บท 206: Chapter 207: Lousy Teacher
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༺ Lousy Teacher ༻
I had a fairly happy dream after a long time.
It was a dream where, after escaping from the cafe where I had met Aishi, I was embraced by Irina, who had stripped herself bare to heal my frozen body.
"Ugh…"
It was just a fleeting thought in my half-asleep state, but it felt so good.
A gentle, warm, and comforting sensation enveloped my entire body.
I wondered if sunbathing felt something like this. I couldn't remember well because ever since I was young, I had never enjoyed a nice sunbathing. However, I thought it might be somewhat similar.
'…I should get up.'
But I couldn't remain lost in my daydream forever, so I should get up now.
But why was I having such dreams lately? Could it be because there have been so many overwhelming things happening lately? I haven't had such dreams for a long time, so why now…
– Squish…!
As I pondered these thoughts, I shifted my body, and suddenly, a familiar squishy sensation enveloped me.
"Hmm…?"
It felt like I'd sunk into a soft slime. No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one thing this feeling could mean.
The dream I had was not really a dream…
"…..!"
As I cautiously opened my eyes, my mind went blank and I froze.
It was because Irina's body was vividly coming into view.
"Uh, there… Oops?"
Confused, I tried to move my body backwards, but Irina's cloak stopped me.
Consequently, I found myself wriggling within the cloak for a moment before I could cautiously poke my head out.
"…Hehe."
Then, Irina's face, which had been adorned with a happy smile while she reclined on the bed, suddenly appeared right in front of me.
"Did you sleep well, Frey?"
– Sssk…
Irina, with a gentle smile, reached out and softly stroked my head as I poked out from the cloak.
"S-So, Irina? What's happening here…?"
"Oh, that…"
Of course, since Irina and I were still wrapped inside the cloak, I asked with a slightly blushed face, but Irina avoided my gaze before answering.
"You had too much contact with Aishi, so the ice inside your body became much more active than expected."
"Uh, hmmm."
"That's why I had to keep melting it all day long."
"A-all day long?"
Upon hearing that, I was taken aback as I was just absentmindedly listening to her words. I immediately glanced at the clock, confirming that it was indeed morning.
So, did that mean a whole day had passed since I was enveloped by Irina's cloak in the carriage yesterday?
"…Anyway, how do you feel?"
Irina softly inquired while I was still struggling to process the passage of time.
"I did my best, but there could be some side effects. So, if your body feels even a bit cold…"
"Did you stay up all night for me?"
"Huh? W-well, yeah."
Irina nodded, appearing somewhat puzzled by my question.
"…Thank you, Irina."
I expressed my gratitude to Irina, who had stayed up all night to melt the ice in my body without sleep, and hugged her.
"…..!"
I could clearly feel Irina's accelerated heartbeat.
"F-Frey…"
"....."
After burying my head in her embrace for a moment, I raised my head and locked eyes with Irina's burning red gaze. A peculiar silence settled between us.
– Creak, creak…
"Miss Irina, please… come out now… How long are you going to stay like this?"
Lulu's voice broke the silence as she was desperately scratching at the door.
"W-Wait…! Frey hasn't woken up yet…"
"You know that I have the Magic Eyes, right…?"
"B-but I casted wiretapping prevention magic… Oh, never mind. It's nothing."
When Lulu spoke in a gloomy voice, Irina responded bewilderedly.
"If you keep acting like that… our cooperation… heub!"
Lulu uttered incomprehensible words towards Irina.
"Uh, uh-heub! Of course, since the treatment is over, let's get up now, Frey."
Irina impatiently flicked her cloak with her fingers and then got up from her seat.
By the way, the cloak seemed quite stiff before she flicked it with her fingers… Or maybe that was just my imagination?
"…Lord Frey."
While I was having such thoughts, someone from outside started speaking.
"Arianne? What's going on?"
"I'll report… heut.""
I realized it was Arianne's voice, so, with my clothes loosely on, I opened the door. However, as she was about to report from her position outside the room, she froze upon witnessing the scene inside.
"I-Irina…"
"…You know she's not the Irina you knew, right? Just hurry up and do your report quickly."
Urging Arianne in such a manner, she reluctantly started her report with a mixture of despair and an odd expression.
"L-Lady Roswyn… has come to visit…"
"Decline her visit."
"She's quite persistent, so I'm not sure how to handle…"
"I'm going to Isolet's house today anyway, so I won't be here. Just don't mention our destination."
With a chilling tone, I was about to issue that command and close the door, but Arianne quickly spoke up.
"A-And Princess Aishi is also coming to pay you a visit…"
"…Decline that as well. Just explain that I'm not feeling well today and can't play."
"I-I understand… and there's also a message from the palace."
"From the palace?"
I thought Aishi's news would be the end of it, but a message from the palace? What could this mean?
"T-they asked you to participate in the upcoming Hero Verification Ceremony as an honorary member of the Hero family…"
Following Arianne's explanation, I understood why the palace had contacted me.
It was time to start entering the scenario for the winter break's "main event," the Verification Ceremony, but of course, they had to contact me.
In that event, Ruby would truly shine while I would fall… and they had to call me to such an event. Those guys were truly cruel.
"T-then, I will…"
Arianne, with a slightly furrowed brow, informed me of the time and location, then shot an odd glance at Irina, who was now leaning against my side, before taking her leave.
"....."
The room fell into silence.
"Frey, I'm about to head to the Western Continent for my shift."
Breaking the silence, Irina whispered to me.
"By the time the 'Verification Ceremony' takes place, Clana will likely be with you. She's set to arrive next week."
"…Is that so?"
"Yes, so…"
Irina was dressed awkwardly and brushed against me unknowingly.
"Remember this."
With a deep blush, she whispered into my ear.
"When you held me, I was the happiest person in the world."
"…."
"Just by looking at my eyes, you can clearly see there's no doubt about it and it has already been imprinted all day long… You know it well, right?"
After saying that, she gently kissed me and headed towards the door.
"I'll be waiting at the entrance. Get ready and come out."
"…Okay."
"Oh, right."
Then, she suddenly stopped and glanced back at me.
"…Y-You're quite amazing."
Blushing, she glanced down at my lower body before leaving the room.
"...Huff."
I quickly checked the purity ring; fortunately, it was still white.
Fortunately, it seemed that there was no reason for Serena to go on a rampage.
"….."
As I opened my eyes, I felt like I was being pulled in all directions by swirling emotions. Getting ready to leave, Lulu, who had been waiting just outside the room, suddenly lifted her head to gaze at me.
"M-Master…"
"Lulu?"
Then, she rushed to my side, glancing around nervously and brushing her body against mine.
"…What are you doing?"
"I-I can also melt the cold for you."
"Is that so?"
"A-And… since you're my owner, please let me imprint my pet scent on you."
I gazed at her for a moment, then patted her head and let out a deep sigh as I pondered.
'Now, I just have to wait for the coronation ceremony to happen…'
I had successfully accomplished the first goal of this vacation "meeting all the sub-heroines."
So, until the second goal, "Coronation Ceremony Participation", time would pass in the blink of an eye.
After the coronation ceremony, when I'd be busy preparing for the war with the Church as the third goal, time would once again fly by and before I would even know it, I'd be starting my second year.
And then, it would be the beginning of more hardships…
"Huff…"
I shook my head vigorously to dispel the gloomy thoughts and crossed my arms as I stared into the empty space.
[Sub-Heroines Conquest]
Isolet Arham Bywalker
[Conquest Progress: 95%]
Details…
Isolet's Conquest Progress had increased by a whopping 5% over the past week.
What did I actually do that caused her Conquest Progress to increase on its own?
I had merely answered her call a few times and perhaps made some sexually harassing or insulting remarks.
If anything, the Conquest Progress should have decreased instead of going up. This situation was really strange.
'Should I just complete the Conquest Progress?'
While contemplating this for a while, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
'Since the version update, there's been a strange aura surrounding this 'Affection System.'
I had been so busy that I forgot to experiment with it, but it was indeed still bothering me.
What if there were special rewards when the Conquest Progress reached 100%?
'However, it's somewhat vague with how it works…'
I wasn't entirely sure, but the day all the servants left my house marked the moment when Lulu's Conquest Progress changed.
However, the moment Lulu's Magic Eyes changed was when Miho attacked me. There was a slight time gap between these two events.
"…Lulu, when did your Magic Eyes change?"
"Oh, well… It was… when I desperately wanted to protect you, Master."
I asked Lulu the question with a serious expression, and she softly replied.
"How desperately did you want it?"
"…I wanted it enough that I was willing to sacrifice my life."
Staring at her wide-eyed look as she answered my question once again, I silently made a deduction.
'Could it be that I triggered something when I completed the Conquest Progress for the heroines, causing their latent abilities to awaken?'
That was a plausible assumption.
It applied to Lulu as well. Each of the sub-heroines possessed unique abilities or talents.
Could it be that the hidden element my past cycle self mentioned in the Third Ordeal was related to this?
If that was the case, then it was definitely worth it to complete Isolet's Conquest Progress.
"So… should I s-seduce her or something?"
I blurted out, my face turning red, as I thought aloud. Beside me, Lulu, who had been fidgeting, looked at me with a blank expression.
"Master…? What are you doing…"
"No, nothing."
"..."
After my nonchalant response, Lulu, who had been watching me with anxiety, closed her eyes and went back to nuzzling.
'Well, I do want to complete her Conquest Progress, but…'
I muttered quietly to myself as I held Lulu's hand and stepped out of the room.
'…It's impossible to do it right away now.'
If I were to try to seduce her now, I had no idea how she might react.
Additionally, the highly anticipated "Fourth Ordeal" was on the horizon. Many people were bound to get entangled in it and that was already a source of concern for me. Trying to seduce her and making her "worry" could become a significant issue.
'However, I can't hold out forever in such a situation…'
Isolet's Conquest Progress was already at 95%. In other words, even a small mistake could complete her route.
'…Indeed, I need to do something about this….'
So, before her route gets completed, how could I reduce the Conquest Progress? Was there a good way?
Originally, making sexual jokes or engaging in sexual acts would help lower her affection, but now it seems to have the opposite effect.
"Something Isolet would dislike… something she'd dislike…"
I pondered for a while
"…Ah-ha!"
Suddenly, I clapped my hands together and muttered inwardly.
Among the students, Isolet used to dislike Aishi the most, right?
In the prophecy written by my ancestor, there was a "Character Relationship Chart" that outlined the relationships between the characters in Dark Tale Fantasy 2.
Whether it was Kania and Serena being polar opposites, Clana initially being unable to resist Roswyn but managing to put her underfoot after an awakening, or Arianne being best friends with Irina.
In this organized chart, Isolet and Aishi's relationship was the worst. The reason was that what she disliked as much as promiscuity was "arrogance." It was a fact I had confirmed through my own experiences. She detested arrogant nobles or troublemakers and had made a habit of putting them in their place.
"Alright… I can solve this."
Having found a way to deal with Isolet, I arrived at the entrance with a smile.
"..."
Lulu was by my side, Irina waited at the entrance, the birds were perched on her shoulders, and the cat doll peeked its head out of my coat pocket. At that moment, they all began to tense up.
"Let's go."
As I walked ahead, leaving them behind, I approached the entrance with a self-assured expression and muttered to myself.
"…If I just mimic what Aishi does, it should work."
.
.
.
.
.
"Hi, Sister?"
An hour later.
"Just as always…"
Frey Raon Starlight, one hand covering his mouth, smirked arrogantly, just like how Aishi did yesterday.
"You're flaunting your 'old virgin' status today as well…?"
Frey placed his hand on Isolet's shoulder as she gloomily and blankly gazed at him when she came out to welcome his arrival.
"…You really look pathetic."
Grinning mischievously, he stood on the tip of his toes and whispered softly into her ear.
"Lousy teacher."
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