I’d now received my missive from the Goddess (Quest: Obtain the Shame-Filled Stockings of the World’s Beautiful Women!) Wow, God sure was more of a pervert than I’d expected. Not that I’d ever say that out loud, lest she strike me down.
Considering she also placed a terrifying bomb in my body (in the form of the innate desire for socks), I ought to get 100 SP worth of stockings as quickly as I can so I can have a private space away from her! Why do I have to struggle with such a perverted internal impulse, anyway? Oh, wait—maybe it’s the price I have to pay for my power? Guess it’s true, then—you really can’t get anything without giving something else in return.
“Um, are you all right?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’m okay, Miss Nun.”
Before I knew it, I was back in the chapel and once again sitting in the frontmost pew. I was no longer holding Harumikazuchi’s stockings, and I sensed that I could now make time flow slower inside my space of holding—both proof that my meeting with the Goddess had actually happened.
“If you’re feeling under the weather, we have a lounge in the back that you may lie down and rest in— Hmph, you’re one of us, I see. Never mind, what a shame. May you bring peace to the world.” Upon peering into my eyes, the succubus nun’s demeanor changed instantly. She turned on her heel and left.
She must’ve been trying to get closer to me because she wanted my stockings. Well, I am a beautiful girl, so I can’t blame her.
I’d also been able to immediately recognize that she was one of the Goddess’s subordinates after looking into her pink eyes. What a strange feeling.
Anyway, now that today’s business with the Goddess was concluded, I left the church—wow, the sky was so pretty tonight—then turned around and headed right back into the building. I had something I needed to ask the succubus nun.
“Excuse me, Miss Nun, but to be honest, I’m currently penniless. Do you have a blanket or something I can borrow?”
“Hm. Well, we usually require donating a certain amount first, but just for tonight, I suppose I can let you sleep in the lounge. No complimentary breakfast, though.”
“That’s fine! Thank you so much!” Wow, so I supposed I really could rely on my coworkers for help! That’s right, we were on the same team, so we needed to help each other out when we needed it. Then while I was out making a ton of money, I’d come back and donate to the church when I could!
✦ ✦ ✦
A night passed, and I woke up to the morning twittering of birds. Since my private room within my space of holding wasn’t ready yet, and Miss Nun had graciously offered, I’d spent the night in the church’s lounge room with a warm blanket over my body.
“Ah... Morning already,” I mumbled, throwing off the blanket.
Oh, perhaps I should copy that blanket, in case I need it later for myself. I didn’t plan to sell it, so it was fine, right? Oh, but since I didn’t actually own it, maybe not? Hmm...
Sure, why not? It’s fine! This blanket’s too warm to relinquish!
And so, I placed a copy of the blanket in my space of holding. Oh no, I’m getting woozy again. That blanket was pretty large, after all. Probably the biggest thing I’d copied so far. With the original blanket still in my hands, I sat down for a moment and waited for the dizziness to pass. Then my stomach rumbled. I’d munched on a few pieces of dried jerky for last night’s dinner, but it was way too hard and salty to eat much of. It really hammered home just how much effort my original world put into researching and developing the perfect jerky recipe. It was only after I’d read the entry in the Tome of General Knowledge that I’d learned jerky like this was supposed to complement dishes, such as by being cut into pieces with a knife and added into a soup. If only I’d known that sooner!
Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. “Are you awake, miss?”
“Yeah, I’m up,” I answered. It was Miss Nun’s voice. I folded the blanket up and opened the door to see her carrying a tray of what looked like a small piece of bread and vegetable soup. I swallowed hard.
“Good morning. Here’s your breakfast.”
“I thought you said breakfast wouldn’t be on the house?”
“Well, since I’d already had supper prepared last night, I thought I could at least provide leftovers to a colleague.”
So this is the grace of an angel! This is God’s messenger at work! Except she was a succubus. Come to think of it, religions are all about this mutual aid between followers thing, aren’t they? Japan didn’t really have a specified religion (Buddhism was probably the closest we had to that), so it was wild to think that religious organizations treated you like family just because you believed in the same higher power. I should reciprocate and show my faith as well.
“After I make a bunch of money, I’ll come back here and make a donation,” I said.
“I appreciate that, fellow disciple. I’ll be waiting, though I won’t hold my breath.”
“Hm? Oh, no, I’ll definitely come back, I promise. The Goddess has already blessed me with so much, I have to repay her.”
“Oh? Very well, then I anticipate your return. Please donate enough to repay all you say the Goddess has done for you.”
“I told you I would, didn’t I? It’ll be sometime in the future, though.”
“Well, you’re penniless right now, after all. In the meantime, please accept this charity from the church.” She winked at me.
Oh, shit, I think I’m in love. Wait a minute, what if the reason I’m so quick to fall for these women is that bomb the Goddess planted inside me? Oh, but it’s no good... When a girl this cute’s in front of me, I can’t contain my euphoria! Marry me, Sister! Suffocate me with that plump body of yours! Throw off that habit—I need to check if you’ve got one of those cute succubus demon tails!
“Excuse me, would you mind not undressing me with your eyes? I can tell that sort of thing, you know.”
“Guh!”
Succubi were even more frightening than I’d thought!
The nun’s breakfast wasn’t exactly what I’d call delicious, but I was grateful for her generosity all the same. Thanks a lot, Sister!
“By the way, Miss Nun, what’s your name?”
“Hm? It’s Siesta. A common name, wouldn’t you say?”
I see, so the sister’s name is Siesta! That’ll be easy to remember since they sound so similar. I’ve really gotta do my best logging so I can repay Miss Siesta for her kindness!
My enthusiasm renewed, I left the church and headed for the Adventurer’s Guild. When I reached the reception desk, I heard someone call out to me.
“Yo, Karina! You really took on a logging quest all by yourself?”
“Oh, Mr. Blade. I did indeed, why?”
“Well, our team was also thinking about doing one. How about we help you out? It’s probably tough for just one person, right?” He flashed a grin that showed his teeth. Shildon and Sekko were also there beside him.
If I didn’t know any better, it would’ve sounded like he and his team were trying to leech off my talent. But that couldn’t be the case, because he couldn’t have known about how easily I’d completed the quest...right? Right, of course not. He was just in his “looking after novice adventurers” mode, since he wasn’t drunk off his ass today. That had to be it.
But sorry, Blade. This quest had to be done with only one person: Me.
“Actually, Blade, I was going to do this one myself...” I was about to refuse him, but then I realized something—with three extra people helping out, couldn’t I carry more logs at once than I could on my own? Maybe it’d be better to let them help me after all. In the end, I decided to give them the green light.
“If you’re okay with me taking seventy percent of the reward and you guys taking thirty, then you can help!”
“Hey now, don’t you think you have that backward? As your mentors, we’ll teach you all sorts of tricks and shortcuts senior adventurers use. You can even turn logging into a profession, if you get good enough at it.”
“I can imagine. I got two silvers yesterday for one quest, after all.”
Blade fell silent for a moment. “Wait a minute. You actually completed that quest? On your own? And two silvers means...you carried two logs by yourself?!”
“Sure did. I picked up two logs, one under each arm, and carried them back to town. You can vouch for me, right, Miss Receptionist?”
The receptionist behind the desk nodded. All three senior adventurers looked shocked.
“Why didn’t you say so?!” Blade shouted. “Now we look like total idiots!”
“While we can publicly disclose what quests an adventurer takes on, we cannot reveal whether they succeeded or failed, as that is personal information,” the receptionist replied.
“Ah, she’s right, Blade. That does count as personal information,” Shildon said. “She couldn’t help it.”
“And after you spent all that time rehearsing the smug grin you were going to give her.”
“Shildon, Sekko, come on, cut me some slack, okay?”
Apparently the members of Sun Bacchus had heard that a brand-new adventurer had signed up for a logging quest, but nothing beyond that. And since I’d delivered the logs to the designated drop-off point and not the guild itself, no one had been around to witness my success.
“Still, if that’s true, it changes everything,” Blade said. “I guess you don’t need our help after all, then... How did you do that, anyway? Can you tell us?”
“Simply put, I used magic.”
“Ah, right, magic. Should’ve known. Man, magic sure is impressive, eh?”
He accepted my explanation just like that. Blade... You’re kind of a simpleton, aren’t you?
“And so, since I can do the whole quest on my own anyway, that’s why I offered to give you guys thirty percent.”
“But do you really need us to help?”
“In the sense that I’ll be able to say ‘Everyone got their logs?!’ like the scene in a certain famous manga.”
“The hell are you talking about? Well, I already cleared my schedule for the day intending to help you out, so I might as well.”
For real? You really are a nice guy, Blade.
“Liar. You just need more money ’cause the missus at Shunrai’s demanding you pay up already.”
“She’s scary when she’s angry, after all. Her tail gets all bristly too.”
“Sh-Shut up, you two! Some things you should just keep to yourself!”
I see, so it’s for Miss Harumikazuchi’s sake? Then that’s even better! If putzing around with these three will benefit that beauty in the end, you won’t hear any complaints from me!