Chapter 638: Guwon, the Pure-Hearted Man
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 638: Guwon, the Pure-Hearted Man
After spending a relaxing time together at a cafe for the first time in a while, we picked up our gear from Hanna and headed straight for the Guild.
“Guwon, what did you do now?”
The moment we arrived at the Guild, Sara eyed me with suspicion and said just that.
And for good reason—for some reason, we were getting a lot of attention.
The Guild was bustling with people, but most of them were adventurers.
In other words, they were people who normally didn’t pay me much mind.
So for them to suddenly be staring at me so intently, I could completely understand Sara’s reaction.
Especially since their gazes weren’t just curious; they were filled with a strange, hard-to-describe nuance.
Although, it was recently revealed that the adventurers weren’t as uninterested in me as I’d thought.
I’d even heard that they just couldn’t approach me because I was always surrounded by women.
But Sara doesn’t know that.
And even if she did, it wouldn’t explain why we were getting such blatant stares from all directions, especially since we were all together as a group.
“Come on, Sara. What do you mean, ‘what did I do’? Do you really think I go around causing trouble every day?”
“……”
Hey. Don’t give me that look that says, ‘Are you serious?’ It’s hitting a little too close to home.
“Fine. I admit I tend to cause my fair share of trouble, but this time, it’s not me.”
Unable to withstand the pressure of her gaze, I finally took a step back but insisted that these stares had nothing to do with me.
And I meant it. I really had no idea what was going on.
No, actually… that’s not entirely true. It’s not like I couldn’t guess the reason.
After the commotion Rachel and I caused at the Guild the other day, I figured it was possible that rumors had spread, drawing this attention.
I’m a Saint, and she’s the Guild Master’s daughter. We’re certainly newsworthy.
But the emotion in their gazes felt too strange for it to be just that.
I guess the only way to find out the details is to ask Rachel directly.
Rachel would definitely know something.
Even if it wasn’t related to her, she’s always at the Guild, so she must have overheard something.
“Anyway, don’t worry about the stares. They’ll disappear once we’re in the dungeon. I’ll be right back.”
With that, I hurried over to Rachel.
And just as I expected, there she was, unable to even meet my eyes.
“Elder Sister. I’m here.”
“Oh, w-welcome…”
When I spoke to her, she finally greeted me in a voice so small it was barely a whisper.
It was a complete contrast to the usual, flawless receptionist I knew.
It’s incredibly rare to see her like this.
No, maybe this is the first time?
Of course, I’d noticed she was more clueless about romance than she let on, but she was always someone who came perfectly prepared with her mental rehearsals.
At least in front of me, she had always played the part of a mature woman well-versed in the art of love.
For her to have completely lost her composure like this from the very start…
What’s more, every time her darting eyes accidentally met mine, her pupils trembled violently.
“Elder Sister. Is something wrong?”
“N-No?! What do you mean, wrong?! Nothing’s wrong at all!”
Come on, Rachel. You’re way too flustered. Just calm down a little.
What on earth could have happened to make her act like this?
The last time I saw her, we parted with her being just a little embarrassed.
But that should have been something she could overcome with her usual mental rehearsals.
Besides, her expression now wasn’t one of embarrassment.
What should I call it? It was almost as if… she was afraid?
But Rachel? Afraid of me?
I don’t know what happened, but it was clear that something had, and it was deeply related to her.
“Rachel?”
“…I-I’m sorry!”
When I called her name again, she looked at me with eyes full of guilt, then bowed her head deeply in apology.
“Well, it’s a bit hard to accept an apology when I don’t even know the reason. What’s going on? Did you cause some kind of trouble?”
I deliberately responded to her apology in a light tone, but her expression didn’t improve.
In fact, it darkened even more, as if she really had caused trouble, and she didn’t give me a proper answer.
“Rachel, you trust me, right?”
“Y-Yes? W-Well, of course…”
“Then trust me and tell me. Whatever it is, do you really think I’d get angry at you?”
“N-No… but…”
“Rachel.”
Only after my persuasion did she finally seem to make up her mind, looking me straight in the eye as she began to speak.
But seeing her pupils still trembling, it was obvious she was extremely nervous.
“…The thing is, I’m terrible at improvising.”
…Yeah. I know.
It was already revealed that you secretly do perfect mental rehearsals because of Sara.
And when we first went out to eat, you got so nervous when Diana showed up that you started rambling and saying all sorts of nonsense.
I know better than anyone that you’re bad at improvising.
But I think that’s one of your cute points.
Besides, while you’re weak at improvising, you’re perfect in situations you’ve anticipated.
In fact, until Sara exposed you, I really thought you were experienced in love.
“So, um, when other people crowded around and started bombarding me with questions…”
“Huh? Bombarding you? Who are you talking about?”
When I asked, Rachel seemed to realize she was rambling and not explaining things in order. Her eyes shifted as she began to explain step-by-step.
She really is weak in unexpected situations.
“S-So, you know how after I stayed at your mansion and left work after… that, I came in late the next day wearing the same clothes?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Well, because of that… my relationship with you was completely exposed, and a lot of people started bombarding me with questions.”
“Oh, so are we an official couple now?”
Well, I feel like we’re 99% of the way there, but she still isn’t my woman yet.
So, mixing in a little bit of my true feelings, I asked jokingly. It was also my intention to ease her tension a bit.
“T-That’s not what’s important right now?!”
And just as I thought, she clearly hadn’t expected me to say something like that. Her face turned bright red as she shouted.
But she immediately flinched, as if startled by her own outburst.
“A-Anyway! So, I got a lot of questions. Like when we became a thing. Who confessed first.”
It seemed my attempt wasn’t a complete failure, as she continued in a slightly calmer voice than before.
“And then… some people started persistently asking how I managed to seduce you…”
She trailed off, taking a moment to catch her breath before speaking again.
“I was already so embarrassed I wasn’t thinking straight, but getting that kind of question just made me snap. And they were so persistent that I just…”
“What did you say?”
“…I told them that Mr. Guwon wouldn’t even bother with people like them, so they should get… get lost.”
So she told them to get lost. Wow, Rachel. You’ve got a surprisingly tough side.
Then again, as a receptionist, she’s probably dealt with every kind of difficult customer imaginable, so maybe that’s just basic for her.
“…Huh? Is that it?”
After hearing her whole story, that was my only thought.
I mean, seriously? If that was really all, what was she so afraid of? I thought she handled it pretty well.
In fact, if she’d been too gentle, other women might have started trying to seduce me left and right, and that would have been far more dangerous.
Mainly for my life. At the hands of my girls.
“…No. The problem is what happened next.”
But Rachel slowly shook her head, indicating the story wasn’t over.
She mumbled to herself, hesitating a few times, before squeezing her eyes shut and speaking.
“The women who were asking how to seduce you… most of them were adventurers who weren’t very high-level.”
That makes sense. If they were high-level adventurers, they wouldn’t need to go to such lengths to try and seduce me.
I mean, sure, it would be nice for them—they’d level up faster.
But unless they were dead set on exploring the deepest parts of the dungeon, it wouldn’t be worth the effort.
But it’s different for low-level adventurers. If they succeeded in seducing me, their entire lives would change.
So why is she stating the obvious?
“I don’t think you understand. What I mean is, most of them, their looks were…”
“Aah…”
Only after she said that did I finally grasp the situation.
The women trying to get seduction tips from her weren’t very attractive.
And to them, Rachel had said, ‘Mr. Guwon wouldn’t even bother with people like you.’
In other words, her statement could be interpreted as:
‘The Saint is a total looks-supremacist; he won’t even give you the time of day unless you’re gorgeous.’
And since I’m surrounded by nothing but peerless beauties, that rumor gained even more credibility.
To be honest, I don’t think that’s an insult.
I mean, it’s only natural for humans to care about looks, right?
No, not just humans—all living creatures judge others by their appearance, don’t they?
But even if that’s true, it’s also a fact that a rumor like that would give people a bad impression of me.
I see. So that’s what those stares were about.
Those strange gazes. I could finally understand what they were.
The anger of those who weren’t confident in their looks. The jealousy towards the women in my party.
And the provocative stares from those who were confident in their looks, wanting to try and seduce me.
All those emotions had mixed together to create that strange, peculiar atmosphere.
And with that, the reason Rachel had been so afraid to tell me became clear.
She was afraid that I would hate her.
“I’m so sorry. I never dreamed my words would be taken that way! I tried to clarify later, but the rumor had already spread…! I’m sorry! I really am! So please don’t hate me! Please don’t abandon me!”
She clung to me as she apologized, speaking desperately.
In that moment, she had completely shed her usual composed, love-savvy persona. She was just a pitiful woman, desperate not to be hated by the man she loved.
“'Abandon you?'… But you’re not even my woman yet.”
“Ah, aah…”
As I said that, the eyes of the woman clinging desperately to me filled with the color of despair.
“I suppose I could consider whether to abandon you or not once you become my woman. How about you agree to be my woman first? Then I’ll think about it.”
“Ah, aah…!”
But the moment she heard my next words, her expression filled with hope.
Yep. A bright expression suits her much better.
Though her eyes were still brimming with tears.
It was only a short time, but she must have been through a lot of emotional turmoil.
“It’s too early to celebrate. I haven’t decided not to abandon you yet, you know.”
“Y-Yes…”
Even as I said that, she just lowered her head and gently brought a hand to her eyes.
A little time passed, and when she seemed to have finally calmed down, I spoke again.
“So, what’s your answer? You’ll be my woman, right?”
“…No.”
But to my question, she slowly shook her head.
“What?”
“If I don’t become your woman, then you can’t abandon me, and the problem is solved, right?”
As she said that, she lifted her head, wearing a smile that was just like her usual one—no, it was even brighter than her usual professional smile.
It seemed she had composed herself in that short time and even completed a mental rehearsal for my question.
“Ah! Such a blind spot! Did I just dig my own grave?!”
“Hehe. You’re still no match for me, Guwon.”
Saying that, she lightly flicked the tip of my nose with her finger and then gently stroked my head.
It was a gesture full of affection, as if to say thank you for forgiving her.
Not that there was anything to forgive in the first place.
The ones at fault were the people who misunderstood her and spread those weird rumors, not her.
And well, to be honest, I’m not the type to care about that kind of rumor anyway.