Chapter 764: Rachel’s Move
Chapter 764: Rachel’s Move
“Pfft. Did you really think that would reassure me?”
Rachel, who had been listening to me with wide eyes, finally seemed to understand that I was being serious and burst out laughing.
And here I was, thinking I’d come up with the best possible thing to say after racking my brain.
Well, I suppose making her laugh while talking about something like this could be considered an accomplishment in itself.
“I was being serious, you know.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just… this is what you’ve been so nervous to tell me since yesterday, isn’t it? And then for you to say that…”
At my slightly sullen reaction, Rachel couldn’t quite hold back her laughter as she stroked my head.
Combined with her tone, the gesture only amplified her mature, sisterly charm, making me feel like a whining child.
It was impossible to keep pouting like this.
And though she didn't seem to have noticed, I hadn't just been looking for the right time to say this since yesterday, but for a long time before that. Not just a few days, but weeks.
Of course, that was before I’d heard about Diana’s suicide threat. Back then, I was planning to reassure her with something even more ridiculous, so in the end, it was probably for the best that this conversation was delayed.
No, wait. She might be laughing, but it’s not like I’ve actually reassured her, so is it really any different?
If anything, it might be worse. I might have just cemented myself in her mind as the guy who says weird things even when trying to be serious.
“Hey, it’s not just ‘that.’ It was a really effective line, I’m telling you. When I heard Diana say it, I was so freaked out I swore I would never, ever die. You should have been there to see the look on my face.”
Even as I thought this, I kept pressing the point.
When it came down to it, I had no other way to guarantee I wouldn’t die in the dungeon and put her mind at ease.
“Of course, I’m not saying I don’t believe you made that decision. So what? If I say I’ll kill myself if you die, will that make you even less likely to die?”
“Are you trying to make me immortal?”
Well, thanks to sharing a lifespan with Diana, I was already in a position where I could be called immortal, as long as no one murdered me.
“Hehe. Then if you die, I’ll kill myself too. There, now you’re immortal, right?”
At my retort, Rachel stroked my head again as if praising a child who was trying his best.
I was supposed to be the one comforting Rachel and her trauma, so why was she the one comforting me?
Damn it. Isn’t there anything I can say that will actually put her mind at ease?
…Come to think of it, besides Diana’s suicide threat, there was one other thing I could say.
It was the line I had originally planned to use to reassure her, the one I was going to bring up after talking about the puppy.
I’d decided against it because it was even more absurd, but since things had come to this, maybe I should just throw it out there, for better or for worse. The timing seems right, too. Alright.
I steeled myself and reached out, grabbing her large breast.
“Eek?!”
“And that’s not the only reason I won’t die in the dungeon.”
“Wh-What is it?”
At my sudden action, Rachel let out a cute little gasp, her body freezing solid.
“You must have realized it yourself yesterday, with that body of yours, right? That was without me even using my Saint skills. What do you think would have happened if I had? As long as it’s a living creature capable of sexual arousal, nothing can stand against me. I’m invincible. So I’ll be perfectly safe in the dungeon.”
“But the 6th floor is filled with monsters that won’t work on…”
…Right. That’s what I heard.
Damn it. This is why I didn’t want to say it.
I’d tried to push my absurd logic by catching her off guard and throwing her into a panic by grabbing her breast, but it seemed there was a limit to pushing such a preposterous argument on an active guild guide.
“No, that’s just that. Just like how fish monsters mostly only appear on the 4th floor, the inanimate monsters are probably all concentrated on the 6th floor. Once I get past that, it’ll be fine again. Why else would the Goddess have given me these powers and sent me here? She must have sent me down because she thought this ability was enough to fulfill my mission… right?”
As I said that, a thought struck me.
Damn it. I should have just said this from the start.
Of all the reasons I’d given today for why I wouldn’t die, wasn’t this the most plausible one?
After all, the evidence backing it up was the judgment of the Goddess herself.
Why didn’t I think of this sooner?
The fact that I was sent by the Goddess was such an obvious truth that everyone, including Rachel, already knew, so I hadn’t even considered emphasizing it.
“…Yes. You’re right.”
But even after I finally presented a proper, logical argument for my continued survival, her reply was half-hearted, her gaze still fixed on her chest.
Or more accurately, on my hand, which was still kneading her breast.
Oops. I only meant to squeeze it once for dramatic effect, but it felt so good that I just… kept going.
“No, really. It’s practically guaranteed by the Goddess.”
“Yes. I heard you clearly.”
I forced my reluctant hand away from her breast and emphasized my point again by invoking the Goddess, but her voice still lacked the sense of relief I had hoped to hear.
“Is that still not enough to reassure you?”
“N-No. It’s not that… It’s more like, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“Like you said, and like I admitted, what I feared most was our relationship becoming irreversibly deep while we were in this situation where I could lose you at any moment, right? But even though the uncertainty hasn’t been resolved at all, we’ve ended up becoming a proper couple anyway. So now… I’ve just decided that I have no choice but to believe you’ll come back.”
“But… doesn’t that mean you’ll be trembling with anxiety every time I go to the dungeon?”
“I’ve been doing that all along. It’s okay. I’m just happy that our relationship has progressed this far. And it’s enough for me to know that you were watching over me more closely than I thought, that you were thinking of me, and that you’re trying so hard to reassure me. A person who cares about me this much wouldn’t suddenly lose his life in the dungeon and make me sad, would he?”
Having fully realized her own feelings through my words, she spoke with an emotion that was hard to pin down.
It didn’t seem like resignation, and it wasn’t quite enlightenment either… something a little different.
Her trauma surely wasn’t weak enough to be resolved this easily.
She was the type of person who would recklessly charge into danger alone just because adventurers she barely knew were in peril.
Did this mean that as our relationship deepened, and with the actions I’d just shown her, her trust in me had grown strong enough to suppress her trauma?
Hmm… It feels a bit unsatisfactory, not the clear resolution of her trauma I was hoping for.
Then again, it’s not like I actually expected her to be completely at ease just from hearing that Diana would kill herself if I died.
“It’s really okay. I’m not a child. I won’t tell you not to go to the dungeon, and I won’t break down from anxiety. I’ll just be here at the guild, like always, believing you’ll come back and waiting for you. I’ll do my best to help your dungeon exploration in any way I can, by gathering information and doing everything in my power.”
At my uncertain reaction, she spoke again, as if to reassure me.
No, wait. Ma’am. Our roles are reversed here. I’m the one trying to reassure you.
“Ah, even if I officially become… your woman, it’s still okay for me to keep working as a guide, right?”
Before I could even make that retort, she blushed slightly, lowered her head, and looked up at me as she asked.
“Huh? Ah, yes. Of course. That’s up to you, Rachel. You can join our party if you want.”
“Nn. I did think about that, but anything I can do, Diana can do as well. So I’ll stay at the guild and help you in my own way. Who knows, the day might come when this big sister can be of great help to you, right?”
“I think you’re always a great help, not just someday.”
…The conversation about her anxiety had been subtly wrapped up.
And the atmosphere wasn’t right to steer it back in that direction.
As expected of a guild guide. I consider myself a pretty smooth talker, but I’m no match for her.
And yet, she becomes so clumsy and cute when it comes to matters of love.
“Hehe. Thank you. Then I’ll keep working as a guide.”
“That’s no problem, but…”
This won’t do. It’s still bothering me.
I know this isn’t the moment to bring the conversation back, but still.
…Come to think of it, if my prediction is correct, the condition for Rachel’s Apostle Appointment is the resolution of her anxiety.
So if I try to appoint her as an Apostle now, wouldn’t I be able to confirm whether the problem she’s been holding in her heart has been resolved, at least to some extent?
Let me be clear, I’m not doing this just because I’m obsessed with the Apostle Appointment.
This isn’t a game, and I’m not trying to resolve Rachel’s anxiety just to fully “conquer” the female character named Rachel through an Apostle Appointment.
It’s the opposite. I’m doing this so that Rachel can live without any anxiety, with peace of mind.
As for the Apostle Appointment itself, it’s not that I absolutely have to do it—well, of course I really want to.
But right now, at least, I’m just trying to use it as a means to check if the problem in Rachel’s heart has been resolved.
“You have the day off today, right?”
“Huh? O-Oh, yes. But… why?”
“Then, to commemorate you properly becoming my woman…”
Having made my decision, I grabbed the shoulders of a blushing Rachel, who was looking at me with slightly trembling eyes, and gently pushed her body down onto the bed.
“Shall we finish what we couldn’t yesterday?”
“W-We couldn’t finish?”
The woman who had so skillfully wrapped me around her finger with her words just moments ago was now completely flustered, unable to use any of that eloquence in this situation.
Then again, maybe this time she had no intention of changing the mood. You could say our intentions were aligned.
“Unfortunately. We didn’t have enough time.”
“A-Ah…”
“But we have nothing to do today, so we have plenty of time. So… shall we?”
“Th-This early in the morning?”
“It’s fine. I’m a Saint, so I can go until night. Ah, if we’re going to go until night, maybe we should go to my room?”
“Huh? Your room? Then where is this?”
“A guest room.”
“……”
At my words, she remained silent for a moment.
Then, she slowly opened her mouth and uttered these words.
“Even if I continue working as a guide… do you think it would be better for me to live here?”
In that instant, I had a premonition.
Ah, here we go. The mood is changing again.
“Of course. If that’s what you want, you’re more than welcome. But will you be okay? It’ll be a harder commute since it’s farther from the guild.”
Even as I thought that, I couldn’t change the subject.
I mean, if I did, it would look like I was against her living here.
Or that I was prioritizing sex over an important issue.
The risk was too great to take that chance.
“Yes… but I usually leave early and come home late anyway. If I just stick to my normal duties… I can coordinate my schedule with you later. And I need to get closer to the others, too. Yes. I think it would be best to live here. So, could you help me move, starting now?”
“…Yes.”
And just like that, without even getting to check if the problem in her heart had been resolved to any degree, I suddenly found myself roped into helping her move.