Chapter 170
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Nfufufufu… ♡”
She nuzzled and squished against me.
Some time after that, after finishing cleanup and getting ready, Seria still held my arm to her chest with a satisfied, stupid grin.
I had enjoyed myself plenty, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that soft, lingering feeling. Still, it was about time to head home, so I put a stop to anything more.
After reflecting on the events with Seria, I realized I needed to address the hardline faction in this town. But if Ms. Sakura’s status as a “Saint” had to be kept secret, I couldn’t help but wonder why she went to the church at all.
Hm. Maybe I should just tell Seria about the Saint.
Even if the hardline faction learned something about me from Seria, they probably couldn’t trace Ms. Sakura’s whereabouts. I planned to teleport to the meeting spot with Martina and the others, so they couldn’t interfere.
Besides, word about me would likely reach the hardline faction from the people in charge of the Ceremony of Benediction anyway. It made sense to move quickly.
So I decided to reveal Ms. Sakura’s situation to Seria and ask about the hardline faction’s movements.
”…So that’s the situation.”
”Haah. The Saint, you say… I never would have guessed it turned out like that.”
”It’s still a secret. I don’t want her to be used for someone else’s ends.”
”You mean the hardline faction? In that case, you should be careful.”
”What do you mean?”
Seria made a little motion as if she were trying to remember, then answered.
”Let’s see… I think some people from the church came by yesterday, before dusk. It was a small group. It was sudden, so I asked the other clerics, and they said those people were from the hardline faction.”
”What?”
So they had already arrived.
Well, Martina and the others had been attacked far from this town. Considering that, the hardline faction hadn’t been terribly late. It wasn’t impossible they’d arrive a few days behind.
It had been the right call to move quickly: tell Martina and the others about Ms. Sakura’s ability, then hide her in the dungeon.
But that raised a new problem.
”If the hardline faction arrived, it wouldn’t be strange for them to look for the Saint right away, would it?”
You’d think so, given their name. Yet there were no signs of them actively searching—at least not yet.
Seria told me more.
”When they reached the town, they contacted the lord, and the lord replied that same day. Apparently they made demands, and the lord answered in a hurry… Maybe it was about the Saint?”
”Probably. They might have demanded help in the search. Do you think the hardline faction already knows about Ms. Sakura?”
”They contacted the lord as soon as they arrived. They probably didn’t know at that moment.”
”Even so, they’d likely know now. The result of the ceremony is recorded, after all.”
”That’s true. Not everyone can view those records, but if they insist they need to find the Saint, they could check and find her.”
”Yeah. But if the hardline faction knows Ms. Sakura is a Saint and still doesn’t act openly… do you think they plan to demand the lord hand her over?”
If their target from the start was Ms. Sakura, the lord might cooperate to avoid more trouble—better to hand over one person than let public order collapse. The lord could order soldiers to search, or hire adventurers to track her down.
Either way, no other women would suffer, which would give the lord little reason to refuse.
Seria spoke from what she could guess.
”Based on what we know, that seems likely.”
Of course.
If no other women were at risk, I could have waited until two days later and let Martina and the others experience teleportation. But now, there was a chance someone could falsely accuse me—say I had kidnapped her, since I was with her yesterday.
Should I hide away in the dungeon? If I did, searches might reach the Hooters I’d been going to or Monoka’s orphanage.
Both places were connected to me by choice. I didn’t want to cause trouble for them.
Maybe, instead, I should make my location known and act like a normal adventurer. Deliveries to the orphanage were arranged through Hooters, so I could avoid going there and keep the orphanage out of any search. At least that might protect them.
Well… Frederica supported the orphanage. Even if they searched, she could use her influence and smooth things over. That would probably keep things quiet.
Since I had to deliver the spoils to Hooters anyway, dropping by wouldn’t seem strange. No one would suspect anything or dig too deep.
Alright then.
Ms. Sakura would come pick me up two mornings from now, so I needed to be in my own room at that time. Until then, it was better not to go home. If the lord or the hardline faction decided to search my apartment, people like Iris and Arisa—and the other residents—could get dragged into it. I didn’t want that.
It would be safer to stay somewhere my presence could be easily confirmed by others. I’d just eat and sleep at some random inn.
”Alright. Time to go back.”
”Yes.”
With our plans settled, I packed my things and took Seria with me as we returned to town.
Once back, we parted ways. I headed straight to Hooters to deliver my spoils.
The streets were lively—voices rising, people laughing. Workers finishing their shifts mixed with adventurers coming and going, and the crowd carried a restless energy. After weaving through the noise, I reached my destination.
”I’m here for a delivery.”
”Of course. You’ve brought in a lot again today.”
The clerk at the delivery counter smiled, clearly in a good mood. Having adventurers sell directly to them was cheaper than buying through the guild.
Even though I had absorbed some of the magic stones myself, the amount I brought in was still impressive for one person.
The paperwork finished smoothly, and I left Hooters without incident, thinking about where to stay for the night. It was getting late—vacant rooms would be scarce.
Worst case, I could go to the Horned Ox Inn, where Linna might let me stay in her room. But if I stayed there, I couldn’t be open about it in front of other guests. That meant no one would clearly see I was staying there—defeating the point.
Then an idea struck me, and I turned toward my new destination.
”Welcome, sir♡”
The one who greeted me was Mizary, the maid of the Vermillion House.
”Please, relax and take your time♡” Frederica added with her usual teasing smile.
Yes. I had come to the Vermillion House—and planned to stay here.
If people were going to investigate me to find Ms. Sakura, I might as well stay at the lord’s estate. That way, no one else would get dragged into trouble.
I had explained my reasoning to Frederica from the adventurers’ guild, and she had agreed with a smile, personally bringing me here.
There was a hint of something suggestive in her tone, but this time, I wasn’t here to “entertain” anyone.
The lord would surely question me to learn more about Ms. Sakura, and if they were keeping watch on me, I couldn’t very well spend time with Frederica or Mizary. I had already made that clear to them.
”…You understand, right?”
”I do. You mean we’ll be the ones questioning you instead?” Frederica said, a sly grin tugging at her lips.
”This isn’t a game. Do you really think the lord would trust you with that?”
”Of course.”
Frederica sounded absolutely confident.
”And why’s that?”
”If anyone tries anything rough with you, we’ll just say Mose will show up. That alone will stop them. So they’ll have to use softer methods—money, or women.”
”I’m not exactly desperate for money, so that leaves the latter, huh.”
”Exactly. And since last time they got nothing out of us about Mose, I’m guessing they’ll prepare… a few more women.”
”That’s not exactly comforting…”
”Why not?”
”Well…”
I glanced toward Mizary.
To be safe during intimacy, I had to cover myself with a magic armor barrier—something I kept secret. I didn’t want anyone to see it. Frederica knew about “Magic Mending,” so that wasn’t an issue with her, but I couldn’t risk exposing it to someone else. That meant if I had to be involved with anyone, it could only be one person.
Mizary didn’t know about this secret. I’d always distracted her enough that she never noticed.
She sensed this was something private, yet stepped closer and pressed me gently.
”Is this something I’m not allowed to hear?”
”Well…”
Her eyes shimmered with sadness, and I couldn’t find words to answer. She was beautiful, yes—but she was also the first woman I’d ever been with. Even if it hadn’t been something I’d planned, it still happened. I couldn’t help but feel a sense of obligation toward her.
Frederica, reading the mood, stepped in.
”Wait—is this about that power of yours? If so, Mizary won’t spread it around.”
I turned back to Mizary. She nodded firmly.
”I don’t know what the matter is,” she said, “but I serve the Vermillion House now. If ordered, I’ll keep silent—and even without such orders, I would never betray your trust.”
There was strength in her eyes, a will that went beyond duty.
So I decided to tell them the truth—that the “Magic Armor” was part of my Magic Mending—and to explain why having more women involved would be a problem if someone tried to use them to pry information out of me.
Notes:
• Seria – The first cleric.
• Sakura – Orphaned, raised by merchants, later became manager of a women’s apartment house. Met Koji when he sought a room, reluctantly accepted him with Frederica’s backing. Trademark: black-hair kuudere manager (strict outside, shy inside). Revealed by the Ceremony as the Saint of Ten’i (Teleportation Saint), marked by both factions of the Holy Church. Holds memories of a past life in Japan.
• Martina – Cleric of Moktaris’ Holy Church, moderate faction. Met Koji in Dungeon City while posing as “Tina,” an adventurer’s companion to secretly investigate rumors of the new Saint. Trademark: long black-hair majime-chan (serious beauty, stiff even when undercover). Later revealed her Church role at Lord Brandl’s audience, warned of hardliners, and recognized Sakura as the Saint.
• Frederica – The receptionist. The daughter of powerful figure in the town.
• Arisa – Alicia’s (Iris’ sister) fake name.
• Iris – The first collaborator to request a curse-breaking item.
• Linna – A woman from the protagonist’s past; seems to have been selling her body.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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