Chapter 99: Vow

Chapter 99: Vow

༺ Vow ༻

System Message

[ ‘Skill: Fatal Charm’ is activated! ]

[ The favorability level of target ‘Riru Garda’ has soared from ‘Interest Level 3’ to ‘Trust Level 1’! ]

[ Rewards Available! ]

System Message

[ Verifying that crisis has been averted. ]

[ Title ‘Playboy’ has been deactivated! ]

Yeah, okay. Great. Cool. I get all that, but...

I really couldn’t sympathize with the last part about how the crisis was averted.

Reflexively, I checked Eleanor’s figure, who was gazing at me while standing on the center of the stage.

No way in hell that she didn’t hear what I had just told Riru.

The fact that she alternated her gaze between me and Riru with a look of disbelief was more than enough proof of that.

System Notification

[ Using ‘Scan’. ]

[ Gathering information on the target. ]

[ A 24-hour cooldown applies before reuse is available on the same target. ]

[ Elnore Elinalise La Tristan ]

Characteristic: Grey Devil’s Vessel (2 Fragments), Lady Tristan

Status: Intensely contemplating the meaning of Dowd Campbell’s ‘I like you’.

The only fortunate thing was that, upon hearing those words, she didn’t immediately throw herself at me, trying to end my godforsaken life.

It bought me some time. Enough to make up some bullshit to go through this situation.

“...Y-You, what on earth are you sa—”

Riru, who was being held in my arms, stuttered with a face flushed to the tip of her ears.

Her expression clearly showed that she herself could not believe what she had just heard.

I was in complete agreement. If I was sane, I would never have been able to say such things.

Especially not in front of Eleanor.

[He’s racking his brain~ Dowd Campbell’s racking his brain~]

“...”

[I wonder how you’ll survive this time. Wow, I’m so excited already.]

Has the world ever witnessed a person who was as fucking unhelpful as him?

How could you say such things when someone’s life was in danger?

[Why don’t you just be honest with her? Wouldn’t it be better to go like ‘My situation is like blah blah blah, so can you cooperate?’ or whatever?]

No. How many times do I have to tell you that I’d die if I were to do that?

As soon as I informed the Vessels about the existence of Devils, the already twisted scenario would likely descend into chaos.

Soon, I would be entangled with Faenol as well, and when that happened, the events would become even more catastrophic since it would involve the Heretic inquisition. I was already getting fucked left and right because of my relationships with the Devils, but it could go beyond even that and unfold a shitfest that was beyond salvation. Basically, I wouldn’t be able to progress at all.

Of course, that didn’t mean I could just sit still here and die.

I combed through my memories.

The game settings, Eleanor’s current condition, the Grey Devil’s disposition, everything.

As if my Swordsman’s Focus skill was activated, my thought process accelerated, making it feel like my entire surroundings were slowing down.

[Damn, it seems like this is a checkmate. Is there any way out for you?]

In such a situation, Caliban spoke with a voice mixed with amusement.

[Last time, it ended by slamming your lips over hers. What will you use this time to calm her?]

“...”

[Even if you do that again, the issue this time is way too big to contain, so I don’t think she would listen to you, right?]

I agreed.

However, still, just brazenly doing something like you said is way too—

“...”

Wait...

Brazenly doing something?

‘Perhaps, couldn’t that actually be...’

‘Possible?’

Even I, who was the progenitor of this idea, got dizzy when I thought of it, but...

There was no doubt that it would work.

[...Your face doesn’t look all that bright, though?]

Just because it would work, didn’t mean that it was a good thing for me.

Honestly, I really didn’t want to go that far...!

However, the scene unfolding right before my eyes spared me from such meaningless concerns.

After all, Eleanor, who was in the center of the arena, ‘launched’ herself straight in my direction.

At this point, her physical abilities had transcended being mere excellent and reached the level of a walking man-made disaster.

“...What does that mean, Dowd?”

She was covering her face, flushed to the tip of her ears, with both her hands. She was extremely out of breath as well.

“H-How could you say s-such things i-in front of o-other people, have y-you actually g-gone insane?!”

“...”

‘I know, right?’

I found myself miserable, deplorable, and distressing for saying such things completely sober without even the activation of the Playboy Title.

But the effect was clear. After all, Eleanor, who had been filled with rage, could not even think properly due to the topic I had just brought up.

However....

Even though Eleanor had calmed down, there was plenty of room for a problem to occur from the ‘other side’.

“...”

I snuck a glance at Riru.

Surely enough, her expression had turned icy.

Near her body, a faint blue aura could even be observed with the naked eye.

Yeah. I know. I get it.

A man just confessed that he liked her, then proceeded to casually bark absolute dogshit about taking her in as a concubine; If it was me, I would have been so enraged, something inside me would have snapped.

As such, I needed to take further action.

“...”

I took a deep breath and tapped the amulet with my finger several times.

This was something that was possible to do since they were people who could read the sentences in my mind without me needing to say it aloud.

Valkasus. Please. I beg you.

I’m sorry for waking you up after such a long time and immediately assigning you a task like this, but...!

[...You really lead quite the colorful life, don’t you?]

A voice full of pity flowed out from Soul Linker. At the same time, Riru’s eyes widened.

Even if it was Eleanor, who could detect all kinds of auras and energies because of her insane General stats, there was no way she could sense a very tiny note written by using ‘Forbidden Sorcery’.

And thanks to that, Riru, who was about to vent her anger, suddenly wore a bewildered expression.

It was probably because she felt ‘letters’ being carved on top of her skin.

While using a pressure that was at the level of rubbing someone with a finger, I was drawing a text on top of that person’s skin.

And with that...

I carved ‘words’ that would be able to calm this person down.

After all, I only had a few Tattoos, so my Forbidden Sorcery abilities were only at this level.

[Cooperate. Death if don’t. Save me.]

A shoddily written sentence.

It meant that if she didn’t cooperate with me, we would both die right here and now.

Fortunately, it seemed as if she understood, since Riru’s eyes widened even further.

“A-A concubine for r-raising t-the c-children...”

Eleanor muttered with a tone of disbelief.

With her face reddened as if it were about to burst, she alternated her gaze between me and Riru.

“L-Let’s have t-this conversation a-again later—!”

With those words, Eleanor left the room.

She left a crater with a single stomp and, at the same time, she vanished at a speed that left an afterimage.

It felt like something out of a manhwa.

“...”

Yeah, okay.

I survived this time as well.

But at what price...?

[What do you think? Soon enough, you’re going to get sucked dry until you become a dad. Congratulations, sheeeesh. I’m jealous. So impressive. How amazing.]

“...”

Shut the fuck up.

[But how do you plan to deal with that Yuria lady?]

Wot?

[If she hears that you’re taking someone as a concubine, she won’t sit still, right? Her level of obsession is many times more severe even when compared to Lady Tris—]

‘...Caliban.’

I replied with a transcendent smile, as if I was above such unimportant things.

‘Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.’

[...]

‘There’s no point in worrying about it now, so isn’t it better to see how the situation turns out before figuring it out?’

[Didn’t you just do that exact same thing and all that’s left for you now is to get sucked dry?]

“...”

[You know~ I don’t even know what to say. I’m looking forward to what kind of things you’d do to dig up more of your own graves—]

I released the amulet from my hand and let it clatter onto the floor.

Sorry, Valkasus.

Only Valkasus.

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