Chapter 28. A Good Gift
Chapter 28. A Good Gift
Three days had passed since Berdia and Serika departed, and Ymir, just as she had when she first arrived in this city, immersed herself solely in her research.
Research that was going absolutely nowhere, despite countless attempts.
'Damn Church bastards. If they were going to purge them, the least they could have done was leave behind a few texts or a corpse or two.'
The wielder and the weapon were, by long-established principle, separate matters.
Assigning meaning to something that was merely an object was considered academically obtuse, yet those who followed religion invariably thought in the exact opposite way.
Anything branded as evil was to be thoroughly eradicated, they had decreed.
As a result, under their fervent hunts, every trace of witches within the Human Territory had been scoured into nothingness, and consequently, Ymir's research was forced to proceed through theory alone, devoid of any material for experimentation.
Research based on a process of elimination—establish a hypothesis from nothing, and upon failure, form a new one that excludes the previous...
"Ymir. Would you like something to eat?"
Oblivious—or perhaps not—to the fatigue this caused her, the man addressed her in his usual familiarly friendly tone.
By now it had become a daily routine: his approach, and the words she would utter in response were just as constant.
"...I'm not eating."
"Ah, is it because it's hard to eat while researching? Just in case, I brought sandwiches this time."
"I said I'm not eating, because eating makes me sleepy."
What greater annoyance was there for a scholar than postprandial somnolence?
That was why she preferred nutritional supplements that provided high calories in small doses, or things like jelly that could be swallowed without chewing and caused no digestive issues.
And yet, look at the meals this man always brought. Bread, vegetables, even meat—a well-rounded spread. Wasn't this the perfect diet for anyone to feel an overwhelming fullness and succumb to drowsiness?
"Perhaps you're getting sleepy because your sleep hours are so meager, Ymir? You've been up for two nights straight already, so perhaps a brief nap..."
"Heh, anyone listening would take you for my mother, trying to control the sleep schedule of a woman well past her suckling days."
The last time anyone had interfered with her sleep schedule was in her academy days, from the dormitory matron. Why on earth should she, a recipient of the Grand Archmage title, have to take advice from some novice adventurer?
"Control... I didn't mean it like that..."
"Whatever. Just go do your own work. I'm not going to drop dead just because you're not fussing over me."
With that curt dismissal, Ymir turned back to her desk and resumed her concentration.
Watching her silently for a moment, Dave reluctantly began gathering up the scattered piles of paper nearby.
"Alright then, I'll tidy up the room a bit."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Ymir answered sarcastically and unfolded her book to read, but only for a moment. The lingering unpleasantness in the corner of her mind disrupted her focus, drawing her attention to the man rustling about behind her.
The man who had taken the initiative to do work she hadn't even asked for.
"...Hey, errand boy."
"Yes, what is it, Ymir?"
There, look at him. She'd called him a derogatory name, and there he was, grinning like an idiot again.
Put nicely, it was kindness. Put badly, it was being a pushover. And Ymir was someone who viewed the world negatively.
"You aren't being blackmailed by that little brat, are you?"
"L-Little... are you referring to Serika?"
"Yeah, I heard that little brat brought you into this party. What, does she have something on you? Dirt she's holding over your head so you're volunteering for slave labor or something?"
"Ah, no. It's nothing like that."
Was he genuinely flustered by her words?
Dave denied it, his voice even trembling, but Ymir couldn't bring herself to see it as pure sincerity.
No matter how many different kinds of people existed in the world, someone voluntarily serving a standoffish person like her without taking a single coin was truly absurd.
"It's just... this kind of work is all I'm capable of. I think I have to work hard at even things like this for the sake of my fellow party members..."
"...Party members?"
"Yes. Serika, of course, but also people like Berdia and you, Ymir—you're all on a completely different level than me, beyond comparison. I think it's only natural for me to accomplish even these meager tasks for people who can do things I cannot."
Was it low self-esteem, or desperation?
At that voice, timid yet laced with earnestness, Ymir pushed up her glasses and spoke crossly.
"Heh, so what is it then? In short, you're trying to cling to this party—which has amazing people like myself or those women—so you can suck a bit of honey off us? Is that your reason for waiting on me hand and foot?"
She didn't care if it was obnoxious sarcasm.
Even if it was an act of insulting someone's sincerity, if it made the man who bothered her back off, then that was enough.
"It wouldn't matter if it wasn't this party."
But even at that attitude, Dave showed no particular sign of aversion and answered seriously.
"...Wouldn't matter?"
"I'm someone with nowhere proper to go back to, anyway. If I had to say, this is the first place I've ever settled down, so my desire to stay here is just... strongly desperate, I suppose."
"...."
"...Ahaha, so I'm not sure if it'll go well, but I guess I can't outright deny that I'm making an effort to stay here."
Faced with her silence, Dave laughed ambiguously and scratched the back of his head.
Then, he turned a cautious gaze toward Ymir and asked.
"Do you think... offering help with these kinds of feelings is too selfish?"
At his question, laced with anxiety, Ymir's brow furrowed slightly.
She was the one who had sneered first, so why was he more worried about crossing her?
"...That's a rather belated thing to say."
Still an annoying bastard.
Not in terms of species, but as a person. For Ymir, who had lived keeping her distance from humanity itself, this was the first time she had ever viewed someone so strongly as an 'annoying human.'
"People are all inherently selfish to begin with, so why let that bother you? As long as you don't annoy me, I couldn't care less whether you stay or go. Try living a little more shamelessly."
"...Ahaha, you really practice what you preach, don't you, Ymir?"
"Yeah, thanks for the compliment."
A scholar, by long-established principle, had to possess a certain degree of shamelessness.
In that sense, what Dave had said could, strictly speaking, be called a compliment, but Ymir, mulling over the conversation they'd just had, couldn't help but feel a lingering discomfort deep inside.
'Does this guy really have nowhere else to go outside of this party?'
Of course, adventurers were a breed that drifted from one party to another, but precisely because of that, it was difficult for them to feel genuine camaraderie with their fellow members.
Given that, if a guy who had grown attached to his very first party was kicked out and went to another one, would he even be able to adapt properly?
'If that kind of attachment sparked a spirit of service... perhaps there might be a connection to the witch.'
The Walpurgis crest.
When Dave saw that crest, he had stared at it for a long, long time. She hadn't sensed any particular emotion from him, but if he had stared at it for such an extended period, there was no way it hadn't caught her notice.
Especially since the topic itself related to witches.
"Hey, if you're done cleaning, come over here for a moment."
Of course, she had no intention of directly consulting him about it.
It would have been ridiculous for her, who had been grumbling all this time, to start showing interest in his personal life now.
"Ah, yes! You need a meal, right?"
"No, I told you, I'm not eating."
But if they had a common interest, she could use that as leverage. Soon, Ymir smiled wryly and spoke bluntly to Dave.
"You said you'd help me, so instead of this housekeeping nonsense here, why don't you go find me something that actually aids my research?"
"By research, do you mean something related to witches?"
"That's right. As it happens, I know absolutely nothing about this city, and I have no intention of getting to know it in the future either, you see? So, since you're more knowledgeable about this city, I'd like you to investigate on my behalf whether there's any information on witches here."
It wouldn't be a bad deal for him either.
If he wanted to stay in this party, he'd want her to be cooperative, and the only time she truly cooperated was when there was some progress in her research.
Of course, it was research she had poured most of her life into even after being recognized as a formal mage. It wouldn't be easy for a novice to find information that would help it, but if he just accepted, he'd stop hovering annoyingly around her.
Above all, he could also use 'information gathering' as an excuse to weasel out of menial chores and slack off, so wasn't it a win-win for both of them?
"Is... is that really okay? Even if I don't directly help with anything..."
"Heh, you said you'd help me, so why is your tongue so tied now? Or is it that you feel weird because I'm ordering you around without giving anything back?"
"Huh? No, compensation or whatever isn't necessary..."
"Alright, I'm in a good mood. If you bring me some reasonably decent information, I'll give you a good gift."
Uncharacteristically, Ymir grinned and lifted her breasts with both arms. It was a posture meant to express a measure of trust and confidence, but the moment Dave saw it, his expression instantly stiffened.
"A-A good gift...? What kind of..."
"An item a guy like you couldn't even dream of in a lifetime."
I'll just give him a few artifacts or magic tomes I made as practice exercises. That should suffice.
They were trivial to someone like her, but even those were said to sell for quite a high price among adventurers. He could use them directly or convert them to money—wasn't that a good deal for him no matter what?
"...Uh, Ymir."
Right. That was all she had in mind when she brought it up.
"I don't think it's very good for you to talk about something like that so blatantly."
"...What?"
"A-Anyway, forget the compensation! I'll just go gather that information as you asked!!"
Acting as if further conversation was too awkward to bear, Dave made a fuss and fled.
Staring blankly at the space he'd vacated, Ymir looked dazed for a moment before slowly glancing down at her own chest.
"Ah, don't tell me he misunderstood this?"
Her shoulders were just heavy, so she'd propped them up with her arms. To think he'd assume that a 'good reward' from a Grand Archmage would be limited to simply touching her chest.
"Well. If he brings me information, what can't I give him? I'll just let him touch them a few times, whatever."
A snicker escaped Ymir, and she began leafing through her documents again, pen in hand.
Setting her mind straight—somehow feeling a little lighter than before.
***
And, that night.
"Slurp. Slurrrp."
After the guild receptionist clocked out, I followed her to her home, stripped her clothes off, and stuck my cock in her mouth.
It happened naturally, without the slightest hesitation.
A clerical worker, whose duty inevitably required her to interact with people in a friendly manner, had been far from difficult to dominate.
"Heuup... Haaah~♥"
"Hey, shit. I told you to suck it, not chew it. Can't you do it right?"
"I-I'm sorry. I'm not used to this... Hneup!"
And once there was no room for anyone else to interfere, the game was already over.
Once I got her to her own home, she couldn't put up any real resistance even if I openly rammed my glans into her throat like this.
"You, I see a ring on your ring finger, so you must have a lover... Don't tell me you've never done even this with your lover?"
"Y-Yes. That's correct, but... Hnup!"
Of course, even if I wielded absolute domination over an individual, talent and aptitude were a separate matter.
"Hn, ngh! Ngh, nghh, nggh!"
She was trying hard to suck, her head caught in my hand, but her oral technique was awkward in more ways than one.
That was a psychological thrill in itself, but what I wanted wasn't a quick release and done—I wanted to use the woman in front of me like a puppet. If she didn't improve, I'd only grow more impatient.
"...Haah, she's really fucking terrible at sucking."
A woman I'd finally decided to use as an informant, and she only had one prior partner—and even that was a sexless long-distance relationship.
If I wanted to use her without hypnosis like Serika, a handful of fucks wasn't going to be nearly enough.