Chapter 103

Chapter 103

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 103: Friendship Date (3).

Whew.

Allen and Natasha, who got off the cramped carriage, finally caught their breath. Outside was just as crowded, but at least they didn’t have to rub shoulders with a burly man.

Of course, here too, prostitutes and pimps were lining up to solicit customers. If one didn’t have a partner to play with in such a prime spot, it would indeed feel lacking.

Even before entering the lake, couples were seen everywhere, sticking together and making out fervently. Mercenaries from Vermandois, who openly had sex, were not going to behave modestly elsewhere.

Anyway, nobles would be tucked away in their villas, playing elegantly, so they wouldn’t care much if the common folk were mating in the woods.

Allen bought some dried fruits and meat as snacks from the woman nursing her baby near the station, then headed to the lake with Natasha. After passing through a sparsely wooded forest, a beautiful lake sparkling in the sunlight came into view.

Ah.

Itty Titty Natasha, seeing such a beautiful landscape for the first time in her life, couldn’t contain her overwhelming emotions.

This beautiful lake view was something she could see because she had endured and survived until now… The feeling of gratitude was beyond words.

Natasha instinctively clung to Allen’s arm beside her and looked up at him with a bright smile.

“Thank you. Thank you… for showing me this.”

Group Leader Allen offered a silent, gentle smile. Sometimes, a wordless smile could convey emotions more effectively than ten or a hundred words.

By the lakeside, families, lovers, and colleagues were lying on blankets or on the grass, savoring this leisurely moment. Peace and stability. The warm feelings blossomed brightly in the heart of Itty Titty Natasha, filled with friendly camaraderie.

Allen bent his right arm as if escorting a noble lady, offering it to her. This time, she did not refuse and gladly accepted his escort.

The two strolled along the lakeside, admiring the gently rippling water. Then, they found a spot where they wouldn’t be greatly disturbed by others’ gazes, settled down, and sat directly on the grass.

The warm sunlight gently enveloped the two people. The lake rippled calmly without a sound. Occasionally, a fish would jump with a splash. She was delighted, like a child seeing the largest puddle in their life.

Allen, worn out from work, alternated between watching Natasha and the lake, and eventually dozed off. The warm sunlight and the cool breeze must have relaxed his body.

Ah…

The Itty Titty Swordsman, who had been admiring the breathtakingly beautiful lake, felt a strange flutter in her chest as soon as she confirmed that the Group Leader had fallen asleep.

She intently observed his sleeping face. His smooth forehead, his gently closed eyes, his sharply pointed nose, his slightly parted lips… She etched each of them deeply into her memory.

Her gaze lingered on his lips for a long time, unable to break away. The memory of the shameless, sticky kiss between a man and a woman earlier, sucking and biting in front of everyone, came to mind…

…With mental strength, I must overcome…!

However, this burning friendship towards her comrade showed no signs of cooling down.

Natasha suddenly recalled a fairy tale she had read in her childhood. To wake the princess from eternal sleep, the prince’s affectionate kiss was needed… Wasn’t this exactly how the prince felt in front of the beautiful princess?

At that moment, moaning sounds started coming from somewhere in the nearby forest. It seemed a man and a woman were enthusiastically copulating again… Normally, she would have scoffed, saying that such low-level antics couldn’t possibly break her strong mental fortitude, but right now, she found it strangely difficult to shake it off.

The Itty Titty Swordsman was desperately yearning for something from Allen. However, she couldn’t express it and only agonized over it alone.

Friendship… that deep friendship, if only it could be expressed a little more…

Natasha did not want to dismiss her feelings as mere licentious instincts between a man and a woman. It was how she had lived her entire life until now, and how she intended to continue living.

Physical desire was a lowly craving. What she longed for was purely a yearning for mental fulfillment… or so she thought.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, Allen woke up slowly. The lewd moaning sound was still audible.

“…I must have dozed off for a bit.”

“You can sleep more. You must have been tired…”

“No, I’m awake.”

The Group Lleader stretched his limbs while still lying down, making a groaning sound.

“This feels good… doesn’t it?”

“Yes, very much…”

“We’ll be staying here for a few more days, so come to the lake with the others. It’s a good way to build camaraderie. You shouldn’t stay cooped up inside all the time. Got it? This is an order from your Group Leader.”

“Yes.”

The conversation paused briefly. The silence was filled by the cool breeze. Shaaah, the rustling leaves made a sound like rain.

“Being a mercenary, it’s not as romantic as you thought, is it?”

“Still, I’m quite satisfied. I get to see lakes like this and meet many people…”

Allen glanced at Natasha and carefully continued.

“…You don’t have to bear too much burden. The mercenary group is a team, not an individual endeavor. Everyone comes together to create a complete whole.”

“Still, I have to complete the tasks given to me neatly.”

Of course, if it could be done without any problem, there would be nothing better… but people who had once been afflicted with the demonic disease often developed mental issues. Even Natasha, who was known for her exceptional mental strength, was not an exception.

While curing the demonic disease had the advantage of significantly increasing one’s favorability, making it easier to recruit them as companions, those mental issues always remained a concern. Hence, as the Group Leader, it was a situation that required constant management. This was why Allen, while pretending not to, continuously observed Natasha… Thanks to that, he ended up discovering her peculiar sexual preferences.

[Strength: 57] [Agility: 56] [Stamina: 51] [Intelligence: 16] [Magic Power: 30]

[Genius] [Indomitable Will] [Recklessness] [Narcissism] [Sensitive] [Insomnia] [Enlightenment] [Trust] [Attachment] [Curiosity] [Delusion]

The continuously developing stats were quite excellent, needless to say… However, two new traits that appeared quite a while ago kept lingering in the Group Leader’s mind.

[Curiosity] and [Delusion].

It seemed that the excessive mental strength and self-control, mixed with the anguish experienced during the Demon Lands days, had twisted slightly in a strange direction.

Of course, it wasn’t a significant problem yet, but if [Attachment] and [Delusion] were to turn into [Obsession] and [Paranoia], it would inevitably become troublesome. That’s what is commonly referred to as the yandere trait on Earth.

If this incredible talent, combining [Genius], [Indomitable Will], and [Enlightenment], were to also develop [Obsession] and [Paranoia]… an uncontrollable monster would be born.

Honestly, despite Allen investing all that time into [Guild Master], he had never seen these five traits appear simultaneously. To begin with, [Enlightenment] was a trait that really manifested far—far more rarely than [Genius], appearing maybe once in ten rounds, and both [Obsession] and [Paranoia] only show up in extreme cases where affection was driven to the limit and left alone, which was a perverse playstyle.

It truly was a situation where an absurd probability could manifest.

…That absolutely must be prevented. How hard was it to get this talent?!

“Still, how can a person be perfect? So, if you’re struggling or have worries, you must discuss them with me. Got it? Ah, if it’s awkward because I’m a man, you can talk to Elena or Ordnung.”

Seeing things like a friendship kiss, friendship chest, and friendship penis, he might have been somewhat reluctant because he was a man. Even though she was already a person with strong [Narcissism].

“Oh, it’s not like that. I don’t have any worries either.”

“Then that’s a relief…”

…said Allen, but he couldn’t completely erased the slight anxiety.

…It seems like it would be good to somehow relieve her delusions.

Not to mention that the loud moaning sounds coming from the forest right now were making her condition strange. Especially as she was passionately imagining a friendship kiss. …Of course, Allen had no way of knowing what that friendship kiss was.

“Shall we… walk a bit?”

“…Yes.”

For now, they left the spot… Actually, he also felt a bit lewd listening to the continuous moaning sounds.

The two walked quietly along the lakeshore. The atmosphere calmed down again.

He thought that he needed to first figure out what friendship meant to her. Only then could he understand what a friendship kiss, chest, or penis meant.

“Natasha.”

“Yes.”

“What is friendship?”

Itty Titty Natasha slowly turned her gaze towards the Group Leader who asked the question.

“…Isn’t it the same meaning as a relationship where you share with one another…?”

“The same meaning?”

“So…”

She answered calmly, but her face blushed slightly.

“A relationship like the one between you and me, Group Leader…!”

That is exactly what friendship is!

It was undoubtedly a very moving statement.

…Except for the friendship penis.