart pounds just from being with someone? No, wait, why am I even explaining this?”
I had to go deal with Pink-haired Slut #2.
I let out a deep sigh and continued my explanation for Shedia, who had a question mark floating above her head.
“There are two kinds of love. Think of someone who comes to mind even when you’re not with them. Tell me who it is. I’ll sort them out for you.”
“Someone who comes to mind?”
Shedia folded her thumb.
“Instructor Ruter.”
“Besides people you don’t want to be with.”
Shedia unfolded her thumb. She began folding her fingers one by one as she named people she wanted to be with.
“Katarina. Leslie. And—”
Her middle finger twitched and then stopped. The pout on her lips vanished, replaced by a gloomy aura that settled over her face.
What’s with the sudden change…
‘Ah.’
I’d made a mistake.
Knowing her background, I should have been more careful about her most sensitive topic.
Sniffle.
Her eyes reddened, and she started sniffling. This was awkward. I quickly racked my brain for a way to console her and came up with the best solution.
I opened her hand and placed two moonstone fragments on her palm.
“I’m sorry.”
For making you remember your dead sister.
I swallowed the rest of the words.
Shedia looked at the two moonstones and wiped her runny nose.
“Thank you…”
“Yeah.”
Shedia clutched the moonstone fragments to her chest. I patted her head. Unlike before, she didn’t shy away from my touch.
“You want to go for a walk at this hour? You should’ve just called me during the day.”
Mars let out a huge yawn as he voiced his complaint-that-wasn’t-a-complaint.
“I can’t walk around during the day. People flock to me wherever I go.”
“Right, you’re the Hero now. I’m so used to the old you that I keep forgetting.”
“If a young guy like you is already so forgetful, what are you going to do when you’re old? Anyway, just follow me. The night has its own charm.”
“That’s true.”
Mars smiled as he looked up at the Milky Way. Seeing that smile, I couldn’t help but sigh. It would soon be twisted into a grimace of agony.
All according to my plan.
To be honest, calling it a plan was a stretch. It was crude.
All I was going to do was “accidentally” stumble upon Pink-haired Slut #2’s affair while on a walk with Mars.
But just because the plan was crude didn’t mean the shock would be any less severe. In fact, he would probably be more shocked than with any other plan.
He was about to confront the miserable truth while completely defenseless.
It would feel like his heart was being torn to shreds by a knife.
Even the much-matured Mars would find it hard to bear.
But it had to be done.
Seeing the new pink-haired slut Mars had brought with him made me realize something.
‘If I let this slide, that idiot will just bring home another pink-haired slut later.’
Pink-haired Slut #1 was a crush, and #2 was a girlfriend. He might just bring home #3 and call her his wife.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. A pink-haired wife.
That alone was horrifying enough, but what if they had a child?
‘Ugh…'
Just imagining it made my chest tighten and bile rise in my throat.
‘Yeah, this is better.’
It was better to take one huge hit than to suffer a lifetime of slow, constant damage.
A scar would inevitably remain during the healing process, but this would be a good scar. Thanks to it, Mars would learn to be terrified of anyone with pink hair.
‘Bring home a proper bride next time.’
If he did, I’d handle everything from booking the venue to officiating the ceremony.
As I was mentally absolving myself of the guilt I felt toward Mars, we neared our destination.
“Cloud, why are we walking all the way out to a place like this? There’s nothing but trees and grass here.”
“Isn’t it great that it’s just trees and grass? You can feel at one with nature.”
I gave a half-hearted reply. Mars looked bewildered, but I was too busy trying to find a path that followed the signs Shedia had left while staying within the soundproofing magic I’d set up earlier in the day.
Thanks to that, at least, I didn’t have to worry about any sound leaking out. As I continued chatting with Mars, we reached the final sign.
The last sign meant only one thing.
Those three were here, and they were getting ready to have sex.
Still, I had no intention of letting Mars see them in the act. Even shock therapy had its limits.
I stepped just to the edge of the soundproofed area. At the same time, I narrowed my eyes as if I’d spotted something and signaled for Mars to be quiet.
“?”
Mars immediately fell silent. He couldn’t hide the confused look on his face, but even that vanished the moment he stepped outside the soundproofed zone.
—Are you guys insane? You want to do it in a place like this?
—You’re the one who said you’d never do it when Mars is around after we almost got caught last time. I came all the way out here for you, so what’s with the attitude?
—I mean… in the dungeon… you were fine with it…
—Ugh, that’s because you guys…! Hah, whatever. Just get it over with.
—Hehe. See? You wanted it too, didn’t you?
—Of course not! I’m only…
The voices of Christina, Hyou, and Bomuro came from a place they shouldn’t have. Despite her words, Christina wasn’t putting up much of a fight. Their skinship was growing more intense.
It was about time to cut in.
I took a step forward.
I didn’t bother to silence my footsteps, so of course, the three of them heard the rustling. They frowned, scanning the area as one of them shouted.
“Who’s there! You have a hobby of peeping—”
“It’s me, you motherfuckers.”
The moment Cloud appeared, the expressions on all three of their faces hardened.
There were several reasons for this.
First, they’d been caught in their illicit act. Second, the one who caught them was Cloud, a close friend of Mars. Third, he was the Hero, and he was incredibly strong.
Strong enough to easily thrash the three of them without Mars around.
The memory of their horrific sparring session not long ago made their minds go blank.
Ironically, the first to come to her senses was Christina.
“Hero Cloud? What are you doing here…?”
“Taking a walk.”
“You came to a secluded place like this for a walk…?”
“I did. And what are you three doing here?”
Christina’s eyes wavered. She had to come up with a plausible excuse.
‘What possible reason could I have for being in a place like this with these men, and not Mars?’
She desperately tried to think, but no convincing excuse came to mind.
Just as she was fidgeting anxiously, Hyou slung an arm around her shoulder.
“Why are we here? Obviously to fuck this bitch. Why else would we come to a place like this?”
“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!” Christina shrieked at Hyou’s sudden outburst. But Hyou just shot her an annoyed look.
“Shut up, you stupid bitch. Why do you think he’s here? It’s obvious he suspected us and followed us!”
“F-Followed us?”
“Yeah. So stop saying stupid shit and shut your mouth.”
Hyou clicked his tongue. He knew she was dumb, but he hadn’t realized she was this dumb.
He turned his attention to Cloud.
“How does it feel? To have your shitty suspicion turn out to be true? Vindicated? Or is it thrilling?”
“I told you, I was just out for a walk. What are you talking about?”
“Ah… right, if that’s your story, I’ll play along. So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to run and tattle to Mars about what you saw here?”
At the mention of telling Mars, Christina’s face went deathly pale. She shoved Hyou away with both hands and pleaded with Cloud.
“I-I didn’t want to betray Mars! They threatened me, I had no choice!”
“Oh, please. Like he’s gonna believe that. Right, piggy?”
Hyou let out a hollow laugh and called out to Bomuro.
“…How many times do I have to tell you not to call me piggy… Whatever…”
Bomuro sighed and spoke in a displeased tone.
“If you want to tell him, go ahead…”
“Hey, you—”
“But I don’t know if he’ll believe you…”
Bomuro’s next words made Christina freeze. He continued in his signature tone that always managed to piss people off.
“Honestly, no matter how close you are… you only knew each other for a little while back in the day, right? But we’ve been with him this whole time… If we decide to get our stories straight, you’re the one who’s going to be in trouble… We’re his companions… you’re just some guy he knows… Besides, if his own girlfriend, Christina, denies it, that’s the end of it, isn’t it…?”
Christina clenched her fists, her lips pressed into a thin line. He was right. If they all coordinated their stories and denied everything, Cloud’s words would lose all credibility. Her expression relaxed slightly as she saw a path to survival.
“So, you’re saying Mars would believe you guys over me? Do you really think so?”
“It doesn’t matter if he does or not. You won’t be able to tell Mars anyway,” Hyou said with a shrug.
“What makes you so sure?”
“Because you care about Mars, don’t you? You wouldn’t want to see him get hurt… and this will hurt him a lot. So, what do you say? Can you really tell him?”
‘Look at these little shits.’
Their sheer audacity was so extreme it was almost funny.
Cloud crossed his arms and asked, “So what are you suggesting? That I should just stand by and watch while you guys screw Mars’s girlfriend?”
“Don’t look at us like that. We’re getting tired of this bitch anyway. We’ll mess around a bit more and then we’re out. That works, right? As long as Mars doesn’t know, it’s fine.”
His strangely thuggish tone was laced with confidence, as if he were presenting the best possible solution. Cloud pretended to think for a moment before speaking.
“Instead of that, how about this?”
Both of his hands moved at once.
His right hand drew his sword and unleashed a wave of sword aura, while his left threw a dagger.
Slice.
The sword aura severed both of Hyou’s legs.
Thud.
The dagger embedded itself in Bomuro’s stomach.
“Ah?”
“Huh?”
For a moment, the three of them couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. It had all occurred in an instant. Only after they collapsed to the ground and the pain set in did they grasp the situation.
“Aaargh! You crazy bastard, my legs!!!”
“Ugh… Gak…”
The room they had shown just moments ago was long gone. Hyou screamed at the top of his lungs, Bomuro stared at the dagger in his stomach, not knowing what to do, and Christina trembled as Cloud approached.
Cloud said, “You two die, and only Christina goes back alive. You said Mars would believe anything she says, right? Perfect. She can just make an excuse for your disappearance, like you left the party.”
“You insane bastard…! Did you even think this through?! This bitch is already on our side…”
“I don’t need your answer.”
Cloud delivered a powerful kick to Hyou’s jaw. Crack. With his jaw shattered, Hyou could no longer make a sound. Cloud pulled out another dagger and threw it.
The dagger flew through the air and severed the Achilles tendon of Bomuro, who was trying to crawl away.
Leaving Bomuro to squeal like a stuck pig, Cloud met Christina’s eyes.
“That’s my idea. What do you think?”
He asked with a grin, and her eyes darted around in terror.
“Ah… well…”
Caught between the ferocious glares of Hyou and Bomuro, Christina couldn’t make a decision right away. After a moment, she seemed to make up her mind. She swallowed hard and was about to open her mouth when—
“Cloud, don’t be too cruel.”
Mars emerged from between the trees.
“…Ah?”
Mars…?
What are you doing here…
Christina’s mind went blank at the completely unexpected situation. Watching her, Cloud clicked his tongue in disappointment.
“Busted, huh?”
“We may not have spent much time together recently, but you think I wouldn’t know you?”
“…That’s true.”
Cloud narrowed his eyes. Mars’s voice was level.
Too level for a situation like this.
Just in case, Cloud turned to look back at him. Mars wore a somewhat bitter expression. That was it. His face held no trace of extreme emotions like intense anger, sorrow, or despair.
At that, Cloud’s expression hardened.
“Mars, let me ask you one thing.”
“Yeah?”
“This whole thing with them… did you already know?”
Mars didn’t answer. Instead, he gave a bitter smile and nodded slightly.