Chapter 28: Starry Sky 3

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The hotel located in the most prestigious district of the royal capital was the lodging for Master and the others of Starry Sky. This was a prime location, excluding the royal castle itself. This hotel was the closest to the city’s true center, which meant correspondingly excellent security and exorbitant prices. Mere nouveau riche with money alone couldn’t live there or even stay overnight. Only individuals with both status and honor—such as royalty from various nations—were permitted to use it.

In fact, I had never used it myself. Part of that was because I’d never had any reason to, and part of it was because, for a long time, I hadn’t had the qualifications to do so. For a kingdom that flourished through logistics, this was an important place meant to host the vital partners who supported that system. Being able to set foot inside was, by all accounts, something to be grateful for.

It was gratifying, but…

“…………”

“What’s wrong, Finn?”

“No… it’s nothing.”

This hotel was about a twenty-second walk to the house belonging to the party Dawn. In fact, you could even see it from here. Today, Carla was probably training, and Astrea had likely gone to the forest to enjoy some forest bathing, so there was probably no one home. If anyone was there, it would be Marianne. Well, even if I wasn’t around, she was probably having a good time.

—Hah…

Wait, was it the opposite? Were they having more fun because I wasn’t there? That possibility was extremely high…! Three women and one man. Mo matter how you look at it, the man was just in the way. M-maybe, when I wasn’t around, the three of them got together and complained about me and talked trash!?

『He smells, you know. Like a wet dog or something.』

Astrea…!

『I scoffed at that pathetic little thing of his. It was like a goblin’s.』

Ca-Carla!!

『What does “little thing” mean?』

Huh, that wasn’t Dark Marianne.

Well, I guess that made sense. Marianne was a saint. So it was only natural she wouldn’t know a word like “little thing,” which referred to male genitalia in the eastern nations. There was no way a saint would know such a vulgar term.

That said, this wasn’t me calling Carla vulgar for knowing it. She was a young lady from a noble family by eastern standards, but she also had the sheer boldness to walk naked into a bath where a man was already present and casually say, “Yeah, Finn’s body really is nice.”

So… Knowing the term wouldn’t be strange at all, really…

Leaving me behind with those thoughts, the three of them (Aria had at least gotten off my back) headed inside, so I followed after them. The lobby was decorated in ways I’d never seen before, and just that alone made it feel intimidating to a country bumpkin like me. That said, I’d at least gotten used to the bare minimum by now. I wasn’t treated like a state guest or anything, but my companions were incredible. For someone like me, who lived off the spillover benefits of having amazing companions, getting invited along like this wasn’t all that rare.

“Welcome back, Vasily-sama.”

“Yeah. One more person is joining us. No problem, right?”

“Of course. However, in accordance with our establishment’s policy, we will need to record his name here.”

“Finn Debyura. Gold-rank adventurer.”

Master announced it proudly. The staff didn’t bat an eye, but the other guests in the lobby turned their gazes toward us. Heh…So my name had spread this far, huh. That said, I was technically on the job right now. Getting attention was just the fate of being popular…

Of course, that wasn’t it at all. The ones drawing attention were Master and the rest of the platinum-rank adventurer party. Master, Aria, and a High Elf princess. There was no way that wouldn’t attract attention. Honestly, what kind of mental fortitude would you need not to look at them?

Master had beaten the crap out of me for years, and Aria had kept me pinned down just as long. As for Alicia-san, I wanted her to use the skill that would one day earn her the title of 【Demonic Archer】 to carve me up, just like Astrea used to.

“I see. You’re from Dawn. Our hotel is members-only and does not accept walk-ins, but with a referral from Valvaroi-sama, there is no issue. Please, enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you.”

Even someone who treated us this courteously probably thought behind the scenes, ‘Ugh, a bumpkin showed up. Go back to the hills.’ If this gentleman had been a beautiful woman, it would’ve been dangerous. I might not have been able to endure it and collapsed to my knees on the spot.

“All right, let’s go. It’s been a while since we were in the royal capital, so I splurged and booked a suite.”

“Oh? A suite…”

“…That face… You don’t get it, do you?”

“Huh? Is there something Finn doesn’t understand?”

“You’re pretty bad yourself, you know…”

Just what’s with this level of trust Aria has about me?!

That wasn’t something you directed at a childhood friend you hadn’t seen in five years. That kind of thing was reserved for someone like Master. Well, even Master wasn’t exactly perfect either. She’d once hugged me and cried her eyes out, after all. She was insanely strong, but still had very human sides to her. And yet, for some reason, Aria placed complete trust in me. I couldn’t stop trembling.

“Look, Aria! You’re saying weird things, and now he’s scared!”

“Huh…? Scared…?”

“Haha. Finn isn’t the kind of man who’d be frightened by a childhood friend’s little antics. If that were enough to scare him, the continent would be shaking around Finn by now.”

!!!!!!!!?!?!?!?! W-what…? What did she just say…? How did Alicia-san know I was scared…?

Well, calling it that dramatic might be a stretch, but Aria’s attitude was genuinely scary. I was happy she hadn’t changed, happy she pressed her proud, massive chest against me, happy she radiated that I like you, I like you aura meant to make a virgin fall for her and toy with him but it was still confusing and frightening.

It was the same feeling I’d get if Marianne suddenly told me, “You are my god.” Her words were so out of left field that I couldn’t help but be frightened but I never imagined she’d see right through me…

This is bad. Emergency meeting! Assemble, dark personalities residing in my mind! Today’s topic of discussion: someone has appeared who can read my emotions.

I’d hidden my masochistic thoughts behind an iron mask forged by Master, but now I was facing the greatest crisis of my life. I hadn’t felt this level of fear in three years, since that time when my guts and flesh were toyed with. It was exactly the same feeling.

『You might as well get found out. Then die.』

Dark Astrea seemed completely uninterested, despite this is her own sister we’re talking about.

Well, this was the Dark Astrea of my imagination—her past version—so it was really just my lack of understanding of Alicia-san and Astrea’s relationship. That was on me. 

Thanks for the abuse. I’ll let myself be hurt just short of death. Next.

『Shall I strip you naked and torment you in public? That is what you want, isn’t it?』

Hey now, I’m talking about how getting found out would be bad! I’m not talking about after that happens!

Though yes, if it came to that, I’d want exactly that but it wasn’t the answer I needed. 

Make sure to adjust it so I don’t die by the sword, okay? Next.

『Sera is crying, you know.』

Ah—no, stop, that one really works.

I felt bad every time about showing a man’s rear end, you see. I’d known Sera-san, the blue-haired priestess, for a long time, and she’d been stabbing me for years now. Because of that, I moaned from pleasure, but by exaggerating my reactions, I managed to make it look like I was suffering.

I-I wasn’t deceiving her. A grown man writhing in pleasure with a staff shoved up his rear was, by any reasonable standard, disgusting—so I was being considerate.

I-it’s not my fault! I didn’t choose to end up with a body like this! It all started when my insides got completely wrecked back then! So I’m absolutely not to blame!

“Y-you’ve got to be kidding… You people…”

Alicia-san looked aghast, seemingly unable to believe it. It seemed she hadn’t seen through my masochism after all. That was a relief. I’d panicked so badly I’d nearly indulged in a full fantasy about how my life would end, and even convened all my dark inner personas. All I’d gotten out of it was the hollow pleasure of insulting myself.

I got excited by how lonely I was. Lately, everything got me excited, so I really did think becoming a fulfilled masochist had been the right choice. And with all that, when we headed to the suite, it truly felt like another world. A palace-like interior (I’d barely ever been inside a real palace though) lined with furniture that looked more expensive than my armor. On the shelves were bottles of alcohol that also looked outrageously pricey…

Ah, I’d seen that one before. It was probably worth ten sets of my armor. If I went wild in this room, I could go bankrupt in an instant. More than anything, though, what scared me was how my childhood friend, Alicia-san, and Master all looked at these absurdly expensive items without the slightest fear. Especially Master, who casually opened a bottle like it was her personal property.

Seeing luxury items taken to such an extreme was terrifying! Even the pleasure from imagining what would happen if I broke this right now was scary! I’d definitely become Master’s slave! Well, that’d be a plus, actually. Nothing to fear here.

“All right then, to celebrate our reunion—”

“…I’m basically an outsider, though.”

“Oh? Then shall we instead offer a ‘blessing upon this wonderful world in which we met’?”

“It’s a pretty lousy world. Haah… But fine, I’ll drink.”

“That’s the spirit. Finn, you can handle alcohol, right?”

“About as well as the average person. I don’t know the taste of booze this expensive though.”

“Hm. Your palate should be far more refined than an ordinary commoner’s… But oh well. Everyone’s got their glasses, right?”

Master lifted her cup. Alicia-san and Aria followed suit, and I did the same.

“—Then, to our long-awaited reunion, and to our… New encounter.”

A quiet toast echoed through the room.

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