Chapter 91: Sharing a Cigarette with the Nun - 3
The reason I wanted to monopolize the five heroines was because of the potential they possessed.
To contend with the Transcendents operating in the shadows across the world, I absolutely needed the help of women who had the potential to grow to hero-class.
Of course, even with their help, our odds against the Transcendents would not be high.
No matter how much they grew, even those at hero-class were nothing but fledglings before a Transcendent.
‘They weren’t enemies the game designed for you to defeat.’
The strongest beings in the setting, whom one could not defeat no matter what means or methods were employed—and on top of that, ‘that being’ whom even the Goddess was wary of.
No amount of preparation would feel sufficient if I wanted to seize a happy ending from opponents like them.
Even with every heroine gathered together, it was unclear whether we would stand a chance.
But seeing Reina’s [Single-Minded Devotion] trait made me realize something.
There was still room for them to grow.
It was too early to define the limits of their potential based on nothing more than information from the game.
‘Do their traits grow when I help them release the dispositions they possess?’
Reina’s nymphomania.
Aurora’s frigidity.
Sumire’s clumsiness.
Seris’s desire for ruin.
Wendy’s regret.
The traits that had made me wonder why they even existed in the game were, in truth, catalysts that could help them break through their limits.
‘Considering Reina’s [Single-Minded Devotion], I have to conquer every one of them.’
[ After making love, all abilities greatly increase. ]
The words written in the Goddess’s Hand Mirror.
The description was vague, but in games, “greatly” usually meant one hundred percent.
In other words, once Reina slept with me, every one of her stats would double.
‘It says all abilities, so it wouldn’t be wrong to say she’d become at least three times stronger.’
I could not just let such an insane setting pass me by.
"Brother? Your face looks scary."
"Didn’t you say I was handsome earlier?"
"You are handsome, but... how should I put it? I could feel a dark aura coming from you."
"Enough nonsense. Point the Goddess’s Hand Mirror at me too."
"There must be something dark beneath the surface of you, Brother."
"Would you dislike me if there were?"
"Of course I’d like you even more."
When Reina aimed the hand mirror at me, my traits...
[ Name: Ian / Age: 25 / Gender: Male ]
[ Reincarnation of the Hero ]
"What is this?"
"As expected, you really were a hero, Brother."
"No, that’s not it. This is something I don’t have—"
Crackle.
Before I could finish, the Goddess’s Hand Mirror flickered, and new words appeared.
[ Name: Ian / Age: 25 / Gender: Male ]
[ Yin-Yang Body ]
[ Peerless Handsome Man ]
[ Helia’s Blessing ]
[ Echidna’s Blessing ]
"Reina, do you know why it’s doing this?"
"I’m not sure. It’s my first time using the Goddess’s Hand Mirror too, so I don’t know the details."
It was unfortunate, but I had a rough guess.
‘Could it be because of Ian’s soul, like Aurora said?’
Ian’s soul was the decisive reason I had come to love Isabelle, and after my possession, only residual thoughts remained of it.
I did not pay much attention to it, but there were moments when it nagged at me.
‘But the diary definitely said I had the destiny of a hero. Why does this call it the reincarnation of the hero?’
Something felt off, but since there was no way to find out at present, I quickly moved on.
"Let’s look at [Peerless Handsome Man] first."
"Is there even anything to see? Everyone knows you’re handsome, Brother."
"I’m not that handsome."
Leaving Reina to make a fuss, I checked the information on [Peerless Handsome Man].
[ Peerless Handsome Man ]
- The more affection a member of the opposite sex develops for you, the more your appearance is enhanced.
- It has no effect whatsoever on someone who already loves you sincerely.
"So that’s it..."
Only now did I understand why people’s assessments of my appearance differed so drastically.
In short, this trait made people see me through rose-colored glasses.
‘It’s a pretty worthless trait for Isabelle and Reina, who already love me.’
On the other hand, Isolde, who had recently joined the heroine lineup, was benefiting enormously from it.
No wonder she kept praising me nonstop for becoming more handsome.
"So that’s why it’s called [Peerless Handsome Man]."
If someone saw you through rose-colored glasses, you could become the most beautiful being in the world before them.
Just as Ian had loved Isabelle.
"It’s a little underwhelming, but it’s not bad. Let’s move on to the next one."
"Okay~"
At my words, Reina immediately showed me the next entry with the Goddess’s Hand Mirror.
[ Yin-Yang Body ]
- A body in which yang energy and yin energy are in perfect harmony.
- The body’s harmony maintains itself naturally.
- This body is not ruled by its nature.
As befitting a trait that had not appeared in the game, the explanation was largely vague.
Still, if I had to infer one thing, it seemed I could handle every attribute.
‘In other words, I’m an all-rounder.’
Of course, there was only a paper-thin difference between an all-rounder and a jack of all trades, but my effort would determine which one I became.
‘It would definitely be more efficient to learn several things than to devote myself to one path with a talentless body.’
I was hopeless at direct combat anyway, and since I had to support the heroines, there could be no better trait than this.
"We’ve checked enough. Let’s wrap this up."
"Aren’t we going to use it on anyone else?"
"We don’t have time for that. It’ll be a disaster if we get caught."
"I wanted to show Sister Isabelle what lies beneath my surface. Can’t we do it just once?"
"Do it later, after we take over the church."
As I stroked the cheek of the disappointed Reina, I explained the plan.
"Keep Vanessa’s attention on you while I put the hand mirror away."
"I don’t have anything to talk about with the head nun, though?"
"You only need to make small talk for a moment."
"I-I’m not very good with words, but I’ll give it a try."
Reina clenched both fists and headed confidently toward Vanessa.
"Head Nun, do you have a moment?"
"What is it, Sister Reina?"
While Reina distracted Vanessa, I immediately slipped into Vanessa’s room.
Since I had picked this lock once before, it opened quickly.
‘Once I leave it here, I’m done.’
I finished what I had to do in an instant and was about to leave the room.
Click.
Vanessa entered the room.
‘No, why?’
My blood seemed to turn cold at her return far sooner than expected.
It seemed Vanessa had sensed something was amiss.
‘This is bad.’
I considered hiding with invisibility magic, but given Vanessa’s abilities, there was a strong chance she would discover me.
‘Using magic could just make her more suspicious.’
It made no sense for an ordinary hunter to be capable of magic.
‘Then instead...’
Quickly sorting out my thoughts, I pretended to rummage through the drawer where she kept her cigarettes.
"Brother?"
Vanessa was visibly flustered when she entered the room and saw me.
That was only natural, considering she was currently in nothing but her underwear.
"Why are you in my room, Brother?"
I scratched my head and answered her question.
"Haha, if it’s all right with you, could I have a cigarette?"
Vanessa looked at me as though I were pathetic.
. . .
"Head Nun, do you have a moment?"
"What is it, Sister Reina?"
"I-I wanted to talk about today’s meeting."
Vanessa found Reina’s sudden visit strange.
Reina, who normally had no interest in meetings, was unusually earnest whenever something related to Ian was involved.
‘It seems there’s something between those two.’
It would not do for a nun to take an interest in a man.
Ordinarily, she would have warned her as the head nun, but Ian was a special case, so she let it pass this time.
Of course, if Reina crossed the line any further, Vanessa would warn her.
"So you’re worried about Brother Ian too, Sister Reina."
"Y-Yes! The curse of nymphomania is especially vicious, after all."
"You grew up in a brothel, Sister Reina, so I’m sure you know well about men’s sexual desire."
"That’s right. It isn’t something to take lightly."
"I’m glad to have someone who understands. I’ve been concerned about Brother Ian’s sexual desire as well."
"Do you know a lot about men too, Head Nun?"
"I saw plenty of men at their ugliest during the war."
"That must have been difficult for you."
"Well, it’s fine. It’s all in the past."
Out of habit, Vanessa reached for a cigarette, but not a single one remained in her pocket.
‘Have I already smoked them all?’
Vanessa’s smoking had increased sharply lately.
Then again, when she thought about it, she had plenty of reasons to be stressed.
She had been demoted to a rural church like this one, and she had to search for Angel’s Rest, though she did not even know where it was.
And, as an added burden, she had to watch over Reina, a candidate for sainthood.
Some good things had happened recently, but just as many bad things had happened too.
‘At this rate, I’ll use them all up before the next supply shipment.’
Resolving internally to quit smoking, Vanessa shared her thoughts with Reina.
"Most of the sisters tend to take men’s sexual desire too lightly. They accumulate knowledge only within the church, so they overlook what truly matters."
"They say knowledge cannot surpass experience."
"That is an aphorism left by the First Saint. You certainly know it well for a candidate for sainthood."
"Hehe, you flatter me. I still have a lot to improve on."
"I think recognizing that is the quality of a saint."
"Thank you. But I still think that, even if it goes against the First Saint’s wishes, we should perform a virgin’s kiss."
Though her approach was different, Reina also seemed eager to cure Ian’s curse as soon as possible.
"I’ll think it over. There are many things to consider before proceeding carelessly. Especially considering where the curse is located, I doubt there will be a nun willing to volunteer."
"If no one volunteers, I’ll do it."
"It could cause trouble for you as a nun. Are you sure?"
"I-It’s a nun’s duty to guide even a single lost lamb."
"Would you volunteer even if it were a man other than Brother Ian?"
"...I’d have to think about that one."
"Sigh... Sister Reina, it is good that you care about Brother Ian. But a nun must not focus on only one man."
"I-I’m sorry."
"I think you’re still young, Sister Reina, and cannot distinguish love from fondness. All the more reason you must examine your own heart."
Vanessa had begun to lecture her, but then—
Throb.
"Urgh—!"
A sharp ache shot through her temple.
‘No, this won’t do. I need to go have a smoke first.’
As dizziness washed over her, Vanessa immediately headed for her room.
"That will be enough lecturing for now. Be more careful from now on."
"H-Head Nun?!"
Reina tried to stop Vanessa, but she had already entered her room.
‘Now I can finally relax.’
Vanessa threw off her nun’s habit and headed straight for the bedroom.
She intended to smoke in peace.
"Brother?"
At least, that was the plan until she found Ian in her room.
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