Chapter 211

-Whoosh-

Morning comes with the chirping of sparrows, slightly lifting the blanket.

-Harrier stretches, her eyes not opening easily due to fatigue.

She raises only her hand, rubbing her sleepy eyes and yawning softly.

“Aaaahm.”

The morning had come as usual.

It was a normal morning.

Only, her body felt unusually refreshed.

As if she had slept comfortably for once in a long while.

Why is this?

Is there a reason why she slept better than usual?

Suddenly touching something she held in bed, she felt a strange sensation, raising doubts.

‘Am I sleeping naked?’

Her body was exposed, touching something other than her clothes.

This was a big question.

‘I shouldn’t be…’

Usually, she would wear clothes even when sleeping.

She never removed the protective gem since the incident where she was threatened in her sleep.

Sometimes, when uncomfortable, she might take them off, especially when Pleasia Merchant Guild or Mina was around.

But still, she preferred wearing underwear.

Something felt odd.

Rubbing her eyes slightly, her vision returned to normal, realizing warmth all over her body.

When she moved slightly from the bed, she saw Karlsein, who was sleeping next to her, stark naked.

‘W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-W-World…’

Did she hold him again while naked?

Surely, her face flushed uncontrollably.

Her legs crossed nervously.

As she started recalling yesterday’s events, a silent scream escaped.

Karlsein, who did not wake up, and Defeshan Syndrome.

Following Talfon’s advice, she recalled hugging him naked while he was asleep, which instantly heated her mind.

“Guh…”

“Gasp.”

But now wasn’t the time to recall embarrassing things.

He was waking up.

If Karlsein woke up in this situation, it would be a disaster.

Not even in underclothes, but completely nude!

-Swish, swish, swish.

She quickly put on her underwear.

And before she could even catch her breath, putting on her dress at lightning speed, Karlsein’s eyelids twitched.

“Uh… Harrier?”

Karlsein, with a dry voice, sat up.

Though it seemed strange that he slept so late, Harrier didn’t notice.

“It’s fine!”

She was already dressed.

Underwear was hidden, and no skin was showing!

Just as she was about to relax, a voice broke through.

“Why are you sweating so much?”

“Wha—”

“Your face. You’re drenched in sweat.”

There was one thing left unresolved.

She touched her face, and it was obvious.

Because she rushed to get dressed, beads of sweat formed on her skin.

Perhaps, Karlsein found this odd.

He approached her from the bed.

“Not much. Just…”

“Did something happen?”

“Stay back… too close…”

“Sweating like this is a problem.”

“…”

This man.

He always intrudes without warning.

It had been only minutes since he got out of bed.

Or rather, it hadn’t been long since they realized they slept together again.

How awkward, considering they were naked!

“If you keep getting closer…”

-Thump, thump.

“Harrier?”

“…”

She had received so many fake kindnesses.

Men offered superficial courtesy, laced with desire, while women masked their jealousy or envy with false niceties.

But Karlsein’s concern was genuine.

A pure, selfless consideration born from worry.

Every time he approached her, she felt a peculiar emotion.

Would her reflection look strange in his eyes?

Could he read her thoughts?

Could he hear her heartbeat?

These worries made her feel ticklish.

“That’s not it! I’ll go first!”

“Harrier? Uh…”

Rushing out and closing the door, she covered her face with both hands.

“Why am I acting like this?”

Her face was flushed.

Her skin felt ticklish.

She worried her appearance might have looked strange.

Neither issue was resolved.

Her body still felt ticklish.

Instead of cooling down, her temperature rose.

Especially where Karlsein had touched her.

Her heart pounded wildly, refusing to calm down.

Among all these, there was one thing she couldn’t bring herself to admit.

“Crazy!”

She even thought of diving into Karlsein’s embrace.

***

She remembered losing consciousness during the battle with Talfon.

Had she failed to complete achievements?

Was this unconsciousness actually a sign of death?

These thoughts briefly crossed her mind…

But everything was resolved when she opened her eyes.

▶Third Agent Registered◀

[3. Talfon]

▶Rank: A+

▶Duties: Investigator, Law Enforcement, Combat Team

[Can directly investigate residents of Shatren Territory.]

[Can manage law and order within the territory, sometimes resorting to force.]

[In case of enemy entities, can eliminate them proportional to rank.]

Indeed, an excellent rank.

His duties were top-notch.

What remained was…

▶Episode VIII. Cleared Shatren’s Agents.◀

▶Successfully triggered results beyond choice!◀

■Rewards

[???]

[???]

▶Proceed to Episode IX in Shatren.◀

Returning to Shatren.

The next episode is fixed anyway.

With three agents secured, the player’s task is to respond to various incidents happening in Shatren.

“The issue is the randomness; I can’t predict how to respond.”

It wasn’t entirely hopeless. As usual, choices weren’t presented.

With my way, methods, and knowledge.

I can solve it somehow.

…But why is this happening?

“Huuu.”

Harrier drew a sharp breath and turned her head abruptly.

She had been staring at me until now.

Whenever I looked back, she suddenly turned away without a word.

I need to ask directly.

“Hey, Harrier.”

“Yes?”

“What did I do wrong?”

Faint memories came to mind.

She must think I did something wrong.

Guessing and asking, Harrier narrowed her eyes and turned away haughtily.

“You did something very wrong. Twice, making people suffer.”

So, that was it.

But isn’t this understandable given the Scorpion King incident?

“Anyway, it seems to have cleared up nicely.”

“Huh?”

“Thanks to your care, I feel much better. I slept all day without any issues.”

“…”

Harrier’s expression hardened slightly.

“Seems like it really worked…”

“Huh? Can’t hear you clearly.”

“Aaah, nothing!”

“I said it worked… Did you use some expensive medicine? If so, I’ll pay for it.”

“That’s not it! What kind of misunderstanding is this?”

Something was being hidden.

“Sorry for keeping everyone waiting. We were delayed gathering the team.”

Talfon arrived just then.

Actually, wouldn’t it be clearer to ask Talfon?

“Talfon, I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“What happened when I collapsed?”

Honestly, the sudden drop in status ailment levels after waking up bothered me.

It wasn’t just a matter of rest.

Something else must have affected those levels.

That’s why I’m asking.

What happened while I was asleep that day?

“Oh, didn’t your fiancé explain?”

“Explain what?”

“Just a moment!”

Harrier hurriedly rushed between us, separating us.

“There’s no need to explain! It’s all resolved now!”

“Hmm? That’s not true.”

“Eh?”

“If you don’t explain, how will we know? This is important.”

They were hiding something!

“Um… No… I’ll explain. Let me…”

Talfon sighed and explained:

“When you didn’t wake up after sleeping deeply, your fiancé came to check. Seeing you unresponsive, I investigated. Turns out you had Defeshan Syndrome.”

“Talfon! Stop… Eh?”

“Go on, Talfon.”

Harrier flailed, so I pulled her behind me, immobilizing her arms.

“Don’t say anything! Understand? Karlsein, Karlsein?”

This needs more context.

Hiding it only makes it worse.

Listening to the story, it involved Defeshan Syndrome and her constitution.

“So, Defeshan Syndrome has stages, and my constitution resists western erosion, causing issues? So, that’s why I didn’t wake up?”

“Yes. The aftermath hit because of that. It’s expected to recur soon. But stage three is different.”

Talpon’s eyes shifted towards Harrier.

“In stage three, you don’t accept mana from anyone except the first person who infused it. Your fiancé infused mana to alleviate the symptoms. Otherwise, the aftermath would have returned.”

“What? Is that true?”

I finally let go of Harrier.

“Why hide such information? I should be grateful.”

“Yes. Infuse mana regularly. Even transferring it through touch can alleviate the aftermath.”

Harrier grabbed Talfon by the collar.

“What do you mean?”

“What? You’ve been doing it yourself, and now you want an explanation?”

“No, I understand. But… Mana? Why mention mana? I thought it was the first time.”

Talfon looked puzzled.

“Of course, you infused mana into Karlsein, just like you did at first. Given his survival, you must have known this.”

-Bam.

“Unbelievable.”

Harrier muttered, shocked.

“Didn’t you treat the disease caused by Defeshan Syndrome using the same method? You know that, right?”

“Yes. But what’s the problem? Anything come to mind from that day?”

“That day? Hmm. When I woke up, Harrier was holding the blanket…”

Wait a minute.

That’s it.

Why was Harrier in my room?

Why was she so sweaty?

…She was naked, right? Sleeping naked with me in the same bed? That’s why she rushed to put on clothes.

“K-A-R-L-S-E-I-N?”

A terrifying voice echoed in her ear.

She finally understood.

“I told you not to say anything.”

“What?”

You idiot, didn’t I say that?

“I clearly told you not to say anything.”

Harrier’s eyes narrowed sharply.

Oh, such a pretty smile.

…But why does it feel scarier?

Chilly.

Like something is being carved into her back.

She needs to explain.

“Th-That is… Not my fault…”

“Huh?”

“Strictly speaking… I didn’t want… to…”

“…”

No, this lunatic.

Trying to cover up with lies, how dare you say that!

“I told you not to say anything!”

…Damn.

-Splat!

“Gyaah!”

The red handprint today seemed to linger longer than usual.

***

With the red handprint on her back, the carriage and numerous horses arrive in Shatren.

Current time is past the fourth week report, entering the fifth week.

Normally, by the sixth week, players could persuade Talfon to join.

So, less than two weeks remain.

But I managed to secure three weeks.

Enough time to investigate and resolve issues in this territory.

▶Episode IX. Internal Enemy Begins.◀

▶Residents of Shatren are currently disobeying your orders and secretly purchasing high-grade fertilizer from outside!◀

▶Can you start the Clue and Prove Event now?◀

Upon arriving in Shatren, the first thing I noticed were the bags of high-grade fertilizer brought from somewhere.

‘This seems to be the focus.’

This was expected.

Given Dike’s and the guards’ ranks, controlling the entire territory was impossible.

Thus, bringing higher-ranked Talfon and Count Rilfetten was necessary to isolate Shatren from the outside and prevent such incidents.

Anyway, pointing out the amount of fertilizer can strengthen the lord’s power.

Timing is key.

However, the quantity seemed odd.

‘This amount should take more time…’

Just as I wondered about the fertilizer,

Talfon burst out with harsh curses.

“These fools. What are they doing?”

-Hiiiiiiing!

“Yah!”

System messages or choices didn’t appear.

But Talfon, enraged, rushing out, probably sensed something in the territory.

“Harrier, let’s follow.”

“Yes.”