The Strongest Adventurers’ Mental Caretaker ~ Somehow I Ended Up Involved with Every Beautiful Girl in the Hero’s Party ~ If You Have Time to Fight Over Me, Please Go Save the World - 4

Chapter 4: Peeling Away the Knight’s Armor

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The next morning. As I was counting the massive pile of gold coins Freya had left behind the previous night, the door to my shop, “Phantom Dragon Hall ,” was thrown open violently.

“Hey, Shopkeeper! I know you’re in there!”

The one who barged in with the clattering sound of metal armor was Aeris, the knight of the S-rank party “Valkyrie.” Clad in silver armor, she glared at me with her well-shaped face bright red.

“Oh my, welcome. What brings you here today?”

“Don’t play dumb! What did you do to Freya last night!?”

Aeris stormed up to the counter and slammed her gauntlet down onto it with a loud bang.

“When Freya returned to the inn last night, something was clearly wrong with her! That Freya was completely spineless, like a pampered pet dog… and on top of that, she suddenly started insisting that we stay in the royal capital for a while!”

“Oh?”

“Our journey is one that cannot afford delays! And yet Freya of all people… The only place she visited in the capital was this shop. You must have used some strange trick on her!”

I see. So Freya couldn’t forget that treatment and ended up throwing a fit. Even the strongest hero became nothing more than a spoiled girl once her restraints came undone. I sighed inwardly and shrugged with an exaggeratedly troubled expression.

“What an awful accusation. I merely gave the exhausted Hero a massage.”

“A massage?”

“Indeed. The Hero was at her limit both physically and mentally. I loosened her tension and helped her relax. That was all.”

At my explanation, Aeris frowned even harder.

“Don’t mock me! A mere tool merchant pretending to be a physician? Performing suspicious medical treatment without a license is a direct violation of guild regulations!”

“Guh…”

She had a point. If I sent her away like this, she would undoubtedly interrogate Freya, and both my shop’s reputation and my neck would be in danger.

…It couldn’t be helped. Judging by the look of things, this stubborn knight needed to blow off some steam too.

“A violation of regulations, you say. …But Lady Knight, aren’t you the one pushing yourself too hard?”

“W-What?”

“The way you’re standing. Your right shoulder is slightly lowered… That’s proof that the muscles on the left side of your body are screaming from constantly compensating for the weight of your shield.”

I stepped out from behind the counter and stood in front of Aeris. Before she could react, I slipped behind her and slid my fingers through the gap in her armor near her collarbone.

“Wha!? Y-You bastard, what are you…!”

“Right here.”

The moment I pressed one point with my fingertip, a cute little cry escaped Aeris’s lips.

“Hih!?”

Even a sturdy knight was vulnerable when struck at the weak points beneath their armor. Her knees crashed to the floor with a loud clank.

“W-What was… that…? I can’t… put strength into my body…”

“I’ll prove it to you. Whether my treatment is truly some suspicious trick, or whether it’s exactly the care you people need… Why not confirm it with your own body?”

I put on my professional smile and opened the door to the reception room in the back. Aeris bit her lip bitterly, but whether it was her pride as a knight or unconscious curiosity, she eventually staggered to her feet and followed after me.

“…Fine. I’ll expose your true nature.”

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Inside the dimly lit reception room. I stood behind Aeris as she sat on the treatment table and placed my hands on her silver armor.

“If this is an investigation, then you’ll need to remove your armor.”

“Mmh… B-But…”

“I can’t make an accurate assessment through clothing. Or are you afraid?”

“D-Don’t mock me! A knight never goes back on her word!”

Blushing furiously, she began undoing the clasps of her armor herself. Each time another heavy piece of metal hit the floor, another layer of her defenses as a knight seemed to peel away. What was finally revealed beneath was a beautifully toned body wrapped in military underclothes. Tight muscles, yet contrasted by the smooth softness of a woman’s pale skin. I gently placed my hands on her shoulders.

“Then let’s begin.”

“U-Understood… But if you try anything strange, I’ll cut you down immediately…”

Aeris had been wary at first, but every time my fingers accurately found another point where exhaustion had built up, her tone gradually began to crumble.

“Ah… there…! Kuh…!”

“You don’t need to hold back. This room is soundproof.”

“T-That’s not… ugh! N-Not there…!”

As I whispered calmly beside her ear, I gradually broadened the range of where my fingers moved. From her shoulders to her back. Then to her waist.

“Lady Knight, you’ve been bottling up quite a lot.”

“D-Don’t say ridiculous things… hyaah!?”

“…Your body is honest. You may actually be more sensitive than Lady Freya.”

When I stroked up the inside of her thigh, Aeris’s body jerked violently, and she clung to my arm. Her eyes were already wet and unfocused.

“Mo…”

“Yes?”

“M-More…”

Aeris grabbed my sleeve and pulled my hand further up her thigh. The woman who had supposedly come here to investigate was now greedily indulging in pleasure like nothing more than a female in heat.

(…Good grief. At this point, I’m basically their exclusive stress-relief attendant.)

I let out a deep sigh inwardly. But I couldn’t stop here. If I left things half-finished, this frustrated knight would only become even more troublesome. At times like this, a professional saw things through to the very end and fully drained the poison out. I gently pulled her heated body into my arms.

“It can’t be helped… I’ll let you release all of it.”

This was a treatment. I was helping people. Repeating that to myself, I sealed her lips with mine.

◇

“…Hah…”

After everything was over, Aeris straightened her disheveled clothes and hair, desperately trying to regain her dignity as a knight. But her cheeks were as red as ripe fruit, and her footing was still unsteady.

“…I-It seems… your treatment really does have an effect.”

With a trembling voice, she forced out those stubborn words.

“Not only did it relieve the stiffness in my body, but even the flow of my mana improved… In that case, I suppose… I can acknowledge it as a legitimate form of medical treatment.”

“Thank you, Aeris.”

When I lowered my head casually and thanked her, she turned away and spoke rapidly.

“H-Hmph. Well, this time, as Freya suggested, I’ll permit us to remain in the royal capital for a while… Maintaining the party’s condition is also a knight’s duty.”

Then she glanced toward me and added in a voice so quiet it was almost inaudible.

“…I-I suppose I could come back to this shop again sometime… The investigation still isn’t finished, after all.”

“Sure. See you again.”

The door slammed shut behind her. I leaned my exhausted body against the counter.

“…Whew. First the Hero, and now the knight…”

Freya’s beauty, her gorgeous body, and that endless stamina. If she ever worked at a brothel, she could probably bring an entire nation to ruin in no time.

While thinking about such things, I grabbed a cigarette and began preparing to open the shop.

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