Chapter 165: O Men with Bowed Heads, Arise! (2)
Chapter 165: O Men with Bowed Heads, Arise! (2)
To be honest, the sudden visit was a bit flustering, but it wasn't unusual for Bernhard, the head of the Adventurer’s Guild, to drop by.
At his age, it’s only natural for things to stop standing up.
His pride as a warrior, a guild leader, and a man would still be as strong as ever. However, a man’s primal pride often finds itself helpless before the passage of time.
Rather than being mocked by everyone, his most rational choice was to share his secret only with me and receive some Penisilin.
"Young Lord. It has been quite some time."
"You’re looking much healthier than before, Guild Leader. Anyway, what brings you here?"
"I suppose it’s best to get straight to the point with you, Young Lord. You seem quite busy, after all."
"Hmm."
My answer would depend on Bernhard's purpose for coming here.
"Laura."
"...Yes."
"Was I busy?"
"You were certainly busy producing Mana Milk."
Well, it couldn't be helped. Having sex suddenly interrupted left me feeling a bit frustrated. If it had been a woman, it might have been different, but a man had shown up and killed the mood.
"Is that so? Well, there you have it, Guild Leader Bernhard."
If Laura [Maid] hadn't been glaring at Bernhard from the side, he probably would have spoken to me more comfortably.
"Don't you say the same thing to young couples? 'Ah, so when am I going to see some grandkids! The problem with young people these days is they don't have children. Tsk, tsk.'"
"I don't go quite that far, but..."
"The fact that you say 'not quite that far' means you say something similar."
I wasn't trying to nitpick, but as Bernhard usually preached, making children was a grave matter.
"As a Fermaton, I am doing my best to produce an heir. Of course, I am putting in the effort every single day, but..."
"I heard you were using contraceptive magic."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It has been quite a while since Miss Laura became the Young Lord's woman, yet there is still no news of a pregnancy."
"......."
This was the problem. Pregnancy was a delicate issue.
—Wait? They have that much sex and the woman isn't pregnant?
—Is Ruji Fermaton sterile or something?
—Then what happens? Everything ends if Ruji Fermaton dies.
—Then we have to look. For someone else who carries the Fermaton blood. Surely he didn't just leave one child? There must be an illegitimate child somewhere.
If they got pregnant, the combat power of my knight orders would weaken. But if I didn't get them pregnant, people would think I was impotent and start looking for alternatives.
Initially, they would try to treat my supposed infertility. But behind the scenes, they would be busy searching for a replacement.
And I'm already under that kind of suspicion.
Bernhard’s words confirmed it. This man was subtly giving me advice and a warning. It was fine if I was using contraceptive magic, but if the problem wasn't the woman but the man...
—How can you have that much sex and still not get her pregnant?
That’s what they were thinking.
"Guild Leader Bernhard. I have a dream."
"What is it?"
"I want to conquer at least up to the 50th floor of the Infinite Labyrinth and find out what lies beneath. After that, depending on the situation, I plan to get my women pregnant."
"...Not yet, then?"
"Exactly. Well, if it happens, it happens."
A dilemma is a dilemma. Having children causes a drop in military force, but not having them brings threats to my life one by one.
"Unless someone appears who can replace Laura in the Infinite Labyrinth raids, she can't just suddenly get pregnant. Enough. Let’s stop the small talk. You aren't the type to visit me without a purpose. What is your business?"
"Then I shall get straight to the point."
Now, for the main event.
"Would it be possible to purchase some Penisilin separately?"
As expected.
"You want to buy it through the Young Lord, secretly from others?"
"It is a matter concerning the honor of an acquaintance of mine."
"An acquaintance?"
"Yes, an acquaintance. It is for someone I know."
Bernhard spoke with total gravity, but usually, in these cases, isn't the "acquaintance" the person themselves?
If he’s talking about himself in the third person, it feels pretty pathetic.
Ah, men with bowed heads. Even as they age, men want to maintain their "cock-esteem." This strong warrior before me was no different. No, that’s likely why he was more desperate. His body was still as robust as a man in his 30s or 40s, with only slight signs of aging on the outside, but his lower half had taken the full brunt of time.
"What is the age range of the user?"
"Around my age. He is an acquaintance."
"An acquaintance... I hope he doesn't have any underlying conditions? This substance significantly increases physical activity, so I’m worried something might go wrong if a sick person or someone with a chronic illness takes it."
"Do not worry. He is as healthy as I am. It is only down there that is unhealthy."
"Is it really an acquaintance?"
"Yes. I say this again on my honor. I know it sounds like I’m talking about myself, but this is the story of my acquaintance."
"......."
Should I really believe it’s not Bernhard himself when he goes this far? Or was he so desperate for an erection that he was willing to throw away his honor? I didn't know his true thoughts, but it wasn't a bad idea to have the Adventurer’s Guild Leader in my debt.
"Laura. Bring a Dark Jeanne."
"Understood, Young Lord."
As soon as my order was given, Laura brought over a Dark Jeanne.
"Young Lord, this is...?"
"I brought it so you could take one on your way back to the guild. I’ll have the servants wrap it, so don't worry about the walk back. This is a gift."
I pointed to the Penisilin filling the Dark Jeanne.
"Do not take too much. A maximum of two pills a day, taken before the... event."
"I shall relay that. Thank you truly for your consideration."
"Of course. How could I refuse when you’ve stepped forward for a friend, even at the risk of your own honor?"
As a fellow man, I understood.
"However, I cannot simply give this away for nothing."
Kindness should be mutual.
"If you wish to accept this purely as a favor, you must surely repay this debt later, yes?"
"What do you desire?"
"I like that we understand each other."
There wasn't much I wanted from Bernhard.
"Are there any promising, beautiful virgin adventurers among your ranks?"
"......."
Bernhard’s expression sank. Beside me, Laura also began to show signs of unease.
"What is it?"
"No, it’s just... saying that in front of Miss Laura, I’m not sure how to respond."
"Laura, do you really think I would neglect you just because I’m looking for beautiful virgin adventurers?"
"...No, Master Ruji."
Ah. She’s pissed.
"Of course. It’s important to find someone who can replace me in the Infinite Labyrinth."
She didn't usually mind me recruiting through other routes, but Laura was particularly averse to me recruiting people through the Adventurer’s Guild.
A woman’s heart is truly mysterious.
Maybe she wanted to be the first and last person recruited from the Adventurer’s Guild.
"Laura. The people I’m looking to recruit this time aren't for the knight order."
"Not for the knight order...? Then are you planning to... rape them?"
"How can even you think of me like that?"
Even if Ruji Fermaton was trashing his image for the sake of Fermaton’s development, hearing that from Laura hurt.
"The women I’m looking for are nothing special; they’re just ordinary women who can work for our house."
"Specifically...?"
"I intend to recruit maids."
Starting with the Head Maid’s betrayal, I was going to carry out a massive purge of the maids.
"They can be used as knights in an emergency, but their primary duty will be to fulfill their roles as maids."
"If that’s the case, shouldn't you just post a recruitment notice for maids...?"
"If I just put out a general call for maids, suspicious people will infiltrate. Have you heard? About the unpleasant incident that occurred recently."
"I am aware. ...If you are recruiting from among adventurers, you will need to be a very good judge of character."
"Don't worry about that. My eyes for spotting virgins are the best in the world."
The hired maids would be filled with the 'adventurers' I knew well.
"There are already women I kept an eye on during the Breast Festival. I’m trying to contact them now, but it’s not proving easy."
The adventurers I had raised before, pulled from the gacha, recruited as allies, and leveled up to 100.
Call it trophy hunting if you want. At least it’s better than those who steal Cock Glasses.
Compared to the untrustworthy glasses-wearing girls, gacha characters were relatively reliable.
"So the maids will eventually..."
"Well, women who move like adventurers just have a better flavor during sex."
Why are athletic women so attractive? Their bodies are beautiful, but there’s something more that’s hard to put into words. In a medieval fantasy world, what woman is doing gym workouts, yoga, or Pilates? Most are farming in the fields, getting tanned, broad-shouldered, and muscular. In contrast, adventurers have clearly beautiful body lines. Serica was proof of that.
"Isn't that right, Guild Leader Bernhard?"
"I admit it."
As expected.
"I also met my wives in the labyrinth, and our first experiences were in the labyrinth. Huhu."
"...Wives?"
"Yes. All three were in my party, and they were virgins. Hahaha."
"......."
Virgin adventurers are the best.
And then.
I discovered what I had been looking for in an unexpected place.
"Is this the item you were looking for, Young Lord?"
"Where did you get this?"
Charlotte had found it.
"Where else?"
Charlotte brought me a flyer.
"You’ve been looking for this for a long time, haven't you?"
"......"
A very old flyer.
"It’s a similar item, but this is it, right?"
The request I had initially posted at the Adventurer’s Guild to find a Mythstone had finally paid off.