Making Gold (1)
Making Gold (1)
In a quiet residential area where people didn't come and go often. Inside a carriage that had stopped there, Iris and Dojin were in full bloom of conversation.
"That's when my Lord God stepped in."
"What?"
"He said, 『Offer a virgin. If there is no virgin, offer your life.』."
"......Hmm, it's a bit much to say this about a god, but that's insane."
"Right?"
The two were boldly committing blasphemy while sharing tales about mythology. If God were listening, what would He say and what punishment would He bring down?
Charlotte, who was acting as guard from the driver's seat with a robe draped over her, was terrified by this fact.
'Saintess-nim, please.......'
But the Saintess did not stop. She was trying to sell out her own god to win Dojin's favor. That sight seemed not unlike a virgin boy trying to court a girl for the first time, and she likely wasn't the only one who thought so.
"Um...... I think I've told you a lot today too...... that is... well... you know...."
"I get it. You want a reward, right?"
"Yes, what? No! A reward, how could you say such a......."
"Come here."
The Saintess was openly demanding a reward from Dojin. It was mostly physical contact.
Due to her curse, men were obviously out of the question, and since she possessed a blessing that would even kill women who felt lust for her, she didn't have many opportunities to come into contact with others in the first place.
Thanks to her exceptional looks, she didn't receive much physical affection even from her parents. She had starved for love her entire life, and physical contact was the easiest way to supplement that love.
Hug-.
Dojin hugged the Saintess tightly. Their arms intertwined, chest pressing against chest. For the first time in her life, the Saintess realized a man's chest could be this firm, and that being held by someone could feel this secure.
"......Please stroke my head too."
"Sure, sure."
At the Saintess's request, Dojin cutely stroked her head. Being tightly hugged while having her head stroked one-sidedly.
It was an act of treating her like a pet, but the Saintess felt an intense sense of security welling up from the deepest part of her body.
In a way, it was close to pleasure. The Saintess was feeling pleasure now.
Why God told her to keep men at a distance, why the commandments forbid sexual acts.
The Saintess realized it very easily.
'This kind of thing... I can't resist.'
Faith without reward or promise was nothing compared to pleasure that gave clear rewards. The only reason the Saintess hadn't thrown away her faith was because she had been keeping the commandments since childhood, almost like brainwashing.
"Hueut-."
Unconsciously letting out a faint moan, and realizing she had done something vulgar, she buried her face in Dojin's chest.
And as she buried her face, intense pheromones assaulted the Saintess. The Saintess stretched her limbs straight out and savored the intense scent.
"T-that's enough-!"
Feeling that if she smelled it any longer she'd really become strange, that she might throw away everything she had believed in her whole life, her god and all, and fall into depravity, she forcefully pushed Dojin away.
And Dojin, all too easily, moved away from her. Feeling regret at that fact, she let out a sigh.
Ah- Once he had pulled away, Dojin did not approach on his own. But as the Saintess, she couldn't be the one to approach first either. That was her minimum pride.
"Ahem, a-are you, um, not lacking?"
Letting out a fake cough, she glanced sideways at Dojin. It meant something like, come on, pounce on me quickly. However, Dojin, who could see right through her thoughts, did not approach her.
Why bother-? If this were Earth, or if she didn't have that curse, it might be different. But this was a fantasy world where divine beings existed, and she was in a state where, due to her curse, she couldn't even make eye contact with any man other than herself.
Only he could be the one to hug her. Only he could give her pleasure.
There was no need to try so hard. As time passed, the pitiful Saintess would eventually be the one to ask first.
"Then... today's blessing. I'll take it."
"...Yes. God, isiyeo, bless this person, God, isiyeo. Grant him your power, hasoseo."
The Saintess immediately offered a prayer to the heavens right there. Her prayer reached the heavens without a moment's delay, and the Lord God who bestowed blessings upon her, while slightly angry, obediently granted her his power.
That sight gave a feeling like a doting father who forgives his daughter anything when she acts cute, so the Saintess smiled slightly and transferred that power directly to Dojin.
Dojin sensed the power overflowing throughout his entire body. This was the Saintess's Blessing. One of the reasons Dojin always listened to her before going to the dungeon recently.
"Thanks."
"No, not at all... For a hero who stakes his life on adventures, even a blessing of this level feels insufficient."
"Really?"
"Yes. If it were up to me, I'd want to give you all the holy grails, sacred swords, and every single consecrated piece of equipment in the underground treasury......."
But that was not an easy task even for a Saintess. The owner of a divine relic is God, and His earthly proxy is the Pope.
A Saintess personally taking out relics without permission was impossible; it required the approval of the Pope and a majority of bishops.
While everyone knew that Dojin was the subject of an oracle, the fact that the content of that oracle was vague, and Dojin himself wasn't showing anything particularly special.
Because of these points, even if the Saintess requested the removal of relics, they were likely to brush it off vaguely.
"It's fine. I don't need a sacred sword or anything."
"But...... Ah! Should I bestow a blessing on your weapon?"
"Please."
Dojin held out the Demon-Slaying Sword. Divine Power didn't have good compatibility with magical power and magic. If a blessing were bestowed on a magic sword and something went wrong, it would be a disaster.
After bestowing a blessing on the Demon-Slaying Sword, the Saintess looked at Dojin with a regretful expression. Dojin also forced a regretful expression and bid farewell to the Saintess.
"Then, see you next time."
"Yes-! Call me anytime!"
"Sure."
Grinning as he got off the carriage, Charlotte glared at Dojin with an expression that said, 'Is it finally over?' Dojin glared back at her and then naturally sat down in the seat next to the driver's seat.
"......What are you doing?"
"Drop me off on the way. The path to the mansion overlaps."
"Why should I take you......."
"Don't get so angry. Hm?"
As he said that, Dojin pointed at the carriage. It meant that if push came to shove, he would tell the Saintess everything. Since it was a task ordered by the Saintess, revealing her actions wouldn't cause any trouble, but being caught for having done something the Saintess ordered was grounds for reprimand.
And so, Charlotte quietly loosened the reins. The horses, feeling the whip, slowly began pulling the carriage toward the mansion.
Dojin comfortably enjoyed the movement, then jumped off near the dungeon entrance.
To be honest, walking would have been faster.
In front of the dungeon, it was bustling with adventurers heading to the dungeon every day and merchants selling goods to those adventurers.
And where many people and money gather, petty thieves are bound to be drawn as well.
Noah saw a man loitering around her stall, her eyes lit up, and she began explaining her goods.
"Welcome! From effective potions to monster bait, we have everything you could ask for! What are you looking for, customer?"
"Hmm...... just browsing."
"Yes! Take your time looking!"
"What's this?"
"Ah, that's......."
While Noah was focused on the man who had come as a customer, a kid passing by quickly grabbed a few items and started walking away.
Naturally, Noah didn't notice. The coordination between the two was so skillful, it seemed like they'd done this many times. Probably most people here didn't notice either.
"Let's see......."
The kid who stole the items giggled and muttered about not knowing why they even bothered with this setup. Why not just steal everything like this?
Tossing the potion up and down as he walked, the kid then felt a hand grab the back of his collar and let out a choked, ahem, sound.
"W-what!?"
"Kid. Stealing is bad."
"What are you talking about! Let go of this!"
"If you hadn't been caught, maybe. But once caught, it's a crime."
The kid struggled this way and that to break free, but the strength of Dojin, who had grabbed his neck, was overwhelming.
No choice, the kid tried to throw the potion in his hand at Dojin to escape. But Dojin, holding the kid with one hand, caught four or five potions in an instant with his other hand.
It was impossibly quick reflexes and flexibility. The kid couldn't believe it even after seeing those slender fingers catch thick potion bottles.
And so, the kid finally arrived at Noah's stall. Until then, Noah, who had been diligently explaining items to the man, tilted her head upon seeing Dojin and the kid approaching.
And upon seeing the potion in Dojin's hand, she jumped up in surprise.
"M-my potion!"
Only then did she check her stall and noticed several of the displayed potions were missing. Dojin lifted the kid and asked the man.
"Going to buy a potion?"
"......Why ask me that."
"This potion looks effective. An adventurer could use one, right?"
"......Tsk, just my luck."
Saying that, the man turned around and left the stall. Dojin threw the kid at the fleeing man's back, and the man, colliding with the kid, frowned but disappeared without a word.
And Noah, who had been watching this, asked Dojin in shock.
"W-what are you doing!?"
"What?"
"They're thieves, thieves! If you don't catch them......."
"The items are here, right?"
"Th-that's true...! But thieves should be caught!"
"And then what?"
"Huh?"
"What do you do with them after catching them?"
Hearing Dojin's words, Noah tilted her head and asked back.
"Well... the Guard Force would take them away...?"
"They won't. There's no loss, right?"
"But that's because you retrieved them, customer, actually......."
"They failed. Then it's attempted theft. The Guard Force isn't that well-off either, so they'd probably gloss over an incident at an unknown stall like this, right?"
"N-no way...."
But Noah had some idea as well. The Guard Force wouldn't diligently investigate for her sake when there was no actual loss, and even if caught, petty thieves didn't receive severe punishment.
"I'm fine, but what about you? What if they cause trouble after being released? Wouldn't that be a big problem?"
"......That's true too."
Only then did Noah realize Dojin's choice was the best. While Dojin, an adventurer, would be fine, from the perspective of her, living alone and running a business, letting the two go was the best option.
Because they could cause trouble right in front of her stall, or, harboring real malice, follow her and do something terrible.
If she were kidnapped, they might investigate, but what good would it do to find her after she's been raped and killed? She'd already be dead by then.
"Thank you for helping me. Ah, as a reward, you can have that potion."
"Are you sure? This looks expensive."
"It's an item that would have been stolen and gone if it weren't for you, customer...... If you use it and like it, please come back to buy more!"
Dojin, realizing Noah's ploy, gave a slight smile. It's bait merchandise, right? She's thinking that if he sees the item's effect, he'll come back to buy more.
It was incredible confidence. With that much confidence, she must have some skill to back it up.
Scanning the item prices, Dojin felt they weren't bad at all. Lower-rank adventurers might think they're expensive, but if the effect matches the price, the expensive one is actually better.
"What's this?"
"Ah, that's......."
Seeing Dojin show interest in an item, Noah's eyes sparkled as she began her sales pitch. She thought her luck was bad, but that misfortune brought a new customer. A blessing in disguise.