“Alright. Should we talk about the rest at home?”
“What, what! What do you mean by that! I’ve already told you everything! So let me go!”
Rosemary, trembling and kicking wildly, looked like someone trying to escape a kidnapping.
“Come on. Saying it like that makes it seem like I’m forcefully holding on to someone I don’t like. You’re coming of your own free will, Rosemary.”
“That’s not going to happen…!”
I flashed a smirk at her, teeth gritted. Then, I unleashed all the beauty powers I had been holding back.
A fragrant scent spread out like a spring breeze. Her skin, glowing and soft as baby skin, captivated anyone in sight.
In that moment, empowered by my newly obtained Avatar of Love powers, it was even more potent than any cosmetics.
But this was just an added effect.
The Avatar of Love has various effects, and its true worth is revealed when all of them are activated properly.
“…Huh?”
Rosemary froze in a daze, her eyes fixated on me without a hint of backing down.
With a five-star ability, a power comparable to a miracle was leaking from my whole body.
There were no particular functions to it. Just a strong presence, a divine power that created an unease not permitted to humans.
Just like how I felt admiration and awe when witnessing a High-Ranking Adventurer’s true battle before.
When facing a power on a different level, humans instinctively enter worship mode.
And now, Rosemary was no different after seeing the ‘true customization’ of the Goddess of Love.
Her focus had completely dulled and a small tongue peeked out from her slightly parted lips.
Her gaze, once filled with hostility and fear, melted away almost instantly, slowly replaced by a blush of excitement.
Indeed, that massive divine power had violently shaken Rosemary’s heart.
To make matters worse, what reflected in her momentarily weakened eyes was the stunningly handsome figure enhanced by beauty powers.
Of course, she couldn’t help but be enchanted.
But this wasn’t true love or anything like that. She was just experiencing a moment of infatuation with someone unbelievably charming.
If Rosemary realized this, she would snap back to reality much faster.
To sum it up, it was a temporary brainwashing app with a short duration and difficult to use multiple times… or rather, a brainwashing smile.
With the pure and enchanting charm I had honed to tease Ellie, I whispered into Rosemary’s long ear.
“Want to come over to my place?”
“Uh….”
Rosemary nodded reflexively. Great! Now all I had to do was take her quietly to Fairy and Silver Coin…
Thud!
“Gack!”
Did my sly smile get caught? Or was Rosemary’s change too drastic for her to not notice right away?
Lydia, who had been guarding this side, gave me a light smack on the head. And it was pretty heavy.
“Jonah, what did you just do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything!”
“Liar. Just be honest and I’ll go easy on you.”
“…It’s my impeccable charm?”
“….”
Lydia stared at me for a second with a disappointed gaze, then delivered another smack to Rosemary.
Thud!
That sounded different than the one she hit me with. And it worked quite effectively.
“Ugh!”
Rosemary clutched her head, trembling. Her eyes had returned to normal…though they were welling up with tears.
“It’s a charm! You’re trying to seduce her like this!”
“Haah. Look, Lydia. If you let her go like this, she’ll run around town gossiping. I don’t care about my image getting ruined, but if it reaches the Cradle Association, it’ll just be a hassle later, you know?”
“Isn’t it true that letting her go like that means I’ll get beaten up by Ellie?”
“Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that, but you might be right.”
“Don’t ignore me!”
Just when she was asking to be let go, now she was angry for being ignored. Rosemary shook her head furiously.
“Fine. Let’s do this. Let’s hunt the Minotaur, and as you said, if a banquet is held among the upper-ranking Elves, take me and Lydia. If anyone asks about what happened today, we’ll just gloss over it as much as we can.”
It had been a question directed at Rosemary, yet it was Lydia who responded unexpectedly.
“Me too?”
“Is that not okay? Then I’ll have to ask Elina and Benny….”
“That’s fine. But I wonder if you know what it means to take someone as a partner to a banquet.”
“A partner, huh? It’s more like a knight escort. Is that okay?”
“Knight escort…sure. I’ll do it.”
Lydia nodded with sparkling eyes. Great. We just secured ourselves a backup plan.
Both Lydia and I nodded in satisfaction and then turned our gazes back to Rosemary.
“Easy, right? Just quietly introduce me to the upper-class Elves. After that, do whatever you want with my strange rumors.”
“Ugh… are you trying to enchant others too? You dirty little snake!”
“Hey, can’t you see? I’m not dirty and I’m no snake… If you keep slandering me, I might have to resume our polite conversation.”
As I waved the shimmering Unicorn Dagger, Rosemary’s complexion turned pale.
After all that, she was thoroughly frightened and nodded in agreement.
“Okay! I accept your offer. But I can’t control what others might gossip about in this situation!”
“Don’t worry. I already cast the Silence magical device. Right, Lydia?”
“Phew.”
Lydia drew a V sign with a proud expression.
Seeing that there was no way out for her, Rosemary helplessly nodded in resignation.
“I get it. I understand everything, so let me go now.”
“Let go? I never held you, to begin with! Just walk out on your own.”
“…….”
Seeming unconvinced, she continually glanced over here as she slowly exited the half-broken room.
Well, since the hunt for the Minotaur was set for three days later, I just needed to keep things quiet for three days. But seeing her like that made me a bit anxious.
Alright. I should at least set a minimal safety net.
I quickly ran over and grabbed her shoulder as she was about to open the door halfway and breathe a sigh of relief.
“Wait a sec.”
“Eeep!”
She jumped as if she’d seen a ghost. I gently patted her shoulder to calm her down.
“It’s alright, it’s alright. I just forgot something.”
Wearing the most harmless smile I could muster, I placed my hand over Rosemary’s chest.
Soft.
Barely any touch. There’s really not much there, but still, a chest is a chest. The intimate and dense contact made Rosemary’s cheeks flush.
“W-what is this! You’re really…!”
“Shh.”
I pressed a finger to her lips to hush her and slowly channeled my divine power into her, wrapping it around her heart.
“Gasp!”
Rosemary’s complexion turned pale.
She must be feeling a sensation similar to when I fully unleashed my Avatar of Love powers around her heart. After all, it was the same source of power. I could easily trick her into that perception.
Of course, someone of her noble background wouldn’t be oblivious to divine power, so if she thinks about it carefully, she’ll realize it’s just the familiar divine energy…
But it should be enough to deceive her for just today.
Thus, with her heart feeling a bit healthier, Rosemary stuttered a question.
“Wh-what did you do to me?”
“A restriction. If you break today’s promise, your heart will explode.”
“!!!”
“If you keep it, it’ll disappear on its own, so don’t worry.”
“…….”
Given how straightforward divine power was, it would last a few days even if just bundled up, but it wasn’t a proper blessing, so it would eventually disperse over time.
A bit of thought would lead her to realize that the energy I pushed into her heart wasn’t that threatening, and that casting such a complex restriction in this brief time was impossible for an average skill level.
Yet it seemed like it was something overly impossible for the spooked Rosemary at that moment.
“Eek!”
Trembling and hiccuping, Rosemary walked on her tiptoes as I lightly tapped her head before turning back to Lydia.
“Shall we go now, Lydia?”
“Yeah.”
Together with Lydia, we left the destroyed room.
Behind us, amidst a thud, came a pitiful voice saying, “Wh-what’s going to happen to me now…?” but it wasn’t particularly important.
So, humming a tune, I casually followed Lydia.
“…Lydia? Where are we going now?”
“To the guild office.”
“Aren’t we going home?”
“If we just leave after destroying the room like that, it’s a crime. Unless you want to pay a hefty fine, you’d better self-report and settle it now.”
“Oh.”
Right, we did wreck the place.
“I’ll cover the repair costs, so you’ll pay me back later.”
“…Wasn’t it you who broke the wall, Lydia?”
“Jonah ordered me, right? We can’t blame the sword. The owner carries the responsibility.”
“Ugh…”
Since it was my idea to lift Lydia’s spirits by calling her a knight escort, I had no retort.
“Oh, and going forward, I’ll be taking a part of the earnings we make in the Labyrinth.”
“Why?!”
“Because you owe Benny too. Jonah has too much debt. I can’t overlook gold-level debts.”
“……”
She was laying out the facts so logically.
Defeated, I could only lower my shoulders in resigned agreement.
*
Rosemary was feeling gloomy.
She had been shamelessly defeated while trying to punish the wicked snake that dared to hurt the queen.
Not just defeated, but completely humiliated as well.
“Ugh. I need to drink something today.”
Though she thought the conversation didn’t reach others, many had witnessed her being toyed with.
Unable to regain her composure, she asked her escort, who had also witnessed her disgrace.
“Berry. Is there a decent bar nearby? Let’s have a drink before heading back.”
“If it’s like that, I heard about a great place from my colleague before. I’ve never been myself, but they say it’s a place where men in exotic, scandalous outfits serve.”
“Ooh…”
“And everyone there tends to offer their… services at night, so if the conditions are right, they can take you straight to bed.”
“That sounds great.”
Inside, Rosemary was still bothered about having her purity forcibly proven by Jonah.
Determined to lose her maidenhood this time, she confidently stepped into the tavern recommended by Berry… Fairy and Silver Coin.
“Come on over… huh?”
And then she saw it.
A devil sitting near the counter with a straw in his mouth. To him, a milk bottle was presented as if to woo him.
“Eek!”
Terrified, Rosemary and Berry turned and fled.
Today, Rosemary’s purity was preserved, against her will.
