“…That’s all.”
Shizuku’s explanation wasn’t particularly long. Once spoken, it was straightforward and clear. Therefore,
“….”
Ur was speechless.
“…Shizuku.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t this dangerous?”
“Yes.”
Ur understood Shizuku’s intention. He now understood why she had leaked information to adventurers other than themselves.
He realized how risky Shizuku’s actions had been.
And yet, what was clear to him was—
“We will slay the gem golem. In order to be promoted to bronze rank, there’s no other way.”
She was still determined to slay the gem golem with Ur. In that regard, there was no wavering. Ur’s situation was not hopeless yet.
“But… just because of this…”
However, he couldn’t just laugh and let it slide with “Oh, that’s fine.” Shizuku’s actions and decisions completely ignored Ur’s will. They were rash. It was never permissible for them to act alone, but rather as a group.
Shizuku nodded to Ur’s words, “Of course.”
“I understand. I must make amends.”
“So?”
“Please.”
Shizuku spread her arms wide. Ur frowned in confusion.
“So?”
“Please, do as you like with me.”
Ur was speechless again.
“Please, do as you like with me.”
Ur didn’t understand what she was saying.
His brain, still not fully recovered from unconsciousness, refused to understand. Was the impact of being hit still lingering, or was his head confused by her words—either way, it was his fault. What a woman.
While Ur cursed, she started to act. She grabbed Ur’s bewildered hand and intertwined their fingers. With her other hand, she began to casually strip off her own jacket.
“Wait, wait, wait, wait!”
“Yes.”
“What are you trying to do?!”
“Make amends. Oh, there was one thing I needed to confirm.”
Saying this, Shizuku pressed Ur’s entwined hand against her exposed skin and asked.
“Does my body have value to Ur-sama?”
“Wha—”
Ur had no words for such a direct question. However, even though he wanted to keep his distance from her, he couldn’t. Ur’s gaze, body, was forcibly drawn towards her.
Her silver eyes sparkled like jewels, her nose was gracefully pointed, and her pure white skin was flawless. Her cheeks blushed with allure without the need for rouge, and her lips were moist. Though her body was slender, her chest was so soft and warm that fingers could sink into it. Ur had never allowed himself to notice her charm until now, and it hit him directly. His heart raced, and a heat swirled in his stomach.
Seeing Ur’s reaction, Shizuku smiled in relief.
“Oh, good. I’m glad my body is valuable to you, Ur sama. That was my only concern.”
Her smile could have been that of a beautiful saint or an alluring courtesan. It was a look he had never seen on her before.
Ur had never ventured this close to her before. It was undeniably his mistake.
But this sudden transformation was too much! He couldn’t understand it at all!
“I understand the need for atonement, but why this? Why such an extreme measure?”
“This is all I have to offer you.”
“You have more than this!”
“No, I don’t. The money I earned with you. My abilities were bestowed upon me. All I truly own is this body.
To atone for deceiving you, I have nothing else to offer but this.”
She said this while tracing the curves of her body seductively.
“Now, please, do as you wish.”
“………… Oh! “
Ur was speechless.
His head hurt. His body felt heavy. His heart ached. Exhaustion, poor health, and excitement all mixed together, muddling his thoughts.
If he just let himself be carried away by her seductive body, he might feel better. He thought this as he looked into Shizuku’s eyes.
He saw emptiness. No joy, no sorrow, no shame.
“Don’t you care about treating your body this way?”
Ur asked. He had to know.
“Yes, I am afraid that you will not be satisfied with this, Ur sama”
“That’s not what I meant…!”
Ur growled in frustration, while Shizuku only looked at him curiously.
Their conversation was fatally out of sync.
But Ur had a feeling he understood.
Shizuku was always kind to everyone, never rejecting anyone’s request. Whether at the guild’s training ground, the tavern, or even to ruffians, she showed kindness to all like a saint.
She healed the injured,
fed the hungry,
comforted the troubled,
and smiled at those who adored her.
With a pure body and heart, an exceptional talent, and a perfect personality, she was praised as a wonderful saint by many who saw her. Ur had thought the same.
But this was different. This wasn’t what he had imagined.
“I understand now. Why you’re so kind. Why you’re willing to risk your life for your mission.”
He had thought it was because she was an extraordinary person.
He had thought it was because she had an important mission.
But it wasn’t that. This girl—
“You don’t care about yourself at all.”
She saw no value in herself.
“So you help others.”
“Yes. Everyone else is more valuable than I am.”
“So you risk your life for the mission.”
“Yes. The mission is more important than I am.”
That’s why she could devote herself to others. That’s why she could throw herself into her mission. Everything was more important than herself. It was a horribly twisted way of being.
“Why? What happened to make you this way?”
He couldn’t continue. Her lips stole his words. Her silver eyes were as beautiful as stars and as empty as the night.
“Yes, perhaps I am broken, Ur sama. Twisted and broken.”
Shizuku smiled.
It was a lovely, compassionate, beautiful smile. A saintly smile, full of love she never directed at herself, aimed solely at Ur.
“I know I’m broken. But, Ur sama, the place we aim for is such a place, isn’t it?”
Something soft pressed against him. Slim fingers entwined around him. Everything felt pleasant, slipping into his body.
“Let’s do something crazy, Ur sama.”
The saint led him towards madness.
“Let me trouble you with my twisted logic. Do as you please with me.”
With words and a voice more evil than a demon’s, she sought to pull Ur out of his sanity.
Ur—
“No.”
He rejected her coldly.
Pushing her off with all his strength, he stood up.
“Ur sama?”
“You don’t care about me. You’re trying to make me happy by giving me your worthless self. That’s what you’re doing.”
The heat in his stomach had long cooled. His muddled head had cleared. The mild fever that had afflicted his body was gone, replaced by a burning anger that seemed to scorch him from within.
“No. Absolutely not. What is this? Are you mocking me?”
Ur was furious.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
Central Islaria Continent, The Sin City-State of Plaudia
The home of the sole and absolute ruler serving the Sun God, the [High Sage King], head of the [Great Alliance] connecting all the city-states. The largest nation in Islaria. In a corner of this nation was an orphanage.
Commonly known as the [Nameless Orphanage].
It was a facility to care for the children of deceased adventurers. A haven where the children of those who chased dreams and perished in the [Great Sin Labyrinth Plaudia] could stay until they were independent. It also served as a daycare for adventurers who couldn’t take care of their children.
Ur and Akane had been taken care of here while their father was adventuring.
“Why?”
The question was posed by the elderly head of the orphanage.
The orphanage was a facility built by the [Temple], and its manager was a [Priest]. The old man, therefore, was supposed to be a priest. A member of the privileged class within the city. Yet he was far from the typical power-hungry figure.
His body was thin, his skin clinging to his bones. His face was wrinkled, giving him a frail, almost anonymous appearance. But his eyes were sharp, and despite using a staff, he stood straight, showing no signs of his age.
With scratches on his cheeks and arms and a bruise on his forehead, six-year-old Ur repeated the question.
“Why?”
“Why did you start a fight?”
That day, the two had been involved in a trouble—no, to be precise, they had caused the trouble. The old man was questioning them about it.
“I’m sorry.”
Ur apologized. The old man sensed the lack of genuine feeling in his apology. It was a mechanical response to avoid displeasing the orphanage manager.
“I’m sorry.”
Akane mimicked her brother, bowing her head, but her reaction was far more childlike, filled with fear and sadness. The old man shook his head at their apologies.
“No. I’m not seeking an apology. I’m asking why you started the fight.”
His tone was far too stern for such young children, but that was always the case. Whether the child was the son of a priest, a city resident, or an anonymous orphan, he treated them all equally.
“You are young, but you can think. You know to avoid danger. You have always chosen to flee rather than fight and get hurt.”
The old man carefully wiped Ur’s wounds with a cloth dampened with water from the well. It must have stung, but Ur remained silent during the treatment.
“But this time, you fought. And you struck first.”
“They took Akane’s food. They take our food since we have parents.”
“So, they took your meal.”
The orphan’s argument was valid, in a way.
Although it served as a daycare, this orphanage was primarily a place to raise children who had lost their parents. The food distribution to the orphanage was never abundant.
The argument that it is unfair for children with parents to take food meant for orphans does have some merit, even if Ur and Akane’s father was a neglectful deadbeat.
Of course, the orphanage rules mandated equal distribution of meals and strictly prohibited taking food from others. However…
“Did you really try to take it back? From three kids, all five years older than you?”
“Yes.”
“And you knew you might get beaten up?”
“Yes.”
Ur nodded calmly to the elder’s questions.
He wasn’t speaking excitedly or slurring his words like a child caught up in their emotions. He understood the implications of his actions.
In other words,
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