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ED: LonelyMatter
Chapter 70 – Her Charm?
The two returned to their respective rooms and changed their clothes before joining each other. Ain dressed a little more classy to match the atmosphere of the occasion.
Chris seemed to think the same, and the two of them looked like they were at a small party.
When they met again in the lounge, they saw each other and let out a small laugh.
Chris prepared a drink and sat down on the sofa, and the conversation about the adventurer city of Baltic began. The conversation in which Chris shared her own experiences was very stimulating and interesting for Ain.
But he noticed one important thing. Now? Or finally? It doesn’t matter either way, but it doesn’t change the fact that he noticed it. Because of that, it was hard for him to understand what Chris was talking about.
“So there are still many in that area… Huh, Ain-sama? Are you listening to me?”
Chris turned her eyes a bit dissatisfied. Despite the fact that his body and face were facing her, Chris felt that his point of view was somewhere in the opposite direction.
“…I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I was just imagining what it would be like to be there when I heard that.”
It was a good thing he had gotten so good at making excuses that came out of his mouth on the spur of the moment. It had to be a good example of what not to do, and he had to be thankful for that.
“Oh, I see. I’m sorry. I was so rude.”
What she felt dissatisfied with was, “Even though I’m talking to you like this…” She felt quite unfaithful.
But the reason why Ain was a little stunned was actually related to Chris. So, her thoughts were not neglected at all.
What Ain saw was Chris’ hand.
The gesture of drinking the poured drink. He paid attention to the small gestures of raising and lowering the glass.
It was not that he was conscious of it; it was just that he followed it with his eyes when he noticed it. But as he recalled, he often paid attention to Krone’s and Olivia’s hands as well.
(“I realized I had a finger fetish. It’s not a particularly weird fetish or anything, so it shouldn’t be a problem…”)
Everyone has their own sexual preferences, right? He wondered, but of course, there was no one to ask.
Every movement of Chris’ fingers looks elegant. “It’s pretty bad to move your fingers like that,” he says, showing the slyness in his mind. “Was Chris-san an ero?” He also made a rude and evil guess, but he didn’t say it out loud, so he asked for forgiveness.
“Well, I will continue. There are still many monsters in the old Demon King’s territory. I have heard that many powerful and violent monsters still inhabit the area.”
“I see.”
He looked at her hand more carefully than before.
A long and slender flute glass. The stem of it… Her finger rested on the leg of the glass. As she lowered the glass, she gently placed her little finger on the bottom of the glass to give it a cushion of space.
Her beautiful white fingers. The way they were intertwined was a picturesque sight in itself.
Chris, who had changed her clothes, was wearing a dress with a deep slit, which made it look even more sensational.
On the contrary, Olivia was the absolute woman for Ain. It was so natural to think that she was no less beautiful than Olivia.
However, Ain was surprised when he saw her at first glance and said, “I’ve never seen Chris-san like this before.” However, it was not that he did not know enough about women’s hearts to say such a thing aloud. It’s also true that he admired her figure.
“It’s a forbidden area, isn’t it?”
He thought it would be bad to keep looking at her like that, so he looked at the night sky stretching out in front of him. There was nothing strange about looking at such a magnificent night view.
“Yes, that’s true. To be honest, we don’t know how dangerous it is. But the monsters that live there don’t leave their territory. So Ishtalika’s policy is not to interfere, and we avoid the area.”
“Avoid?”
He thanked Chris mentally. The disturbing words he had heard gradually shifted his interest and helped him to regain his composure.
“There are a number of unidentified… sealed buildings. We’ve sent an investigation team there several times, but there are still many… suspicious aspects, such as the fact that we haven’t been able to get any clues. Maybe that’s why we haven’t been able to investigate the old Demon King’s Castle yet.”
“You mean we as a country have investigated it, but we still don’t know anything about it?”
Chris nodded silently. He doesn’t know when it happened, but what it meant was that Ishtalika’s technological abilities had been defeated.
“Does that mean it was a seal created by monsters?”
“It seems so. It’s a nationwide investigation, and yet not a single clue was uncovered… There are only a handful of such monsters… Oh, wait? Now that I think about it…”
“…What is it? You suddenly looked at me.”
He was trying to keep his head straight and not look at Chris, and now his plan was in vain. He grumbles in his mind.
“Come to think of it, I have an idea of a monster that might be able to do that…”
“Like a powerful seal?”
“Yes. You know about that, don’t you, Ain-sama?”
Chris stared at Ain as she said this. Ain wondered what in the world she was talking about, and the answer came to his mind rather easily.
“Elder Lich…?”
“That’s right. Don’t you think this is about her?”
A national investigation by Ishtalika. For example, a person who had a seal applied and was completely unaffected by it would not feel particularly uncomfortable if it were said that it was done by the Elder Lich.
“So you’re saying that the wife holding her husband back in my mind is involved. Yes… I’m starting to get that feeling, too.”
Did you do it in my mind? He said, but there was no specific answer. Instead, Ain immediately reflected on the fact that he had approached Elder Lich so abruptly and unprepared.
“Ain-sama. Please don’t try to call her, okay?”
Afterward, there was no way he could say that, so he just answered honestly that he understood.
“W-well, besides the sealed area. There were a few other things that were suspicious.”
“Are there more…?”
“Well, it’s a dangerous area, you know. …The investigation team reported that they felt like they were being watched no matter what they did. I heard something like that happened.”
“But didn’t they have a lot of guards or something?”
They must be taking many skilled adventurers and knights, not just simple escorts. After all, they were taking excellent explorers to a place that was said to be a dangerous area.
“Of course, they were accompanied by many talented people. But according to them, “no one” was there. In fact, they said that they never saw a single monster near the place where the seal was placed.
It sounded like a horror story. How could you feel like you’re being watched all the time, even though you couldn’t see them? If someone spent a lot of time in a place like that, they would go crazy.
“Chris-san… have you ever visited that area?”
“Yes, I have. But I did not find anything. …Well, in my case, it’s not as deep as where the explorers went.”
If it was an enemy that even Chris couldn’t detect, it would be nothing short of a significant threat, come to think of it. Chris was one of the most powerful people Ain knew. The thought there was such a creature, who could kill her without her doing anything, made him shiver.
“If something is hiding in there, why didn’t it attack?”
“I asked myself the same thing… By the way, Ain-sama. Would you like a refill?”
“Hmm…? Oh, I’ll have some.”
The two glasses were emptied while they talked. Chris noticed this, got up, and started to walk away to pour a new drink. Her feet, coming out of the deep slit, caught Ain’s eye.
“Come to think of it, this isn’t the same train we were on, is it?”
“Yes. The interior, for example, should be a little different.”
“I knew it. Also, this train has a certain smell. I wonder if it’s burning incense.”
He did not notice it when he boarded the train. When he returned to the lounge after changing, he noticed a light floral fragrance wafting through the air. The pleasant scent, not too sweet, soothed Ain’s tiredness.
It was impolite, but he couldn’t resist sniffing the scent.
“I’m sorry… is the scent too strong?”
“Eh? I think it’s a nice scent. I like it.”
Chris put down the glass and checked her wrists and shoulders. “Why did you do that?” Ain wondered.
“Sometimes… I put on perfume because I think I smell too much…”
Chris looked a little sad when she said this.
She was not used to wearing the kind of clothes and perfume she wore now. Even when she had the opportunity to show up at parties, she did not have many opportunities to dress up, mainly because she had enough to do with her knight’s outfit and so on.
Still, she was so beautifully dressed that all the ladies of the society would only compliment her.
Ain couldn’t bear to see her look so worried. To avoid even the slightest hint of “misery,” Ain immediately followed up with Chris.
“The scent is not too strong, and I think it suits you well. I just kept sniffing it because I thought it smelled so good. …Well, it’s sad that I didn’t notice it coming from next to me, but… I like it so much that I’d like to smell it more if I wanted to.”
With what he thought was a nice smile on his face, he continued with Chris. And this time, Ain was puzzled by Chris’ embarrassed expression on the other side of his face. He really thought it was okay, but why? Ain asked, looking at her.
“Eh? Wait, what’s wrong, Chris-san!”
“I-if you say you want to sniff me more, I’m actually embarrassed too… Ugh…”
I guess I overdid it, Ain thought…
Such thoughts crossed his mind, but well, if it’s in the direction of embarrassment, it’s okay. So self-contained.
Every time Chris fidgeted, the tight dress emphasized her physique and was bad for the eyes. It would be nice if Chris would understand that there is a limit to his lovely mental capacity.
…Fumu. Apparently, he’s not sure he’s settled down either. When he thought of mysterious techniques like the Crown Prince series, he was not much different from Chris. Ain realized that.
“T-thank you for waiting for me…”
“U-uh, thank you.”
Ain was embarrassed but thanked her for pouring him another drink. Then he heard a deep breath from beside her… Suuhaaa… and right after that, her appearance changed.
“…I-isn’t it really too strong for you? Are you okay…?”
Then Chris moved about 10 cm closer to her than when she sat down earlier.
…Yes, it’s close. “If it’s so close, it’s mixed with the scent of Chris-san herself, isn’t it?” …A slightly sweet, pheromone-like scent melts Ain’s brain.
Chris-san’s shy but somewhat desperate expression makes her look adorable, unlike her beautiful appearance. Both the way she grabbed Ain’s sleeve and the way she looked up and down at him are on point.
Was this a gap attack? Where did she learn such an advanced technique? There was no point in asking such a question.
It was just a “natural gesture” for Chris.
“It’s not strong, and it smells good! I’m not familiar with it, but I like it because it’s soothing and smells good.”
“Really? I’m glad to hear that…”
Ain’s desperation got through to her. Finally, Chris regained her composure. She also let go of Ain’s sleeve, which she was holding on to, and murmured in a low voice, “Excuse me…” It was probably unconscious on Chris’ part.
“Actually, it’s a perfume from my hometown. It’s basically not even sold, so I guess that’s why you weren’t familiar with it…”
“You mean the elf village?”
“Yes. Are you interested?”
“That’s right. Of course, I would like to go there, but I think it would be difficult because many elven villages are not very open.”
He wasn’t asking to be welcomed, but on the other hand, there was something wrong with going to a place that wasn’t very welcoming. So he expected that it would not be so easy for him to set foot there.
“I think Ain-sama and Olivia-sama will be able to get in rather easily. After all, you have Dryad’s blood in your veins.”
“…..Eh?”
“The ancestors of the Dryads are believed to be the World Tree, so they are basically welcomed by the Elves… The Elves believe in the World Tree, so the consensus is that they want to be friends with the Dryads, who are close to it.”
“I see.”
The problem he had felt was easily erased. Yes, he decided to go there next time. He decided to do so, but he wondered when he would be able to go…
“Then I guess I’ll go some other time. Can I ask Chris-san to show me around?”
“Of course! Just leave it to me!”
Chris replied with sparkling eyes. The thought of being able to show her hometown made her happy, which was understandable.
“Oh… I-I’m sorry! I was telling you about the old Demon King’s territory…”
It was true that the two of them talked about the old Demon King’s territory until Chris went to get more drinks. Ain didn’t think she should worry about it.
“Don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of time, so let’s take our time and talk. Okay?”
Yes. There was still plenty of time… and the journey to the royal capital was far from over. This was because the distance was so great that even after a good night’s sleep, it would still take some time.
＊＊＊
“Master. Everything is ready. Please go to the carriage.”
“Finally. You’re really taking your time, aren’t you? Hmph!”
While Ain and Chris were “flirting” with each other, Viscount Sage was relaxing in his mansion. As a prelude to the celebration, he had decided to have a good time today.
“What instructions did you give the brothel?”
“The usual. I told them to prepare some of the finest prostitutes.”
“That’s all right. I have to have prostitutes instead of maids once in a while; after all, they are more skilled than the maids… Fufu.”
With his belly popping like a water balloon, Sage walked to the carriage that had been prepared in front of the mansion. This was a pre-festival celebration for a certain duel that would take place the day after tomorrow.
She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.
A beautiful blonde woman with flawless white skin and a beautiful figure. Sage could not get this woman out of his mind.
He would use the Kraken to win. And he wanted to devour her body, no matter what it took… He wanted her whole body for himself. That’s all that went through Sage’s mind.
He wanted her more than money. That was all.
He wanted to end the tedious duel as soon as possible and hold her in his arms.
“What do you think? Can he beat my Kraken?”
“It would be impossible… It’s two Krakens, after all. When the stage iss as wide as the ocean, there are monsters that push with their size and strength. But even though it is wide and deep this time, the stage is a river.”
“Fufu… there will be no such thing as a possibility. How’s the trick?”
“As you instructed.”
Sage was not a smart nobleman, but he had a brain that can work wickedly well. …The river that would be the stage for this event already has some tricks up its sleeve. Since the opponent came from downstream, there were tricks that only he who came from upstream could do.
“I should also prepare a new room to enclose that woman. Let’s connect it to my room; that will be enough!”
Sage, relieved by the trick, begins to think only of holding Chris again.
If he let her live in the room next to his own, he could hold her whenever he wanted. Was she a lively girl? Or was the boy holding her? …Well, it didn’t matter either way; he could just color her any way he wants.
“Hah… hah… I’m looking forward to it. Fu… fufu… I won’t let you sleep today! Prostitutes!”
The excited Sage verbalized his vulgar resolve. A piquant little protrusion appeared between Sage’s legs.