Chapter 40

Gently.

Softly.

While feeling the soft touch in my palm, I woke up.

When I opened my eyes, I was in the usual bedroom.

In front of me, Elise was sleeping in her nun's habit.

Elise was making small snores with her eyes closed.

Usually, Elise has a mature aura, but her sleeping face looked innocent.

Then, when I lowered my gaze a little—

My hand was deeply embedded in Elise's chest.

...Why am I touching Elise's chest?

Moreover, when I glanced at myself, my clothes seemed to be in disarray.

I was wearing pants, but my upper body was bare.

What is going on here?

I, half-naked, was in bed with Elise, who was sleeping defenselessly.

There could only be one conclusion.

I must have crossed the line with Elise.

Elise must have fallen in love with me again after I saved the town with a grand Area Heal and ended up inviting me to bed.

Well, I don't have any memory of that, though.

But still, it's so soft.

No, I certainly don't have any lewd intentions, but my hand is stuck in her chest and can't be pulled out.

I'm trying to move my hand to pull it out, but it won't budge.

There's nothing I can do.

Ah, I can't pull my hand out.

I just can't pull it out.

While I was doing this,

“Mm...”

I heard a slight sigh.

It definitely came from Elise's lips, just above my line of sight.

...I don't want to look at Elise's face above my chest.

But I can't help it.

I cautiously raised my gaze.

There, Elise was staring at my hand with a stern look.

“S-Such a refreshing morning, good morning, Elise.”

It seems she's awake.

Let me reconfirm the situation.

I am now half-naked, in Elise's bed, touching her chest.

It's involuntary, but I am touching it.

...Just in case, I'll clench my teeth to avoid biting my tongue and prepare for a dogeza.

“...Now that you're awake, you need to move so I can get up.”

“S-Sorry! ...Wait, what?”

Elise just urged me to move.

Is she... not angry?

Even though my hand is on her chest, Elise, who is usually so composed, is not angry.

What's going on?

Maybe something really happened between Elise and me yesterday.

I have no memory of it, though.

Looking closely, Elise's cheeks seemed to be slightly red.

...Maybe if I touch her chest a little more, my memory will come back.

Maybe I can find out something by unbuttoning her chest.

—But as I thought this, Elise's expression suddenly turned serious.

“To avoid any misunderstanding, after you fell asleep, you kept grabbing my... clothes and wouldn't let go. So, I had no choice but to let you stay in bed... So, please, stop making that lecherous, smirking face.”

“...I'm not making that face.”

Elise slapped my hand away and sat up.

Then, she lightly rubbed her temple and spoke.

“Your clothes were in such a state that I couldn't let you wear them anymore, so I had Yuel cut them. I couldn't just leave you in bed like that. That's all. I had no other intentions.”

I see.

But, would Elise really sleep in the same bed with a man in such a state?

Maybe it's because she saw how exhausted I was.

Saving the town with an Area Heal probably left a good impression on Elise.

But from the way Elise is looking at my hand and sighing, it seems like my favorability has taken two steps back after taking three steps forward.

“By the way, where's Yuel?”

“There she is.”

Following Elise's gaze, I saw that Yuel was really there.

Yuel was looking up at me from under the blanket, with only half of her face visible.

It seems Yuel was already awake and was staring at my hand, which was still on Elise's chest.

While looking into Yuel's eyes, I sensed the atmosphere of a love triangle.

—Suddenly, the doorbell rang, signaling a visitor to the clinic.

The next day.

Shiki, Yuel, and Elise were heading to the lord's mansion.

Two days ago, when Yuel saw me touching Elise's chest, the awkward situation was interrupted by the doorbell rung by the female knight, Marietta.

After that, I immediately fled from the bedroom where Elise and Yuel were and listened to Marietta's story.

The content was an invitation to a banquet at the lord's mansion, which was to honor the members of the extermination team.

At the banquet, they would pay the healers who assisted in the extermination of the Crankheit Turtle, and they really wanted me to come.

And that day is today.

“Hey, am I really allowed to come? I didn't participate in the extermination, so I feel out of place.”

“The knights are bringing their families, so it should be fine. There's no problem.”

“...! Y-Yeah, that's true...”

Elise seems hesitant, but this is a banquet hosted by the lord.

It's probably going to be a grand affair, even if it's not a noble party.

There will probably be crab and other delicacies.

I could go with just Yuel, but leaving Elise alone would be a problem.

I can't help but imagine Elise eating a cold meal alone at the clinic while Yuel and I enjoy the feast.

“Master, we're here!”

While thinking about this, we arrived.

The lord's mansion, located in the northern part of the town, was an unusually large building.

We handed the invitation to the knight at the gate and entered.

We were then led to the dining room by a maid in a neat maid's uniform.

I couldn't stare at her too much in front of Yuel, but she was a real maid.

One in every household would be nice.

The dining room was so spacious that it could easily accommodate a hundred people.

There were knights and their families, including children and ladies, as well as mages and healers, and Luluka was there too.

“Hey, Shiki! Over here! Over here! There's delicious meat... food...”

Luluka waved at me enthusiastically as soon as she saw me.

But her enthusiasm only lasted for a moment.

As she looked behind me, her voice gradually faded.

Following Luluka's gaze, I saw Elise.

Elise, seeing me, scratched her red hair and gave a vague smile.

It was a rather awkward situation.

Elise, on the other hand, looked at Luluka with a slightly envious expression mixed with a hint of resignation.

What's going on?

Luluka probably feels guilty about the heavy discounts she gave at the clinic.

She usually ran away as soon as Elise arrived, so this might be the first time they've faced each other in a place where Luluka can't run away.

But I don't understand Elise's attitude.

She doesn't seem angry at Luluka, but rather seems a bit depressed.

Usually, Elise would give Luluka a harsh look.

Next to Luluka, Sera was smiling calmly.

And Fran was fidgeting and biting her nails.

When Fran saw me, she immediately lowered her head.

Then, she whispered something frantically to Sera, who nodded with a smile.

What's going on with her?

By the way, wasn't Fran expelled from the lord's mansion after the crotch fireball incident at the arranged marriage?

Why is she here?

Well, since this is a banquet to honor the extermination team, it might not be unusual for her to be here.

After a while.

An elderly butler accompanied a middle-aged man into the dining room.

The knights saw him and stood up in unison.

“Ah, no, no, it's fine, it's fine, please sit down.”

The man spoke in a cheerful, light tone. He was probably the lord of the town, a middle-aged man with a gentle expression and a kind demeanor.

For some reason, Fran started shaking violently as soon as she saw the lord.

Despite her elaborate twin drills.

The lord talked to a knight for a moment and then walked over to me.

“I heard from my daughter that you saved her life. You really risked your life to save her, didn't you?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah. It was just something I had to do...”

It seems he had already heard about the Crankheit Turtle extermination.

Come to think of it, I probably saved the lord's daughter from falling into the river.

“Ha ha ha, that's right, that's right, it was just something you had to do! No, it's really great. Today is a good day. Please, eat as much as you like. Especially the turtle and the orc's testicles, they're really fresh!”

The lord nodded in agreement with my response, patted my shoulder, and recommended some dishes.

What a friendly lord.

He's unusually friendly.

Well, since he went to the trouble of hosting a banquet to honor the extermination team, he probably isn't a rigid noble.

“O-Oh, Father, let's go over there. There's some excellent wine over there. Let's go to the barrels, the barrels!”

As I was thinking this, Fran was saying something outrageous and trying to lead the lord away.

Would an old man like that really survive a trip to the barrels?

While avoiding the turtle and the orc's testicles, I was eating casually when a knight stepped forward and spoke.

“We will now distribute the rewards to the cooperators. Those called will come forward.”

It seems the rewards are about to be distributed.

The knight read out names from a list, and one by one, people dressed as healers walked up to him.

The knight checked off names on the list and paid the rewards with a bank card.

How much will I get?

A while ago, I could have made a fortune by overhunting huge slimes, but I can't do that anymore.

I'd like to get a lot. A lot.

“Finally, Shiki. Please come forward.”

After waiting anxiously, I was finally called.

The knight read from a piece of paper in his hand.

“Here, for accompanying the Crankheit Turtle extermination, 100,000 zeni.”

...Cheap.

A bit disappointing.

I thought for a moment, but then I realized it was probably fair.

I must have lost my sense of money from overhunting huge slimes.

100,000 zeni is almost a tenth of Elise's clinic, and it's being paid as a day or two's work.

It's a pretty high amount.

As I was thinking this, the lord and the knight in front of me exchanged glances.

“Also, for your courageous act of saving Fran, the lord will personally reward you with 500,000 zeni.”

And there was an additional reward.

“Oh!?”

Five times as much.

This time, it seems a bit too much.

But the lord probably dotes on his daughter.

Fran was expelled from the house for a while after the arranged marriage incident, but it seems a bit lenient.

And she even has a companion, Sera.

His daughter must have been very important to him.

I can tell from the lord's sunny smile.

I don't want to see the smile of a man in his forties, though.

But the knight's voice is loud.

What's this?

I've been feeling a sense of unease.

The knight looked at the lord again and announced the amount as if he was trying to show off to everyone.

“And 600,000 zeni for the Armor Ogre's skin, claws, and other materials. 300,000 zeni from the knights for the designated extermination reward. And 1,000,000 zeni from the slave traders for the bounty on the Armor Ogre.”

“Oh!?”

Even more additional rewards.

Is that monster really that powerful?

The knights around me started to murmur, and a particularly delighted voice came from the back.

That was Luluka's voice. No doubt about it. She's probably trying to get a cut.

“The total is 2,500,000 zeni. Please accept it.”

“Oh...”

But it's a lot of money.

A lot of money.

I received the money on my bank card and hurriedly returned to my seat.

I'm suddenly a wealthy man.

Enough to buy a house.

What should I do? What should I spend it on?

“Hey, I heard you exterminated that Armor Ogre. Aren't you stronger than me? You're a knight, aren't you?”

“A little, please, I was actually a pretty good student at the knight school...”

I could hear a conversation between an elderly knight and a young knight from a distance.

Yuel was looking at me with a starry-eyed expression.

...But it was Yuel who fought the Armor Ogre.

Her memory of that part seems to have been completely erased.

It might have been altered to a scene where I, the master, was wielding a mace and sweeping away the Armor Ogre.

Well, it's fine.

I got the money. I earned Yuel's respect.

This Crankheit Turtle extermination was definitely a success.

I felt good as I started to eat.

After dealing with Luluka, who was openly trying to get close to me after hearing about the reward, and serving some food to Elise, who seemed a bit down, the banquet was about to end.

Just as I was thinking about leaving, the lord called out to me.

“Are you eating well?”

“...Yeah, I guess so.”

His face was red, and his breath smelled of alcohol.

He seemed to have been drinking a lot with Fran, and his steps were unsteady.

He was completely drunk.

Then, the lord leaned on me as if to put his arm around me.

His expression was one of pure joy.

I don't need that kind of expression from Yuel.

I don't want to see the lord's face like that.

Just because I saved his daughter doesn't mean I need this kind of closeness.

“Father, you should go to bed now. Let's go to the bedroom, the bedroom.”

Fran also seemed to think the lord's behavior was inappropriate and was trying to get him to bed.

“No, no, I need to talk to him first.”

His speech was slurred and hard to understand.

“...Talk?”

But the lord's eyes were fixed on me.

“Will you take Fran? When would you like to set the wedding date?”

Suddenly.

Completely out of the blue, the lord said these words.

“...Huh?”

As I let out a confused and silly sound, I saw Fran, who was in the corner of my vision, suddenly bow her head and tense up.

What did the lord just say?

Did he say marriage?

“Ah, it's out.”

Seeing Fran's reaction, Sera smiled softly.

“...Huh? What, what do you mean, marriage!? Wait, Fran! That's not okay!