Chapter 31: The Guard Who Cares for His Junior (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: The Guard Who Cares for His Junior (9)
I’ve been incredibly busy these past few days. First off, I was being squeezed dry by Iruna every morning and night, and in between, I was repeatedly pounding away at Elizabeth’s "onahole pussy," which conveniently recovers no matter how roughly it's handled.
I had to stop by the post office because of a whining letter from Tanya asking why I hadn't replied. Since the mint had fully grown, I harvested it and sold it to Yuna while teaching her the recipes for Stamina Recovery Potions and Health Recovery Potions.
I also took a few of those infinitely refilling Return Scrolls and sold them. She was thrilled since I gave them to her for less than the production cost.
After that, we drew up a contract regarding the royalties for the sales of the three types of potions. During this process, we even signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement.
Yuna was curious as to why I wanted to keep the provider of the recipes a secret, but she bought my excuse: "I like being a guard and want to keep doing it. If this gets out, I'll be kidnapped by alchemists."
Actually, I’d felt Hans’s gaze when I went in to sign the contract. I just wanted to see Hans interrogate her about what we did alone, and Yuna squirming because she couldn't say a word due to the contract.
I even bought seeds for the flower bed and planted them, so all my immediate tasks were finished. However, there was one thing left that weighed on my mind—something I didn't quite know how to handle.
"Hello..."
Rena bowed her head without even looking me in the eye. Her hair, which had been so radiant on the first day, was now frizzy and dull, and deep dark circles hung under her lifeless, fish-like eyes.
Her condition was much worse than yesterday. She looked like a complete shut-in. A guard, who should be an object of fear and respect, looking like a total wreck? A hero who was supposed to become a proud princess knight and take the head of an Orc Lord had turned into a mess.
How could I get her back to normal? I decided to test the waters.
"Um... Rena. Are you feeling okay?"
"Yes."
She was so drained that there wasn't even an exclamation point at the end of her answer. At least yesterday she’d said, "Yes!" What should I do? Let’s think about what Rena liked in the original game.
Since we aren't in that kind of relationship yet, sexual stuff is out. If I, a mere guard, started talking about chivalry, it would just be ridiculous, so that’s out too. There’s swordsmanship and sparring, but I haven't practiced at all since I dropped into this world.
If I accidentally lost to Rena, I’d be humiliated. So, that’s also out.
Ah, come to think of it, Rena loved sweet desserts. I remembered an illustration of her tearing up after finding a slice of cake in a barbaric orc village.
Since I’d been wandering around the plaza for drinks and buying seeds ever since I was reincarnated here, I’d discovered a few decent restaurants and cafes.
It was easy enough to come up with a pretext to go together.
"Now that I think about it, we still haven't had a welcome party for the newbie."
"A welcome party?"
Rena’s drooping ears perked up.
"Yeah. It’s a welcome party in name, but let's just grab dinner or go to a dessert cafe, just the two of us. You probably don't like alcohol much, right?"
"How did you know? Did I mention that I hate drinking?"
Oops. I made a slip-up.
"We've been together for a few days now. It just kind of showed while we were talking."
"Really? You’ve been paying that much attention to me?"
I don't know how she reached that conclusion. Could it be...? Nah. No way. She didn't even end up going through "female corruption" in the original game. What have I even done to make her like me?
Let’s just think of it as a junior’s audacity, wanting to get on her senior’s good side.
"Of course. We’re going to be working together for a long time, after all."
"Hehehe. Then are you having dinner with me today?"
"That's right."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Having regained her energy, Rena began her work vigorously. Man, I’d been worrying for days, but it was solved surprisingly easily. If I feed her well and send her home early to sleep, that exhausted face of hers will clear right up.
I had no intention of trying anything with Rena today. I already have too many women I’m putting effort into. In a few days, I’ll be reuniting with Tanya once her grounding is lifted, and I have to take Yuna’s virginity too.
I also need to catch Serika, who runs away whenever I catch her peeking at my flower bed every morning, and have a talk with her. And I wanted to give a noogie to Mehya, who’s been sticking to Serika’s side lately and won't leave her alone.
To have sex with all these women, I’m short on both time and stamina. After I part ways with Rena, I should stop by the slums and pick up some Virility Enhancers. I’ve been meaning to get some, but I’ve been too busy to go.
Time flew by, and soon it was evening. Geum Taeyang, coming out of the dungeon with a refreshed face, flinched when he saw Rena.
"You've... regained your energy."
"Was it that obvious? It's a bit embarrassing. From now on, I won't let myself get distracted and fail to conduct proper inspections."
"...That is truly, truly wonderful news. To think there was another guard with such a strong sense of responsibility besides Lord Sma. I, grind, believe the future of this kingdom is bright."
His tongue was lying about being happy, but his expression said otherwise. He looked like he was about to burst into tears if someone so much as poked him. It made sense, since the days of him secretly smuggling condoms while Rena was out of it were over.
While Rena was checking the loot, we exchanged looks.
‘Hang in there. Just go raw for a while and use condoms later.’
‘If I catch an STD like that, the treatment costs are astronomical... STDs from monsters are potent and hard to cure completely.’
‘Ouch...’
Then why did you become a monster fucker? You should’ve just stuck to human women.
"Inspection finished! Take your gear and go!"
"Thank you for your hard work."
Geum Taeyang smiled amiably and tried to grab Rena’s hand. Rena’s expression went cold as she drew her sword.
"What kind of cheap trick is this?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
Geum Taeyang apologized immediately without even knowing why Rena was angry. Seeing him grovel, Rena let out a sigh.
"Sigh. Do not attempt to touch me. If you try to lay a hand on me one more time, I will cut your wrist off."
"I will keep that in mind!"
Geum Taeyang grabbed his gear and scurried away. I thought her misandry had vanished because she was so friendly to me, but it’s still there. It was scary enough that I would’ve pissed myself if I were in Geum Taeyang’s shoes.
Rena, who had been glaring at the door Geum Taeyang exited through, avoided my gaze and blushed.
"I'm sorry... I overreacted."
"No. A guard needs to have dignity. You did well."
"Hehehe."
Having received praise, Rena had a smile on her face the whole time she worked. It was nice to see her smiling so brightly. Even Iruna noticed and asked.
"Did something good happen?"
"Yes. I'm going to have dinner with my senior."
"I see~. Then I shouldn't make dinner, just a late-night snack. I just learned a good recipe, so this works out well."
Iruna, what a scary child... With just one sentence, she wiped the smile right off Rena’s face. At this point, suspicion began to bloom again.
Does Rena actually like me? Otherwise, she wouldn't react so sensitively to the mention of me and Iruna living together.
I sharpened my intuition, but it was hard to tell since she was so hot and cold. At least not today, I guess.
"Then, I'll see you later."
"Get home safe."
"Yes~."
Iruna went home. Elizabeth had gone to the temple, saying she was going to learn a new healing Holy Art, so I had nothing to do with her today. I could just close up now.
After finishing the rough cleanup, I spoke to Rena.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes!"
"I hate coming to work, but leaving work always feels great."
"I like coming to work too."
"Really? You like the job that much?"
Rena glanced at my face.
"...Yes."
"That's unexpected. Honestly, I thought being a knight would suit you better than being a guard."
"!!!"
Startled, Rena met my eyes for the first time in a while. Her eyes, filled with confusion, moved quickly as she scanned my face.
Is she trying to figure out how much I know? Sorry, but I was known as the master of the poker face among my friends. With my natural acting skills, I often snatched victory in games like One-Card or Mafia.
"Why so surprised?"
When I asked innocently, Rena looked away.
"Actually, my dream was to be a knight."
"Then why did you become a guard?"
Is the guard position part of the knight promotion route? I thought this was a chance to learn some lore I didn't know, but Rena threw a question back at me.
"Why did you become a guard, Senior? I think you would have done well in any other profession."
"Hmm... well."
I couldn't exactly say it was because the Creator ordained it. I’d have to borrow an answer from a job seeker in an interview.
"Being a guard has been my dream since I was a kid. My dream grew as I watched the guards patrolling the streets and guarding the dungeons."
Hmm... maybe I should’ve just stopped after the first sentence. I feel like I ruined it by adding a long-winded explanation. This is why I couldn't get into a big corporation. If an interviewer had been in front of me, they would’ve failed me.
But instead of a seasoned interviewer, I had a junior who was just starting out in society. Rena clapped, looking moved.
"That's amazing! So you've achieved your dream!"
"I suppose. And you..."
"Sma. Where are you going?"
I was about to naturally probe Rena when a familiar voice cut in. Mehya, wearing light armor over her uniform, approached me.
"I'm on my way to dinner to bond with my junior and thank her for helping out so much. What about you, Senior?"
"I'm on night patrol today. The person behind me is the senior I'm patrolling with today. She’d be a 'great-senior' to you."
A beauty who looked to be in her mid-twenties waved her hand.
"She might look like that, but she's married, so don't get any ideas."
"What kind of person do you take me for?"
"That's right! Senior is not that kind of person!!"
Rena advocated for me so fiercely that I was left speechless. No, Rena, thanks, but actually, I am that kind of person...
"You've already got your junior wrapped around your finger. You really have a talent for this."
"If the upper waters are clear, the lower waters will be clear too. Of course, my 'upper water' is a bit... but still, it's all thanks to learning well from watching you, Senior."
"You really... try acting half as nice to me as you do to the Captain. Then I could give you water so clear it's beautiful."
"I'll try."
"Geez. You never lose an argument, do you?"
Mehya sighed and patted my shoulder.
"I hope you get promoted soon and start doing night patrols. They don't assign patrols to the kids in the Low-Rank dungeons because they're weak, so you have no idea how grueling this is. Give your senior, who's off to toil away, a final greeting."
"Go make lots of money. I haven't forgotten that time you promised to pay for the drinks but made me settle the bill instead."
"What a truly draining cheer. Make sure your junior doesn't end up like you."
Mehya left. Rena was huffing.
"I want to become just like you, Senior! Your coolness, your excellence, your kindness, your nobility..."
"Please, calm down."
Why is she suddenly revving up like this? Is "sudden acceleration" a requirement for guards in this world?
It’s a good thing I didn't make plans to drink. If she’s like this while sober, I can't imagine how terrifying her drinking habits would be.