Chapter 88: The Guard and the Inn (7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 88: The Guard and the Inn (7)
It was noon by the time I woke up. Seeing the inn room already cleared of any traces of the previous night’s passion, it seemed quite a bit of time had passed. As I shifted my arm to sit up, my elbow brushed against something soft and pillowy.
“Mmm...”
That abundance and that voice—it was Mehya. She was still fast asleep, showing no signs of waking. I pulled my arm back and turned the other way to see Rena’s face, also deep in slumber.
Perhaps it was because they’d spent all night draining my energy, but both of them had a healthy glow to their skin. No, looking closer, they looked even better than usual. Did my cum have some kind of beauty-enhancing effect?
If I turned it into a cosmetic product and sold it, it might be a revolution. However, since Yuna’s Magic Shop was already bringing in plenty of profit, I scrapped the idea at the conceptual stage.
Serika was nowhere to be seen; was she in the bathroom? Suddenly, a wave of intense hunger hit me, so I decided to get some food first.
As I stepped out of the room, Tiarushi greeted me.
“Ah! Guard Sma! You’ve finally woken up!”
“Good morning.”
“Hehehe. And a good afternoon to you. It’s late, but shall I prepare lunch for you? Your companions are already downstairs.”
“Please do.”
“Yes!!”
As I headed down, Tiarushi followed me with a bright, beaming smile.
“Thank you, Guard Sma. Thanks to the Mint Choco Pineapple Herb you gave me, my father’s condition has improved significantly. He used to break out in cold sweats constantly, but today... he’s sleeping with such a peaceful expression.”
“I’m glad I could help.”
I didn’t want to turn it into a melodrama, so I gave a blunt reply, but Tiarushi’s eyes still welled up with a few tears.
“Don’t cry. Santa Claus doesn’t give presents to crying children.”
“Who is Santa Claus?”
“An old man who wears red clothes, carries a huge sack, hides his face behind a beard, and breaks in through the chimney.”
“That’s just a thief.”
So she can take a joke. Tiarushi let out a small laugh. I reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with my finger.
“Don’t cry. You’re prettiest when you smile, Tiarushi.”
“...”
“Besides, they say if you laugh right after crying, you’ll grow horns on your butt.”
“What! Where did you hear such a thing? I’m not a lizardman or a beastkin, why would I grow horns?”
I guess in this world, some races actually do grow horns on their butts. I learned something new today.
When I reached the dining area, I saw a table surrounded by beauties. Each one of them was stunning enough to steal the spotlight on her own, but gathered together, the "bouquet effect" was overwhelming.
“Oh. You are finally awake.”
“Lord Sma!”
“Lord Sma!!”
Serika, Iruna, and Yuna, who were having tea, waved at me. The men who had occupied the surrounding tables hoping for some crumbs of attention glared at me, but they quickly tucked their tails and looked away once they saw my uniform.
“Good morning and afternoon, Captain. And what brings you two here, Iruna and Yuna?”
“We came looking for you because you hadn’t returned by lunchtime, Lord Sma. I was worried you might skip a meal, so I’m glad you’re here. Please, sit down and have some of this.”
Iruna held out a large spoonful of cake. I was hungry, but I couldn’t fill up on snacks when a proper meal was coming soon.
“I appreciate the thought, but I’ll pass.”
“Lord Sma. I made a potion for you.”
Yuna held out a Mid-Grade Stamina Potion she had brewed using the ingredients and recipe I gave her.
“Impressive. Now that you can make mid-grade potions, you can truly be called an Alchemist.”
“Hehe. I’m not quite there yet. I still have the mana and health potions left to master. Once I can make all three, I’m going to challenge myself with a Virility Enhancer.”
At the mention of a Virility Enhancer, the women’s eyes sparkled. Only Serika looked a bit embarrassed.
“T-that... You are already incredible as you are, just how much more powerful do you intend to become?”
“Huh? You didn’t ask any questions after hearing what Yuna said. Is the conversation already over?”
“Of course. She is a truly adorable child...”
Serika narrowed her eyes and glared at me. Yuna stood up, looking indignant.
“I’m an adult!”
“I know, I know. Only adults can hold proper professions like being a hunter. And you can’t run a shop unless you’re an adult either.”
“That’s right. Because of that, I had a hard time after my grandfather passed away since I couldn’t open the shop for a while.”
Watching Yuna chirp away and Serika skillfully handle her, they looked just like sisters. It was nice to see them getting along. I was worried they might clash, but this was a relief.
“Lord Sma...”
As I watched them with a satisfied smile, Iruna softly called my name.
“Yes?”
“There are so many people using the same title for you now. So... would it be okay if I called you Oppa?”
Oppa?
“Do you like it? I’ve never seen you make that face before.”
I wondered what kind of face I was making for Iruna to say that. I was certainly shaken. I’d heard people call me "Lord" this or "Junior" that, but "Oppa" was a first.
Oppa. What a beautiful, heart-fluttering word. Hearing "Oppa" from a younger beauty is truly the best. And if that beauty happens to have large breasts, it’s beyond words.
“Ooh...”
“Hmm...”
Serika and Yuna’s eyes glittered like cats that had found a fun new toy. Yuna suddenly lunged and hugged me.
“Oppa!”
“Yuna, that title is forbidden for you.”
“Eh? Why?”
“I feel like I’ll get arrested.”
“You’re a guard, Lord Sma. Who’s going to arrest you?”
True. But one must be careful. By the way, how old is this body? I just finished training and got assigned to my post, so twenty? Or twenty-one?
“O... O... O-Oppa...”
“You don’t have to force yourself, Captain. You’re older than me anyway.”
“You trample on a woman’s heart so easily. My feelings have cooled.”
“Really?”
I stood up and approached Serika, who was sitting across from me. Serika, who had been staring intently at a certain part of my body, lowered her head as I got closer.
“Even after this?”
“Kuh...”
“That’s quite a knightly grunt. Did you receive knight training when you were young, Captain? Come to think of it, I don’t know much about your past. Tell me about it.”
In the game Guards of the Kingdom where Serika appeared, or in the various crossover games, her past was never explored much. Then again, who puts a detailed backstory into an eroge character?
Such things were a blessing reserved for only a select few protagonists. And those blessed protagonists were currently looking at Serika with envy.
“Must be nice... I’ve talked with Oppa so much that I don’t have any more memories to share.”
“Well, for me, he was just my grandfather’s regular customer. Still, I can’t exactly tell you a bunch of stories I don’t know... since they’re all tied up with that guy.”
So Hans has been demoted to "that guy." I like that title. As the three of them teamed up to tease Serika, the food arrived.
“Here is our inn’s special stamina meal!”
“Wow. There’s eel? Isn’t this hard to get?”
“My mother happened to buy a few yesterday. There are plenty of other good dishes too, so please enjoy!”
Izumi, appearing from the door connected to the kitchen, gave a wink. Ah, that seductive gesture. I could see why she was a married woman. With a woman like that, men wouldn't have left her alone.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I was wondering if you might be pregnant, Captain.”
“Kaaah... Please, don’t say such things...”
“Please?”
“...Save it for a place where others can’t hear.”
“So it’s okay if no one else is around?”
“I don’t know. Don’t make me say it twice. I am your Captain, after all. Why do you keep teasing me?”
Because you’re cute. Iruna and Yuna looked ready to join in on the teasing with excitement. Leaving the baton to those two, I was enjoying my lunch when I heard an unfamiliar voice.
“This is on the house.”
A woman with charming ash-colored hair and gray eyes. Greystar, wearing the typical waitress uniform, served the tea. I see. This was the time when she hadn't started her hunter activities yet and was working part-time at the inn.
The point where Greystar loses her virginity is much later than this. It’s after her clothes get thinner and thinner until she’s basically wearing lingerie, and after she starts her hunter activities in earnest.
Since the inn in this story has changed, it might happen even later.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”
“Yes. Please call me if you need anything else.”
Greystar glanced at Yuna before scurrying away. Yuna spoke up as she watched her back.
“That person came to the shop before but just left. I thought she was a hunter, but I guess she works here.”
“You know her?”
“Yes. She asked for the price of a health potion and then turned pale and walked out, so I remembered her.”
As someone in debt, Greystar probably has to tremble even when buying a single potion. There was a scene where she performed a pole dance at the inn just to afford equipment and potions.
I wonder if that scene will disappear once the beginner hunter support policy is implemented. Since it was a scene I wanted to see, maybe I should drop a hint to Tiarushi or Izumi.
“You really... Why are you looking at another woman when we are right here?”
“Oh? Is that jealousy? Were you just jealous, Captain?”
Serika buried her nose in her teacup. She really is adorable.
“N-no, I wasn't.”
“You can be honest, Big Sister.”
“Big Sister? Iruna, do you call the Captain 'Big Sister'?”
“Huh? Ah, yes. She apologized to me as soon as she saw me, so I decided to forgive her on the condition that I call her Big Sister.”
Iruna’s bright smile was dazzling. How could someone have such a kind heart?
“Iruna Mommy...”
“Ah, hehe. Oh, Oppa. You really do act like a spoiled child sometimes.”
“Wow. I’ve never seen this side of Lord Sma before.”
“It is... cute...”
I didn’t miss Serika’s mumble.
“Is it? Where? Exactly what part was cute?”
“...”
“But I’m still not as cute as you, right, Captain?”
“....”
Ha, she makes me want to devour her right here. I finished my meal quickly and downed the tea in one go. Then, I grabbed Serika’s wrist.
“Grab me too.”
I grabbed Yuna’s wrist as well.
“M-me too...”
“I’m out of hands.”
“Then I’ll do this.”
Iruna hugged me from behind. I could feel the soft flesh of a woman who doesn't exercise pressing against me. My back was in heaven.
“Let’s head up to the room right now.”