NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 131
“Alright. Shall we continue the conversation at home?”
“What, what! What do you mean by that! I’ve already told you everything! So let me go!”
Rosemary was trembling and struggling fiercely. Anyone would think she was being kidnapped seeing her like that.
“Come on. If you say it like that, it sounds like I’m forcibly holding onto someone I dislike. Rosemary, you’re coming of your own free will.”
“Why would I do…!”
I raised one corner of my mouth towards her, who was gritting her teeth. Then, I unleashed all the beauty powers I had been suppressing to the fullest extent.
A fragrant scent spread out like a spring breeze. My skin, with a brighter and softer texture than a baby’s, mesmerized the opponent.
Even on its own, it was a power superior to any cosmetic, and it had recently been enhanced by the Power of the Avatar of Love.
However, this is merely an additional effect.
The Avatar of Love has various effects, and its true value is revealed when all of these are fully activated.“…Huh?”
Rosemary stiffened in a daze. Her gaze fixed on me, unable to look away.
A 5-star Power. A force comparable to a miracle is seeping out of my entire body.
It has no particular function. It’s just an overwhelming presence, a sense of dissonance evoked by the divine power not permitted to humans.
Just like when I felt awe and admiration during the genuine battles of high-ranking adventurers I had witnessed a few times.
When people face a power different from their own, they instinctively enter worship mode.
And now. Rosemary, who is staring directly at the ‘True Customization’ of the Goddess of Love, is in a similar state.
A vacant, unfocused gaze. A small tongue peeks out between parted lips.
The eyes once filled with hostility and fear quickly soften, and a pinkish excitement begins to take its place.
Yes. The immense divine power itself became a kind of violence, wildly shaking Rosemary’s heart.
What caught her eye in that weakened moment was an incredibly handsome boy, further enhanced by the power of beauty.
Of course, she couldn’t help but be mesmerized.
But this isn’t real love or anything like that. It’s just a temporary daze from encountering an unbelievably attractive person.
If Rosemary realized this, she would snap back to her senses much quicker.
In summary, it’s a short-lived, single-use brainwashing app…no, let’s call it a brainwashing smile.
I whispered into Rosemary’s long ear, with a smile that combined pure innocence and alluring charm I use to tease Ellie.
“Wanna come to my place?”
“Mm-hmm…”
Rosemary nodded reflexively. Good. Now, I just have to quietly take her to Fairy and Silver Coin…
Thud!
“Ow!”
Had she caught onto my sly smile? Or was it just that Rosemary’s change was so drastic that she noticed right away?
Lydia, who was guarding this side, flicked me on the forehead. And quite hard, too.
“Jonah. What did you just do to her?”
“I didn’t do anything?”
“Liar. If you tell the truth, I’ll cut you some slack.”
“…A, a pretty boy tactic?”
“……”
Lydia, who looked at me with disdain for a moment, then flicked Rosemary on the forehead.
Thud!
The sound was much louder compared to mine, showing how strong it was. And it was quite effective.
“Heuk!”
Grasping the top of her head and trembling, Rosemary’s eyes had returned to normal.
…Though tears were welling up.
“S-sorcery! So this is how you seduced that person!”
“Haa. Look, Miss Lydia. If you let her go like this, she’ll spread rumors everywhere. I don’t care if my image gets ruined, but if it reaches the Cradle Trading Company, it’ll be troublesome later on.”
“But if we take her back as she is, Ellie will beat us to death.”
“Tsk. I didn’t think of that, but you might be right.”
“Don’t ignore me!”
Rosemary, who had been begging to be let go, was now angry about being ignored. She shook her head and said.
“Alright. Then let’s do it this way. We’ll take down Minotauros, and if, as you said, there’s a banquet among the high-ranking elves, take me and Miss Lydia there. If anyone asks about what happened today, just try to evade the question as much as possible.”
Though it was Rosemary I had asked, the answer came unexpectedly from Lydia.
“Me too?”
“Is it not okay? Then I’ll just ask Ellie or Benny…”
“It’s fine. I was just wondering if you know what it means to take someone as a partner to the banquet.”
“A partner, you say. I was thinking more of as a guardian knight, but is that alright?”
“A guardian knight…yes. I’ll do it.”
Lydia nodded with sparkling eyes. Good. Now we have some insurance for when things go south.
Both Lydia and I nodded in satisfaction and turned our gazes back to Rosemary once more.
“It’s simple, isn’t it? Just quietly let me meet with the high-ranking elves. After that, you can spread weird rumors about me or do whatever you want.”
“Ugh… Are you trying to deceive others too! You filthy rattlesnake!”
“Oh, come on. Can’t you see? I’m neither filthy nor a rattlesnake…. If you keep slandering me, we’ll just have to have a polite conversation again.”
As the brightly shining Unicorn Dagger was waved gently, Rosemary’s complexion turned pale.
In the end, she, filled with fear, nodded her head.
“F-fine! I’ll accept that proposal. But what if someone else here spreads the rumors?”
“Don’t worry. We’ve already activated the silence magic tool. Isn’t that right, Lydia?”
V.
Lydia, showing a V with two fingers, wore a proud expression.
Realizing that there was no way out, Rosemary nodded in resignation.
“Alright. I understand everything now, so let me go.”
“Let you go? I never held you in the first place. You can just walk out on your own.”
“……”
Slowly exiting the half-destroyed room, Rosemary kept glancing back, as if she couldn’t believe it.
…Anyway, the Minotauros subjugation is in three days, so she just needs to stay quiet for three days. But seeing her like that makes me a bit uneasy.
Alright. I should at least put some safety measures in place.
I quickly ran to the door, half-opened it, and grabbed Rosemary’s shoulder just as she was about to let out a sigh of relief.
“Wait.”
“Eek!”
She shrieked as if she had seen a ghost. I patted her shoulder gently to calm her down.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. I just forgot something.”
Smiling as harmlessly as possible, I placed my hand on Rosemary’s chest.
Soft.
A truly meager sensation. There wasn’t much to feel, but a chest was still a chest. The intimate and dense skinship made Rosemary’s cheeks redden.
“Wh-what is this! Are you really…!”
“Shh.”
I brought my other hand’s index finger to her lips to quiet her, then slowly channeled divine power into her body, encircling her heart.
“Gasp!”
Rosemary’s complexion turned pale.
It must feel similar to when the Avatar of Love fully unleashed its power. After all, it’s the same root force. It could easily be mistaken.
Of course, someone of her high status wouldn’t be completely ignorant of divine power, and with careful thought, she’d realize it was just pure divine energy…
But it was enough to deceive her for today.
Rosemary, whose heart had become a bit healthier, stammered and asked.
“Wh-what did you do to me?”
“A geas. If you break the promise made today, your heart will explode.”
“…!!!”
“If you keep it properly, it will disappear on its own, so don’t worry.”
“……”
Since it was a very pure divine power, it would last for a few days even if left alone, but because it was not a proper blessing, it would eventually dissipate over time.
With a bit of thought, one could realize that the energy pushed into the heart wasn’t that threatening and that it was normally impossible to cast such a complex geas in such a short time.
But it seemed impossible for Rosemary, who was mentally cornered at that moment.
“Hic!”
Rosemary shivered and hiccupped. I stood on tiptoe to lightly tap her head and then returned to Lydia.
“Shall we go now, Miss Lydia?”
“Yes.”
I left the broken room with Lydia.
From behind, I heard a despondent voice saying,
“What… happens to me now…?”
along with a thud, but it didn’t seem very important.
So, I hummed a tune and followed Lydia for a while.
“…Miss Lydia? Where are we going now?”
“To the Guild office.”
“Aren’t we going home?”
“If we just leave after breaking the room like that, it’s a crime. If you don’t want to pay several times the fine, you need to report it and compensate now.”
“Oh.”
That’s right. We did break the room.
“I’ll cover the repair costs for now, so pay me back later.”
“…Wasn’t it you who broke the wall, Miss Lydia?”
“You ordered it, didn’t you? You can’t hold the sword accountable. The responsibility lies with the owner.”
“Ugh…”
I have no words, since I’m the one who lifted Lydia’s spirits by calling her a guardian knight or something.
“Ah, and from now on, I’ll be taking a portion of the earnings from the Labyrinth.”
“Why?!”
“You said you owe Benny too. You have too many debts. It’s hard to overlook debts in the gold units.”
“……”
Every word she says is true.
In the end, I could only nod with my shoulders drooping.
Rosemary was depressed.
She was counterattacked while trying to punish the evil rattlesnake that dared to hurt the Queen.
Not just counterattacked, but completely humiliated.
“Sigh. I need a drink today.”
Even though others might not have heard the conversation, many saw her being toyed with.
Since she couldn’t return to her senses, she asked her guard, who was also a thoroughly shaken archer.
“Berry, is there a good bar nearby? Let’s have a drink together before heading back.”
“Well, I heard of a good place from a colleague before. I’ve never been there myself, but I heard it’s a place where men in revealing outfits serve.”
“Oh….”
“And they all work at night, so if the conditions are right, you can take them straight to bed.”
“Good.”
Rosemary was secretly bothered by Jonah forcing her to prove her purity.
Determined to lose her virginity this time, Rosemary confidently entered the bar recommended by Berry…
Fairy and Silver Coin.
“Come here…huh?”
And she saw it.
The demon sitting near the counter with a straw in his mouth. A milk bottle extended towards him, almost as if to flirt.
“Eek!”
Rosemary and Berry, terrified, turned around and fled.
Once again, Rosemary’s purity was preserved today. Regardless of her own will.