Reunion
Hmm.
Staring at her best friend, Trisha let out a deep breath through her nose.
She couldnt say that she and Iliya had known each other for a long ti, but there was one thing that she was certain of.
The fact that her best friend was extrely shy when it ca to romance, almost frustratingly so.
Considering that, her current attitude was
Iliya, what did you just say?
Hm? Ah, I said that I should help Riru out.
Strange Way too strange
It was unbelievable that this was the sa girl who was shaking in anxiety, thinking that she had no chance of getting her Teachs attention because there were too many attractive won around him.
Whenever Dowd was brought up, her emotions would surge terrifyingly, but now she was remarkably calm. It was like looking at the surface of a tranquil lake.
Riru? You an, that violent woman?
Carefully, Trisha started speaking while stroking her chin.
The last ti she heard about Riru, she was told that the woman was clearly interested in Dowd.
But
Out of a sudden, her best friend said that she would help that woman
What the hell happened to her?
Also, what kind of help is she even talking about?
Well, Riru is planning sothing
Iliya rubbed her eyes behind the eyepatch before letting out a grin.
It seems like shes about to make a very important confession to Teach.
Did she tell you that?
She didnt, but she doesnt need to. I can clearly see that shes nervous, and it seed like she was hiding sothing inside.
You cansee?
The way she phrased her words made it sound like she didnt just randomly guess.
And her following words precisely confird Trishas suspicion.
Yeah, like you know, emotions and things that are sowhat visible to the eye
Like, I can see sothingstirring
Trishas mouth fell open.
Her eyes that could see emotions was an ability awakened through interaction with Divine Power.
To be more precise, most Priests would gain a special ability after they reached a certain realm. But even among them, her ability was one of the most powerful.
After all, it was pretty much the sa thing as being able to read soone elses thoughts.
But
Iliya acquired that kind of ability? Out of the blue?
Y-You can see e-emotions now, Iliya?
No, I cant actually see all of them, just like If they have Bad things inside their body I can see their emotions if they have so intense ones
Bad things?
I cant say what it is, or else enemies would co from all over the place.
Seeing Trisha cocking her head, Iliya just waved her hand before continuing.
Anyway, how could I possibly see everyones emotions? Besides, having that kind of ability would make it hard to even hang out with people close to ~
I an, normally, youd hate being around soone who could look into your head, right? Like, take this conversation for example. I wouldnt be able to talk about it with anyone other than you, Trisha.
You got a point
Trisha barely managed to force out a smile, agreeing with her words.
Because in the back of her mind, she was suppressing all the horrible mories that were trying to resurface because of Iliyas words.
This ability was the reason why she was oftenly ostracized and bullied in the past.
At tis, she was even treated like a monster.
Not to ntion that
Because of it, there were people she could never et again.
She barely managed to control her expression.
With great difficulty, she changed the subject.
But, is it really okay for you to help her just like that? This matter is related to Mr. Dowd, right?
While those words were the result of her desperate struggle to shift the topic of the conversation, they were also sothing that she genuinely wanted to ask.
If Iliya were to help Riru, and the latter ended up getting together with Dowd, what would happen afterwards?
That was the question that Trisha actually wanted to ask.
Well, it doesnt matter.
The answer that ca out of Iliyas mouth however, was all too carefree.
What?
After watching him for a bit, I concluded that its his fate to attract various won in his life no matter what hes trying to do. Even if the world itself tries to stop it from happening, it wont stop. So, I figured that instead of trying to stop the inevitable, I should just try to make the best out of the situation.
Trisha stared at her with a dumbfounded look, anwhile, Iliya only let out a bright smile.
Besides, Im an irreplaceable existence to him.
She sounded so certain when she said those words, and she wasnt wrong in the slightest.
Indeed, she was the only person around Dowd who could effectively suppress those insane won who were essentially throwing their bodies at him.
This was sothing that even Lady Tristan couldnt do. Even if she won the race, the Lady would probably completely crush her rivals or at least leave them in pieces. Knowing Dowd, there was no way that hed welco that kind of outco.
That was why
Also, since thats the case, it would be even better for if more won flocked around him.
To her, the more the won clashed among themselves, the better.
Huh? Why?
Because that would make Teach rely on even more~
Indeed, the more often such conflicts erged
The more valuable Iliya beca as she was the only person who could control the traffic of those people.
To put it simply, Dowd wouldnt be able to live without her anymore!
So, youre intentionally letting more won gather around Mr. Dowd while youll be watching them fighting among themselves from the sidelines?
Nah, of course not. That would be a bit too much, wouldnt it? Theres no need for to needlessly aggravate the situation, or else itll just put Teach in danger.
Iliya let out a chuckle before continuing.
Im just helping Riru out because shes my friend. Wouldnt it be sad if she couldnt even convey her feelings properly?
Um, Iliya?
Chill ran down Trishas spine, but she still tried her hardest to maintain her smile.
Her friend was saying that she was just helping out a friend of hers
And she found those words a little bit strange
You said that youre helping her because shes a friend
Yeah. Whats up with that?
Surely it wasnt a strange question to ask.
Because until just now, Iliyas attitude was like she was saying, Ill be the number one anyway, it doesnt matter how many won will approach him.
That personumRiruis she really your friend?
That question was difficult for Trisha to bring up.
Of course she is.
But the response she got couldnt be any more nonchalant.
Thats why, uhIm fine with accepting her as a second or third concubine.
Normally, if you treat her as a friend, wouldnt you step aside and let her be the number one at least?
Whats with this attitude of hers?
I an, Teach is mine, you know?
This much is already a pretty big concession, no?
Such an empty, fleeting friendship
That thought automatically brushed past Trishas mind.
[Can I ask you sothing?]
No.
[]
I already knew what he was going to ask, so I wouldnt even consider trying to entertain him.
As I thought so, I slightly loosened my grip on Yurias leash.
Her slight panting as she was being dragged along could be heard from behind .
Sorry. Did it hurt?
N-No! I-Its perfect now, s-so, c-could you continuelike this?
Fine.
If you say so.
I continued to pull on her leash, trying my best not to look back at her.
If I were to turn around and look at her face, she would be probably blushing right now, Id definitely feel the weight of my own social disgrace. And that would be enough to get into the spiral of depression for a good while.
[Fuck that, I cant resist anymore.]
[You know the Hero Selection starts tomorrow, right? So what in the world are you doing here?]
Did you even need to ask that?
Obviously, I was doing it because it was necessary!
System ssage
[ Activity Walk on Leash is in progress! ]
[ Activity Light Choking is in progress! ]
[ Masochism ter of target Yuria is in the process of resetting to 0! ]
[ Corruption Value of target is significantly decreasing! ]
I swear if soone read those words without an ounce of context, it would seem like I was engaging in so fucked up acts that the society would condemn for.
But that was exactly why I was doing it.
Thinking this, I brought out a window.
This was what I saw yesterday.
System Log
[ Built-In Skill Defenders Soul has been added to Soul Linker! ]
< Item Info >
[ Soul Linker ] [ Exclusive Equipnt ]
[ Enchantnt: Epic ]
[ Hero Shard Fusion ] [ Evil Essence Fusion ]
Built-In Skills
[ Image World ] [ Skill Grade: A ]
[ Summon a Spirit Body to create a unique domain in the surrounding area. Within the domain, certain abilities possessed by the Spirit Body can be used. As further levels of consciousness unlocks, the range of the domain and the number of abilities that can be used increases. ]
{ Current Available Abilities }
[ Mastery: Solidarity ]
[ To a knight, comrades are family. You can partially share the buffs applied to yourself with nearby individuals.]
[ Defenders Soul ] [ Skill Grade: S ]
[ Guardians have always been recognized as the defenders of justice and morality. Every ti you suppress soone with malicious intent, you gain Special Stacks. If you fill up the Stack, you can summon the soul to the current world for a certain period of ti. ]
Current Stack: 2%
[ Forbidden Sorcery ] [ Grade: 4 Tattoos ]
.
.
.
This person, who was almost like a harmless big brother next door, was once called the First Guardian. Even Gideon hesitated to confront him directly.
Summoning him to this world would definitely give a terrifying advantage, that was why I had to fill up the Stack no matter what.
Considering that the Hero Selection would be starting tomorrow, it was even more so.
Theres no doubt
In the world of Sera, the term Suppression would apply whenever soone inflicted so sort of harm on another, in any form of way.
Including dragging soone around on a leash just like what I was doing now
System ssage
[ You have suppressed target Yuria! The Stack of Skill: Defenders Soul is accumulating! ]
See? These notifications kept on popping up.
But
System ssage
[ You havent suppressed the target sufficiently. The Stack is accumulating slowly! ]
This window also kept popping up. It seed I hadnt fully t the Suppression requirents.
Guess I had to do more research to act more like a hot garbage
[Did you lose your mind already?]
[Youre going to look for sothing that is worse than this?]
No, likeexcept for her, with her masochistic tendencies, who else would willingly accept such treatnt?
Getting Suppression stacks required to inflict so kind of harm, but not many people would just stand still and let hit them, even if they were Devils Vessels.
Of course, this girl was an exception. Who in their right mind would willingly ask to be walked on a leash?!
Ah, o-ooh, M-Mr. D-Dowd, g-gently
Ah, sorry. Did it hurt?
I was lost in thought as I dragged her along. It seed like I had been treating her roughly unknowingly.
But, hearing my words, she only smiled shyly before responding.
N-No, n-not at all.
Her smile looked so pure and genuine that it felt refreshing to see.
If she wasnt wearing the leash, this would have been quite a picturesque scene.
Even if it hurts a little, it feels really good.
This is the first ti Ive ever experienced sothing like thisthey said it usually hurt the first ti, but with Mr. Dowd doing itit just feelsgood
Bruh, what the fuck?
Stop.
What kind of heinous shit did you just say?
I only heard her words, but that was enough to make shudder in embarrassnt!
[Is this lady right in the head?]
Whatever, as long as were not caught by others, it should be fine!
At the very least her Corruption Value wasnt increasing; The biggest risk factor was taken care of.
In the first place, this place was a deserted plain, and it was really late in the night.
When I was about to respond to Caliban and turned around the corner
I bumped into Iliya, who had a smile plastered all over her face.
Maybe I was wrong.
This was probably the biggest risk factor, not the Corruption Value.
When I thought as such while facing Iliya
She approached with a grin.
I had to say sothing. Anything.
When I was about to make an excuse, my body broke out in cold sweat
Im not like the Student Council President, Teach.
Iliya spoke up first.
What?
Whatever peculiar and intense tastes Teach has, I can understand and accept all of it.
Huh?
Anyway, can I walk Miss Yuria instead of you? I believe you have an urgent matter that you have to attend right now!
I was obviously stunned by her words, and it was also the case with Yuria, as she seed to be montarily at a loss for words.
What the fuck is she on about?
At that mont
W-Wait, Miss Iliya! T-This is!
Dont worry! This is what friends are for! We help each other out with these kinds of things from ti to ti!
H-Huh? I-Is that really the case?!
Of course it was not! What the fuck?!
Sure, I understood that you didnt have any friends and all, but how could you just blindly believe her words like that?!
I created this opportunity, so
While she was dragging Yuria away, Iliya mouthed sothing.
Without a doubt
She was saying it to soone behind .
Good luck, Riru!
Uh?
What?
I turned my stiff body around, like a robot that hadnt been oiled for a long ti. And I saw the exact person Iliya ntioned, standing there without a word.
Riru Garda.
The Chieftains granddaughter.
There was a large box in her arm.
Just seeing the sheer size of it made almost feel a sense of dread.
The silence stretched on.
Normally, shed tell off, asking why was I staring at her for so long. But now, it was as if she had forgotten how to breathe. Her breathing was rough, as if she had went through so kind of hard labor.
Not only that, her face was flushed. A vivid red hue decorated her tanned skin.
Its been a while, Riru. How have you been?
In the end, it was who broke the silence with a greeting.
You shoulda contacted when you first arrived in Elfante. I coulda gone to find you so we could have a al together.
That topic should be uncontroversial enough to lighten the mood, right?
You know
Unlike before, this woman now held a significant position in the Tribal Alliance alongside Kasa. If she were to start a trouble with , my options to go against her were pretty limited, especially with how the Hero Selection was right around the corner.
Judging from your complexion, you seem to be in a better mode. Thats a relief
Dowd Campbell.
She cut my words, her tone sounded serious.
Guess my efforts were futile.
This woman definitely brought sothing that could cause trouble. I could feel it in my skin.
Do you rember the last thing I said before we parted ways?
Uh, yeah.
I told her to bring a gift whenever she returned to Elfante.
The box she was holding probably related to that, huh?
Now, the question was, what kind of gift was it exactly? Why did she look soserious?
Riru chewed on her lips again.
Despite her tomboy-like appearance, this woman seed to be unable to bring herself to say sothing out loud, thus increasing my anxiety.
Fucking hell.
Seriously, what did she want?!
Hey.
After a long silence
She finally seed to have made so kind of resolve.
Take this.
With those words, she pushed the box towards .
The box was decorated with exquisite engravings and jewels.
It was clearly sothing ant for a grand occasion. Definitely not sothing that was only worth one or two coins.
Is that a gift for ?
While hoping that it was nothing significant, I tried to keep the mood light as I showed her a casual smile.
However
What is this exactly? It looks expensive.
A dowry box.
Hearing her words
A part of my brain stopped working.
Excuse ?
With difficulty
With truly great difficulty, I managed to force out a response. But when I did so
Dowd Campbell.
Riru
With her entire face and body flushed red
And her gaze ablaze with a fiercely burning determination
Marry .
Spoke such words
Firmly and decisively.
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