Chapter 32: The Guard Who Cares for His Junior (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: The Guard Who Cares for His Junior (10)
The restaurant I picked for dinner was just... okay. Their catchphrase was "The 100-Year Traditional Taste of the Dungeon City," but that "tradition" turned out to be a stew they’d supposedly been simmering for a century without ever turning off the heat.
I really shouldn't have listened to the conversations of hunters with cheap palates... The stew was a mishmash of ingredients that boasted a truly subtle, questionable flavor. If the side dish—the braised veal cheeks—hadn't been good, I would have arrested the chef on charges of destroying a guard’s taste buds.
"Mmm... the veal cheeks are delicious."
Neither Rena nor I touched the stew. I’d bragged about treating her to a great meal, so I felt a bit guilty that it turned out like this.
If I’d known it would be like this, I would have just taken her to the inn from the eroge. It had a setting where the food was supposed to be good, but I’d ruled it out because it wasn't a specialized restaurant. I regret that now.
"I'm sorry. Next time, I'll take you to a place that’s actually good."
"Next time? We’re having dinner together next time too?"
"Why, were you planning on never eating with me again? I’m a little disappointed."
"N-n-no, sir! I could eat dinner with you every single day of the year!"
It’s cute how she reverts to formal military speech whenever she gets flustered. Seeing her so happy just at the promise of future dinners is adorable.
Thanks to that, I’m certain now. She has feelings for me. I don't know what triggered it, but love is an emotion that can ignite from the smallest of incidents.
The important thing is that the stage is set for us to get laid. And as her senior, shouldn't I naturally care for my junior? It’s decided. My first time with Rena will be in the junior-care position—doggy style.
"Shall we go get dessert? There’s a nice cafe nearby."
"I’d love to!"
The cafe wasn't far from the restaurant. Rena’s eyes practically spun as she looked at the desserts behind the glass display.
"Amazing... There are fat-carons, madeleines, cookies, muffins, and so many slices of cake."
"There really is a lot."
It wasn't called a dessert cafe for nothing. I ordered coffee and a chocolate that supposedly contained rum and figs, while Rena ordered a slice of cake that looked like a heart attack waiting to happen and a brown sugar latte.
It’s a miracle she can maintain a body like that while eating such calorie bombs.
"Don't look at me like my Master does... It all goes away after a few swings of a sword."
"Master? You had a Master?"
"Ah."
Rena looked flustered. I just regained the opportunity I’d missed earlier because of Mehya. When I think of Rena’s Master, one person comes to mind. Was it that female knight who was said to have died in the war against the neighboring kingdom? I guess she’s still alive.
Wait. If that’s the case, doesn't that mean a war is going to break out soon? The Hugo Kingdom didn't lose, so the Capital should be fine, right? And since I’m a guard, not a soldier, I won't be conscripted.
I certainly hope so. If they tell me to go to the battlefield, I’m running away. I’m too busy having sex to go risk my life in a fight.
"I'm curious what kind of Master she is. Did you seek out someone to teach you swordsmanship so you could become a guard?"
"Huh? Oh, yes. As you know, Senior, a guard needs to be proficient with weapons."
"True."
"And you need personal martial prowess to get promoted. For example, I heard that those in charge of Mid-Rank Dungeons are strong enough to suppress Mid-Rank Hunters."
"Is that so?"
No wonder the guards in the eroge were so ridiculously strong. They were hard to kill, so I thought it was just a game mechanic, but it turns out it was based on the lore.
While we were talking, the coffee arrived. After eating the fig chocolate, which had a nice chew to it, and taking a sip of coffee, my mouth felt refreshed and my head cleared.
I turned to Rena, who was happily inhaling her brown sugar latte before coughing as a pearl got stuck in her throat.
"What do I need to do to study under her? I feel like it’s about time I learned some proper swordsmanship myself."
"Cough... What? I didn't hear you wrong, did I? You don't have a swordsmanship Master, Senior?"
Why is she so surprised? Rena was the one who said you need to be strong to get promoted, not me.
"Yeah. I just received the basic training everyone else gets."
"That’s incredible. My Master said she wouldn't take any other disciples besides me, but I’ll ask her. If we take lessons together, does that make us fellow disciples?"
"Do people still care about that kind of thing?"
What is this, a martial arts novel? Most RPG Maker eroges, including those from Isekai Studio, didn't really use Wuxia settings.
Honestly, Wuxia can be pretty hot too, so I don't know why most of them are set in modern or fantasy worlds. Out of the hundreds of eroges I’ve played, I’ve only tried two with a Wuxia theme. One of them was a total piece of trash set in the Three Kingdoms era.
"Senior? What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, I was just thinking about the past."
"You must have been through a lot, seeing as you spaced out and didn't even hear me."
"A lot. Yeah, you could say that."
I was busy exercising my deep insights into the RPG Maker eroge market, after all. Rena looked at me tentatively and held out a piece of her cake.
"You know what? Eating something sweet makes the gloom go away. Here, have some of this."
"I appreciate the thought, but I still have chocolate left."
When I bit into the rum-filled chocolate, liquid burst out from inside. It was a very interesting texture. It was pleasantly bitter and delicious.
"I see. Well, tell me whenever you need anything. We’ll soon be studying under the same Master, after all."
"If your Master allows it, that is."
"That’s the problem... I’ll try my best to persuade her!"
Rena spoke energetically, clenching her fists. Does she really want to do that with chocolate smeared on the corner of her mouth?
"Wipe that off before you talk."
I lightly brushed the corner of Rena’s mouth with my thumb. Chocolate came off on my finger. Rena, who had been dazed, saw my blackened thumb and whipped her head away.
"Wha-wha-wha-what are you doing?"
"My junior was walking around with something on her face like a slob, so I wiped it off. It looked like a mustache."
"A mustache on a girl?!"
Rena was indignant, but she couldn't look me in the eye. She fanned her face frantically. My move worked perfectly. If I keep closing the psychological distance with small physical contacts like this, I’ll be touching her breasts soon, and then... hehehe.
I couldn't hide my wicked grin, so I picked up my coffee cup. I can't wait for that day.
* * *
I parted ways with Rena shortly after. I offered to walk her home, but she declined. Based on the setting, she’s probably living at that female knight Master’s house, right? She must have wanted to keep that a secret from me.
Thanks to that, I ended up in the back alleys—the headache of the Capital and an area where incidents never cease. In any game, this is the zone where rape and corruption scenes are guaranteed.
It wasn't even that far from the area where Rena and I had enjoyed our "newbie welcome" date, but the atmosphere was completely different. There were dried stains of spit or some unknown liquid on the ground, and a rat scurrying by was snatched up by a homeless man.
—Squeak!
"Hehehehe."
The homeless man, laughing maniacally as he caught the rat, caught sight of me and slunk away. Besides him, there were many eyes watching me.
Eyes lurking in the shadows at the end of alleys where even the light didn't reach, or holding their breath inside tattered mats that could barely be called temporary tents. Those who at least looked somewhat human vanished into the complex alleys the moment they saw my uniform.
Those who weren't even human anymore, gaunt as if they hadn't eaten a scrap of food in ages, couldn't run and instead prostrated themselves. Every time I passed them, a foul stench wafted up and stung my nose.
"Mr. Guard. We haven't done anything."
A man who looked suspicious no matter how you sliced it blocked my path, so I kicked him. He rolled on the ground, squealing like a stuck pig.
"Why... why..."
"Perfect timing. I needed a bastard to guide me."
"But why me..."
Why does this brat have such a long tongue? Annoyed, I kicked his arm. A dagger he’d hidden in his sleeve clattered onto the ground.
"Look at this guy. What were you planning to do with this?"
"I-it’s nothing. These alleys are so dangerous, I just had it to protect myself..."
"Stop bullshitting me."
I kicked his other hand. I really wanted to kick his legs too, but I held back since I needed him to guide me.
"Aaaagh!"
"Shut the hell up. I’ll give you three seconds to close your trap. 3. 2."
"..."
"Now you’re ready to talk. Name."
"It’s Hans."
Hans? He has the same name as the guy whose childhood friend I’m going to steal. Well, it is a common name.
"I like it; it’s a friendly name. I wouldn't have hit you as much if you’d told me your name first. This is why introductions are important."
"Hehehe. Yes, sir."
"You don't need to know my name. You can guess who I am by my clothes, right? I’m looking for Sector B-5, so lead the way. If we get there, I’ll overlook the fact that you tried to assassinate me."
"Assassinate? I was just..."
He was about to start bullshitting again, so I slapped him across the face. The sensation of my palm striking solid bone was quite exhilarating. So this is what it feels like. I can see why bullies pick on losers.
"Shut up and lead. Now."
"Yes, sir."
Hans started walking, looking like he was about to cry. When I first entered, I wasn't adjusted yet and didn't know where I was, but as I listened to Hans’s explanations while harrassing him, I got the general idea.
"Wait. Where are we?"
"This is Sector A-7. We haven't even reached Sector B yet."
"Where are we now?"
"We’ve just entered Sector B-1."
"Wait. Is this the right way? If you go right from B-1, it’s B-3."
"I'm sorry. I got confused for a moment."
Thwack, thwack, thwack.
"You slum-dwellers get too clever if left alone. You only work properly after a beating."
"I'm sorry! Please spare me!"
"Do it right."
"Yes, sir..."
Through a moderate amount of violence and harassment, I reached my destination. I don't need a guide anymore, so should I let him go?
"Get lost."
"Thank you!"
Left alone, I looked around. At the end of the straight path, I could see a tent village and a campfire, and ivy grew on the walls blocking both sides. On a section not covered by vines, the word "sex" was scrawled as graffiti.
I found the right place. In The Sufferings of Novice Hunter Iruna, you had to use a wall-clip bug here to cross over to the right to get the Virility Enhancer.
In the game, you’d investigate a glowing spot to get the Virility Enhancer, then an event cutscene would trigger where a mob of men would steal it and gang-rape you—but this is reality, so that won't happen.
Since this is reality, I can't use the wall-clip bug, but I can climb over. The wall was quite high, so I kicked off both sides alternately to reach the top. On the other side of the right wall was Mehya.
Mehya was facing off against a group of more than ten people, and something was sparkling at their feet.
"Look at these bastards. You dare to oppose a guard in the Capital? And you’re all men, too?"
"Hehehe. That’s why you should have just finished your patrol and gone back. Since you’ve come this deep, no one will know if you disappear."
"You’ve got some nerve. I’m sending you all to the execution grounds. No, wait. I’ll just kill you here. I’ve been under some stress lately, so this is perfect."
Mehya cracked her neck and warmed up. This is my cue to help! In games or novels, the standard is to save a lady in distress and make her fall in love with you. It’s a classic salvation cliché.
"Die, you bastards!"
"Guaagh!"
"Argh!"
"M-monster! Run!"
In the brief moment I was excitedly getting ready to jump over the wall, Mehya had already knocked down four of the men. The rest lost their will to fight and fled.
Wait, why is she so strong? She handled it all on her own before I could even step in.
Dumbfounded, I held off on jumping over. As I balanced myself with my legs hooked over the wall, I heard Mehya speak.
"There’s still one rat left. Stop testing the waters and come at me already."
Mehya punched the wall. My support shook violently, and my body tilted forward. Ah, damn woman. Why did she have to punch the wall instead of just saying something?
Unable to maintain my balance, I jumped down from the wall. My eyes met Mehya’s, whose fist was already cocked and ready.