Episode 21

While Lemon was shivering and cleaning up her lemonade,

Lydia and I were farming the raiders’ corpses.

…Of course, it wasn’t as if we were cutting off parts of them and selling them as by-products, like monsters.

Only a madman would do that.

We simply set aside any usable equipment, rifled through their pockets, and, just in case, also took any means of identification that could prove who they were.

Even after all that sorting, we ended up with three backpacks stuffed full. I was already struggling with just one, so Lydia ended up carrying them all.

“My goodness. I can kind of see why they do raids. This is several times what we’ve made so far, isn’t it?”

“…Jonah.”

“Eheh. It’s just that I understand. It’s not like I’m saying I’ll become a raider, so don’t worry. …But how do we distribute this? You said the monster loot goes to me since I caught it, but this time was a bit different.”

“It’s the same. The raiders I defeated are my profit. The raiders Jonah defeated are Jonah’s profit.”

“Ah?”

Gale’s equipment was quite sturdy for something used on the first floor. Though that’s natural, considering he hunted adventurers, not monsters.

However, one regret might be that I couldn’t use Gale’s equipment myself.

Overall, the sizes didn’t fit at all. Not to mention, the armor and the longsword, which were somewhat usable, were too heavy, forcing me to give up my advantage of speed.

Not only that, but Gale, this guy, was so obsessed with adornment that instead of a secondary weapon, he carried around a bunch of cosmetics and accessories.

They weren’t artifacts either. Just accessories. Necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, etc. They were just pretty accessories.

“Ah…how much would these sell for?”

“Jonah, you’re not interested in this kind of stuff?”

“I’m naturally handsome, so I don’t need makeup. As for accessories…they’d have to be pretty expensive to suit me.”

This wasn’t arrogance but sincerity. Even I have to admit, this body of mine was born with an impressively attractive appearance.

If this weren’t the medieval era but the modern age, I’d have started a live stream and been boiling with popularity…or maybe it would have been okay to continue writing as I did in my previous life.

A pretty girl erotic novelist…what a tasty keyword.

Well, I would be a pretty boy since I’m male, but the important part was that the modern era was an era where appearance could be an effective weapon.

But on this continent, what could I do with my face?

A top prostitute, a gold digger, at best, maybe a noble’s concubine.

…No, there was one more thing.

I crossed in front of Lydia with quick steps. Then, spinning around, I faced her and flashed a wide smile.

That’s right. I won’t be exploited for my looks; instead, I’ll exploit them myself. That was the best weapon I had now.

“What do you think?”

“? About what.”

“About me. I might look a little cuter since I’m young, but don’t I look really handsome?”

I mustered up the courage and poked my cheek with my index finger, then tilted my head. Even for me, this was a gesture that required some resolve.

Fortunately, it seemed to have worked. Lydia nodded seriously.

“…If you act like this, I hate to admit it, but you’re right.”

“But why isn’t Ellie falling for it? It seems like she’s aroused too….”

“Do you really not know why?”

Lydia, incredulous, began to list the reasons, counting on her fingers.

“First, being young is a problem. For Senior Elli, Jonah is someone to protect, not someone to date.”

“That one hurt a bit. Especially since there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Secondly, it’s the issue with what you always say. If you say your goal is their body and wealth, any woman would be wary. Especially if she’s a former high-ranking adventurer.”

“Sigh…I was trying to be as honest as possible. Do you think I’m being misunderstood to be someone like him?”

I pointed at Gale, who Lemon and Apple were alternately carrying. We had only healed him enough to prevent his death, so entrusting them with the task was our only option…

“…What are they doing to him right now?”

“It looks like they’re groping him, mainly around the buttocks and thighs.”

“Figured.”

“That’s troublesome. Touching someone else’s property for free. This is why they’re called thugs!”

“Pro…perty?”

Lydia flinched, but it wasn’t incorrect.

In this world, the rule was that raiders were not treated as human, even if they were alive. In other words, he was now my spoils of war. Charging a usage fee wouldn’t be strange.

I must teach those brats that there’s no such thing as free happiness!

“Anyway! Let’s return to the main topic. I hope I’m not being seen like that by Ellie, am I?”

“It’s not that. Senior Ellie believes that Jonah won’t betray her. But… the longer you remain a virgin, the deeper the fantasy becomes, so it’s understandable.”

“Ah. I think I get what you mean. Like how you wish your first experience would be this way or that?”

“Yes. It’s unsightly when women do it, not men, right?”

“No. I think it’s nice. And regardless of gender, everyone has fantasies about their first experience, don’t they?”

“…Really?”

Lydia seemed pleased to hear that. I observed her cheeks, which were slightly redder than usual, and asked.

“Do you also have fantasies about your first experience, Miss Lydia?”

“I can’t say no. I’m just not as obsessed as Senior Ellie.”

“Heh. I’m asking for future reference, but what kind of fantasy is it?”

“Just……ah.”

Lydia was about to say something but stopped, hesitating. She furrowed her brows and continued in a deliberately stern voice.

“You shouldn’t ask just anyone about that kind of thing.”

“Aw. But Miss Lydia isn’t just anyone. You’re my second favorite after Ellie.”

Lydia flinched for a moment but then shook her head firmly.

“…Still, you shouldn’t.”

“By the way, it seems Ellie likes to mess men up and leave marks, like bite marks, all over their bodies.”

“How would Jonah know that…?”

She began acting as if she was prepared to end Ellie today, so I quickly shook my head and added.

“There were a lot of books with that content in Ellie’s room.”

“Ha… Senior Ellie…”

Lydia sighed deeply, pressing her forehead. I liked the feeling that, though she had a lot to say, she was holding back because of me.

But I felt sorry for making things too difficult for her, so I should change the subject right about now.

“Since Miss Lydia doesn’t like it, let’s end this topic here. So, what’s the next reason?”

“Next? Ah, the third reason you mean…”

Lydia stopped there, sealing her lips. After pondering for a while, she then wore the compassionate expression she often had since our (forced) date.

“You know it too, Jonah.”

“Me?”

“Yes. You said it yourself last time. That you’re still not sure what it means to love someone.”

“…I think liking someone as much as I like Ellie counts, though.”

“That’s the problem. Senior Ellie worries that Jonah’s affection might not be pure love. She fears you might realize it too late and regret it, or even if not, she wants Jonah to experience ordinary happiness.”

“I get the gist of it, but… there’s no need to worry.”

“It can’t be helped. Senior Ellie cares about Jonah.”

“……”

Hearing that kind of thing was a little embarrassing.

Feeling a ticklish sensation in my chest, I cleared my throat and organized what I had heard.

“Hmm. So, in summary, you’re saying Ellie is a coward?”

“…Huh?”

I explained a bit more to Lydia, who didn’t seem to understand.

“Being a protector doesn’t mean you can’t be a lover, right? It’s just a lack of courage to face one’s desires.”

“…But one wrong move, and it’s prison. And the problem is that you’re after her body and wealth.”

“It’s natural to risk one’s life to obtain a pretty boy like me, right? That’s also due to a lack of courage. Yep, yep.”

Conversely, if I could have Ellie, I would have put everything I owned at stake. Not that it was much!

As I nodded, Lydia sighed as if amazed.

“Ha… Then what about the last?”

“Then she should have said something like, ‘I’ll just make you fall for me then. I promise to make you happy!’”

Hearing my response, Lydia stood there stunned for a moment, then soon laughed lightly.

“That’s very Jonah-like.”

“Right? Remember it, Lydia, you can use it later too.”

“What would I need to remember this for?”

“It’s my strategy, so it might become useful somewhere.”

Perhaps because the only remaining god in the Pan continent is the Goddess of Love, this world was quite lenient with romantic or sexual matters.

That was why prostitution wasn’t illegal, and there had been an explosive increase in population over the last 1,000 years.

Naturally, the law did not state that you could only marry or date one person. It was to the extent that it wasn’t a problem for a married person to have an affair with someone else.

However, all of this was based on the consent of all parties involved.

If I want to date Ellie and Lydia at the same time, I need permission from both of them.

In that sense, I thought it was quite meaningful to share my strategy with Lydia, who also did not have much wealth but was excellent in many other ways…

“Jonah’s strategy. I wonder how much Senior Ellie would pay for it… I’ve been needing an Elvenmetal sword recently.”

“…You have to give me half of the sales money, alright?”

It seems that the information had been less valuable than a new weapon.

Feeling awkward, I swung my arms around and stretched my shoulders.

“Right. Miss Lydia. Could you help me out after we calculate the profits at the guild?”

“What’s it about?”

Had they witnessed the seductive act I had put on just a moment ago? Lemon and Apple were casting glances our way and whispering among themselves. I pointed in their direction and explained the situation.

This and that, copper and cuppa.

“If things go well, I might be able to pay off all my debt to Miss Lydia!”

“Eh.”

Lydia’s expression soured.