Bellatrix Is Smiling
Bellatrix Is Smiling
A week had passed since we left the port city.
The month had turned mid-journey, and by the time November arrived, we'd made it back to Yoen-su.
"Everyone, you've worked hard. The escort quest is now complete. Please see your assigned receptionist to collect your pay. Oh, and don't forget about our dinner engagement tonight."
We arrived at the Adventurer's Guild in the late afternoon, where Bellatrix dismissed me and my lovers.
I, who'd been little better than a bound house elf throughout the month-long escort, was finally a free man.
The air I breathed in at that moment felt impossibly clear.
"Hrrrrgh! Freedom!"
I stretched my arms wide, basking in the liberation.
The atmosphere inside the carriage on the way back to Yoen-su had been so charged it was hard to endure.
That was because my lovers were locked in a constant war of nerves with Bellatrix, who was glued to the seat right next to me.
Mainly, it was about whether a fiancé bearing the surname "Von" actually existed.
"I'm telling you, there's no way a fiancé with the surname 'Von' exists in this world!"
"No, I'm telling you, he's real!"
Rebecca and Kate took turns interrogating Bellatrix like a tag-team wrestling match.
But Bellatrix insisted, come what may, that the fiancé was real.
Honestly, I don't know if it's the truth or a lie, but I have to give Bellatrix credit for sheer grit.
After all, she withstood the interrogation for a whole week.
Perhaps it was because she'd stubbornly stuck by my side, steadying her heart.
Bellatrix no longer felt anxiety even when I was out of sight.
"Sis Bellatrix. You're okay now even if I'm not next to you, right? The anxiety has vanished?"
"Yes. It's all better now, thanks to you, Luke. Thank you for looking out for me."
Once I heard she was fine being apart, I headed alone to the reception desk to make my report as the party leader.
"It's been a while, Wendy!"
Wendy was busy working at the guild's reception desk.
When I spoke, she waved back cheerfully.
"You're finally back! I got word earlier that the Vice Guild Master and the adventurers who took the escort quest had returned. It's so good to see your face again after so long, Luke."
"I'm so glad to see you I could cry. Sniff!"
The moment I saw Wendy, I finally felt like I'd come home.
The sight of her pale, generous rack peeking out from her receptionist uniform made my heart ache with fierce emotion.
Over the past month, I'd missed Wendy sitting here at the counter from time to time.
She's a woman who serves as a mental pillar in this otherworld full of terrible threats.
'Sure enough, seeing Wendy's rack is what keeps me from ever quitting adventurer work.'
Wendy's maternal rack hadn't changed one bit from a month ago.
The kind of rack that made me want to dive headfirst into her cleavage just from looking at it.
I gazed at her breasts with a satisfied gaze, then addressed her.
"I'm here to collect the reward for completing the escort quest."
"The reward's already prepared. Here, this includes the shares for your party members. Please distribute it accordingly, Luke."
Wendy placed three coin pouches onto the reception desk.
Pouches stuffed full of silver coins.
As befitted a long-term quest that spanned an entire month, the pay included a bonus on top of the originally agreed sum.
A total of 50 silver per person.
If you spent this money only on living expenses, you could live comfortably for several months.
Of course, I'd have to buy equipment and magic books, so expenses would crop up. Still, nothing made me happier than coin in hand.
"Congratulations on completing the quest! Since this was the Vice Guild Master's escort quest, your achievement points should be substantial. At this rate, you'll likely be issued a Gold Tier promotion quest sometime next year, Luke."
"Gold Tier? You mean the time's already come for me to wear a gold badge?"
"The Vice Guild Master has a great deal of trust in you, Luke. You're the only decent mage the guild has. The rest have talent, but they're all so eccentric that they're impossible to assign work to."
Once you promote to Gold Tier, you receive a pension even if you retire from adventurer life.
Hearing that I could wear a gold badge by next year was genuinely good news. I wanted to draw a steady pension and spend my twilight years in comfort.
Jingle—.
I was stuffing the coin pouches into my backpack when it happened.
Wendy abruptly leaned forward over the reception desk to speak to me.
"Luke. I hear you're having dinner with the Vice Guild Master tonight?"
For some reason, Wendy was fully clued-in on my upcoming schedule.
I wondered if she'd picked up mind-reading while I was away, but thankfully that wasn't the case.
I'd just thought about groping her rack, but Wendy had zero reaction.
If she'd learned mind-reading, she'd have slapped me across the face by now.
"I was contacted by Hannah about the Vice Guild Master's schedule. She said the Vice Guild Master is treating the adventurers who handled her escort to dinner. I heard she's taking you to an incredibly fancy restaurant."
"That's right. But what's the big deal about eating together?"
"There'll be drinking, so I'm cautioning you to be careful in front of the Vice Guild Master. I know you can hold your liquor, Luke, but your party members could cause a scene."
"...Left to their own devices, they probably would."
I considered it briefly, then nodded.
No telling what kind of havoc Rebecca and Kate might wreak at dinner tonight.
If they were the type to flaunt their beagle-like chaos even in front of the Vice Guild Master, they could easily turn the drinking into a complete disaster.
'I'll have to take responsibility and rein them in.'
It wouldn't derail my own promotion, but it could screw up my party members' promotions. I resolved to manage my lovers carefully at the drinking party.
It was going to be an arduous task, but I had no choice.
As an incubus, I was the only one who could stay perfectly clear-headed even when drunk.
"Get some good rest, Luke. And if there are leftovers, feel free to bring some back for me! My daughter will take care of all of them."
I left the Adventurer's Guild as Wendy saw me off.
Rebecca and Kate had already returned to their respective homes and were nowhere in sight.
I walked through town back to the inn, unpacked, and took a light shower.
There was still plenty of time until our dinner engagement, so I could take it easy.
*
7 PM.
Bellatrix came to the Adventurer's Guild, where my lovers and I had gathered.
Naturally, we weren't walking to the restaurant; we'd go by carriage. As always, Hannah was seated in the driver's box.
"Everyone's here. Including Hannah, who worked just as hard, that's five of us total. We're all set to go have dinner."
"Vice Guild Master, sis! Where are we going?"
"A restaurant near city hall called 'Cradle of the Sun.' It was established by a retired head chef from the court, so it's extremely famous."
After loading me and my lovers into the carriage, Bellatrix immediately departed for the high-end restaurant near city hall.
Despite being a restaurant, it was a four-story building with a never-ending stream of patrons — you couldn't get in without a reservation.
It was the kind of place far removed from gutter-life adventurers like me.
"Whoa!"
Even Kate, who lived a wealthy life, seemed to be visiting the Cradle of the Sun for the first time.
The moment we stepped inside, she started glancing around in a daze.
"Can we... can we just walk in, sis? I heard this place is so packed they only take people with reservations."
"It's fine, Kate. I had guild staff make a reservation beforehand. I'm also well-acquainted with the employees here."
Bellatrix's claim about knowing the restaurant staff turned out to be true.
The moment she appeared in the hall, employees in sharp suits greeted Bellatrix with deep politeness.
Bellatrix appeared to be treated as a VIP customer at the Cradle of the Sun.
The staff's attitude was on a completely different level compared to how they treated other patrons.
"Lady Bellatrix, Lady Hannah, plus the adventurer party. I'll show you to a private room, please follow me."
A female staff member guided us to a private room on the restaurant's upper floor.
It was a luxurious room with a sweeping panoramic view of the city. I never thought a day would come in my life where I'd eat in a place like this.
"Sit wherever you're comfortable. You've worked hard, so you should eat and drink to your heart's content here. If there's anything else you want to order, feel free to get anything."
"Really?! We can really order everything we want?"
"Of course. I'm treating you all out of my own pocket, so don't hold back."
"This is insane. Kay! Let's order every single thing on this menu!"
The electrified tension that had been buzzing between Bellatrix and my lovers vanished in an instant.
My lovers, who had been sniping at Bellatrix, suddenly turned as docile as lambs. As expected, favorability skyrockets toward anyone who buys you food.
"Kyaa! Foie gras! You can eat foie gras here!"
"Let's order everything except the fish dishes! If we gain weight, we'll just ask Mongma-nim to work it off us!"
"How would he work it off?"
"By doing it in bed, obviously. Sex is the best thing for burning calories."
"Oho."
My lovers had absolute faith that I'd put them through a sex diet. Without a care for weight gain, they ordered every dish on the menu, just for tonight. It struck me that I should make sure to eat foods that boost vitality.
"We're ready to order over here."
"Right away, Lady Bellatrix."
Soon after, Bellatrix placed the order with the staff on standby. As time passed, dishes and bottles of alcohol piled up on the private room's table. Endless varieties of course meals kept arriving, making my mouth water just to look at them.
'They're not even fighting, and the mood's great.'
The atmosphere at the table was incredibly harmonious throughout the entire meal.
The moment they filled their bellies, my lovers, who'd been flaunting their beagle-like chaos, became astonishingly well-behaved.
"I love you, Vice Guild Master!"
"Bellight! Bellight!"
"Kay. What does 'Bellight' mean?"
"It's a word you use when praising the Vice Guild Master. Come on, sis, shout it too. Bellight!"
True enough, not a single incident occurred at the restaurant until the very end of dinner.
Bellatrix had essentially purchased my lovers' favor with money. By the time the meal was winding down, Rebecca and Kate had passed out from the alcohol.
"Hwaaah! I drank way too much, I'm so dizzy."
"It's fine, everyone. I'll load you into the carriage and see you all home. You can sleep soundly."
"Then I'll get some sleep. Hope I dream about Mongma-nim."
Hearing they'd be taken home by carriage, my lovers promptly lost consciousness.
Moving them into the carriage was a job for those of us still awake.
"Time to get up. Let's carry the drunk ones into the carriage. We can drop Kate off at the church, and Rebecca at the inn, correct?"
"Yes. Leave Rebecca to me. Thank you for looking after us right to the end."
"Don't mention it. You're all people I might end up spending a lot more time with. If I take care of you now, maybe I'll avoid getting bullied later. I want to make up for the impatient mistake I made in the carriage."
"...Why would they bully you, sis?"
Why would the Vice Guild Master be bullied by a bunch of regular adventurers?
For a moment, I couldn't grasp what she meant and felt a twinge of confusion.
Just as I was starting to catch on, Bellatrix spoke to me suddenly.
"I figure I should become close with your party members, Luke. I think that's the first step. There's an order to these things, after all."
"What are you planning to do?"
"That's a secret for now. I'll tell you later."
Bellatrix looked at me and beamed.
It was a smile brimming with affection, almost like one a big sister would give her little brother.
Secret or not, I nearly found myself shouting "Sisssssss!" without realizing it.
"It's not a problem if I become friends with your lovers, is it?"
"O-of course not, I'd welcome it."
"Good. Hehe."
And with that, our conversation ended.
Along with Hannah, Bellatrix and I helped my lovers into the carriage and sent each of them home.
When we parted ways in front of the inn, Bellatrix wore a deep smile.
Like a cheetah that had just broken into a run—
"Until next time. If another good request comes in, I'll call for you, Luke. Ah, and whenever I have free time, I'll summon your lovers to my office, so don't be alarmed if I suddenly pop up. I'm calling for them so we can become closer."
"......Do as you like."
Rebecca and Kate.
Bellatrix's words about wanting to become close to my lovers were not empty talk.
Starting the very next day, Bellatrix began summoning my lovers to her office and launching a furious gift offensive.
All while wearing that signature, deep smile of hers.
