Chapter 142: A New Chapter
Chapter 142: A New Chapter
The opportunity to apologize came much sooner than I expected.
After my conversation with the High Priestess, I didn’t have much else to do, so I wandered around town, leisurely eating street food and admiring the pretty women passing by.
But for some reason, today I felt eyes on me from all directions.
It wasn’t unusual to draw stares while walking through town. After all, my party was composed entirely of beautiful women.
And the same went for me. I was already decent-looking, but after pumping up my Charm stat, I could feel women’s gazes gathering on me wherever I went.
But the stares and whispers I was getting now felt a little different from usual.
I guess the rumor spread.
Even the High Priestess, who had been cooped up in the temple, knew about it. It would be strange to think no one else did.
Dammit. Milk Road Maker. Of all the stupid rumors to spread…
The only silver lining was that the looks I was getting weren’t entirely negative. In fact, there were more curious glances than judgmental ones. It was probably because they hadn’t been directly hit with orc semen themselves.
Being stared at like a monkey in a zoo didn’t feel great, but it was better than being looked at with contempt.
Well, what can I do? The rumor’s already out there.
Guwon decided to just be shameless about it.
Yeah, that’s right, look all you want. If you’re curious about my skill, come and ask me yourself. I’m right here!
Guwon went so far as to plant himself on a bench, holding his head high so people could get a good look.
But it seemed that while they were curious, no one was curious enough to approach him directly.
Instead, whenever our eyes met, they would look away awkwardly.
Why is everyone so shy? If you’re that curious about my skill, just come and ask. I’m willing to give you a kind demonstration and everything. Especially if you’re a beautiful woman—you’re more than welcome.
“H-Hiiieek!”
Suddenly, a terrified scream cut through the air.
Huh? What was that?
I looked toward the source of the sound and saw some hulking bastard sprawled on the ground, having fallen on his ass.
His eyes were wide with terror as he stared at me, trying to scramble away, but his legs seemed to have given out, leaving him to flail uselessly on the ground.
It was a face I recognized.
“Oh! Hey! Perfect timing!”
“Hiiiek! Stay away! What are you doing here?! Weren’t you on the 2nd floor?!”
It was the same guy from the inn yesterday, the one who had laughed while slinging an arm around my shoulder and ended up paying dearly for it.
What I’d done to him must have left him with some serious trauma, because he completely freaked out as I approached.
He looked like he was about to piss his pants if I got any closer, so I stopped and said, “Hey. Don’t be so scared. I’m here to apologize. I’m sorry about last time.”
“W-What kind of trick is this?”
“What trick? I heard that all the male adventurers here get along by playing patty-cake. I’m a foreigner, so I didn’t know. I just thought you were trying to pick a fight. If I’d known, do you think I would have been so harsh? My bad.”
I apologized in a light, casual tone.
Was it too insincere? What do you expect? I only show sincerity when I’m talking to a beautiful woman.
“Haha. So this is the guy? The Milk Road Maker?”
The man standing next to the one on the ground spoke up.
“And you are?”
“Ah. The name’s Pots. An adventurer, just like you.”
The man looked at me as if he were observing something fascinating.
I didn’t recognize this one. From the way he spoke, he probably wasn’t there yesterday.
“We’re about to go grab a drink. Care to join?” he asked in a friendly tone.
So, this is how it is.
Honestly, I had no desire to get any friendlier than necessary with a bunch of guys. I’d much rather spend that time getting close to a beautiful woman.
But he had extended the invitation. It was also a good chance to see how the male adventurers here socialized. What should I do?
“W-Whaaat?! Pots, you…!”
The guy still on the ground, however, looked like he had absolutely no intention of having a drink with me.
Alright. I’ve made my decision.
“Perfect timing. I was getting bored anyway. Sure, let’s go,” I answered immediately.
It’s human nature to want to do something the moment you’re told not to.
“I like a man who’s straightforward! Let’s go, MRM.”
“It’s Guwon. Don’t call me by that weird nickname.”
“Okay, Guwon. Let’s go.”
And so, the three of us bastards headed to a pub in the middle of the day.
“But a Saint, huh? I’m so jealous. That must make things in bed super easy, right? One skill and women just cum buckets?”
It seemed that when a bunch of guys get together, the conversation inevitably turns to dirty jokes, no different from my world.
No, in a world like this, the lewd talk was probably even more explicit than back home.
“Well, yeah. In fact, I’ve gotten so strong lately that I don’t even need to use my skills anymore.”
With a bit of alcohol in my system, I had no problem sharing details of my nightlife.
“You’re that good? Just how strong are you?”
“Curious? Want to experience it for yourself? I can give you a demonstration right now.”
As I said it, Brin, the guy next to Pots, flinched.
He was pretending to be fine now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, but it seemed his trauma hadn’t completely faded. He jumped like a scared rabbit at every little thing I said, which made teasing him quite rewarding.
“Whoa, whoa. Calm down. I have no intention of ending up like Brin.”
“What?! Guwon, you said you were sorry, right? Then get him back for me.”
“Should I? Well, I guess I have no choice. I didn’t want to do this.”
I casually reached a hand toward Pots.
“Haha. Don’t get so mad. It was just a joke. Wai-wait. I was just kidding!” Pots yelled desperately, frantically dodging my hand.
“I’m kidding too. I didn’t activate the skill.”
“Don’t make such scary jokes.”
Pots feigned wiping sweat from his brow, playing it off with a laugh.
“You should save a skill like that for your companions at night. I hear they’re quite the beauties, right?”
“Lay a hand on them and you die.”
“Haha. Don’t worry. Maybe in the old days, but I’ve completely changed my ways now.”
“Sounds like you’re saying you would have in the old days.”
“Well, I was young back then. You’re an adventurer, you get it. You can’t do this job if you don’t have a strong sex drive. I used to lose control and run wild sometimes, too.”
“So why did a guy like you change his ways?”
“The power of love, of course! The power of love! I’m telling you, I found my true love here.”
“Here he goes again.”
Brin muttered with a fed-up expression, so this was apparently a regular occurrence.
“Her name is Kate, and you have no idea how pretty she is…”
For a long while after, Pots went on and on, bragging about his girlfriend.
He was the type of drunk who repeated the same stories over and over, endlessly boasting about his girl.
I can’t listen to this anymore. No matter how much you brag, if I brought just one of my girls—Sara, Diana, or Leia—your girlfriend wouldn’t even compare.
I was getting tired of listening to him.
Maybe I should just knock him out with Saint’s Touch.
The alcohol must have been getting to me, because I was starting to have such dangerous thoughts. But just as I was seriously considering it, a voice called out to him.
“Pots!”
“Oh! Kate!”
It seemed the girlfriend he’d been bragging about so much had finally graced us with her presence.
You should thank your girlfriend. You were just saved.
A moment later and Saint’s Touch would have been unleashed.
“What are you doing?! Did you forget we were supposed to meet this evening?”
“Huh? Oh! Sorry! I can’t believe it’s so late already! Forgive me! I met a new friend!”
Pots slung an arm around my shoulder.
Why are the guys here so touchy-feely? Get off me. I have no desire to be stuck to some sweaty bastard.
“Is that supposed to be an excuse?”
“Of course not! I’ll make it up to you starting now. Well, I’m off! See you around!”
Pots tossed a few silver coins on the table, then quickly left the pub with his girlfriend.
“…What was that all about?”
“He wasn’t like that when I first met him. Ever since he met Kate, he’s turned into a complete idiot.”
Brin shook his head and said.
With Pots gone, the drinking session naturally came to an end.
The sight of two guys drinking alone was just too depressing.
Having killed enough time, I decided to head straight back to the mansion without any detours.
Still, it had been a long time since I’d had a drinking session like this with other guys, and it was fun. I could freely exchange the kind of dirty jokes that were hard to make with women.
I felt like I was starting to understand why the male adventurers here got along so well, even with strangers.
Hanging out like this every once in a while seemed pretty nice.
“I’m home!”
I shouted as soon as I entered the mansion. The alcohol had me in high spirits, and my voice came out louder than I’d intended.
“Welcome back, sir. I have been waiting for you.”
“Oh! Vanessa! Waiting for me? Did something happen?”
“Yes. Please follow me.”
It seemed to be quite urgent, as Vanessa started walking briskly without even explaining what was going on.
The place she led me to was my own room.
Huh? What’s going on in my room?
I thought maybe someone was waiting inside, but when I followed Vanessa in, the room was empty.
“Vanessa? What in the world…”
Thud!
Just as I turned toward Vanessa, my body was suddenly shoved against the wall.
Then, Vanessa’s hand shot out and slammed into the wall right next to my head with a loud thud.
W-What? What is this? A kabedon? Am I being kabedon’d right now? Isn’t that something a man is supposed to do to a woman?
The drunken haze in my head cleared in an instant.
“…Explain yourself.”
Vanessa stared directly into my eyes, her voice as flat and emotionless as ever.
But her eyes seemed to be burning with an intense fire.
“E-Explain what, ma’am?”
She was so intimidating that I found myself using formal language without even realizing it.
“What have you done to my body. Explain yourself.”
“Um, sorry, but I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Do not play dumb. In this mansion… no, in this entire world, you are the only one capable of using such a technique.”
“Look, I’m not playing dumb, I really don’t know what you mean. What’s wrong with your body?”
Vanessa stared into my eyes for a long moment, silent. After judging that I was telling the truth, she finally spoke again.
“……I am aroused.”
Huh? Aroused? As in, angry?
That was my first thought, but it couldn’t be right.
Given her mention of a “technique,” she must have meant sexually aroused.
I carefully studied Vanessa’s face.
Come to think of it, her cheeks were faintly flushed, which was unusual for her. Was the heat I felt from her eyes because of that, too?
But I had absolutely no idea what could have caused it.
I mean, I left the mansion this morning and just got back. What could I have possibly done? The only time I could have done something to Vanessa was this morning… Wait. This morning?
A hypothesis flashed through my mind.
“…Vanessa. Where did you sleep last night?”
“I slept in the room next door.”
I knew it. She said that room was empty. So she was sleeping there.
“Ah… about that. I have a skill called Holy Ground Proclamation. It affects everyone within a certain range, and I left it on all night to try and strengthen it.”
I didn’t know Vanessa’s exact level, but she was so high-level that Analyze didn’t work on her. My skills shouldn’t be very effective against someone like her. Was it because she was exposed to it for so long overnight?
But something was strange.
If Vanessa had been affected by Holy Ground Proclamation, there was no reason for her to still be aroused now.
Don’t tell me a woman who’s over 200 years old doesn’t even know how to masturbate?
“…I understand that it was not intentional. Then, how can this be resolved?”
“Well, obviously by climaxing… Wait, don’t you know how to masturbate?”
It was an incredibly difficult question to ask, but I had to.
Vanessa’s cheeks reddened a little more before she answered.
“I have already tried. It was no use.”
She tried? Does that mean this deadpan woman was lost in a masturbation frenzy in the middle of the day? That’s kind of hot… no, that’s not what’s important right now.
“No use? What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. I masturbated, but the heat in my body did not subside.”
What the hell? I’ve never heard of that.
An aphrodisiac effect that can’t even be resolved by masturbation? If something like that existed, I’d be the one who wanted to know how it worked.
“…Do you have any idea what might be happening?” Vanessa asked, a hint of anxiety in her voice.
“Hold on. Let me think.”
I thought hard.
And then, a certain fact came to mind.
Come to think of it, when monsters are hit by my skills, they always charge at me, even if there are women around. Could it be… that when my skills arouse someone, only I can relieve them?
Monsters, who act on instinct rather than reason, must have instinctively realized this and attacked me.
If I thought of it that way, everything clicked into place.
“I’m not certain, but it’s possible that when someone is aroused by my skill, only I can provide the release.”
“…In short, are you saying that for my body to cool down, I must be held by you, Master Guwon?” Vanessa asked, her eyes still blazing as she stared at me.
“I-I guess so?”
If Vanessa’s level were similar to mine, we wouldn’t necessarily have to go as far as sex. I could just make her climax with Saint’s Touch.
But Vanessa’s level was so much higher than mine that she could endure the effects of my Holy Ground all night and still remain this composed. Even with my most powerful skill, Saint’s Touch, there was no telling how long it would take to make her climax.
That left only one option.
The only skill that could guarantee an orgasm for a high-level opponent, no matter how large the level gap: Last Resort of Pride.
“…Understood.”
As she replied, Vanessa began to unbutton her butler uniform, one piece at a time.