Chapter 71

※This is the second update of the day.

If you haven't read the previous chapter, please start from there if you like.

When I asked Irene to infiltrate the inn where Vincebruck's subordinates were meeting, I drew the magical runes of 'Small Soul' on her body to monitor her situation and provide support if necessary.

The effect lasted, and I could hear the conversation between Irene and Cody. From their talk, I gradually realized that Cody was not a man.

Cody had been listening silently, but after I finished speaking, she downed the remaining half of her drink in one go.

"Are you okay? I think it's quite harsh to drink it all at once."

"…Do you really think I can hold back from drinking this?"

"Ugh… I'm sorry. I did something unforgivable… I'll do anything, so please forgive me. Here, I'm on my knees."

I put my hands on the counter and apologized, and Cody patted my shoulder, as if to say it wasn't necessary.

"No, I just wanted to say that, but I'm not really angry. Given the circumstances, it could be considered an act of force majeure. After all, there was no way to remove the magical runes from Irene at that time."

"…Still, I had the option of not focusing my consciousness on the 'Small Soul.' But I just couldn't help it, and that's just me giving up."

"Yeah, it's giving up. Dick is a terrible guy, and he did something unforgivable."

"That's right… Huh!"

I was about to feel dejected, thinking I deserved to be scolded, but Cody pinched my cheek with one hand.

"Since it's already out in the open, there's no point in being angry. So, don't worry about it anymore, okay?"

I nodded, and Cody let go and smiled. I was surprised, as her hand, upon closer inspection, was not a man's. It was smooth and slightly cool.

"…I wish I could get drunk at a time like this, but your drink doesn't let me. You're much more serious than I am."

"No… I don't think it's a good idea to get drunk now. It could be dangerous, and it might affect tomorrow's exploration."

"You're always so serious. You don't joke around much, even in front of me. Can we still be friends? I always feel lonely."

"…You're drunk. Even if you feel refreshed after drinking, it's still a strong drink."

Cody, unusually, glared at me—her gaze was stronger than ever, and I couldn't help but laugh. She had never looked at me that way, even when complaining about work.

Cody laughed at my reaction, raised her empty glass, and said,

"Make me another one, and I'll forgive you. We'll have to share a bath together because of time constraints, but I order you not to worry about it too much. I won't either."

"No, we don't have to force ourselves to share a bath…"

"Friendship turns the impossible into the possible. I read something like that somewhere."

Cody, who usually sounds like she's joking, said this firmly.

If Cody were a man, I would have laughed it off, but the fact remains that we are a man and a woman. Even though I said I wasn't worried, I couldn't avoid the internal conflict.

◆◇◆

In the grounds of the Red Twin Inn, there is a communal residence where the sisters and female guild members live.

Lotte woke up in the middle of the night and noticed her sister, who usually slept in the bed next to hers, was not there. She went downstairs to the living room and found her sister writing at the table, bathed in the dim light of a lantern.

"Sister, can't you sleep?"

"…No, I just woke up and decided to write in my journal."

"Is it about the dungeon exploration? There were many monsters, but with so many people, it wasn't too difficult."

Lotte noticed her sister's teacup was empty, went to the kitchen, and put the kettle on the stove. She then returned and looked at Sherry's journal from the side.

Sherry's handwriting, written with a quill pen, was elegant, and Lotte always marveled at it. Her sister, who was always better at everything, was Lotte's greatest pride.

"…Do you think we are of any help to Dick and the others?"

"That… It's only the beginning, so there's no need to rush. Tomorrow, we'll teleport to the 6th floor's magic circle and defend it. The monsters keep respawning, so we have a job to do."

"…Lotte, you're more mature than I am. I should be, too."

"Sister…"

Lotte could sense what her sister was thinking.

As one half of the twins, Lotte believed she understood Sherry's thoughts and feelings better than anyone else.

Sherry ran her fingers through her black, lustrous hair, closed the locked notebook she used as a journal, and sighed.

Seeing her sister like this, Lotte naturally wanted to comfort her and hugged her from the side.

"…You really want to fight alongside Dick, don't you? But the members of the Demon King's extermination team…"

"Compared to those strong people, I'm useless. All I can do is protect the rear, not fight alongside Dick. I can't be selfish."

"Is it selfish? It would be nice if Dick could understand how you feel."

For Lotte, who had never trusted men, Dick, whom her sister had acknowledged, was the first man she felt was worth paying attention to.

One of the things she learned from the previous guild master was that, even if she hated men, as a guild master, she had to hire and treat male guild members without discrimination.

Still, the distrust of men that stemmed from Sherry and Lotte's upbringing was deeply rooted. This situation gradually changed with the acquaintance of Dick and the great predecessor as a guild master, Leonid.

"…Thank you, Lotte. But to Dick, I'm just another guild master. Just a friend, nothing more."

"I don't want to give you to anyone, Sister. But it frustrates me that you're just stepping back without doing anything. It's unbearable to think that such a beautiful, modest, and flawless sister will be overlooked by him."

"Lotte… I'm just an acquaintance to Dick. Absolutely don't say anything unnecessary."

"Sister…"

There's no way she doesn't notice, no way she doesn't understand.

Being twins means sometimes being attracted to the same man. Perhaps if Sherry and I used our charms together, we could easily achieve happiness.

But Lotte knew that even suggesting such a thing, even hypothetically, would trouble her sister.

Miralca Ilyis, praised as a beauty by the men of the capital, had no less charm than Sherry, and Lotte, being close to her, knew this.

If her sister couldn't muster the courage, Lotte thought she would have to do something about Dick. But she also knew she couldn't easily win against the overly confident Miralca or any of the women Dick had brought along.

While wrestling with this dilemma, Lotte realized that she was more anxious about not being noticed by Dick than her sister was.

"…Lotte, the water is boiling."

"Ah… I'm sorry, Sister, I'll make the tea right away."

Lotte quickly moved away from her sister and walked to the kitchen. As she took the whistling kettle off the stove and tried to remove the lid with a wet cloth, she heard her sister's voice from the living room.

"…Thank you for worrying about me."

Lotte was happy to hear Sherry's words but also felt a pang in her heart.

It wasn't just her imagination or overthinking. Her sister was genuinely infatuated with the master of the Silver Water Jug Inn.

The reason she had been cold towards Dick when they teleported at the end of the day was that she couldn't bear to watch him and his party members being so close for too long.

During the dungeon exploration, Lotte thought about what she could do to make Dick more aware of her sister's presence.

If she explored the floors they had already passed and discovered secrets of the dungeon that Dick had missed, that might be a good plan.

Lotte steeped the tea leaves in the ceramic pot for a while and then poured them into the cups. She wanted to discuss this with her sister before the night was over.

Not just for Dick's sake, but to help them grow as adventurers and contribute to the peace of the capital. Lotte replaced her personal motives with a higher cause, sat across from her sister, and began to propose her plan for the next day.