Episode 269
- Ring, ring-ring!
I woke from my sleep to the noisy alarm clock's sound, and warm sunlight was trying to penetrate through to me.
- Huff...
"Hmm?"
I was about to cover my face with the pillow beside me to block the sunlight and turn to the side, but I noticed someone was blocking me, so I lifted my heavy eyelids and opened my eyes.
"Mnya..."
"Pfft."
Then, Serena came into view, holding me tightly in a deep sleep, lost in happy slumber.
- Kiss...
Her appearance was so lovely that I carefully kissed her lips, and she started twitching her lower abdomen intensely.
What kind of dream is she having? Since she's someone who sleeps enough that lucid dreaming is her hobby, it would be troublesome if she's having a nightmare. Should I wake her up?
"I love... you... Frey..."
Looks like I don't need to do that. After all, she's wearing a happy smile. Let her enjoy a happier dream a bit longer.
"The past few days... have been really nice..."
Thinking such thoughts as I rose from bed, I muttered those words while looking at the sun rising through the window.
Several days have already passed since arriving in the city.
Watching plays with Serena, eating sweets and ice cream she likes, standing together alone on the snowy streets...
I think I've fulfilled all the 'romance of dating' that she wanted.
"Still, it's about time to wrap things up..."
Thanks to her, it was really fun, but for some reason, I feel the security is getting stricter. Just yesterday during our date, we were even attacked by mages.
My current disguise isn't that perfect. Top-tier experts could see through it easily. So, it seems time to stop dating and start doing what needs to be done.
- Swish...
I was quietly changing clothes to slip out of the room without waking Serena, when suddenly someone hugged me from behind.
"D-do you know that? Frey...?"
From the trembling in her voice and the level of skinship, this seems to be the daytime Serena. If it were the nighttime Serena, she would have already attacked me.
"Lately, you... look more manly."
But what does this mean? Recently, thanks to the 'villainization' effect, I've been doing bad things constantly. Yet she says I look manly.
"S-so... honestly, I'm afraid other women might... do something to you... ugh."
"Today is the last date. I'll be getting busy from now on."
"Ah, I see..."
Without realizing it, I poked her lower abdomen and headed for the exit with a cold voice.
"...Hehe."
Let's forget that she somehow made a dazed laughing sound right before the door closed.
- Shashak...!
The moment I opened the door and stepped outside the room, a sharp light rushed toward me.
It was a fierce attack from Alice, who had been forced to work as a maid for the past few days according to our previous agreement, after she attacked me a few nights ago and was subdued in return.
"Your momentum seems to be getting better lately?"
"Kugh!"
However, having already anticipated her attack, I simply grabbed and twisted her hand.
- Clang...!
Then, her assassination dagger fell powerlessly to the floor.
"Are you even an assassin? You're terribly inept."
"You... monster... bastard..."
I stared at the dagger blankly, then spoke to her with the most vile smile I could muster, and Alice looked at me with disgusted eyes while her body trembled.
"Cute."
"Ugh..."
When I grabbed her chin and stroked it gently, she started flailing her legs while being held up by her arm in my grip.
'As expected of the Secret Division Head's personal assassin... she's getting more dangerous by the day.'
Looking at her like this, she might seem like an inept assassin, but she's actually a top-tier ability user among assassins.
Her ability, especially specialized in erasing 'presence,' is excellent enough to land a critical hit on anyone, as long as the target of her earlier attack wasn't me.
"Then, please take good care of me today too?"
"I, I still have chances... the days you went missing shouldn't count..."
"Sure, do as you please."
Saying that, I patted Alice's head and started walking down the inn's corridor with her dressed in her maid outfit.
"You perverted bastard... go to hell..."
Listening to Alice's voice filled with resentment and tears from behind me.
"...Hm."
After walking down the corridor for a while, I stopped walking.
"Is it a bit better now...?"
- Creak...
I opened the door at the very end of the inn, muttering in a low voice, and then let out a deep sigh.
- Clatter! Clatter...!
"Ah, hello..."
There, the goddess who was possessing the Church's youngest paladin was greeting me hesitantly while wearing chains around her neck and legs.
"...Ha."
Alice, watching that scene from behind, quietly lowered her head and murmured.
"You're... not even human..."
"...Sigh."
I didn't want to go this far either.
But since yesterday, the Sun God's possession had become unstable, so I had no choice.
"P-please tie me up, Frey-sama!!"
"...What?"
Last night, the Sun God came to me while I was under the covers with Serena and said this.
"What do you mean..."
"I, I'm begging you! If possible with thick ropes... no, please tie me up with chains. M-my whole body!!"
The Sun God said that and prostrated herself at my feet, and thanks to that, Serena's eyes beside me, who had been having a happy time, started to go cold.
Thanks to that, the Sun God's characteristic attitude and temperament she had shown until now almost caused a huge misunderstanding, but the situation was resolved with her quick explanation.
"M-my possession is becoming unstable... if this continues, the possession might be released."
"What does that mean...?"
"I-I'm currently in a sealed state and my divinity is at rock bottom so I have no power... I was holding on as best I could... b-but I'm reaching my limit."
"Is that so?"
"I, I'll say it again, I did my best! But something is strange! My younger brother must have consumed a lot of power too... but his interference is too strong!"
Thanks to her saying that, I was able to think more deeply about the source of power the Demon God possessed and the possibility of those behind him.
"Then... what happens now?"
"F-for a few days, I'll try to guide this body to be fixed on the original personality, the paladin's personality."
The goddess, who had been glancing at Serena whose eyes were starting to sharpen, spoke with a serious expression for the first time in a while.
"In a few days, I'll recover at least minimal power and possess again. That way... I might be able to keep preventing the Demon God from possessing...?"
"Then why are you asking to be tied up?"
"I-if I fail... it'll be bad, right?"
".........."
"A-and... after being tied in chains for hundreds of years, it feels more comfortable...? A-anyway, I'll do my best!!"
The reason the Sun God, this world's main deity, ended up wrapped in chains in the corner of the inn was because of these circumstances.
"D-did you sleep well...? Frey-sama...?"
Looking at that innocent way of speaking and those burning golden eyes, she still seems to be in the Sun God's state.
"Sigh..."
Even if her plan succeeds, she'll return to being the paladin state, who is my enemy for the time being.
In other words, for the next few days I have to face the Sun God who is an ally but somehow unreliable, and then for another few days, the paladin who is completely my enemy.
"Here's your food."
"Th-thank you..."
My head starting to ache because of this, I grabbed my head and handed over the meal I had prepared in advance.
"Nibble nibble..."
Watching this world's god eating the food in my hand while chained under the bed with her head lowered, somehow feels strange.
Something... I feel a strong sense of conquest-like feeling. Is it because of 'villainization'?
"P-please put it on the floor... I'll eat it myself..."
"Ah, yes... no, understood."
Whether she had similar thoughts or not, the goddess blushed while eating the food in my hand and spoke thus.
"Disgusting..."
Alice's single comment while watching that scene was exactly that.
It seems she thinks, whether in a good way or bad way, that I'm 'training' the paladin who is the embodiment of 'purity.'
"Well then, let's depart soon."
"........."
Of course, having neither means to explain nor reason to, I placed the food beneath the Sun God and moved my feet.
"Where... are you going?"
Then, Alice questioned me while looking at me with eyes still full of hostility.
"Has Lulu not returned yet?"
When I asked her a question in return, Alice looked straight at me and spoke.
"Yes, that pitiful one has not returned yet."
From her appearance, it seems she thinks Lulu has also been brainwashed by me.
Well, thanks to the loyalty and various attitudes Lulu showed during the actions I took toward her over the past few days, anyone other than Alice would likely have the same misunderstanding.
But Lulu hasn't been brainwashed, and is currently with the Demon King's army.
After I was attacked by Alice, she was furious to the tips of her hair and ended up asking me yesterday to discipline their military order.
According to Lulu, lower-ranking and mid-ranking demons are all beneath her... but what she had been commanding were the battle executives.
Lately, things keep appearing and disappearing on my head... something is a bit strange, but for now, her being with the Demon King's army seems fine.
Whenever I see her, the desire to take her for a walk keeps boiling up. The incident that happened when I couldn't resist that desire is too embarrassing to even think about.
"Isn't that too much? I told you if you failed at assassination, you'd become a devoted maid to me for a week."
After finishing thoughts about Lulu and saying that to Alice, she spoke to me with a cold expression.
"I still have... today to assassinate you... so there's no reason to treat you devotedly either..."
Alice saying that looked like a fierce cat.
"And, you need to give Ariane a chance too..."
"We'll think about that later."
"...So, where are you going."
Since she'd find out in a few hours anyway, I answered with an indifferent expression.
"The dungeon."
"...What?"
"A place I've been using since long ago."
At those words, killing intent began to flow from Alice's eyes.
"Come quietly. Today you'll be my escort."
"You think I'd protect you..."
"It's an order."
"...Ugh."
When I gave her a command using the 'Curse of Subordination' I received from the Secret Division Head, Alice lowered her head deeply and started following me.
"Sigh..."
Quietly watching her, I stepped outside the inn, looked up at the empty sky, and let out a sigh.
Become friends with Alice.
You don't necessarily have to become friends with all the children.
[Sudden Quest: Becoming Friends]
Become friends with all the children!
The more people you befriend, the higher the rewards go!
This is the first time quests with conflicting conditions have appeared.
The quest window's shape and color are slightly different too.
"Prepare a carriage."
"Under... stood..."
I don't really understand what's going on.
But for now, it's time to go to the dungeon.
.
Meanwhile at that time.
"How amusing..."
Lying on the bed and looking at Frey reflected in the crystal ball, Ruby turned her gaze to the ceiling with a chilling expression.
[Villainization effect will disappear within 24 hours]
- Reason: Scenario conclusion
"Very... amusing..."
- Creak...
Someone came to visit her.
"E-excuse me..."
"...Hm?"
It was none other than Rosewin.
"I, I have something I want to... talk about....."
On Ruby's distorted lips, a smile began to float.