Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Manners
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“Go a bit slower.... My legs hurt. You need to be considerate of me.”
Lilliana started whining not long after following us.
“No wonder with that getup.”
Aila scolded the whining Lilliana.
Indeed, Lilliana was following us in a bizarre outfit that fully deserved the scolding.
A luxurious wide-brim black hat with a veil.
A black dress.
Black shoes and even a black parasol as she trailed after us.
Never mind the ridiculously flashy outfit—anyone could see it wasn't suitable for traveling.
“Hmph. Ignorant elf. Everything here is enchanted with advanced magic. My fatigue has nothing to do with these clothes.”
Looking closely, there wasn't a speck of dust on Lilliana's shoes or dress.
“Then it must be your poor stamina.”
Lilliana bristled at my words.
“What nonsense! I have the stamina of an adult male or better. You lot just have absurd levels of endurance.”
“You're a grand mage. Save your magic for something useful.”
“I used to have mana-powered carriages that would astonish you.... But I dismantled them due to a lack of experimental materials. Remaking them would take time.”
“Don't you have flying magic or something?”
“That spell is inefficient for long-distance travel.”
I shot Luna a glance asking if it was true.
“Levitation is advanced magic that only mid-tier mages can use. Fine for short bursts, but not suitable for extended trips.”
I shrugged at Lilliana.
“Then I have no choice.”
“There is.”
“There is?”
“If you give me a piggyback ride.”
“Hey! Aren't you being too brazen?!”
Aila burst out at Lilliana's demand.
“It's not brazen. It's a legitimate request. Demanding elf-level stamina from a human is the unreasonable part. I'm a grand mage. I think my treatment right now is far too shabby.”
Her argument actually made some sense.
Her weight was nothing to me.
And...
Her suggestion wasn't bad for me at all.
“Ahem.... You do have a point. If you put it that way, I have no choice.”
“Right? You're better at understanding than the elf.”
I offered her my back.
Aila, on the other hand, looked thoroughly displeased with my action.
As Lilliana climbed on, a faint sweat scent mixed with her pleasant fragrance wafted into my nose.
And the heavy, soft cushion of her ample breasts pressing against my back was exquisite.
I hoisted her up, supporting her full hips.
One more joy added to the journey.
“Your back is so broad.”
Lilliana murmured, stroking my back with her hand.
“We should get a carriage or horse once we reach a city.”
Aila grumbled, glaring at Lilliana.
'This isn't bad at all...'
Of course, I only thought it to myself.
After walking a while, I subtly kneaded her soft rear.
“........”
Surprisingly, there was no reaction from Lilliana, whom I'd expected to complain.
'Guess this much is fine.'
A spark of mischief rose in me.
As I kneaded her rear, I subtly stimulated it with mana.
“You use mana in a truly peculiar way.... Inducing a woman's arousal with mana..... Fascinating. You're the first pervert to wield mana like this.”
“.......”
As expected of a grand mage... she noticed instantly.
Aila, having overheard Lilliana, shot me a fierce glare.
As dusk fell, we prepared to camp.
“So I thought, isn't there a way to minimize meal times and intake only necessary nutrients...?”
Lilliana droned on boringly, showing off a black pill in her palm.
“Yawn... And that's the result.”
It was dull, but I responded politely.
“Yes. One pill covers a full day's energy and nutrients. Want to try one?”
Lilliana offered me the pill like she was bestowing a favor.
“No.... I'll pass. I'll make my own.”
Tonight's dinner: ramen.
I pulled out a burner, pot, and instant ramen packs from my inventory.
“What's that? You're filling your stomachs with that?”
Lilliana eyed the ramen pack curiously as I took it out.
“It's called ramen.”
“Storing such bulky food in subspace is inefficient.”
“So..... you won't have any?”
“Correct. This is sufficient for me.”
“Really?”
“Why ask repeatedly? I said no. One pill is enough.”
Lilliana brimmed with pride in her creation.
“Alright then.”
I had no intention of forcing it on someone who refused.
I boiled three servings of ramen, excluding Lilliana.
-Bubbling away.
“The smell is so stimulating. It smells delicious.”
“........”
Her words made me uneasy, but I ignored it.
The ramen finished boiling, and we began eating.
-Slurp. Chomp.
“Is it good?”
Lilliana asked.
“......”
I didn't feel like answering.
Lilliana stared piercingly at me as I ate the ramen with burdensome intensity.
I ignored her gaze and kept eating.
“Ahem.... Un-ho... Watching you eat makes me curious about the taste. Just one bite.... Give me some.”
Finally, the words that shouldn't have escaped her lips did.
“.......”
“Un-ho, don't tell me.... You're stingy with one bite? More narrow-minded than I thought.”
“........You just crossed a line. Pretty or not, some things you say, some you don't...”
“Un-ho, getting petty over mere food?”
“Pet-ty?!”
In my original world, everyone would've sided with me, no question.
But this was this world.
I'd be the narrow, petty jerk.... I'd lose no matter what.
“Sigh...... Fine... Just one bite.”
“Good...... Didn't peg you for petty.”
-Snap.
I nearly bristled.
But with self-control that would impress saints, I calmed myself.
“Phew... Do you know how to use chopsticks?”
“No issue. I watched you.”
Lilliana gripped the wooden chopsticks with perfect form and scooped up noodles.
A genius...
She boldly grabbed a hefty bundle of noodles with the chopsticks and shoved them into her mouth.
“Let's see.... Slurp. Hm?”
-Slurp. Chomp. Slurp. Chomp.
After tasting, she didn't stop at one scoop—she went for seconds, thirds, cramming ramen into her mouth.
“Hey! What if you eat it all!!”
Aila yelled in shock at the sight.
But Lilliana ignored Aila's scolding and kept chopsticking away.
Seeing the ramen vanishing fast into her mouth, Aila hurriedly started eating too.
Luna beside us also quietly and swiftly wielded her chopsticks.
-Slurp. Slurp.
The quiet campsite echoed only with the sounds of them slurping ramen.
The pot emptied in an instant due to their frenzy.
Lilliana regretfully smacked her lips at the empty pot and set down her chopsticks.
She elegantly wiped the ramen broth splattered around her mouth with a black handkerchief and said,
“Hmm.... Not bad at all... Un-ho, got more?”
Lilliana wore an infuriatingly brazen expression, utterly oblivious to her own fault.
“.........You're on dish duty tonight.”
“What?! Why me!!”
Did she realize?
That letting her off with just dishes made me incredibly magnanimous.
A secret room shrouded in darkness.
The room's lights flickered on, and the magic circle on the floor began to glow.
A brown-haired, ordinary-looking man and woman appeared atop the circle.
Michael and Marie.
Their faces were plain, but their similar attire made them look like siblings at a glance.
They were the organization's elite trackers.
The higher-ups had deemed it urgent enough—during their long tracker careers, they'd never once used this expensive teleportation magic circle.
This was the organization's safehouse in Erpu.
As the two ascended from the basement chamber, an ordinary house came into view.
“Gather intel separately and regroup here.”
Marie said as they emerged from the secret room.
Michael quietly nodded to Marie and headed outside.
Watching him leave, Marie set off to collect information as well.
Finding the suspect's trail was no challenge for Marie.
“Their impression was so striking, impossible to forget. A hugely built knight. With him were a blonde and a silver-haired beauty.”
“Just the two women?”
“Yes.”
Marie easily obtained a lead from the guard at Erpu's west gate.
She thought the higher-ups were overreacting—this mission was a breeze.
The suspect's massive build made identification simple, and witnesses remembered him clearly.
Humans over two meters tall were rare—only one matched.
In black armor? No need to even mention.
Black hair.
A masculine face with bold lines, ordinary yet striking.
A flawlessly trained, sculpted physique.
After hearing the gate guard's testimony, Marie headed deeper into the city.