My Childhood Friend Told Me to Go Marry the Most Beautiful Woman in the Kingdom, So I Seriously Started Improving Myself—and Somehow Ended Up Making Women Fall Hard - Chapter 114 & 115

Chapter 114: Let’s Go Hear Their Feelings (3)

The road toward the slums carried the scent of midday.

Freshly baked bread. 

Steam rising from stew. 

Sweat and spices. 

Vendors calling out…

Back when I had just joined the Fifth Unit, it wasn’t this lively. 

But now, there was a proper flow—people supporting each other.

Still, Gemini’s words—“introduce me to girls”—kept weighing on my mind.

The first people that came to mind were adventurers like Uru and the others, but… I hesitated. Wouldn’t that just cause them trouble?

Right now, I was already overwhelmed with my own situation.

Thinking about introductions or mixers… I didn’t have the space for that.

That’s exactly why… I didn’t want to choose the wrong person to consult.

The back door of the church was half open.

I’d heard that after prayer time, she usually returned to the orphanage during lunch break.

When I knocked, I immediately heard footsteps.

“…Lord Hort?”

The door opened, and Natasha peeked out.

Her usual nun’s habit. 

Her blue hair made her pale skin stand out even more. 

Even though it was neatly tied, her cheeks were slightly flushed—probably from working in the midday heat.

“Do you have a bit of time right now?”

“Yes… of course. But… what’s the matter?”

Just those words made something sting in my chest.

She wouldn’t blame me.

She wouldn’t get angry.

She wouldn’t doubt me.

“It’s your lunch break, right? Sorry if I’m interrupting.”

“Interrupting? Not at all… rather, I’m happy just to see you, Lord Hort. Please, come this way.”

Natasha led me to the room where she had once given me a massage.

It was simple—just a bed and a desk.

“I’ll bring some tea.”

“Thanks. But… let me talk first.”

Natasha nodded and sat down beside me.

“Sorry for coming so suddenly… I have something I need to ask.”

“Yes.”

For a moment, I hesitated… then deliberately chose to start lightly.

“Before I get to the main point—do you remember Gemini? He’s a colleague from the Third Knight Order.”

“…Yes. The one who was badly injured. He protected you, Lord Hort.”

Natasha had rushed over during the Daitaros battle, so she had treated Gemini too. 

It seemed she remembered him.

“He recovered thanks to you. And then, out of nowhere, he told me, ‘Let’s go to a mixer.’”

“…Mixer?”

Natasha tilted her head. 

Maybe she didn’t know… or maybe she was pretending not to.

“Basically… he wants me to introduce him to some women.”

“……”

Natasha’s expression froze.

Not a smile. Not anger. Just… still.

“I turned him down. But he kept pushing, saying, ‘You promised.’ Back then, we were risking our lives in that fight… and I ended up making that promise just to keep him going.”

“…Lord Hort is a very serious person.”

The way she said it felt gentle.

My throat went dry as I stepped closer to the real issue.

“That’s when I realized something. Right now… I don’t properly understand how women feel. My sister pointed out that I’ve been kind… without really knowing what that means.”

“……”

Natasha’s fingers overlapped tightly on her lap.

“So… this is the main point. I’ve decided to aim for the Crown Knights.”

“The Crown Knights?”

“Yeah. I found out there are several women who have feelings for me.”

“Several…?”

I knew I was saying something hard to believe.

But Natasha didn’t look as surprised as I expected.

“That’s why I want to know. How do you feel about me, Natasha?”

“…Eh?”

Her eyes widened.

That brief flicker… pierced straight into my chest.

“You never confessed to me. But… you’ve always been kind to me. If I’m just imagining things, I want to stop here. …But if I’m not wrong, then… I have feelings for you too.”

Natasha stayed silent for a while.

The light from the window shifted slightly. 

Somewhere far away, children were laughing.

That peaceful sound only made the room feel tighter.

Then, slowly, Natasha spoke.

“Lord Hort.”

“Yeah.”

Natasha smiled.

The same gentle smile as always.

And yet… my back turned cold.

“I didn’t confess… because I didn’t want to trouble you, Lord Hort.”

Trouble you.

It should have sounded kind… and yet, it didn’t.

“…Lord Hort, I’ve been waiting all this time. I believed I didn’t have the right to choose… so I waited to be chosen.”

“…”

I took a breath.

If I hadn’t asked… she might have never told me how she felt.

“Natasha… I haven’t really done anything for you.”

“No. You saved me.”

Her voice was different now—firm, filled with certainty.

“Lord Hort… you are my God.”

“…Huh?”

It took a moment to process, and my voice cracked.

“N-No, God is—”

“God is in the heavens. But…”

Natasha’s silver eyes pierced straight into me.

“The one who saved my world… was you, Lord Hort.”

There was a kind of bliss in her gaze, her eyes shining from within.

“Natasha… calm down. I’m just human.”

“Yes. I know.”

She nodded like she truly understood.

That nod… was the scariest part.

“That’s why… I changed my prayers.”

“You… changed them?”

“Yes. I pray for the children. I pray for the orphanage. And… at the very end, I pray for you, Lord Hort.”

She said it with a smile… yet it made my breath catch.

“I pray that Lord Hort will be happy.”

“…”

“I pray that Lord Hort will need me.”

After saying it clearly, Natasha tilted her head slightly.

Such a cute gesture.

And yet… my heart wouldn’t stop pounding.

“…So, Sir Gemini asked you to introduce him to some women?”

“…Yeah.”

“So that means… Lord Hort will have more chances to meet other women?”

“No, that’s not what I meant—”

I hurriedly waved my hands.

“I already refused. But since I don’t really know anyone I could introduce, I thought… maybe you, Natasha—you meet a lot of women here in the slums and the temporary clinic… maybe you’d know someone who’d be okay marrying a knight…”

“So this is a consultation. In other words… God is granting a favor to someone below him, Sir Gemini?”

Natasha’s interpretation went completely off in a strange direction, and I couldn’t keep up.

“If it is Lord Hort’s command, I will prepare someone.”

“No, it’s not an order or anything!”

“Then… may I receive a reward?”

The distance between us suddenly closed.

Her breath felt soft… sweet.

“Lord Hort… if I am not chosen, what will happen to the children?”

“Huh?”

“I want to protect the orphanage. But… the reason I can remain myself… is because of you, Lord Hort.”

“…Natasha?”

Her eyes looked unfocused, yet filled with blind trust toward me.

I had never known feelings this heavy.

“Lord Hort is kind. And because you are kind… you won’t be able to refuse.”

Natasha’s fingers touched my chest.

A gentle push.

I fell back onto the bed.

Natasha climbed on top of me, looking down.

“…You see, Lord Hort…”

Her voice dropped into a whisper.

“I like your kindness, Lord Hort.”

“…”

“I like your hesitation too.”

“……”

“Even the way you suffer, unable to choose someone… that alone… saves me.”

My mind went completely blank.

Saves her…? From seeing me suffer…?

Natasha kept smiling as she spoke.

“You are kind… and not good at lying. Because if you are in pain, Lord Hort… then that means there is still a place for me.”

A soft, almost sweet whisper poured over me, making my spine tingle.

“Lord Hort.”

Natasha placed her hand on my cheek.

Those hands that healed… yet right now, they felt like something I couldn’t escape from.

“Please… give me an order.”

“…An order?”

“Yes. If you want women to be introduced… then I will choose. I will choose a woman worthy of you, Lord Hort.”

My throat tightened.

No… that’s not it. That’s not what this is.

I desperately searched for the right words.

“Natasha… I didn’t come here to test you.”

“I understand.”

That “I understand” was the scariest part.

“Lord Hort is sincere. That’s why you came here alone… to confirm things.”

“…”

“So… I will answer.”

Natasha brought her hands together in front of her chest.

A posture of prayer.

“I hold deep feelings for you, Lord Hort.”

“……”

“It’s not something as gentle as ‘love.’ What I feel is devotion. I want to give everything to you.”

…That was a confession.

It was one—but not a gentle one.

Still smiling, Natasha quietly continued.

“Even if you choose someone else, Lord Hort… I will still stand by your side. …But if you abandon me…”

A long pause followed.

The children’s laughter outside the window felt distant.

“…Then I will lose my God. And I will have no reason left to live.”

I swallowed.

Gina had warned me.

If I didn’t choose… someone might end their life.

This… was what she meant.

Her words were wrapped in softness.

That’s why they cut so deep.

Don’t run. Don’t pretend you didn’t see it.

…I have feelings for Natasha.

I’ve been saved by her kindness more times than I can count.

“…Natasha. Thank you… for telling me how you feel.”

“…Yes.”

Her eyes grew moist.

She looked happy… and yet, there was something fragile about it.

“But first, I want you to promise me something.”

“A promise…?”

“I don’t want to see you break. So… will you stay by my side?”

“…Lord Hort!!!”

I placed my hand on her cheek and looked up at her as she hovered over me.

She pulled my arm close, pressing it against her soft chest as she held onto me.

“Yes… if that is your command, Lord Hort… then Natasha will gladly give you everything.”

Command.

That word made my chest feel heavy.

But the things I’ve done…

I can’t leave them as something light anymore.

“One more thing. About Gemini… I’m not going to ask you to help with that.”

“…Why?”

“Because it’d be the same as what I’m doing right now. It’d mean moving someone’s feelings on my own, without asking.”

Natasha narrowed her eyes slightly.

“…Lord Hort, you really are kind.”

“I’m not kind. …I just couldn’t accept my own vague feelings.”

When I said that clearly, Natasha let out a small laugh.

“Then all the more… you truly are my God, Lord Hort.”

I gave a bitter smile.

“Then… may I offer this body first?”

I quickly stopped Natasha as she started to remove her clothes without hesitation.

“Wait—hold on!”

“…???”

Seeing her about to take off her nun’s habit so casually, I told her there were still people whose feelings I hadn’t confirmed yet.

“I understand. Then… once Lord Hort has decided his feelings, please allow me to devote myself to you.”

Her feelings—something close to worship—were overwhelming.

But at least now… I understood them.

Chapter 115: Natasha’s Proposal

Natasha’s hand slowly pulled away from my chest.

A small part of me felt that loss… but at the same time, I knew it wasn’t right to accept everything from her while things were still unsettled.

As if the heat from earlier had never existed, she straightened her posture and sat properly again.

“I understand. As expected of Lord Hort. You intend to accept everything.”

“You can tell?”

“Lord Hort always faces difficulties head-on. And a man like that… is someone many women would wish for. As your apostle, I will follow you.”

Natasha declared it with a gentle smile.

There were parts I didn’t fully understand… but this was probably her way of expressing it as a sister.

“Thank you. Before coming to see you, I already spoke with two women. And there’s still one more person I want to talk to.”

“I understand. Also… regarding Sir Gemini’s matter, may I handle it?”

“…Huh?”

“There are women I can introduce. If you’d like, I can arrange it.”

“Really?”

There was no hesitation in Natasha’s eyes.

No dimming, no wavering.

If anything… she looked like she had already accepted something.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Yes. However… I don’t want Lord Hort to attend the mixer.”

The words came out sharply.

Her voice was soft… but the edge in it felt like a blade.

“I can’t approve of Lord Hort wandering around on his own, seeking out women. If you want women… then I want you to come to me as much as you like.”

“…I’m not planning to go.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

Natasha tilted her head, that same cute gesture, as she stared at me.

“I don’t like the idea of your name being listed for something like a mixer. I don’t like your presence being mixed into a place like that.”

“Presence…?”

Gemini had said we’d go “together,” but could I really refuse now that things had come this far?

Maybe she noticed my hesitation, because Natasha softened her voice slightly.

“That’s why… I have a proposal.”

Even as she said “proposal,” her expression already made it clear she had decided everything.

“We will have Sir Gemini participate in church volunteer work.”

“…Volunteer work?”

Natasha nodded.

“Yes. He will play with the children, help with food distribution, and assist with carrying supplies.”

“…That actually does sound like something Gemini would be good at…”

But still… replacing a mixer with volunteer work? 

How was that supposed to work?

“And there, if a woman feels she would be willing to be in a relationship with Sir Gemini, we will have her respond to him.”

“…Have her respond?”

I couldn’t quite follow, so I asked again.

Natasha simply smiled.

“Yes. The women will need some preparation beforehand.”

“…Preparation…?”

A cold sweat ran down my back.

Natasha clasped her hands in front of her chest.

“As someone who serves God, connecting people to one another is a noble act.”

“…”

The words sounded beautiful… but coming from someone who had just treated me like a god, they carried a very different weight.

“Of course, it won’t be forced. If they don’t want to, they can refuse. I will explain everything beforehand.”

“Beforehand…”

“Also, Sir Gemini was officially granted the title of Knight after the last incident. To the women in the slums and those helping out here, he’s a young and promising knight. He has many qualities women find appealing. Of course, compatibility matters, so I will explain that as well.”

I understood what Natasha was saying.

The real question was… whether Gemini would accept it.

“Do you think the women will agree to it?”

“Of course. And if they know he is Lord Hort’s friend, that trust will be even stronger.”

“My name…?”

My stomach tightened.

“Lord Hort is seen as a saint. That is how it is known in the slums. Your name carries trust. And with that trust, people feel at ease when talking.”

“…Is that really how it works?”

If Natasha was handling it, I didn’t really have anything to object to.

“So this way, it’s good for Sir Gemini. It’s good for the women. It’s good for the church. And…”

Natasha looked at me and smiled softly.

“It’s also good for you, Lord Hort.”

“For me?”

“Yes. I don’t want to increase unnecessary encounters for you. But I also want to keep your promise. In that case… this is the best way.”

…It made sense.

“…So, what do you think, Lord Hort?”

Natasha’s question wrapped around my neck like a soft chain.

She wasn’t pretending not to understand.

She was trying to understand.

“…Just one thing. I’d like them to talk to him not because he’s my friend… but because Gemini himself is a good guy.”

“…”

Natasha blinked slowly.

“Lord Hort.”

“Yeah.”

“That… would be very difficult.”

“…Really!?”

Natasha gently placed her fingers over my hand.

The touch was so soft… it made my heart jump.

“Then, let’s do it this way. I won’t say he’s your friend. But I will introduce him as a knight trusted by the church.”

“A knight trusted by the church…”

That sounded better. 

Definitely more reliable than being known through me.

“Alright, let’s go with that.”

“Understood.”

“Thanks.”

I stood up.

The tightness in my chest finally began to ease.

“Then… I’ll get going.”

“Yes. Please take care.”

Natasha smiled, just like always.

And at the end, she spoke in a voice that sounded almost like a prayer.

“Lord Hort… the way you try to keep your promises is truly wonderful.”

…Getting praised like that made my back feel awkward.

Natasha accepted everything so completely that it somehow felt embarrassing.

I gave a vague nod and headed toward the door.

From behind me, her quiet voice followed.

“About Sir Gemini… I hope it goes well.”

“Yeah.”

“And…”

My steps stopped.

“I pray that Lord Hort will need me.”

Without replying, I stepped out into the church hallway.

The smell of midday felt heavier than before.

…Gemini, aren’t I about to drag you somewhere even scarier than a mixer?

♢

Side: Natasha

Ah… my body feels so hot.

Lord Hort’s scent. 

His warmth. 

And his confession.

I’m happy. 

And yet… it’s making my whole body burn.

“Ahh… Lord Hort, why are you… you? So noble, so dignified… and so strong. Even the way you gently stopped me while I was on top of you… it was wonderful. Please forgive me… for losing control and nearly pouncing on you.”

I buried my face into the bed where I had pushed him down… breathing in his lingering scent.

And as for Gemini’s matter… it’s better if I handle it myself rather than leaving it to someone else.

“I’ll have to make sure the women don’t get too close to Lord Hort from now on. And make sure they don’t let go of Sir Gemini either. Fufu… Lord Hort.”

Even after he left, I couldn’t bring myself to leave the bed for quite a while.

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[Afterword]

Hello, this is the author, Iko.

Today, Volume 02 of The Lazy Villainous Noble manga adaptation is being released.

And also… while it will be digital-only, Volume 03 has officially been confirmed!

This is all thanks to everyone who’s been reading. 

Thank you so much.

The manga is available across various platforms, so if you’re interested, I’d really appreciate it if you check it out. ^ ^