Chapter 264: Chocolate Torture (2)
I stared at the quest message that appeared before my eyes.
How on earth should I take this?
*These wicked bastards.*
Even setting aside Illin's assassination attempt because I'm with multiple women, isn't the System going too far?
I don't know if it was created by some developer or what.
*If I ever meet whoever made this system, I'm going to beat them up. Seriously.*
I glared at the poisonous(?) chocolate and the quest message for a moment.
"Cain?"
Illin called out to me with a trembling voice.
No. Why is she looking at me like that?
Illin wore a dejected expression like a puppy abandoned by its master.
How could anyone abandon someone with a face like that?
*I was too hasty. Damn it!*
In my excitement, I carelessly tore open the wrapper.
If I had just stayed still, I would have been halfway there.
*What should I do?*
While I was sweating and racking my brain...
"I see... It's because the food I make doesn't taste good..."
"......"
Her eyes grew even darker.
Now shadows were even forming on her face.
*Come to think of it. She seems to know that she's not good at cooking.*
Thinking this, I briefly brought the chocolate close to my mouth.
Then.
-Whoosh.
Her darkened face brightened momentarily.
When I pulled it away again.
"......"
Her expression darkened once more.
It seems she sincerely wants me to eat it.
*Oh well. Whatever.*
What's the worst that could happen? Death?
With that resolve...
-Nom.
I put it in my mouth without hesitation.
And then, with my eyes tightly shut, just as I was about to rationalize to myself...
"...Huh?"
"......"
Contrary to my expectations, it tasted normal.
What's going on? Is something wrong with my tongue?
Just to be sure, I tried another piece.
"It's delicious..."
The sweetness melted gently in my mouth.
This definitely wasn't just self-justification.
It was genuinely tasty, just like a normal chocolate.
As I stared at the chocolate in surprise...
"Phew... I'm glad you like it."
She placed a hand on her chest and sighed in relief.
I asked her with genuine curiosity in my voice.
"What? How did you do this? It's impossible."
"Somehow, I'm concerned about the latter part of that statement, but since I know I'm not good at cooking, I'll let it slide. To answer your question, Cain, I just melted chocolate and shaped it. Even though I'm bad at cooking, I can at least do that much."
Illin puffed up her cheeks, seemingly quite wronged.
Of course, the corners of her mouth were turned up, so she must be feeling good.
Just then.
[Quest completed!]
[Reward - 1,000 Points awarded!]
The quest completion message appeared before my eyes.
*I believed in you from the start!*
As expected, the system message gave me the reward just as I had believed.
It's definitely not because Illin's chocolate was delicious.
***
After chatting with Illin for a while, I tried to resume my training.
However, as if to prevent me from training...
"Master. Is it possible for us to talk alone for a moment?"
Olivia appeared before me.
Looking at her, my thoughts became complicated.
She's a doll created by Dragon's disciple.
Well, she's called a doll, but she's no different from a human.
"Sure. Alright."
When I nodded, she guided me to her room.
Then, a moment later.
*Hmm. Come to think of it, this is my first time entering Olivia's room.*
True to her businesslike nature, her room contained only the essentials.
There were no personal items to be seen.
As I was appreciating her room...
"Master."
"Uh... mmph?!"
Suddenly, Olivia kissed me.
As I was flustered by the unexpected skinship...
*Huh...? What's this?*
Sweet chocolate overwhelmed my mouth.
As I intertwined my tongue with hers, tasting the sweetness...
"Whew... That seems to have worked."
When the sweetness had completely disappeared, Olivia slowly pulled her lips away.
Wait. What? What just happened? What did I just experience?
As I was lost in the lingering sensation on my lips, she spoke in a calm voice.
"Lately, you've seemed stressed from all the training, so I prepared this Valentine's Day event. Are you satisfied?"
"Uh, yeah..."
To be honest, I was too satisfied to deny it.
I was just surprised.
As I slowly nodded, she blushed and smiled.
"I'm glad. I was also satisfied with the skin... I mean, the event with Master."
"Uh, well... yeah. But where did you learn about this?"
"It was in the guide that Master created about how to please a lover. Though putting chocolate in my mouth was my own idea."
I was speechless at her words.
Could it be that Dragon's disciple had nothing better to do than this?
Well, I suppose I understand the need to alleviate boredom over hundreds of years.
"I see. Thank you."
"Not at all, Master. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have things to do."
With those words, she left the room with quick steps.
Of course, her earlobes were bright red, but I pretended not to notice.
***
Although I was somewhat surprised by Olivia's event, now I really needed to train.
I hadn't been able to do it properly all day.
Just as I was leaving Olivia's room...
"Huh? Why is Dad coming out of there?"
Dragon tilted her head, seeing me come out of the room.
I quickly answered before my daughter could misunderstand.
"Ah. Olivia said she had something to tell me."
"Hmm... but Olivia is outside?"
"She left before me."
"Hmm... Well, Dad has some surprisingly gentlemanly aspects, so I'll believe you."
Being called a gentleman even by my daughter.
As I was feeling wronged, she changed the subject.
"By the way, Dad, Mom wants you to come over for a bit? She says she has something serious to talk about. Oh! And Anje is here too."
"Oh... really?"
If Anje is here too, this probably isn't related to Valentine's Day.
Lien tends to be quite modest in front of Dragon or Anje.
*I don't know what it's about, but let's go see.*
I headed to Lien's room after hearing Dragon's words.
Upon arriving...
"I'm coming in, Lady Lien."
I knocked and opened the door.
The next moment.
"You've arrived, Lord Cain."
"It's been a while."
Lien and Anje came into view.
The mother and daughter sitting on the sofa looked like a painting.
*They're really beautiful.*
As I was admiring them and about to sit on the opposite sofa...
"Lord Cain, can you sit here?"
Lien invited me to sit between the two of them.
What? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
She wants me to sit in that narrow space instead of the wide seat opposite.
As I was feeling uneasy and about to decline...
"...I'll sit."
Seeing their terrifyingly sweet smiles, I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
I nodded and sat between them.
At the same time.
"?!"
The mother and daughter started feeling my upper body!
What?! Suddenly?! Am I about to die from happiness?!
As I was flustered by the unexpected attack...
"We've been beaten to it."
"Yes, Mom."
The two suddenly started talking among themselves.
Beaten to it?
As I was confused, the two pulled away from my upper body, and then...
"Lord Cain. Please check your inner pocket."
"It's a gift."
They smiled brightly.
*Could it be...?*
With a suspicion, I checked the inner pocket of my coat.
And sure enough...
*More chocolate.*
There was chocolate in my inner pocket.
It seems they also knew about Valentine's Day.
"Hmm..."
"There's no reaction."
"Yes, Mom."
Had my reaction been too indifferent? The mother and daughter looked dejected.
I quickly shook my head in denial.
"That's not it. I was just surprised that you two would give me chocolate."
"For that kind of surprise, your reaction is quite minimal?"
Lien tilted her head.
Feeling awkward, I scratched the side of my head and made an excuse.
"People often have no reaction when they're too surprised. Anyway, thank you sincerely. Looking at the shape, it's homemade, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I made it while thinking of you, Lord Cain."
I could tell without Anje saying it.
I don't know how they made it in this shape, but the chocolate looked exactly like me.
Like a figurine you might find on Earth!
"I'll preserve this rather than eat it. It seems too precious to eat."
"Yes, I anticipated that and placed a preservation rune on the chocolate. It shouldn't melt."
"Thank you."
I thanked the mother and daughter and put the chocolate figurine in my subspace ring.
Feeling it would be impolite to leave immediately, I chatted with them for a while.
Of course, they occasionally initiated subtle skinship during our conversation.
***
After escaping from the mother and daughter, I...
*Now I really need to train.*
I strode toward the training ground.
This time, no one would stop me.
I turned up my Volume Control and confirmed that there was no one around.
Avoiding people, I arrived at the training ground.
"You've arrived, Lord Cain."
Mira was standing there modestly.
*Hmm. What's this? Why do I have another bad feeling?*
It's not strange for Mira to be here since she frequents the training ground.
However, after being subtly hindered from training earlier, I couldn't help but feel uneasy.
As I was wary of her...
"Lord Cain. Shall we spar after so long?"
"...Ah, yes. Let's do that."
Contrary to my expectations, she suggested sparring.
I must have been too sensitive.
With those words, we began our match.
***
"Whew... Your skills have really improved, Lord Cain."
"What does it matter? I still lost..."
Clearly, my Dragon's Authority had grown since the last war.
Moreover, I had newly added Aura power.
Yet, I lost to Mira.
*Is it inevitable...?*
Although my Dragon's Authority had increased, I still couldn't handle it properly as I wasn't fully adapted to it.
Furthermore, even with new powers, I couldn't combine them like before.
*Last time was only possible because I used an anesthetic potion.*
Without that, I can't use that power.
Even if it were possible, it would be at the cost of my life.
*That's basically a self-destruct mechanism.*
However, my training wasn't in vain; there were some results.
Clearly, Mira had also grown stronger than before, but she was also somewhat tired.
*The training wasn't futile...*
Just as I was satisfied with my growth rate...
"Lord Cain."
Mira called me with a serious tone.
Then, she continued.
"I think you should moderate your training now."
"...What?"
"You know that your current growth rate is abnormally fast, right?"
"Well..."
As I trailed off and nodded, she warned me.
"If you keep pushing yourself to grow so rapidly, your mind and body might not be able to handle it and could break down. I understand why you're in a hurry, but you need to exercise some restraint. I'm probably not the only one who thinks this."
"......"
Am I training that intensely?
If even Mira, who's somewhat of a training addict, says this, it must be quite serious.
I scratched my cheek and replied.
"I'll take your words to heart."
"That's sufficient for now. And, if you would accept this... thank you."
Mira handed me chocolate, her face reddening.
Then...
"I, I didn't know exactly what you like, so I made white chocolate."
She avoided my gaze while trying to appear nonchalant.
I smiled slightly and expressed my gratitude.
"Thank you. I'll repay you next time."
"Yes. Then, if you'll excuse me."
With those words, Mira disappeared as if fleeing.
***
Taking Mira's words to heart, I temporarily stopped training.
Then, lost in thought, I headed to my room.
*Hmm. I must have been quite intense.*
Come to think of it, didn't all the people giving me chocolate say similar things?
If multiple people are saying the same thing, I really should take it to heart.
As I was walking and thinking seriously, I arrived at my room.
-Creeak!
As I opened the door without hesitation...
"Hmm... Should I pose like this for Cain to like it?"
"......"
In my eyes...
"Kyaaaah!"
"Kyaaaah!"
Skaya was reflected in my vision, wearing a pure white bikini, smearing chocolate on her chest, and striking a seductive pose.