Chapter 640: Guwon, the Pure-Hearted Man
Chapter 640: Guwon, the Pure-Hearted Man
Not that it matters, though.
Even if this made her my woman, it would feel like I’d forced her into it by exploiting a weakness.
Besides, I’m confident I can win her heart for real someday.
Isn’t it true that a beautiful woman feels more precious when you have to work hard to win her over?
So I have no problem with this! Dammit!
“…Thank you.”
It wasn’t that I wasn’t a little disappointed, but seeing Rachel whisper her thanks, I couldn’t bring myself to push her any further.
“Hmph. Just you wait. The day will come when you’ll be begging me to make you my woman. It won’t even take that long. As soon as I get back from the dungeon this time…!”
“Fufu. Yes. To do that, you’ll have to start by coming back safely.”
“That’s no problem at all. Do you think I’d leave you here and not come back? Just watch. I’ll definitely return without a scratch.”
“…Hk! Yes. Y-You absolutely must. Please.”
Rachel had returned to her usual composed self, treating me like a younger man, but it seemed my casual words had broken her composure once again.
Seeing her blush, her expression looking as if she were holding back some overwhelming emotion in her chest, I felt a little puzzled.
Did I say something so profound that she’d be that moved?
To be honest, I thought it was a little cheesy, not particularly amazing.
And as I was tilting my head in confusion, a hypothesis I’d made before suddenly came to mind.
The one about the possibility that she’d lost someone in the dungeon in the past, and because of that, she had a trauma related to people she knew not returning from it.
Come to think of it, I completely forgot to ask Diana to confirm it.
Anyway, if that were true, it would make sense why she’d make that face at what I just said.
I’ll definitely come back from the dungeon. It’s possible those were the words she wanted to hear more than anything.
No. Maybe it’s not something that can be explained so simply.
Perhaps the reason she’s been so stubbornly refusing to become my woman all this time is also related to her personal circumstances.
Because I’m an adventurer. Because I’m someone who constantly goes in and out of a dungeon I might never return from, maybe she’s afraid of becoming my woman.
What she said before—that she couldn’t fully trust whether I could love her completely since I have so many women around me—that might have just been an excuse.
No. Of course, this is just an assumption filled with my own delusions and wishes.
Still, it’s not a hypothesis without any possibility.
I should really confirm it properly. Instead of beating around the bush and asking Diana, I’ll ask Rachel directly.
“Rachel. By any chance…”
“Ah, ah! G-Guwon! Over there…!”
When I spoke to her with a serious expression, she must have sensed something, because she pointed behind me with a flustered look.
Honestly, Rachel. Who tries to distract someone with such an obvious trick these days? She’s really terrible at improvising.
Even while thinking that, I turned around to check the direction she was pointing.
And I realized her flustered expression wasn’t because I was about to say something serious, but because of what was actually happening behind me.
Sara was about to fight with some adventurer.
No. Is it a little strange to describe that as ‘about to fight’?
Sara was berating an adventurer with a terrifying expression.
And the adventurer, whose face I’d never seen before, looked like he was about to cry, unable to put up any real resistance.
Yeah. That’s one-sided bullying, not a fight.
As expected of the Hero. She’s scary as hell when she’s angry.
“Rachel, excuse me for a moment!”
In any case, having witnessed the scene, I hurriedly ran over to stop Sara.
It was a little strange that the others, even Leia, weren’t stopping Sara, but I decided to stop her first and hear the details later.
“Sara. Wait! Stop!”
“If you understand, then cut the crap and get lost.”
“Hic! Yes…”
But by the time I rushed in to stop her, the situation was already over.
No. To be precise, Sara saw me approaching and ended it with a look that said, ‘I’ll leave it at that for now.’
Hey. What on earth did you say to make him back away crying? He’s an adventurer, isn’t he? He must live a pretty tough life.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. He suddenly came over saying he had something to say and started badmouthing you.”
When I asked Sara cautiously, she snorted and replied in an annoyed tone.
I see. So she got angry after hearing him insult me. That’s why the others didn’t stop her.
Hmm. Hmm. I see. I see. Of course, Sara wouldn’t bully someone for no reason.
Getting this angry after hearing her boyfriend get insulted, she’s so cute… No. Wait a minute. Insulting me? Could it be…
“What kind of insults, specifically?”
“That you rate every woman you meet on her looks, and that you only judge women by their faces. That you’re only keeping us around because we’re pretty, and that there’s no love involved. …Come to think of it, judging women only by their faces is…”
Sara still looked angry, but it seemed she was starting to calm down while talking to me.
Since she even made a joke like that at the end.
…It is a joke, right?
“That’s not true, you! Don’t go off on a tangent when we were having a perfectly good conversation!”
Of course, it’s true that I care about looks. But I absolutely do not only care about looks.
In the first place, everyone can’t help but notice someone’s face.
Unless you get to know them deeply and understand their personality, the only basis you have for judging someone is their appearance.
I’m just perfectly normal.
And the reason I love my girls is absolutely not just their looks.
No. Of course, it’s true that when I first met Sara, Diana, and Leia, I was captivated by their looks.
But that was just an initial attraction to their appearance; the reason I came to truly love them was by no means just because of their looks. I can say that with confidence.
As for Silvia, Matilda, and Vanessa, I wasn’t even captivated by their looks.
No. I thought they were pretty, but since I was already taken, I didn’t think about trying anything just based on their appearance.
If I only kept girls around for their looks, I would have tried everything to get with Silvia, Matilda, and Vanessa as soon as I met them.
As for Rachel… well, she’s a special case. A special case.
I couldn’t help it. Rachel was the first peerless beauty I met after coming to this world.
A beauty I met before Sara, even before Alicia, who took my virginity.
For me back then, a virgin with zero dating experience, she was someone I couldn’t help but be captivated by.
And after getting into relationships with Sara and the others, I didn’t even have any improper thoughts about Rachel.
“So? What did you end up doing?”
As expected, Sara must have been joking, as she didn’t try to refute my argument.
Instead, she threw a strange question at me.
“Why are you talking as if it’s a given that I did something?”
“Well, we were getting strange looks from all over the place since we first came in, and the moment you stepped away, someone started badmouthing you. Wouldn’t it be stranger to think nothing happened?”
Well, I guess she has a point. They’re not idiots.
“That’s true, but I really didn’t do anything this time. It’s just…”
I was about to explain the situation without thinking, but I had to stop myself mid-sentence.
Wait a minute. If I explain this, won’t it put Rachel in an awkward position for no reason?
Of course, it’s not Rachel’s fault.
And my girls aren’t the type to nag Rachel even if they knew.
But even so, it’s a fact that Rachel’s actions ultimately led to this situation.
She was already feeling terribly sorry towards me just a moment ago, so if my girls find out, she’ll feel even more intimidated around them.
As it is, she’s the only one among my women who hasn’t quite fit in with the others.
No. It’s not that they don’t get along, but it’s inevitable that her relationship with them is different.
Unlike Silvia and Matilda, who have been in the party with us, or Vanessa, who has lived with us at the mansion, Rachel is someone they’ve only briefly seen at the Guild.
Besides, I’m the one who handles all the business with her, like settling accounts, so there have been even fewer opportunities for her and my girls to talk.
It’s not like they’ve never spoken, since she did briefly join the party now and then, like when she confirmed the location of the ant nest or when we rescued the adventurer party on the 3rd floor.
To sum it up, they’ve known each other for a long time so it’s not awkward, but you couldn’t say they’re particularly close either.
With the exception of Diana, of course, who has known her for a long time.
Anyway, that’s why I wanted to avoid a situation where Rachel would feel even more intimidated by my girls.
Because someday, Rachel will also become my woman, and we’ll all be living together.
“It’s just…?”
“Sorry. Actually, I messed up.”
And so, I changed my plan and decided to take the blame myself.
“Don’t lie.”
Of course, it didn’t work on Sara.
I’m not kidding, can she actually read minds?
“No. Just a moment ago, you…”
“Tell me the truth.”
…Rachel. I’m sorry for being such a weak man.
In the end, I had no choice but to explain the situation truthfully.
“Hmph…”
After hearing the whole story, Sara muttered that and suddenly started striding towards Rachel.
Wh-Whoa?! Don’t tell me she’s…?!
“Hey! Wait! No fighting! It’s not like Rachel did it on purpose! Over my dead body will I watch my women fight each other! …But don’t actually put dirt in my eyes.”
Of course, I immediately blocked Sara’s path and tried to stop her.
The reason I faltered a bit at the end was, well, what can I say? It’s Sara I’m dealing with.
“Rachel-ssi isn’t even Guwon’s woman yet.”
Sara, who was looking at me as if I were spouting nonsense, tossed that comment at me.
Kuhuk. Y-You! Why do you throw a straight punch as casually as a jab!
And just like that, Sara easily broke me down and started walking again.
“Rachel-ssi.”
“Yes, Sara-ssi.”
“You did great!”
And the words Sara uttered were completely different from what I had expected.
…H-Huh? Sara? What did you just say?
“Y-Yes?”
Rachel, too, seemed flustered by Sara’s words, unable to control her expression.
“I see you’ve come to understand our struggles after dealing with this philanderer, Rachel-ssi. To think you’d handle it like this. With this method, we should be able to curb his womanizing ways quite a bit!”
“So that’s what you meant!”
“What. Are you trying to say you’re not a philanderer?”
“No. But, still, your boyfriend is the one getting badmouthed behind his back! Ah, Rachel. Not that I’m saying it’s your fault.”
Faced with Sara’s attack on my weak point, I could only ramble incoherently.
And then, a hand patted me on the back from behind, as if to calm me down.
“Why are you so concerned about such a thing? A rumor about judging women by their looks isn’t even that harsh of a gossip. Such talk always follows famous people. Even this great Archmage has a rumor or two like that. When one becomes famous, it’s only natural for jealous people to appear.”
Diana said, nodding with a satisfied look on her face.
Y-You were thinking the same thing as Sara!
No wonder you didn’t say anything when Sara went over to Rachel!
And stop calling yourself a great Archmage! Although, it is true