Chapter 19: The Archmage
Chapter 19: The Archmage
No matter how tangled his thoughts were, exhaustion eventually won out, and Guwon had fallen asleep at some point.
Waking up in the morning, free from yesterday's panic, Guwon thought with a clear head.
I want to kill myself.
He’d acted like a hotshot and nearly gotten his companion killed. In the midst of it all, he’d rationalized his actions to satisfy his own selfish desires. And to top it all off, he had bawled his eyes out, snot and tears everywhere, in front of a girl.
Ughhh! Fuck! No! I can't handle such a mortifying memory!
Kicking his blankets furiously, Guwon had a silent freak-out all by himself.
Hah… fuck. What the hell am I doing?
After his fit, Guwon finally calmed down and began to think.
Why on earth did I cry like that?
Was it because I was scared after seeing a person’s insides for the first time in my life?
Or was it truly out of pure fear that Sara might die?
Honestly, I never thought of myself as such a soft-hearted guy…
No matter how much he pondered, no answer came to him.
Moping around by myself like this isn't like me.
First, I should go apologize to Sara.
He checked the time and saw it was already broad daylight.
For him to oversleep this late was incredibly rare for Guwon; yesterday's panic must have been severe.
He got up, washed his face, and stood before the door to Sara’s room, taking a deep breath.
This is going to take a lot more courage than I thought.
Seriously, what am I doing? This isn't like me at all.
Ah, whatever. I can't stand here forever. It’s a mountain I have to climb eventually. Let’s go.
Guwon gave a self-mocking smile at his uncharacteristic behavior and knocked on the door.
Click. SLAM!
The door opened to reveal Sara’s sleepy, disheveled face for a split second before it was slammed shut with incredible force.
I was prepared for this, but damn, that stings.
“W-What is it?!”
It seemed Sara intended to have this conversation through the closed door.
Does she not even want to see my face?
“Ah… uh… well, I was wondering if you wanted to get something to eat together, if you haven’t already.”
He’d called out to her with confidence, but her reaction immediately deflated his resolve. It’s not because I’m weak-willed. Any normal person would feel this way.
“…Go down first. I’ll wash up and come down.”
Guwon went down to the dining hall first and waited for Sara.
Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve been in town at this hour since coming to this world.
It was lunchtime, so the dining hall was quite crowded.
Since the city itself was built around the dungeon, most of the guests staying at the inn appeared to be adventurers.
I never realized there were so many beautiful women staying at this inn.
It was a sight for sore eyes, and despite the gravity of the situation, he found himself captivated—a sad, male instinct. As he was looking around at the adventurers, Sara came down and sat across from him.
She must have just showered; her damp, slightly flushed appearance made her look even more beautiful than usual.
“First, I want to apologize. I’m truly sorry.”
Guwon bowed his head once more in apology.
“Let’s hear your side of the story first. Tell me exactly what this ‘Saint’ job is, and what skill you used to heal me.”
I guess I have to explain it…
Honestly, it was incredibly embarrassing.
Having to tell a woman that he had a sex-related job and then explain it in detail. This was like some kind of humiliation play.
“Right. It’s best I explain that first. The Saint job is, in a word, a sex-related job. It has skills that enhance pleasure during sex, and others that add various bonus effects to it. One of those skills is called ‘Healing Sex.’ It increases natural healing during intercourse and, upon climax, heals the body by a certain amount, like a healing spell. So yesterday, in order to make you climax…”
“Ah, I get it, you can stop there! …In short, you held me to heal me, is that right?” Sara shouted, her face beet red with embarrassment.
“R-Right. I’m really sorry.”
Guwon wasn’t entirely sure if he’d had zero ulterior motives at that moment, but that’s how he answered.
“…Was that really your only objective?”
“Wh-What?!”
“…Hah. I suppose it couldn’t be helped.”
Sara glared at him for a moment before sighing and speaking.
“…Are you forgiving me?”
“Is there anything to forgive? Judging by the amount of blood on my body yesterday, I was clearly in danger. Besides, it’s hard to think a grown man crying like that was lying. If anything, I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for saving me.”
It seemed Sara truly believed that Guwon had held her purely for the sake of healing her.
For a girl who was so prickly and repulsed by sex to express her gratitude so sincerely… what on earth was going through her mind?
“No. I’m really sorry.”
Still, all Guwon could do was apologize.
He wasn’t sorry for forcing himself on her.
No, if the situation hadn’t been his fault, Guwon would have felt no guilt whatsoever for having sex with Sara like that.
He would have just been happy, thinking he got lucky under the pretext that there was no other choice.
What Guwon was truly sorry for, what he had to apologize for, was the fact that the entire situation was his fault.
It was painfully obvious how Sara would react if she found out he had orchestrated the whole thing.
Worse, if she knew the reason he’d done it was just to have sex, she would surely part ways with him.
Even so, Guwon decided to confess without hiding anything.
Trying to travel together while hiding a secret like that would only lead to more trouble down the line.
“Actually, the wolfdogs gathering yesterday… it was all my fault. I did it thinking everything would be fine as long as I had my Healing Sex. I’m truly sorry.”
“…So, in other words, you orchestrated that whole thing just to have sex with me?”
“Yes.”
This is it. It’s over.
Sara had perfectly grasped the truth that Guwon had tried to talk around.
“…Were you that concerned about my level?”
Huh? What’s she talking about?
Why is she suddenly acting like this? Did she eat something weird?
“To be honest, I could have stopped my crying back then. But I didn’t, thinking that if we took care of the wolves that gathered, I could convince you. In the end, we both made the same mistake, didn’t we?”
No, wait, what is she talking about now?
“So, since we were both at fault, let’s just drop the subject here.”
Sara said it decisively, as if the conversation was over.
Apparently, Sara thought Guwon had concocted the plan to forcibly level her up so she could survive in the dungeon.
Why has her trust in me suddenly skyrocketed? I have no idea.
It wasn’t entirely wrong, but honestly, the desire to just have sex had been much stronger…
Still, since Sara had misunderstood things in his favor, there was no need to reveal every last detail, right?
I’m no saint. I’m not about to confess every single one of my sins.
Still, I do feel a little guilty, so I should treat Sara better from now on.
Whatever her real reason for wanting to get stronger is, I should help her with that, too.
And from now on, let’s never do anything that puts a companion in danger.
That should be enough, right?
“Alright. In return, if you ever need help with anything, just tell me. I’ll grant you whatever you want.”
Guwon said it with deliberate confidence, as if to convince himself.
“Okay. That’s better than you being all gloomy.”
Sara’s expression was still cool, but it definitely seemed to have softened a little.
She used to get dead serious at the mere mention of the word ‘sex,’ but now, after being forced to do it, her attitude and expression have softened. What kind of magic was this?
“By the way, my level went up quite a bit. Is this also an effect of the Saint job?”
Come to think of it, Guwon hadn’t checked his stats after yesterday’s events either.
He hurriedly opened his status window, and a result that surpassed all his expectations appeared before his eyes.
Name: Guwon
Race: Human 24
Job: Saint 15 / Adventurer 3 / Martial Artist 12
Level: 15
HP: 4200/4200
Essence: 1500/1500
Strength: 55
Durability: 55
Agility: 51
Stamina: 30
Intelligence: 24
Spirit: 27
Charm: 64
Bonus Stats: 10
Status: Normal
What is this?
Last time with Alicia, he could understand the massive level jump since her level was probably incredibly high.
But to gain 3 levels after doing it with Sara, who was a lower level than him…
Should he be marveling at the greatness of the Saint skills? Or did they do it so many times that he gained this much, even though he couldn’t remember properly because of the chaotic situation?
Then again, they had kept at it until Sara’s wounds were completely healed.
Just how many times did this cool-faced woman in front of him orgasm yesterday?
Fuck. It must have been an amazing sight, but I can’t even remember it.
You stupid brain. Why can’t you do your job when it actually matters?
No, wait, she was covered in blood. Amazing sight, my ass. Good job, brain. You don’t need to remember.
Wait, then how much did Sara’s level go up?
He used Analyze to check Sara’s level and saw it was 14.
…Huh? 14?! No, even if Guwon’s level was higher than Sara’s and the Saint skills added an experience multiplier, what the hell is this?!
Don’t tell me I have premature ejaculation and just kept cumming the whole time without remembering?
He did recall an excessively long, sticky white string connecting them when they separated yesterday, but enough to raise her level by 6?
“W-Well… the Saint’s effects do increase pleasure, so leveling up does get faster, but…”
“I knew it. I thought it was strange that it went up so much.”
Yeah. It is too much.
Even with the Saint skills, it shouldn’t have gone up that much.
Besides, all the Saint skills Guwon had learned yesterday were skills that made his partner feel pleasure.
He only had two skills that helped his partner level up.
Sex Mastery, a skill that increased pleasure for both himself and his partner.
And Revived Pride, a skill that restored his member to its original state even after ejaculating.
And yet she leveled up that much.
Do I really have premature ejaculation? Just how many times did I cum for her to level up that much?
Guwon began to seriously worry about his sexual function.
“…So, about yesterday. I was…”
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but may I have a word?”
Just as Sara, her face faintly blushing, was about to say something, a person suddenly cut in, standing right next to their table.
How long had she been standing there? I didn’t notice her at all.
She was wearing a shabby robe with the hood pulled down low, obscuring her face and figure. Judging by her voice, however, she seemed to be a woman older than Guwon.
“What is it?”
“I did not intend to eavesdrop, but I happened to overhear something I could not ignore. You there, did you say you were a Saint? That you possess skills that heighten pleasure during sex?”
Her manner of speaking was quite old-fashioned, not matching her voice.
Then again, this wasn’t a world where you could judge someone’s age by their appearance or voice.
This was a world where the so-called Earth Goddess had gathered all sorts of races because she wanted to see their potential.
Just walking down the street, you could see many races that you would never mistake for human.
It was a city where Beastkin, lizardmen, dwarves, fairies, and a whole variety of nameless races gathered.
Among them, there were surely races like Elves, who had lifespans incomparable to humans.
“So what if I am?”
“Hmm. Interesting. If you wouldn’t mind, would you be willing to demonstrate it for me?”
“…What? And more importantly, who are you?”
Demonstrate? Does this robed woman know for sure that these are skills used during sex?
“My, my, how rude of me. The topic was so fascinating, I got ahead of myself. This one is Diana, a walker on the path of magic. Now then, would you show me this skill of yours?”
“What are you going to do after seeing it?”
“Is it not obvious? This one is a seeker of the infinite possibilities of the arcane. When one discovers a new possibility in magic, is it not human nature to wish to see it with one’s own eyes, feel it with one’s own body, and study it?”
This one this, this one that… she sure has a grandiose way of talking.
Is this that ‘eighth-grader syndrome’ I’ve heard about? Isn’t she embarrassed to talk like that in front of other people?
“Showing you isn’t hard, but I don’t have a partner. Who am I supposed to use it on?”
“Hmph, on this one, of course. I wish to experience for myself what that skill feels like.”
Huh?! Ooh?! Ooooh!
Yes, this is how it should be! Sara was the weird one after all!
In a world where you level up through sex, how could she be so resistant? It makes no sense!
This is what’s normal in this world, right?!
Of course, that didn’t mean he was going to jump at the chance.
I’m not that cheap of a man.
“Ahem. Well then, first, your face…”
“Wh-What are you talking about?!”
Sara suddenly shot up from her seat and shouted.
Now what’s with you all of a sudden?