73 - A Certain Former Shrine Maiden Wants To Slack Off

I survived.

Yes, I managed to survive.

Since I splendidly returned alive from the so-called shrine maiden role, which was practically just a human sacrifice, I ought to happily bask in praise.

And yet the members of the clan treated me like some kind of leper.

Apparently, the recluse from Zesato was in a foul mood, and the backlash was falling on me, but that wasn’t my problem.

If anything, I wanted to clap my hands and loudly shout, “Serves you right!”

For a while, I had been detained for questioning, but since I could laze around doing nothing, it wasn’t such a bad arrangement.

While those who witnessed that incident were still barred from leaving, somehow it became accepted that the so-called “Nightmare” threat had left, but the truth was different.

That “Nightmare” had been eaten.

I had been ordered to keep silent about it, but that didn’t matter to me.

If they wanted to shut my mouth, then they’d better cough up some compensation, right?

Hinting as much got me detained again.

“I think there’s such a thing as the right to know the truth.”

When I asserted this, I was accused of “needlessly trying to stir up chaos,” and my detention was further extended.

My lounging time was prolonged again, but this time I was released quickly.

So I barged into the village’s meeting room and demanded payment for having been forced to serve as the shrine maiden this time.

No one acknowledged the validity of my claim, and I was detained for the third time.

I vented my complaints about this matter to the familiar-looking, serious guard, and he begged me, “Please, just be quiet and stay still.”

There were some people who could be reasoned with.

I decided to grant his request, but when idle time dragged on for too long, even this scenery became boring.

More than anything, I lamented my misfortune, wondering where I should aim this anger, but he wouldn’t even look at me.

I see, my body was simply too attractive for him to focus on his duties properly.

Being too earnest could also be a problem.

Unfortunately, he didn’t even make it onto my list of potential lovers.

No matter how much one flaunted earnestness and sincerity, there were limits to everything.

It came time to part ways with this otherwise promising man, but I didn’t look back on the past.

Except for that woman. I’d never forgive her.

Every day I plotted revenge, wondering what I could do to her, but none of my ideas were realistic.

It seemed impossible to single-handedly take on someone from the influential Zesato clan.

You had to recognize when you couldn’t do something.

At least I understood that much.

Anyway, while I was burning up my energy on such personal matters, the village grew unusually noisy.

Apparently, someone from “Reibern,” the one even called magic-mad, had caused some incident.

I didn’t know who did what, but in these times, for something to get more attention than my case—wasn’t that a bit excessive in information control?

It seemed the Zesato lot desperately wanted the matter of appointing a shrine maiden on their own authority to fade away.

In that case, I had an idea of my own.

So I took action—but before I knew it, I was detained again.

For some reason, I was once more dressed in a shrine maiden outfit, bound hand and foot, and being escorted.

I didn’t understand what was happening.

Also, how long did they plan to keep making a frail maiden walk?

I complained, but no one replied.

Even I could tell how bad it looked to have one bound, exceptional beauty among a bunch of men.

So I tried not to provoke them and asked under whose orders they were acting—and discovered the worst possible thing.

Apparently, I was to be sacrificed to the monster that had eaten that “Nightmare.”

I couldn’t grasp what they meant and asked for details. It seemed the monster had been placed under control with the forbidden domination magic, but since the magic was incomplete, it regained freedom and now resided in this forest.

As an apology, they were going to hand me over to that monster.

“What? Don’t screw with me.”

I blurted it out before I could stop myself; nothing I could do now.

Continuing the discussion, I learned that damned woman had forcefully pushed this through and that these men couldn’t refuse even though they too would be endangered.

They even said there was a possibility everyone present would be killed.

“Eh? You’re kidding, right?”

All of them sighed with grim expressions and silently proceeded into the forest.

Maybe my nonstop talking annoyed them, because they gagged me with a rope.

Now I couldn’t even call for help.

Apparently, my life was about to end here.

Given this difference in numbers, I couldn’t tell what they might do if I resisted, so I just silently let myself be dragged along.

I thought there might still be a chance if that damned woman had overreached, so I struggled, but they easily pinned me to the ground, immobilizing me.

And then the feared situation happened.

“Hey, don’t you think it’s a waste to give this one to the monster?”

The men’s hands reached out, grabbing my clothes and tearing them.

The cloth covering my chest was the first to go, their gazes fixed on me. When I saw one man pulling down his pants, I struggled desperately, but the difference in strength was obvious, and my clothes were shredded.

There was no way I could throw off the man straddling me. Thinking I’d be violated and killed here, tears streamed down my face.

But salvation came.

The monster these men intended as their goal appeared.

I realized I had no way to escape even as I thought, “I’m saved,” so I prayed that these idiots would be slaughtered horribly, but they babbled out their mission and fled in a panic.

There had been some rapid-fire questions and answers, which revealed an astounding fact: this monster named Argos understood the elven language.

Since words could reach him, my wish bore fruit; realizing my life wasn’t in danger, having survived both mortal and chastity crises, anger welled up.

I screamed in my rage, never imagining a monster would scold me for it.

He seemed far more rational than I thought.

Anyway, after he untied me and I fixed my clothes, I double-checked to make sure he wouldn’t eat me. He poked my chest and said there wasn’t much to eat.

Soft, sure, but it’s not food!

At least I was reassured I wouldn’t be eaten, and my emotions exploded.

I didn’t know how long I vented my complaints, but apparently they were persuasive enough for even a monster to sympathize.

“Don’t overthink it; they’re just jealous,” he said—quite perceptive for a monster.

In other words, he understood I was attractive.

I couldn’t help praising myself, but then I recalled that this monster had saved my life before.

I thanked him for that, and he looked at me with a strangely puzzled expression, as if surprised.

In any case, since I’d be returning alive, it was time for revenge.

Just you wait, damned woman and all you men—I’ll make sure you learn exactly whose wrath you’ve incurred!

And now, I was at Argos’s dwelling.

He advised that if I returned before the village learned of that damned woman’s misdeeds, I might be silenced. Since I couldn’t possibly survive alone in this goblin-filled forest, I ended up tagging along with Argos.

But I never imagined he lived in Imperial ruins… I smelled a chance to make some money.

It seemed my luck was finally turning. Between the shrine maiden affair and now, things kept improving when this monster was around.

Perhaps it was fate?

Too bad, though—no matter how strong and lucrative he might be, he was still a monster.

If he were an elf… or a human, I’d have already seduced him with this body.

Still, the way he kept touching my chest whenever I got excited was not okay.

It seemed he used it as some kind of calming method, but wasn’t he treating me a bit too roughly?

But more important than that were the ruins.

I never thought such a place would be underground.

And perhaps understanding my frailty, Argos removed dangerous things for me.

Mhm, good work.

The long-awaited exploration of the underground ruins turned out to be terrible.

The phrase “I don’t even want to remember it” fit perfectly.

I never wanted to go to the back of those ruins again.

It seemed to be some kind of experimental facility—just what had they used such monsters for? The smell of money grew stronger, but Argos warned me it was dangerous.

Since he had saved my life and bore little hostility toward me, he spoke with me.

And not just Elvish—he was fluent in Furon as well; quite a versatile monster.

When I brought up Furon, he seemed interested in the Council and asked me all sorts of questions.

Very well, ask me anything.

Then my life with Argos began, but it ended sooner than I thought.

It had been three days rich with gains for me, and it pained me to think it might all go to waste.

More than that, I worried about whether I’d really be safe, so I asked Argos, never imagining that the name of Forshna, one of the Four Great Clans, would come up here.

“This guy has connections too?” I thought, all the more regretting he wasn’t of a humanoid race.

Anyway, under the Forshna clan, I could slack off safely.

He provided meals, though the food here was monotonous.

The sleeping quarters weren’t bad, but there were remains of that monster deep in the ruins, so I was too scared to sleep far from him.

Thus, I didn’t have much attachment to staying here.

I’d have liked to bring something back if possible, but this lab coat alone should be enough to give credibility.

Riding on Argos’s shoulder, we set off!

I thought I’d have to endure this awkward ride all the way to the village, but it seemed our target person was by the river, so I could get off sooner than expected.

Ah, heaven truly favored me.

Or rather, loved me?

As long as the Forshna clan protected me and I testified as needed, I could slack off until this incident wrapped up.

On top of that, I’d even earn their gratitude—perfect.

That was what I thought—but the look the Forshna woman gave me was harsh.

No, the atmosphere itself was extraordinary.

(Huh? Argos-san, this isn’t what you said would happen, is it?)