Capítulo 3: Chapter 3: Preparing for the Next Act
Please support me on Patreon, where you can read a bunch of extra chapters, not just for this novel, but for all the novels I'm translating. I upload at least 2 times daily for each novel.
Patreon.com/ThatGreatStuff
******
—Three months later...
"Hey, Priest Ain! How's it going today?! Let's grab a drink together!"
"That sounds tempting, but...what about behind you?"
"What? Oh man, geez! Mom!""
"How can you talk about 'grabbing drinks' after getting drunk without permission just the other day?!"
"Ow, ow, ow! Not my ear, not my ear!"
"My apologies, Reverend. Please don't take anything this fool says seriously."
Despite being thoroughly dominated by his wife, this fellow secretly came to confession recently, seeking advice on what gift to buy her for her birthday—a true devoted husband. It's amusing to imagine her reaction when she discovers he used money supposedly squandered on booze to purchase her present.
Afterward, I take my daily stroll around town.
Waiting for people to come to me isn't enough; forging relationships requires reaching out as well. If being trusted were as simple as just having "priest" on your résumé, life would be easy.
Huh? You thought this was gonna be about sex or something?
Nope, that's why I skipped over two whole months of boring backstory with one line earlier.
As mentioned before, my secret magic ability isn't some catch-all versatile and powerful skill.
It certainly feels like cheating, but it takes time and effort to use properly.
"Father! Let's play!"
"Let's pretend you're the Hero again! And I'll be the Demon Lord—Mwa-ha-ha!"
This is precisely the kind of groundwork I need to lay beforehand.
In other words, building trust. The effectiveness of my magic depends heavily on the relationship between myself and its target.
Even if it's impossible to be liked by everyone, I've been desperately trying... Well, actually, just taking things easy for these past two months. But of course, I still kept up with my duties.
"My apologies, but today I have to deliver this medicinal herb to Mr. Dunker."
"Awwww!"
"Pleeeease?"
"No, sorry, not right now. Just wait until after I finish my errand, okay? Then we can play for a little bit."
"Yes!"
This town has about one hundred fifty residents.
If you're willing to put in three months' effort, it isn't too hard to make some friends around here. While simply having a title as a priest doesn't guarantee acceptance, it certainly helps grease the wheels.
The weekly prayers at the church were also fortuitous timing. The elderly townsfolk tend to be stubborn and difficult to win over, but they're also the most devout and always come to pray on their own accord.
At first, people were intrigued just to see me out and about, but now more often than not they greet me cheerfully like before.
In this world where everyone has to help one another to survive, it's easy for these kinds of bonds to form.
"Mr. Dunker, it's Ain. I've brought some medicinal herbs."
"...Oh, come on in."
I take a deep breath of fresh air before opening the door.
Even though I was prepared, the wave of heat that hits me is still terrifying.
Dunker runs the only blacksmith shop in town.
He fits the stereotype perfectly: stocky and sturdy, he's a dwarf. Naturally, various races inhabit this world, but unlike the royal capital, there are very few here—Dunker included.
"I'll leave them right here."
"Here. Take this."
"This is... Oh wow! You finished it!"
"I think I made it according to your order, but since it's my first time crafting one of these, no guarantees on quality."
"Oh, absolutely! Just as expected from you, Dunker! It looks perfect!"
"Hmph." Despite his scowl that seemed ready to kill someone at any moment, he was actually just embarrassed.
I had no desire to see what a grubby old dwarf looked like blushing, but his feigned anger was tolerable enough.
In the past three months, I hadn't only been working on my plan to cozy up with everyone in town for selfish reasons.
Among other projects, I'd also asked Dunker here to create something for me.
"But seriously, can ya really repel monsters with somethin' like that?"
"Well, I'm not sure myself. These essence stones were purchased from a reliable source, but this will be our first time testing them."
"Right. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?"
"Yes, exactly. Well then, thank you very much. Please let me know if anything else comes up."
"Sure thing."
What Dunker had created for me was four poles with small purple essence stones attached to each one.
By surrounding an area with these poles, it would create a weak barrier against magic, similar to burning mosquito coils to keep bugs away.
However, that's just a side effect; the main purpose of these items is to help define the range of my spells.
With these set up at the cardinal points around town, I can cast magic indiscriminately on anyone within its boundaries. Or rather, more accurately, everyone inside except me will fall under its effects. Since the magic originates directly from the goddess herself, no one can resist—even a hero couldn't fend it off. Actually, it seems like people can't even detect when they're affected by it, so resistance isn't really possible, though all that gets too complicated for me.
At first, I considered burying the essence stones underground, but if someone accidentally found them, it would just cause trouble. So instead, I decided to boldly announce my preparations and place one at each edge of town.
Now no one here will be able to remove them.
Since I made a promise, after playing heroes with the kids for a bit, I set up the magic stone rods around the four corners of the town.
Finally, all my preparations were complete.
"Ain, Priest-sama? Playing with the children again?"
"Ha-ha, glad to see they're doing well."
"Well, there's no need to get your clothes so dirty every time, really! Today you'll have to wash them yourself!"
Maria might seem childish sometimes, but when it comes to housework, her competence makes sense considering she's been managing on her own for a year now. She's like a responsible older sister, I suppose. The contrast between these moments and her more innocent demeanor during breaks or leisure time is refreshing.
It's also quite enjoyable watching her breasts bounce with every movement as we chat.
"Are you listening?"
"Yes, of course I am. Well then, perhaps it would be best to change my clothes before you get any angrier."
"Oh, come on!"
Another magic spell at my disposal, whose effectiveness depends on trust levels, is Hypnotic Magic.
With this, I can cast any suggestion I like on anyone within range. That said, there isn't yet a way for me to manipulate Maria's body freely just yet. Partly that's due to insufficient trust between us, but such powerful spells don't exist anyway.
But what I have is more than enough.
Little by little, I'll gradually alter Maria's sense of propriety.
As long as I preserve the important parts and she ends up craving me herself, I'll consider it a success.
And if things don't go smoothly...
"Well, I'll just have to take her normally, I guess."
"What? Did you say something?"
"I just mentioned how hot it is today."
I'm not overly fixated on doing things precisely my way.
If persuasion doesn't work, I'll simply take her without sentiment. By then, her trust level should be high, and the hypnosis will already be progressing, so I'd likely be able to do whatever I want.
Ah, damn.
I can hardly contain my excitement.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder