Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 156: Gathering Of The Gate Openers (3).

Apart from Group Leader Grenzo trying to use his daughter as bait to trap someone, it was a series of peaceful days.

Honestly, that woman wasn’t particularly lacking in stats, but with traits like [Deception] and [Avarice] sticking around her, it felt rather unsettling.

Anyway, after the Gathering of the Gate Openers, Allen wandered around the capital, pondering ways to spend money.

Leaving over three thousand gold coins idle without investment was unbearable for Allen, who was addicted to investing. The problem was that the prices in the capital were already sky-high, making it difficult to maximize profit.

After much deliberation, he finally decided on lucky charms.

The price was reasonable, there was plenty of stock, and it was easy to transport, so if he just attached the right slogan, he could sell it as a capital exclusive and make a profit. Weren’t mercenaries the kind who couldn’t resist superstitions anyway?!

Thus, Allen purchased hundreds of talismans for two thousand gold coins. Of course, during the process, he sweet-talked the merchant guild leader’s daughter, who was infatuated with his looks, and got several dozen more talismans. A kiss and some fondling made her spill them out.

The members also thoroughly enjoyed their free time in the capital.

Of course, free time mostly consisted of visiting brothels, market tours, or watching the arena.

After being rejected, Rozanne, Grenzo’s daughter, couldn’t let go and visited again, but still got turned down. She seemed better prepared than before, but her silly intentions were still the same.

“What on earth is wrong with me?!”

Power, talent, beauty—she lacked nothing, so being rejected not once but twice was something she simply couldn’t comprehend.

So Allen gave her the same answer he’d often heard himself back on Earth.

“You’re a great talent, but unfortunately, you don’t seem to align with the principles of our mercenary group.”

…And besides, you’re ridiculously expensive! What’s with demanding 60 gold coins? 60!

She seemed to think even that was a ridiculously low price, though.

Rozanne, who received the rejection notice that felt unfair but was difficult to refute, glared at Allen before leaving.

…Tsk tsk, such a temper. And small breasts too!

Prophetess Aloa had been sighing more than usual lately. Sometimes, she would kill time by staring blankly out the window.

…And after hearing that her future husband had come to the capital, the frequency of her sighs and blank stares increased dramatically.

Mr. Allen… has come…?!

Of course, she had already given up on the expectation that he would visit here. There was no connection between them in the first place. At most, he knew Yupi, the mentor of the Blind Saintess Ordnung… but that wasn’t enough reason for a visit.

Could it be that the very fact that I saw his future became the connection point?

There was no other way to explain that future. If she didn’t meet him here, could the future change? She entertained thoughts contrary to her beliefs, then shook her head. With faith and pride in her prophecy, she couldn’t shake the thought that he was her husband.

No, she had thought about him being her husband so much that it already felt like he was. Denying it seemed even more awkward.

How embarrassing, truly!

However, Aloa was so anxious she could barely stand it. She was so worried about not being able to see him before he left again that she was losing sleep.

When it came to relationships with men, she was exceptionally timid. After agonizing for a whole week, she finally mustered the courage to prepare to go out.

To meet her future husband!

Being that she was on her way to meet her husband, she applied some makeup and dressed in a pretty outfit. Anyone could see she was a noble’s daughter raised with care.

The Prophetess, suppressing the excitement and anticipation that filled her heart, climbed into the carriage. The inn where he was staying was near the southern gate.

Visiting a crowded place after such a long time made her unnecessarily nervous, and her heart pounded. It felt as if everyone was staring only at her…

“I’m here to see Group Leader Allen….”

“…It’s the last room down the left corridor on the second floor.”

To have already seduced two women in just a week. The innkeeper thought to himself that noble women just come willingly if you’re handsome, as he answered her.

Unaware of what the innkeeper was thinking, Aloa headed to the room on the second floor with her escort knight, as instructed.

“Please wait here for a moment.”

“Are you alright, miss?”

“I’m fine.”

The words ‘since he’s my future husband’ were swallowed back down her throat.

Aloa took a deep breath and knocked cautiously on the door. Then, a voice came from inside.

-Who is it?

“It’s me, Aloa…”

-I don’t know who that is.

Ah.

The Prophetess, feeling a bit embarrassed, glanced at the escort knight and lowered her voice to introduce herself.

“The Prophetess, the Prophetess.”

She usually didn’t refer to herself as a prophetess, but she braved the embarrassment to say so. Then, an “Ah, I see,” followed by a burst of understanding.

Soon, the door opened, and an incredibly handsome face appeared.

Oh my.

“Ah… what brings you here…?”

“Well, I have some, uh, news, to deliver.”

The Prophetess stammered uncharacteristically. This made his expression slightly serious.

“Ah, it’s nothing weird!”

“Is that so?”

“…Can I come in for a moment?”

“Oh, yes, come in.”

To think he didn’t invite her in until she had to ask herself.

Anyway, the Prophetess safely achieved the first goal.

“By the way, what brings you here, Miss…?”

Ah.

Before coming, she had planned what to say, but standing in front of him, she forgot everything. Aloa suddenly felt a slight dizziness as her vision darkened.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes, I’m, okay….”

“You don’t look very okay.”

“I’m really fine!”

And once again, silence.

Aloa desperately spun her head to break the awkward silence.

A genius brain in magic, malfunctioning in front of her husband.

“Ugh…!”

Allen nodded lightly instead of responding, as if to say, “Go on.”

“First, I hope you don’t think it’s too strange… I’m just telling you exactly what I saw.”

“Ah, it’s a prophecy.”

“Yes, that’s right! You and I… that is… um…”

“You and I…?”

“We have a very important relationship, so, although it’s hard to believe, we are incredibly close…!”

“…I see.”

A simple, accepting response.

Feeling that wasn’t right, Aloa grew more anxious.

“So, what could it be when a man and a woman are close…?”

“Close? Friends?”

“No, a bit closer than that…!”

“Lovers?”

Oh, come on!

“Husband and wife…!”

Her fingers were fidgeting bashfully. Aloa’s gaze wavered back and forth, unable to settle.

“So, we are destined to become husband and wife…!”

An expression that seemed to ask, “Surprised?”

Of course, Allen wasn’t surprised at all. He was already roughly reading her thoughts.

“I see.”

From the start, he never believed in fate. She might be a prophetess, but that was only a rough signpost of the path, not something absolute.

Even when considering a scenario where it’s game over, Aloa never mentioned it would end when she made a prophecy. It’s the same logic.

“Were you surprised? Haha… Of course, you must have been extremely flustered! I know. I was really surprised too! But what can we do? We are destined to be married!”

A clumsy smile filled with awkwardness. She behaved like a teacher trying to explain something incomprehensible to a child.

The sudden leap in logic was because it had been left stewing for too long. Aloa had already chewed over the prophecy for such a long time that the entire process had flown by… like someone who had looked at a math problem for so long that they skipped all the steps and went straight to the answer.

If Allen didn’t have the status window, he would have thought, “What kind of nonsense is this?”

“I see.”

Aloa, clasping her hands and rolling her eyes while reading the atmosphere, thought, “Is he really not believing this?” at the other’s lukewarm reaction.

“But it’s true…!”

“Oh, yes, I believe you… It’s the words of the continent’s greatest prophet, after all.”

“I’m relieved…! I was quite worried about how to explain it so you’d believe me. Honestly, it’s a bit abrupt, right? Oh, but I don’t mean to pressure you. I just thought there might be a misunderstanding about the last incident… Anyway, thank you for believing me.”

The Prophetess naively assumed that he firmly believed in the prophecy.

Although the other party seemed to speak as they saw, what she had seen was just one of many possible futures. There was no rule that it had to happen that way.

However, when luck practically begged to fall into Allen’s lap, why would he kick it away?!

The Group Leader pondered how to persuade this woman, thinking like a merchant. Regardless of a future wife or whatever, the mercenary business came first.

If, by any chance, she would really become his future wife, anyway, what’s hers would soon be his! Since a couple was one in heart and mind, they could think of it as joint property.

Having organized his thoughts, he smiled warmly and seated the Prophetess at the table.

“But the problem is whether people will easily understand this relationship. You are a prophet, and I’m merely a mercenary group leader…!”

“But the prophecy…”

“In any case, what I’m saying is that this justification is a bit flimsy.”

Justification!

“Then… what should we do?”

Allen pretended to ponder for a moment, then exclaimed, “Ah!”

“Then, how about sponsorship?”

“Sponsorship?”

“You become a sponsor of my mercenary group! Rather than sponsorship, think of it as an investment in your future husband’s mercenary group, and you’ll feel more at ease, won’t you?”

An investment in my future husband’s mercenary group!

It sounded quite plausible upon hearing it.

“Since we both don’t know each other well yet, wouldn’t it be good to know about each other gradually through this sponsorship?”

Oh my.

The idea of getting to know each other sounded incredibly romantic. Having only learned about romance from novels, she wondered if this was the first stage of it.

“Alright! Let’s do that!”

“You have no idea how happy I am that you understand my heart.”

“…No, it’s only natural to do that much.”

Since you’re my husband…!

Aloa was so thrilled she could hardly contain herself.

Sponsoring a mercenary group was something even noble families did from time to time. Just look at the Top 10, their sponsorship amounts were immense.

“Then you will become my first sponsor…!”

“First…!”

Even the first one.

“Then, the amount, how much…?”

“Five hundred… how about that?”

Five hundred gold coins a month!

Of course, she had accumulated a significant amount of money by playing the role of a prophet, but even so, five hundred gold coins was not a small amount for her.

“…I’m not really involved in any other business. How about three hundred?”

“Ahh… three hundred…”

As two hundred gold coins vanished in an instant, Allen felt as if his heart was shrinking. Even though it wasn’t his!

After much deliberation, he finally used the magic word on his self-proclaimed future wife.

“Wife…!”

…Ah…

In the end, the Prophetess was utterly swayed by just one word, “wife.”

“Alright. Then, let’s do that. Five hundred… since it’s an investment in my husband…”

Five hundred sponsorship: Success ♥