Chapter 13 – Episode 13. Temptation (1)
Verdia.
A shaman who served the god of war and a person who single-handedly treated the officers of the demon king’s army.
And in honor of his achievements, he was chosen as one of the top 10 strongmen on the continent at a relatively young age, a pillar of humanity and a sword that supports the warrior.
Although she accomplished such an outrageous feat, it was also accomplished at the cost of a lot in the end.
The wrath of the loss of her family and comrades in the war and the responsibility of taking on the cause. And she even gave up her life as a human to raise a girl as a warrior.
Of course, there is no experience of having a relationship with a man.
Even though he may have been the object of someone’s lust, he thought that immersing himself in such a thing would get in the way of his own path.
Of course, I have no experience of having sex with a man. That will continue to be the case in the future, but if it is the circumstances of the child she wants to protect, the story will inevitably be different.
‘Serica recognizes Dave as a man.’
It is not an unfounded conviction.
It was a fact that you could know right away just by watching what happened right away.
-Kugung!
After about 10 days of clearing the dungeon, Celica finally entered the deepest part of the artificial dungeon and succeeded in defeating her boss single-handedly.
For normal adventurers, forming a party is the standard way to attack, but Celica succeeded in dealing with it alone.
“I did it, I did it.”
Of course, the condition of her Celica wasn’t very good either.
Her breath is tight and her armor is broken in places. But whatever it was, defeating the boss alone was a great enough feat.
“I did it! Miss Verdia! Saw!? I did it!!”
Celica jumped up from her seat in joy as if she were about to fly. Verdia, who was watching the scene, also felt proud of her, but if she praised her here, she would be afraid to fall into vain conceit.
“… It’s still not enough.”
“Not enough. I defeated the boss by myself…”
“Don’t be proud enough to just defeat the boss of an artificial dungeon. The boss monsters in the actual dungeon are much stronger than the ones you faced. Not to mention, as there is no safety measure, the desperate struggle like before will eat away at your lifespan.”
“… Ugh, Mr. Verdia just nags again.”
Celica grumbled and stuck out her lips.
As much as she was proud of herself, it was no wonder that she was displeased with her current attitude.
Normally, she would have felt sorry for that, but…
‘It’s the same as usual, but that kind of figure also exists behind this, right?’
In Verdia’s mind, Celica’s masturbation act, which she had seen the other day, lingered incessantly.
No matter how hard she tries to get it out of her head, it won’t go away.
Even if she pretends nothing is wrong, the fact that she exists in this child’s heart, that side of her that she herself would not dare to think of.
“D-Dave too…”
And is that so?
The reason Celica withdrew attention from herself, and whenever she was conscious of another companion, her body shrank for nothing.
“Dave, don’t you think what I did is no big deal?”
Although it was a harsh attitude that she had no choice but to take, Celica often relied on him as if she were looking for a refuge after he joined her party.
“It can’t be, can it?”
And Dave always kindly accepted Celica.
“At least among the adventurers I’ve seen, there are only a handful of people who have caught the boss alone.”
“But, is this an artificial dungeon? At best, it was made for practice…”
“Even in an artificial dungeon, it is possible to have an experience similar to a real battle with only less risk, but I think that if we fix the points to be improved as Mr. Verdia said, we will be able to do it properly in real battle.”
As always, praise continues like water.
Celica looked into Verdia’s eyes, then blushed and shyly asked her.
“Really, do you think so?”
“Yes, of course. Even while we were together, it was noticeable that my skills improved.”
“… Lol.”
Only then did Celica brighten up at the successive compliments.
Until now, she was worried that such an appearance would arouse her arrogance, but in fact, after Dave joined, the speed at which Celica’s skills improved noticeably increased.
‘Am I saying that just working hard isn’t the best?’
After all, if you flog, you must also give them carrots.
Among them, if Dave took on the role of giving her carrots, her Celica’s growth might rise more dramatically than before.
If only such a public relationship could continue.
“Hey, Mr. Dave.”
But Verdia already guessed.
Although bringing Dave to the party in the first place may have just happened by chance.
Could you give me some time after work this time?”
By now, Celica had started to have a ‘private feeling’ for Dave.
“Are you on business?”
“Yes? Ah, well, I just wanted to make friends, so…”
It may not yet be called a love affair, but perfect friendship cannot be established in a relationship between a man and a woman.
If she thought that was possible, she wouldn’t always be wrapped in her armor.
“Wait, Celica.”
So, I couldn’t overlook the progress of the relationship between the two.
Because he cherishes Celica and wants her to be faithful to the responsibility she has shouldered.
“Before that, I have something to say to Dave.”
But that doesn’t mean you can’t just throw Dave out now.
In the party Celica belongs to, Celica must take the initiative, and in such a situation, kicking out the party members only with her heart is the same as not respecting Celica’s choice.
“Yes? Mr. Verdia, are you talking about me?”
“Okay. Come to think of it, Dave and you have been interacting with Celica all along.”
So you have to check.
If this man is going to harm Celica. Or, if he has a mind that will get in the way of the journey, he is to be cut down.
“Wait, could you give me some time tonight?”
Feeling such a sense of mission, Verdia made a strong decision as she thought about what she would do when she was alone with him.
If, at least once in a while, that happens…
At that time, even considering the possibility of losing something important to her.
***
For that reason, after sending Celica back, I had time alone with Verdia.
In this city, they are alone in the lodgings of her inn where she is staying…
“Why?”
“Yes yes?”
Was it because I was nervous in such a prepared place?
Verdia crossed her arms and started glaring at me with her sharp eyes.
“You can’t even look me in the eye properly. Do I look weird?”
“Oh, no, that’s not it…”
It was a reflexive answer, but it didn’t look too strange in reality.
No, it’s rather attractive.
Now, she has thrown off all of her thick armor that she always wears.
The only thing that covered the exposed bare skin was a T-shirt that clearly showed the lines and contours of the body.
Blue hair that fell below her shoulders. And amber eyes surrounded by eyes that stand out with charisma.
“… Can I have a drink?”
Yes, if you look at it objectively, you can call it a beauty.
If Celica is pure, should I say that this one is noble and lofty?
Her magical power derived from that may stimulate her man’s heart, but her attitude of facing her opponent with unwavering eyes creates an aura that cannot be easily approached even in the midst of her alone.
Are the sexual desire to mix bodies and the admiration to look up from afar really coexist?
“You mean alcohol?”
“It seems like you’re embarrassed by the sudden call, but there’s nothing to be nervous about. It’s just that we want to have a drink and talk.”
Saying that, Verdia took out a bottle and a glass on the table in her room. Looking at the label on the bottle, she said it seemed to be a fairly high-end wine.
Considering her wealth and popularity, she could have obtained it without difficulty.
Of course, on the surface, I thought that she would absolutely not give it to me, who plays a novice adventurer, but what was more unexpected was what she said afterwards.
“If you’re a colleague who will be with you in the future, it wouldn’t be bad to have a drink once in a while.”
“…A colleague?”
“Okay. Colleague.”
Verdia answered right away, as if to teach her that she did not hear something wrong. After that, she poured her drink into her glass and began to pour out her inner thoughts.
“At first, Celica just brought her, so she only had it in mind until the training in the artificial dungeon was over… Her skills weren’t as bad as I thought, and she surprisingly knew how to do many things. Afterwards, she thinks she can use it in real dungeons if she seeks instruction from professional scouts.”
“Ahaha, that’s an overstatement.”
“Stop being so humble. After all, didn’t you become an adventurer because you also had something you wanted to achieve?”
A cup of sake that is presented with a gesture of “Sueuk”. A thick grape scent begins to spread from the liquor that sizzles in it.
It has a strong scent that makes you feel intoxicated just by sniffing it.
“Moreover, Celica, as you think, is a child with little experience but high growth potential. She said that in the future, if she wants that child to grow up, it would be a good stimulus for her to have at least one friend who will grow up with that child…”
Verdia gently lifted her hand holding the glass while wiping her horse’s tail.
After that, a faint smile was drawn on her lips as she held out her hand to me.
“I hope you will continue to be good friends and colleagues with Celica. Dave.”
The moment she smiled at her for the first time, with the wooden demeanor she had always shown.
Anyone can understand that the feelings she feels for me right now are sympathy.
As far as outward appearances go.
“… Yes, it is me.”
But what are the conditions for my innate hypnotic ability?
There is only one target, there must be no outside interference, and above all, the other person must be open to me in order to be hypnotized completely.
“I will work hard not to disappoint Mr. Verdia in the future.”
I was able to instinctively guess as much as I had used my abilities under such conditions.
What this woman has for me is not pure kindness, but a sense of vigilance.
