༺ Quest Clash ༻
– Ding, ding, ding!
The loud alarm clock woke me up as sunlight filled my room.
– Plod …
“Huh?”
I covered my face with the pillow to block the sunlight. Turning to the side, I noticed someone in my way, so I opened my heavy eyes.
“Mmmnyaa…”
“Pfftheub…”
Serena was there, deeply asleep. She was holding me tightly, seemingly enjoying the peaceful rest.
– Chu…
She looked so adorable that I couldn’t resist gently kissing her lips, making her twitch excitedly from below the abdomen.
What kind of dream was she having? Since she slept quite a long, almost like it was her hobby to have lucid dreams, it would have been unfortunate if she had a nightmare. Should I wake her up?
“I… love… you… Frey…”
‘It seems like I don’t need to wake her up. She has a happy smile on her face. I’ll let her enjoy her dream a little longer.’
“These past few days… have been really nice…”
I murmured as I got out of bed and looked at the rising sun.
It had been a few days since I arrived in the city.
From watching a play to eating her favorite sweets and ice cream to standing together on the street during the snowfall… It seemed like I had fulfilled all the ‘romantic fantasies’ she had about our dates.
“But now, it’s time to wrap things up…”
It was fun, but I sensed the security getting tighter. Just yesterday, some mages had ambushed us on our date.
My disguise wasn’t quite adequate; skilled individuals could easily see through it. So, it was time to end our dates and get to work.
– Sssk…
As I quietly dressed to sneak out without waking Serena, someone abruptly hugged me from behind.
“D-do you know what, Frey?”
By the trembling voice and the level of intimacy, I could tell it was daytime Serena. If it were nighttime Serena, she would’ve already pounced on me.
“Lately, you look… more manly.”
What did she mean?
Under the influence of ‘Villainization,’ I had been engaging in all sorts of evils. Yet, she said I look manly?
“Therefore… honestly, I’m scared of what other women… might do to you… eugh”
“Today’s our last date. I’m going to get busier soon.”
“Ah, okayyy…”
I unintentionally poked her lower abdomen before heading toward the exit.
“…Hehe.”
Let’s forget her silly laughter that echoed out just before the door closed. After all, it wasn’t like I knew the reason.
– Swish…!
A sharp light hit me as soon as I stepped out.
It was a fierce attack from Alice. A few nights ago, she had attacked me but was subsequently overpowered. Therefore, per our agreement, she had been compelled to serve as my maid until now.
“You’ve become more daring lately.”
“Keugh!”
However, I had anticipated her attack and grabbed her hand, bending it at an awkward angle.
– Clang…!
Her assassin’s dagger fell to the ground.
“Are you really an assassin? You’re pretty pathetic.”
“You… monster…”
I looked down at the dagger and then spoke with a malicious smile. Alice glared at me with a hateful expression, shivering in disgust.
“You’re cute.”
“Egeuk…”
As I gently stroked her chin, she, held up by my arms, began to falter and stumbled.
‘She is indeed the exclusive assassin of the Secret Lord. She will become more dangerous as time passes.’
She might look like a weak assassin, but she was one of the top-tier assassins.
Her unique ability to erase her presence was so impressive that if the target weren’t me, she could have already delivered a fatal blow to anyone.
“Well, shall I look forward to your kind cooperation today as well?”
“I-I still have chances… if we include the day you went missing…”
“Alright, do as you please.”
I patted Alice’s head and walked down the inn’s corridor, accompanied by her in a maid uniform.
“Go to hell…you pervert.”
I could hear Alice’s bitter muttering from behind.
“…Hmmm.”
After walking down the corridor for a while, I stopped.
“I wonder if she is getting better now…”
– Creak…
Muttering, I opened the door at the inn’s far end and sighed deeply.
– Clang! Clang…!
“H-hello…”
In that room, the Goddess, possessing the youngest Paladin of the Church, was bound with chains around her neck and legs.
“…Sigh.”
Behind me, Alice softly muttered with her head hung low.
“You… are not even a human.”
“…Phew.”
I didn’t want to go to such lengths, either, but the instability in the Sun God’s possession had forced my hand.
“L-Lord Frey! Please tie me up!”
“Pardon?”
Last night, the Sun God had come to me while I was under the blanket with Serena.
“What is that…”
“P-Please, tie me up! Use a thick rope… or better yet, chains! All over my body!”
The Sun God knelt at my feet and begged, causing Serena, spending happy moments by my side, to grow cold.
The Sun God’s unique attitude and demeanor had almost caused a great misunderstanding. However, we moved past the situation with her prompt clarification.
“T-the possession has become unstable… If it goes like this, I may lose control over the possession.”
“What’s going…?”
“J-Just please, tie me up…! I tried to endure it, but it’s becoming unbearable.”
“I’m in a sealed state, and my divine power is very low, so I don’t have any strength… I’ve been holding on as much as possible, but… I am reaching my limit.”
“Is that so?”
“I-I’ll repeat it, I’ve done everything I could! But something feels off! Surely, my little sister must have expended much energy too… but her interference is too strong!”
Her explanation made me think more deeply about the source and potential of the Demon God’s power.
“Well, then… What will happen now?”
“I-I’ll try to guide this body back to the original personality of the Paladin for a few days.”
The Goddess looked at Serena, and she replied with a sharp gaze. With a serious expression—something rare for her—she said,
“After a few days, I’ll regain some strength and be able to possess her again. That way, we might stop Demon God from taking over, right…?”
“But why do you need to be tied up?”
“B-Because if I fail… wouldn’t it be a disaster?”
“……….”
“A-And… I’ve been bound in chains for centuries, so it’s more comfortable for me…? A-Anyway, I’ll do my best!”
These several considerations were why the Sun God, the world’s Main God, was bound with chains in the corner of the inn.
“D-did you sleep well, Lord Frey…?”
The innocent tone and the fiery golden eyes made me think that the Sun God still possessed this body.
“Phew…”
If her plan succeeded, she would return the body to my enemy, the Paladin, for a while.
In other words, she would be an ally for the next few days, but the Sun God didn’t seem entirely reliable for some reason. During this time, I would have to face my enemy, the Paladin, once again.
“Here’s your meal.”
“Th-Thank you…”
Thinking about it caused my head to throb, so I decided to feed her the meal I had prepared in advance while grabbing my head.
“Munch… munch…”
I felt strange as the God of this world ate from my hand with her head bowed, bound in chains under the bed.
Perhaps… it felt like something like a strong sense of conquest. Was it because of the influence of ‘Villainization?’
“I-if you set it on the floor, I can eat it myself…”
“Ah, sure… I mean, I understand.”
Looking at her, I wondered if she might share my thoughts because the Goddess blushed instead of eating the food.
“Disgusting…”
Alice commented as she saw this sight.
She seemed to misunderstand my intention of helping the epitome of “innocence,” the Paladin, and interpreted it as an evil act.
“Well, let’s get going.”
“………”
Since there was no way to explain the situation and no reason to, I left the food in front of the Sun God and took my leave.
“Where… are you going?”
Alice looked at me with eyes filled with hostility and asked.
“Has Lulu not returned yet?”
When I asked her back, Alice widened her eyes and looked at me, saying.
“No, that poor girl hasn’t returned yet.”
She believed that I had also brainwashed Lulu.
Due to my actions over the past few days, most people would think the same, given Lulu’s loyalty and attitude.
But I didn’t brainwash Lulu; she was currently just staying with the Demon King’s army. Why? Because after Alice attacked me, an enraged Lulu had asked me to allow her to discipline them yesterday.
According to Lulu, the lower- and mid-level demons were manageable. However, the ones she led were the Combat Officers.
With everything I’d been dealing with recently and the occasional strange sensations in my head, it might be better for her to stay with the Demon King’s army for now.
I felt an intense desire to take her for a walk whenever I looked at her. This desire was impossible to control, and the previous incident embarrassed me.
“Was it too much? We have agreed that every time you fail to assassinate me, I could ask you to be my dedicated maid for a week.”
After thinking about Lulu, I said that to Alice, and she responded with a cold expression.
“I… still have a chance to assassinate you for the day… so there’s no reason to serve you delicately…”
The way Alice said this made her look like a fierce stray cat.
“And I need to give Ms. Arianne a chance…”
“We’ll think about that later.”
“…So, where are you going?”
I responded calmly, as she would find out the truth in a few hours anyway.
“To the underground prison.”
“…What?”
“It’s a place I’ve regularly visited.”
Alice’s eyes held a murderous intent as she heard my words.
“Just come along quietly. Today, you’ll be my escort.”
“You think I’m here to protect you…?”
“It’s an order.”
“…Ugh.”
I used the control over the “Curse of Subordination” I received from the Secret Lord to issue a command, and Alice bowed her head and began following me.
“Phew…”
Quietly observing her, I stepped outside the inn and gazed into the space.
Quest Content: Get closer to Alice.
You don’t need to get close to all the children.
Quest Content: Get close to half of the children!
The closer you get to everyone, the greater the rewards!
It was the first time a quest had popped up that violated another quest’s conditions.
The quest window had a slightly different shape and color, too.
“Prepare the carriage.”
“Understood… sir…”
I might not get how this would all work out, but it was time to go to the underground prison.
.
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.
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Meanwhile…
“Interesting…”
Lying on the bed and gazing at Frey’s image in the crystal ball, Ruby turned her gaze to the ceiling with a creepy expression.
[The influence of Villainization will disappear within 24 hours]
– Reason: Scenario Completion
“Very… interesting…”
– Creak…
At that moment, someone came to visit her.
“Um, excuse me…”
“…Hm?”
It was Roswyn.
“I-I have something… to talk about…”
A smile formed on Ruby’s distorted lips.
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