Chapter 643: Guwon, the Pure-Hearted
Chapter 643: Guwon, the Pure-Hearted
This was the trio that, despite being relentlessly worked to the bone by Alicia, had somehow managed to keep their spirits up.
Because of that, my image of them was solidifying into something like comic relief characters. So, to have them greet me with such a lukewarm attitude felt incredibly awkward.
It was even more jarring seeing Kanna, who was practically a wild horse, acting like this.
Could it be that they were actually lonely now that they were free from Alicia?
No. Unless all three of them were masochists, there was no way… Wait, they aren't, are they?
I was also curious how they’d managed to get free from Alicia in the first place.
I almost fell into one of her traps not long ago, so maybe I should ask about her while I’m at it.
“Long time no see. Just the three of you today? Did you finally get free from Alicia?”
“Well, about that…”
At my question, Kanna trailed off, her expression strange once again.
Hold on. Hey. An attitude like that just adds more credibility to my suspicion that all three of you are masochists.
It was a long time ago and it never happened, but I’d once made a promise to have a 4P with them. For a fleeting moment, a naughty image flashed through my mind.
Lining the three of them, each with their own unique charm, up in a row and spanking their asses all at once… No. It was just a passing thought. It’s not like I was thinking what a waste it was to miss out on such a valuable 4P training experience. Not at all.
“What’s with you guys? Did something happen?”
“You’re asking that because you don’t…!”
“Kanna.”
Kanna finally showed her true colors, her face flaring up in anger at my question, but Serena, the calmest of the three, stepped in front to stop her.
Then, she turned to me and explained in a composed voice.
“Instructor Alicia’s role was, first and foremost, to train rookies. Now that we’re adventuring on the 4th floor, we’re no longer rookies. Originally, her role was supposed to end when we reached the 3rd floor, but she saw our potential and decided to train us until we were skilled enough for the 4th.”
I see. So that’s how it was.
Serena’s explanation was certainly plausible.
I hadn’t really noticed before since they were always battered and bruised whenever they were with Alicia, but looking at them now, the three of them were completely different people from when I first met them on the 1st floor.
Their gear was well-maintained, giving off the aura of seasoned adventurers, and their appearances had blossomed to match their levels.
But even after hearing Serena’s explanation, I wasn’t convinced.
Because Kanna’s angry reaction just now was probably the truth.
That girl is so simple and easy to read, which is nice.
But what reason would they have to be angry with me? ‘Because you don’t know?’ What is it I don’t know… Ah. Wait a minute. Could it be…?
“Don’t tell me you guys believe that rumor?”
“Huh? Rumor? What rumor?”
“What do you mean, what rumor? The one about me going around scoring women’s faces and judging them solely on that score. Let me tell you…”
I was a little puzzled by Kanna tilting her head in confusion, but still, there was no other reason for them to act this way toward me.
I opened my mouth to clear up the misunderstanding.
My girls seemed to be trying to use that rumor to their advantage, but that didn't mean I needed to be misunderstood by people I knew.
It’s not like anything was ever going to happen between me and them, anyway.
In a story, they wouldn’t be heroines; they’d be the comic relief. Comic relief.
“Is that so? Then what’s our score?”
But before I could finish, Amy peeked at my face and asked with a serious expression.
Is it just me, or did her reaction feel like she was saying, ‘Perfect timing’?
“A-Amy?!”
“Ah, don’t worry. I’m not trying to hit on him. It’s just, hearing about a score makes me a little curious. The Saint seems to have a good eye for beauty.”
Leia, who was apparently an old friend of Amy’s, looked shocked by her behavior, but Amy casually replied to her before looking me straight in the eye again.
Something about the way she said that really bothered me.
“No. I was about to say that rumor is bullshit. Have you guys not heard it?”
Seeing Amy’s reaction, I realized I’d said something I shouldn’t have.
So they really didn’t know about the rumor.
Well, even if they didn’t know now, they’d eventually hear it hanging around the Guild, so from the perspective of clearing up a misunderstanding in advance, maybe it wasn’t a completely pointless thing to say.
“But it’s true that you look at faces, right? If you were to give us a score, what do you think we’d get?”
But despite that, Amy didn’t back down.
She glanced at my party members, then stared at my face again with an expression that said, ‘Don’t even think about backing out.’
Seriously, why are you so hung up on this?
Why is what I think of you so important… Wait a minute. Hey, don’t tell me you’re still holding a grudge because I stood you up on that 4P promise way back when?
No, I didn’t stand you up just because of your looks. In fact, if we were only talking about appearances, even back then I thought you guys were pretty decent, though you were overshadowed by Sara and Diana.
So have some confidence…
“So, what’s the score?”
No. Don’t ask a guy who’s already taken a question like that, especially not right in front of the women he’s with. It’s awkward.
Besides, I don’t give out scores!
…Though I did do that sort of thing when I first came to this world, way above my station. But I don’t do it anymore!
“Well. I think you guys are pretty decent, too.”
In the end, I could only give a vague, evasive answer.
I couldn’t just openly praise another woman’s looks in front of my girls.
But flatly saying they weren’t my type wasn’t in my nature, either.
After all, I could call them friends, more or less.
So I think this was the best possible answer I could give.
“Decent? Decent?! You bastard. You’re pretty arrogant for a Saint, aren’t you? Who are you to appraise us?!”
Hey, if you’re going to complain, complain to your friend. She’s the one who kept pestering me for an answer.
You were already a wild horse, and now you’re starting to talk like Alicia? You keep that up and you’ll really become just like her. A second Alicia.
Do you want to have a pretty face but be completely unable to charm a single man?
“Decent… So that’s all we are.”
Though she didn’t react as violently as Kanna, Amy also had a slightly strange expression, as if she wasn’t happy with my choice of words.
What can I do? This is the best I can offer. Cut me some slack.
“If we’re just ‘decent,’ then what about our clan executives? For example, what do you think of Instructor Alicia, since you’re closest to her, Mr. Guwon?”
But contrary to my hopes, the trio didn’t seem satisfied and pressed on with another question.
This time it wasn’t Amy, but Serena, who had been listening from the side.
“Wh-What?! Well, if we’re just talking about faces, Alicia is also incredibly…”
Under attack from all three sides, my mind grew hazy and I almost answered honestly out of reflex.
But just before I finished the sentence, a chilling sensation ran down my spine and I cut myself off.
No, of course, my girls are wary of Alicia, so praising her in front of them is dangerous. That’s part of it.
But that’s not the most important thing.
While my girls getting angry is a significant problem, I had just realized an even bigger one.
This trio… I was wondering why they were so desperate to hear a score from me.
As I suspected, they had another motive!
Their goal was to figure out what kind of woman they needed to use to seduce me and get their hooks into me!
That last question made it clear. Asking for their executives’ scores, and then Alicia’s.
Asking for their own scores was just a stepping stone for what came next.
Of course, if by some chance they got a high score from me, that would be great for them.
But even if they didn’t, it didn’t really matter. As long as there was just one person among their clan’s executives, with their wide array of charms, who caught my eye, that would be enough.
First, they ask for Alicia’s score to gauge the baseline for a failed seduction attempt. Then, they find an executive with a higher score than Alicia and use her to seduce me this time.
That’s right. They were doing recon to figure out how to seduce me and ensnare me for their clan!
Damn it! I let my guard down because I thought they were just comic relief!
So you’re all part of the Arachne Clan in the end!
What terrifying women! I should have known when I heard that the male clan members were having their life force sucked out of them, even though there were no Gumiho or Succubi in the clan!
How can such a terrifying clan exist!
That obsession with ensnaring any man who could be useful to them… It’s enough to give me goosebumps.
“…They’re rotten.”
“Excuse me? What did you just…”
“I said they’re rotten! Your executives! No, there isn’t a single woman in your entire clan who catches my eye!”
In the end, to break that clan’s obsession, I had no choice but to come on strong.
Saying something like this really goes against my nature, but this time, I have no choice.
“Wh-What…!”
“Rotten! Every single member of your clan isn’t worth the dirt under my girls’ fingernails! So stop getting funny ideas and get lost! Shoo! Shoo, shoo!”
I made a shooing motion with my hands and then led my party away from the spot.
The trio seemed so flustered that their scheme had been seen through that they couldn’t even think to follow us, just standing there, dumbfounded.
“G-Guwon. Was it really okay to say something like that?”
Once the trio was out of sight, Leia clung to my arm, stopping me, and asked in a worried voice.
“Yeah. I know we were a little happy about that rumor, but you didn’t have to go out of your way to actively confirm it…”
Even Sara said something along those lines.
It seemed she felt guilty, thinking I had acted so out of character because they were trying to use the rumor.
And this is from the girl who was so happy about being able to curb my wandering eye. She looks tough, but she’s surprisingly soft-hearted.
“No. I didn’t say that with the intention of spreading the rumor further. So you don’t have to make that face, Sara.”
“Then why did you say such a thing? Are we not in a cooperative relationship with the Arachne Clan? Your last statement was enough to shatter that relationship in one blow.”
To be honest, I’d just blurted out whatever came to mind in my panic, but hearing Diana speak so seriously made me a little anxious.
Even if it was to escape the clutches of the Arachne Clan, I had to admit, even to myself, that I might have gone a little too far.
Besides, in a world like this, a comment dismissing a woman’s beauty could be taken far more seriously than in my original world.
Of course, if I told them that the Arachne Clan was trying to seduce me, my girls would have understood my actions.
But doing that would just end up making them worry for no reason.
In the end, as long as I kept my head on straight and didn’t fall for the seduction, nothing would happen.
There was no need to tell them about that incident and make them worry.
Therefore, I decided not to mention what happened at the Arachne Clan house.
“No. I just wanted to make it clear that I only have eyes for you guys… Still, was it a bit too much?”
“Yes. We’re happy that you think of us that way, but what you just said was insulting to everyone in the Arachne Clan.”
Even though I’d delivered a pretty heart-fluttering line about only having eyes for them, Matilda said that without even entering her pink mode, and my anxiety grew.
“Hmm. If that rumor spreads, we won’t be able to maintain our current relationship. It’s a clan we’ve managed to build a cooperative relationship with. There’s no need to make an enemy of them for no reason.”
“Yes. I think it would be best to go back and apologize… Ah, but we’ve come so far, it’ll be hard to expect to run into them again if we go back.”
“…Then how about we just return to the town for now? Those three will have to go back to town eventually to move up, right? We can wait for them and clear up the misunderstanding.”
“Yes! That’s right! That’s a great idea!”
“…Should we do that?”
And so, it was decided. Just one day after leaving the 4th floor’s town, we were heading back.