“My weakness is my ears. I can’t stand it when someone licks them.”
“Who’s talking about fetishes! I’m being serious.”
Ding—
The ring chart gave a response. Siloque opened the window, and on LINE, it showed a sum of money transferred to him by Cass.
Cass immediately followed up with an explanation—it was Bried’s money.
Earlier, Siloque had asked Cass to hand over the equipment obtained from Asmodi to Bried and Kersey under the guise of the “Teacher.” Bried really liked the new gear, but didn’t want to accept it for free. She insisted on giving the money to Cass to pass along.
Siloque smiled helplessly.
‘That’s my overly particular childhood friend for you.’
“Stupid human, don’t stay silent.”
“Sorry, sorry. Emergency.”
Seeing Ineffa glare at him in displeasure, Siloque closed the ring chart, looked up at the ceiling shrouded in white steam, and thought for a moment before speaking.
“I’m afraid of death.”
Ineffa’s ear twitched slightly.
“That’s a given. I said I was being serious…”
“Of course I’m serious.”
A smile spread across Siloque’s face.
“If I’m going to live to be 100, then I’ll happily spend 100 years of my life. But if something goes wrong along the way—some bullshit like Fate or the Heavenly Dao that I can’t make sense of—and I only get to live to 15, then I’d be terrified. Scared out of my mind.”
Even though he was talking about his weakness and admitting his fear, Siloque’s eyes grew resolute.
“I won’t accept it. I refuse to die at 15. I won’t let something invisible and untouchable get in the way of my happiness.”
Treasure-like golden hair slid down from Ineffa’s slender shoulders, draping a little annoyingly over her ears. Her expression turned thoughtful.
Whether it was helping the protagonist, his childhood friend and the various heroines, his sister and family… and also… Beiren.
In the end, it was all for himself.
So he could live happily, until he died of old age.
They were indispensable to him.
He was afraid of death, but even more, he was afraid of not being able to live happily. That was why the Tauren and the Bad End timeline were obstacles—he had to eliminate them no matter what.
“So you’re only 15? I always thought you were a 200-year-old child-faced mage.”
“How is that what you focus on… My sister is only 14, you know.”
Splash. Ineffa slapped water at Siloque’s face.
“Kah kah, you just look that old.”
Siloque wiped the lukewarm water from his face.
“I’m not saying I want immortality. I don’t have that desire. Rather than living a thousand years all alone, I’d rather live a shameless life with the beautiful girls who love me, going at it from morning till night, and then die at a hundred, with everyone crying around me.”
“…To be able to say something so lewd with such coolness, your brain really is messed up, stupid human.”
Ineffa’s expression was a mix of admiration and contempt—or perhaps both at once.
“Fine. I’ll accept that you’re afraid of death… Looks like you’re a really selfish person, kah kah.”
“That’s right. I’m extremely selfish. It’s all for my own sake. So, Ineffa, you can’t die. You’re one of the reasons I want to live happily.”
Siloque looked at Ineffa with a frank, gentle gaze.
Her heart went thump—.
Ineffa’s thoughts were disturbed by those eyes, filled with strong will.
‘W-What’s going on?’
‘Why am I blushing?’
‘Because of the stupid things Siloque said?’
‘And my chest suddenly feels tight, my face burning like it’s on fire.’
Ineffa’s face grew hotter and hotter, her heart clenching tightly.
She had felt her face redden from anger many times before, causing poor blood flow, but this wasn’t like anger. It didn’t quite feel like shame either… it was very different.
She was feeling this strange emotion for the first time—a sweet pain.
The flow of magic inside her body was normal. She hadn’t eaten anything strange today. It hadn’t happened when she played games with Hill either.
The problem started when she was in this bathhouse with the stupid human.
“Mm… stupid human, did you put something in the shampoo?”
“Why would I drug you? And why would I do it at a time like this…”
“Then why can’t I look at your old face right now? You must have used some magic!”
“I’m not old! Wait, what’s wrong? The skin on your shoulders is turning red. Could it be a shampoo allergy…”
As Siloque tried to get closer, Ineffa splashed water at him again to keep distance, then quickly took deep breaths of the hot air in the bathroom to regulate her blood flow.
‘N-No problem! No problem! Tch, anyway, for now, forget about it. Calm down.’
She already knew the answer.
Using the process of elimination, it must be the high water temperature today.
“Back to the topic… Kah, kah kah kah. You really are stupid, stupid human. I’m a vampire. I’ve lived for centuries and don’t even know how to die. You don’t even have the right to worry about me.”
Ineffa’s face was as red as an apple. She pointed the tablet at Siloque’s nose, revealing a wild grin.
“Is that so? I guess I really am pretty stupid.”
Siloque smiled warmly and reached out to move the tablet aside.
“Then, to make sure I never end up dying, Lady Ineffa Einscelion, Guild Master, there’s something I need to ask of you.”
“Hm? Why so formal all of a sudden… Kah kah, let’s hear it. Something even a stupid human like you can’t do.”
With a concise summary that wouldn’t anger her, Siloque explained his next plan to Ineffa—the plan to play the villain.
“That low-grade livestock Baruma who slandered me actually wants to do something like that on the Third Floor… Kah kah, you’re playing a pretty dangerous game, stupid human.”
After listening, Ineffa fell into thought. Her gaze floated along with the shimmering water surface, and she pressed the tablet against her lips.
“Please, Ineffa. I don’t mind if the condition is licking your armpits or licking your neck.”
“No matter how you look at it, you’re the one benefiting! You pervert! I-I’m not thinking about having you put my panties on your head and breathing heavily while I step on you and roll you around!”
“No, even I’m not that twisted…”
Ineffa snapped back to reality, her face flushing deep red. She threw the soap at Siloque with a whistling sound. He dodged it, and it skipped twice across the water surface before he picked it up and put it back.
“You’re the last one who should be saying that, stupid human!”
Perhaps to cool down, perhaps to think, Ineffa sank half her head underwater and blew bubbles. “Glub glub glub glub…”
She touched her floating golden hair in the water, then tapped the submerged tablet. Amidst the tangled locks of gold, she sneaked a glance at Siloque.
After watching him for a while, she stood up with a splash, like a whale surfacing.
“Kah kah. Fine.”
Ineffa picked up the wooden basin, silently stepped out of the water, tugged at the edges of her swimsuit that were cutting into her skin, and walked to the glass door of the changing room.
“You… agree?”
Was it a yes or a no?
With only about a week left before the quest began, the most critical thing was whether Ineffa would be willing to help. He and Hill had already shown their sincerity. Without special circumstances, Siloque naturally wouldn’t resort to any physically mind-altering methods.
Exchange sincerity for sincerity.
Siloque’s heart was in turmoil, until Ineffa pulled open the door.
Her golden hair, shimmering with radiance, swayed. Ineffa turned her head and flashed a villain-style smile.
“Seeing as you seriously said all that stupid stuff, I’ll think about it.”
Then, humming a tune, she changed clothes in the changing room. Soon, her footsteps came pattering out.