Chapter 60
The Saintess sat alone on a bench, gazing up at the moon.
Pink hair.
Blue eyes.
Large breasts.
Lewd-looking thighs.
And the design of her Saintess robes, which revealed those breasts and thighs as if to show that this world was both a romance fantasy and a god-tier subculture game.
But.
I had a perfectly good reason to be wary of this woman.
Saintess Iris.
She was the one the original protagonist of this world was supposed to possess.
The first thing I noticed when I looked down at my body was that my breasts had grown much larger than before.
Uncomfortable lumps of fat.
I hated feeling the men's eyes on me.
A crazy woman who adapted to this romance-fantasy world in an instant and, even as cadets were dying in droves, thought only about seizing power and becoming student council president.
The academy was in turmoil?
All the better.
In times like these, people were easily moved by even the smallest act.
It was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of her status as a Saintess.
Sweat beaded on my skin from the tension.
If the <Cult of the Abyss> was an external enemy, the original protagonist was an enemy within.
If Iris had become the original protagonist…
From now on, I’d have to devote all my attention to keeping that power-hungry woman in check.
‘Please, let that not be the case….’
【Would you like to purchase Spirit Butterfly Wing Dust for 10,000 points?】
【Yes/No】
Rainbow-colored powder appeared in the palm of my hand, sparkling.
There wasn’t much. It would disappear with a single rub.
‘This tiny amount costs 10,000 points?’
It was one of the most expensive items I’d ever bought.
Was it worth that much because it could verify lies with certainty? Or was it just rare?
‘I need to check right away.’
I casually sat down beside the Saintess.
“…?”
Saintess Iris.
Or perhaps, the transmigrator.
She looked at me.
“…Who are you?”
The moment I saw her face, I had a feeling.
‘No?’
She wasn’t a transmigrator.
Because the original protagonist would never look at someone with those eyes.
If it were her, she would’ve immediately shown her disgust as soon as I, the Everchess family delinquent, came near her.
The fact that she didn’t know me and looked at me neutrally was proof enough that she wasn’t a transmigrator.
And Gilliam’s guess turned out to be right.
‘Wow… he’s handsome.’
Iris wasn’t a transmigrator.
‘What noble house is he from?’
A mysterious harmony of silver and gold.
A handsome young man who looked as though he’d stepped out of a painting.
The man and woman sitting side by side on the bench had very different thoughts.
‘He looks like he has plenty of women besides me. Why would someone like him be interested in me?’
‘It probably isn’t the case, but I should make sure, just in case.’
Gilliam discreetly rubbed some wing dust onto Iris’s back.
“Are you Korean?”
“…Pardon? What’s that?”
“You don’t know?”
“I don’t.”
“Then are you a transmigrator or a reincarnator?”
“…What’s that?”
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
All the while, the wing dust on Iris’s back remained unchanged.
Verification complete!
“Whew……”
Overcome with immense relief, Gilliam bent forward and buried his face in his hands.
Ah.
Thank goodness.
‘Thank God there’s no original protagonist…!!’
For someone as clueless as me, a scheming political maniac like that is the most dangerous kind of enemy!
‘Is it because I’ve already been recognized in this world as a player, a Star Gatherer (集星者)?’
There can’t be two players.
Since I’m already a transmigrator, another one can’t exist, right?
‘What a relief….’
I felt like I was about to cry. I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone else being a transmigrator from now on.
“A-are you all right?”
Iris asked in a voice full of concern.
Well, now that I was certain Iris wasn’t a transmigrator…
‘Maybe I should just try to befriend her normally.’
I lifted my head.
“Sorry for acting strangely all of a sudden. I’m Gilliam of the Everchess family.”
“Everchess? Isn’t that a ducal house?”
“It’s a title I don’t deserve, but yes.”
I’d been rubbing shoulders with the nobles of this romance-fantasy world for almost a month now.
I’d learned how to greet someone with a reasonable amount of politeness, without laying it on too thick.
“I-I’m Iris Fairchild. It’s too much for me as well, but… I’ve been chosen as the Saintess, at least.”
“By the way, are you transferring to the academy?”
“Yes! I’ll start classes next week!”
“I’m a first-year, too. If we have any classes together, it’d be nice to take them together.”
“Oh! Then I’d be grateful!”
Smiling, Iris felt relieved as well.
‘Thank goodness.’
At first, I’d wondered what that strange question had been about.
‘I was worried about transferring, but I never thought I’d make a friend on my very first day.’
Then, a sound only Gilliam could hear.
Ding!
【An unexpected quest has appeared!】
‘What now?’
〈Fetish Exploration〉
Objective: Put a collar on the Saintess
“…”
Haha, fuck.
This is completely insane.
You want me to put a collar around the neck of a woman I just met today?
‘Be reasonable.’
Whatever the reward is, I’m not doing it.
Besides, I’d already been through too much today. I wanted to go home and rest.
I could always get points by grabbing one of Maron, Elettra, or Lucy and praising her—
Reward: One-time 5-star skill or magic acquisition ticket
Time limit: 10 minutes
‘…A one-time ticket to acquire a 5-star skill or magic?’
Does that mean I can pick anything I want and learn it?
‘Its value in points would be enormous, wouldn’t it?’
The 5-star magic Heaven-Burning Flame Prison I’d checked before cost a whopping 300,000 points.
And.
There was a 5-star spell I absolutely needed for my future plans.
The greatest enemy in an open-world game.
At the same time, a convenience feature that came standard.
In most games, you could open it instantly by pressing the M key, but in reality it was the biggest game-like concession of all.
Namely.
〈Auto Map〉
Description: A map that continuously displays the user’s location and the locations of designated people, while automatically updating the terrain.
It would cost a whopping 500,000 points to buy.
I knew more people now, and I’d need it to venture outside the academy more often from here on out.
‘No, even so….’
In the end, it was only a matter of time before I could earn the points by going on a proper date and showering someone with praise.
Was it really worth ruining my relationship with Saintess Iris just to get it right now? It wasn’t as if I had to set off for somewhere far away immediately.
However.
The quest’s name, 〈Fetish Exploration〉, bothered me.
‘…It probably won’t happen, but should I check?’
The wing dust was still on her back. I hadn’t used it yet.
“Saintess.”
“?”
“Have you ever wanted to wear a collar?”
“Are you crazy!? I’m not a pervert!!”
Well, yeah.
There was no way a Saintess could be a pervert—
Half the wing dust turned into black mist.
“?”
“The Church’s Saintess secretly turns out to be a woman who wants a man to put a collar on her and lead her around…! Th-that’s weird! What kind of woman in the world would want that!?”
“…Are you introducing yourself?”
“No, I’m not!?”
The rest of the wing dust turned into black mist and disappeared, too.
“Ha… seriously, this isn’t about me, it’s about a friend. Of course, there are women like that.”
So when she says it’s about a friend, she really means herself.
“Even if I really did have that kind of preference, what woman would like it if you suddenly pulled out a collar and said you were going to put it on her? You have to read the situation and know who you’re dealing with!”
“And how do I rate as the person you’re dealing with?”
“…Not bad—no, bad! A man who asks a woman he’s just met if she’ll wear a collar is obviously a bad partner!”
“That’s logical. No holes in that argument.”
Still, just in case, I took out a collar.
“What do you think? Would you like to try it on?”
“I-it is a pretty… collar….”
Iris fidgeted, then suddenly opened her eyes wide at me.
“But!”
She pointed a finger sharply at me.
“No matter how pretty it is, I’m never going to wear that collar!”
With all the dignity of a Saintess, she declared:
“Don’t look at me like I’m some easy, pathetic woman! That’s just insulting!!”
Five minutes later.
Ding!
【Unexpected Quest: 〈Fetish Exploration〉 Complete!】
【One-time 5-star skill or magic acquisition ticket awarded as a reward】
“Uuugh….”
With the collar around her neck, Iris rubbed her thighs together as if she were uncomfortable.
“This is… impossible…!!!”
“Do you really hate it?”
“I-I really hate it!!”
“Then I’ll take it off.”
Iris grabbed my wrist.
“No, wait a second.”
“You said you hated it.”
“No, just wait a second. Why are nobles so impatient?”
“No, you said you hated it.”
“I said wait a second. Since I’ve gone to the trouble of putting on a collar, shouldn’t we at least go for a walk?”
“Didn’t you say you weren’t a pervert?”
“I never said that! I said I wasn’t a pervert, okay?”
“Does that matter?”
“Right, it doesn’t, so could you pull me up by the collar?”
“Wow, you’re a really weird person.”
“I don’t want to hear that from you!?”