Chapter 33. The Saint Getting NTR'd...?
Chapter 33. The Saint Getting NTR'd...?
We headed to a nearby barbecue place.
Pajijik's headquarters was in a district packed with other companies, so there were plenty of great restaurants nearby.
The problem was...
'All the other streamers came to the same area...!'
The place was so full of streamers it almost felt like Pajijik had rented out the whole restaurant.
Naturally, Nudungji, who knew everyone at Pajijik, made the rounds from table to table to say hello.
And she dragged me and Laila along with her...
"Wow... Hero, I've seen you a few times through video donations, but... you're even bigger in person!?"
"At first I thought you were Saintess's bodyguard!"
"I've never dined in the same restaurant as an S-rank Hunter before... this is a first!"
Maybe because they were all streamers, they had no hesitation striking up a conversation.
Laila, perhaps used to it from her days as a Saintess, chatted smoothly with the others.
This was the karmic payback for always using the Saintess as a front to handle public affairs.
"Haha, I get that a lot because of how big I am..."
After finishing the greeting rounds, we returned to our table and started eating.
We'd met these people before and spent some time with them, so the conversation flowed naturally.
"Honestly, I never thought Hero would actually come."
"Really?"
"Well, you're not an ordinary streamer. Aren't you an S-rank Hunter, after all?"
"I'm still a C-rank Hunter."
At Nudungji's words, the others chimed in as well.
Somehow, talking to these people unconsciously put me at ease.
It almost felt like I was talking to Laila?
"No one's going to think of Hero as C-rank, you know?"
"Exactly! I saw that suplex clip!"
"Hehe... I wish Hero were my boyfriend..."
"Cough! Cough!"
"Laila, you okay?"
I handed a glass of water to Laila, who had suddenly started coughing.
She always ate so composedly; I'd never seen her cough before.
That just went to show how delicious the meat was.
"Pfft... Ihyeon, you shouldn't make jokes like that when you're a married woman!"
Nudungji said, looking at Geum Ihyeon.
Wait, was she a married woman?
I felt like I'd heard about her marriage before...
"Just think of it as a spicy joke from your neighborhood married big sis~"
"And you even have a kid..."
The fact that she had a kid was news to me.
Geum Ihyeon sat next to Laila, gently patting her shoulder and whispering.
"Laila, if you don't make a move fast, you might lose him, you know?"
"Eep...!"
"Me, I just went and swept my husband right off his feet~"
Whatever Geum Ihyeon said, it made Laila's face turn bright red.
They kept urging us to speak casually, and we all got to know each other more personally.
After we'd had a few drinks, Nudungji suggested we start streaming.
Everyone at this table did cam streaming, so it was fine.
We just had to be careful not to let the other tables show up on camera.
[hihi been waiting]
[Hero isn't a streamer, he's here as a bodyguard lmaooo?]
[Look at him go all polite again lololol loser]
[Dude looks like he could beat up a dozen people but acts like the gentlest guy in the world wtf]
Fairly spicy chat messages and several donations rolled in.
Judging by the nicknames and the language, they were unmistakably my viewers.
"Erm... I'm sorry. My viewers are an embarrassment no matter where I take them."
[We're an embarrassment???]
[Are you ashamed of us?]
[Sigh... we worked our asses off raising this small-time streamer and he dares?]
"Hahaha!! Your viewers are hilarious. As long as they don't cross the line, it's fine~"
"If they annoy you, just ban them without mercy."
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper has donated 100,000 Watts! ]
- You bastards, the mighty Emperor God S-rank Hunter Hero is right here, why aren't you pouring him a drink?
The restaurant was a little noisy. That was exactly why turning the donation sound up had backfired.
The massive donation notification rang out, and a hush fell over the restaurant as everyone turned to stare at us.
"Nudungji, excuse me for a second."
I grabbed my phone and shoved my face toward the camera.
[wtf look at him filling up the screen lol]
[Face looks terrifying]
Tap tap...
"Hey."
[ Saintess's Foot Wiper : ... ]
"You really wanna die? Should I pay a visit to your house?"
When they saw me threatening a viewer with murderous intent, laughter burst out from the other streamers.
To them, this kind of fight between a streamer and their viewers was just familiar WWE.
"Alright, alright, it looks like everyone's about finished eating. Shall we head back in?"
We got up one by one and headed back to the Pajijik headquarters.
But unlike before, a massive crowd had gathered.
"Whoa, there are so many people."
"It's normally crowded at this hour. But I think even more people came because of you, Hero."
"?"
"It's not every day you get to see an S-rank Hunter."
Once again, we entered while a parade of handshakes continued.
[His fingerprints are gonna rub off lololol]
[Funny how all the girls go to Saintess but the guys all go to him tho]
[If she's that pretty, you can't just walk up to her lol]
[What about Hero then?]
[Look at his face, idiot. Would you dare approach him out of fear?]
'...'
When we got inside, there were even more people than what we had seen outside.
They were wandering around, enjoying the performances, food, and drinks Pajijik had prepared.
"Oh! Over there are S-rank Hunter Hero and Saintess!"
The host who was leading the party from the stage pointed right at me.
At his sudden announcement, all eyes in the room turned toward me and Laila.
Please, just don't single me out at a place like this...
"Haha, pleased to meet you."
"A lot of people here would like to get a look at Hero's artifact. If it's not too forward, would that be alright?"
The stream was currently being broadcast from the official Pajijik account.
I didn't think much of the host's request.
But was it really okay for a Hunter to pull out an artifact in a place full of civilians like this?
'Well, if it's a problem, they'll stop me.'
I fiddled with my earring and pulled out my 'Holy Sword'.
Because there were so many people, I carefully placed it on the floor.
"Ooh... So that's Hero's Holy Sword! Although it's not exactly a sword."
[WTF LOLOLOL Holy Sword]
[Is that really a Holy Sword?]
The host excitedly came down from the stage to get a closer look.
"May I touch it?"
I nodded and set it on the floor. I also told him he was welcome to try lifting it.
The host put his mic down for a moment and tried to lift my Holy Sword.
'Even Max said it was heavy, so...'
My artifact wasn't one of those weapons that could only be held by someone pure of heart or anything like that.
It was just absurdly, ridiculously heavy.
It was a weapon meant to be swung like a club while enduring that insane weight.
"Nnnnghhh...!!! Wow... this thing is seriously heavy, huh?"
The host, clearly not wanting to miss this fun bit of showmanship, grabbed his mic again.
"Did you all see the prizes we prepared earlier? To whoever can lift this, we'll be giving away the brand-new graphics card and monitor we just released!!!"
At his declaration, people began to gather around.
And I, in turn, tried to carry the artifact up onto the stage and set it down on the floor again.
"Ah! Hero, not there, could you place it over here instead?"
"The table will collapse."
"Gasp... Is it that heavy?"
In the end, several fitness streamers, sports streamers, and others gave it a try, but nobody could lift it.
And so, the graphics card ended up being my prize.
"You're already incredibly wealthy; what do you plan to do with this graphics card?"
"Hmm... I'll pick one of my subscribers and do a giveaway event later."
"Oh!!!"
[Big Hero]
[How much is that thing anyway?]
[About 400 to 500 range]
[Giving that away as an event prize, truly Big Hero...]
After the light event ended, we headed to the relatively quiet bar.
There, besides the people we'd seen earlier, others were also mingling in conversation.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Myohan!"
"Hello~ I'm Lucia!"
"Ah, nice to meet you..."
We drank with them, communicated with our viewers, and shared personal conversations.
— Squish...
"Laila?"
Laila's face had turned slightly red.
'Was she drunk?'
Even if you drink, you could just burn off the alcohol with magic.
Perhaps because she wanted to enjoy the atmosphere, Laila was maintaining her tipsy state.
Naturally, the streamers didn't miss the chance for a broadcastable moment that could become dark history(?).
"What's going on with you two~"
"Oh my, Laila, what is this~"
"Hero, look, your face is getting red!!!"
"Ahem... The alcohol is just getting to me."
'Ah, seriously, what's with me lately...?'
They continued to tease us.
Then, a streamer with a sexy concept named Lucia subtly approached.
"Hmm... Hero, you're built really solid."
"Wh-What!?"
"Doesn't he seem like top-tier boyfriend material?"
To my surprise, the chat began to cheer.
This streamer was known for riling up her viewers' thirst like this, after all.
I figured this was WWE as well.
[Saintess, now's not the time to be drunk lmaooo]
[Ohhh? Saintess is getting NTR'd lol]
[The Hero Saintess getting NTR'd is an ancient unwritten rule lol]
[Ptui, not the damn Hitomi-style rule]
— Crrrrack...!
Laila, who had been hanging her head low, tightened her fist.
The fork she was holding crumpled instantly.
"Hero is mine... I'm not giving him to anyone..."
Laila's face was flushed, and her pupils were already completely dilated.
With a drowsy, entranced expression, Laila reached out and grabbed me by the collar.
"L-Laila...?"