Chapter 308: Quest Preparation
Chapter 308: Quest Preparation
“Guwon! You're finally back—kyaaaah! Guwon?!”
When I returned to the mansion, Sara, who happened to be practicing archery in the garden, saw my face and screamed.
“What happened to your face?! Was the quest that tough?!”
“No, this is... uh... it's nothing.”
It was too embarrassing to admit I ended up like this after getting hit for teasing Alicia.
You might ask, since Matilda was with me, couldn't I have gotten healed on the way back?
Well, about that. Matilda said I brought it on myself and, for some reason, got just as angry as Alicia. She even refused to heal me.
Thanks to that, I came back looking exactly like the mess Alicia made of me.
Hate the sin, not the sinner. Is it really okay for a member of the clergy to refuse treatment?
Well, I'm not shameless enough to actually say that, so I just came back without a word.
“Hm? What's going on?!”
“Guwon-ssi!”
And as if they'd heard Sara's scream, Diana and Leia rushed out of the mansion as though they had been waiting.
“What happened to your face?”
“Guwon-ssi! How did this happen!”
The moment Diana saw me, her expression hardened, while Leia, looking like she was about to cry, immediately began to heal me.
“No. It's nothing to worry about….”
“Speak! Who did this to you?! Looking at the wounds, these aren't from a monster! And what were Silvia and Matilda doing, letting you get beaten like this?!”
Diana shouted, exuding the full force of an Archmage for the first time in a while.
“To leave my husband in such a state! Is this not a complete disregard for me! Unacceptable! I shall show them exactly why I am called the supreme Archmage—!” “Wait! Wait, calm down, Diana!”
In the end, I had no choice but to swallow my pride and explain what happened.
“…You brought it on yourself.”
“Leia, do we even need to heal this guy?”
After hearing my explanation, Diana muttered in disbelief, and Sara’s words were even more merciless.
Hey. No matter what, how can you call your man 'this guy'? 'This guy.'
“Aha, ahahaha….”
Even Leia just laughed, looking troubled.
Still, Leia didn't stop healing me, which just proves she's a true angel.
“Anyway, nothing else happened, right?”
“Of course! Who do you think I am!”
“Hmm. Look me straight in the eye and say that again.”
“Really, nothing else happened!”
I looked Sara straight in the eye and repeated myself. This time, I truly had nothing to hide.
If anything, I deserved praise for protecting my chastity through all those crises.
“…Looks like you're telling the truth.”
“Sara. Can't you trust your oppa a little more?”
“You're saying that after getting beaten up for toying with a woman's pure heart?”
You always hit where it hurts in an argument. You coward. Is that how a Hero is supposed to act?!
“Were Silvia and Matilda alright?”
“U-uh… yes…”
“Of course.”
Matilda spoke confidently, but Silvia answered with a slightly dispirited look.
Huh? What's with Silvia now?
“Silvia-ssi? Did something happen?”
“W-well, it's just….”
“Guwon! What did you do this time?”
“I-I didn't do anything! Silvia?! What's wrong?!”
“Well, you all haven't been able to see Guwon-nim, but I… every night with Guwon-nim….”
“Oh, what the hell. That's what this was about. Phew. You scared me.”
Geez, Silvia. Did you confess because your conscience was bothering you?
You could stand to be a little more cunning.
Then again, if Silvia were that kind of person, I never would have gotten permission to sleep with her in the first place.
“I don't think this is the time for you to be relieved, you know?”
Perhaps finding my relief absurd, even Diana, who should have been angry, spoke in a slightly deflated tone.
“Hold on. I can explain everything.”
The moment I have sex with them, they'll find out I raised my level and Charm stat anyway.
So I never planned on hiding it. In fact, I was planning to brag about it.
Listen up! Hear about the bloody effort I went through to protect my chastity! I held out until the very end, holding only Silvia, whom you all permitted!
I took the armor I'd unequipped and stored in my inventory, proudly showed them the pierced section, and began to explain what had happened.
After hearing my tear-jerking tale of struggle, my girls were all deeply moved... not.
“What were you thinking?! What if you'd gotten hurt doing something like that!”
“That's right! Looking at where the armor was pierced, you could have died! Do you have any sense at all?!”
“Guwon-ssi. Why would you do something so dangerous?”
Sara and Diana were instantly furious, and even Leia spoke to me in a chiding tone.
“W-Why, you ask? For my chastity….”
“Do you think we care more about your chastity than your life?! If your life was in danger, you should have just done it, you idiot!”
I can't believe I protected my chastity just to be called an idiot!
But I could feel Sara's sincerity, so I wasn't angry. In fact, it warmed my heart.
Diana and Leia nodded in agreement with Sara.
“Sara is absolutely right. I know you acted that way for our sake, but there was no need to risk your life.”
“That's right, Guwon-ssi. For us, nothing would be sadder than you leaving this world.”
“Y-You guys…!”
“Do you understand? Of course, I'm happy that you think of us, but when you have no choice, just go ahead and do it.”
“That's right. We already know that your feelings for us won't change even if you sleep with other women. And we….”
As Leia spoke, she gently placed a hand over her chest.
Sara placed a hand on her upper hip, and Diana placed one on her lower abdomen, each stroking the spot softly.
As if to say that even if I held another woman, as long as they had the Apostle's Seal, they would be the only special ones.
“Besides, we confessed to you knowing you were already two-timing. At the point we accepted Silvia, it doesn't really matter if you sleep with more women.”
Sara said it with a slight pout, but it was obvious to anyone that she was just feigning discontent.
“You're just exci—” “You idiot!” “Keoheok… huh…?”
Just as I was about to tease her, Sara threw a punch at me. I instinctively braced for the pain, but when her fist actually landed, it didn't hurt at all.
…Right. I remember now. I raised my Durability. A whole damn lot of it, what a waste!
It doesn't hurt, so why are tears suddenly welling up?
“W-Wait! Did it hurt that much?! I-I'm sorry!”
Sara panicked and started rubbing the spot she'd punched, but I grabbed her hand and shook my head.
“No. It didn't hurt at all. That's why I'm sad.”
My muttering left the girls looking completely baffled.
You'll never understand the feeling of ruining your character with a bad stat distribution.
“A-Anyway! Just because we said you can sleep with other women doesn't mean you can go around hitting on just anyone! It just means it's okay if a situation arises where you absolutely have to!”
“Of course. Do I look like the kind of guy who would hit on anyone when I have you all?”
“A little.”
“Indeed. Perhaps we've made a mistake.”
Sara and Diana said, their voices tinged with playfulness.
So that's how you want to play it, huh?
“H-How could you?! Leia! You trust me, right?!”
I looked at Leia, feigning exaggerated shock.
Hmph. This is what you call a counter. Get ready to be jealous.
“Ummm….”
I expected Leia to give me a gentle smile and pull me into her bountiful bosom, but surprisingly, she hesitated, a troubled look on her face.
“L-Leia?!”
“I-I'm sorry. I just got caught up in the mood and tried to joke around a little. Please don't make that face.”
Seeing me get even more flustered, Leia finally smiled and pulled me into a hug.
Phew. Thank goodness. If even my angel didn't believe in me, I might have truly lost all hope in life.
Haaah. As expected, being held against this chest calms my soul. It really feels like I'm home.
“You and your obsession with chests!”
“Hahaha! That's right! Breasts are the best! Leia-nunim's big breasts are the best!”
“U-Uuuu…!”
I was just teasing her back for what she did earlier, but Diana took more serious damage than I expected and teared up.
“Hey, I-I'm kidding! Diana's small breasts are the best, too!”
“Don't call them small! I... If I just grow a little more...!”
“Of course, of course. I know.”
I quickly pulled away from Leia's chest and hugged Diana.
Her feelings hurt, Diana meekly let me hold her, wrapping her arms tightly around my waist and rubbing her face against my clothes to wipe her tears.
“What do you think you're doing now…. Anyway, Guwon, you don't even look that happy to see us after so long.”
“What are you talking about?! I missed you guys so much the entire time I was in the dungeon! This won't do! From now on, I'll show you with my body…!”
“This pervert always has to ruin the moment by saying things like that!”
“Guwon-ssi… even so, doing it with everyone else here is….”
“Huh? No, wait! That's not what I meant! I just meant a hug! For real! Believe me!”
I know perfectly well that being seen by others is a taboo for clerics, so why would I be crazy enough to try for a foursome that includes Leia?
But Sara was still looking at me with suspicious eyes. No, wait, looking closely, the corners of her mouth are turned up, aren't they?
Is she so happy to see me after a while that she just wants to keep teasing her oppa?
“Hmph!”
In the end, I just pulled all three of them into a group hug.
“Kyaa!”
“Oh my!”
Sara let out an obviously fake scream, and Leia wore a warm smile as they were pulled into my arms.
“Ugh! D-Don't put your chest on my head!”
...cried Diana, who was already in my arms, completely horrified.
“…May I be excused now? I'm tired.”
Just then, a voice broke the mood. It was Matilda, who had been silently watching us fool around.
You were still here?
“Oh, uh. Yeah. You worked hard, too.”
“……For now, I suppose.”
Matilda muttered, sounding a little lonely, and turned away.
“Thank you so much, Matilda-ssi.”
“You really went through a lot.”
“Cardinal, thank you once again.”
My girls each offered their thanks to cover for me, but Matilda didn't even pretend to listen and walked off toward the hallway where her room was.
I would have felt more at ease if she'd been prickly like usual, but seeing her react like that makes me feel incredibly sorry.
After all, she came along to help me, and she was actually a huge help.
To think I can't even thank her properly because I have to pretend I don't know her curse doesn't work on me.
I couldn't help but feel that something about this was wrong.
Right. Since Matilda's gone, maybe I should talk to the girls about it?
No. On second thought, that would only put them in a difficult position.
You could say Matilda's case is very similar to Silvia's. No, is it more similar to Leia's?
Silvia could at least have sex with other people, but for Leia and Matilda, sex with anyone else is impossible.
With Silvia, they ultimately allowed me to bring her along out of pity.
If they find out I'm not affected by Matilda's curse, they might feel a similar pity for her.
Of course, they'd struggle with jealousy again like last time, but my kind-hearted girls would likely give in to their pity and approve of Matilda, too.
So, to prevent them from having to face that dilemma in the first place, it might be best to keep this a secret from them for the time being.
But is there really no way to save Matilda, then?
If I could at least break the curse…. I could do it by getting Leia to level 250, but that would take far too long.
…Huh? Wait. Come to think of it….
“Hey, girls. There's something I'm curious about regarding Matilda's curse.”