Chapter 20: Aiming for the future
“……Nn”
Struck by the light shining in, Reiji’s consciousness emerges.
“…….this is?”
When Reiji opened his eyes and raised his neck in that posture to look at the surrounding, he was on top of something like a bed.
“Are you awake?”
A voice came from his side while Reiji was lying on top of the bed.
Turning to face it, a familiar women in black mask was standing there.
“Ms.Anri……?”
Although Reiji tried to get up for the time being, in doing so, he noticed 2 persons lying at his feet.
It was 2 girls with golden hair and light purple hair.
“Tena? Ms.Orlaine?”
“Because the 2 of them seemed to have been looking after you until late, I put them to sleep.”
“Ah, yes. I see.”
Looking over his surroundings again with care so as not to wake up the 2 of them, he recognize that this was the black rose mansion he stayed in the day before yesterday.
“I came back huh.”
“3 people brought you who was still unconscious back.
There was no vacancy in the lodgings in town, and I think everyone couldn’t get a room to stay in.”
“Well…, how about Mr.Eligor?”
“Because that old man-sama could get a lodging for 1, he went back to town after carrying you here.”
“Is that so? I have to give my thanks later, huh.”
“That’s right.
leaving that aside……..I have to apologize first, I’m sorry.”
“Eh?”
When Anri says so, she approached Reiji who was sitting on the bed and raised her right hand.
A sharp [PAN] sounded at Reiji’s left cheeks.
“M, Ms.Anri!? W, Why……”
“I should have told you to not depend on that accidental ability.”
“Ah, that is……”
Although Reiji was puzzled to be suddenly slapped on his cheeks, he hang his head in shame to Anri’s words that followed.
In Reiji’s mind, the words thrown by her the other day was recalled.
“I think it’s either being manipulated from behind the scenes, or fortune being tampered with. However, it’s dangerous to become dependent on it when it becomes risky.”
In the last confrontation with the black dragon, Reiji intentionally exposed his own body to danger and was betting on auto magic activating.
That is, an act that ignored the warning from Anri when Reiji’s ability was identified at the Black Rose Mansion the other day.
“Although it was good because you won the bet, but if it wasn’t so, you would have been wiped out.”
“That…… I understand.”
Reiji himself, was aware that that was a dangerous bet.
Although Anri who knew the situation via her familiar also understands that, she had reprimanded him intentionally as a warning for the sake of the future.
“Well, actually, being wiped out was impossible.”
“Eh?”
“Because Vnee is trained well, it won’t attack Tena.”
When that’s said and reconsidered, it’s certainly as she says, and only Tena did not suffer any damage at all in that intense battle.
Being Anri’s follower, against Tena who was together with Anri’s familiar, the black dragon had better be absolutely sure to not put out an attack.
Reiji felt strength leaving from his body.
Because the 2 person have begun to get up after that too, they adjourned to the living room and began talking after making tea.
Therein, Anri casually started speaking.
“By the way, I wanted to ask you……”
“?”
“Yes?”
“What is it?”
In the gaze of the 3 person, Anri throws an unexpected question.
“Why, did you challenge Vnee?”
The 3 person showed a perplexed expression of not understanding to what was said for a moment to Anri’s words.
Looking at each other, Tena timidly returned an answer.
“Why?……. that was the condition for me to travel with Mr.Reiji from Anri-sama after all……”
“I did not say such a thing.”
“Eh?”
The refutation of Tena was cut and thrown away with a word. Tena recalls the words of Anri the other day again.
Reach up to 10 levels in the Dungeon. I will accept your trip with him if you can achieve it
Reach──
“Uh……”
“No way……”
“That’s a lie right……?”
Not believing, Anri announces the words of the finishing blow to the 3 people with the unpleasant expression of not wanting to believe it
“Though it’s fine to just reach 10 levels”
“””───────!?”””
A voiceless cry broke out from the 3 people.
“B, But……the achievement was sufficient for the condition right?”
Tena pulls herself together and asks.
“…………………………………………………………it can’t be helped.”
Although permission was granted by Anri, there was a terrible feeling of reluctance.
“Thank you very much, Anri-sama!”
“That’s good, it’s rea.s.suring if Tena comes along.”
“Fufu, please look after me from now on too. Mr.Reiji.”
Tena and Reiji are delighted with Anri’s approval.
And, a cough was heard from the side.
“Ahem……That, can I join the trip of you 2 too?”
“Eh? I am grateful of course, but is the work as a Hero alright?”
“Yes, because there is no particularly big incident now too.”
Although Reiji asks anxiously to Orlaine who extends an offer to travel together, Orlaine replies with don’t worry and a smile.
“Really? Then, my best regards for the future.”
“Waa, it’s really heartening if Ms.Orlaine comes along together.
Please treat me well!”
Tena raises a honestly pleased voice too, on hearing that the experienced Orlaine is traveling along. There is nothing implied at that.
That is, when looking after Reiji who fainted yesterday with Tena, the result of the conversation exchanged with Anri who called out to her for a moment.
“Well, what is the talk about?”
“You, how old are you?”
Orlaine answers, although with a stiff expression to the rude question suddenly thrown
“J, Just the other day I turned 20, but what is the reason to ask that?”
“Are you getting late for marriage?”
Although it isn’t necessarily incorrect judging from the marriageable age of this world, still, it’s a harsh remark.
Too preoccupied to even think about bad manners, Orlaine is unintentionally enraged to the extremely rude words.
“W, Who is falling behind!? I mean, it isn’t different from you!”
“Because there is a period where I did not aged for about 1 year, it’s still okay.
Apart from that too, leaving me aside now……do you not think of getting married?”
Although Orlaine was put in a fevour of impetus to attack in fury, she become depressed immediately upon hearing Anri’s words.
“E, Even I’d like to have a marriage but……I, It’s inevitable, isn’t it! Because I didn’t find another party like that.”
Although Orlaine is a hero with top cla.s.s ability for the human race, there was a large shackles on the side of love.
Of course, it will be easily found if she is not particular about her marriage partner. There are many who seeks her power and position.
However, for her who is a woman before a hero, she could not throw away the yearning for a marriage with love.
Although it might be all right if it was someone who is in the same situation of being a hero, it could strongly cut into the bonds of the other 2 party member of the heroes, and if the other person was frivolous, Orlaine would dislike that person.
In the first place, the reason why she came to this country was to get away from the advances of that person.
“What do you think of him?”
“? Him….. is it Mr.Reiji?
Even if you say what i think of him……”
Orlaine was at a loss for words unintentionally when told those words abruptly.
Thinking from the flow of the conversation, saying ‘what do you think’ could be understood that the meaning was as a romantic interest.
Orlaine recalls Reiji’s face in her mind, and was lost in thoughts.
The face is well-proportioned.
His ability is also quite high. Although she though he was pitiable in the beginning, when he acquired ability in no time, she felt admiration.
Although there was a point said about him being a visitor from a different world, that wouldn’t be a fault for Orlaine too. Rather, in the meaning that he deals with her without prejudicing against her who is a hero, it can be the greatest advantage.
The more she think about it, the more she considers Reiji to be the most superior choice.
On that subject, when she reconsiders that his figure was fairly gallant when he faced the black dragon, her memories compensated for his looks by about 30% when Reiji’s face was recalled.
“B, But,…..Mr.Reiji is close to Tena, and the gap for me to enter is……”
While blushing, Orlaine doesn’t admit easily like this however, and makes such excuse.
But, at that time such a remark was made, her heart was already greatly inclined towards him, and she wasn’t aware of it herself.
“Although Tena receives him kindly, she doesn’t seem to hold romantic feeling for him at the moment.”
“That is…..”
In Orlaine’s mind, the appearance of Tena placing Reiji’s head on her lap was recalled.
However, the story changes considerably if Tena doesn’t have romantic feelings towards Reiji as Anri says.
After all, if you do not consider him as the opposite s.e.x in the first place, she would be able to act without feeling shy.
If so, isn’t it fine to be in a romantic relationship herself without holding back for Tena? Orlaine who thinks of such things colors up increasingly.
“To hold hands with him and kiss…..do you not want to do it?”
I want to do it. I really want to do it.
In Orlaine’s brain, there was already a playback of the appearance of herself wearing a wedding dress while holding the ceremony in the Church of the Sacred Light and Reiji was standing beside.
“To fulfill that, I’ll help you.”
When saying so, Anri holds out her hand to Orlaine.
“W, What do you wish for? What is the tradeoff!?”
Orlaine exclaims while keeping her eyes on that outstretched hand.
“Nothing particularly, I just want to be your supporter because I like you.”
Although Orlaine looks at Anri’s face at those words, her expression cannot be seen as it’s covered by the mask.
“It’s also your choice to not take my hand here.
However, is the lonely life of living isolated fine when others around you are getting married?”
The moment when those words were heard, Orlaine felt the blood drawn from her whole body.
The theater in her brain turns around from the wedding at the church, and the lonely appearance of herself who had fallen sick alone coughing on the bed was projected.
“Now, it’s time to make a choice.
Is it days of sweet happiness, or dying alone in solitude……choose it.”
Orlaine stretched out her hands timidly and clenched Anri’s.
“Transaction established.”
The hero who received the protection of light G.o.ddess, had yielded instantly to the temptation in the style of the Evil G.o.d.
For Orlaine who have allied herself with Anri behind the scene, the innocent smile of Tena was inevitably dazzling.
However, it’s already not possible to go back.
While conceiving antic.i.p.ation of various person, Reiji’s new journey is about to begin.
Green pepper pilaf, meat stuffed with green pepper, green pepper salad, green pepper soup, green pepper juice.
Tena 「♪」
Anri “……I’m sorry.”
This chapter completes the first section.In addition, this product still, although the rough story flow is decided, shall I do a 3 section configuration or 5 section configuration? I was going to decide while looking at the trend, but it’s not decided yet.
As I want to think a little more before giving a conclusion, please wait for a while.
Still, although I contributed daily until the first section was completed, because the materials had run out with this chapter, updates after this will become irregular.
Thank you for understanding.
By the way, Orlaine was not given divine protection.
Succ.u.mbing to temptation of marriage, she only sold her soul to the devil.