Rosens Full Course (10)
"What is it?"
"Doing that could kill Idwild."
"Gasp..."
Idi let out a strangled sound. What the hell... this wasn't some trivial issue at all?!
"Why would she die...?"
"Washing with holy sword water just coats the skin with strong holy power to block black magic from leaking out. But the chief saintess's purification burns away every last bit of black magic inside the body."
"So that means... she'd die in agony?"
"It'll probably be pain so intense that touching the holy sword would feel like nothing."
"Euuugh..."
Idi curled up tight, making a weird groaning noise.
"And even if she survives, there could be severe changes to her body. For example..."
Blaze glanced at Idi's massive tits on the table as she spoke.
"Her breasts might shrink down to raisins...?"
"Nooooooo!!"
Idi and I screamed in unison. Brione spat out her beer in shock, and Blaze smiled, raising a finger.
"No need for such extreme measures. Keeping things as they are seems fine—no problems at all. I just checked to be safe, and there wasn't any contamination."
"Yeah... I thought there'd be no side effects since the goddess told me about it."
"There's no general way to handle black magic without purification, so she must've suggested using the holy sword instead."
I remembered how, in the underground of that abandoned ruined castle, just a brief touch from the holy sword on her shoulder had Idwild pissing herself in agony. And if those tits were gone... no more kneading and squeezing and poking. That was absolutely unacceptable.
Looks like... I'd have to give up on it.
"You're right. We'll stick to the usual."
Idi, who'd been holding her breath, let out a long sigh of relief.
It was late into the night by the time the drinking wrapped up. I hoisted the completely wasted intelligence chief and chief mage onto my shoulders along with Ukun and the elder dwarves, carrying them up to the second floor. After dumping them in their rooms, the dwarves swarmed back to their own rooms to start another round. What a bunch of boozehounds.
If even the elders ended up passed out like Ukun, the beer tab would be brutal. Our table stuck around in the hall, keeping the party going.
With the place quieting down a bit, the cardinal asked softly.
"That blind waitress working here... she had quite the intriguing eyepatch..."
Everyone held their breath and turned to me—everyone except Idi, that is. She was flushed red in the chest, dozing off with her head on my shoulder. What... did she drink with her tits or something...?
"It looked just like a demon seal mandala... was it?"
"Yes. A demon seal mandala, exactly."
"Hmm... That's a pattern no ordinary priest with any real knowledge could imitate. Care to explain?"
I gave the cardinal and Blaze a quick rundown of how Kosa ended up at the inn. Cursed as a child with a gaze that killed on eye contact, saved by a wandering saintess, chased by demon hunters all the way to this city.
"Instant Death Gaze, you say...?"
Blaze looked shocked, turning to the cardinal. He stroked his chin and nodded slowly.
"The Instant Death Gaze is mentioned in texts, but it's not a curse—it's an innate ability granted to demons or certain monsters at birth."
"Kosa's no demon or monster. She looks totally human."
"No one can say for sure what's sealed inside. If it's a demon-possessed body, that's a different story."
"But the holy sword didn't react at all, and the goddess herself lifted Kosa's curse."
"The goddess?! You mean she descended!?"
The cardinal and Blaze freaked out, so I waved my hands frantically.
"No, no! She just answered through prayer."
If I'd said she descended, they'd probably grill me all night and kill me with questions. I might even slip up and mention the infinite regression climax OO with the goddess.
"Then probably not a demon... Honestly, I have no idea."
The cardinal leaned back, genuinely stumped, and Blaze didn't seem to know either.
"Anyway, cut ties with those demon hunters. They were trying to sell off innocent people too."
"Well... Hmm... Understood. It's been going on since my predecessor's predecessor, so it wasn't easy to stop."
"Want me to wipe them out while I'm at it?"
The cardinal chuckled and waved off my half-joking offer.
"Haha, no need. The church will handle it."
The cardinal soon shifted uncomfortably and stood.
"Ahem. I'll head up first. You young folks have fun."
As he waddled up the stairs, Brione snapped sharply.
"Shouldn't we send that big-tits bitch to her room too?"
Blaze gave Brione a strange smile.
"Brione, why are you so mad? Jealous that Idwild's leaning on Bertrand?"
Blaze was kind, sweet, and brutally direct.
"Me? Why? Over some black mage like her?"
"That's how it seems. Idi's way prettier than us, better figure too—maybe you're jealous."
Brione had no comeback to Blaze's silky yet piercing words and just chugged her beer.
"Look at her dozing off. So cute I could die."
Blaze grinned like she might stretch across the table to pinch Idi's cheek.
With Brione, Blaze, and even Idi finally heading upstairs into the wee hours, I stayed alone in the dim hall, sorting the ledger. No sales today, but I still logged what happened like a journal. Might as well calculate the losses too.
Hmm... Pretty hefty hit.
Still, Elua wouldn't go insane over one day's shortfall—she'd cover it. Atergar, Kosa, Francois, and Della had already dropped four Abyssal gold coins, and she'd toss a few more on the way out. I didn't beg her to come; she barged in on her own.
As I closed the ledger, footsteps came from the stairs. The stern-faced head butler approached.
"Not asleep yet?"
"Mr. Balder. Got a moment?"
"Sure. What's up?"
Suddenly, the butler dropped to his knees before me.
"Wh-whoa?! What are you doing?"
"Mr. Balder. I have a favor to ask."