Chapter 361: Guwon's Counterattack
Chapter 361: Guwon's Counterattack
“Well then, I'll be off.”
As we reached the Guild’s main entrance, Diana turned to me and spoke.
“Yeah. Be careful. Don't get hurt. Did you pack everything you need?”
“I'll be fine. Do you think I'm a child?”
Even as she said that, her expression showed she didn't entirely dislike me fussing over her.
After all, I had treated her well last night, just as I’d promised.
I didn't indulge in any perverted acts and did everything exactly as she wanted.
She might have gotten genuinely angry if I'd tried anything strange at night after what we did during the day. Besides, knowing I wouldn't see her for a few days, I wasn't in the mood for any more games.
Anyway, the point is, I satisfied her completely, so Diana was in a very good mood right now.
“You, on the other hand, try not to cause any trouble while I'm gone.”
“Hey, what trouble could I cause? I'll just stay cooped up at home and be good with the girls.”
“Hmm… Just be moderate, I say.”
“Yeah. I'll save up enough so I can hold you the moment you get back.”
“Th-that's not what I meant!”
Diana clamped a hand over my mouth, glancing around to see if anyone had heard.
What's the point of covering my mouth now?
“A-anyway, just behave yourself! Behave!”
Looking embarrassed, Diana shouted only those words before scurrying off into the Guild.
The ladies from the Mage Association followed her, watching with amused smiles.
Alright, so, should I head home and behave like Diana told me to?
The only reason I came this far was to help carry their equipment, after all.
To go to the dungeon, Diana naturally had to stop by the blacksmith's shop where she'd left her gear.
Since the plan was to head straight to the dungeon from there, it would have been difficult for her to carry the other girls' equipment too, so I came along to move it.
And while I was at it, I ended up seeing her off at the Guild's entrance.
Truthfully, since we came in a carriage driven by Vanessa, I could have just left the equipment transport to her. But the thought of not seeing my Diana's face for a few days made me feel lonely.
“Alright. So, Vanessa. Where should we go have some fun first?”
“………….”
“I-I'm kidding. Don't look at me like that.”
Well, she's expressionless, but still.
Stop staring at me blankly without a word.
“Is that so.”
Hey, it was really a joke, okay? What would I even do, going out to have fun with a block of wood like you?
Besides, I'm the Saint who's currently the center of attention in this entire city. No, maybe the entire world.
Even now, people's stares are incredibly intense.
I figured I was already exposed the moment I got into Diana's carriage, so I came without wearing a robe, but this is more than I imagined.
If these were the gazes of women, I would've been quite pleased.
But being stared at with such longing by a bunch of guys from all directions couldn't be more agonizing.
“Come on, let's get going.”
I climbed into the incredibly luxurious carriage and hurried Vanessa.
If all the ladies from the Mage Association hadn't been coming, we would have taken a smaller carriage, but since we couldn't come separately, we took the largest and most luxurious one from Diana's mansion today.
“…Why are you sitting there?”
Seeing me in the coachman's seat, Vanessa asked, her eyes filled with wariness again.
Has she already forgotten that I held back to the very end even when she was the one coming on to me?
I don't know what she's so on guard about.
“Hm? Oh, I wanted to see how you drive the carriage up close. It looks fun. Why? Is it not allowed?”
“…It is not.”
Vanessa said that and then lightly jumped up next to me.
But instead of sitting, Vanessa just stood there, looking down at me.
Even for a large carriage, the coachman's seat itself wasn't that big. Is she saying she doesn't want to sit right next to me?
Wow, even I get a little hurt when I'm rejected this strongly.
I'm more sensitive than I look, you know.
“Vanessa?”
“Yes. We will depart now.”
But when I called her name, Vanessa seemed to make up her mind and sat down beside me.
Since Vanessa is quite well-built for a woman, her hip and one of her thighs were pressed perfectly against mine.
I see. This is something to be a little embarrassed about.
Of course, I'm not embarrassed at all. In fact, I couldn't be more pleased.
“By the way, Vanessa.”
“…Yes.”
“The clothes?”
“……Yes?”
“The maid outfit. When are you going to give it back? I want it back as soon as possible, since I don't know when I might have a use for it.”
“……I will give it to you when we return.”
Ah, for some reason, I felt like I could read her expression just now.
It was a look that said, ‘At least say you have a use for putting it on someone, not just a use for it.’
“Mm. Please do….”
“Haaack! Ptui!”
Just as I was nodding in satisfaction, mimicking Diana, I suddenly heard that incredibly vulgar sound from nearby.
I turned my head toward the sound and saw some average-looking guy staring our way with a pissed-off expression.
It was that so-called Hero I'd met just yesterday.
To run into him again today after seeing him yesterday.
That bastard bad-mouthed me so much, could he actually be stalking me?
I wouldn't mind a cute stalker like Silvia, but if it's a guy, I can't guarantee how I'll react.
It might be different if he had some connection to Sara, but considering what Diana said yesterday, that didn't seem to be the case.
Come to think of it, I never asked for details about the Hero.
I could have asked on the way to the Guild.
I was so focused on fooling around with Diana because of the thought of not seeing her for a few days that I completely forgot.
Anyway, I can just ask about that later. Why did that guy suddenly pop up and make a face like that?
Is he saying he doesn't like me?
He was definitely talking shit about me yesterday, but when we were face-to-face, he was just a pathetic loser who couldn't even curse me properly.
Ah, I see. Was it because Diana was there yesterday that he couldn't run his mouth?
For now, I decided to take his bait.
Never ignore a challenge thrown your way. That's my philosophy.
I gestured for Vanessa to stop the carriage and looked down on the guy contemptuously.
“Hey. You, the ugly one. Was that directed at me?”
“Ugly one?! Are you talking to me?!”
Simple bastard. The taunt was super effective.
It seems he's really insecure about his looks.
Could it be that he's picking a fight with me because he's jealous of my handsome face?
Well, not that I have any intention of letting him off the hook for starting it.
“Is there anyone else ugly here besides you? Anyway, I asked first. Did you just spit at me?”
Even if the carriage was moving slowly through the street, to stop a passing carriage and pull a stunt like that… This guy is a psycho beyond imagination.
“Hmph…! So what if I did?!”
“First, let me ask, when have we ever met that you're picking a fight with me?”
“Y-you bastard! Don't tell me you don't remember me!”
“How could I possibly remember someone who looks like you? Who are you?”
“Y-y-youuuuu!”
The guy's face turned beet red with rage, and he stomped his feet as if he didn't know what to do with himself.
Huh? Don't tell me meeting at the restaurant yesterday wasn't the only time?
That reaction is way too hostile for it to be just about yesterday.
When the hell did we meet?
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn't come up with anything.
I don't want to remember every single guy's face in the first place.
I coolly gave up on trying to remember when I'd met him and decided to end this fight.
“Hey. You. Can't you see the emblem painted on the carriage I'm riding in?”
“What? What does that have to do with… Ugh!”
The guy must have finally noticed the emblem symbolizing Diana, because his face paled slightly.
Isn't this guy dumber than I could have possibly imagined?
“Diana. Some guy I don't even know is picking a fight with our carriage. What should I say to him?”
“Grrr… M-my apologies, Supreme Archmage….”
As I spoke while looking into the empty carriage, the guy bowed his head and apologized.
Just as I thought. The typical behavior of a petty man, weak to the strong.
“Remember this well, ugly. Our current eye levels represent the gap between us. Not just in looks, but in every single way. If you understand, watch how you act from now on. If you're going to be ugly, you should at least have a kind heart.”
“Grrrrrrr.”
Whether the guy was grinding his teeth with his head bowed or not, I said my piece and had Vanessa move the carriage again.
As the horses started to move slowly, I added one last comment.
“Hey. For your information, Diana's not here right now. You just bowed your head to me.”
“You son of a…!”
The moment I said that, the guy flew into a rage and tried to charge the carriage, but my next words stopped him in his tracks.
“The carriage does belong to Diana, though, so it would be very troublesome if you damaged it.”
“Graaaah! Just you wait!”
To think a guy like that is a Hero. Well, even Diana called him a Hero, so I guess it must be true.
The more I saw of him, the more his petty behavior was just unbelievable.
Should I try using Analyze on him?
I leaned my head out the side of the carriage and used Analyze on him.
Level: 198
Job: Hero Warrior
Race: Demonkin
Then, as if on cue, my Analyze skill must have leveled up, because in addition to the level and job I'd seen before, one more piece of information appeared.
Huh? Wait a minute. His race is Demonkin?
That's the same as Sara…
The moment I had that thought, the carriage turned a corner, and he disappeared from view.
Demonkin.
Considering what Diana said yesterday, I was sure there was no blood relation between Sara and that guy.
She said there had been other Heroes besides the one from his family line, after all.
Unless the gene pool was completely lopsided, it was hard to believe a guy like that and Sara shared the same blood. I was certain Sara had to be descended from that other Hero.
Besides, it doesn't make sense to secretly raise the daughter of a famous Hero family as a country girl.
Especially not in a situation where he's supposedly the only Hero left.
But for their race to be the same.
Can a coincidence like this really exist?
The same Hero job, the same Demonkin race. It's too strange to be a coincidence.
As the carriage moved on, I randomly used Analyze on people who looked human.
But as expected, I didn't see a single Demonkin.
Even if she wasn't from the same bloodline, the suspicion that Sara and that Hero's family were connected in some way grew stronger.
Before, Diana had suggested that Demonkin might just be one of the many races the Goddess brought over from another world.
I thought that might be the case back then, but now I've changed my mind.
Could it be that the Demonkin race has some connection to the Hero bloodline?
That thought made my head even more jumbled.
This comes right after I started suspecting that the dungeon might have been made from the body of a Demon God.
Demon God and Demonkin. They sound incredibly related.
What the hell is this Demonkin race, anyway?
Of course, I was curious about their possible connection to the Demon God, but more importantly, my Sara is a Demonkin.
My love for Sara won't change even if Demonkin are a race related to the Demon God.
But I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
A tragic storyline caused by one's race is a classic trope in these kinds of fantasy worlds, after all.
To prevent such a tragedy, I felt I needed to investigate the Demonkin more thoroughly.
But how?
Even Diana, who has lived longer than anyone, doesn't seem to know about the Demonkin race.
A clue… Come to think of it, that guy's family was said to be a line of Heroes for generations.
In other words, could it be that they've been Demonkin for generations, too?
Perhaps information about it has been passed down through his family?
I didn't hear the details from Diana, but it's possible that Hero's family line has continued since before Diana was even born.
If so, it's entirely plausible that some kind of lore exists that even Diana doesn't know about.
Looks like I need to meet that guy again.
“Master Guwon.”
As I was organizing my thoughts, Vanessa called my name from beside me.
“Hm?”
“Forgive my presumption, but I must say something. That man is known, even among the nobles famous for that sort of behavior, for having the most ill-mannered and vulgar personality. Engaging with him will only drag you down to his level. Your actions reflect upon Lady Diana's dignity, so would it not be better to refrain from such behavior as you displayed earlier? No. I believe it would be best to avoid meeting him altogether in the future.”
“Ah, yeah. I'll be careful from now on.”
I don't know. Hearing her put it so bluntly makes me feel a bit strange.
To be honest, I'm aware that I was being similarly childish just now.
Should I explain it as an ‘eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth’ strategy?
No. Vanessa was considerate enough not to say I was on the exact same level, so making excuses would just be pathetic, wouldn't it?
Then again, was she really being considerate?
I stared intently at Vanessa's face, but her facial muscles still didn't twitch in the slightest.
I mean, forget not being able to read her intentions from her words. Isn't it normal for someone to at least get a little flustered when a guy with a Charm stat as high as mine is pressed up against them and staring like this?
I have absolutely no intention of hitting on Vanessa, but I kind of feel like I've lost.