Chapter 136: In Which Hugo Accidentally Refuses A Threesome

Hugo

As we made our way to the capital, we saw how the scenery slowly changed, leaving behind the cold winter and welcoming Spring’s warmth.

Just like my heart.

After receiving Marina's message, and then sending my own to Sherry, my heart was as light as a feather. I felt this overwhelming sense of relief as if a heavy weight had been lifted off it. I now knew that Marina had my back. And I also could relax, now that I had told Sherry about my situation. Not in detail, of course, but enough that I should be able to wait for her near the port town to the Demon Continent. I was still planning to try out the World Dungeon there, after all. It would be wonderful if I could get another Dream Orb to send a message to Marina. She deserved that much. I wouldn't know how she got her hands on hers, but it couldn't have been easy.

Well, that's still a long time coming. I should focus on the present for now.

We arrived at a village not that far off from the capital. Just a few days more of travel and we would finally reach our destination.

We visited the local Adventurer's Guild as per usual. We were still taking jobs even as we traveled southwards, just like how an adventurer should be. Technically, I didn't need to since I still had a lot of money left, but hey, what's the harm in getting more? I had no need to rush, not after telling Sherry where she should wait for me if she ended up arriving on this continent sooner than expected.

"Hey, you guys!"

Suddenly, we heard someone calling for us. It was a bald, middle-aged man with an ax holstered on his back.

"You're the Flaming Arrows, aren't ya?" He crossed his arms with a grin on his face. "Heard about you guys, you know. Said that you're friends with that Divine Tempest guy. Where's he, by the way?"

I exchanged looks with Anton before shaking my head.

"Wait, you're him, aren't you? Young, blonde-haired, expensive robes…" He scratched his smooth chin. "Yeah! You're that Charles Pendleton kid!"

Dammit. He recognizes me after all.

"Yeah, that's me alright." I walked forward, putting on a smile. "Is something the matter?"

"Just giving you a heads up of a job you might be interested in. Have you heard about the necromancer?"

My heart sank.

"T-the necromancer?"

"Yes! Can you believe it? The court mage herself was actually a necromancer all this time! And not only that! She had murdered the king and turned him into her corpse puppet so she could rule the kingdom from the shadows! Terrible stuff! Thank the Saint the Inquisition came and exposed her like the evil witch she is!"

T-the Inquisition?! And what does he mean by her killing the king? Did she really do something crazy like that?

I glanced towards Anton and the others. Judging by their expressions, they were surprised as well.

“Yeah, scary stuff, isn’t it? I won’t blame you for turning pale like that!” He flashed his pearly white teeth. “However, if you’re up to it, and you should, being a famous dragonslayer and all that, the kingdom is now recruiting all skilled-enough adventurers for a campaign to capture and bring her to justice. They'll pay you handsomely, you know!"

I gulped. This is it, huh? Her time has come at last. I have a hunch it would end like this. She couldn't stay hidden forever. Now, once again, she has to flee for her life.

Necromancy. Is it really that evil of a magic? Isn't that just them being prejudiced towards it? After reading all those fantasy stories with a heroic-type necromancer, I can’t automatically think necromancers are bad. That trope has gone out of style in the genre.

But then again, if what he says is true, Felicia really did kill the king. That's already a death sentence right there. Not to mention desecrating his corpse further.

I thought she's a good woman. Was I mistaken? Or was there something going on behind the scenes that no one knew about? My thoughts turned towards her nursing that young girl. That kindness she displayed… it can't be fake, can it?

No, that's not an excuse. She can still be a caring person to sick children, but would absolutely be willing to kill adults if it suits her. There's no such thing as an all bad person. Everyone has a redeeming quality, no matter how bad they might be as a whole. Thinking otherwise is a mark of childishness and naivety.

"Oh, you guys can come too, of course." He turned his attention to Anton. "You're B-ranks, right? They're accepting B-ranks."

"Thank you for the information," Anton replied, giving him a cordial smile. We have to discuss it first."

He put his hand on my shoulder, waking me up from my thoughts.

"R-right…" I nodded, agreeing with him. We shouldn't be discussing the matter here.

***

There weren't any quests that interested us, so we went to the inn straight away afterward. After we entered our room, we began our meeting.

"Hugo," Anton spoke first. "That's your lady friend he was talking about, wasn't he?"

"We didn't know then," Anne followed, staring at me with her sharp eyes. "We thought she was just some random alchemist you met on the streets."

"If I had known, I wouldn't have acted so impolitely in front of her!" Amelie commented with a huff.

"But now, it turns out that she's a necromancer." Anne sighed, crossing her arms. "You didn't notice anything off when you were with her?"

"N-no, I didn't," I lied.

"Then she's an outstanding actress. To think that she's pretty popular amongst the populace for curing that plague and opening free clinics for the poor… Haah, I admired her too…"

"Hugo." Anton looked firmly straight into my eyes, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You're not thinking of getting involved, are you?"

"Well, I—"

"If you dare go against those Inquisitors, they’ll brand you a heretic as well. Then you'll also have the Church chasing after you as well."

He's right. I can't afford to make another country my enemy.

"I… I just want to check up on her, that's all."

"And then what? You're just going to leave her to her fate? We both know you're too nice for that."

Anne was the one who spoke. She had an all-too-obvious frown on her face.

"Look. I just think—"

"She's not a bad guy? Do you even know what necromancy is? It's the darkest of dark magic. A necromancer will gleefully play with human corpses, turning them into their personal puppets. Imagine seeing your dead loved ones as zombies and ghouls. Do you believe someone who practices something like that can be a good person?"

"But what if… what if she only uses necromancy on bad guys? The king she supposedly killed… he's not a good guy, you know."

I then explained to them my meeting with the princess, and how she told me about her father's terrible deed.

"If I were to be honest, I wouldn't mind if someone like that gets killed. Or turned into a zombie puppet."

I chuckled internally, hearing myself speak like that. I really have changed, haven't I? I don't even mind killing other living beings if I disagree with their actions.

"T-that's horrible!" Amelie clasped her mouth. "How can he do that to his own wife and daughter?"

"Hmph, nobles. Can't trust them." Anne commented.

"To think that you actually had a meeting with a princess… you're more impressive than I thought." Anton grinned, patting my shoulder. "Was she pretty?"

"Yeah, she was," I answered with my own grin (earning a glare from both Anne and Amelie for it).

His grin soon disappeared, however.

"All the more reason why you should not involve yourself with her. Do you think the princess would be happy with her father being murdered like that? No child would ever be happy with their parents dying, no matter how awful they might be."

“That’s…”

He’s right. I don’t know how she feels about all of this. I can’t just assume that she’s alright with it. If it were me, I’d be fine, but she seems to be the gentle type that doesn’t hate her father even after all the bad things he did to her and her mother. “You know what? You’re right. Which is why I’m paying a visit to her place again.” If I don’t know the truth, then why don’t I ask?

Hearing my answer, Anton let out a sigh. “Fine. You do that when we get to the capital. I’ve given up trying to change your mind a long time ago.”

“Hey Hugo, can I come?” Amelie suddenly spoke. She put on her best puppy face, like she always did every time she asked something of people. “I want to meet the princess too! It’s not fair that you’re the only one who gets to see her!”

“Uhh, I don’t know. I was only allowed to meet her because I got a letter of introduction from Flameu. They probably won’t allow anyone else to enter.”

“Then, at the very least, let me accompany you until the front gate! That would be fine, wouldn’t it?”

"No, it wouldn't."

Anton took a few steps forward, giving her a stern glare that seemingly shrunk her on the spot.

"You know they would be in an uproar right now. With the king gone, the next in line to the throne would be the princess. And they would make sure that she remains safe by all costs." He then turned towards me. "And you, as the necromancer's friend, I don't think they would allow you in either. In fact, they might just decide to arrest you for interrogation. Do you still believe it's worth the risk?"

"Yes. I have to know how she feels from her own mouth."

I didn't hesitate. I answered his question in an instant. I had to know more about Flameu—about Felicia. I knew I would regret it forever if I just left without knowing the truth. And I'm done living my life with regrets.

He could only reply with another sigh.

"As I said, it's up to you. But I would suggest you to be careful. Maybe sneak in to talk to her privately, if you could afford it. Whatever you do, do not provoke the soldiers. You don't want to be another nation's fugitive, I assume, after the whole thing in the Magocracy."

"Don't worry." I flashed him a smile. "I won't do anything dumb, I promise."

Heh, he really is worrying like an older brother would.

***

We resumed our journey towards the capital afterward. We only had to go through a few more villages like the one we just left behind until we got to our destination.

The night before we reached the capital, however, I received a particular surprise visit in my bedroom. I had just been to the outdoor privy to take care of business before I went to bed. And when I returned, I was greeted by the sight of Anne and Amelie sitting on my bed, both wearing their nightdresses.

"Uhh… can I help you with something?" Wait, don't tell me that they're here to force me to do that with them! This is bad! If it's just one, I might be able to resist, but if it's a threesome...

“D-don’t get the wrong idea! We’re only here to ask you about something!” Anne was the first one to speak as she bolted from my bed, a blush all-too-obvious on her face.

"Y-yeah!" Amelie spoke next, her standing up as well. "It's just… as your friends, we are…"

"Concerned…" Anne spoke again. "...that the necromancer had bewitched you."

...Ah, now I get it.

"Look, you're not going to change my mind. Even though we only worked together for a short time, I liked her and I don't believe she's a bad person."

"It's because she's pretty, isn't she? You like the mature, older woman type, unlike us who are just a few years older than you." Anne pouted as she crossed her arms.

"That’s unfair!" It was now Amelie's turn to yell. "I thought you said you already have that Sherry girl but now you're wooing another woman? If you don't think I'm good enough for you, then just say it! I know I'm nowhere near as smart as you! And even though you're younger, you are more mature as well! Of course you would only want girls who are on your level!" She yelled, her eyes turned watery in the process.

Oh great. It seemed I had to correct their wild delusions before our conversation could progress further.

"I don't know what rumors you guys have been hearing, but I assure you, she had done nothing of the sort. Back then, you saw us leaving to cure Leila and her village. That was her name by the way—the little girl I found on the streets. Unlike you guys, she was willing to risk her life going up against a dragon just to save a stranger she didn't know. Don't you think a person like that deserves some praise?"

I still remember—how they attempted to stop me from going with her. I know they did it because they cared, but I didn't like how Anton told me that she wasn't my problem. He might be right but I'll hate myself if I just leave a child to die.

"...I see. You are right. Now I understand." Anne was the first to answer with a noticeably bitter smile. "Does your Sherry act like her too?"

"Well, not exactly. Her personality is far removed from Flameu's. She's honest to a fault and always headstrong in her beliefs. She might think that's a bad thing but I believe it's her most admirable trait. Hell, I'm even jealous of her. I'm not as strong minded as she is. I'll cower and run if things get bad. But she won't. She'll face her problems head-on. I admire that from her."

The two girls exchanged looks with each other. Amelie looked like she was about to cry (even more than before) while Anne's smile grew even more bitter.

"Aahh, we can't win, can we?" The latter sighed, shaking her head. "When a guy speaks of a girl with that stupid, goofy grin on his face, you know he's completely smitten by her."

Eh? A goofy grin? Did I really— Oh, I guess I did. I didn't even notice!

"You know, we both have talked about it, how we both fell for the same hopeless guy.” She smirked in my direction. “We even considered sharing. But now, we really know we’re just not good enough for him."

Wait, sharing?

"Aahh, there goes my dream of having a cool husband like you." Amelie put her hands behind her head. "Then again, Papa wouldn't approve someone who's a fugitive assassin." She then proceeded to force a smile, no doubt to comfort herself.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you two will find good husbands in the future. If I hadn't already had Sherry, I might actually consider choosing you two. You two are good girls. Any guys who have either of you would be a lucky man."

I gave the two my brightest smile. Inside however, I was cursing myself.

Urgh, I hate this.

For once, I actually got girls to like me. Yet I can't return their affections.

It's different than with Fiora, where I'm still suspecting she's only interested in me as someone who can help her gain the throne. These two are genuine in their feelings.

But of course, Sherry won't like it. She's definitely not the sharing type. I don't understand how a girl would be willing to share, really. I certainly will never like it if my girlfriend sees another man.

"Maybe we will." Anne huffed. "Maybe one day, when we meet again, we'll show you our lovers, and then you'll cry yourself to sleep, regretting for the rest of your life that you don't accept our offer today."

As usual, she acted tough to hide her weakness. The Anne she showed when she was drunk—that was her real self.

I'm sorry. For not being able to be the one to cure your loneliness.

"Yeah!" Amelie followed. "We actually wanted to sleep with you tonight! But I guess that's not going to happen…" She sighed.

W-wait, seriously?

"Sorry, Hugo, but you just have to wait to do it with your precious Sherry.”

Anne now had a triumphant smile on her face, knowing that a pervert like me had just accidentally turned down an offer to have a threesome.

...Yeah, she wins this one for sure.

The two then left the room after biding me goodnight. There were no tears in their eyes. It seemed they really had wholly accepted the fact that they couldn’t get me to be their lovers. Ironically, now that they had a common similarity, that is, being rejected by me, they had become much better friends than before.

All’s well that ends well, I suppose.

I thought they might end up forcing me down and just have their way with me there, but they’re more mature than I expected. Or maybe that’s just my overactive imagination. I’ve read too many doujins with that premise.

I threw my back on the bed.

Don’t worry, Sherry. My virginity is still yours for the taking!

Even so, that night, I ended up having a lewd dream involving the two.

Thankfully, dreams weren’t the real world, so they didn’t count.

***

The next day, around mid-afternoon, we finally arrived at Misfon.

And immediately, we could tell that something major had occurred.

The atmosphere was heavy, and the streets were filled with soldiers patrolling back and forth, replacing the citizens that used to be there when I first visited the place.

The gate guards interrogated us heavily before we were allowed to enter. We were asked our names, our occupations, where we came from, how long we would stay, and all that stuff you would only find when you were filling out a visa form to visit another country.

Thankfully, in the end, the soldiers cleared us to enter. They didn’t realize my identity—the Dragonslayer who had worked with the court mage turned necromancer.

Yeah, I’m not sure if I can visit the princess in this state.

Would she even be in her mansion? Or would she be in the castle right now? She might just move there since she had to fill her father’s role in his absence—not to mention the whole thing with security and what not.

“Oh, one more thing.” One of the soldiers suddenly stopped us just before we were about to enter. “Since you’re B-ranked adventurers, you might want to participate in the subjugation force for the necromancer. You should be able to make it if you hurry to the castle. The higher-ups will pay you handsomely for it, I heard.”

He had told us about the situation with the king, and just like that man told us a few days ago, they were recruiting high-rank adventurers for their fight against Flameu.

This means she must be cornered somewhere she can’t run away from. And they can take their time gathering their forces to crush her. If she’s a competent necromancer in any ways, she would have an army of the dead to combat their troops. That’s what a necromancer does, after all.

But if she’s not an evil necromancer, then she won’t have that kind of army, would she? She wouldn’t be going on a killing spree to gather corpse soldiers. Or maybe she can replace that army with dead monsters instead? I don’t know how necromancy in this world works so I could only guess whether it would be possible or not.

I don’t think I can ask these guys. They would only give strategic information like that to people who actually participated in the operation.

Once we entered,  we had our lunch and booked our inn. And after that...

It was time for me to visit the princess.