Chapter 167 - I Want to Be Your Shield
I couldn't help but wonder what on earth we were doing out in the open this early in the morning, but as long as Concealment Magic was active, our privacy was guaranteed.
If there are no witnesses, it's no different from nothing happening at all.
Practically speaking, I'm innocent.
For a moment, my conscience stung, thinking, "But the sun is watching, isn't it?" but I quickly brushed it off, thinking that if the sun is watching, then the sun should pay a viewing fee.
After all, the current Philia was so lewd that you could practically charge money for it.
Something like 33,000 yen for 60 minutes, and 45,000 yen for a 30-minute extension.
Actually, should I be the one paying the money in the first place? As in, "Thank you for showing me such a wonderful sight."
"Hmm."
I immediately pulled two ten-thousand yen notes from my wallet and placed them on Philia's lap.
It was the moment an avant-garde scene was born: a woman with white liquid dripping from the corner of her mouth, and wrinkled banknotes.
"..."
No matter how you looked at it, it was the aftermath.
The scent of a crime was at a full hundred percent.
I realized I had done the absolute worst thing possible.
I quietly retrieved the banknotes and took a wet wipe out of a plastic bag.
Convenience stores these days give you all sorts of extras just for buying a little food. It's something to be grateful for.
"Here, lift your head."
First, I cleaned around Philia's chin.
Once that was done, I next thrust my arm into the collar of her one-piece dress and began the task of wiping away the bits of cream that had trickled down into the depths of her cleavage.
Flesh that lacked a bit of the firmness found in a teenage girl.
The plump mass of fat was such that when touched, my fingers sank in like a bottomless swamp.
...It's soft.
If it were possible, I'd want to keep kneading this forever.
If possible, I'd want to make it my dessert after a meal—wait, no matter how you slice it, am I being too much of a beast?
Was my personality always this unrestrained?
"Sorry to do this while I'm kneading you, but can I ask a question?"
"What is it?"
"By any chance, am I still in a state of Rationality Decay?"
"Because you weren't aware of it?"
"...Why? Didn't you Dispel it for me?"
"I only Dispelled the Concealment for the first one, and the Brainwashing for the next."
"You should have cleared them all! Thanks to that, I can't stop kneading your breasts!"
"Getting angry while kneading someone else's breasts is just pathetic, you know?"
"...Guh..."
It was a logical point that left me speechless.
While flustered, I continued the movement of kneading her breasts—an action that made it unclear whether I was skillful or just trash—as I asked.
"In the first place, why was I Brainwashed? If you say I'm still under the effect of seven types of debuffs, then I shouldn't be able to accept the Brainwashing state either."
"It's a simple matter. It's because Brainwashing is not a debuff."
"What?"
"Because, depending on the case, Brainwashing can also strengthen the target. For example, Brainwashing someone so they feel no fear, or Brainwashing them to act as a cold-blooded killer, and so on. This would improve combat ability, wouldn't it? Therefore, the Brainwashing skill is regarded as a status change that can be either a debuff or a buff. It is treated differently from pure weakening."
The way she smoothly provided a skill explanation even while her breasts were being gripped by a man—I suppose that's to be expected from a combat-oriented High Priest.
"That means even if Ayako-chan and the others apply debuffs, it won't prevent Brainwashing..."
"Is that something you need to worry about much? The Brainwashing skill won't activate unless you make eye contact with an undefended opponent for several seconds. The one you should be most wary of is Erin using the skill on herself."
"What do you mean by that?"
"If she looks in a mirror, she can Brainwash herself. It's possible to use it in a self-suggestion-like manner. Such as making herself feel no pain—or a tactic like erasing her affection for Hero-dono to remain cold-blooded might be possible."
"So she can manipulate not just enemies, but herself too."
A desperate Erin might rewrite her personality into a cold-blooded witch of her own volition.
Just how much of a pain is that girl?
"A cold-blooded Erin... I wonder what she'd be like."
"She would surely become an evil mage. If a user of the Perception skill saw her, I'm sure she would look a blood-like red."
"Evil. Evil, huh..."
The magic learned by Heroes and Priests is specialized toward striking down demons and evil.
Rather, I had a feeling that if Erin's demonic nature became more concentrated, she might actually be able to fight more effectively.
"Hm? Philia, couldn't you use Sacred Circle too, come to think of it?"
"It is my specialty, but?"
"Then if Erin ever snaps, the two of you could defend together... wait, if you have that much combat power, you should have cooperated from the start, you!"
She's puffing out her chest with a smug look. I'm gonna knead her senseless.
"It couldn't be helped! My consciousness only properly returned immediately after Hero-dono was defeated by Erin."
"...? Weren't you back to your senses quite a while ago?"
"I was gradually recovering in a hazy way... but there are waves. There are times when my consciousness becomes very clear, and times when I don't even know what I'm thinking, as if I'm in a slumber."
"...So you haven't actually fully recovered."
Philia said, narrowing her blue eyes.
"Unfortunately, a heart that has once broken does not fully heal."
That wasn't a line to be spoken with a laugh.
Her carefree smile was almost eerie.
"...It's because I burned you."
"I feel that was merely the trigger... Thinking back, from the day Hero-dono chose Lady Elsa... no, there were signs even before that... Perhaps I was broken from the very beginning..."
"Medicine is advanced in this world, so I might be able to cure you."
"That might be nice... but I like my current state. While my consciousness is clouded, my heart returns to when I was an infant, and I can see happy dreams."
"..."
"By the way, Hero-dono, don't you need to go home? Aren't the Holy Maidens waiting for you?"
"...You're right."
If she's happy, is that enough?
I don't really know. And I don't need to know.
First, for now, it's about how to take down Erin.
I rose from the bench and held out my palm toward Philia.
It was the gesture used when escorting a woman of high status.
I worried if I was being a bit too theatrical, but Philia happily took my hand.
"Hero-dono, Hero-dono, since we're at it, how about carrying me back in your arms?"
"You want me to go as far as a princess carry now? That's honestly too embarrassing for me."
"Were you not doing something even more embarrassing just a moment ago?"
"The vector of embarrassment is different from that!"
"You're as immature as ever. That's why your reputation in the Royal Capital was so bad. I think it's questionable as a man that you don't know how to treat a lady."
"Shut up already—"
While saying such things, I was a softie who carried her as requested.
...With my legs, it'll be quick.
The embarrassing time will end soon, so it's safe.
It's what they call the three-second rule.
"Hero-dono, may I ask one thing?"
"What is it now?"
"I'm getting sleepy."
"Huh!?"
"It's not ordinary sleepiness. I know. The wave is coming."
"A wave, you say..."
"Yes. I think I will lose my sanity very soon."
That meant Philia's mind would regress to an infant state once again—
"...When will you return to your senses this time?"
"I cannot say. I think it won't be far off... but, um, please take care of my bottom needs while I'm going 'aa-aa'... if possible, with gentle hands, as if tending to your own daughter."
"Understood, just go to sleep... Ah, while your consciousness is still clear, is there anything else you want to leave me with?"
"...Let me see..."
Philia answered in a loose, limp tone.
"If we happen to encounter Erin on the way, use me as a shield."
"...There's no way I could use a woman as a shield."
"I wouldn't mind at all. I won't die even if I die. Besides... I love you, Hero-dono."