Chapter 141: A New Chapter
Chapter 141: A New Chapter
In the end, even by the time Guwon finished his shower and came out, Leia was still hiding under the covers, too embarrassed to face him.
“Leia. You need to wash up so we can go eat.”
“…Okay. I’ll be there soon. Please go ahead without me.”
Guwon had no choice but to leave the room first.
Staying there would only make things worse. I’d just have to hope time would solve it.
For some reason, Vanessa wasn’t waiting in front of the door.
I didn’t know why, but whenever I was in the mansion, Vanessa always acted as if she were my personal maid. She would always be waiting by my door in the morning, and if I was running late, she’d let me know. This was the first time she hadn’t been there.
But maybe this was for the best. Should I take a slow walk around the mansion?
With a fluttering heart, Guwon looked around as he slowly made his way to the dining hall.
Now then, what results did the Holy Ground Proclamation I activated all night bring?
First, Guwon pressed his ear against the doors on either side of the hallway.
They had both been empty rooms before I entered the dungeon. But now, the leaders of the Mage Association and their attendants were staying at the mansion. It wouldn’t be strange if someone had been assigned to these rooms.
Full of anticipation, I pressed my ear to the door, trying to hear any sound from within, but there was only silence.
R-Right. The new arrivals are all women, so they probably wouldn’t have been placed in the room right next to mine.
But this mansion didn’t have an infinite number of rooms. The room next to that one, or the one after that, must be occupied by someone, right?
Each room was as luxurious as one would expect from Diana’s reputation, and of course, they were quite spacious. Considering the range of the Holy Ground Proclamation I’d activated, there weren’t that many rooms it could affect. By my rough estimate, it would only reach about three or four rooms down the hall at most.
Guwon went from door to door, pressing his ear against each one, but the sounds he was hoping for never came.
Damn it. Don’t tell me no one was affected?
Please. That can’t be. I’m not even hoping for the scene I first imagined, with multiple beauties lost in a frenzy of masturbation. Just one person. At least one…
But with each door he checked, Guwon’s hopes were betrayed one by one.
And just as he pressed his ear to the last remaining door, a voice spoke from behind him.
“…What are you doing?”
It was Vanessa.
“Huh? Oh? Nothing. It’s nothing. Hey, Vanessa. Sleep well?”
“Yes. Good morning.”
Vanessa stared at Guwon with the same expressionless face as always as she spoke.
No, actually, her expression was one of slight suspicion.
“Well, you see, I thought I heard a sound coming from the next room. But as far as I know, that room is empty, right? So I thought, maybe it was the room next to that one? Or the one after that? And that’s how I ended up here…”
Feeling the heat of her gaze, Guwon babbled nonsensically.
“A sound? As you know, all the rooms on this side are empty.”
But Vanessa informed him of the cold, hard reality.
“R-Really? I thought the people from the Mage Association were assigned to rooms on this side.”
“The guests from the Mage Association have all been assigned rooms in the right wing of the mansion.”
For reference, the rooms for my clan members, including myself, were all in the left wing. In other words, they were on the complete opposite side.
Damn it. I guess I have to give up on them completely.
That left Sara and Diana as my only hopes. Were their rooms within the range of the Holy Ground? I wasn’t sure, since they were on different floors.
Clinging to a faint glimmer of hope, Guwon followed Vanessa to the dining hall.
“You’re here.”
“Good morning.”
But, as if to mock him, Guwon’s expectations were once again betrayed. Both Sara and Diana were sitting at the table, looking perfectly fine.
Well, Diana looked a little tired, but her room was farther from mine than Sara’s. If Sara wasn’t affected, then Diana wouldn’t have been either, so that tired look must be for another reason. For example, maybe the people from the Mage Association sitting at the table had been pestering her late into the night.
Judging by their expressions, it seemed the skill hadn’t reached their rooms. Even if they had relieved themselves through masturbation, they both knew about my skills and would have confronted me about it. The fact that they were acting so nonchalant must mean they were completely outside the Holy Ground’s range.
“Yeah. Good morning. Did you two sleep well?”
“Yes. Even though we were sleeping at an inn, it’s different sleeping outside the dungeon.”
“Mm. That’s true…”
Just in case, I asked casually, but they both answered without a hint of suspicion.
None of the maids lined up behind them seemed particularly flustered either. This is a total bust.
Oh well. I’ll just have to be satisfied with the fact that my Holy Ground Proclamation skill leveled up.
Soon after, Leia arrived, and breakfast began.
Leia still seemed embarrassed; whenever her eyes met Guwon’s, she would blush faintly and give a bashful smile. So adorable.
While eating, Guwon observed the members of the Mage Association.
The people seated at the far end of the table were likely the attendants brought from each school of magic. As expected, they were all young women.
Excellent. As expected of mages who live by their wits, they’ve perfectly grasped my intentions.
Since we were now living under the same roof, I wanted to strike up a conversation and at least exchange names, but none of them seemed to be in the right state of mind. They were all staring at Diana with such heated gazes that they didn’t seem to know whether the food was going into their noses or their mouths.
It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible, seeing as they were finally meeting the Diana they had revered for so long.
Oh well. I’ll learn their names naturally as we spend more time together. For now, I’ll just leave them be.
After finishing the meal, Guwon headed to the temple with Leia. He had promised the High Priestess he would visit at least once after returning to the city.
I only realized it now, but Sara had probably followed me last time to keep an eye on me. After all, the priestesses were all renowned for their beauty. She must have been jealous.
But perhaps because she had seen Guwon studying so seriously with the High Priestess last time, she didn’t follow him this time.
“Hm? That face… what happened?”
Huh? My face? Ah, right. This must be the first time she’s seen me since I dumped all those points into Charm.
“I just leveled up a bit.”
“Just how much did your level increase in that time…” the High Priestess muttered with a dumbfounded expression, perhaps thinking I’d power-leveled.
“No, it wasn’t that much. It’s just that with my Saint job, even a small level-up shows on my face like this.”
In truth, the Charm gained from a Saint level-up was just 1 point, like any other stat, but since my skill coefficients were based on Charm, it wasn’t entirely a lie.
“I see. That makes sense…”
As if she finally understood, the High Priestess nodded with a serious expression.
And then, the lesson began again.
“…So, in this world, most people are of mixed blood. Even when we refer to a specific race, it’s usually just someone in whom that race’s traits are most strongly expressed. It’s safe to say there are no pure-bloods.”
I see. With this kind of world-building, it makes sense that everyone’s bloodlines are mixed.
“Then are there no pure-bloods at all?”
Even so, you’d think there would be cases of purists maintaining their bloodlines among themselves.
“No. To insist on pure blood and limit one’s own potential goes against the Goddess’s teachings. As far as I know, there is only one person of a pure-blood race in this world.”
“What? Who?”
“You know her, don’t you? She’s your clan member.”
“Ah, Diana!”
“Yes. To my knowledge, she is the only person in this world whose blood is not mixed with that of any other race.”
I see. So that was it. To think Diana was the only pure-blood Elf.
Ah, speaking of which…
The mention of Diana brought something to mind. This seemed like a good opportunity to ask.
“By the way, High Priestess. I have a question. What meaning does a kiss have in this world?”
“Pardon? Well, of course, it’s an act between people who love each other. Was it different in the world you came from?” the High Priestess replied, tilting her head in confusion.
“No, it’s not that… but is there some other, deeper meaning?”
“No. At least, not that I’m aware of.”
So what does that mean? Diana refuses to kiss me simply because she doesn’t love me? Not because a kiss has some other important meaning? But her reaction definitely didn’t seem like that was the only reason… Or am I just thinking that because that’s what I want to believe?
No, that’s not it. It definitely can’t be just that.
Besides, if Diana was refusing to kiss me simply over matters of love, that was actually a good thing. Lately, when I asked if I could kiss her, she’d shown a considerable amount of hesitation. I don’t know if it’s because of what they call ‘affection born from intimacy,’ but it wasn’t the reaction of someone with no feelings at all.
But the reason I was struggling was because it didn’t seem like she was refusing for such a simple reason.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s nothing. Please continue.”
And so, Guwon continued his studies of the world’s common knowledge for a while longer.
After the lesson, Guwon chatted with the High Priestess over tea for some time. The conversation was mostly about how Leia was doing.
“So, she’s showing improvement?”
“Yes. Slowly, but she’s definitely getting better. Not long ago, Leia even managed to stay conscious.”
“I see. It was the right choice to have her travel with you. …Though I was worried at first.”
“Haha. Don’t worry. I’ll ensure Leia’s safety no matter what. I may not look it, but I’m quite the force in the dungeon.”
“Yes, I heard about that. You were quite active on the 2nd layer, weren’t you?” the High Priestess said with a surprisingly mischievous expression that didn’t suit her stern face.
Ugh. Has the rumor already spread this far? Of course, I acted that way so rumors would spread, but judging by her expression, it seems not all of them were good.
“Milk Road Maker, was it? You’ve earned yourself quite an interesting nickname. To think someone with that job would fight in such a manner. As one who serves the Goddess, it feels almost blasphemous, but it is certainly creative.”
Damn it. I knew it. That stupid Milk Road.
And blasphemous? Given the Goddess’s teachings, is that the impression a clergy member gets? Then does that mean Leia felt the same way, even if she didn’t show it? I think I need to make an excuse.
“No, not blasphemous. On the contrary, I am spreading the Goddess’s teachings to those barbaric monsters.”
“…Your way of thinking is truly novel,” the High Priestess said, sounding utterly flabbergasted by the excuse Guwon had just pulled out of thin air.
“So, did you also spread the Goddess’s teachings to a fellow male adventurer?”
That rumor spread too?
“W-Well, that… haha. How did you know?”
“Disputes between male adventurers are quite rare. Rumors are bound to spread.”
The High Priestess said something strange.
Disputes between male adventurers are rare? Why? Shouldn’t they be growling at each other on sight? They’re all competitors, aren’t they?
“Disputes are rare? Why?”
“Pardon? Well, because there are so few of them. They feel a sense of solidarity from being in the same situation, so they usually all get along. Are you not like that?”
Not at all. Solidarity? I only see them as competitors.
Another male adventurer means some beautiful woman is sleeping with that guy. A beautiful woman who might one day sleep with me.
It would be a relief if that was all. Among them, there might be guys aiming to steal my women. Do the guys here not think that way?
But upon deeper reflection, Guwon realized his thinking was flawed.
Looking at adventurers alone, men were overwhelmingly outnumbered by women. In other words, they were in a situation where they could pick and choose women as they pleased.
In such a situation, would anyone really go through the trouble of stealing another man’s woman?
Of course, if they had a particular fetish, or if the woman was incredibly beautiful, it could happen. But most would rather just pick a woman from their surroundings than go through the effort of stealing someone else’s.
If that was the case, it made sense that they all got along without fighting.
If it was clear that they were all safe from each other, it was understandable that they would feel a sense of camaraderie as fellow comrades in a rare situation.
Come to think of it, most of the men at the inn that time were gathered together. Could it be there’s something like a male adventurer social club?
And that guy who put his hand on my shoulder acted strangely friendly from the moment he saw me. There was a mountain of food on the table, as if they were really having a party.
I thought he was just trying to mess with me, but could it be that he was genuinely just being friendly?
And I, not knowing any of that, made a complete fool out of him in front of everyone.
That wasn’t all. To the other guys watching, I must have looked like some psycho who suddenly ruined the party atmosphere all by himself.
How was I supposed to know that the male adventurers in this world were united by that kind of solidarity?
He could have explained it. If he saw my skills, he should have known I was a foreigner. Though I admit, I wasn’t exactly in the mood for an explanation at the time.
Anyway, I feel bad about it.
Realizing the truth belatedly, Guwon felt a pang of guilt.
Should I apologize if I see him again? I should at least say sorry to the guy I dealt with directly.