Chapter 55: Irresistible Reward (2)

Chapter 55: Irresistible Reward (2)

People's determinations aren't easily broken.

"Bathing!"

"is a must!"

I tried to ignore the quest window that appeared before my eyes.

It was only a week ago that I determined not to assist Michail with his trials anymore. I wanted him to grow actively, both mentally and physically, to give him room to develop.

With the current Michail, it was hopeless to try and see the end of the novel.

I felt that Michail, who talks about justice every day, would learn moderation after going through this incident.

It definitely wasn't because I wanted to bathe with the lady that I gave up. It was just the color of today's underwear that No, that's not it.

I looked at the young lady with anticipation-filled eyes.

The lady in her bathrobe.

The faint sight of her black undergarments seemed tantalizingly mysterious.

The lady said, stretching,

"Let's go!"

Her bosom gathering ferociously.

I thought it was a good decision to give up on the quest.

I gave her an awkward smile and offered her my back.

"Piggyback, please."

While deliberately ignoring the floating blue window.

[Q. Rescue Yuria.]

Yuria is exploring "Hamel's Dungeon" for the Royal Academy's final evaluation.

While taking the test, Yuria discovers a man bleeding in a corner of the dungeon.

A man full of wounds and gasping for breath.

Kind-hearted Yuria, unable to just pass by, decides to treat him, and Michail, who is in the same group, agrees to follow her decision.

Unaware that the man is a remnant of the heretics.

Yuria is in danger.

To the heretics who need a healer, Yuria appeared like a jewel, and the remnants of the heretics ambushed her and began to take her to the depths of the dungeon.

Normally, Michail should have been the one to rescue Yuria, but he seems to be lacking both mentally and physically.

(!) Please rescue the endangered Yuria.

Probability of Michail rescuring her without the user's help (70%)

Reward: Resistance to Black Magic LV. 4

Michail: Beginner Aura (C)

Yuria: Affection +40

Failure: Affection of all Royal Academy students except Hanna Histania -30, Yuria injured, Michail injured

The quest isn't compulsory.

These quests appear abruptly and without warning, but there's no obligation to undertake them by necessity.

The novel continues to roll along normally.

It's just that my existence has been added.

An obligation would be the real anomaly.

Sometimes, there were penalties like decreased stats or affection, but they weren't significant enough to alter one's life, so it was alright to ignore them.

The quest depended on my choice.

Like Hanna's quest, it had the free range of options to either save someone's life or conversely, to end it.

That was the case now as well.

Resistance to black magic. It was indeed a fine reward, yet not charming enough to break my resolve to not help Michail.

Had it been an increase in my swordsmanship level or an additional skill as a reward, I might have considered setting aside my determination and given it a try, but not for a bath with the lady No, not for the stress of being involved with Michail.

Resistance to black magic would increase over time, and I wasn't inconvenienced in my daily life anyway.

And the penalty for failure was also minor.

Even if the already low affection were to drop further, there wouldn't be a difference. The worst it would get is just worsening expressions or deteriorating to the point of asking about one's parents' well-being.

I wasn't planning on maintaining a long-term relationship.

Nor did I want to.

And the 70% probability couldn't be ignored either.

I believed Michail was entirely capable, even with his dense nature, because his skills were certain.

I trusted them.

However, when the quest window changed

The hope I held began to solidify into disappointment.

"Ugh This is really shitty."

[Yuria's feelings have changed.]

[Michail's feelings have changed.]

Probability of Michail rescuring her without the user's help (70% > 57%)

A new quest reward is added.

[Healing Touch (B)]

You will be able to weakly treat someone with physical constraints using your health as the medium.

"Ah?"

I huffed as I watched the lady stealthily slipping off her bathrobe. The lady, intent on showing a healthy philosophy that baths should indeed be taken naked, revealed her black bra.

Her atrocious chest.

"Dammit."

I clenched my fist and spoke to the lady.

"Shall we do it another time?"

The lady cried.

***

"Dammit."

In the dark dungeon.

I saw Yuria, terrified, and Michail, unconscious.

A deep sigh escaped from my inner core.

Since becoming a butler, I'd tried not to use foul language, but at the sight of Michail, falling far short of expectations, the itch began in my mouth.

There was hardly any change in the novel.

Encountered a remnant of the heretics.

Treated the heretic.

Got ambushed.

Michail got overwhelmed.

Besides Michail being unconscious, there was nothing different from the scene in the novel.

But why is this still happening?'

I, holding my sword, glared at Michail with annoyance in my eyes.

Why is the one who should be fighting unconscious?'

The heretic before me didn't possess the strength of figures such as Balak and Pascal. To make a comparison, it was like the blue golems that lived in the jungle in a game I often played in a previous life.

Though it may have been overwhelming for Michail

He was definitely capable of handling it.

If there was no surprise or negligence, it would've been an easy enemy to defeat

Could it be

I skeptically reviewed Michail, the knife-wound on his abdomen faintly visible.

I glanced over at Michail.

Michail, with trembling eyes, watched the approaching heretic.

I wondered how far this fool would go.

I didn't even expect him to kill the heretic.

Even if he displayed determination, like inflicting permanent damage or crippling him, I'd consider it progress.

After all, this was the guy who had been dragging the lady he liked by her hair; he wouldn't just stand there.

In the novel, Michail killed that man. To rescue Yuria being dragged away, for the first time, he shed blood and acquired a cold-hearted emotion.

Then there was that scene in the novel, where Michail, trembling uncontrollably, held Yuria tightly, assuring her everything was okay. This time, I was curious to see how it would play out.

As the clash of Michail and the heretic's swords chimed, I prepared to leave work.

*

The battle was over.

Naturally, the one who lay on the floor was the heretic.

The heretic had fought remarkably well for a one-handed fight, but even so, it wasn't enough to face Michail, who had exceptional swordfighting talent.

Michail gasped for breath.

Michail, struggling for breath, held his sword to the throat of the heretic collapsed on the floor.

"Don't move."

It was a fearsome warning from Michail.

Michail's hands trembled.

Because he did not know what to do.

How to deal with the heretic who had killed numerous knights and threatened Yuria, he could not come to a decision.

The heretic, looking up at Michail, spoke with a trembling voice.

"Please spare me"

""

"Please I beg you to spare my life I'll live right from now on."

"Really?"

Wow

I clapped inside my mind.

Thinking he would let him go here, of all places.

Even if he did nothing and let him go, I would have taken care of it discreetly, but if Michail truly let him go without doing anything, it would be no less than the second coming of Buddha.

I decided to give Michail a little push.

"Come on"

"You label some as killers, bad guys, and yet you'd just let this one go?"

Michail's shoulders twitched.

"Isn't that right, Miss Yuria?"

"YYes?"

Yuria, taken aback, looked at me.

"It would be too unfair to just send him off after he nearly hurt Miss Yuria."

I alternated between sighing and swearing as if watching a national soccer match, tearing apart Michail's actions.

"Come on now."

Yuria looked at me.

With eyes that could not comprehend.

At the same time, she also looked at Michail.

It was surely the same for her.

To take a life.

Who would like to do such a thing?

I hated it too.

But sometimes, in unavoidable situations, one must make bold decisions. Thats why we, as swordsmen, learn to wield our swords.

The choice was Michail's to make.

I said one last thing and then shut my mouth tightly.

"You should only meddle so much."

With those final words, Michail swung his sword.

*

Everything was over.

Michail threw his sword on the ground, gasping for breath, while the heretic exhaled a sigh of relief, having survived.

"I never thought you would actually spare me."

Michail said with mercy in his voice.

"I'll give you one more chance. Don't do bad things ever again"

That idiot.

Are you fooled again?

The heretic, sobbing, spoke to Michail.

"Thank you! I truly thank you!"

As I saw the heretic's quick hand gesture, trying to insert a dagger into Michail's embrace, I swung my sword once more.

With the clash of metal, the breath of the heretic ceased.

A deep sigh escaped me.

I looked down at Michail, who was staring at the heretic with trembling eyes, and brought my fist down on his face.

Thwump!

"Ugh Idiot."

[The quest has been completed.]

I never wanted to be involved with that again.

***

On the way back to the mansion.

I exited the dungeon quickly, not wanting to get tangled up in any more troublesome matters.

I looked down at my hand.

My right hand, from which the black scar had disappeared.

I wanted to show it off to the lady.

As I trudged down the mountain, a strange sound caught my ear.

Creak

"Huh?"

A cute puppy hid in the bushes, whimpering in pain.

The puppy, with black fur and round paws, at the same time had paws as large as those of a beast.

Thinking it was a cute creature Miss Olivia would like, I crouched down and beckoned to the puppy.

"Come here."

The puppy hobbled over and rubbed its head against my legs.

"Should I take you with me?"

I carefully reached out my hand.

At the same time, I used the skill I had just acquired.

[Healing Touch is activated.]

Drip.

Blood dripped down my nose onto the back of my hand.