Chapter 511: The Aftermath
Chapter 511: The Aftermath
“No. It’s not about that today. I came to thank you again.”
“Huh? Ah, I… I see the others aren’t with you today. But thank me? There’s no need. You really didn’t have to come all this way again. It’s my job, after all….”
Elder Sister Rachel confirmed that no one was behind me, and as soon as she realized her mistake, her face flushed with embarrassment.
For the record, I’d had Sara, Silvia, and Vanessa wait in the carriage.
I figured that if we all swarmed her to offer our thanks, we’d naturally draw a lot of attention, which might make Rachel uncomfortable.
“Your job… is it?”
“Ah…”
At my soft question, Rachel’s mouth snapped shut, her expression a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness.
Of course it wasn’t her job. A receptionist’s duties ended with making announcements to adventurers.
There was absolutely no reason for her to take the initiative and go searching for someone.
Much less offer to have sex to heal someone because they looked injured. Even if my party members had asked her beforehand, it wasn’t something one could do so easily. Not even in a world like this.
Besides, seeing how awkward she was, my tone must have reminded her of what I’d said before.
About how if we met again on the surface, and I confessed to her with a clear head, would she accept me then?
From my perspective, it was rather sad that she hadn't remembered it the moment she saw me.
Am I really that untrustworthy?
Did she truly think I wasn’t in my right mind back then, that I just got swept up in the moment when I confessed and kissed her?
No. She said she liked me too, so she wouldn’t see me as that kind of guy.
In that case, her reaction now… was probably because she was surprised, thinking I was heading into the dungeon, and her professional receptionist instincts kicked in first. The timing was just a little off, making things awkward. Yes, let’s believe that.
“Ah, um, excuse me…”
Rachel blushed, looking flustered as if she didn’t know what to say to me.
Since she was at a loss for words, I suppose I should lead the conversation.
“In any case, I had to come and thank you. You’re my lifesaver, after all.”
“…Your lifesaver? You’re exaggerating. You were safe anyway, Guwon. Besides, you were near the city.”
Hearing my words, Rachel’s expression fell for a moment in disappointment before she replied as if nothing was wrong.
Was she expecting, even just a little, that I was about to confess?
I’m sorry, Rachel. I will definitely confess, but not right here, right now.
I had set two goals for myself before I confessed to her.
First, I had to tell my party members the truth and get their permission.
And second, I had to accept Silvia first.
Actually, it would be great if I could accept Matilda as well, but as long as her curse isn’t broken, there’s no way to confirm her true feelings.
And since that curse couldn’t be broken in a short amount of time, I had no choice but to give up on accepting Matilda for now.
In any case, of those two goals, I had more or less accomplished one of them.
I had kissed Silvia, and though I’d been indirect, she had said she would accept me.
The problem was that I still hadn’t gotten permission from my party.
It made sense, considering I hadn’t even spent a single night alone with Diana since I’d returned alive.
To declare that I was going to accept another woman in that situation felt far too shameless, no matter how you looked at it.
So, my plan was to spend a night alone with each of the three of them at least once, and only then would I bring up the matter of Elder Sister Rachel.
Well, as a result, I ended up coming to see Rachel first, but here we are.
At any rate, since I hadn’t achieved all my goals, I decided to hold off on confessing to Rachel for now.
Getting their permission before I properly confessed to her was the bare minimum I owed my party, who had allowed me to bring other women into our relationship.
And besides, I never intended to confess to her like this, inside the Guild while she was working.
Therefore, instead of confessing, I decided to set a date for the confession.
“No. Even if I was near the city, I had no idea. If things had continued, I would have kept swimming toward the entrance, and I might have lost my mind in the process. You are my lifesaver. Once again, thank you so much for saving me.”
“Ah, no. It’s alright. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters. Now, please raise your head.”
“Yes. Thank you. And about that, Rachel.”
“Yes?”
Perhaps sensing instinctively that I wasn’t going to confess, her reply sounded somewhat deflated.
I can’t leave things like this. If only to protect the beautiful smile of the first woman I met in this world.
“As a reward for saving me… it’s far too humble to be called a reward, and I apologize for that, but I’d like to at least treat you to a meal.”
“…What?”
At my words, Rachel looked completely taken by surprise.
“Actually, a wonderful woman I know introduced me to a fantastic restaurant. Something came up that time, so I couldn’t eat properly, but the food was incredibly delicious. What do you think? I’m sure you’d like it too.”
“Gu-Guwon… is… is that… Are you really…?”
Hearing me go that far, she finally seemed to grasp the situation, her mouth opening and closing without a sound.
“You said you had a lot of vacation days saved up, right? Could you use just one more day off for me?”
That’s right. If I was going to confess to her, I decided I would also make up for my previous failure.
Before, I had thought of it as nothing more than treating her to a meal, but not this time.
This time, I would spend the day with her and have a meal together, with the proper feeling of being on a date.
“Ye-Yes…. I can…” she answered, her voice somewhat dazed, as if she couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.
“That’s a relief. Then when would be a good time?”
“To-Tomorrow… no! The day after tomorrow! The day after tomorrow!”
There she goes again.
Come to think of it, she did this last time, too.
Spending a whole day preparing to meet a man. She’s incredibly dedicated.
She went to all that trouble, so why on earth didn’t I notice? Why did I spout such foolish things, saying it wasn’t a date and was just a thank-you?
“I understand. The day after tomorrow, then. I’ll come to pick you up at your place at the same time as before. Is that alright?”
“Ye-Yes. Ah, um, the address is…”
“It’s okay. I remember it perfectly. How could I forget where you live?”
“I-Is that so…”
At my answer, Rachel blushed and shrank back a little.
Her reactions have been so fresh and innocent. Usually, I’m the one who reacts that way around her.
“Well then, Rachel. That’s all for today. I’ll see you the day after tomorrow.”
“Ye-Yes. Goodbye.”
When I said my farewells, she smiled and replied in kind, a reflexive habit from her work as a receptionist.
Good. With this, I’ve laid the groundwork. Now it all depends on how well I execute on the day.
Well, before that, I have to get permission from my party.
Pleased with myself for successfully setting up a date with Rachel, I clenched my fist inwardly and turned my back on her, who was still in a bit of a daze.
“…You seem rather pleased with yourself.”
And seeing me, Sara, who was standing at the Guild entrance, spoke in a cold voice.
“Sa-Sara?! Weren’t you in the carriage?”
“Why so surprised? What? Did you do something you didn’t want me to see?”
We were far from the reception desk, and the inside of the Guild was always bustling and noisy with adventurers, so I didn’t think she could have heard our conversation… but Sara’s intuition was sharp. She must have sensed something from watching me talk with Rachel.
“No. I didn’t do anything like that. I’ll tell you the details later. Now, we have to go to the temple next.”
I truly hadn’t done anything she shouldn’t see.
That was because I was planning to tell her everything tomorrow anyway.
“Huh? O-Oh, okay…”
But when I answered without flinching, Sara was the one who became flustered and followed me.
She probably felt like she’d just caught me cheating red-handed, but my confidence must have shaken hers.
It seemed stopping the carriage right in front of the busy Guild was a problem, as it was parked on the side of a road a little ways away.
We had taken the most ornate carriage from the mansion since we were planning to go to the palace, after all.
Ah, so that’s why Sara had come all the way over here.
That distance is definitely more than 100 meters… huh? Wait a minute.
It was then that I realized the critical mistake I had made.
Sara and I can’t be more than 100 meters apart… so how am I supposed to go on a date with Rachel?
Right, she’s not fully cured yet!
I thought I was calm, but I must have been subconsciously tense.
Dammit! How could I forget something so important!
What do I do? What the hell do I do? I’ve already made the promise.
Imagine making plans like that, then going back to her and saying, “Rachel, I’m sorry, but something came up, so let’s postpone our plans.”
There’s no way I could do that!
If I did that, she’d think that’s all a promise to me was worth, wouldn’t she!
Then should I just ask Sara to follow my date with Rachel from a distance?
…If I did that, this time she would really beat me to death. I’m not joking. For real.
I felt my back grow damp with cold sweat.
“Guwon? What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
My expression must have been quite alarming, because Sara, who had been suspicious of Rachel and me just moments ago, instantly wore a worried look and clung to me.
“What is this! You’re completely drenched in sweat! Are you really okay? Are you sick?”
Sara. Please. Don’t do that. Stop doing things that dig into my conscience.
A sudden wave of guilt is washing over me.
“Ah, ahaha. No. I’m fine. Yeah. It’s just, I’m a little nervous, actually.”
“Nervous?”
“Y-Yeah. The fact that the temple was going to dispatch people means there’s a chance not just the High Priestess here, but the Pope himself is involved. So I was thinking I might have to speak with the Pope. The thought makes me a little nervous.”
For now, that was the best I could do to deflect.
“What? You talk to princesses and cardinals so casually. Does facing the Pope make you nervous because you’re a Saint?”
“Haha. Well, something like that.”
At that, Sara finally let out a small laugh and lightly slapped my back as if to say, ‘Why get nervous over something like that?’
Of course, there was no strength in her palm, but my body trembled reflexively.
If I asked her to follow my date with Rachel from a distance, a smash thousands of times stronger than that would explode across my cheek, right?
Trembling at that terrifying thought, I got into the carriage and headed for the temple.
At the temple, I had only Vanessa wait in the carriage and went inside with Sara and Silvia.
As always, just being in this area drew so many looks of reverence that the pressure was immense.
Moreover, the popularity of the educational videos seemed to be holding strong, as the temple was incredibly crowded.
Of course, the path before me opened up like the parting of the Red Sea, but to avoid getting separated, I held Sara and Silvia tightly to my sides and made my way to High Priestess Sophia’s room.
“Hyaa… G-Guwon… I-I’ll just wait in the carriage…”
“You think you can get through that crowd with those legs? Stick close to me instead of getting swept away by the tide of people and getting lost.”
“…Silvia, your condition has really gotten worse.”
By then, Silvia had already visited heaven and back several times, her legs giving out as she lost her senses.
At this rate, will she ever be ready for something like the Apostle Appointment?
In any case, we met with High Priestess Sophia and offered our thanks for her help.
According to Matilda, all the priests who had been exploring the 4th Floor had lent their strength to the search for me.