Chapter 610: The Arachne Clan's Trap
Chapter 610: The Arachne Clan's Trap
On the way back to the mansion, I had no choice but to sit quietly in the carriage, maintaining my silence.
No, it’s not that I was particularly scared of Vanessa getting angry.
But shouldn’t I be a little considerate of her feelings?
Flirting with a new woman right in front of Vanessa, who had only just become mine, was definitely a bit careless of me.
Well, to be precise, I’d been trying to woo Elder Sister Rachel since before Vanessa even confessed to me, and this time, I had no choice but to act that way to clear up a misunderstanding.
In any case, it was only natural for Vanessa to be upset, so I decided to be considerate and just stay quiet.
Besides, this was Diana’s carriage.
Like Vanessa said, if we got into an accident, it could tarnish Diana’s reputation.
Right. Safe driving is important.
And so, with nothing else to do, I could only stare blankly at the scenery outside the window.
As we entered our high-end residential district, a massive mansion came into view.
The moment I saw it, I remembered something I had to do.
Honestly, it wasn't that important, but since I was already here, I figured it would be good to stop by, say hello, and take care of it. It wouldn't take long, anyway.
“Vanessa. Stop here.”
“…I said, you’re in the way.”
But as soon as I asked her to stop, Vanessa replied without even looking at me, her voice laced with tension.
“No, that’s not it. I meant let me off here.”
“…Here, sir?”
Once I clarified, Vanessa finally slowed the carriage and glanced back at me.
Through the small window opening into the driver’s seat, her face looked as stoic as ever, but at the same time, there was a hint of loneliness to it.
“No. It’s not that I’m bored riding in the carriage with you or anything. In fact, it’s a lot of fun. If I could, I’d love to keep riding like this, just the two of us…”
“No one said anything of the sort.”
Huh? Wait, no? Then what was that slightly lonely-looking deadpan expression just now? Was it just my imagination?
“So that’s what you were thinking.”
Vanessa’s expression shifted to one of slight disbelief. This time, it wasn’t my imagination.
“I told you, that’s not it. I really have something to take care of.”
“Here?”
“Yeah! Right here…”
As I said that and pointed to my destination outside the window, I trailed off at the sight that greeted me.
The place I was pointing to was the Arachne Clan’s clan house.
As usual, sexy guards in casual, slightly revealing outfits were guarding the gate, but for some reason, there were more of them than usual today. And every single one of them was staring this way with eyes full of curiosity.
“Wait a minute. It’s not what you think, okay?”
“……”
Hey, couldn’t you at least call me out for using formal language?
Silence is the scariest thing of all.
“For the record, I just have some business with the clan leader… and I don’t mean that kind of business! I have actual, proper business with her!”
“I haven’t said anything yet.”
“‘Yet’ means you’re about to! It’s really not like that, okay?! Don’t you trust me?!”
“No. I was just teasing.”
“Liar! You were completely serious!”
That was a look of immense, genuine suspicion! I’m definitely not mistaken this time either!
“Anyway, I’m getting off here. You go on ahead.”
“It seems to be an errand that will take a long time?”
“That’s… not what I meant!”
This woman! She’s still suspicious and trying to lead me on!
I almost absentmindedly said yes!
“I can’t make you wait just so I can ride in the carriage from here to the mansion, can I? That’s all it is.”
“Is that so? I don’t really…”
As I said that, the tension in Vanessa’s eyes finally eased a little as she mumbled.
I could guess what she was about to say next, and I sensed that my chance to turn the tables had finally arrived.
“Don’t really what? You could wait for me forever?”
“Didn’t you have business to attend to? Please get off.”
Of course, Vanessa wasn’t one to be taken down so easily.
But it was too late. The momentum had already shifted to my side!
“No, wait a second. I should hear you out before I get off. What is it? What were you going to say? Tell me. Huh? Huh?”
“Hiyah!”
“Agh! Hey! I get it! I’m getting off! I’ll get off, okay?!”
Did she really just try to take off?!
Honestly, she can’t take a joke. Would it kill her to say something sweet and obedient for once?!
“Anyway, I’m off. If you really want to wait…”
“Hiyah!”
No, at least let me finish my sentence before you go.
The moment I stepped out of the carriage, Vanessa drove off as if to declare she had absolutely no intention of waiting.
That girl. She’s the one who confessed to me and agreed to be my woman, right?
The Apostle’s Seal? Is the problem that I haven’t given her the Apostle’s Seal?
No, it’s not like the seal changes someone’s personality. This must just be her personality.
Well, it doesn’t matter. When we’re in a more playful mood, I’ll be able to take the lead.
Shaking my head at Vanessa’s attitude, which seemed to have barely changed even after she became my woman, I decided to finish my business at the Arachne Clan first.
“Hey! It’s true. He’s really coming this way!”
“Hide! Why are you guys out here?! What about training?! Never mind! Just hurry up and hide!”
As I approached the Arachne clan house, the women who had gathered near the main gate watching me began to stir.
You know, I already knew you were there, whether you tried to hide or not.
Still, seeing them get so flustered over one person approaching felt a little strange.
Did I do something?
I’ve gotten pretty famous lately, but the biggest contribution to my fame was that educational video.
In other words, there was no reason for adventurers, who didn’t need an educational video, to cheer at the sight of me. In fact, adventurers had always been rather lukewarm in their reactions to me compared to the general public.
Well, I guess I can’t complain if it’s just an effect of my fame.
Come to think of it, something similar happened yesterday.
…Wait a minute. Could it be that the reason adventurers have been so indifferent to me is because my girls were always around, keeping them in check, so they were just pretending?
Am I actually super popular among adventurers, too?
“W-What brings you here?”
As I got closer, the guard who had been at the gate from the start blocked my path and asked energetically.
Of course, my answer was already decided.
“I’m here to see Alicia.”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
The instant I answered, a shrill cheer erupted from behind me.
What? What was that?! What’s going on?!
And more importantly, weren’t you all supposed to be hiding?
“You mean Lady Alicia?”
Even the guard blocking my path was twitching her lips as if she had a million things to say, her curious eyes sparkling as she looked at me.
“Yes? Yes. Is she not here?”
“N-No! She is! She’s here! Of course she is! Please don’t go anywhere, wait right here! I’ll go tell her right away!”
It had already been a few days since I talked with Alicia after leaving the dungeon.
Knowing how hard she pushed those three, I thought she might have gone back into the dungeon already, but thankfully, it seemed she hadn’t.
For some reason, the guard repeatedly urged me not to leave before disappearing inside the mansion.
Is a guard even allowed to do that?
Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since there are so many people here who aren’t even trying to hide their gawking.
Not only were the onlookers not trying to hide, but they were even chattering amongst themselves loud enough for me to hear.
And among their words, this is what I picked up:
“Is spring finally coming for Lady Alicia?!”
The moment I heard that, everything suddenly started to make sense.
…Ah. Right. I see. So that’s what this is.
The reason the clan members were making such a fuss over me, the reason the guard said what she did and rushed inside—it was all because of that.
But to make that kind of mistake.
Well, it’s true that among the people in this clan, I was particularly close with Alicia.
And Alicia, well, she’s a beauty, and—not to brag—I’m a handsome guy.
It wasn’t impossible that, to outsiders, we looked like a well-matched, good-looking couple.
Objectively speaking, it was also possible that I looked like a guy who goes around making every beautiful woman around him his own.
But still, not Alicia.
I don’t just go after anyone, you know. For all my faults, I only make a move on women I’ve truly fallen for.
“Alicia and I aren’t like that.”
The misunderstanding was so absurd that I ended up muttering the words aloud.
And at that moment, as if on cue, the noisy surroundings were instantly enveloped in silence.
Hey, it’s scary when it suddenly gets this quiet.
What is it? Why such a serious reaction?
I mean, sure, unlike her appearance, Alicia can’t even land a single guy… right. On second thought, this is a serious matter. I see why you all were so excited. Sorry. But still, it’s not me.
“No, you see, I think Alicia has someone else she likes.”
Unable to bear the suffocating silence, I mumbled into the air as if making an excuse to someone.
It wasn’t a lie. She was trying to practice acting more feminine, even while I was teasing her about it. She definitely has a man in mind.
Of course, my words did nothing to dispel the suffocating silence that pressed down on the area.
In the end, I decided to just stare at the ground, as if to avoid the onlookers’ gazes.
“A-Ahem! What? What’s going on?”
How long had that uncomfortable silence lasted?
The guard who had gone into the mansion finally reappeared, with Alicia in tow.
“Alicia!”
“Whoa! What the—! Get off me, you bastard! S-Stay back!”
“Sorry. I was just happy to see you.”
“A-Ahem! We just saw each other a few days ago, didn’t we?”
“Well, yeah, but anyway. Is there somewhere quiet we can talk? Just the two of us.”
“W-What?! W-What do you mean…!”
“It’s just… a little crowded here. Is there a place?”
“F-Follow me!”
Honestly, all I had to do was explain what happened before, so we could have just talked here and parted ways without any issue, but the atmosphere here was just too gloomy.
Everyone was pitying Alicia.
The only one who hadn’t noticed was Alicia herself.
And so, I decided to lead Alicia away from this place.
The place we ended up was inside the mansion.
It was what looked like Alicia’s office. The reason I didn’t call it an office outright was because I doubted she actually did any work here.
No offense, I mean.
It’s just obvious she specializes in manual labor, right?
“S-So? A-Ahem! Why did you insist on going somewhere where we could be alone?”
Alicia asked, looking strangely restless.
It was a rather difficult question to answer.
I couldn’t possibly tell her that the atmosphere out there was one of pity for her predicament.
If I did, I’m not joking, she might literally rip my mouth open.
“Well, you see. There were a lot of people out there, right? It seems like they all thought we were in, you know, that kind of relationship. So it was a little uncomfortable.”
So, I decided to think a little harder and answer with a truth that wasn’t the whole truth.
“W-W-W-Whaaaaaat?!”
“Yeah, I know. There’s no way that could be true. Right?”
“R-Right! Hahahaha! O-Of course! Of course not! No way! Hah! With a little chick like you?! Me?! Huh?! Hah! Who said that?! Just let me find them! Ha, hah! …I’ll find them and kill them for sure.”
Hearing my answer, Alicia laughed with an expression of utter disbelief and slapped my back a few times before flashing a beastly smile and muttering under her breath.
“Ow! Ouch! That hurts! It hurts! Ow! N-No, I don’t know who said it. But you can’t kill someone just because you’re upset. Murder is wrong.”
Seeing that smile, I desperately endured the sharp pain in my back and had no choice but to try and stop her.
Seriously, though. Does she hate the idea of being misunderstood as being in a relationship with me that much?