Chapter 212: A man who smells like her sister’s vaginal juice (3)

Chapter 212: A man who
smells like her sister’s vaginal juice (3)

“Then
we’ll go get our blessings checked. Are you sure you don’t want to
come with us?”

“No.
I’ll have to stop by again later anyway. Let’s settle everything at
the Union in two days.”

“Hehe.
Alright!”

Lammel
left, saying he needed to rest now.

Rubia,
Hitolis, and Grumpy, who had received blessings, headed together into
the main temple building.

“Master.
I’ll go straight to the library after getting checked.”

“…Right.”

Grumpy
smiled with a grin.

Balkan
could only smile bitterly at her expression that showed excitement
about what kind of blessing she might have received.

“My
lord. Where are you going now?”

“The
library. There’s something I need to look up.”

Balkan
answered Belle, who was scurrying behind him, and turned his steps
toward the library attached to the corner of the temple, not the main
building.

Since
he had the status window, he didn’t need to get his blessing checked
unless he was meeting Serif.

‘Still,
I should stop by once before the next labyrinth run.’

The
Scar of Patience that Serif had engraved.

That
scar, which reduced sexual desire to almost zero, had been quite
helpful in suppressing the sexual desire of the succubus’ curse
during this labyrinth run.

Although
the scar was shattered by the merciless forced milking of her elder
sister Idelbert, and he ended up having relations with two women
afterward…it was clear that it had been tremendously helpful until
it broke.

Since
he had received so much, he planned to prepare a small gift for Serif
to show his gratitude, though modest.

But
right now, he was empty-handed.

With
no suitable gift or purpose, his aimless steps naturally headed
toward the temple library.

‘Study.
I should do that.’

-You
need to learn about mythology before exploring the labyrinth. Your
head is empty!

The
memory of the Demon of Sloth mocking him for having an empty head was
still vivid. How could he stay still after hearing such words?

This
desire to learn wasn’t just due to defiance and competitiveness.

The
woman wrapped in light he saw at the fountain, the fragment of the
Earth Mother Goddess.

For
some reason, it made him recall memories of his sister every time he
saw it…he wanted to know more about this mysterious being.

And
there was no way the temple library, which worshipped the Earth
Mother Goddess as the only deity, wouldn’t have books related to the
Earth Mother.

Having
reached the front of the library, Balkan spoke to Belle who had been
following closely behind him.

“You
have to be quiet in there, okay?”

“Do
I need to be quiet?”

“Yes.
That’s the rule in libraries. Even when talking, keep it low – you
can’t be loud.”

After
taking Belle in as a slave, Balkan had frequent conversations with
her and could learn more stories from her.

Not
just about the past, but also how she became a worshipper of
Gluttony.

Moreover,
while traveling and talking together in the labyrinth, he realized
that Belle lacked quite a bit of common sense about the surface
world.

She
was an orphan who grew up in back alleys from childhood.

Due
to her past of being sold as a slave and used as monster bait, she
had practically grown up in the labyrinth.

Perhaps
because of this, her speech and behavior were awkward, and sometimes
she would become rough like a criminal who had spent years in back
alleys…but she was just a girl who had barely become an adult.

Although
Belle wasn’t someone weak enough to need protection, her fragile and
precarious heart needed a warm touch and care.

There
was a need to teach her how to use the power of a demon worshipper
more beneficially, rather than wastefully.

In
this disgusting, cruel, and corrupted world, the temple was one of
the few organizations that pursued definite goodness and
righteousness.

The
temple library was quite a good choice as a place to untangle Belle’s
complicated heart and fill it with mental nourishment.

If
they could find good books, it could become an opportunity for what
you might call enlightenment.

“I
understand. I must be quiet in the library. Belle understood.”

“Good.
Then let’s go.”

Balkan
smiled gently while patting Belle’s head, then opened the door to the
temple library.

-Click.

The
moment he opened the door, the library’s unique paper smell and
quiet, solemn atmosphere greeted him.

“Ah.
You’ve finally come?”

After
taking just a few steps into the library, the temple library’s
librarian addressed him.

“…Huh?
Me?”

The
librarian who had been smiling kindly saw Balkan’s expression of not
knowing why he was called, and answered with a vein popping on her
forehead.

“Since
it’s been quite a while since you borrowed a book and failed to
return it…hoho.”

Balkan
belatedly realized his mistake.

There
was a book he had borrowed from the temple library before but hadn’t
read because he was busy with various things and found it bothersome.

Certainly,
it was a fairy tale book titled [Earth Mother Goddess and the
Mythology of Light].

Thinking
about it now, it had something in common with the content he was
looking for.

“Haha…I’ll
pay the late fee first. I was busy with various explorer work. I’m
sorry.”

“These
things happen. The late fee is 10 silver coins.”

Books
were definitely luxury items in this world. The accumulated late fee
was quite expensive. When borrowing, it was only half a silver coin.

Although
he could readily pay such an amount now, it was still money he didn’t
have to spend if he had been more careful. A slight feeling of
depression came over him.

“How
dare you glare at my lord over something like a late fee…!”

Belle
muttered in a very small voice as Balkan had warned, trying to
release a fierce energy. Balkan hurriedly stopped her.

“My
lord!”

“Belle.
This is my fault. I broke the promise first by returning the book
late. When you’ve done something wrong, you shouldn’t get angry in
return.”

“…That
priestess is weak. She would die with just one gesture from my lord.”

“You
shouldn’t resolve right and wrong with force alone.”

“……”

Belle
didn’t answer and Balkan continued speaking, for her sake as well.

“Belle.
Let’s make a hypothesis. Say you bought bread from me with money.
Paying a fair price.”

“……”

“But
suddenly I hit you and took the bread back. How do you think you
would feel?”

“If
my lord did that…I would think there was no choice.”

“But
you’d still feel sad and wronged, right? Because even though you paid
the price, it was forcibly taken away.”

“…I
think so.”

“It’s
similar.”

“……”

Though
unsure if it was the right analogy, Belle seemed to understand when
he used food as an example, nodding her head.

Balkan
patted Belle’s head again, then turned his attention to the librarian
while rummaging through his pocket.

“I’d
like to borrow the book for another month. Of course, I’ll pay the
late fee.”

“…I
have a son about that age too. A son who doesn’t know the ways of the
world and doesn’t listen to his parents… *sigh*. You must have it
tough. I’ll reduce the late fee a bit. I’ll pray that you can build
up more extensive knowledge at the temple library.”

Did
she mistake Balkan and Belle’s relationship for parent and child? Or
was it parental emotion spilling out?

Maybe
it was both. The librarian who had seemed determined to collect the
overdue fee now smiled with a thoroughly gentle face.

Balkan
paid five silver coins as the drastically discounted late fee and
asked about the section with books related to the Earth Mother
Goddess.

“It’s
in the last row of the library.”

“Thank
you for letting me know.”

“No
need for thanks. Take care, Explorer.”

Balkan
bowed to the librarian and continued browsing the library with Belle.

The
temple library was quite spacious. The place filled with the smell of
paper was fun to walk through. It felt like knowledge was increasing
just by walking.

“Is
there a book you want to read?”

“Ah,
um…then I, I would like to read this.”

Belle,
who had been glancing around nervously for a while, carefully pointed
to a book.

[100
Easy and Delicious Recipes Even a Baby Can Make]

A
cookbook.

In
this world where books were luxury items, it was quite a rare book,
and it was a choice very fitting for Belle.

“I,
I can’t read, so I don’t understand the content well. But the
pictures look delicious…!”

Balkan
looked at the page Belle had opened.

Brief
and easy-to-understand explanations for making the dishes, and large
photographs showing the cooking process.

As
the title suggested, the recipes looked so simple and easy that even
a baby could follow them, but the dishes looked quite appetizing.
Enough to make one’s mouth water at first sight.

‘…What’s
this?’

But
the moment he saw those photos, he felt a strange sense of
discomfort.

The
scenery visible around the food photos was oddly familiar.

A
place where he had been for a very long time, a place he had
frequented almost daily.

A
place full of memories that had been with him since the beginning of
his time in this world…

The
place in the photos was very similar to Diana’s kitchen.

Balkan,
momentarily dazed, looked at the book’s author as if in a trance.

[Author:
Diana]

Sure
enough, Diana’s name was written there.

Though
it was just a name without a surname, that Diana was surely the Diana
that Balkan remembered.

The
publication date was almost six years ago. Quite old.

“…Do
you like this book?”

“Yes.
The food in the book gives me a warm feeling. It’s hard to explain
exactly…but it feels similar to the bread my lord gave me before.”

Balkan
smiled warmly hearing those words.

It
was Diana indeed. To be able to soothe the heart of a Gluttony
worshipper with just the warmth captured in a photograph.

Among
those who liked Diana’s cooking and could feel its warm comfort,
there were no natural-born evil people.

If
there were any who didn’t, they would be beasts without blood or
tears.

Belle
had been instinctively moved by Diana’s cooking.

It
was the environment that was wrong, but she was a child with a human
heart. Even though she was raised like a beast, she could grow up
properly.

“Alright.
Let’s borrow this one.”

“Thank
you, my lord! If I get the chance, I’ll make such warm dishes for
you.”

Balkan
patted Belle’s head again as she whispered her reply. Each time he
did so, Belle smiled as if pleased.

Belle
had no money. Not just money, she had nothing that could be called
property. He would have to pay the rental fee for her, but seeing how
happy she was, a few silver coins didn’t feel wasteful.

‘Besides,
it’s Diana’s book too.’

Since
it was written by his benefactor, he didn’t mind.

However,
it felt strangely interesting. To think that Diana had written a
cookbook.

Putting
aside these different impressions, he continued walking.

[Earth
Mother Goddess and the Mythology of Light] was a thin fairy tale
book. He had chosen it because he didn’t like reading dense text.

With
similar thinking, he planned to find and borrow other books related
to the Earth Mother Goddess.

After
walking for a while, he headed to the place the librarian had
mentioned.

Countless
bookshelves stretched while thick and intimidating books packed
tightly in shelves that seemed to reach endlessly toward the sky.

“Ugh,
shi…”

His
head spontaneously became dizzy. He was terrible at studying, and
just looking at the books made him feel faint. It seemed utterly
daunting.

Still,
he carefully took one step forward.

Since
even a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step, first start
with the thinnest and simplest fairy tale book…

“Ah!”

Just
then, someone shouted loudly. A voice so loud it made his body
tremble.

-Crash!

Following
that came the sound of books falling in cascades.

Wondering
what kind of person would make such a loud noise in a library, he
turned his head.

“B-Balkan…?!”

There
was Serif Adeline, staring blankly at him with round eyes.

The
saint of the Earth Mother Goddess sect and Idelbert’s younger
sister, a white cat beastkin.

“H-how
are you in a place like this…! Heheh. What a c-coincidence…?”

-Swish.
Swish.

Beyond
her white cat tail swishing quickly as if excited, her guard paladin
Nate Elin and a dog beastkin priestess with an unfamiliar face could
be seen.

However,
something was strange.

“Ugh,
uh, uhh…!”

The
dog beastkin priestess’s face turned pale the moment she saw Balkan.

“Y-you
are…! From that time…!”

“…That
time?”

Balkan
tilted his head looking at the priestess who seemed to recognize him.

It
was natural. She was a priestess he was seeing for the first
time…no, she seemed somewhat familiar…he couldn’t remember well.

But
Swalco, the dog beastkin priestess who had returned from the 15th
floor a few days ago, knew the helmeted man before her eyes.

‘The
man who came to the holy fountain with a leashed female and all sorts
of adult toys…!’

Swalco
clearly remembered Balkan’s appearance and the terrible acts of
sacred desecration he had committed.

Just
as Swalco was about to hurriedly open her mouth.

Whoosh—!

“Mmph!”

An
unbelievable smell was detected by the sensitive canine beastkin’s
nose.

“Hueeeeeh…?”

The
smell attached to a person’s body conveyed much more information than
expected.

This
tendency was especially strong in the case of beastkin, and Swalco
prided herself on having one of the best senses of smell among canine
beastkin.

That’s
why Swalco was even more shocked.

This
was.

This
damp smell of mating between an in-heat female and male, thick with
their mingled scents…

It
was definitely not something that could be artificially created.

And,
Swalco wasn’t the only one in this place who could detect such a
smell.

-Perk,
perk.

-Sniff.
Sniff sniff.

“Ungh…?”

Serif
raised her white cat ears stiffly while smelling the scent wafting
from around Balkan.

Why
was it?

From
him whom she hadn’t seen in a while, came the smell of her detestable
sister.

And
very strongly at that.