Waking up from his nightmare like usual, Ryner went to the bathroom and washed his face. After going downstairs and finding himself a table, he waited for breakfast.
“Morning! Did you sleep well last night?” [Trish]
Sure enough, Trish came with a plate of eggs, sausages, salad and toasts. A glass of milk was also prepared for Ryner.
“Morning. Yeah, I had a good sleep.” [Ryner]
He answered as he started eating.
“By the way, I heard that there was something called an adventurer guild around here. Do you know about it?” [Ryner]
He suddenly asked her this question, which reaffirmed her thought that he truly was an ignorant idiot.
“Well yeah, it’s a pretty well-known profession. We have an adventurer guild here, but there’s one in pretty much every city. Really, just where did you come from… Don’t answer that.” [Trish]
Seeing him about to open his mouth, Trish shut him up, not wanting to hear another song like last time. But instead, Ryner asked her another question.
“So these guys just accept requests and get rewards for them, right?” [Ryner]
“Yes, that’s correct.” [Trish]
“They’re kind of like mercenaries huh.” [Ryner]
“The profession is similar, but mercenaries specialize in fighting wars and conflicts against other people while adventurers handle monster hunting, looking for lost items, collecting materials, you know, that kind of stuff.” [Trish]
“You sure know a lot.” [Ryner]
“It’s common knowledge.” [Trish]
Although he praised her, she didn’t feel happy, but exasperated.
“Well, my dad was an adventurer before he married mom, so I heard some stories from him too.” [Trish]
“Ohhh~! Was he strong?” [Ryner]
Seeing him take interest in her father’s past work, she puffed out her chest and proudly told him about it.
“He was C rank!” [Trish]
“Is that good?” [Ryner]
Ryner asked while tilting his head, which made her frowned a bit from his lack of reaction.
“It is good! The ranks go from F to S and according to him, the ones from F to D rank aren’t anything special, they’re like grunt soldiers. C ranks are tough and can put up a good fight! My dad was pretty strong!” [Trish]
She exclaimed loudly, proud of her father’s achievement.
“Then what about the ranks at the top?” [Ryner]
Ryner asked and Trish pondered for a bit while putting a finger to her chin and looking up slightly.
“Hhmm, dad said that B ranks are dangerous fellows in combat, really strong. If you’re forced to fight an A rank, you should run away. And for the guys in S rank… You should give up.” [Trish]
“Wow, they sound like a fun bunch. Maybe I’ll check it out later.” [Ryner]
“Again with your sense of fun… Well, you won’t really find any strong adventurers in this city.” [Trish]
“Then what do you guys do if some strong monsters attacked?” [Ryner]
Ryner wondered how they would deal with monster threats, but Trish waved her finger in front of him and dispelled his doubts.
“That’s what the army is for! This is the capital city, after all. Also, we have the knight commander here too. Dad said that he could easily take on an S rank. But, I don’t think a powerful monster will show up. This area is relatively safe with weak monsters around. The king of a kingdom can’t be living in a dangerous place.” [Trish]
She then crossed her arms in front of her chest before continuing on.
“Sadly, since there aren’t any tough jobs around here, you won’t really find any high rank adventurers. You’ll need to go to another city for that. Ah, be sure to spread the word about us when you do!” [Trish]
She then went on to ask him to do some publicity for their inn, to which Ryner replied lazily.
“Yes, yes. I’ll tell everyone that I had a great time at the Sleeping Duck, located in Sakael city.” [Ryner]
“Good to hear it. It’s great that our customer is enjoying his time at out inn.” [Trish]
She answered in a professional tone while grinning.
“Yeah. The food is tasty, the service is great, the bath is nice and-“ [Ryner]
“And the toilet is awesome, right?” [Trish]
She teasingly said, remembering that unforgettable conversation she had with him.
“Hey, I couldn’t help it. Just look at that pale and smooth surface, that healthy looking shiny gloss, those wonderful curves, that prim and proper appearance… Any man would have acted like I did.” [Ryner]
“Oh… Umm… Is that really what interests you?” [Trish]
She hesitantly said while looking to the side. She was once again lost on how to respond to him, not sure if he was joking or being serious.
“Not really, so long as my heart skips a beat, then prim and proper or down and dirty don’t really matte-wait what are we talking about?” [Ryner]
Apparently he was joking. Looking at that sleepy idiot that was tilting his head to the side, she got the urge to pinch his cheek again. Listening to it, she used both hands to pull on his cheeks, stretching his face into a weird expression before leaving satisfied. The other customers looked on as Trish happily went back to work while Ryner was busy nursing his sore cheeks. After the ordeal in the morning, Ryner wandered around town again, keeping his senses alert for anyone that might be after him. However, since yesterday, there haven’t been any more stalkers wanting to kill him. Thinking that he had solved his problem, he decided to go to the noble district and look from the walls. Frankly speaking he was bored so he wanted to mess with the guards again when he saw them.
“(If, by chance, the princess shows up again… I’ll deal with it.)” [Ryner]
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In the noble district, Leila was once again out on her patrol after her morning training. The knights following her were keeping their distance just like yesterday, but this time the one accompanying the second princess was her elder sister, the first princess.
“Tiffany, you really don’t need to be doing this.” [Leila]
“It’s fine, isn’t it? If something does happen, then you’ll deal with it. Isn’t that what you always said?” [Tiffany]
“W-well yes, that is true.” [Leila]
Although Leila wanted her sister to go back to the castle, Tiffany dismissed her worries while smiling. It’s been a while since she last walked around with her little sister like this, so she wanted to enjoy some time together, even if they were technically on patrol.
“Fufu, but still, no matter how strong you are, I’ll feel more at ease once you find yourself a man you can rely on.” [Tiffany]
The elder sister spoke with a hand to her cheek, smiling as her cute little sister became flustered from the sudden topic.
“I-I’m fine! I don’t need to marry! Father said it too! It’s fine for me to become a knight.” [Leila]
“But he didn’t say that you shouldn’t marry, right? What are you uneasy about? Don’t you train with the knights every day? Most of them are males.” [Tiffany]
Tiffany pointed out this obvious fact while tilting her head, not understanding why her sister wasn’t use to talking with men in a more normal way.
“It’s not the same, it’s… it’s complicated… Anyway, I know I scare most men away. I don’t need a coward for a husband.” [Leila]
“Now, now Leila. The reason why they’re scared is because you keep glaring at them. You should relax more. You’re very cute so you don’t need to worry about your womanly charms.” [Tiffany]
She tried to cheer up her dejected looking little sister. As expected, although she swings the family treasured sword every day, she’s still a girl who worries about love. However, her efforts only caused Leila to look up and glare at her chest.
“Womanly charms huh… Well, elder sister certainly isn’t lacking in that department.” [Leila]
“Wha-what are you sulking about? You have some of your own too.” [Tiffany]
She answered, slightly flustered. Her chest was bigger than her little sister, but it’s not like she was flat chested. Just what was she mad about? Unfortunately, this was a simple case of a woman’s jealousy. While they were talking, they reached the gate to the commoner district. There, a familiar scene spread before Leila’s eyes. A sleepy looking man with unkempt black hair was talking to the two guards guarding the entrance. It was Ryner who came out of boredom. She frowned before walking up to them in a quick space.
“What is going on here?” [Leila]
Once again she said the same sentence as last time and once again all eyes turned on her.
“Princess!” [Guard]
The guards quickly bowed to her again, but she ignored them and talked to the man right away.
“I thought I told you to leave the last time you came here? Do you really want to cause trouble that much?” [Leila]
She didn’t have time for this. Her only target was the one that tried to murder her mother. As such, she talked with suppressed anger and reached out for the hilt of the sword on her back while releasing mana pressure at him.
At that moment, the knights quickly crossed the previous distance that they were keeping and caught up to her along with the first princess. Tiffany, being the only one that didn’t know what was going on, worriedly looked at her little sister and the unknown man before her. Upon seeing her, the man slightly opened his half closed eyes.
“Blue hair! Well, what do you know, this place has free coloring.” [Ryner]
In response to his strange words, the second princess stood to cover her big sister behind her back, ready to draw her sword upon any suspicious movement.
“Hhmmm, the hair doesn’t look like it was dyed either. It’s got a beautiful color.” [Ryner]
While Ryner was evaluating and praising someone’s hair, he didn’t notice that the person in question was flustered upon hearing his compliment. Although she was showered with praises all her life, this was the first time another man honestly complimented her without looking for anything in return. She held a lock of her hair in her hand before looking down shyly.
“Tha-Thank you.” [Tiffany]
“Sister?! Why are you thanking him?!” [Leila]
“Sister!? Another princess!?” [Ryner]
Leila exclaimed in surprise at her sister’s words while Ryner exclaimed in surprise at the glaring princess’ words.
“Anyway, I told you before that you have no right to be here. So LEAVE! We do not have time to waste on you!” [Leila]
After Leila exclaimed loudly, Ryner rubbed between his brows wearily before putting his hand to his mouth and clearing his throat.
“Please accept my apologies, my ladies. But I do believe that I have done nothing wrong. For technically, I am still inside the commoner district, am I not! I have merely come to converse with my two good friends here. Isn’t that right, Bobby and Gary?” [Ryner]
Ryner put a hand to his chest and bowed slightly while politely talking to them. His voice, however, was as if someone was trying too hard to sound fancy. He then gestured to the two armored guards that were standing on the side, giving them a couple of names that he came up with on the spot.
“Bobby!? My name’s not Bobby! It’s Tre-“ [Bobby]
“Ohh don’t get your panties in a bunch Bobby! You should copy Gary. You have a wonderful wig, by the way. I simply love it.” [Ryner]
“Wig!? It’s-it’s not! This is REAL hair!” [Gary]
“Now, now Gary, don’t mind the small details, you’ll go bald at this rate. But have no fear, for Sir Bobby shall buy you a REAL wig when that happens!” [Ryner]
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“Why you little-“ [Bobby]
“Don’t be such a spoilsport Johnny! I’ll pay for it. I’ll also buy you a new pair of panties too! …Wait your name’s Bobby-Anyway!” [Ryner]
While the two guards were fuming mad for being made fun of before royalty, Ryner bowed once again to the dumbfounded crowd before his two friends could say anything and quickly bid his farewell.
“Now that I have seen my two best friends healthy and alive, I shall quickly take my leave. My ladies, I bid you good day. Ta-ta!” [Ryner]
He then turned around and ran towards the crowd in the streets, slipping his way through and moving left and right to make them lose sight of him. Everyone was quiet with their mouths wide open. But then a small laughter broke the silence.
“Pfft… Pfft hahahaha~!!” [Tiffany]
The first princess started laughing with a hand on her mouth. Seeing this, Leila regained her senses and quickly went to her.
“Tiffany!? Why are you laughing!?” [Leila]
“Hahaha…! I’m-I’m sorry~… huhu… it’s just~… I can’t take it ahahahaha~!” [Tiffany]
The little sister was stunned. It’s been months since she last saw her older sister laugh like this, actually no one has laughed so happily since the queen fell ill. Yet here she is, laughing her head off. Eventually, she calmed down and wiped away the tears in her eyes while smiling before making an absurd proposition.
“He seemed like a nice guy. Let’s invite him for tea the next time he comes here!” [Tiffany]
“What!? Tiffany! What are you thinking, inviting that punk to our home?!” [Leila]
“He didn’t seem like a punk though~?” [Tiffany]
Her older sister replied happily while tilting her head. Seeing her not acting serious, Leila clenched both fists in front of her and leaned forward, trying to emphasize the folly of her sister’s actions.
“HE IS! He didn’t show any respect, acted weirdly and kept joking around before running off! He was making fun of us!” [Leila]
“Now, now Leila. He was just not scared of us, that’s all.” [Tiffany]
“Not… scared?” [Leila]
“Yes, isn’t that nice?” [Tiffany]
Princess Tiffany answered with a dazzling smile while secretly hoping that the weird but funny man would come tomorrow. It truly has been a long time since she laughed like this. She’d liked to have a talk with him over tea and learn more about him. Princess Leila silently looked towards where he ran off to, deep in thought. Knight Commander Klauss who saw the two princesses’ states had a small grin on his face. He too was interested in that young man that had the guts to pull off such a stunt.
“(To make our first princess laugh like that and our serious lady lose her composure… Truly he is no ordinary kid.)” [Klauss]
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“(Ahhhh… That felt good.”) [Ryner]
Ryner thought in his mind while wiping his forehead with his arm, a satisfied smile on his face. Since the pony tailed girl was being annoying, he decided to mess around with them before leaving.
“(This got their attention though… Oh well, they can’t find me if I leave the country.)” [Ryner]
He really didn’t think about the possible consequences his actions could have caused, although this was because he had amassed enough weaponry to take on a country by himself. After venting off his stress, he wandered around town again, but a short while later, he decided to try something new, something he hasn’t done yet since coming to this city: going to the red light district in broad daylight. He then made his way there, entered the same building as before and greeted Madame.
“Welcome darling, to come back at this time, you can’t keep away, can you?” [Madame]
The old woman said teasingly, wearing the same expensive looking black dress.
“Can’t help it, the girls are wonderful. Is Red available?” [Ryner]
He asked for the one called Red after shrugging his shoulders. The smile of the owner of the brothel widen upon hearing his question.
“For you honey, she always is. She actually asked me to keep her free for when you come by, although we thought it’d be at night. Go ahead and wait over there darling, I’ll go tell her you’re here.” [Madame]
The Madame pointed to one of the waiting rooms before going up to the stairs. After a while, receiving her permission, Ryner once more entered Red’s room, where she was waiting naked like usual, but frowning. He greeted her while tilting his head, wondering why she didn’t seem happy.
“Hi, something the matter?” [Ryner]
She kept quiet for a few seconds, making up her mind before speaking up.
“When are you going to sleep with me?” [Red]
During the last two visits, Ryner asked her to lie on the bed before giving her a massage. It felt so good and relaxing that, despite wondering why he was doing this, she fell asleep comfortably in her bed. When she woke up, he would be gone, the blanket draped over her and her body left untouched.
“What are you talking about? I have been sleeping with you. When you fall asleep, I take a nap next to you for ten minutes or so.” [Ryner]
“… Why? Why the massage?” [Red]
“It’s my personal fetish. I like to grope a woman’s soft body. You have really smooth skin-“ [Ryner]
“Then grope my breasts too. Why do you avoid my breasts and butt? Why are you giving me a normal massage? What do you really want?” [Red]
She was confused, in all her life a man has never acted like he did. This made her suspicious of his motives since all men only ever desired her body. Yet, here was a guy that said he only liked giving women massages.
“Do you not like it?” [Ryner]
Ryner asked, tilting his head again.
“It’s not that I don’t like it… I feel refreshed after waking up, but-“ [Red]
“Then what are you upset about?” [Ryner]
“Because it’s not normal! I can’t trust you! What are you doing in a brothel?! What do you really want?!” [Red]
Finally, not being able to take it anymore, she yelled out her worries. Ryner, upon understanding that she feared him for his incoherent actions, took on a more serious expression to answer her.
“I want to sleep next to a person and feel their warmth. It calms me down. When I touch you, I can feel it through my hands, and that’s why I enjoy giving massages. Sure, I can sleep next to a guy, but I won’t sleep in the same bed, that’s why I come here.” [Ryner]
She was baffled at his weird reason, but there was no way she could understand him. She didn’t know that he had horrible nightmares every night that drove him to tears. She didn’t know that he sought another’s warmth to remind him that he was alive and well.
“Then sleep with me after you’ve had your way with me. Why go about it like this?” [Red]
“Because I’m like you. I don’t trust you. That’s why I make sure you’re deep asleep before I start napping.” [Ryner]
Hearing his words made her open her eyes wide. She finally realized that he was even more weary of her than she was of him.
“Two people who don’t trust each other, sleeping in the same bed.” [Red]
A chuckle escaped her lips, realizing how weird this situation was. But then again, not trusting who you sleep with is the basic rule for all the girls in this place. She just never met a man who would take it even further and choose to not lay his hands on her.
“This is a brothel, you know? You don’t need to trust me to stick it in. Do you really fear that I would pull out a knife and stab you while we’re doing it?” [Red]
“… Yes.” [Ryner]
Ryner said with sadness in his eyes before sporting the same lazy look from before. Not missing that expression, Red guessed that something probably happened in his past and decided to drop the subject. She then chose to compromise with him. After all, this weird and lazy looking guy may be the most trustworthy man she’s ever dealt with.
“Then how about this, you can search the room for any hidden weapons. Once you’re satisfied, then you can use this rope and tie me up so that I can’t do anything to you.” [Red]
Red said as she pulled out a rope from underneath the bed.
“Seriously? You’re okay with that? And why do you have that?” [Ryner]
“Some customers are into that kind of stuff, now get going.” [Red]
Seeing her nod and gesturing for him to hurry it up, he then proceeded to look around, finding some hidden switches here and there.
“Those are to tell the Madame that we’re free, in danger, or that the customer requested for an extended time.” [Red]
The woman said as she took off the silver colored ring on her right ring finger.
“There are also some to tell her we’re doing bondage play so that the staff can eavesdrop on us for, you know, in case the customer gets too violent.” [Red]
“… I’m not into that kind of stuff and where’s the privacy?” [Ryner]
“That’s basically what we’ll be doing and this place never guaranteed privacy. [Red]
Red immediately responded to him in a matter-of-fact tone. She then showed him the ring she had in her hands. A small greyish crystal was embedded in it.
“This is a magic stone that will allow me to warn our boys if I’m in trouble. Now, I’ll keep the room private, so no one will hear us. Get over here and tie me up.” [Red]
She then put the ring back on her finger and handed Ryner the rope. This was to tell him that she didn’t completely trust him and to warn him not to try anything funny. Also, she wanted to test him, to see if he would try to take the ring away, to see if she was right that he wasn’t like the other men she met. Ryner then proceeded to tie her hands behind her back. Soon enough, before him was a tied up naked woman.
“… I really feel like a pervert right now.” [Ryner]
“You’re in a brothel, alone with a prostitute. What did you expect? Anyway get to it, we wasted enough time.” [Red]
Ryner sounded crestfallen while Red was annoyed, wondering what he was worrying about.
“Yeah, yeah, alright then… Time for a massage!” [Ryner]
“WHAT?!” [Red]
She was shocked at Ryner’s cheerful declaration. He would still give her a massage after all of her compromises.
“Y-you!?” [Red]
“Don’t worry, I’ll give a massage more proper for this kind of place. By the way, my name’s Ryner.” [Ryner]
After telling her that it will be different this time, for some reason he introduced himself which confused her.
“Why are you telling me your name?” [Red]
“I figured I should, that’s all… Thanks for trying so hard for me.” [Ryner]
He thanked her while smiling, a tender smile on his face. This made her questioned herself. Why was she trying so hard to get him to sleep with her? Was it her pride for not being desired? Even though she didn’t like the lustful looks in her customers’ eyes, did she want him to look at her like that? While being confused by her own actions, her next words naturally left her mouth.
“… Lily. My real name is Lily.” [Lily]
She then felt a hand on her shoulder. It was warm and gentle.
“Nice to meet you, Lily.” [Ryner]
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*Author* +18 tag here. Also, just noticed but my squigly lines turn into straight lines. please use the context to determine a squigly from a straight.