Chapter 185 - Word of the Spirits
Screeech...
"...Hm."
Judging by the slowing carriage, we'd arrived at our destination.
"You lot, stay put here..."
I was about to give the order to the animal companions perched by the window when—
Thud thud!!
They all came charging at me at once.
"...Sigh."
Just like that, I ended up with an owl on my right shoulder, a pigeon on my left, a canary in my arms, and a cat doll stuffed in my pocket.
"All of you..."
I furrowed my brow, trying to command them, but by then, they'd all vanished.
"...What the?"
Baffled, I gave the cat doll peeking out of my pocket a light flick on the forehead before stepping out of the now-stopped carriage.
"...Lulu, you okay?"
"Y-Yes, I'm fine. No problems at all."
Lulu, who was following me out, beamed brightly in response.
Her reaction seemed normal, and there were no visible issues with her body, but she'd had a violent reaction inside the carriage just moments ago.
"Hold on."
Tilting my head, I cautiously reached out toward her body.
Swish...
Slipping my hand under her clothes, I glanced at her reaction.
".....?"
She should've been annoyed by the sudden intrusion, but she just tilted her head in confusion.
"Hm."
A bit flustered—partly because I wanted her to see me as a villain—I dispelled the inspection spell I'd cast on her and muttered quietly.
"Just a slight fever, nothing else seems off... Hm?"
Then I felt a chill and looked around.
""...........""
The passersby were all glaring at me coldly.
"Hah."
I knew my reputation was in the gutter, but feeling it firsthand really drove it home.
They probably thought Lulu was so desensitized to minor groping from all the abuse I'd inflicted that she didn't even react—like some sex slave.
"Grrr..."
Worried she'd be scared by their reactions, I glanced at her, but far from frightened, she was clinging tightly to my arm and glaring ferociously at the crowd.
She looked like a fierce hunting dog, which made me chuckle softly. Then, in a low voice, I said,
"...Why are you glaring like that?"
"Ah, th-that's..."
She looked flustered for a moment before murmuring timidly,
"I-I was threatening them. They're all Master's enemies..."
From that, it seemed her judgment of good and evil had been replaced by me as the standard.
"...Good girl."
Staring blankly at Lulu baring her teeth and growling, I started toward the building. She asked in a quiet voice,
"...So, where is this place?"
Looking back at her, I replied in a lowered voice,
"The place I'll come to whenever I need to do dirty work from now on."
"I see."
She nodded calmly and followed me to the entrance.
Screeech...
Entering the building with her, my eyes landed on:
"Ah, h-hello. This place is..."
A first-year scenario's final boss—and the overall scenario's mid-boss—frozen upon spotting me while greeting awkwardly in imperial tongue, apron on and stationed at the counter.
"...U-ugh."
Miho was coming inside.
"Wh-what? That damn noble? Why the hell are you here?!"
After staring blankly at me for a while, Miho began trembling and shouting.
"......."
I watched her silently.
"Frey!"
A terribly familiar voice came from behind her, and I turned.
"Ah, h-hello..."
There stood Serena, her makeup ridiculously overdone, looking shy as she gazed at me.
"......Ugh?"
But then she spotted Lulu beside me, her mouth dropping open.
"Ah..."
Her face crumpled into a pout.
"...Hm?"
Pitying her a little, I noticed Miho in front of me acting suspicious and slipped my hand into my pocket for the Stone of Domination.
"Y-You bastard!!"
The moment Miho lunged at me:
"M-Master!"
Several things happened at once.
"Eek...!"
Lulu squeezed her eyes shut and hugged me tight.
"".........""
The animals, who had vanished earlier, reappeared on my shoulders and in my arms, silently channeling magic through their bodies.
"Miho, stop!"
And Serena shot out like a bullet, grabbing Miho.
All in mere seconds.
"...Move."
In the chaos, I issued a cold command to everyone.
"All of you, move."
Raising my voice further, Serena released Miho, Lulu let go of me, and the animals peeled away.
"Hm."
With the space around me clear, I approached Miho, who was frozen under the Stone of Domination's influence, and murmured with a chilling smile,
"...Long time no see?"
"Eek, eeeek."
Terror spread across her face—likely recalling the slave market.
"G-Get away, human. Don't come closer."
"So, what were you just trying to do?"
"Eeeek..."
Gently gripping her throat, I whispered in her ear,
"...You thought you could escape?"
"......!"
"There's already a warrant out for you across the empire. Step foot outside, and you'll be arrested on the spot."
"Ugh, u..."
"So forget escaping and wait obediently here."
Grabbing her chin as she clenched her fists and whimpered, I finished,
"...I'll come get you when I feel like it."
Then I shoved her forward.
"Urk..."
She fell on her butt, trembling violently.
"......."
Gazing at her, I stared into space, lost in thought.
So why the hell is she a sub-heroine?
She's just a 'mid-boss,' not some heroine.
If you save her in the 'Slave Market' quest, she becomes an NPC for the new 'Information Guild,' boosting its efficiency. That's it.
Of course, not entirely. Her abilities are incredibly useful.
In Blacktail Fantasy, excluding the 'Hero's Power,' she's the only one who handles 'vitality.' She might be the key to fixing my vitality deficiency.
The game had restrictions, but here in reality, I can experiment freely.
The vitality-boosting effect on my staff right now? Serena and Irina tested and applied her abilities.
But.
Helpful NPC and potential key to my vitality issue—that's all she was supposed to be.
So how do I interpret her becoming a 'sub-heroine'?
The Demon God's whims mean I can't trust the system blindly, but it seems unaware of the Affection System.
Does that mean something else controls the Affection System?
"...Tch."
Pondering deeper made my head ache, so I dismissed the window.
...Whatever. Stick to the original plan.
Her being a sub-heroine doesn't mean I'll pursue her. I'm trying to save the world, not play romance games.
Treat her as guild NPC and key, as planned.
Crackle...
"...Hm?"
As I moved, the system glitched.
".....!"
The change:
"...Oh ho."
Now I understood how it worked.
My decisions automatically alter the pursuit route status?
New questions arose:
What penalties for halting or closing a route? Or benefits for pursuing?
Is my judgment the only factor? Can external factors change it?
What's the difference between halted and closed? Can I reopen?
Chewing on them, I frowned inwardly.
"Hm..."
Intriguing, but not the time. Priorities first.
Remember: I'm the one who decides pursuit status.
"Serena."
"Y-Yes!"
Deciding to explore the Affection System later, I called to the still-rigid Serena.
"Let's talk alone for a bit."
"Ah, yes! Got it! Th-then..."
She started flustering, sweat beading.
...Cute.
Night Serena feels like an omniscient sage or mastermind. Day Serena? Adorably helpless.
Even geniuses can't escape lovesick teen vibes, huh?
"Ah, right. Yeah. It was here."
"......."
"F-Follow me."
Snapping from my thoughts, the cowed Serena led me underground.
"You lot stay here. No fighting—get along."
I told the animals behind us.
"What is this place?"
"Uh, w-well, this is..."
Looking around the basement space Serena had set up for the future Information Guild, I asked. She stammered.
"Uh, um... A meeting room."
"Tch."
She squirmed under my skeptical gaze.
"Fr-Frey..."
After a while, she approached cautiously.
Swish, rub...
"Um, let's talk. Okay?"
Squeezing into my seat, she rubbed against my outer clothes carefully—as if erasing Lulu's scent from clinging to my side earlier.
"...Get off."
Nearly losing it, I summoned superhuman restraint and—
Lick.
Serena licked me.
"You don't have to treat me like a fiancée."
Stunned by the sudden move, she burrowed into my arms, pleading desperately.
"Pet's fine. Maid or slave works too. Treat me however—just keep me by your side, please?"
"Serena."
"Do you know how long it's been since I saw you like this? Please, please... I'm going crazy just looking at you..."
Trembling as she spoke, she buried her flushed face and whispered,
"...I've loved you forever, Frey."
""........""
Silence fell.
"...Can't hold back."
I'd seen through her intentions since entering but held out. Now, I stood abruptly and strode to the switches.
"Fr-Frey?"
Click!
I flipped them all down.
Beep, beep, beep!
Then punched the keypad below without hesitation.
Hummm...
Complex hieroglyphs floated briefly.
"....."
Then total darkness.
"Serena."
"...Frey."
Of course, post-memory-recovery, she sat demurely, gazing shyly.
"You noticed quick. This is my perfect darkness generator to evade the Demon God's eyes. But the password—how did you..."
"You always use my birthday."
Cutting her rapid-fire chatter, I whispered lowly,
"...You idiot."
Smiling, I pulled her close.
Smooch...!
The kiss started mutually.
"Mm..."
"......"
Devotedly exploring my tongue, Serena slipped her hand under my clothes.
Swish...
Moments later.
"...Ow."
Her bare chest pressed against me.
Thump, thump...
Skin to skin, sharing heartbeats.
"...Gulp."
As her hand trailed lower, I swallowed tensely.
""........""
Long silence.
Rustle, rustle.
In pitch black, relying on faint sounds, I felt her straddle me and closed my eyes.
"...Agh!!"
"Serena?"
She screamed in pain. Panicking, I sat up.
"Wh-what's wrong?"
"Ah... Ahh...!"
"...Damn."
Groping her bare skin, I realized the issue.
"The curse...?"
"S-Sorry... Sorry."
Asking gently, she replied sullenly.
"Took painkillers and analgesic spells to endure... but couldn't... Urgh...!"
As she winced again, I pulled away frantically, fumbling into my clothes.
"Didn't we catch the secret instigator?"
"W-We did, but... researching the Subjugation Curse revealed issues..."
"Issues?"
"Old texts show... killing the caster lifts commands, but the curse lingers..."
"...Damn."
I sighed shortly.
"S-So... I tried enduring... S-sorry..."
"...Serena."
Gently grasping her trembling shoulders,
"We'll find a way together. There has to be one."
"Uh, ugh."
"That one coincidence? Find it. It's possible, so just a bit more..."
Soothing her softly, but:
"M-Must find it before break ends."
"Huh?"
Sniffling quietly, she dropped the bomb. I tilted my head.
"Before break ends... S-solution..."
"Hm."
Hearing her shaky voice,
"So we can... make love..."
Her desperate plea hit.
"Got it. Then hang in there."
"Huh?"
I smiled brightly.
"...I want to do it with you soon too, Serena."
""..........""
Long silence.
In the dark, I vaguely saw her stiffen at my words.
"...♡"
Trembling-eyed, she gripped my hand, whispering huskily,
"Love... I love you... Love you, Frey..."
"...Uh, yeah."
Serena's switch had fully flipped.
Reminded me of that Serena from the third trial.
"No holds barred... Definitely... Hehe..."
"Sh-should we head out?"
"...Yes."
Feeling I'd be devoured differently if we stayed, I hurried to the switches with her.
"Gotta be harsh to you during the day. Really sorry..."
"...♡"
Stroking her head as she buried her face in my clothes, panting,
Click!
I flipped them all up.
Hummm...
Light returned.
"...Ugh?"
Her memories readjusted to the moment.
"No more business with you."
"Ugh..."
She pouted, head down at my icy words.
Step, step...
Leaving her, stroking my flushed face, I climbed the stairs.
".....Huh?"
Sensing an odd vibe, I paused.
"What?"
Dismissing it, I grabbed the first-floor door handle and turned.
"Nooooooo!!!"
".....!?"
Serena, clothes disheveled, pale as a ghost, charged from behind.
"Roooaaarrr!!!"
Crack!!
Something happened.
"Whoa!!"
Serena tackled me full-force; we tumbled to the floor.
"Grrr..."
".....!?"
Miho had shattered the steel door in one blow.
I stared in shock.
"Wh-what? What the hell?!"
"Be-Berserk...?"
She'd transformed into the first-year final boss: 'Monsterized Spirit Beast.'
"Hate... Hate humans... Hate nobles..."
"Tch."
In the chaos, I reached for the Stone of Domination—
"...Damn."
My pants were torn; the stone had flown off with the seam, shattered.
"This is insane."
"I-I'll handle her. You go underground..."
"Hoo..."
In the dire crisis, I closed my eyes, infusing my staff and waist sword with mana.
Crackle... Crackle...
The animals, exhausting their forming mana to restrain Miho, even summoned self-destruct arrays in the air.
"Stop."
But it ended simply.
"Guh...!"
Miho, struggling against the spirits, froze.
"Sit."
My terrifying voice echoed through the guild.
"Hiiing..."
Legs shaking, tail down, Miho collapsed to the floor.
""..........""
Silence fell.
"........"
Meanwhile, Lulu—the culprit—
".....Huh?"
Glared coldly at Miho, then snapped to, tilting her head dumbly.
Crackle...
Her demon eyes blazed.
"M-Master? What's going on...?"
Deeper ruby than anyone's.