Chapter 48

This is what happened this morning.

"Master, would you like to go around the festival with me today?"

Yu-er said this to me with a shy smile as I had just woken up. She fidgeted with her fingertips and thighs, and with her big, blue eyes, she looked at me, waiting for an answer.

The reason Yu-er asked me this is because today is the day of the festival. After several days of preparation, many events are being held in the town today.

"Master, is it not okay?"

Yu-er looked slightly worried at my lack of response. Of course, it's not that it's not okay.

"No, it's not that it's not okay. Let's go see the festival together today!"

"Yes, Master!"

Yu-er's bright smile was dazzling. Today is sure to be a very enjoyable day. Yu-er's smile was so sunny that it gave me a sense of that.

...However, I didn't realize at this moment that I had forgotten something very important.

After that, Yu-er invited Elise, and we ended up touring the town as a group. I thought Elise wouldn't come even if she closed the clinic, but today is the day of the festival. It seemed that Elise also wanted to have a little fun, and she readily accepted Yu-er's invitation.

Then, when it came to deciding where to go... I finally remembered.

Luluka had said before that there would be a Miss Contest on the day of the festival.

Elise had also said that the participants in the Miss Contest would wear very revealing outfits.

That's right. Today, there is a big event to decide the most beautiful woman in town. It's sure to be a gathering of many well-endowed beauties. Moreover, they will do this in very revealing outfits. There's no way I wouldn't want to go to such an event.

My destination for today can only be the Miss Contest venue. ...However, I am already with Yu-er and Elise.

There is a problem with taking Yu-er and Elise to the Miss Contest.

The reason for going to the Miss Contest is the issue. I could probably come up with a plausible excuse for Yu-er, but Elise would immediately know that I'm going to the Miss Contest to see the beauties and their revealing outfits as soon as I mention the words "Miss Contest." Saying I'm going to the Miss Contest would definitely make her roll her eyes.

Moreover, Yu-er has already said she wants to go somewhere, and we are on our way there. It's impossible to suddenly ignore Yu-er's wishes and head to the Miss Contest venue.

I have to decide whether to betray Yu-er's expectations and face Elise's disdain to go to the Miss Contest, or to give up on the Miss Contest.

It's a truly ultimate choice. But as Yu-er's Master, the action I should take is clear. I made up my mind and headed towards the arena for the martial arts competition, which is Yu-er's destination.

At the martial arts competition spectator stands, inside a large Colosseum-style building, I could see many warriors clashing with wooden swords below.

Yu-er's goal seems to be to observe this martial arts competition. After fighting the Armored Ogre, Yu-er often practices with a knife in the courtyard. She probably wants to learn by watching others fight.

By the way, the rewards from her recent frequent bar work have been used to buy a long knife with a retractable string, smoke bombs to escape from strong enemies, and low-level healing potions in case I lose consciousness, all for preparation to fight monsters. I don't intend to get involved in dangerous situations anymore, but Yu-er is steadily preparing for battle. She is probably preparing to protect me no matter what happens. It feels like she's overdoing it, but I can't bring myself to stop her when she's so enthusiastic.

That's why I want Yu-er to fully enjoy, learn from, and have fun at the martial arts competition today. That's why I chose to come here. I don't want to see Yu-er sad.

So, I won't head to the Miss Contest venue so easily.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow!! ...Ah, my, my stomach...!!"

"Master, what's wrong!? Are you okay!?"

"Ahh, this is bad! Ugh... I feel like I'm going to die from the pain... ...Yu-er, I need to go to the bathroom for a while. I'm going to the bathroom. So, Yu-er, stay with Elise and don't get separated. Got it?"

"Master, I'll come with you!"

"No, it's okay, trust me. Got it? Yu-er, you absolutely must not get separated from Elise. It would be bad if you got lost! Got it, absolutely?"

—Operation Eternal Bathroom.

Pretending to have a stomachache, I head to the Miss Contest venue. It's a simple plan, but Yu-er can watch the martial arts competition, and I can go to the Miss Contest venue while maintaining my dignity.

The weakness of this plan is that if the time I spend at the Miss Contest drags on, Yu-er might come to the bathroom out of concern. But if I warn her enough, she won't come to the bathroom.

I was a bit worried about Elise's suspicious look, but there's no point in worrying about such details. More important is the Miss Contest.

The most beautiful, well-endowed women in town. Beautiful girls in revealing outfits. That's all I can think about now.

Let's go.

Let's go quickly.

Let's go right now.

I can't contain my excitement.

So, I slipped away from the martial arts competition venue alone.

The Miss Contest venue was a square a few minutes away from the martial arts competition venue. A large temporary stage had been set up in the square, and there were already many people around it. However, it hadn't started yet. It seemed I was a bit early.

I would probably be here for a long time. Before entering the venue, I decided to buy some snacks and drinks from a nearby stall.

As I was looking around, ...

A priestess I had seen before, the black-haired, flat-chested girl called the Holy Maiden, was suddenly next to me.

"You have very beautiful hair."

...And then, I was hit on. Or rather, it might be premature to conclude it was a hit on just because I was suddenly complimented. She just spoke to me.

"Ah, I apologize for the sudden intrusion. My name is Filene. I don't often see this color, so I couldn't help but notice."

While I was frozen in surprise, the priestess introduced herself.

But why was I approached? She is probably a high-ranking priestess in the Medine religion, given that she is called the Holy Maiden.

Moreover, there were several people in priestess attire nearby, who seemed to be her guards. The joy of being approached by a girl was overshadowed by a sense of caution.

"Um, thank you."

Then, Filene, after confirming my appearance,

"Are you a healer?"

asked me. I was wearing the usual habit that healers often wear. She must have recognized it from my clothes. I don't know why she asked, but I can't ignore a person of high status. It would be scary to have any trouble later.

"Ah."

I responded briefly.

Then, Filene looked at me intently, as if inspecting me. Her eyes were rational, as if she were evaluating me.

What is it?

Why would a high-ranking person from the church inspect me?

There shouldn't be any reason...

No, there was.

There was a pretty serious one.

The city-wide healing magic during the Crank Height Turtle incident. That's it.

That was apparently considered a miracle of the Medine god and is now revered in this city. If someone from the church knew who did it, they would want to know.

...Ah, that's not good, is it?

A high-ranking person from the church is approaching me and inspecting me with such a look. Moreover, the question she asked was, "Are you a healer?"

Maybe someone saw me use Area Heal at that time. I started to feel like I was in a very bad situation.

"Hey, is it okay now? I don't have much time right now."

I should retreat before things get worse. Whether or not I've been found out, it doesn't feel good to talk to her.

"Ah, I apologize for the sudden intrusion. I'll see you again."

I thought she would try to stop me, but Filene didn't. ...Was I not found out? Maybe she just approached me because the hair color was rare. I don't know. But it's probably better not to get involved with this priestess named Filene.

With a slight unease, I decided to return to the Miss Contest venue. There was an incident, but my excitement couldn't be dampened by that. I just want to enjoy the moment to the fullest.

It seemed the contest was just starting, and a beast person with cow-like horns was walking on the stage, her large breasts jiggling. Her outfit was a bikini-style swimsuit. The glowing magical device set up on the temporary stage made her white skin look even whiter.

It seems she was the first contestant. She was indeed quite beautiful, as one would expect from a Miss Contest participant. And the way her breasts jiggled as she walked was probably bigger than Elise's. In terms of balance, Elise might be better, but that size alone is romantic. ...Actually, I've seen her somewhere before.

While I was admiring the well-endowed beauty, ...

"Ah, Master! Is your stomach better now!?"

I heard a voice I shouldn't have from behind. When I turned around, there was Yu-er, as expected. I wondered why she was here, but it was resolved when I saw Elise right behind her.

"What are you doing, leaving Yu-er behind..."

Elise sighed in exasperation and looked at me.

"Didn't you ask me before if I wanted to participate in the Miss Contest? I thought you might be here."

I see.

Elise really understands my character well.

"Master, is your stomach better...?"

"Ah, yeah, it got better on the way to the bathroom, hahaha."

Actually, if my stomach hurt, I could have healed it with healing magic. Elise must have noticed that, which is why she was giving me a suspicious look at the martial arts competition venue. It seems my plan had some flaws.

...Yu-er didn't seem to notice, though.

I wish she would learn to be a bit more suspicious.

But this is bad.

Regardless of the stomachache, I need to explain why I'm here. As Master, I need to maintain my dignity in front of Yu-er.

"Ah, Yu-er, I'm sorry. Actually, I have a friend participating in this contest. I really wanted to support her."

Of course, it's a lie.

But it should leave a much better impression than "I came to admire the sexy beauties." It's not a lie that would be easily exposed unless I get a chance to talk to the contestants on stage.

Elise's gaze became even colder, but it's impossible to make amends with Elise this time. For now, I need to try to fool Yu-er.

While I was explaining to Yu-er,

"Ah, it's true!"

Yu-er said with a happy voice and pointed to the stage.

"It's Luluka, Luluka!"

...It really was a friend.

It seems Luluka was the second contestant, and I could see her walking on the stage in a black bikini-style outfit. Her face was slightly flushed, and she was shyly trying to cover her body. However, her expression seemed not just shy but also angry...?

"It's true..."

Elise muttered in surprise. The lie I told turned out to be true by coincidence, but I'll keep quiet about that.

I didn't expect Luluka to participate in something like this. Maybe it's for the prize money or something. But that doesn't seem to be the case. The first contestant, the cow beast person, was making a show of her assets for the audience. Luluka, on the other hand, seemed to have no intention of trying to win the contest. She was just looking around the audience, trying to hide her body as much as possible.

"Ah, Shiki!"

While I was watching Luluka on the stage, our eyes met, and she called my name.

...What is it?

Is she trying to continue what happened in front of the inn? That would be bad. There are so many people here. Yu-er and Elise are here too.

"Hey, what did you do to that girl? That face, she's definitely angry."

But it seems to be something different. Indeed, when I looked at Luluka, her body was trembling, and she seemed to be glaring at me with her lower lip clenched. What is that expression? It seems to be a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"I don't remember doing anything to make her angry."

"Then why is she glaring at you?"

While I was talking to Elise, Luluka started trembling again. She clenched her fists and glared at me intently.

Why is she glaring at me?

I don't think I did anything to deserve such a look from Luluka. Besides, I just found out she was participating in the Miss Contest.

...No, the Miss Contest?

"Maybe you did something to her?"

Elise asked, looking a bit restless.

...Right, Elise.

I remembered.

I had said to Luluka when I heard about the Miss Contest that I would "recommend it to Elise."

At that time, Luluka was shocked because Aria had called Elise my cheating partner. Then, out of the blue, she invited me to a bathhouse. Even I could tell there was a significant amount of affection there. It was probably to compete with Elise.

...I think I understand why Luluka is participating in the Miss Contest.

If my self-awareness isn't overblown, Luluka might have wanted to compete with Elise in the Miss Contest and clear her name as a cheating partner.

To do that, Luluka must have endured the embarrassing, revealing swimsuit-like outfit and participated in the Miss Contest. But the key person, Elise, didn't participate. Moreover, Elise was chatting with me.

...She must be angry.

But I did recommend the Miss Contest to Elise. She just refused.

Luluka probably assumed Elise would participate.

While I was thinking about this,

"Hey, isn't that the Holy Maiden!?"

"Holy Maiden! Holy Maiden!"

"She's so beautiful, the Holy Maiden!!"

A loud cheer reached my ears. On the stage, there was the priestess from earlier, Filene.

Compared to Luluka and the cow beast person, Filene was wearing a less revealing dress-like outfit. It was surprising to see a person called the Holy Maiden of the national religion participating in a俗っぽいイベント like the Miss Contest, but it's probably part of her efforts to gain more followers. She's doing exactly what I tried to get Elise to do.

However, with a person with the title of Holy Maiden participating, this is now a fixed match. There seem to be several planted participants, so the winner of the contest is already decided. I don't think Luluka is less attractive than the Holy Maiden, but in a popularity vote, name recognition is everything.

This is now just a formality. Just as I thought that,

"Hey, what's that...? Could it be...?"

"Impossible! Why here in the middle of the town!?"

The audience started to murmur, and one of them pointed to the sky. There, a vast number of black shadows.

At first, I thought it was a flock of birds, but they were too large. When I looked closely, they were large bat-like creatures with sharp fangs protruding from their mouths.

...Those are monsters.