Chapter 41
The next relic I pulled out was a crudely made ring.
The moment I took the black ring in my hand, an indescribable pressure bore down on my entire body.
'The Ring of the Patient.'
It was the relic I had wanted.
'All right.'
I put it on my finger without hesitation.
As soon as I put it on, strength welled up in my body.
The desires suppressed deep within my heart were wrung out and converted into strength.
The Ring of the Patient was a paladin's relic. The more the wearer restrained their desires and endured, the greater the power it granted them.
"What is that? You suddenly seem stronger after putting it on."
"This is the power of a relic."
It was an absurdly overpowered item that absolutely had to be obtained on a virgin playthrough.
The more debuffs—arousal, charm, hypersensitivity, pain-pleasure, 3000x sensitivity, vulva, and erotic common-sense alteration—built up, the more additional abilities I received for maintaining virtues such as wholesomeness, diligence, integrity, and abstinence.
The problem was that it didn't negate the effects granted by the debuffs.
'I can endure it.'
While I was busy staying active, I wouldn't have time to feel sexual desire, and I wouldn't have a chance to rest for a while.
Above all, this was an adult-game world.
Extreme lust became strength.
The backlash was just as intense, but it would be enough if I could endure it at least until I cleared Chapter 1.
If I could just make it through Chapter 1, things could somehow continue even without me.
One year was all I needed.
"Fila, could you make more virility potions when we get back?"
"Huh? Yes. If you want them, Eck, I'll make as many as you like. But..."
Fila looked at me with pity.
"Are you sure you'll be all right?"
"I can endure it."
"Um..."
Fila gauged my reaction.
"Tell me if you need them. Um... I could help you while gathering materials and... um... assisting you."
"No, thank you."
I picked up the remaining relic.
A statue carved from salt.
The palm-sized humanoid statue was intricately carved in the likeness of an ancient god.
"I'll take this one too. There's someone who helped behind the scenes, and I'm going to give it to her."
"Is she the owner of the pouch that became the key?"
"Yes."
After taking the salt statue as well, we left the ancient shrine.
***
The city gate came into view.
I sold some of the materials at a materials shop lining the street in front of the city gate.
"A-as expected of you, Sir Eck. You brought back nothing but high-grade materials."
The merchant handled the steel from an Iron-Armored Boar and the quartz from a Quartz Spider, his eyes reddening as he swallowed greedily.
B-rank monsters were within the range that even low-ranking adventurers could hunt with enough preparation, but their materials weren't often available for sale.
The more the merchant hesitated, the more customers there seemed to be clamoring for B-rank materials.
"How about this much?"
"Three?"
Fila counted the fingers the merchant held up.
"How about 30 gold coins?"
"Th-thirty gold...!"
I reached out and pinched Fila's cheek to stop her from speaking.
"Forty."
"S-Sir Eck, the market price for B-rank materials is 30 coins. Forty is..."
"If you don't like it, I'll sell them somewhere else."
"Sell..."
The merchant looked at my face, then lowered his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"Would 35 coins not do?"
"...Well, that's not bad. Let's do that."
"Thank you."
I sold the materials for 35 gold coins, then divided a few unsold materials into a small bag. I included some of the proceeds as well.
"This is your share, Fila."
I handed it to Fila.
Fila accepted it with both hands.
"Th-there's a lot."
"It doesn't all belong to you. It includes payment for what I asked you to do. I put in enough that you won't feel slighted, so check it."
"Y-yes."
Fila's eyes sparkled as she examined the materials one by one from the materials bag.
Ingredients for virility potions, materials needed for research, and even the proceeds from the materials sales.
Fila's eyes filled with excitement.
"D-did I really earn this much in just one day?"
"High-ranking adventurers make good money. If you ever want to go hunting, I can accompany you, and in return, you can accompany me when I need you."
"Ugh..."
But she couldn't readily answer.
Fila had research left behind in her workshop.
"If it's only occasionally... If you're the one calling, Eck, I'll make time somehow, even if you call me on short notice."
She closed the materials bag and hugged it to her chest.
"Hehe. With this much, I can make another ten bottles of virility potion. As many as you want, Eck. I'll make lots and lots."
The materials bag pressed against her ample breasts.
I reflexively averted my gaze from the breasts outlined beneath her robe.
'Fila is a man. Feeling this way about a man disgusts me. Think about what she did in the game. How could that possibly be a woman?'
Fila Emoson.
A heroine the player could pursue in the game.
If I accepted her as a companion, she was an introverted but devoted and thoughtful partner who stayed with me until the ending, more dedicated than anyone.
A companion who earned money when money was needed and stood watch all night when necessary.
A friend who fucked Elena day and night. He would rape Elena while she slept upon waking in the morning, then make her pass out and put her to sleep before bedtime.
If a choice to satisfy Fila's sexual desire appeared at a random moment, there was even a debuff that halved Fila's combat ability.
There were times when Fila had to use magic while still inside Elena; it was absurd.
Her tireless sexual stamina was top-tier among all the characters in the adult game.
It was almost miraculous that such stamina came from that slender yet voluptuous body.
'It must be what's under that skirt, right?'
Her swaying buttocks drew the eyes not only of nearby men but women as well.
Even the cloak over her robe couldn't hide Fila's buttocks. Her narrow waist and broad hips formed a stark, deep curve.
Her shapely buttocks forcibly captured my gaze.
Ugh... Before I could feel any stimulation in my lower body, 'Fila's Truth' blocked the way.
'Fucking adult game.'
They made a female character, then attached that damn thing underneath?
If the game developer were a god,
'I'd grind them into mush.'
As I suppressed my seething anger, the ring converted it into strength.
It gave me enough power to kill a god. Damn it.
"Hehehe~♪"
Fila hummed.
"...Sigh."
Well, setting that aside, she looked happy, so maybe that was enough for now.
Simply keeping Fila from getting involved with Elena meant I'd accomplished half the reason I had sought her out.
That was when it happened.
"Mister—!"
My heart sank at the voice from behind me.
Elena's voice.
When I turned my head, Elena's party was walking this way from the direction of the Northern Mountains.
Elena was behind me.
Fila was in front of me, turning to look back.
"Eck, today was really fun. When you come to the workshop later..."
"Fila."
"Yes?"
"Thank you for your help today. I'll call you again if something comes up. I still have things to do, so you should go on ahead."
"Huh? Ah, yes. I understand."
Fila walked toward the city gate, unable to hide her disappointment.
Her long pink hair fluttered in the wind as she receded.
Fall in love at first sight.
Become obsessed.
In the end, rape her.
Fila's sexual desire was beyond the level reason could control.
I couldn't even begin to imagine how twisted that innocent face would become if a woman matching her tastes appeared before her.
A footstep stopped behind me with a sharp tap.
She spoke in an unnaturally calm voice.
"Mister."
Elena called to me.
***
Elena ran toward Mister.
She sprinted far ahead of her party members.
I'll tell him I collected lots of mana grass with the pouch Mister gave me. He gave it to me because he needed it too, and he'll be happy if I collected lots, right?
But a glimpse of someone's hair, hidden behind Mister, appeared beyond his back.
Pink hair.
The owner of that long, long hair I had seen last time was with Mister.
Facing Mister, Elena's gaze instinctively turned toward the city gate.
She saw a woman with long pink hair trailing down her back heading toward the city gate.
A cloak and robe.
A staff.
A voluptuous figure.
Even with her back turned, Elena could catch glimpses of her breasts around her sides.
Elena unconsciously touched her own chest.
"Elena?"
She turned her head at Mister's voice.
"What a coincidence, meeting you here. Did you complete the commission properly?"
"Ah, yes!"
Elena opened her bag and showed him the mana grass she had gathered.
"I found five this time. Thanks to the pouch you gave me, Mister. Hans said finding mana grass is normally incredibly difficult."
Mister picked up a piece of mana grass.
"Is this all?"
"There's more."
Elena showed him the mana grass separately wrapped in cloth inside her clothing.
Its bluish glow was particularly intense.
"It reacted to the pouch more strongly than the others, so I kept it separate. But while I was digging it up, a Crown Goat appeared and attacked us. It was a B-rank monster! It was incredible—it smashed a boulder by ramming it with its head."
Elena swung her arms wide, showing off the size of the Crown Goat.
"B-u-t. It couldn't beat me. I went like this, and like this."
She mimed gripping and swinging a sword.
"It charged straight at me, but I saw openings everywhere. Everyone else screamed and froze, but just like you taught me, Mister, I knew I couldn't meet it head-on, so I immediately cut it from the side."
She boasted about defeating a B-rank monster alone.
I got this strong after learning from Mister.
I became strong just as Mister wanted, right?
Elena gazed at Mister with wide, shining eyes.
"Good job."
Mister's large hand rested atop Elena's head.
A stroking touch.
His rough, calloused palm tousled her hair.
"You grew stronger much faster than I expected, and you brought back exactly what you wanted."
"I only had to accept everything you spoon-fed me, Mister. The least I could do was make proper use of it. If you hadn't taught me and prepared everything, I would've come back empty-handed."
Mister is an amazing person.
No wonder he became A-rank.
Even as Elena felt her own skill rapidly improving, she sensed the distance between herself and Mister in areas beyond skill, such as the troll's regeneration and how to search for mana grass.
'If it weren't for Mister, I might not even have reached F-rank yet.'
Mira occasionally talked about adventurers during their breaks.
Monsters kill men and rape women.
Mister had said so too.
He had said it was common for beginners entering the forest on their first hunt to be captured by monsters.
If Mister hadn't given her proper advice, as she had nearly done at first, she might have entered the forest alone, been raped by a dire wolf, and been forced to give birth to its pups—or been captured by a toad and spent her days laying frog eggs until someone rescued her.
The reality of adventurers Mira told her about was even more horrible than she had imagined when she first decided to become an adventurer.
Even my father's profession—hunting—wasn't safe. Mira, who had been a hunter, said she had once retired after being raped by a goat monster.
Just imagining what future might have unfolded if Mister hadn't spoken to her first made her shudder.
Even if the difference in their abilities now seemed close enough to see, that impression was merely arrogance born from smugness over having grown stronger.
While Mister stroked Elena's head, she felt a tickling sensation throughout her body.
She couldn't control the corners of her mouth from rising.
But a strand of pink hair clung to Mister's clothes and swayed.
She felt her mood sink.
'Who is she?'
She wanted to ask Mister.
Who the woman this hair belonged to was.
What her relationship with Mister was.
Would he dislike it if she asked?
'When Mister retires...'
She would take care of him herself.
The thought crossed her mind.
If Mister retired and she earned money, he could lounge around the house and have no reason to go outside.
He would have no need to meet other women.
After retiring, Mister could leave everything to me and grow lazy.
"...."
She shook her head.
Deciding when to retire is up to Mister.
Why am I trying to decide it?
Still, if he got ensnared by some strange woman and was drugged and kidnapped... Ah, no.
'Mister won't fall for the same trick twice.'
There's no guarantee the pink-haired woman intends to harm Mister, either.
She was only personally acquainted with Mister.
I had no right to interfere...
"What are you spacing out for?"
Mister's voice broke her reverie.
Elena came to her senses with a start.
Mister was holding something out.
A palm-sized statue.
A white statue in the shape of a person, seemingly carved from salt.
"What is this?"
"...."
Mister beckoned her to come closer.
He bent down, brought his lips close to Elena's ear, and whispered.
"A relic of an ancient god."
His breath brushed her earlobe.
Goosebumps rose all over her body.
Her gaze fell to the object Mister had handed her.
A relic of an ancient god.
A divine relic left behind by an ancient god, found only in ancient shrines—the very thing Elena had wanted to find.
Mister had brought her the very reason she'd become an adventurer.
"I'm giving you this as a reward so you'll keep up the good work. Use it well."
He said it in a tone that made it sound like nothing special.
This couldn't possibly be nothing special.
Elena's hand closed around the salt statue.
It trembled.
A sensation spread as though something were being engraved deep in her chest.
A resonance beyond words.
A burning heart was etched into Elena's heart.
'Mister.'
She hugged the statue tightly to her chest.
Mister is always like this.
As if he knew exactly what she wanted, he told her what to watch out for when she went hunting and taught her swordsmanship whenever she wanted to grow stronger.
In the end, he even got the ingredients for Alice's medicine.
How could she not admire Mister's devoted, thoughtful, unwavering attitude?
"Sob..."
"Are you crying?"
The treasure she had resolved to search for all her life was now in her hands.
Elena buried herself in Mister's arms, tears of overwhelming emotion spilling from her eyes.
Elena imagined it.
A scene where Mister welcomed her home together with Alice.
When she returned home after hunting, Alice would run out to greet her at the front door. Behind her, Mister would lean against the wall with his arms crossed and say, "You're late."
She would tell Mister about the day's events and receive his advice, then he would pat her head and say, "You did well today."
Then night would fall, they would eat dinner, and after putting Alice to bed first...
Back when she still lived with her parents.
She remembered her parents sitting side by side at the table at night, chatting together.
Like her parents back then, she wanted to talk with Mister all night.
"...."
At that moment, a scent brushed the tip of her nose and woke her from her thoughts.
The pink strand clinging to Mister and a scent she had smelled once before stirred a desire in Elena.
'I don't want anyone to take him from me.'
She didn't want to see Mister leave her.
But how?
How could she keep him by her side?
She realized only now that the moment Mister lost interest in her, she had nothing that could keep him with her.
'......I don't know.'
She didn't know.
For a while, Elena remained in Mister's arms, pretending to cry while accepting his comfort.
The blue eyes of the girl sobbing in Mister's arms grew cold and desolate, and a clear possessiveness gradually took root in them.