Chapter 104
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
First, I told Ms. Sakura, the Hooter’ shop manager, not to eavesdrop, then I went up to the 4th floor to meet Iris who was waiting and we headed to the room.
Iris made a strange face for a moment, probably sensing Ms. Sakura’s smell, but we didn’t mention it as we arrived at the room.
*Click*
”Please come in”
”Thank you for having me”
As I said that and entered the room, Iris hugged me as soon as I closed the door.
*Hug, kiss*
”Mmm”
”Ngh”
She pressed her lips against mine as if she was used to it, then slipped her tongue in, licking as if she was cleaning my mouth.
*Slurp, slurrrp…*
”Mmm… Mmm…”
Since I didn’t mind and there was no rush, I let her do as she pleased… before long, Iris pulled away looking satisfied.
*Smooch*
”Phew…♪”
”Hah… what’s up? You suddenly…”
Following Ms. Sakura, I licked my lips again, wiping them from the saliva, and asked.
Then Iris answered with a sour look on her face.
”Well… I was worried that you didn’t want to leave this town and would stop coming to my hometown. Well, if Seria came, I could probably lift the curse, but I’d feel more comfortable if you accompanied me.”
Oh, I see.
After noticing Ms. Sakura, she realized that there might be someone out there who wouldn’t want me to leave this town.
I told her that she needs money for “Commercial Recovery” but that doesn’t mean I have to provide it. She probably thinks that she uses regular coins.
So she thought there was a possibility that I wouldn’t accompany her on her return home, and she acted like this to avoid that.
”Don’t worry. My promise was to help a woman until she was able to break her curse, and since I’ve already received my payment in advance, I have no intention of backing out.”
”Is that okay? Until I get the ring of binding…”
”Sure. It wasn’t just about the ring, and if I back out now, it would be a breach of contract. But I can’t return the reward either.”
I answered Iris, who looked a bit anxious.
*Suddenly!*
”Mmm♪”
*Smooch… Lick.*
She jumped at me again and kissed me, and I ended up letting her have her fun in my mouth for a while.
* * *
For now, I sat on the bed next to Iris, who seemed calm and relaxed.
We hadn’t been intimate for a while, and maybe because of that, she was sitting close and stroking my thigh… but I had to hold back because there were important things to discuss.
I felt like the tension would build up when the next chance came.
Well, I guess I’ll just accept that.
So… first, we need to talk about the steps to break the curse and the environment.
Iris raised a question when I brought up that topic.
”Environment?”
”Yeah. You don’t want the identity of the cursed woman to be known, right?”
”Yes.”
”Then we need to hide where that person is and what they look like from Seria, and on top of that, we must keep Seria’s skills a secret… so in an environment where neither of us knows who the other is, only Iris can be there.”
”I see. But if that’s the case… won’t you come?”
”You don’t want that person to be known, right?”
”That’s true, but… doesn’t it bother you?”
”Not really. I just want to keep my promise.”
”…”
I had heard from Ferris and Charlotte that Iris was a noble, and Iris herself mentioned that she had seen traces of the curse at the scene… so the cursed woman is likely a relative of hers.
Iris also told me that the woman is unmarried, but being turned to stone and unable to move isn’t directly related to being unmarried, and she probably mentioned it because it’s something she needs to be concerned about.
Additionally, since she was targeted instead of Iris, I suspect that she is an older sister who is likely to have a marriage proposal before Iris.
However, I really don’t care, which is why I made it clear that I don’t want to be present at the scene… but then Iris revealed the answer to me.
”…Actually, she is my sister. She is cursed.”
”I see. So Iris is also a noble?”
”Yes.”
”I see.”
She seemed to question why I wasn’t surprised.
”You’re not surprised?”
”Ah… well, you had a strange elegance. More importantly, was it okay to tell me?”
I couldn’t say that “Ferris from Silver Orchid,” or Charlotte, who hides her status as a princess, was the source of information. So, I just made up something and continued talking. Iris looked a bit satisfied but soon answered with a worried face.
”Yes. Considering the risk of her petrified limbs breaking, I don’t want to move my sister carelessly. If that happens, Seria will have to come to my house, right?”
”I guess that will happen.”
”If that’s the case, if we hide my house, I might have to blindfold her, and without you, she might refuse to help.”
”So you thought telling me about your background would help Seria cooperate. Well, normally, being taken to an unknown place while blindfolded would be uncomfortable…”
I think she would follow if I told her, but it’s understandable that she would feel anxious.
So, there’s a chance that Seria might refuse to lift the curse on Iris’s sister… I can’t say it’s impossible.
Right now, the only reason she has to help Iris is me.
Since we can’t afford to fail, adding unnecessary stress could negatively affect her skills.
So, I think it’s better for her to be fully prepared.
While thinking about this, Iris brought up another reason for wanting me to come along.
”Right? Plus, something unexpected could happen, and it might become dangerous.”
”I can’t say that’s impossible… But what kind of danger? Is there a risk of interference?”
”Since my sister was cursed, security has become stricter, but having outsiders around my sister would definitely attract attention, right?”
”I guess so.”
”It would be great if we could meet her sister right away, but if not, while we wait, news about you guys could leak out and reach the interferers.”
I can understand that.
They went through the trouble of targeting Iris’s sister in a mansion with guards, and they even tested the curse on Seria’s mother, so the other side must have a clear intention.
The one who cast the curse is probably hiding in another place to escape investigation, but given their actions, it’s unlikely they are acting alone.
So, it wouldn’t be surprising if they have someone observing Iris’s sister’s situation on-site.
If that observer knows about us, they might try to interfere with the curse lifting in some way.
”Well, if that’s the case, I should join too. And let’s not have Seria dress as a Cleric.”
”That would be better. So when do you plan to leave the town?”
”Hmm…”
Iris agrees with my words and asks about our departure plans.
I can feel her wish to return home as soon as possible, but the time needed for preparation is a problem.
It shouldn’t take too long to talk to “Hooters” or “Silver Orchid” about Ms. Meria.
I have some favors with both, so if they agree, we can settle things quickly.
If they say no, I’ll back off and not push it. I’ll just give them some money for living expenses for now.
She is technically mine under the contract right now.
I should probably deliver some magic stones to Ms. Monoka’s orphanage.
If I’m leaving town for 2 months, they should have enough money saved up.
It seems like it will get really cold soon, and if the little kids catch a cold, they will need extra supplies.
Also, I want to replenish the magic power I lost from the “Gem Snake” incident… I want to focus on earning magic stones for about 2 or 3 days.
In the meantime, I’ll ask Ms. Wendy at “Hooters” to arrange the food.
After all, I’m planning to go there soon anyway.
I thought about the amount of supplies after confirming our means of transport. I considered gliding from a high altitude, but… if I lose consciousness up there, all 3 of us could crash, so I changed my mind and decided to stick to normal land travel.
You never know what might happen, and it’s better to have Seria ready to heal me if something goes wrong.
”I want to spend at least 3 days preparing. If I can’t secure supplies and transport during that time, I’ll wait until I can.”
”Got it. Is there anything I should do?”
”I’m planning to ask Ms. Wendy about supplies and transport, so if she can handle it, there’s nothing special for you to do.”
”Okay. So, what about now?”
”Yeah, that sounds good. It’s not good to be late for anything.”
I don’t know what Iris’s sister is like, but it would be a problem if she got upset about her situation.
If she just breaks her petrified arms and legs, that’s one thing, but I can’t say for sure she won’t hit her head with her free-moving neck.
It seems that Iris has the same concern.
”…That’s true. I thought it might take years, but if we can break the curse this quickly, I don’t want to waste this chance.”
”Right? So what will Iris do? If you don’t want her background known, should you not meet Ms. Wendy?”
When I asked this, Iris answered with a serious look.
”Hmm… Since we will disappear from town at the same time, it’s clear that there are companions based on the amount of supplies, right? Plus, wouldn’t she notice that I’m involved?”
”Ah, I see. We’ve met her together before.”
”Then, it might be guessed that our destination is my family home. In that case, it might be better to openly talk about me joining, and say that my house is just a commoner’s house.”
”Won’t she catch on about your sister?”
”I’ve only been in this town for about a month, right? Just that short time to prepare and return would make it seem like we’ve accomplished our goal, and since there’s no record or information about us getting the curse-breaking ring, I don’t think she will notice about my sister.”
”I see.”
As for Ms. Meria’s curse being lifted, the fact that she was cursed to turn to stone was a secret to outsiders.
So, besides us, only Ms. Girolina, who came to care for her, knows, and there’s no information related to us breaking the curse.
”But then, it seems they might ask why I and Seria are accompanying you…”
”Well, I have a plan for that.”
Iris answered while somehow avoiding my concerns.
I questioned her about her suspicious behavior.
”…What kind of explanation do you plan to give?”
To that question… Iris blushed and answered.
”I came to this town to look for a marriage partner, and since I found a good person, I’ll take you back as my fiancé.”
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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