Chapter 152: Revenge
Chapter 152: Revenge
The more Guwon spoke, the darker Sara’s expression became.
Her hands were even trembling so much it looked like they might lash out at any moment, so Guwon hastily covered them with his own.
“I know what you want to say. But before you do, let me make one thing clear. I’m not saying I want to do this. I’m just suggesting it as a possible method. We can’t think of any other way, can we? Of course, the choice is yours. I’ll follow your decision, whatever it is.”
“No. I don’t want to.”
Sara replied as if there was nothing to even think about.
“And with that method, wouldn’t we be causing trouble for that woman, Kate?”
“We would, but at least she wouldn’t lose her life. And honestly, it might be better for her than having Pots die while she’s still in love with him.”
Frankly, this was just sophistry.
No matter how I tried to justify it, the fact remained that it was a plan that would hurt Kate.
“I still don’t want to,” Sara said firmly.
Judging by her tone, it didn’t seem like she was refusing because of the trouble it would cause Kate. As I suspected, she just hated the idea of me sleeping with another woman.
“Alright. Then let’s try to think of another way.”
Knowing this, Guwon replied coolly without even asking for a reason.
“Yes. And… I’m sorry. You went to all that trouble to think of this for my sake.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m sure we’ll come up with something else.”
If anything, I’m grateful you see it that way. Before I’d brought it up, I was half-expecting to be berated with a “Are you that desperate to sleep with another woman?” and get a slap across the face.
Had Sara’s trust in me gone up a little?
Filled with gratitude, Guwon comforted Sara and left the room.
The next day, the party decided to head back into the Dungeon.
For the record, there had been no progress with Leia’s Gumiho transformation.
Just like last time, she remained conscious but was unable to control her desires, spending the entire night in a state of dishevelment.
Still, the fact that it had happened twice in a row meant that the last time wasn’t just a fluke. It was proof that she was definitely getting better than before, which was something to be happy about.
Even so, she was clearly embarrassed about showing that side of herself. When Leia woke up in the morning, she spent a good while fidgeting, her tail twitching back and forth in shame.
Before entering the Dungeon, Sara bought a hooded cloak.
Pots would be on the 2nd floor, after all. He would surely remember Sara’s face, which would complicate whatever plans they made going forward.
“Ooh. Now you look like a real archer.”
“Are you saying I didn’t look like an archer until now?”
That wasn’t it, but honestly, aside from her bow and the glove that covered only the index, middle, and ring fingers of her right hand, she was just wearing simple leather armor.
An archer in a fantasy world just had to have a hooded cloak. It was a tradition dating back to Robin Hood.
Upon arriving on the 2nd floor, the party immediately began hunting.
Everyone’s job levels had skyrocketed after the last orc subjugation. Not only Guwon, who had rampaged through the enemy ranks, and Sara, who had massacred orcs from a distance, but also Leia, who had tirelessly moved among the constantly appearing wounded and generously used her healing magic, had managed to raise her job level significantly. Thanks to that, battles that were already easy became even easier.
It had reached a point where they couldn’t possibly lose to the 2nd-floor monsters, even without the help of the Saint’s skills. Which meant that Diana had absolutely nothing to do.
Diana simply trailed along behind the party, doing nothing.
“Diana, aren’t you bored?”
“…I’m fine.”
As she answered, Diana sharply turned her head, avoiding his gaze.
For the record, Diana was still avoiding me a little.
I mean, I understood. In all her long years, she had probably never had an experience like that. It was understandable that she would be far more flustered and embarrassed than a normal person.
Still, how long is this going to last? If you keep ignoring me like this, I’m going to start getting hurt.
Maybe instead of waiting for her to recover on her own, I should take matters into my own hands and administer some shock therapy?
In any case, that was impossible right now.
For now, let’s focus on the hunt.
“Still, when it’s this easy, it doesn’t really feel like hunting. And since no one’s getting hurt, Leia’s growth is slowing down too.”
Right. The battles becoming too easy had created this problem as well.
Until now, I had recovered from my mental fatigue by feeling Leia’s touch every time we fought, but now that it was gone, it was killing me.
The touch of an angel… my heart’s oasis…
“That’s not entirely true. I’ve learned many other skills, you know.”
Having leveled up quite a bit, Leia had learned a whole slew of buffing skills. She could now buff not just defense, but all sorts of stats.
Thanks to that, the battles had become even easier.
Ugh. But I miss your touch.
“Oh, and I learned more staff attack skills! This time, I can definitely stand watch!” Leia declared, clenching her fists with determination.
Yep. Cute. And the way her breasts were pushed together between her clenched fists added a touch of sexiness to her cuteness, making her unbelievably charming. But…
“No. You still can’t handle monsters on your own.”
Leia’s ears and tail immediately drooped, and her face fell.
Ugh. Seeing her like that makes me weak.
No. What’s not allowed is not allowed. What if something bad happens because I let her stand watch?
They were still hunting near the town so there was no need for a night watch anyway, but Guwon steeled his heart.
After finishing their hunt, which felt more like a picnic, they headed for the town’s inn.
And as soon as they entered, they were met with an unpleasant face.
“Yo! MRM!”
In the first-floor dining hall, Pots and Kate were sitting at a table, eating.
What rotten luck. To run into him again like this.
One might think it’s only natural to run into each other when hunting on the same floor, but that wasn’t necessarily the case.
There was no day or night inside the Dungeon. Adventurers weren’t likely to carry expensive watches like ours into the Dungeon, so their daily routines inside naturally varied.
Because of that, unless you were deliberately camping out at an inn waiting for someone, the chances of running into them even while hunting on the same floor weren’t very high.
But with this bastard, I’d managed to beat those low odds and run into him again.
Should I call this a fateful, ill-omened connection?
“I’ll say this one last time. Call me by that nickname again, and I’ll make you look pathetic in front of that precious girlfriend of yours.”
“Ooh, scary. By the way, are these ladies your companions? Damn, just like the rumors said, they’re total knockouts.”
“Pots!”
“Ah, don’t worry. Of course, you’re the prettiest to me, Kate. I was just giving his girl a compliment, that’s all.”
“Give me a break. No matter how you look at it, my girls are way prettier.”
Guwon said, pulling Sara into a tight hug from behind.
Why was I hugging Sara, whose face was hidden by her hood, while bragging about how pretty she was? Because if I didn’t, it felt like she would lunge forward at any second.
As proof, Sara’s body was trembling in my arms.
“Hmph. Everyone has their own tastes.”
“Right back at you.”
I felt bad for Kate, but I was confident that even if her charm stat were ten times higher, she wouldn’t even be able to touch the heels of my girls.
“Anyway, why are you in the Dungeon?”
“What? What do you mean?”
“It makes sense, right? You must’ve made a killing from the orc subjugation. All the other guys who participated are busy spending their money right now. That guy Brin said he wouldn’t be coming back to the Dungeon for at least a month.”
“Don’t lump me in with guys like that. I have a noble purpose you couldn’t possibly imagine.”
That’s right. The noble purpose of defeating the Demon King.
“Ha! Noble purpose, my ass. You’re one of them, aren’t you? One of those perverts who just loves fighting and getting stronger?”
“A pervert! Apologize! There’s nothing wrong with having ambition!”
For once, the gentle Leia stepped forward, fuming.
Thanks to her, Guwon stopped the hand he was about to extend.
A second later and my Saint’s Touch would have exploded forth.
As the pure Leia glared, her eyes blazing with anger, even Pots seemed to lose his nerve and shut his babbling mouth.
“She’s right, Pots! That was rude, no matter what!”
Unlike Pots, Kate seemed to have some common sense.
How in the world did she fall for a guy like Pots?
“Sorry. My bad. I went too far. Don’t be mad, my love.”
Who the hell are you apologizing to?
Feeling it was no longer worth engaging, Guwon headed for an empty table far away.
“Hey! Where are you going? Let’s have a drink together while we’re at it!”
“Forget it. I’d rather drink with my girls!”
“Hah! I’d rather drink with my Kate, too!”
Then go enjoy your drink with Kate. You don’t have many days left to drink together, anyway.
“What a rude person!”
Even Leia, who rarely disliked anyone, was angry. That alone was enough to tell what a piece of trash Pots was.
Still, hearing the angel get angry on my behalf felt like it was purifying my ears, which had been sullied by talking to that garbage.
“…I’ve placed a curse on him.”
Diana, who had been quiet, muttered under her breath.
“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“A curse that makes his whole body feel slightly weaker than usual. It won’t last very long, though.”
“I appreciate you getting angry for me, but why do something so pointless… It looks like they just finished hunting, too.”
“It also has the side effect of making it difficult for men to get an erection.”
It was a subtly terrifying curse.
Wait, is it okay to curse other adventurers? Doesn’t that count as an attack?
“Doesn’t acting hostile toward another adventurer leave a record on your card?”
“It’s not a fatal curse, so something of this level is fine. It would have been a problem if I’d made it just a little stronger, mind you.”
It seemed Diana knew exactly what level of hostility the adventurer cards would register.
Well, that made sense. This was all magic, after all. If she didn’t know, who would?
I’d gotten my hopes up for a second, so that was a bit of a letdown. If there was a way to perform a hostile act without it being recorded on the card, I wouldn’t have to be racking my brain like this to deal with Pots.
“Thanks. You got angry for my sake, right?”
“…Uh, umm.”
Diana said that and then fell silent again.
Just when I thought she was getting better, she does this again. Isn’t she being a little too shy?
“…Guwon.”
Sara, who had been silent ever since they ran into Pots, finally spoke.
“The plan you mentioned yesterday. Please, let’s go through with it.”
Sara’s voice was trembling and quiet, but it was filled with unmistakable resolve.
From the gap in her deeply pulled-down hood, I felt as if I could see Sara’s beautiful eyes blazing with fire.
“…Are you serious?”
Guwon was genuinely surprised.
Honestly, even though I had proposed it myself, I never thought Sara would actually agree to the plan. Her jealousy was no joke, and more than anything, it was a truly insidious scheme.
But it seemed I had underestimated the depth of her desire for revenge.
And seeing Pots just now must have fueled her anger even more. The man who killed her grandfather was right there, relaxing, with his girlfriend by his side, looking happy.
It would be stranger if she wasn’t seeing red.
“Yes. I’m serious.”
“…Alright.”
At Sara’s firm reply, Guwon nodded with a hardened expression.