Chapter 299 The Anxiety of Leaving the Organization
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It had been several days since we took Bearty under protection.
There had been some worries, of course, but so far nothing serious had happened.
Bearty seemed a little too fired up, but was handling the caretaking without issue.
Meanwhile, the Inquisitor and priests who had come from the Theocracy shut themselves away inside the Clinic, never stepping out.
The reason was simple: we had only prepared the building. Furniture and fittings weren’t included.
The Theocracy’s people insisted on arranging the interior themselves. Apparently, the instruments used in the Clinic were under strict regulations, so they claimed it was necessary.
In truth, it was probably just to guard against bugs or hidden devices.
Either way, since the first greeting, they hadn’t shown any notable movement.
I thought today too would pass without trouble…
”Neil-sama, how’s the pressure?”
”Ah… yeah, it’s fine…”
”Then, I’ll continue.”
Right now, I was lying face-down on the bed in my bedroom, arms and legs spread wide, while receiving a massage from Stella-san.
Why had things turned out like this? To explain, we need to go back about thirty minutes earlier.
”Ughhh… haa…”
”What’s wrong? Why the groaning?”
”My body’s been stiff all over lately.”
Endless paperwork had left my shoulders and lower back tight.
Rotating my shoulders, I gave that excuse to Lewya.
”Just like Diana said—when you depend too much on something just because it’s convenient, you start missing things.”
”Exactly. That whole business with the different space (T/N: 異空間, literally ‘another space’; a frozen-time dimension) must have made Diana uneasy. As the one who gave you that necklace, I feel a bit conflicted.”
Since that incident in the timeless different space, Diana had been wary of me leaning too heavily on conveniences.
She noticed how often I used the necklace Lewya had given me for my birthday—an accessory that healed fatigue and pain when infused with magic power.
Seeing me depend on it, she urged me to cut back.
At first, I laughed it off as Diana being overly cautious.
But the truth was, my use of the necklace had increased. That meant my body was under more strain than I wanted to admit.
So, I decided to stop using it for a while, to properly gauge my condition.
The result?
All the fatigue I had been suppressing poured out. By the next morning, my whole body felt impossibly heavy.
I managed to get up, and stretching helped a little.
But when I sat down at the desk, my shoulders and arms cramped up again almost instantly.
Each time, I stretched, but honestly—it was like throwing water on hot stones.
”Ugh, I want a full-body massage so bad…”
”Massage? Oh right, that’s what they call anma (T/N: 按摩, traditional Japanese therapeutic massage) in the Kingdom.”
”Ah… yeah, that’s right.”
Damn it, I slipped.
Fortunately, “massage” was a common word in the Kingdom, unlike in the Empire. At least I hadn’t spouted something completely alien.
I’d sworn not to let words from my old world slip out, but thanks to the curse of ihomono (T/N: 異邦者, “foreigner from another world”), those memories never faded.
When I let my guard down, I sometimes blurted them out.
”But wait, Lewya, how do you even know the word massage? You don’t speak Kingdom language.”
”Actually, I heard it from Stella.”
”From Stella-san? …Oh right, she’s from the Kingdom. Still, how’d that word come up?”
”About two weeks ago, Sia was teasing Zora—’My chest feels heavy, my shoulders ache. You must be jealous since you never get stiff shoulders.’ Typical.”
”…Those two again.”
”Stella overheard and said, ‘If you’re that stiff, should I give you a massage?’ She did it for Sia, and apparently it was a hit. I wasn’t stiff at the time, so I didn’t try, but the others praised her skill.
Especially Diana—her whole body was worn out from overwork. After Stella massaged her, she felt so much lighter that she’s gone back for more several times since.”
”Heh… Diana, huh. Funny, considering she told me to keep some distance from Stella-san.”
”Don’t hold it against her. At first, maybe. But Diana doesn’t think Stella will hurt you anymore. What worries her is—”
”I know. What she’s really worried about is whether Stella-san truly managed to cut ties with that organization.”
Grelego. That wasn’t the proper name, but for most people, that’s what the organization was known as.
They were infamous for secrecy. The rumor went: “Once you join, you never leave. The only exit is death.”
Even if Stella had slipped away during the chaos of Narsht-san’s incident, once things settled down, discovery would be inevitable.
If they decided to silence her, Stella would be the first target.
And if they thought her new allies might know too much, danger could spread to us as well.
That’s why Diana wanted me to keep a certain distance.
”Diana worries too much. If there really were danger to us, Stella-san would be the one keeping her distance.”
”…And yet, you still look uneasy. Are you worried?”
”…Even if I can overlook risks to us, what about Stella-san herself?”
”You have a point. Knowing her, she might accept danger as the price of leaving.
If it bothers you that much, why not ask her directly?”
”No way. It’s not something she’d want to discuss.”
”Then ask her indirectly. For example… while she’s giving you a massage.”
”…Huh?”
And so, with Diana out and unable to interfere, Lewya brought Stella-san to my room.
The massage was just an excuse—the real goal was to talk.
But only a few minutes in, as her hands worked across my back, I was melting uselessly into the bed.
”Mmm… feels so good…”
”Thank you.”
”Seriously… you’re amazing at this.”
When I’d visited Toys of Preference (Shikou no Gigu, T/N: name of an establishment offering various “plays”), I remembered seeing “massage” listed among the available services. I figured they’d be decent at it, but I never expected Stella-san’s skill to be this good.
”Actually, before I started working at Toys of Preference, there was a time I worked in a brothel hall. Back then, I learned from a customer who was amazing at massage.”
”In a brothel hall, huh?”
Brothel halls, unlike smaller brothel houses, were entire mansions turned into businesses. Costs of staff and upkeep were far higher, which meant they were classified as high-class establishments.
Their clients were almost always nobles and merchants, the so-called “successful.”
Commoners hardly ever entered, and some places even refused them outright even if they had the money.
Nobles and merchants were the ones receiving massages.
I couldn’t imagine any of them being skilled enough to teach others.
”Yes, he was a very unusual customer. For the sake of receiving his ideal massage, he went around teaching his ideal technique directly to prostitutes.”
”Why to prostitutes? Wouldn’t it have been better to teach it to a shiatsu practitioner instead?”
”Well… the massage he wanted was an erotic massage.”
”…I see.”
So, it was that kind of thing.
In this world, massage was just massage—no such services existed.
And yet this man had spent money to spread the knowledge, even teaching normal techniques alongside the erotic ones. That kind of devotion had a very “serious hobbyist” feel to it.
…No way. Could it have been an ihomono (T/N: 異邦者, outsider from another world)?
”A single lesson at a brothel hall must have cost a fortune. How many times did he come to you?”
”Just once. He said, ‘It’s not possible with you,’ and that was the end of it.”
”You picked this up after only one time? That’s some learning speed.”
”No… at first I wasn’t this good. I practiced what he taught with other clients. Over time, repeating it again and again, I improved. I suppose that customer could tell I was only smiling politely, not truly into it.”
”That’s natural. If someone shows up and says, ‘I’ll teach you a massage, so learn it,’ how many people would take it seriously right away?”
”…True.”
”Stella-san?”
That pause… it felt like I’d stepped on something I shouldn’t have.
Lewya had made it sound so easy—”just ask indirectly”—but how the hell was I supposed to casually bring up, Hey, are you really safe after leaving the organization?
As I was stuck agonizing, Stella-san’s hands suddenly stopped.
”What’s wrong?”
”The massage for your arms and legs is finished. But from this position, I can’t reach your shoulders or lower back.”
It seemed she thought it improper, as a servant, to climb onto her master’s bed.
So she’d been stretching from the side all this time.
I had noticed, which was why I lay spread-eagle, limbs thrown outward, to make it easier for her.
”If Neil-sama permits… may I climb onto the bed?”
”Ah, yes, no problem at all.”
”Then… excuse me.”
She slipped off her shoes, face tense, and slowly climbed onto the bed.
It was just to continue the massage, but a strange nervousness ran between us.
She sat down beside me with the care of someone handling delicate glasswork.
”Then… I’ll massage your lower back now.”
”Please do.”
Her slender fingers pressed into the stiffness of my waist, loosening hardened muscles.
I had completely forgotten my original purpose—this wasn’t about the massage itself.
”Um, Stella-san.”
”Yes?”
”I was just wondering… how’s Bearty doing? Until now, you were the one mainly caring for Tris. Did Bearty manage to take over properly?”
Damn it. Instead of approaching the topic, I threw out something totally unrelated.
”She’s fulfilling her role well. You could even say she’s pushing herself too hard.”
”Yeah, Diana mentioned that too. She thought Bearty looked like she was overworking from guilt or obligation.”
”Guilt, you say…”
”Something wrong?”
”I don’t think her effort comes from guilt or repayment. Of course, those feelings might be there, but deep down… I sense something else is driving her. Sorry, I can’t put it any clearer.”
”No, thank you. I don’t get to spend much time with her, so hearing your honest impression helps a lot.”
So Bearty might be overdoing it…
I’d let things slide since there hadn’t been any visible problems, but maybe I should step in sooner.
As we talked, the massage on my lower back finished.
Stella-san moved to the head of the bed to reach my shoulders.
The distance between our bodies hadn’t changed much, but just having her so close to my face made it feel far more intimate.
”…I’ll start on your shoulders now.”
”H-huh? O-okay, please.”
My nervousness must have reached her, because she fell silent, massaging in complete focus.
Even tense, her hands felt amazing.
But I had no space in my head to enjoy it—just the warmth above me, and the question of how to bring up what I really wanted to ask.
Before I knew it, the shoulder massage was already done.
”All right… lastly, I’ll work on your neck. Could you turn onto your back for me?”
”Ah—yeah, sure—!?”
The moment I flipped over and stared up at the ceiling, two peaks entered my view.
I had thought her chest was impressive when I saw it in the bath before, but from this angle—thrust forward and firm—it was a lethal sight.
Instinctively, I turned my face to the side.
”Ah, forgive me, but could you keep your face straight?”
”Straight!?”
”Because if you turn your head, the muscles in your neck tighten.
If I try to massage you in that state, I might hurt you instead. So please, keep it straight.”
With her saying that, I couldn’t keep looking away. I turned my face back to the ceiling.
Sure, I’d reflexively averted my eyes just now, but thinking calmly… I could always just close them. That would solve everything.
And yet—before this breathtaking view, two voices whispered in my head.
”Stella-san is simply doing her job seriously. Looking at her like that is rude. Close your eyes.”
…versus…
”She’s the one who told you to face forward. Keeping your eyes open isn’t your fault.”
As I struggled between angel and devil, torn by the temptation of the two peaks before me—
”Neil-sama.”
”Yes!?”
”What is it that you want to ask me?”
”…Eh?”
”I can tell. You’ve started speaking several times only to stop midway. You’ve switched the subject more than once.
It seems to me there’s something you want to ask, but it’s hard for you to say. Isn’t that right? Even now, you’re hesitating.”
”Uh… well, right now I’m hesitating for a different reason… but yes. You’re correct.”
There was no way I could admit I’d been debating whether to stare at her chest.
So I latched onto her words instead.
Thankfully, with her chest blocking her own line of sight, she couldn’t see my expression.
”Something hard to ask… is it about the organization? I can’t say much, but if it would help you—”
”No, that’s not it. Let me make this clear. I have no intention of prying into the organization’s secrets.
What I wanted to ask is whether leaving them behind puts you in danger. If they’d come after you, knowing you carry their secrets.”
”…That’s what you were worried about?”
”It’s important.”
At my answer, her hands paused mid-massage.
”Important, you say…”
”Stella-san?”
”It’s nothing. As for your concern—there’s no need. As I said, I don’t know any true secrets. I was just a low-ranking underling.”
”Even so… forgive me if this is hard to ask. But you carried out missions, didn’t you?
Wouldn’t they have at least given you the minimal information to complete them?”
”Perhaps, if my superior had been anyone else. But mine never shared even the minimum.
It was partly because I never questioned orders—I was like a puppet, doing what I was told without hesitation. And partly because…”
”Because?”
”…I never asked, but I think that person knew. They knew one day I might try to leave.
So they kept all forbidden knowledge away from me. To protect me.”
”I see. They must have been kind.”
”Yes. Thanks to that person, I was able to recover my true self. And then—”
Leaning forward as if to cradle something precious, Stella-san cupped my cheeks in her hands.
”Thanks to you, Neil-sama, I was able to chase after a dream I once gave up.”
”…Because of me?”
I had no idea what she meant.
But I couldn’t bring myself to ask.
A dream she had abandoned once—it must have been tied to the path that dragged her into the organization.
I didn’t want my curiosity to force her to reopen a past she might rather forget.
”If helping you chase that dream again was all I managed, then I’m glad. If you ever need help, just ask.”
”It’s fine. It’s my dream, one I chose to pursue again on my own. And besides—ah…”
”What’s wrong?”
Her right hand slipped away from my cheek, pointing toward something.
I followed her gaze… and froze.
Somewhere along the way, a tent had risen in my trousers.
”Uhh, this is… um…”
I scrambled for excuses, but there were none.
Yes, I had listened seriously.
But when she leaned so close, her breath brushing me, her chest nearly pressing into my face…
The overwhelming presence of those peaks had drowned out reason. By the time I realized, this was the result.
”Th-the thing is… from this angle, there’s something I just couldn’t avoid seeing…”
”So, the reason you grew flustered as soon as you turned onto your back was…?”
”…Because of your chest.”
”—!”
At once, she clutched her chest with both arms, leaping from the bed.
”Why… why am I this shaken, just from him seeing my chest? I’ve been seen naked before, so why…”
Cheeks burning, Stella tried to steady herself, muttering to regain control.
”…Is it because it was Neil-sama? Because I realized he was looking at me that way? I—”
”Uh, well… I can’t excuse it. It’s just… the sad nature of a man.
I really was listening seriously, but my instincts reacted before I could stop them.”
”…! E-excuse me!!”
”Ah—Stella-san!?”
Ignoring my call, she bolted from the room.
I sat frozen, staring at the open door, words failing me.
Then Lewya poked her head in, curiosity drawn by the commotion.
”I just passed Stella—red-faced, running. Did something happen? Did you manage to ask what you wanted?”
”Yeah… I asked. She said there’s nothing to worry about.”
”I see, that’s good. But then what—”
Her eyes stopped. Squarely on the bulge that still strained my trousers.
”Ahhh… well, Neil, you are a healthy man. But don’t tell me you tried to force yourself on her?”
”I did not!!”
And so, the anxiety about her escape from the organization was finally put to rest.
But for quite some time, Stella-san refused to meet my eyes again.
—
Q. That customer from the brothel hall—wasn’t he an ihomono (outsider from another world)?
A. Correct.
He’s just a total deviant who exists in this world as background lore. He’ll never actually appear in the main story, so feel free to forget him.
Notes:
• Bearty – Gray-haired Lycus girl from a remote settlement, ran away from overprotective family, appears after collapsing from exhaustion, becomes the girl Neil protects and mentors.
• Stella – Female. A young woman from a village in the territory of Count Cordis. Her appearance is that of a young girl with a fixed smile, reflecting her traumatic experiences. She was renamed Remia by the brothel owner in Malm. Her relationship with others is marked by survival and adaptation, as she endures sexual exploitation and bullying. Her inner thoughts reveal a deep sense of despair and disconnection from her original identity.
• Zora – One of the harem. Race Mire.
• Grelego – Ally of the empire. The one who judges those who harm the empire.
• Narsht-san – MC’s chef.
• Tris – Golarf’s daughter. The one who can’t control her azure origin.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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