Chapter 63 — Biblical Character

Chapter 63: Biblical Character.

It’s now the night of the same day that the succubus was repelled. In my room at the lord’s mansion, I’ve been absorbed in reading the Bible.

-The reason I’m here in this world.

Until now, I didn’t think it would be possible to find out. I didn’t have enough material to consider, so I had given up.

But now I know. In this book, there are details written about a character with the same circumstances as me.

At the moment, a victory celebration is being held in the lord’s mansion over our successful repulsion of the succubus. But, so that I could read this book, I slipped away early. The saint and the lord protested and tried to hold me back, saying that I was the leading role, but I insisted on returning to my room and locked the door. In order to concentrate on reading the Bible, of course.

「Shiki-sama. Everyone understands that the fact that you were manipulated by the succubus was unavoidable. Lord-sama dealt with that female knight who was pointing and laughing at you by telling her she would be getting a one-month pay cut. Therefore… well, won’t you cheer up and come attend the victory party?」

The saint’s voice comes from the other side of the door.

…It’s not like I withdrew myself into my room because I was embarrassed that so many people saw my desires being easily manipulated by the succubus. I’m not saying it didn’t factor in, but that doesn’t mean it was the entire reason.

「…That didn’t bother me at all. I just want to read the Bible. Leave me alone for a while.」

I’m barely even bothered anymore about the fact that, after staggering back and forth between the succubus and Eris for ages, I just barely returned to my senses when Yuel was about to pull down my pants. Besides, Yuel is here in this room too. I wish the saint would stop suggesting that I’d let such a minor thing get to me. The thing I’m dwelling on is what happened after that.

-Those words the saint said are still echoing in my head even now.

“Sage-sama.”

At the time, while she was clutching my hands tight, the saint clearly said that. Sage refers to that character in the Bible who sealed the evil god. I’ve only read a part of the Bible so far, but I was able to confirm that in terms of our “black-haired man who came from another world and has an enormous amount of mana” aspects, we coincide. And, as for him being such a ridiculously powerful person that he forced back the evil god and his apostles, I’m just getting to that part right now. From the events so far, considering my outstanding healing magic ability, to think that I’m the same type of being as that sage… it’s not difficult to imagine.

「…Understood. The truth is, there is a subordinate of mine to whom I wished to introduce you… but if that is the case, I suppose it cannot be helped.」

As I’m reflecting, the saint says that.

「Subordinate…?」

…As far as I know, I’m pretty sure all of the saint’s subordinates were women. Besides, I just remembered this right now, but when we were attacked by the Earth Dragon, I unknowingly treated one of the saint’s subordinates in addition to the beauty contest participants. Yeah, the saint was saying something about that back when she purged the archbishop. By some chance, is it possible that said subordinate became interested in me after I gallantly saved her life with EX Heal without revealing my identity or demanding compensation?

…Whaaat, if you wanna introduce me to your subordinate or whatever, you should’ve mentioned such an important detail sooner.

I put strength into my legs in order to stand up and unlock the door to the room. However, I notice that Yuel has laid down to sleep with her head on my lap, and I stop. Because Yuel is making sure to stand watch over me throughout the night, she’s taking a nap now. Plus she hasn’t started breathing softly so she may not actually be asleep yet, and I can’t risk her seeing me easily take back something I’ve previously said.

…Well, there’s no need to hurry, right? Things have been going great with Eris and Ruruka lately. And I’ll be introduced to the saint’s subordinate eventually, so I can meet her next time.

-Then from outside the room, I hear the saint’s footsteps leaving.

However, those footsteps soon stop… and for some reason, return to my doorstep. And, after apparently taking some time to consider, the saint calls out to me again.

「Umm… Shiki-sama, by some chance… are you perhaps in the middle of something?」

「The middle of something?」

「The physique and skin color of Shiki-sama’s slave girl companion are similar to those of the succubus… and moreover, she appears to greatly adore you, so…

…I must admit, I did not exercise enough consideration, my deepest apologies. My knowledge of male nature is quite limited… even though your sexual desires have been enhanced by the succubus, I so rudely intruded upon your doorstep.」

The saint says in a tone that actually sounds apologetic.

Is this b*tch implying that she thought I would definitely bite if she offered to introduce me to her subordinate, and because I didn’t that must mean I’m getting busy with Yuel? Wait, she sees me as the type of person who, when given the choice between finding out the reason for my existence in this world or meeting a woman, would always pick the woman?

…She’s quite perceptive, but this time that’s wrong.

I’m not venting my sexual desire that was roused by the succubus on Yuel. To begin with, it already calmed down on its own. I wish she wouldn’t say such easily misunderstood things. Yuel might already be misunderstanding; her eyes are closed but her ears are rapidly twitching. Those long elven ears of hers are shaking intensely.

「Oi, don’t say something that could invite a misunderstanding. I really am just reading the Bible.」

「No, you need not hide it. We succeeded in repelling the succubus, but that does not mean we have already confirmed her demise. So that you do not suffer her manipulation again, it is imperative to sate your appetite.

…Though I say that, well, even if there is mutual consent, with a young slave girl… such behavior will not lead to favorable rumors. Though if that is indeed the case, I thought it necessary to vacate the area just to be sure.」

Seriously, please don’t say any more. Right now, Yuel is most likely in an unstable condition again from Eris kissing me.

-When we got back to the lord’s mansion, we entered the bath together, but at that time I noticed.

In the dressing room, as she was removing her panties, Yuel was shaking her hips subtly, as if she was trying to imitate the succubus’ behavior. Of course, when she saw that I didn’t approach her back when I was ping-ponging between Eris and the succubus, her face was a little disappointed too. On top of that, at the victory celebration afterwards when my eyes met with Eris’ and I averted them in embarrassment, the look of pessimism about the world in general in Yuel-san’s eyes was a new one for me.

「…!!」

Did she hear the saint’s words just now? Yuel’s ears stiffen straight out, and she excitedly shoots out of bed, comes over to me, and sits on her knees in front of me. Then, with an expression that tells me she’s definitely made a huge misunderstanding, she pats her head to fix her hair and corrects her sitting posture again. After that, unable to hide her tension, her body goes rigid and she looks down, occasionally casting a furtive glance up at me.

I don’t know what Yuel might be thinking, but this situation is not the greatest.

「That’s wrong! It’s not like that, really! I haven’t made a move on Yuel, and I’m absolutely never going to! I honestly just want to read the Bible!」

I deny it strongly. When I do, for some reason the saint’s laughter leaks out.

「Is that so? I apologize for jumping to conclusions.

…Well then, I shall call upon you again tomorrow morning, so please do be ready.」

After that, the saint quickly departs from in front of my room. I wonder if she believed me? But something tells me she agreed too quickly.

…Wait. By some chance, the saint may not have been thinking that I was in the middle of something with Yuel in the first place. And she was laughing when she heard my voice. Besides, that saint, back when she purged the archbishop, I’m pretty sure she said she had to pay him back in kind. There’s a chance that she just came to tease me a little for bailing out of the victory celebration.

But if that’s what it was then I really wish she’d cut it out. It may just be a mild tease to the saint, but if I mess up in dealing with this fidgety Yuel, one strike and I’m out. Timidly, I take a look at her.

-Over there, Yuel is looking at me with eyes full of tears and a despondent expression.

Sitting on her knees in front of me and trembling. She looks like she could cry at any moment.

「Absolutely… Never… make a move… I-I knew it, someone like me… anymore… over Eris-san…」

I think back over what I just said. Oh no. Sure, I have no intention of putting my hands on the young Yuel, but saying that I never will must have crushed her hopes.

Although to be completely honest, I can’t at all imagine how Yuel will look when she’s grown, so it’s not entirely like I misspoke. But I do know that every day without fail, Yuel always checks her breast size and measures her height when we’re entering the bath, anxiously tracking her progress. All I can do now is gloss it over.

「Yuel. I only meant until you grow up. Who knows what’ll happen after that. So, well… Don’t let it bother you, okay? Alright?」

For now, I try to explain. But well, Yuel should understand that I won’t lay a hand on her while she’s a child, so I don’t think there should be a problem with this.

…But Yuel is still looking down and trembling.

「…」

And she doesn’t say anything.

…No, for an instant she looks at me with a face like she wants to say something. However, after that, she quickly looks back down again.

「Yuel? What’s the matter?」

I ask, but Yuel doesn’t answer. She’s just hanging her head and trembling.

-Then suddenly, I notice a drop of water fall onto her knees.

At the same time, I hear a sob from her.

…She’s crying. Oh man, she’s seriously crying.

「Yuel!?」

Oh no. This is bad. With a pitter-patter, drops of water keep falling onto her knees.

As I’m feeling bewildered, I hear Yuel’s weak voice squeeze out of her throat.

「…Before I grow up, I’m sure that Master will… get married to Eris-san. When that happens… I know I won’t have a place by Master’s side anymore…」

From Yuel’s mouth, the words “married to Eris” come out. Well, even though it was to save me from the succubus, Eris did just kiss me. I guess it’s inevitable that Yuel would end up thinking this way.

「Eris-san is super nice, even to me. That’s why… I think I want Eris-san to be happy. And Eris-san’s boobs are so huge too… I know she’s perfect for Master. But… but I… with Master… forever… together forever…」

Most likely, in Yuel’s mind, marriage = no other women allowed by my side, not even a slave, or something close to that. Even if I get married, though, I have no intention of sending Yuel off somewhere. Regardless of whether monogamy is common sense in society, regardless of who I get married to, in all likelihood I would keep Yuel by my side. Besides, I’m aiming for a harem in the first place, so such societal norms have nothing to do with me. For me, it’s a trivial concern.

But, as far as I can tell from Yuel’s appearance, for her, it’s truly a massive obstacle.

「…Yuel.」

Somehow, compared to the time with Ruruka, I get the feeling that Yuel is much more depressed. Maybe she’s thinking that against Eris, she doesn’t have even a one in a million shot of winning. Well, Eris is a woman whose unadulterated sexual charm triumphed over even the succubus who has the ability to manipulate desires. If you put it that way then yeah, I guess she doesn’t have a shot.

「…Now that I think about it, I haven’t told you about myself yet, huh.」

That’s why I need to turn Yuel’s thoughts in a different direction here. I came up with this entire plan as I was reading the Bible with all my might until just now. With this, Yuel will stop crying. I’m that confident in it.

「About… Master…?」

Yuel seems perplexed by the sudden change of topic, but I keep talking.

「I’ll say it again. I’ve kept silent about this until now, but I’m not from this world. It seems like I’m a similar existence to the character from the Bible known as the Sage.」

「…I-I have always, always thought that Master is definitely an amazing person.」

Yuel informs me with a solemn attitude. Albeit in a tearful voice. But she latches onto the conversation. She appears to be interested in what I’m saying.

「Have you already read chapter two of the Bible, Yuel?」

「…Yes, there were words I didn’t understand, but… I’ve read that far.」

「I haven’t read past chapter two either, but the past Sage, it seems like he could only use a special sealing magic. He apparently had next to no close-quarters combat ability. For that reason, he always had an ally at his side to protect him. Did you read about that too?」

It’s written that the past Sage used special sealing magic. I don’t know that much about it, but apparently it had an immense power that was enough to seal the evil god and his apostles one after the other in their prime. But, since a number of prior arrangements were necessary, it wasn’t very user-friendly as an ability and his ally was always saving him from trouble in melee combat, which is what was depicted in chapter two of the Bible.

「Yes, it said that when Sage-sama was assaulted by the evil god’s apostle, he had a really, really strong ally who held them off all by herself and protected Sage-sama. I couldn’t read her name, but it said that when it came to swords, nobody could compare to her… I really look up to her.」

So she looks up to her. That makes this easy.

「Yuel. The part you couldn’t read, that wasn’t her name. It was a designation.」

「Designation?」

「That’s right. That ally was known to the world as the Hero.」

A talented swordsman who acted as a shield for the Sage during surprise attacks and melee combat. The two of them were together day and night, the Sage and the strongest swordsman alive who always protected him. According to this Bible, that’s the Hero.

「This person known as the Hero, she protected the Sage at all times, and sometimes he even repelled an apostle of the evil god all by herself. Isn’t that right, Yuel?」

「Yes, I think she was an amazing person.」

Yuel answers, eyes still slightly downcast. I diverted the conversation from Eris, but in the end it still seems to be bothering her. That’s why I’m saying this.

「Isn’t that just like what Yuel does for me?」

「!?」

Yuel’s eyes snap open as she looks at me. Perhaps she thought of a slave such as herself as being too far removed from someone important enough to be written about in the Bible, so she didn’t make the connection.

「Yuel held off the succubus, an apostle of the evil god, and didn’t let her get near me. Besides, whether it’s in the labyrinth or the forest outside the city, Yuel is the one who always protects me.」

When I continue, Yuel shows me a bewildered face.

「But, I’m not as strong as the Hero from the Bible.」

「That’s because Yuel is still a child. Most likely, in ten years, Yuel can absolutely become a peerless female swordsman. Whatever you put your mind to, you can accomplish it.」

I mean what I’m saying. Her ability with blades is already on the level where she wouldn’t lose to a knight, and Yuel has even shown an affinity with magic. For healing magic, her mana seems to have increased from being next to me, so she should be able to use Heal after a little practice. And, being able to use healing magic with basically no piety or knowledge, I’m sure she’d even be able to learn to use attack magic. And yet she’s only 12. If Yuel studies for a few years from now on, she has the potential to reach even the level of the Hero from the Bible.

「Hero… to Master, am I your hero?」

「Yeah, my hero. Hero Yuel.」

A slave, yet a hero. Slave Hero Yuel.

…Nah, that title’s no good, huh. It’s got the same nuance to it as Slave Female Knight. That’d be more appropriate for a porno book title. Hero Yuel it is.

「Amazing! I will try my hardest to become Master’s hero!」

Hero Acknowledgement Strategy, success.

Such a joyful expression. She’s not crying anymore. Looks like that stuff about Eris has slipped her mind.

「When I become strong… Hero… Master’s hero…」

Yuel looks at me with sparkling eyes. Maybe she’s even envisioning her future once she becomes strong. If I’m the Sage, it’s true that there’s a possibility that Yuel, who always sticks by my side and is already quite capable, will be called the Hero.

…However, Yuel’s face quickly clouds over. After staring at the empty space next to me, she hangs her head.

Then, as if she can’t hold it back, she starts to tremble again. She must have ended up imagining a bleak future for herself. It seems that for Yuel, her concerns about Eris are quite deeply ingrained.

Hero Acknowledgement Strategy, failure.

「Also, Yuel.」

…Looks like I have no choice but to reveal my hand. I didn’t want to say this due to the risk involved, but there’s no helping it.

「I’m a really amazing person.」

「Yes, Master is amazing.」

「In society, there’s a system for the sake of such an amazing person, known as a harem.」

Since Yuel is sad about monogamy, I’ll let her in on the fact that I’m aiming for a harem. I didn’t tell her since I wasn’t sure how she’d react, but now that it’s come to this I can’t avoid it.

「Hair rum? …Now that you mention it, the succubus was talking about that too, I think. But I didn’t really understand what it meant.」

「A harem means polygamy. It’s where one man takes a lot of women as his wives.」

「…!? No way! Is such a convenient arrangement really allowed!?」

The word ‘convenient’ startles me for a moment, but most likely Yuel didn’t say it with the meaning of convenient for me. She was likely asking if something so convenient for her own circumstances would be allowed. That’s probably it.

Ordinary citizens aren’t familiar with the concept of a harem. At best, it’s likely just to the degree that some nobles and wealthy merchants form them. It’s not surprising that a young slave like Yuel wouldn’t know about them at all.

「It’s allowed, naturally. Because, as you are well aware, I’m amazing.」

To be perfectly honest, I don’t know that Yuel will even enter my harem once she grows up. She’s still a child, and I don’t want to look at her in that way either. And yet, for such a pure child, such deception is necessary. Or more precisely, I don’t want her to cry anymore.

「Harem…」

Yuel murmurs in a daze.

「Harem, a harem!! Amazing, amaziiing! A harem is amazing!」

After that, Yuel’s expression immediately brightens, and she starts skipping around joyously.

Huh? This reaction from Yuel might be better than when I recognized her as a hero.

…I tried my hardest to come up with that idea, though.

「I always thought that if Master got married, you couldn’t be together with any other women!」

Well yeah, usually that’s how it would be. There’s no way I could say “I’m marrying you but I’m gonna keep sleeping together with this slave girl every night”. At the very least, unlike now we’d have to be in separate bedrooms.

「I’ll go tell Eris-san and Ruruka-san too! This way everyone, everyone can be happy!」

I reflexively grab Yuel’s shoulder to stop her from running out of the room.

「Wait, Yuel! It’s fine if you don’t tell Eris and the others! That’s, well… look, Yuel didn’t know this, but among adults, it’s totally natural! You don’t need to specifically mention it to them!」

Maybe because she’s a kid, Yuel accepted it without resistance, but I don’t think that Eris or Ruruka will approve it so quickly. The fact that I’m plotting a harem was almost discovered. It’s going to be revealed eventually, but the time isn’t ripe yet. In order for them to accept it, I need to raise their affection levels more and more.

「…Is that so?」

「That’s right. Listen, Yuel. Everybody thinks it’s obvious, so you don’t have to go out of your way to mention it, okay?」

…I ended up lying again on the spur of the moment, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.

「Understood, Master.

…If by some slim chance the succubus comes back, I’ll repel her without fail! Like Hero-sama from the Bible, I’ll definitely protect Master! I’ll work hard so I can stay by Master’s side forever and ever!」

Yuel smiles and continues to clench her fists tightly. Her beaming smile makes it hard to believe she was crying nonstop just earlier. Perhaps because I emphatically acknowledged her as a hero, she seems to be in extremely high spirits. Although the knights intend to keep protecting me here in this mansion until they can clearly confirm the succubus’ death, so Yuel doesn’t particularly need to try that hard.

But well, I guess there’s no harm in Yuel remaining vigilant. I’ll keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn’t go overboard, and spend some time in the safety of the lord’s mansion.