Chapter 237: Apostle Appointment
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: Apostle Appointment
“Ah, good morning!”
In the end, we lazed around in bed until Vanessa came to get us, only then finally making our way down to eat.
In the dining hall, Sara, Leia, and Silvia were already seated.
Silvia, seemingly quite awkward about greeting me first thing in the morning, blushed and practically shouted.
“Good morning, Guwon, Diana!”
“Morning. Good morning to you too, Diana. Seeing that look on your face, I take it things went well.”
“Hmph. Can you tell?”
Diana puffed out her chest with a proud expression.
Was it just my imagination, or did she seem to be sticking her hips out a little, too?
Don’t tell me she wants to show off the seal. Just stop.
Of course, I was thrilled that the Apostle Appointment skill had succeeded, but that seal wasn’t exactly in a location you could just show off, was it?
In truth, the seal was more like a bonus, so I could adjust not only its intensity but also its position as I pleased.
But I hadn’t moved it from Diana’s lower abdomen.
It was a spur-of-the-moment idea at the time, but isn’t that a great spot? It’s perfect for stimulating Diana’s perverted side, too.
Throughout the meal, I could feel Silvia’s gaze on me. But whenever I met her eyes, she would quickly look away.
Honestly, it was cute.
And separately from that, I was convinced she was the right person for the job.
“Silvia.”
“Cough! Ye-Yes! I won’t look!”
“No, it’s fine. You can look. It’s not like I’ll wear out. More importantly, instead of heading back right after you eat, could you stay at the mansion for a little while?”
“Ye-Yes? Would that be alright?”
I asked just in case, but as expected, Silvia looked delighted.
“Yeah. And everyone else, I have something to talk about after we eat.”
“Something to talk about?”
They all looked at me with question marks floating over their heads.
To be honest, I was a little intimidated.
I was definitely going to get an earful. No matter how you looked at it, I’d be chewed out. Even I had to admit this was a completely selfish act.
But even if they called me a selfish bastard, I had already made up my mind.
After we finished eating, I took Sara, Diana, and Leia to my room.
For the record, I had Silvia wait in the room next door for the time being.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Right. Well, we’re going to keep going to the dungeon from now on, right?”
“Mm. What of it?”
“I’ll get straight to the point. I want to add Silvia to our clan as a sub-tank.”
“What? Guwon, you…”
“B-But the clan mark…!”
“Oh my…”
As expected, all three of them had complicated expressions.
Diana, knowing the origin of our clan mark, seemed to be objecting for a different reason than the others.
“I know how this must sound. But after this last dungeon trip, I truly felt the importance of a sub-tank. If Silvia hadn’t been there, one of you might have been seriously hurt. Besides, there could be more enemies like the golem that my Saint skills don’t work on. Against foes like that, Silvia is actually a better tank than I am. We really need a sub-tank.”
“B-But, you! Joining our clan means getting this emblem carved on her, and…!”
“Ah, don’t misunderstand. It’s a selfish thought, but to me, you three are my everything. I have no intention of making Silvia my woman or anything like that. Honestly, I can’t say I’ll never have sex with Silvia again, since an unavoidable situation like last time might come up. But outside of times like that, I plan to maintain our relationship strictly as colleagues who clear the dungeon together. I know it’s selfish, but…”
“But what Silvia wants from you is pleasure, isn’t it? Would she really agree to join our clan under those conditions?” Leia asked.
“This might be my own arrogance talking, but she’s the girl who stalked me just because she wanted to see my face, right? I figure I can just tell her to follow me around and I’ll let her keep looking at me.”
“Guwon, that’s just too…”
“I know. It would be too cruel to Silvia. And it’s a shameless thing to do, asking a girl I once rejected to tag along now that I need her. But your safety is more important to me than anything else. If we’re going to keep going into the dungeon, Silvia’s presence is absolutely necessary. I’m sorry to say it, but if I can use her, I will.”
As I spoke in a firm voice, they all fell silent, their faces etched with contemplation.
The first to speak was Sara.
“I’m against it.”
“Sorry, Sara. Even if you’re against it, I have to push this through. Rather than see you all in danger…”
“The man I love isn’t someone who uses another person’s feelings just to satisfy his own needs. I don’t want my man to become that kind of person for the sake of protecting us.”
“But Sara…”
“That’s why!”
Sara cut me off, her tone forceful.
“That’s why it’s okay to hold Silvia.”
“What?”
“That’s what she wants, isn’t it? Don’t just use her one-sidedly. Form a relationship where you both get what you want. Besides, seeing your attitude, Guwon, I trust that something like that won’t be enough to change your feelings for me.”
“I feel the same way as Sara. Treating Silvia the way you suggested… it’s just too pitiful for her,” Leia added, taking my hand and pulling it into a tight hug against her chest.
“Hmph. In any case, you are utterly smitten with us. I trust that your heart won’t be swayed by a mere physical relationship. Therefore, I too shall permit such a physical relationship.”
Finally, Diana spoke, placing a hand gently on her lower abdomen.
“You… you guys…!”
“Ah! But don’t get the wrong idea! This is only on the condition that you respect all of our turns and only do it occasionally when you have free time! And we’re only allowing it because we trust you won’t betray us!”
“Yeah. Of course. As long as I have you all, I don’t need anything else!”
How could I possibly betray them when they trusted me this much?
Overcome with emotion, I pulled Sara, who was right in front of me, into a tight embrace.
To be loved by girls like these… I’m truly a lucky bastard.
“Don’t you ever forget. I won’t forgive you if you betray me. I’m the main wife, after all,” Sara whispered as if making a vow, still in my arms.
“What are you talking about, taking advantage of the chaos! I am the main wife!” Diana immediately protested.
Seriously, can’t you all just get along and be the main wives?
“Hmph. No matter what you say, Diana, I was the one who met him first,” Sara said.
“Hah. Is that paltry reason all you have to call yourself the main wife?”
Normally, Diana would have shouted that the order didn’t matter, but today was different.
Instead, she wore a relaxed expression and suddenly lifted her skirt high.
Of course, it wasn’t because her exhibitionism had suddenly gotten worse.
Lifting her skirt, Diana pointed to the emblem drawn on her lower abdomen.
“Behold! You may have met him first, but I was the one to receive his mark first! Do you have such a thing on your body?!”
I had a feeling she’d been dying to show it off all morning, and now she’d finally done it.
Your panties are showing.
“…Guwon. Care to explain?”
Diana’s provocation—lifting her skirt and showing off her underwear—looked a little foolish from the side, but it seemed to have worked perfectly on Sara.
Sara’s expression hardened as she stared at my face.
Was it my imagination, or did Leia’s grip on my hand tighten as well?
“Well, you see…”
“It is the mark of a successful skill that can only be used when the index of a loving heart, what you call the affection rating, has reached its maximum! It is proof that this body and this man’s hearts are perfectly connected!”
“Hey, you. Quiet down for a second, you exhibitionist. What are you so proudly blabbering about while showing your number one erogenous zone to everyone? You’re such a pervert.”
“Hyaaaa! Th-That’s not it!”
At my words, Diana’s face turned beet red as she hastily pulled her skirt down.
It seemed that in her moment of triumph, she hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Having easily silenced Diana, I turned to Sara.
“It’s just that the skill was necessary for Diana to break through her limits, so I used it on her first. What does the order matter? Don’t worry, for you too…”
“Do it right now.”
“H-Huh?”
“It’s my turn today, isn’t it? Do it right now.”
“But Sara, didn’t you say before that turns were only for the nighttime?”
Sara’s powerful demand was immediately shot down by Leia’s counterattack.
“What? That’s…!”
“So, Guwon. What do you say? From now on, you and I could…”
I may be dense, but I knew one thing for sure.
If I went to perform the Apostle Appointment on either of them right now, I’d be nagged by the other for the rest of my life.
“N-No! I’m not doing it with either of you! What are you two shamelessly saying in the middle of the day?!”
“What?! Do you have any right to say that, Guwon?!”
“Sh-Shameless? The Goddess herself…”
They both looked like they had more to say, but I decided to coolly ignore them.
“Anyway, that kind of thing is for the night! Right now, I have to go talk to Silvia! I haven’t actually said anything to her yet and consulted with you guys first, so we need to talk it over together!”
With that, I bolted for the next room as if I were escaping.
In times like these, the best course of action is to leave the scene and face them again once they’ve cooled down a bit.
Nothing good ever comes from a man getting stuck in the middle of a catfight.
“Ah! Guwon!”
“Don’t run away!”
Sorry. I’ll make it up to you tonight by tormenting you until you beg me to stop, so just bear with it for now.
I quickly entered the next room and shut the door.
This would probably lead to another misunderstanding about what I was doing with Silvia, but it was better for me to be the common enemy than to be unable to take either side and get stuck in the middle of their bickering.
Silvia, who had been sitting there with a dazed expression, jumped in surprise as I entered, her whole body tensing up.
“Silvia. Let’s talk.”
“Ye-Yes! Please do!”
Silvia placed both hands neatly on her knees and exclaimed.
Don’t be so formal. It brings back bad memories.
But now that I was actually about to talk to her, I was at a loss for where to begin.
Ah, screw it. It’s best to be direct with these things.
“Silvia. Become my comrade!”
“Yes! Huh? What?”
That was easy. People really should just get to the point when they talk.
“Alright. You said yes, right? Then starting today, you’re in our clan.”
“Huh? Yes? Huh?”
“You said it before, didn’t you? That it would be enough if I just took you along and held you sometimes, and you begged me to let you stay by my side. I’m saying I’ll do just that.”
“Wha-? I-Is that really true…?”
“Yeah.”
As if she couldn’t believe my words, Silvia raised a hand and pinched her own cheek.
The way her soft cheek stretched out nearly a centimeter was adorable.
“It doesn’t hurt. It must be a dream…”
“It’s not a dream!”
“Hyaaaaaa!”
When I lightly enveloped my hand with Saint’s Touch and touched Silvia, she leaped up from her spot with a sensual cry.
“If you’ve changed your mind and don’t want to stay under those conditions…”
“No! I want to stay! B-But what about Diana and the others…?”
“I’ve convinced them for now. They said it’s fine as long as you don’t interfere with their time. But are you really okay with this? I’m really only going to hold you occasionally, when I have spare time. And I won’t treat you the same way I treat the other three.”
“…I am prepared for that much. Thank you so much for just letting me stay by your side.”
It felt strange to be thanked for offering such conditions.
If anything, I should be the one thanking her for the chance to hold a girl like this whenever I wanted.
“But there’s something I need to check first. Did you get proper permission from your family? And from the princess? Did you quit being a knight?”
“You don’t need to worry about my family. My mother said that my living a happy life is what’s most important, and she respected my decision. Her Highness the Princess felt the same. As for being a knight… well, it’s been arranged so that it looks like the princess gave me a mission to stick with you all. I haven’t quit yet. But if you tell me to quit, Sir Guwon…!”
“No, you don’t have to quit. Do whatever is comfortable for you. Anyway, I’m planning on bringing you into our clan. I’ll lay out the conditions properly.”
I explained to Silvia the conditions my party had mentioned earlier.
And I made it clear that my heart belonged to the other three, and that I was recruiting her out of necessity.
I believe the most important thing between comrades is building trust. It’s better to lay everything out in the open than to try and hide things poorly.
Silvia’s expression turned slightly bitter, but she nodded as if it were only natural.
“Yes. I understand everything. Thank you so much for letting me stay by your side.”
“No, thank you. From today on, I’m counting on you as a fellow clan member.”
“Yes, sir! I look forward to working with you!”
Silvia firmly grasped the hand I offered and exclaimed.