Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: The Hero Who Wants an Exchange
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I went shopping with Ashy.
We rampaged through the shopping district, ready to blow through the 100 million sol we had in cash.
Rumors about us spread like wildfire in no time.
The merchants probably had some kind of network connecting them.
They handled us with impressive professionalism.
They didn't even flinch at the sight of Hero Ashy and served us smoothly.
Whether they saw us as more important than your average noble or not, they pulled out gear they'd been hiding away and showed it off.
Ashy decided to spend only half of the 100 million sol.
She said she already had plans for the other 50 million.
She'd come all the way to the Yuteron Barony specifically to meet some promising talent she could nurture.
Even I, who'd read the original story cover to cover, had no idea who it was...
"Nothing useful here."
After checking out a few shops, Ashy left her disappointed verdict.
I couldn't even guess what kind of artifact she was after.
"...Out of everything we've seen so far, nothing useful...?"
A sacred shield that let you deploy a wide-area barrier once a day.
A famed sword with insane cutting power that could slice out just a heart.
A magic tome that let you memorize and cast spells.
There were plenty of items that would be perfect for a hero party.
If it were protagonist Luke and his crew, they'd have burned through 50 million sol already.
The stuff here was that good...
Ashy shook the leather pouch stuffed with gold coins.
It jingled heavily, like balls backed up with cum after a week of no release.
"Barriers or memorization? All garbage. Don't need 'em."
"...Then why'd we even come here?"
She'd said she wanted to buy artifacts.
That's why we'd been walking this street—to find good gear.
But what was this—
"I wanted an artifact that boosts male potency, but no luck finding one."
"Potency?"
"Gotta amp up Puppy's stamina if I want to get pregnant, so I figured maybe something here... nope."
Ashy made no secret of her disappointment.
She seemed genuinely bummed that she couldn't find something to enhance my virility.
"Your pregnancy obsession is something else."
"...Puppy doesn't seem all that interested. Like, 'if it happens, great; if not, oh well.'"
"......"
"I'm the only one desperate here. Just me."
Ashy narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
Her prickly tone sent shivers down my spine.
"W-well, potency isn't something you can just build up by wanting to..."
It's not like muscle strength.
You can't train your dick and expect it to grow.
It's beyond human limits.
"I'll start exercising hard from today. Squats are good for potency, right?"
"Squats?"
"Invisible chair."
I demonstrated a rough squat.
Ashy seemed to get the idea.
"Gotta do lower body workouts every day. If you can't walk, I'll carry you—so no skipping."
"...They say every other day is better. Muscles need recovery time..."
"Got a long tongue on you? Don't wanna do it?"
Ashy's eyes locked onto me.
I felt raw killing intent—not murderous, but close enough—from her narrowed gaze.
I had to put in the effort to impregnate Ashy.
Not leave it to fate, but seize the destiny of conception—
"Starting today. Soon as we get back, squats like a mad dog."
"...Follow me. Plenty of shops left to check."
Ashy tugged my collar.
Seemed my resolve hadn't gotten through.
I trudged along with a sulky face, steps heavy.
She was radiating full-on pout vibes.
The fact that it was all about pregnancy made it ridiculous—I had nothing to say.
We poked around a few more shops.
No luck on male potency artifacts.
Even when we asked directly, they said they didn't have any.
The merchants just looked baffled.
Then the last shop.
Compared to the others on the street, it was seriously lacking.
More like a hole-in-the-wall joint.
It was ruining the street's vibe.
No joke—it looked like it deserved a demolition order.
The difference was that stark.
Ashy walked in, half-resigned, expectations gone.
Eerie atmosphere, like something might jump out.
The artifacts on display gave off weird vibes.
"...This place."
Ashy muttered softly.
Seeing dildos blatantly on display, hope started flickering in her eyes.
"Welcome."
The shopkeeper sauntered over to greet us.
Grubby-looking, but her voluptuous figure was pretty alluring.
Less friendly than the other shops, but that didn't faze Ashy.
"Artifacts good for male potency. Bring 'em if you got 'em."
Ashy commanded.
Mana laced her eager voice, making it feel coercive.
The shopkeeper gave Ashy a side-eye, then looked at me.
Her gaze went from my face to the dog collar, and she quickly pieced together our relationship.
"Got a few. What vibe you looking for?"
"Anything. Preferably something potent."
"Shape doesn't matter?"
"...Shape...? Probably not. Best performance one—no, just bring 'em all."
The shopkeeper reacted like she actually had potency-boosting artifacts.
Ashy barked at her, face lit up with excitement.
The shopkeeper eyed her like a troublesome customer before heading to the back.
She brought out items one by one from storage.
"Pulled out just the ones that might suit a hero's tastes from our male potency enhancers."
Each one looked anything but ordinary.
"This one's just what I wanted."
Ashy picked up one artifact.
Could you even call that an artifact?
No matter how I looked at it, it wasn't normal.
It was shaped like women's panties, but something dangled from the crotch area.
A cock mold of some kind—
"Hero, there are many ways to boost male potency. The most effective known method is prostate stimulation."
"Prostate."
Her academic enthusiasm was off the charts.
She flipped the artifact around, mimicking the shopkeeper's words.
Prostate.
I knew what body part that was.
And how to use it—I'd figured that out too.
"So I just shove this in?"
Ashy caught on to the usage right away.
That it meant poking my asshole with it...
The shape made it obvious.
Only one way to use it.
She acted like she knew the tool itself from the start.
Like she'd seen this shape before—
The shopkeeper nodded and continued the sales pitch.
"Yes. The penis is made of slime, minimizing rejection during insertion. Hero, you can shape the penis freely."
"I can shape it?"
"Want to try molding the penis part?"
The shopkeeper grabbed the dick part first.
She kneaded it roughly with her hands.
Slowly, it started taking a more pronounced form.
"I like a big glans."
"...Damn, that's nasty."
"Depending on how you shape it, the sensation for your partner changes. Part of the fun is experimenting."
Ashy's face bloomed into a grin.
Her eyes sparkled with interest under a suppressed smile.
A expression we hadn't seen in any other shop.
The shopkeeper let go of the penis and added,
"Or you can let the penis adapt on its own. Repeated insertions into this gentleman here, and the slime properties will shape it to stimulate the prostate automatically."
"Oh... But just poking the back raise potency?"
"Insertion into a man's rear promotes semen production. That's basic—anything works for that, so it's not special."
Understanding Ashy's doubt, the shopkeeper explained this artifact's unique trait.
"The slime used to make this penis strap was raised on sun herbs. You know sun herbs? The aphrodisiac herb famous for boosting potency."
"...Man, smart people really nerd out on this stuff."
"Right? Infusing slime with sun herb properties to create a tool that emits those effects endlessly."
The two women chattered on about this incomprehensible topic.
They clicked surprisingly well.
Sharing knowing looks, smirks tugging at their lips.
"The slime penis generates yang energy, which the man absorbs. They researched absorption via penis or balls too, but the prostate takes it best from the rear."
Ashy had already bought the penis strap.
Her eyes gleamed with ecstasy—no way she'd pass.
"Anything else?"
The shopping continued.
The shopkeeper showed a few more items besides the strap.
"This looks good too."
"Aneros, right?"
Something shaped like a black mountain peak.
The central ridge was a familiar shape—easy to guess its purpose.
"Similar performance to that penis strap, but much weaker effect."
"How much?"
"About 3% of the strap. Even worn all day, it's less than an hour with the strap."
"Not bad though. Once we settle down, maybe, but for now we're traveling. Better than the strap for..."
Ashy glanced at me sidelong and bought the Aneros too.
"Penis strap, 3 million sol. Aneros, 2 million sol. Total 5 million."
"Here."
Ashy paid without batting an eye.
No haggling whatsoever.
Finding what she wanted was satisfaction enough.
Ashy left the shop beaming.
I followed with listless steps.
Thinking of those things ravaging my tender hole made my legs quake.
My shoulders slumped like I was carrying a heavy load.
My balls sagged too.
"Can't wait to get back and try 'em out, huh?"
Ashy's grin wouldn't fade.
Unlike my gloom, she smiled innocently, like a kid with new toys.
"...W-we agreed to do it in the elves' kingdom, Alvheim, right...? You remember?"
Using the strap meant taking my first anal experience.
No way I could stomach that horror yet.
I issued a warning first.
Ashy nodded vigorously.
She knew, no worries, she assured me.
"Aneros is fine though. I'm not putting it in—it's just inserting the device."
"So you're shoving that monster in my ass...?"
"Gotta if you want me pregnant."
Ashy whipped out the pregnancy card bluntly.
"I'm half-angel. Half my blood is angel. Interspecies implantation is already rare, and my angelic body makes it harder."
"......"
Ashy's face darkened.
"And you're just gonna whine and refuse? When we should be doing everything to boost potency and make quality seed?"
"......"
Ashy laid out the straight facts.
The woman who usually just spewed abuse was dropping logic for once.
No counterargument.
If it's to raise pregnancy odds, what more was there to say?
"Don't want it? Hate the idea of this going in?"
"...No, it's not that..."
"Say it if you hate it. I won't."
Ashy whipped her head away.
She reeked of sulk, avoiding my eyes.
A sigh escaped me.
"Fine, fine."
Why not just force it in?
Only now she gives me a choice.
"...You're gonna put it in?"
"Yeah."
If a woman wants to get pregnant...
What can a guy do besides provide healthy seed?
'This is my fate.'
Ashy's expression softened.
Back to her goofy grin, she led the way.
We returned to the Yuteron mansion.