Chapter 50: Great of the Rounds ⑦

There’s a lot going on, but thinking about what to do for dinner, I headed back to my room for the time being.

Neither the witch, Chive-san, Shiro-san, nor Munieka-san were there.

“No one’s here, huh.”

I was sweaty. Maybe I should take a bath before dinner.

While bathing, I thought about a lot of things, and ended up taking a long bath. By the time I got out, I was hungry.

I changed my underwear and clothes and laid out the bracelets I bought today on the table.

“…Nice craftsmanship.”

Each of these is 1,000 oro. In the past, I would’ve thought that expensive, but now it feels cheap.

As a knight attendant, the post is honorary, but it comes with solid compensation.

On top of that, all my food expenses are covered—50,000 oro.

Plus 50,000 oro for miscellaneous expenses. That’s already 100,000 oro paid to me.

That’s not even counting the other rewards.

I’ve somehow entered a world where my sense of value is completely skewed.

And I haven’t forgotten. I owe the witch a debt in the hundreds of millions.

Hundreds of millions… thinking about it, I’ve come a long way.

For now, though, I’ve been told I don’t need to think about this debt.

I feel like the witch doesn’t actually want me to repay it.

Thinking about that, I put the bracelets into my pouch. I glanced at the pouch and thought I should clean it soon.

Well, not now. Next, I looked at the knife.

A silver cross-shaped knife. Single-edged, with a thick crossguard and handle.

Yet it’s not hard to grip.

This knife was apparently found in a desert dungeon.

The desert is in the northwest of this continent. So the stall owner came from there?

Even by carriage, it would take over a year to reach the desert.

“I think I’d like one more knife.”

“Oh my, Wof boy, is that all?”

The witch returned, dressed in her usual flowing black robe.

She wore a wide-brimmed hat, and when she took it off, her silver fox ears stood up.

“Welcome back.”

“Yeah, I’m back. And the others?”

“When I returned, it was just me.”

“Hmm, hmm. Wof boy, have you eaten dinner yet?”

“Not yet. I was just about to.”

“In that case, how about coming with Kon?”

“Sure.”

“Well then, though we just got back, let’s go.”

The witch put her hat back on. Her ears flattening made her look cute, almost like her hairstyle had changed.

“So, where should we go?”

“Yes, yes, here we should go to ‘Cider Inn.’”

“It’s crowded there.”

“Fufu, fufu, Wof boy. There’s always a way around anywhere.”

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“Very well, let’s go.”

We left the room and walked side by side.

I realized this might be the first time I went out alone with the witch.

“Hey, Wof boy. Walking together like this, just the two of us, it’s our first time, right?”

“Yes, it is.”

I thought so.

It felt… kind of embarrassing.

“Fufu, fufu, fufufu, fufufu, it’s kind of embarrassing, isn’t it?”

“Is it?”

The witch seemed to feel the same. Her cheeks faintly flushed as she smiled wryly.

“….”

The witch is an incredibly beautiful adult woman.

Alluring, elegant, and radiant. Her tails are fewer than that infamous beauty, but she’s just as captivating.

Yet sometimes, she reacts or behaves like a girl.

And I like that girl-like side of her.

We talked about various things while walking.

“Hmm, hmm. Mass-producing those light spheres is a good idea. Surely that lab can make them.”

“Well, it is Haiyaan, so who knows what will happen.”

“Indeed, indeed. And you plan to connect your house to the gate?”

“Yes. Munieka-san said that as soon as she discussed it, she got immediate approval.”

“That’s wonderful, it will be lively again.”

“About the bath…”

“That’s fine, Con can take a bath whenever.”

“Thank you.”

“Well, well. That bathhouse is a little too big, you know.”

“Ahaha… yes.”

A large communal bath, pot baths, sauna, and cold bath. Not the scale of a private home.

“Munieka plans to expand the changing room, apparently.”

“Really?”

“I said she could do whatever she wants. If more people use it, it’s a bit cramped as is.”

“I see.”

Munieka-san would probably do it. She also wanted to create a lying-down bath, so you could soak while reclining.

“However… connecting it to the annex with the dog and cat is a bit troublesome.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, right now the most troublesome is her.”

“?”

The witch muttered to herself. I didn’t understand.

Then the conversation turned to her work. Suddenly…

“By the way, Wof boy, how’s your potion-making going?”

“…Ah, sorry. I’ve just been making tea.”

The crescent-moon vessel had recently become a tea-making machine.

“Oh, you haven’t been making potions?”

“I’ve tried a few times.”

“Hmm. Then after dinner, I’ll take a look.”

“Really?”

“Sometimes, you have to show your master side, right?”

“? You’re always my master. Everything you do for me is mentorship. I’ve never thought you weren’t acting like a master.”

Even with the Awakening Water, she does a lot for me. I’m only grateful.

“Witch?”

She suddenly stopped and acted strange.

The witch pulled her hat down. What’s going on?

“Goodness, goodness…”

“Witch? Wha… what…”

She stroked my head.

“Come on, Wof boy. Don’t stop, keep walking.”

“Y-Yes.”

Somehow, she seemed cheerful as we continued. What’s going on?

When we arrived at ‘Cider Inn,’ we were immediately taken to the second floor.

Of course, it’s the VIP room.

We could order anything we wanted, so I ordered butter rice.

The witch ordered double cheese gratin and a rare cider.

She likes cheese, and she also cooks Chinese-style dishes herself.

It’s also my first time in the VIP room with her.

“This feels… a little nerve-wracking.”

“Yes.”

I’m used to being alone with her.

But in a different place, it feels strange.

Still, when the food arrived, we chatted and enjoyed our meal.

After eating and leaving ‘Cider Inn,’ it was fully night.

And it was raining.

“Oh my, a passing shower, it seems.”

“We’ll just get wet then.”

I didn’t expect rain. I don’t have a folding umbrella.

“Hmm, hmm. Then, conveniently, Kon’s atelier is nearby.”

“In the city? I didn’t know that.”

“It hasn’t been used much.”

“…It’s perfect for taking shelter from the rain.”

“Yes, yes. Let’s go. The rain might get heavier.”

Following her, we headed to the atelier.

It’s near ‘Cider Inn,’ a simple two-story building, but the interior is well-maintained.

Despite little use, it’s clean.

“Even though it’s rarely used, I have it cleaned weekly so it’s always ready.”

“I see… but we’re soaked now.”

“Good grief. Sudden heavy rain is a problem.”

We were both drenched.

Her robe clung to her body, emphasizing her curves.

Her wet silver hair stuck to her cheeks, making her even more alluring.

Her fox ears and three tails were weighed down with rainwater.

“Don’t you have a towel… and please, don’t take it off here!”

I hurriedly spoke up to the witch as she calmly began to undress.

The witch laughed.

“Oh my, Wof boy, if you don’t undress, you’ll catch a cold, you know.”

“But… undressing here—”

“It’s alright, alright. There’s a bath, you see.”

“There is?”

So it’s really okay…?

“Of course, of course. Nothing starts without a bath, you know.”

She said that and finished undressing. I closed my eyes.

Even though the atelier is dimly lit… I could still catch glimpses.

“Ah, ah, and if you need a towel, I think there’s one here… yes, yes. Also, it would be good to light the fireplace.”

“There’s a fireplace?”

A sudden flame lit up, brightening the room.

“Good, good. Now it’s warm. Wof boy, the towel is here, so you should undress and dry yourself quickly. Or, would you like to bathe with Con?”

“I-I won’t!”

“Oh my, fufu, fufufu, too bad, isn’t it?”

The witch moved away. I opened my eyes, undressed, and used the towel to dry off.

A faint warmth spread through me—heat from the fireplace.

I dried my clothes and underwear by the fire—both mine and the witch’s.

I’m used to handling her outer clothes, but her underwear made me hesitate.

It’s really thin, black-purple, barely even underwear.

And the dress under her robe was the same black-purple color.

After drying myself, I wrapped the towel around my waist.

Now that the witch had finished bathing, it was my turn.

The small bathtub was filled with plenty of hot water.

As expected, no shower. The water smelled rich and sweet.

It was the witch’s scent. Specifically, her tail’s scent.

I remembered that night she groomed herself.

“….”

I got out of the bath, dried myself with a fresh towel, and wrapped my own sheet from my pouch around my waist as makeshift clothing.

I should’ve brought a spare change of clothes.

“Witch?”

She wasn’t near the fireplace.

Her clothes and underwear were still slightly damp.

“Witch?”

I called out as I searched. She wasn’t on the first floor, even after checking the kitchen.

Not in the bathroom either.

That left the second floor. I climbed the slightly curved staircase.

At that moment, I heard distant thunder. Lightning must have struck somewhere.

The rain grew heavier. Maybe going back would be impossible.

The floor had three rooms. The door of the innermost room was open.

She must be there. I entered and found the witch standing in front of the bed.

Night.

A black night with no stars or moon, drenched in heavy rain.

I held my breath.

“Come on, come on, over here.”

The witch, wrapped in a single black sheet, smiled gently and beckoned.

“Ah… um…”

There was no light, yet her silver hair glimmered faintly, making her clearly visible.

Under the sheet, she was naked.

I’d seen her nude before, unavoidable as it is.

But tonight—something was different.

“Hey, Wof boy.”

The witch smiled with an almost intoxicating gentleness.

Her jade-green eyes shone like emeralds, hypnotically alluring.

“W-what is it?”

“It’s very, very unfortunate, you see. At this rate, you’ll lose to Alweld.”

“…I understand that.”

I naturally lowered my gaze.

I couldn’t deny it.

The witch continued, speaking softly.

“Con… I can’t say Con could defeat the current Wof boy.”

“…Even so—!?”

The witch embraced me. The sheet loosened.

Startled, I lifted my face and it pressed against the valley of her breasts.

A pleasant warmth and rich sweet scent filled my senses—the witch’s scent.

“Witch…?”

Her three tails extended, wrapping around me from behind and pressing me against her body.

Without consent, my face was pressed into her full cleavage, and her hands touched my hair.

And something ran from her breasts, along the cleavage, into my mouth.

Thump!

Th-this is——suddenly, my consciousness blurred.

I looked at the witch.

“It’s alright, it’s alright. Kon is on your side, Wof boy. So I know what you need. With this second awakening… you’ll obtain the final thing you need, and I believe you’ll surely return. All the answers are within you.”

The witch’s expression was calm, yet full of unwavering certainty.

Ah… as I thought, the witch truly is my…