Chapter 41: Divergence
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 41: Divergence
Mirei’s party was becoming isolated in Lukart.
Despite their prestige as the first party to achieve Hero rank, they were being openly mistreated by the Adventurer Guild Branch Manager. The reason was simple: they had been caught cheating on the only man in their party, leading to his departure.
The people who had once mocked Alto, calling him a pushover, began to attack Mirei’s party the moment he left Lukart, claiming the women were in the wrong.
Even Claude and Gerend—the very men who had caused the party’s rift—now ignored and ridiculed them.
“I heard you can’t even land a single dungeon quest? If that’s the case, when are you going to buy me that Primda wallet? You have to prove to people that you’re actually useful for me to keep hanging around you!”
Mirei and Resin could say nothing to Claude’s brazen audacity.
It was Claude who had first approached them as they were leaving the Adventurer Guild after completing their rank advancement exam.
‘I heard you passed the Hero-rank advancement? That’s impressive.’
‘Hmph! It’s just the first step!’
Mirei had replied cockily, but as Claude’s face drew closer, she found herself swallowing hard and averting her gaze.
Claude smirked inwardly.
Even at Hero rank, a woman is still just a woman.
Women are so easy.
‘Mirei, Alto said to go on ahead. Apparently, the administrative procedures are complicated.’
‘Oh, look, the Hero-rank Archmage has appeared as well.’
‘Eh…?’
Resin’s reaction was even more transparent than Mirei’s.
Resin, who had spent her life doing nothing but practicing magic and diving into dungeons, was completely dazed by Claude’s beauty—a face that looked as if it had been sculpted by the gods themselves.
‘My name is Claude. I couldn’t just sit still when I heard a Hero-rank adventurer party was born right here in Lukart.’
‘Lord Claude…’
‘What do you think? Shall we have a meal to celebrate the occasion?’
Though it was an awkward time for a meal, Mirei left with Claude out of curiosity toward the handsome man, and Resin followed simply because she was smitten.
It was the same for Gerend on the other side.
‘To reach Hero rank with such a delicate priestess’s body… you must have suffered so much.’
‘Um… I think you’re standing a bit too close…?’
‘Don’t be so guarded. I can tell just by looking that your shoulders are stiff. If I just press here like this…’
‘…Ngh!’
‘They’re incredibly tight. Is it because your breasts are so large?’
Gerend engaged in skinship that bordered on sexual harassment right in front of everyone, yet Krima said nothing to stop him.
“Gyahaha! Gerend, you’re good at massages! Is it because you’re a supporter? But our Alto is good at massages too!”
Twitch.
Feeling Gerend’s hands falter, Krima hurriedly scolded Diane.
‘Diane! It’s rude to Lord Gerend to compare him to someone else!’
‘Eh?’
‘It’s fine. Diane, right? You’re cuter than you look.’
Gerend felt absolutely nothing for Diane, whose body was essentially that of a child, but since he intended to recruit her if she proved useful as a party member, he forced a smile and stroked her head.
Diane, enjoying the touch of a handsome man, quickly flashed a mischievous grin and leaned her head into Gerend’s hand.
‘I like Gerend’s hands because they’re soft!’
‘Is that so?’
‘Yeah! Alto’s hands are so rough and calloused that it feels bad when he pets me! That’s why I never let him do it, gyahaha!’
‘My, my. You aren’t overworking your supporter too much, are you, Krima?’
‘That’s…’
‘Well, I suppose a guy like that has to work hard if he wants to stick to a Hero-rank party like yours, right?’
‘Ha, haha…’
They’re all mine.
Seeing that they wouldn’t even defend their own party member, Gerend smirked.
‘So? I heard your last quest was incredible. I’d love to hear the details… especially about the exploits of you two.’
‘Oh, I’d love to! I’ll tell you how I found and disarmed the traps, gyahaha! I was getting bored because only Alto ever listened to these stories!’
‘Diane! First… let’s go somewhere quiet.’
And so, that night, Alto—who had wanted to throw a rank advancement celebration—ended the day alone in the Party House, waiting until Mirei returned late and drunk, followed by Resin, who said nothing with her face flushed red.
Except for Alto, everyone had a wonderful time that day.
And the good times continued even after that, as they spent their days meeting their respective lovers.
At least, until Alto left.
“Lord Gerend!”
“Hey, didn’t I tell you not to act like you know me until your situation is sorted out?”
Krima, wearing a grimy priestess outfit, called out to Gerend in the middle of the street.
She had tried to wash her clothes, but not knowing how to do it properly, they were wrinkled and smelled faintly of dust. Gerend looked at her with an annoyed expression and grumbled.
“It’ll be resolved soon. Diane said she found a lead. She’s going to tell me tonight. Diane’s scouting skills are the real deal, so it’s as good as found!”
“Really? If it’s as good as found, then come see me after you actually find it.”
“It’s been over two weeks since we’ve properly seen each other.”
“Sigh.”
Gerend sighed at her desperate clinging.
At first, she had a certain haughty charm that made her fun to bed, but now she was more useless than Diane, whom he only kept around as a sidekick.
“You’re annoying.”
“Wh-what?”
“I said you’re annoying.”
Gerend didn’t even look at Krima, busy adjusting his hair which had been perfectly styled with wax.
“Why should I keep meeting a priestess who lost her money source and can’t even earn any money herself?”
“…You said you loved me.”
“I did love you! I loved you when you had a guaranteed money source and were earning well!”
Gerend pulled an expensive Archiyo wallet from his pocket and shoved it toward her.
“Look at this. This is the proof of the love you offered me. And that’s why I loved you back that day until your legs were shaking.”
Krima stared blankly down at the wallet.
The price of offering a luxury wallet worth 40 million Dalk was a single day of affection.
And on that very day, Alto had started acting strange, eventually leaving the party and Lukart altogether.
Where did it all go wrong?
Was it when she deceived Alto to buy the Archiyo wallet Gerend kept whining about?
Or was it when she neglected Alto because she was too focused on her lover?
Futile thoughts swirled in Krima’s head—wondering if she could have kept both the money and Alto if she could just turn back time.
“That… was really expensive.”
“I know. That’s why I didn’t just give you one meal; I spent the whole day with you and Diane, didn’t I?”
“I even lied to Alto to buy that for you.”
“What?”
Gerend cocked an eyebrow.
“Krima.”
“Yes.”
“Did I tell you to lie?”
“……”
“You’re the one who couldn’t get the money on your own, so you scammed that pushover for it.”
Speechless, Krima began to sob.
“I only did it because I wanted to give you what you wanted.”
“And I gave you a reward fitting for it.”
“Just one day?! 40 million Dalk is more than most people’s annual salary!”
“How dare you talk back to a man!”
Slap!
“Ack!”
Unable to contain his rage, Gerend struck her across the cheek.
Krima collapsed helplessly.
As she touched her bleeding, swelling cheek and lip, Gerend raised his foot as if to kick her, but then lowered it as if he couldn’t be bothered.
“You’re pathetic.”
“……”
“Come back when you’ve got your life together. You’ve got fair skin and big breasts, so you’re at least fun to hold. Though you’re still just one of many women.”
“……”
“Do you understand?”
“…If it was going to be like this.”
“What? What did you say?”
“…If it was going to be like this, why did you seduce me back then?”
“Ha!”
Gerend let out a hollow laugh.
Still, he tended to enjoy these moments in his own way.
So, he gave her the same answer he always gave at times like this.
“Because I heard you became a Hero-rank adventurer.”
“Is that all…?”
“Yeah. I was curious how tight a Hero-rank adventurer’s pussy would be. That’s all. Happy now?”
When Gerend reached out his hand, the woman standing beside him handed him a handkerchief.
Wiping his forehead with the high-end silk handkerchief, Gerend sneered at Krima, who still hadn’t managed to stand up.
“If you wanted unchanging love so badly, you should’ve stayed with that pushover Alto. He would’ve pampered you until the very end.”
He turned around and walked away leisurely, then snapped his fingers as if he had just remembered something.
“Actually, I’m a man of unchanging principles too. I give love exactly in proportion to what I’m given. There’s no change in that formula. I’m quite consistent, aren’t I?”
I was tricked.
I was betrayed.
After everything I did for you.
Her head spun with a swirling sense of injustice.
The women nearby paid no attention to the situation other than the fact that Gerend was at the center of it, and once he left, they simply went on their way.
No one helped Krima.
“Are you alright~?”
But then, a slender hand was reached out toward her.
“Th-thank you.”
“Oh my, no need for thanks! You’re one of our prime clients!”
When Krima finally looked up, the Lukart Bank Manager, with her unnaturally tight skin, came into view.
“Bank Manager? Wh-what brings you…”
“What do you mean? I’m here to do my job, of course.”
“Your job?”
“Yes, my job.”
“What kind of job…”
Slap!
“Aack!”
“What kind of job do you think?”
Krima was struck on the same cheek again and collapsed once more.
The Bank Manager’s expression turned cold and fierce in an instant. She unwound her metal watch, wrapped it around her fist, and began to beat Krima indiscriminately.
“Aack! Ack!”
“Does it hurt? Does it?! It doesn’t hurt nearly as much as my heart does!”
“Why are you doing this—!!!”
As Krima desperately tried to defend herself, the Bank Manager finally caught her breath and stopped punching.
Krima seized the moment to scream.
“Do you think you’ll get away with this after assaulting me, a Hero-rank adventurer and a priestess?!”
“You bitch… whew… I should just!”
“Hiek…!”
When the Bank Manager moved as if to strike again, Krima cowered.
She had the physical ability to easily overpower the Bank Manager, but it would be a disaster if a priestess attacked a civilian.
Fortunately, she had enough sense left to realize that, so she decided to just endure the beating as best she could.
However, the words that followed completely stripped Krima of her defenses.
“You, where did you spend the 40 million Dalk that Lord Alto took a loan out for?”
“What…?”
“I’ve done my research, you bitch.”
The Bank Manager pulled a copy of the loan agreement from her handbag and shoved it in Krima’s face.
“See this? Loan purpose: Investment for church missionary work. But why is it that I can’t find a single record of Lord Alto or Mirei’s party spending money on charitable work, not in the church, nor anywhere in Lukart?”
“B-Bank Manager…”
“You dog-like bitch. Where did you spend that money?”
“I-I’ll explain everything! Please, let’s not do this here, let’s go to our Party House and…”
“You stupid cunt, how many people do you think saw you handing over 40 million Dalk to buy an Archiyo wallet? What is there to explain somewhere else—!!!!”
The Bank Manager’s rage-filled scream echoed through the heart of Lukart.
And the contents of her shout were delivered clearly to the ears of the surrounding crowd.
“It’s because you bitches do things like this that Lord Alto, the man of your party, abandoned you and left Lukart! How are you going to take responsibility? How are you going to take responsibility!! Rumors are spreading that Lukart women don’t know how to serve their men properly, and two more men are moving to the provinces this week alone!”
“Th-that’s a lie!”
It was a lie.
But the Bank Manager, believing the carriage station and the Adventurer Guild had stabbed her in the back, had nothing to lose.
Even if they were at odds, Mirei’s party was their common enemy.
“How are you going to… ah, fuck it! Let’s talk after you take a few more hits.”
Thud! Crack!
“Aaaagh! Ah!!!!!!”
A few minutes after Krima’s screams began to erupt again, Mirei and Resin, having heard the commotion, pushed through the crowd and appeared before them.
“What do you think you’re doing!”
“What am I doing? Can’t you see? I’m conducting an interrogation of an illegal debtor.”
“Krima is a priestess of a Hero-rank party! How dare a mere Bank Manager lay a hand on her?”
“Oh, a Hero-rank party~?”
Even with Mirei snarling at her, the Bank Manager let out a sneering laugh and threw the copy of the loan agreement at Krima.
“You man-eating bitch. Whew… Since you scammed Lord Alto, you pay this back. By my authority as Bank Manager, I am immediately invoking the financial regulations for the purpose of preventing fraud damage.”
“What…? Bank Manager, how on earth am I supposed to pay this right now…”
Krima’s lips trembled, while Mirei and Resin looked back and forth between the document and the Bank Manager in shock.
“You said you’re a Hero-rank party, didn’t you~? You scammed your party’s man into taking a loan so you could buy a gift for another man and then kicked him out, but you’re still a Hero-rank party, right~? Since you’re such great Hero-rank adventurers, I’m sure you’ll find a way to pay it back, won’t you?”
Unwrapping the watch from her fist, the Bank Manager glared at Mirei.
“Or perhaps your fellow Hero-rank party members will help you.”
“……”
Stepping on the loan agreement and sliding it toward them with her foot, the Bank Manager delivered her ultimatum.
“Principal: 40 million Dalk. With the special interest rate applied due to fraudulent activity, the monthly interest is 12%. It starts this month. Since I’m being nice, make sure you pay at least the minimum interest every single month before I file a formal complaint with the church and suggest your excommunication. Got it?”
“Bank Manager…!”
“Krima, your accounts are seized as of today. Work hard to pay it back. Understood?”
“Bank Manager, please, have mercy…!”
“You scammer bitch, do you have any idea how much these pants cost?!”
“I’ll do anything! Please! Please!”
“Is that so?”
Disgusted by Krima clinging to her pant legs, the Bank Manager kicked her away until she grew tired.
Catching her breath, the Bank Manager, exhausted by the persistent begging, threw her a single lifeline.
“Find Lord Alto. Bring him back here to Lukart. Do whatever it takes to make sure he comes back of his own accord, in one piece. That is the only way for all of us to survive.”
Straightening her clothes, the Bank Manager walked away, her heels clicking on the pavement.
The crowd began to whisper, their voices laced with contempt and ridicule for Krima and Mirei’s party.
“Mirei… please help me… we’re in the same party…”
“Krima.”
Mirei shook her head and began to walk away.
“This is something you did on your own. It makes no sense to saddle the entire party with that debt.”
“Ah…”
When even Resin clicked her tongue and left, Krima hung her head in shame and helplessness.
“Alto…! Why on earth, because of you… I have to go through this…!”
Watching from a distance, Diane left behind the priestess who still hadn’t come to her senses and headed toward the Adventurer Guild to turn in her quest.
“We have to beg for forgiveness, from Alto…”
“You’re being too much, Alto…!”
Who could have known that this divergence would later create such a vast chasm?