Chapter 105 The Pervert’s Growth and an Expression of Regret
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
From Bartholomeus Crowley, I’d extracted some genuinely useful intel. Even without relying on the Crowley family’s ‘kept’ dwarves, there were plenty of top-notch slave dwarf blacksmiths in the Royal Capital. And if I brought them the high-quality magic materials I’d prepared… well, I could probably get a pretty solid magic sword forged.
Leaving the student council room behind, I set off for home.
Walking slowly down the hallway, I pieced together my plans for the future. First order of business: securing a blacksmith and the magic materials. If there was a shop with a skilled craftsman on staff, I could commission the work—or I could just hire my own artisan outright.
Before climbing into the carriage, I told the coachman to change my destination. I was heading to the Zaitz Merchant Guild—the slave traders.
I’d only just thought of this now, so I hadn’t made an appointment. But hey, there’d be someone there if I showed up, right?
Might as well make the most of the opportunity. I’d go in with the assumption of buying out an entire skilled dwarf blacksmith for myself. Slave merchants were treasure troves of information. I’d gather intel through the negotiations and make the optimal choice.
＊＊＊
When I arrived at the Zaitz Merchant Guild, Gregor—Balthazar’s minder—greeted me with his usual calm, composed expression.
The sun was already dipping low in the west, and the sky over the Royal Capital was about to be painted in shades of burning red.
”Welcome, Xenos-sama.”
”Yeah. Sorry for the sudden visit. I’ll get straight to the point—I want to purchase a dwarf slave.”
When I laid out my business, Gregor shot a glance at one of his subordinate employees. The employee seemed to understand immediately and hurried off into the back of the shop. Probably off to select a skilled dwarf slave for sale to me.
”I’ll wait inside.”
”Yes. Right this way, please.”
Gregor led me deeper into the shop.
…Hm?
”Hey. This isn’t the usual room, is it?”
Whenever I’d come to this shop before, I’d always been shown to the finest room for their most honored guests. But now Gregor was heading somewhere else—a slightly lower-tier room.
Gregor bowed his head low and offered an apology.
”…I’m terribly sorry. The truth is, that room is currently occupied by another guest…”
Unusually, he stumbled over his words.
”Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s my fault for showing up unannounced. Forget it.”
If I’d given notice beforehand, they would have kept the best room open for me, no question. If I’d made a reservation and it wasn’t available, I’d have been pissed—but if it just happened to be taken, that couldn’t be helped.
Still, my curiosity was piqued.
”So, who’s the guest? Someone more important than me?”
”…No, actually. The young master’s arranged marriage meeting is currently taking place.”
…Huh?
Balthazar? That Balthazar? In an arranged marriage meeting?
That pervert—?
And this amusing little event was happening here, right now?
”Who’s the other party?”
I asked out of idle curiosity.
The answer: Merinda Lancaster. The third daughter of the impoverished baron family Lancaster, here in the Royal Capital.
Since she was a noble’s daughter, that meant she was a student at the Royal Academy of Magic—just like me. Even though I’d been at the student council, I’d taken a carriage all the way here. If the meeting was already underway, she must have taken the day off from school.
A political marriage, huh.
”So that’s…”
”Yes. Though we call it a ‘meeting,’ the engagement is essentially already decided. Today is merely a formal introduction.”
I could guess the circumstances behind it.
The penniless Lancaster family, offering up their daughter in exchange for debt forgiveness—or perhaps a living stipend.
A simple enough arrangement.
A pitiful butterfly, caught in the spider’s web of the moneylender.
Quite an exciting scenario, wasn’t it?
…Nice. I was starting to envy Balthazar.
As I was entertaining these base thoughts—
”Aaaaaah!!”
A high-pitched scream, laced with both revulsion and rejection, rang out from the room where the arranged marriage meeting was being held.
What the hell was that?
”Young master! I’m opening the door now! What in the world are you—!”
Gregor’s usual composure shattered like glass. His face went pale as he rushed to the door. I followed behind, peeking into the room with intense curiosity.
Inside: a beautiful woman in a luxurious dress… and that familiar hunk of flesh, Balthazar.
The woman had risen from her chair, clearly trying to leave the room. And right behind her, that pervert was kneeling on the floor—his face practically buried in the generous curve of her dress-clad rear.
”…!? What do you think you’re doing, young master?! I explicitly told you—no touching the partner today! I warned you so firmly!”
Seriously, what the hell was he doing? This guy…
”I didn’t touch her! I didn’t lay a finger! I was simply… inhaling her sacred scent! I couldn’t part without making sure. But I swear, no physical contact! Sniiiff… haaaah… ugh, ohhhff♡”
I entered the room, stunned by the sheer spectacle. And then I sided with Gregor’s anguished cry.
”Yeah. Pretty sure normal people call that ‘making a move on her.’ Generally speaking—”
When I spoke up, the pervert scrambled to his feet, clearly flustered and startled.
”Ah! X-Xenos-sama! When did you get here?!”
”Just now. You’re as consistent as ever.”
I said it with a strange sense of reassurance—this guy’s perversions never wavered, and he marched to his own beat.
”And yet, I had believed myself to have improved considerably in my handling of women, thanks to your invaluable advice, Xenos-sama…”
…Improved?
(Oh, right—this guy used to say ‘stinky♡’ when complimenting women. Unbelievably rude.)
Apparently, he’d reflected on that and replaced it with ‘ohhhff♡.’
…When he put it that way, I couldn’t exactly say he hadn’t improved.
”I see. Glad my advice proved useful.”
”Oh, no… I truly am grateful for your guidance.”
As we exchanged this friendly conversation, Merinda Lancaster’s dull blue eyes grew even murkier. She regarded us with a cold, contemptuous gaze—as if we were filth.
Apparently, I’d been lumped together with this irredeemable pervert. Birds of a feather, right?
I considered defending myself—”It’s not what you think!” “I was scolding him!”—but making excuses felt small-time, so I held back.
To Merinda, I was now classified as Balthazar’s equal in perversion.
Her scornful gaze stabbed into me without mercy.
This is a complete frame-up. I’m not like him at all.
—
Summary:
Xenos leaves the student council room after extracting intel from Crowley and heads to the slave merchant guild to purchase a dwarf blacksmith. Upon arrival, he discovers Balthazar in the middle of a farcical arranged marriage meeting where the pervert is caught sniffing his bride-to-be’s backside. Xenos attempts to distance himself from Balthazar’s reputation but ends up grouped with him anyway, leaving him nursing his wounded pride.
—
Trivia:
Xenos previously advised Balthazar to stop saying “stinky” to women—Balthazar’s “improvement” is the replacement of “stinky♡” with “ohhhff♡.”
Gregor is Balthazar’s designated minder and is responsible for keeping him in line during formal events.
The Lancaster family is impoverished and offered their daughter to the Crowley family in exchange for debt relief.
Merinda is a student at the Royal Academy of Magic but skipped school for this arranged meeting.
Xenos is well-known at the Zaitz Merchant Guild—he normally gets the best room.
Xenos is actively planning to purchase a dwarf blacksmith exclusively for his own use.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Bartholomeus – First son of the Crowley family and student council member, which governs the Eisen mountain range where dwarves reside. Described as a plump, round-faced, harmless-looking noble with refined features befitting his high-ranking lineage. Wears a perpetually polished, gentle smile that softens the atmosphere around him. Member of the Crowley family who provided Xenos with information about dwarf blacksmiths in the Royal Capital.
• Crowley – Bartholomeus’ family name.
• Balthazar – Son of the Crowley family. A pervert with no boundaries who considers himself improved after being advised to stop saying “stinky” to women. Obsessed with female scent. Currently engaged in an arranged marriage meeting.
• Gregor – Balthazar’s guardian and minder at the Zaitz Merchant Guild. Calm and professional demeanor that breaks only when Balthazar misbehaves. Defers to Xenos with formal respect.
• Xenos – Job: Heir to a high-ranking noble house; Relationship: Owner of Lilia; Has romantic connections with Elenor, Cecilia, and Lizel; Item/Magic: Summoning magic, [Substitution Collars]; Note: Was caught up in a Royal Palace explosion and missed three days of school. Pragmatic and calculating personality. Job: Noble of Grimlock family, protagonist; Relationship: Manipulator of Princess Liliana, pursuing Serena; Item/Magic: [Ring of Transformation]; Note: Reincarnated villain with game knowledge, calculating and arrogant. Job: Theater Owner and noble of Grimlock family; Relationship: Fiancé to Cecilia; Item/Magic: Game knowledge/metaknowledge; Note: Reincarnated villain protagonist who knows the original game script.
• Merinda – Third daughter of the impoverished Lancaster baron family. Engaged in an arranged marriage meeting with Balthazar. Has dull blue eyes. Expresses cold contempt toward both Balthazar and Xenos after they are grouped together as perverts.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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