33. Gift
The last bundle contained a pair of goggles.
I had seen them before. They were what the rescue team had been wearing on the day we wiped out the goblin village.
"What kind of item is this?"
When I asked, Dismas answered with a smile.
"They're called Goggles of Night. Wearing them grants you 18 meters of darkvision."
From this gift, I could tell what Dismas considered lacking in me.
"It's not for me, but for a future party member."
"Right. The two of you can manage for now, but you can't keep that up forever, can you?"
It was true. Right now I stood on the front line and served as both a warrior and a spellcaster, but even so, the absence of a cleric was painful.
If we had a cleric, I could have fought more aggressively while accepting more HP loss.
"So that's what the goggles are for."
"Aren't you two going through caves?"
Darkvision was essential for operating in caves.
Dismas had effectively broadened the range of party members I could recruit.
"I'll accept them gratefully."
"That's the last of the gifts."
He probably didn't simply mean that the third bundle was the last.
He meant that for the next items I needed, he would demand a corresponding price.
'Even so, Dismas is the only one who can get me things that can't be obtained in the upper layer.'
If anything, the fact that he was willing to trade with me at all could be considered a kind of special favor.
I thanked Dismas and returned to the banquet hall with Tia.
And there, I ran into an unexpected person.
"You're attending this banquet too, Eira?"
"Because of you."
Come to think of it, I had arranged to visit Eira this evening as well.
That plan had gotten tangled up because of Dismas's invitation.
"We were supposed to meet this evening. Sorry."
"It's fine. I knew it would turn out like this."
Thinking about it, Eira was also a person of influence in this city.
She must have known exactly how things would unfold and shown up here.
"Eira is here? Did something come up that requires working with Dismas?"
"Who's that man you're talking to?"
As I stood there conversing with a celebrity in the banquet hall, I could hear murmuring around us.
Just as I was thinking it might be better to move elsewhere, someone approached.
"Good evening, Eira. I am Alexios, leader of the Bronze Shield Party."
A muscular man with a macho air greeted Eira. So parties had names like that. That was news to me.
"Do you know me?"
"Of course. How could I fail to recognize the mistress of the Great Library?"
"That's not what I asked. I asked if you're close with me."
Had Eira always had this kind of personality?
"My apologies, Eira."
Alexios's face went pale as he apologized immediately.
"I don't know what your business is, but if you have something to say, go through Dismas."
"It was entirely born of my own foolishness. I beg your pardon for my rudeness."
When Dismas's name came up, the man bowed his head deeply and apologized.
Eira grimaced, let out a sigh, and spoke to me.
"It's getting noisy here. Let's move somewhere else."
With that, she walked out of the banquet hall, and I followed.
I gave a small bow of apology to Tia, who had been about to come with me, and Tia caught on, sighed, and let me go.
***
"Just now, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"
"So you do have that much sense."
I could tell because Eira's behavior had been more exaggerated than usual.
"Why did you do it?"
"So you don't have that much sense?"
She probably wasn't going to tell me.
If I had to guess, it was because someone coming up to greet her while she was talking with me was a slight against me.
'Was that an act to raise my reputation using what just happened?'
I didn't want to become too famous, but being so unknown that people disregarded me was also inconvenient.
Still, for something like that, the way Eira was looking at me was strange.
'Is there some other meaning to it?'
Harboring that question, I stepped outside the banquet hall, and the day had already grown dim.
As servants drew back the cloths, magical lamps revealed themselves atop the pillars.
"Are those magic items?"
"No. They're the effect of a spell that lasts semi-permanently."
There really was a spell for everything.
"Each casting consumes ruby dust worth 50 gold coins."
I counted the number of pillars surrounding the mansion and marveled at Dismas's wealth.
"That's an enormous amount of money."
"In the long run, it's cheaper than lighting lamps every time."
So a single spell was cheaper than the oil consumed over the course of a year.
Chatting like that, we passed through the corridor and emerged into a courtyard.
The two of us walked to a corner of the garden where grapevines hung thickly and concealed ourselves in the darkness.
Of course, Eira and I could both see in the dark, so it didn't matter.
"So what did you want to talk about?"
When I asked in a low voice, Eira frowned slightly and pulled a pouch from her bosom.
"A gift. I said I'd give it to you when you reached level 3, but I'm quite late."
Come to think of it, she had said she would give me a gift in exchange for sharing my abilities.
"Isn't it a bit too late?"
After all, I had already reached level 4.
"I thought you'd stay at level 3 for a while. My mistake."
"It's thanks to you."
Her teaching had been a great help in subjugating the goblin village.
"You can check it."
At that, I opened the pouch. Inside was a pair of shoes.
Even at a glance, they looked extraordinary, so they had to be a magic item.
"What kind of shoes are they?"
"Boots of Elvenkind. Shoes made with secret knowledge passed down among elves."
I asked again in surprise.
"Are you sure you can give me something like this?"
"It's fine. It's not like they have any special meaning. More importantly, ask about their performance."
She was twirling a lock of hair and averting her gaze as she said it, so it wasn't very convincing, but I pretended not to notice and played along with her intent.
"What effect do they have?"
"They put your mana circuits to sleep, which is advantageous when you're trying to hide."
At that, I realized why she had chosen this gift.
Given my fighting style in caves, I constantly had to attempt stealth, so this was an item that made that easier.
"Thank you."
"It was something I was going to give you anyway, so don't resent me for being late."
As she said that, I noticed the tips of Eira's ears had turned slightly red, and I decided to give her body what it wanted.
"Then, this was also something we originally agreed to do?"
As I said that, I set the gift aside and reached for Eira's hips, and she stiffened in surprise.
"Wait, this is Dismas's garden."
"There are other guests over there too."
When I spoke while looking toward a corner of the garden where the grass grew thick, Eira narrowed her eyes and looked that way as well.
A pair of adventurers, a man and a woman who had slipped out of the banquet hall before us, were entwined there.
"It's fine, right?"
Realizing why I had been speaking quietly, Eira raised an eyebrow and said,
"What if you make me scream?"
"You'll just have to hold it in. I could cover your mouth for you, but—"
"Covering it with your lips is forbidden."
Having said that much, Eira spoke as if giving up.
"Well, I have to do research today anyway, so it can't be helped."
Now that I had permission, I pushed her clothes aside.
Then, as Eira leaned against me, I grabbed both of her thighs.
"You're going to do it standing?"
"Yes. Hold on to me."
Eira's whole body clung to me. As her arms wrapped around my shoulders, I lifted both of her legs.
Moisture was already overflowing from her lower lips pressed against my stomach, so she had clearly been anticipating this.
"Looks like we can skip the foreplay?"
"As if you were planning to do any."
That was true. Eira, the genius elf, had quickly become adept at sex as well, and lately her body often warmed up the moment she met me.
Squelch.
My cock entered Eira.
I shifted my center of gravity slightly so that Eira's body sank onto my cock.
"Nngh."
I whispered into the ear of Eira, who was clenching her teeth and enduring the pleasure.
"If it's too hard, you can bury your mouth against my chest."
"I-I'm fine, so keep, going."
At that, I slowly lifted Eira's body.
When my cock had almost pulled out, with only the head precariously caught inside, I drove her down hard with gravity.
Bang!
An immense impact unlike anything she had experienced before crashed over Eira.
"Ahhn?!"
A moan burst out of her involuntarily.
Eira hurriedly buried her face against my chest.
"What was that just now?"
"Isn't it about time you tried something new?"
Eira blushed and protested.
"That slamming sound just now is going to give away that we're here."
"It doesn't really matter that someone is here. As long as they don't find out who it is, right?"
So, I told her to keep her voice down as my cock scraped along Eira's inner walls and pulled out.
Squelch.
"Nngh!"
To Eira, who had stopped talking and was biting her lip,
Bang!
Regardless of what Eira thought, her well-worn hole was accepting the rough treatment readily enough.
It seemed fine to start moving in earnest, so—
Squelch, bang! Squelch, bang!
The sound of flesh scraping and the sound of bodies colliding rang out one after another.
Eira desperately tried to hide her voice, and I poured impacts into her body.
When I confirmed that Eira had no choice but to bury her lips against my shoulder,
"Should I speed up?"
I moved my body before Eira could refuse.
All Eira could do now was cling to me and endure the waves of pleasure.
And when that reached its limit, Eira's whole body began to stiffen from the extremities inward.
Her curling toes, her taut calves, her rigid thighs.
When her entire body had reached the brink of climax, I paused for a beat with Eira's body lifted high,
Bang!
and slammed her down roughly.
"Mmmph!"
Burying her lips against my shoulder to stifle her climax as much as possible, Eira clenched around me without pause.
Her body already knew. Once Eira reached climax, my seed would pour into her body—
"Ahhhn?!"
and along with a return of calm, another climax overwhelmed her mind.
I supported Eira, who had passed out from the consecutive climaxes, and waited for her to come to her senses.
***
When Eira regained her senses and we returned to the banquet hall, the banquet was already winding down.
Eira headed to the private room Dismas had prepared for her, and I entered the private room I had been shown to as well.
"You're back, Do-hyeon."
Tia, with a chilly air about her, was waiting for me.
"Sorry, did you wait long, Tia?"
"I didn't wait. It was obvious what you were off doing, so how could I wait?"
I left a kiss on Tia's forehead.
"Stop. Do you think this much will make my anger go away?"
I asked Tia, whose anger was already fading.
"Why are you so upset?"
"How could you leave the banquet hall like that?!"
Apparently, Tia had been hoping I would stand out at the banquet.
"Sorry, Tia. I didn't think that far."
"I know you have no interest in honor. But shouldn't it at least be known that you've earned Lord Dismas's favor?"
I whispered into the ear of Tia, who was saying that.
"So what you're saying is, you're disappointed you couldn't brag about how impressive your man is?"
"Wh-what are you talking about?! I was only thinking of your honor."
"I don't really care about honor, so it's fine."
To Tia, who was grumbling and stewing in her frustration, I whispered once more.
"More importantly, haven't you forgotten something you need to do?"
At my words, Tia sniffed the air.
"What on earth did you do that the smell is already this thick on you?!"
"Curious?"
Tia nodded.
"Of course I am! At this rate, getting rid of it will take forever!"
"Then, wouldn't doing the same thing make it disappear faster?"
Tia tried to bolt as if sensing something ominous, but—
"That look on your face, what is it."
"It's already too late. Brace yourself."
I grabbed Tia's body and pulled her against me.
I took out my cock and searched for the opening in the gap of her cloth garment.
"Already wet?"
"Th-that's because of you!"
Fortunately, the room Dismas had provided was well soundproofed, so Tia didn't need to hold back her moans.
***
The next morning, early, I spoke to Lee Se-rin's party, whom I met at the Temple of the Travel God.
"Lee Se-rin, you once asked me to join your party, right?"
"What about it?"
I fulfilled Lee Se-rin's oddly hopeful expectation in a different way.
"You four. Want to join our party?"