I really tried to avoid calling Karia "aunt" or "old maid" as much as possible, you know?
It's one thing if it slips out due to the Mesugaki skill translation, but I was thinking of minimizing it as much as I could.
However, seeing her smiling while handing me the bunny girl outfit, I just couldn’t hold back.
‘Wrinkled, spiteful, and a disgusting pervert♡ Have you resolved to live alone for the rest of your life?♡ Right. After all, even if you struggle, you'll be alone, so it's better to accept it♡ Very wise!♡’
‘When did I ever give up! I’m still in my prime! I’m young!’
‘Don’t make that face♡ Won’t that just make your wrinkles worse?♡ You're already old, and if you age more, you’ll become not just an aunt but an old maid!♡’
‘Aaaah! Seriously!’
After a back-and-forth with Karia, who sprang up from her seat, slamming her hands on the desk as if wounded, I still couldn’t refuse the bunny girl outfit she presented.
I didn’t want to wear it, honestly. The moment I saw it, I wanted to rip it apart, but there was no way I could erase the promise I had made in the past.
In the end, I sighed and put the bunny girl outfit into my inventory, then asked Karia if that jewel was really that valuable.
I had never heard that jewels made by the Artisans’ Guild were so precious.
‘I'm not joking. That apostle is a perverted creep, but the abilities they possess are real. Jewels crafted by that perverted apostle are so precious they are presented as offerings on the king's birthday.’
To confirm this, I went to find Joy and asked if she knew about the jewels made by the Artisans’ Guild apostle, to which she tilted her head as if asking why I would even ask such an obvious question.
‘It's a rare item that you can’t find easily. If someone were to show up wearing a decoration made by the apostle of the Artisans’ Guild at a social gathering, it would become the talk of the town. I’d even like to wear one just once.’
‘Do you think the students would like it? I think no one would dislike it. There’s no need to mention the noble ladies and gentlemen, but even the common students would be very happy if they received it. Even if they weren’t interested in jewels, selling it would fetch a fortune, so they would be eager to get their hands on it, wouldn’t they?’
Curious about what kind of price Joy was referring to, I asked her, and it turned out it was indeed an astronomical figure.
That apostle of the Artisans’ Guild. I had thought of him as a disgusting pervert, but it turned out he was quite capable.
Well, he had simply evolved from a pervert to a skilled pervert.
Anyway, I decided that if I could obtain the jewels, it would be best to place them as rewards for the dungeon, so I resolved to make a request to the Artisans’ Guild apostle.
And the next morning.
As soon as I arrived at the forest where the silly fox lived, a silly fox in human form appeared.
“Welcome. I've been waiting for you.”
With only a slight lift of her lips, she maintained an air of politeness that was beautiful enough to evoke the word elegance, but that admiration didn’t last long.
As her lips melted into a frown, the elegant woman disappeared, replaced by a disgusting and repulsive pervert.
“Haah. Even though I see your face every day, there’s a different kind of beauty when seen with the eyes of the true form. I wish I could hold you in my arms and never let you go.”
To the silly fox’s question about whether I wouldn’t want her to stay in the forest and grant me all my wishes, my only response could be one.
“Really?♡ You’ll do anything I wish for?♡”
“Of course! If I could be with you, I’d do anything!”
“Then please die♡ If you disappear, this forest might become a better place!♡”
“Ugh... Ugh... Would you not consider asking me to die once more? Look at me with those eyes that make me feel like a repulsive trash!”
“Go die♡ Bite your tongue and commit suicide♡ Apologize for being a disgusting pervert who took over this forest and die a miserable death!♡”
“...Hmm. Is this what it feels like to be so happy that I might die? If it weren’t for what awaits me later, I might have truly passed on.”
Seeing her unable to contain her excitement and bleeding from her nose made me wish she would just die already.
If she weren't a strong figure, a ruler of the forest, I would have struck her down with my mace.
While lamenting my weakness while fiddling with the mace, the silly fox wiped her nosebleed with her sleeve and scattered her energy around.
“I can’t let a precious guest like you stand outside, so let’s head to the mansion for now.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the surrounding scenery changed.
From the lush entrance of the forest to the interior of the silly fox’s mansion, which I had visited last time.
It was a clean transition without any side effects of teleportation, not even a slight feeling of discomfort.
Was this one of the powers the ruler of the forest could use?
“Wait a moment, and that pervert will arrive here too, so let’s have a cup of tea in the meantime.”
‘Is the apostle nearby?’
“Is that perverted apostle in this forest?”
“No. He’s passing through the middle of the forest and is on his way here.”
‘He’s inside the forest? Then...’
“Inside the forest? Then can’t you, silly fox, just go and bring him here?”
Upon hearing my question, the silly fox wore a serious expression that seemed to carry a kind of disgust as she replied.
“Why should I use my powers for a disgusting man?”
Ah, so it’s a matter of physiological aversion?
I understood that feeling well. Every time I saw you, that’s what I thought in my head.
I thought someone like you, who didn’t know self-control, would not understand such feelings, but I guess I was wrong.
Wow, that’s interesting.
But why can’t you empathize with my feelings, you perverted brat!
Feeling a surge of anger at the sight of her exhibiting this species’ aversion, I let out a sigh instead of expressing my rage.
From my past experiences, I knew that no matter how much I expressed my anger, it would only delight the silly fox.
“Forget about that idiot and tell me what kind of tea you would like to drink. I’d be willing to provide even the most precious items for you.”
‘I’ll pass. I’ll decline.’
“Not~! How could you, silly fox, put something strange in it? Declining it means you can just drink until you burst and die alone.”
Rejecting the silly fox’s suggestion, I ignored her desperate cry that I shouldn’t do anything and entered a suitable room.
I locked the door.
Blocked out sound.
And, to prevent any nonsense, I set up a holy barrier before taking out the bunny girl outfit from my inventory.
Seeing the clothes I thought I’d never wear again made me sigh.
I had thought this before, but this isn’t clothing.
How can this not fulfill even the basic function of covering my skin?!
I regretted ever exclaiming, “Wow, this is clothing and fashion!” while gazing at the screen!
...Actually, even now, if I weren’t going to wear it, I might still say such things.
<What can you do? This is a calamity you’ve brought upon yourself.>
‘Ah, right. I still have my grandpa.’
<Hmm? Is that you, young lady? Young lady?!>
I almost forgot about my grandfather's presence because of the silly fox.
Ignoring the grandpa’s shout to wait a moment, I put the mace into my inventory, sighed again, and took off the top I was wearing.
Maybe if I hit myself in the head with the mace later, I could erase today’s memories.
She was a living work of art.
The most uptodate nove𝙡s are published on frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓.
Her eyes, more beautiful and vivid than any jewel.
Her skin, whiter and smoother than marble.
Her hair, like red silk that flowed with every step.
Her voice, a melody that seeped into the ears like a heavenly song.
The moment he engraved her existence in his eyes, countless artistic inspirations spread throughout Prete’s mind, and the goddess’s revelation brushed past his ears.
“O my apostle, praise the beauty of this child who will make the world shine even brighter.”
The instant he heard that voice, Prete replied to the goddess that he would gladly fulfill that duty without a moment’s hesitation, and he set it into action.
As soon as the Partlan Festival ended, he departed from the territory, starting with the location of the head of the Artisans’ Guild, spreading songs that announced the beauty of Lucy Alrn to the world.
Had the goddess not decreed for him to stop the apostle of Tariki, Prete would still be wandering around singing.
And when he encountered the miracle known as Lucy Alrn once again in the Burrow Territory, he realized that her beauty didn’t merely lie in her appearance.the noble and kind heart that willingly sacrifices herself to save others!
The moment Prete saw her smiling brightly, despite bearing countless pains, he realized that his songs could not capture everything, and he resolved to spread her beauty once more.
It didn’t matter that Lucy served the divine.
The fact that Lucy Alrn, hailed as a miracle created by the goddess, was entirely different from the trash of the Divine Church, who pretended to serve the divine while trying to benefit themselves.
And shortly thereafter.
The moment Prete laid his eyes upon Lucy, whose charm had intensified even more, he became convinced that sharing Lucy’s beauty with the world was one of his life’s purposes.
The sight of her, so beautiful that even daring to meet her gaze felt sacrilegious, remained etched in Prete’s mind for days and nights, refusing to fade.
Even at this moment, as he navigated through the forest to reunite with her, her image lingered before his eyes.
“O goddess, can I, someone so unworthy, truly capture her beauty on canvas?”
However, the smile that adorned his lips was stiff. It was only natural that he would be happy to visit a noble lady resembling a living masterpiece.
In his heart, he thought he wished to stay by her side for an entire year, appreciating Lucy’s beauty.
Yet, Prete could not fully rejoice because the burden weighing on his shoulders was far too immense.
While it was good that he could finally capture the beauty of Lady Alrn on canvas, could he, a mere human...
Could this foolish person, just a human, perfectly capture the beauty of Lady Alrn, one that could even be compared to a goddess?
Despite having brought the best equipment he could prepare for this moment, Prete still lacked confidence.
This doubt lingered until the moment he arrived in front of the mansion where the ruler of the forest resided.
“Have you arrived?”
The ruler of the forest showed no attempt to hide her displeasure at his presence.
Prete understood her feelings.
He was an intruder who had barged in on the moment when she wished to engage solely in the experience of beauty and communion.
If their positions had been reversed, Prete would have likely worn a similar expression to the ruler of the forest.
“Ruler of the forest, Lady Alrn is...”
“She is changing in the room. Just wait a moment.”
Creeeak.
“Oh, she’s finished changing...”
As he turned his head at the sound of the door opening, Prete felt all the confusion in his heart dissipate.
Her lips, pressed tightly together as if embarrassed.
Her eyes darting here and there, filled with hesitation.
Her cheeks, slightly flushed in pink.
Her red hair cascading down her white shoulders.
Her clear collarbone.
Shoulders that were slender, unimaginable from her usual strength.
Her arm pressing against the fabric of her top, accentuating her gently rising chest.
Her smooth thighs and the toes wriggling at the end.
Taking all of this in, Prete closed his eyes with an unbeatable sense of satisfaction, his body collapsing backward like a domino, lost in spirit.
“Ahh. O Armadish! How can you monopolize such a cute, pretty, and beautiful girl? I want to laugh and chatter with that beautiful child too! Won’t you exchange her with me? My child is also equally beautiful in a masculine way...”
As his consciousness faded, he thought he heard a voice, but Prete could not listen to it.
His mind was filled entirely with the image he had just witnessed.
Ah, at this point, I feel like I could die without any regrets.