Chapter 656: The Valiant Alicia
Chapter 656: The Valiant Alicia
She’s really something else.
That was the only thought I could muster after hearing the gist of the situation from Rachel.
So, even if it was for the guy who’d just rejected her confession, she couldn’t stand by and listen to her friend being bad-mouthed.
To hear someone talking behind my back and immediately react in such a satisfying way.
Besides, the fact that Alicia acted that way meant the rumor that she’d been rejected by me didn’t leak from within the Arachne Clan. It meant Alicia herself was the one who started spreading it.
Her actions were so quintessentially Alicia that a smile naturally formed on my lips.
I might have just rejected a woman far more precious than I realized.
“Honestly, that girl… Should I say she’s still as spirited as ever, even after being rejected? So, the reason she made you keep quiet, Rachel, was just because she was embarrassed?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, yes…”
When I said that with a smile, Rachel nodded vaguely, a flustered look on her face. It was as if she had more to say.
It’s okay, Rachel. I’m not that dense.
Alicia was probably being considerate of me.
The next time we see each other, let’s be friends again, just like before.
If she said that and then acted the way she did, it could be interpreted as her still having feelings for me.
I didn’t know if Alicia had truly sorted out her feelings for me or not.
She was always decisive, the type to make clean breaks, so she might have already moved on. Or, since it hadn’t been that long since the rejection, her feelings might still be a mess.
But either way, if I found out she’d done something that could be seen that way, it would be hard for us to meet as friends like we used to.
Alicia must have thought of that and made Rachel keep quiet.
That’s why, even though I’d figured it out, I was deliberately pretending not to know.
Just as Alicia had silenced Rachel to keep our promise—to be friends like before the next time we met—I decided that pretending not to know was the best way for me to keep that same promise.
Of course, there was a small chance I was overthinking all of this, and she really did silence Rachel simply because she was embarrassed.
Alicia was the type to let her emotions, not her head, guide her actions.
In any case, what Rachel told me made two things crystal clear.
First, Alicia was a much better woman than I had thought.
And second, she had composed herself enough to start going back into the dungeon.
Just knowing that made me glad I’d asked Rachel for the details.
I see. I was worried she might have gone back to drinking herself into a stupor. It’s a relief she seems to have pulled herself together.
At least now I wouldn’t have to worry that Alicia would spend her days drinking like a wreck.
…Although, hearing that she took her usual trio into the dungeon made me feel like those three had become sacrificial lambs.
Ah. Sorry! I’m so sorry! I was so caught up in my emotional conversation with Alicia that I completely forgot to mention you guys! I’m truly sorry!
I offered a silent apology to the trio in my mind, though of course, they couldn’t hear it.
I’ll have to apologize to them properly when I see them next.
For now… I should probably start by praying they survive until then.
“Hahaha! Did you hear that?! The unfair label placed upon me has been completely stripped away! What was that about me only judging women by their looks? Hmph. Too bad for them, right? They were probably trying to stop women from flocking to me with that rumor, but it seems the heavens are on my side! I am, after all, a messenger of the Goddess! Hahahaha! With this, I shall once again be the great Saint, immensely popular with the ladies…”
“So, you’re happy about it?”
Ah, crap! I was trying to act playfully oblivious to Alicia’s true intentions, but I got a little too carried away with my performance!
Sara’s cold voice snapped me back to my senses.
“…No. Having all of you is more than enough for me. Other women! Who needs other women! Should I go start the rumor again? I can just grab some random low-level adventurer and rate her a thirteen out of a hundred, and it’ll spread right away…”
“Stop that! Alicia went so far as to sacrifice her own reputation to protect you! Are you trying to render all of that meaningless! Ouch! Hooo… hooo…”
As I continued my exaggerated apology, Diana scolded me seriously and rapped me on the head with her knuckle.
Hey. Don’t hit me and then glare at me with a pained expression. Are you subtly trying to call me a blockhead?
In any case, seeing Diana react like this, it seemed Alicia’s actions had left a deep impression on my girls as well.
To think the one who had been so wary of Alicia was now taking her side with pity.
“I’m more concerned about the specific score of thirteen points. Are you perhaps, really…”
“No! I just said the first number that came to mind!”
“Yes, yes. It was a joke. I believe you. More than anyone else in the world…”
You were in your lovey-dovey mode?! That’s so confusing! What was with that pause just now?!
“H-Here! The magic stone payment! It’s all done!”
As I deliberately made a playful scene, pretending not to have noticed Alicia’s feelings at all, Rachel hurriedly handed over the money from the magic stones.
It was as if she was telling me to take it and go somewhere else.
Surely it wasn’t because she couldn’t stand the sight of my face any longer.
It seemed she still had something she hadn’t been able to tell me.
She looked flustered, probably thinking that if I stayed in front of her any longer, she might make another mistake like she did when she brought up Alicia.
Well, even if she had more to say, it was likely about the real reason for Alicia’s actions, which I had already figured out.
Watching her fidget in a panic was, and she might get angry if she knew I was thinking this, quite cute.
“Alright, Rachel. I’ll come visit again later. You can slip out for a bit if I come during your lunch break, right?”
But as much as I enjoyed it, I couldn’t just stand here and tease her.
I felt bad for her, and there were other adventurers waiting in line behind us.
“Yes, yes! Have a safe trip!”
Leaving the sighing, relieved Rachel behind us, we exited the guild.
“Still, I can’t believe you rejected her.”
But just because we left didn’t mean the conversation about Alicia was over.
It made sense. I had put them off by saying I needed to hear the details from Rachel first.
Now that we had heard the full story, it was only natural for the topic to come up again.
“…Something about that sounds weird.”
“Hm? What does?”
“Well, shouldn’t you be surprised that Alicia liked me in the first place, before being surprised that I rejected her?”
“…Haaah.”
At my words, Sara placed a hand on her forehead and let out an exaggerated sigh for me to see.
“Wh-What’s with that sigh?! Don’t tell me you knew?!”
“I believe you were the only one who did not,” Diana added from the side, looking equally dumbfounded.
“What?! For real?!”
“Ye-Yes…”
When I turned my gaze to my angel for confirmation, even she nodded with a vague smile.
“Wait. So the reason you guys were so wary of Alicia wasn’t just because she took my virginity, but because…”
“You’re only just now figuring that out? Honestly, you’re so dense.”
“No, but if you look at how Alicia usually treats me… What on earth made you realize it?!”
“You can just tell by looking.”
“No, no. What do you mean, you can just tell? It’s not like you’re telepathic.”
I protested, but everyone except me wore expressions of agreement. Even Silvia.
Damn it. This makes it seem like I’m the weird one for not noticing until now.
I’m not, right? It’s normal that I didn’t notice, right?
“Anyway, I never thought you’d reject her. Since you knew each other, I thought that once you realized how she felt, you’d just sort of go with the flow and accept her.”
“What in the world do you think I am…?”
“But you have, in the past, haven’t you?”
Well. It was true that I’d accepted the confessions of every woman I knew up until now.
No. Still, I had my standards. I only accepted those I truly had feelings for.
“I only accepted those I genuinely liked as more than a friend. I mean, I was really close with Alicia, but I still rejected her properly, didn’t I?”
“And then you got all serious and gloomy afterward.”
“Well, that’s… because it was the first time I’d ever rejected someone after a proper confession like that! It just felt weird! I put in a lot of effort, you know!”
How can you need that much effort for something so simple, and get so gloomy over it?
Are you going to be like that every time another woman confesses to you from now on?
Honestly, I expected a sharp retort like that from Sara, but surprisingly, her reply was gentle.
“…Yeah. I know. You went through a lot. But next time, make sure you tell us properly. It’s better to talk things out like this than to keep it all to yourself. It’ll put your mind at ease, right?”
“Sara is correct. I can surmise why you did not speak of this to us, but we are not as petty as you seem to think.”
“That’s right, Guwon. Please, tell us everything, no matter what it is. For us to have secrets between us… it’s too sad.”
“We’ve already told you everything about ourselves, haven’t we? You should try to rely on us a little more.”
“I-It may not be much… but I will become your strength, even if I must offer my life!”
Following Sara, everyone else spoke in turn, their words soothing me.
Silvia, in particular, closed her eyes tightly and hugged me, bestowing upon me a dose of Silvia-therapy.
It seems she wasn’t speaking metaphorically; she really intended to become my strength at the cost of her life.
Silvia. If you die in a situation like this, it’ll be a truly meaningless death.
Of course, the Silvia-therapy felt so good that I didn’t say a word and simply held her in my arms.
“Sara… You guys…”
In any case, hearing not a single bitter word, only endless comfort from my girls, I felt a warmth spread through my chest.
And when my nose started to sting like this, another one of my bad habits emerged.
“No matter what, Sara, tonight you’re definitely wearing the maid outfit and…”
“Hey! Guwon! Are you still…!”
“You can oppress me all you want, but I won’t give up on this! You said it yourself with your own mouth! You can’t take it back now, can you?!”
“Diana-aaa!”
Perhaps realizing she had indeed said it, Sara clung to Diana with a tearful expression as I pressed her.
“Why has the arrow suddenly turned to me?! F-Fine! I understand! You! Sara’s statement was something I…”
“So you’re saying Diana will do it tomorrow instead?”
“A-Ahem! I believe it is only proper for the one who made the statement to take responsibility for it herself!”
Seeing Sara’s desperation, Diana tried to intervene, but she immediately changed her tune at my next words.
It seemed Diana wasn’t keen on wearing a maid outfit and licking my feet either.
“Diana-aaa!”
“E-Enough! Stop clinging to me! It is not as if I ordered you to say such a thing!”
While Sara and Diana were bickering, Leia subtly approached and chided me.
“Hehe. Those two. Still, you were a bit too much this time, Guwon. You always brush it off like that whenever the mood gets nice.”
“Well, it’s embarrassing.”
“Hehe. In that respect, you’re still a kid. If that’s the case, you didn’t have to bring up what’s going to happen tonight. The night is still a long way off, so for now…”
“My dear, how about you let go of Silvia first? She’s starting to look like she’s in danger.”
Leia trailed off suggestively with a smile that was both shy and alluring, and Matilda immediately picked up where she left off.
“Aah! Y-Yes! The Cardinal is right! Silvia’s condition is getting…!”
Only after hearing them did I realize I was still walking with Silvia in my arms.
No, perhaps the Silvia-therapy was so perfectly, pleasantly molded to my body that I had failed to notice.
“Uuuuugh! S-Sir Guwooon! I-I wiiiill! Even if it costs me my liiife!”
Silvia. I’m telling you, dying in a situation like this would be a truly pointless death.