A Humble, Scary-Looking Mid-Rank Adventurer Is Offered Their Bodies by Every Member of a Rising All-Female Party, Begging: ‘You Can Do Whatever You Want With Me, Just Please Spare My Companions.’ - 11

Chapter 11: Something Wrong Within the Party

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As night deepened and the feast reached its height, the campsite settled into a relaxed, unhurried flow of time. Balg headed down to the riverbank to wash the dishes, leaving the four members of the Aurora Sword by the campfire. On the surface, Sierra and the others acted no differently than usual, but having known each other for so long, they all sensed one another’s awkwardness.

“Hey, Nerva. Did something happen between you and Balg-san?”

The first to speak was Sierra. Caught off guard by the sudden question, Nerva’s ears and tail twitched in a way that made her reaction obvious.

“W-What are you talking about all of a sudden? There’s no way anything happened.”

“Is that so? It just felt like you were pretty eager to recommend the meat to him today.”

Avoiding Sierra’s suspicious gaze, Nerva turned her face away. As the eldest and most attentive member of the party, Nerva often took the lead in portioning out food during meals. But until now, she had barely even spoken to Balg. For her to suddenly start handing him meat the moment it finished grilling was of course, very strange.

“Well, that’s, um… He was the one moving around the most today. And besides, he needs to keep his vitality up.”

“His vitality?”

“It’s nothing!”

Nerva muttered softly, her cheeks flushing red. Sierra tilted her head, unable to catch what she said, and Nerva shook her head vigorously. Then, trying to deflect the line of questioning, she launched a counterattack.

“You’re one to talk, Sierra. You’ve gotten pretty close to him yourself, haven’t you?”

“T-That’s not true!”

Sierra had a terrible poker face, and her expressions were easy to read. During the meal, when she eagerly talked to Balg under the pretense of studying and asked him about the mindset of an adventurer, she had looked genuinely happy. To the rest of the party, that too appeared odd… Especially since Sierra had initially been very wary of Balg.

“I-I realized Balg-san is a kind person and an amazing adventurer. So I thought, as the leader, I should ask him about various things.”

“Hmmm?”

As Sierra looked down and intertwined her fingers, Nerva eyed her suspiciously. Still, she couldn’t understand why she felt something like irritation at seeing Sierra chatting so cheerfully with Balg. Instead, she shifted her focus to another companion whose attitude toward him had changed even more noticeably.

“What about Fana? She wouldn’t even go near him before.”

Fana was supposed to harbor outright fear of men. Yet there she was, sitting so close to Balg that their sides nearly touched, and repeatedly linking her arm with his whenever she got the chance. The softening of her attitude was far too blatant.

“Ufufu. I simply noticed something, you see.”

Even when pressed, Fana maintained a calm, unruffled demeanor. More than that, she faced Nerva and the others head-on while puffing out her chest proudly.

“The duty of a priestess is to help those who are lost. So please leave Balg-san to me as well.”

“Leave him to you…?”

Nerva tilted her head, but in the next instant, her sharp instincts flared. That bewitching glint in Fana’s narrow eyes…. Was that what it meant? Had that man not been satisfied with just her and gone after Fana too?

“—!”

Nerva hesitated. Should she really press Fana on this right now? Sierra and Patema were nearby. She had no desire to cause them unnecessary worry. In the end, she abandoned the pursuit.

“That’s why, Nerva, you’ll be just fine now too.”

Fana whispered softly in a voice only Nerva could hear. Seeing Fana’s seductive smile for the first time, Nerva felt a chill run down her spine.

“…Something feels off…”

Patema muttered. Seeing Sierra, Nerva, and Fana all change one after another, she couldn’t shake her suspicions. The changes in Nerva and Fana, in particular, were striking. The two of them had barely tried to hide their aversion before, yet for their attitudes to shift so drastically in just a day or two meant something must have happened.

Patema recalled Balg’s actions and analyzed whether there had been anything suspicious.

“Don’t tell me…”

Mages were learned folk. To wield magic effectively, they had to be well-versed in all manner of things, from natural phenomena onward. Thus, Patema rapidly considered every possibility she could think of. And then she arrived at one troubling concern.

“Nerva, Fana, Sierra. Have any of you been made to drink something by Balg?”

A vicious substance that stirred lust toward the opposite sex… Basically, an aphrodisiac. Had that man used such a thing to ensnare them? The members of the Aurora Sword were famous not only for their skill, but also for their beauty. Patema understood that, as a dwarf, she likely looked like a child to other races, but she realized that the other three might very well appear attractive to Balg.

“Something…?”

“Made to drink…?”

Sierra and Nerva tilted their heads.

“Ufufu. I drank something very rich indeed.”

At that moment, Fana spoke with an expression of rapture.

“W-What!? A potent drug!?”

“R-Rich…?”

“Mm. No, that was…”

Patema gasped. And her worst fears seemed to be confirmed. Even Nerva and Sierra reacted as if something came to mind. Sierra flushed bright red, while Nerva pressed a hand to her lower abdomen. Patema was aghast. Without her knowing it, her companions had been dosed with an aphrodisiac. The only reason she herself had been overlooked was probably because her youthful figure hadn’t piqued his interest.

This was bad. If the three of them ended up completely drugged by that man, the party would be finished. Patema would be abandoned and end up dying somewhere by the roadside. Fortunately, Patema had at least some knowledge of pharmacology. If she made an antidote right away, there might still be a way to save them.

“You-You three should rest quietly for a bit. I’m going to step out for a moment!”

“W-Wait, Patema!? It’s already dark, it’s dangerous!”

“You’re the ones in danger! Listen well! Just wait right here!”

Patema jumped to her feet in a flurry, grabbed only her staff, and rushed off into the night forest. The Traga Forest at night was even more dangerous, and Balg had specifically forbidden them from entering it. Even so, ignoring all attempts to stop her, Patema vanished into the darkness, leaving Sierra and the others in an uproar.

“Hm? What’s going on? You’re making quite a fuss.”

At that moment, Balg returned after finishing the dishes. When he heard from Sierra and the others that Patema had gone into the forest at night, his face went pale, and he immediately chased after her.

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