Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Expectations.
"Suddenly, my mind has changed," she said.
I'll offer my body.
I'll offer my heart.
...I didn't ask for that much.
Following after, as if to prove it, notification windows popped up one after another.
[ You have saved ?? in a short period of time! ]
[ Target <<Amelia>>'s Affinity has risen dramatically! ]
[ Affinity: 1 -> 49 ]
[ A change in the target's condition causes an anomaly in the 'Aptitude' trait. ]
[ <<Meet the target's expectations!>> ]
(( Affinity ))
[ Amelia: ♥♥♡♡♡(49/100) ]
What am I supposed to do with this, seriously.
My plan has gone slightly off course. Originally, I intended to slowly raise Amelia's Affinity while managing her Rampage Gauge and bring her in as an ally. Based on how she was depicted in the story, she was a cold, calculating person.
I had no intention of threatening or coercing Amelia. Even if I forced her to follow me, she'd inevitably betray me.
I also have no confidence in deceiving the final boss through flattery. Even with knowledge from the original work, I don't have that kind of skill. A life of walking a tightrope every single day is not something I want. Besides, now that she's come back to her senses, she won't be so easily fooled.
Slowly, ever so slowly, I had to melt her heart and make her completely mine.
That was clearly my plan.
And yet, out of nowhere, I've received not just Amelia's trust—but something beyond even that.
...Instead of walking a tightrope every day, isn't this insane—juggling on top of it while putting on a performance?
If I fail to meet those expectations... I honestly don't know what will happen.
In the first place, I can hardly believe how readily she accepted all of this.
The thought even crossed my mind that she might be faking what the Status Window shows. She'd certainly have the ability to pull something like that off.
'...Is she really deceiving me?'
But contrary to that suspicion...
She threw a question at me, as though she'd just realized something belatedly.
"...Late as it may be, might I ask... what your name is?"
What's going on.
This person... she was clearly the type who wouldn't even bother caring about someone else's name. That kind of lofty, aloof person.
In terms of her established character... asking for someone's name meant she harbored tremendous Affinity toward that person.
To be more precise, it feels like she "cares." To an almost uncomfortable degree.
"...Is it... not allowed?"
With that worn-out look on her face, there was no way I could refuse to tell her.
"....Meteor."
"...Meteor, Meteor... Meteor. I will make sure... to remember it."
Amelia closed her eyes and repeated the name a few times, then finally gave a small nod.
"...."
"From this moment on, my body and heart belong to Master."
"……."
"…You may do with them as you please."
I break into a cold sweat inwardly while forcing myself to keep my expression composed.
Amelia's Affinity is rising at an alarming rate.
If I let everything happen at once here, I genuinely won't be able to handle it.
To the point where I wonder if this woman was just naturally easy to win over.
'...It'll all come back to bite me eventually.'
I know myself well enough to know that no matter how long I dodge it, it's something that'll happen in the end.
If I've already stepped this far in. I know it's something I'll have to face sooner or later.
'...Still, this is a bit much.'
There are limits to everything.
We've only known each other for 2 days. Getting any more entangled this fast is a bit too soon.
I need to find a compromise where she doesn't get hurt and my own safety isn't put at risk either.
I'll meet her demands—but draw a certain 'line.'
"Not yet. Until you're fully recovered, I can't accept that body."
"…."
"I'll only take your heart for now."
"………."
Amelia's brow furrows ever so slightly.
"...Is my body... not to your liking?"
Well, it's not that I dislike it.
While wrapping Amelia's bandages, I did have quite the firsthand experience of her sensuous figure—more than enough to fill my field of vision.
But there's a reason I'm pushing her away, and it's a valid one.
"I'm someone who knows how to cherish what's mine."
"...Ah."
The reaction was... not quite as immediate as I'd expected.
Amelia's eyes flickered for a moment.
In a way entirely unlike her—someone who never openly displays her emotions—she looked visibly flustered.
For someone like her to react that strongly, it means she'd taken a shock severe enough to crack her composure.
"……?"
Hm...
Why?
Was there really something in what I just said that would shake her that much?
But before long, Amelia froze in place, as though she'd just realized something.
"Ah... I see."
"Hm?"
"...You meant that once I've fully recovered, you would take it."
"…?"
"Understood. I will do my utmost to offer everything to Master in the finest possible condition."
".........?"
It was a more solemn tone than ever.
I had no choice but to give a half-hearted reply.
She looked as though she'd steeled herself with some kind of firm resolve. ...Is this screwed?
///
In the night, when everyone lay asleep.
Amelia blinked as the breeze drifted in through the window.
She was exhausted, but sleep wouldn't come.
Out of habit, she slowly raised her hand and gently touched her cheek.
The warmth of his touch—awkward, yet gentle—still lingered there. Her expression shifted in a subtle, indescribable way.
He gives her Potions diligently every single day, for her sake.
Even when feeding her, he insists on doing it himself. The one who told her she had to finish every last bite.
The one who always encouraged her, saying she would surely recover.
And today... the one who said he would be on her side.
At some point, she had come to accept his kindness. What had once felt uncomfortable, like it had yesterday, gradually faded away, and in its place, a feeling of gratitude grew.
Only one thing.
'...Why did he help me?'
That was the one question that still hadn't been answered.
A knight, once her body breaks, is discarded.
Unless she were exceptional. A knight who would lose an arm couldn't even become a mercenary.
To assess the situation coldly as it stood then—her life as a Swordsman was entirely over. On top of that, she was someone of unclear origins, a fugitive.
And that wasn't all.
She had nowhere to return to.
She had been expelled from her family, and even the place she had fled to was hunting her down.
That was why the only thing she could do in the end was give up.
"..."
Before her—as she was nearly losing the will to live—a man appeared.
But the fact that she barely escaped with her life didn't mean she was happy.
Her heart was already broken.
'...If I get sold off, I'll become a slave.'
Because her body alone was enough to stir the emotions of men.
And knowing well just how wretched a life of slavery would be, she had resigned herself to it.
There would normally be no one who would step forward, spending a vast sum, just to treat her.
...There was already someone who had spent a great deal of money on her, but it would be shameless to ask for even more. And practically speaking, it was close to impossible.
She had intended to quietly accept the leash and take on that same suffering fate.
No—she had tried to.
"...?"
But the sensation of the leash she had held out to him never left her hand. He didn't seem to have any intention of putting it on her.
And then,
"...I'll be on your side."
Naturally, she kept her guard up against someone like that.
She was still young, yet she had already come to understand far too much of reality.
But remarkably, he looked her in the eyes and said it with conviction.
"Not only will I make sure that arm heals—I'll also treat you for the deep wounds that lie beyond it. As your one and only ally."
...Strange.
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't understand it.
From everything she had observed, he was absolutely not stupid.
Nobles, for the most part, lived by a simple creed—if it benefited them, it was just, and it was right.
But he was different.
Because what he truly wanted from her... was none other than herself.
"A price... what price must I pay...?"
"Just be on my side too. That way I'll be on yours. And if you ever break this agreement, you're free to leave my side at any time."
Being on each other's side... those were words she had never once allowed herself to think of in her entire life.
The more she heard it, the more her mind spun.
The thought that 'maybe this could be alright' kept surfacing again and again.
No.
No.
That was the decision Amelia made for herself.
She was a hopeless knight.
Even if her arm were healed... she had no idea how long rehabilitation would take.
There was no reason for anyone to spend a vast sum just to accommodate her.
He was going to deceive her and take advantage of her again.
'Surely... he'll come to his senses before long.'
He'd be no different from the other nobles.
He would change eventually. Amelia had no doubt about that whatsoever.
And yet... He was holding her by the shoulders, filling her with certainty.
"...."
She stared blankly at the hand resting on her shoulder.
She had never heard anyone ask her to be on their side.
And on top of that, he was a Young Master of high noble birth.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn't even dare to meet his gaze.
Yet he was looking Amelia directly in the eyes.
So why—why was this man treating her this way?
She didn't know the reason.
Because she had never once experienced anything like it.
Clearly, she was the one causing him harm, still falling short of his expectations. By that logic, he should hate her and resent her.
After going to all the trouble of saving her. A useless person.
Discarding someone useless like her was the rational thing to do.
His kindness was simply beyond her comprehension.
"...Even knowing that I'm being hunted by nobles...?"
"If my enemies become your enemies, I'm prepared to turn my back on my own family."
"...You're saying that with a single word from me, you'd stand against your own family...?"
"Yes."
...How many people in this world would genuinely say they'd turn their back on their family over a single word?
Amelia isn't lacking in wit—she's no fool.
She already knew he was feeling no small amount of pressure.
She knew he was doing all sorts of things in response to shifts in her expression.
She knew he was deliberately making an effort to fill her with certainty.
All of it. She knew all of it, in truth.
"...Why... are you doing this much... for me?"
"..."
And so, she asked the question.
She couldn't understand it.
The reason he was showing her this much kindness.
"? Because you're mine."
"...Ah."
His words, of all things, lingered in her ears.
Being on my side.
Words she had craved to the point of exhaustion, yet hearing them from another person—it was a first.
'No. It's surely all a misunderstanding... I absolutely won't open my heart.'
She wouldn't be fooled anymore.
Amelia had long since made up her mind not to trust anyone.
But even she—even someone like her—
Had both her shoulders taken hold of,
And at a distance where their lips might almost brush, hearing him speak—her heart opened.
"...My mind has changed. I will offer Master both my body and my heart, entirely."
".......What?"
Before long, she found herself reconsidering the meaning of 'because you're mine.'
She wanted to know just a little more. Without knowing why—she simply... felt that way.
When she came back to her senses, Amelia had found herself before the sleeping Meteor.
'.....My... ally.'
She watches him again. One would think she'd grow bored from staring so long, yet she kept her eyes fixed on Meteor without looking away even once.
Before long she returned to her spot and closed her eyes, but sleep refused to come.
.....No.
Truth be told, she was afraid to fall asleep.
Afraid that when she woke, she'd open her eyes back in that Knight Order.
Afraid the life of being hunted would continue.
-"Because you're mine."
Whenever that happened, the words he had spoken filled her mind completely.
And yet, strangely, sleep wouldn't come tonight.
After tossing and turning for a while, Amelia finally got up from the bed once more.
Carefully, carefully—stepping one foot at a time, afraid of being caught. Then standing over the soundly sleeping Meteor, looking down at him for a long while.
'...His hand.'
The moment she spotted his right hand sprawled out, she bent at the waist and knees as if entranced. With her creaking arm, she somehow managed to lie down beside him.
Pressing herself up close like that, just barely short of touching—she hesitated for a brief moment.
Once my body's healed... I can offer it to Master.
Amelia found herself suddenly wondering how long it had been since someone's mere presence made her smile.
And then—the hand she placed upon her own shoulder too.
Amelia closed her eyes and gently pressed her nose into his palm.
Sniff—
She inhaled softly, making a faint sound, and caught a scent. The scent of this man's palm.
...Hah, mmph... sniiff... hah,... mmph....
Once she started, she went on a 2nd time, a 3rd time, again and again.
She knew she shouldn't be doing this. But she couldn't stop.
'...This feels so good.'
But here... she had to hold herself back.
She thought this while barely managing to suppress her increasingly bold urges.
'.......Somehow, I have to heal quickly.'
Once my body's healed...
He said he would accept it.
///
That morning.
[ <<Target: Amelia>>'s expectations have risen! ]
For the love of—
Why does it keep going up.