Honestly, I thought my mindset had become too ''game-focused'' because this world was a virtual reality game.
Even if this was a game world, the people living and breathing here didn''t move in simplistic ways - they lived like real humans, for better or worse.
From a gaming perspective, an assassination event targeting the hero party right after killing a Four Heavenly King made perfect sense, but logically, who would try to assassinate the holy sword''s owner - not the hero, Grand Duchess, or Duke - through seduction in the northern ducal mansion?
And the price for that misjudgment was my extreme embarrassment.
''Ah fuck... should''ve put clothes on first.''
Not wanting to arouse suspicion from potential assassins outside, I''d burst out of the tub dripping wet without bothering to dress, as if planning to embrace the maid.
Thanks to that, the maid''s face turned bright red, having been forced to intrude on the holy sword owner''s privacy while escorting His Grace. My perfect muscular body, which would inspire narcissism in any mirror, glistened with bath oils with just a towel wrapped around it.
Of course, one maid didn''t matter, and I didn''t care about showing my body to the Duke... but Han Se-ah ghostly attaching her camera was the problem.
''She must have put the camera on the Duke after seeing him move, claiming she wouldn''t show the bath scene. ...Alright, I''ll find an excuse to hit her a few times.''
If the butt-arrow gif got hundreds of thousands of views instantly, how far would a gif of me jumping out in just a towel spread across the vast internet? That terrifying thought made my head spin and my middle finger itch to discipline Han Se-ah''s skull.
"That will do. You may go."
"Ah, y-yes!"
The maid who''d frozen like a statue between the half-naked holy sword owner covered in bath oils in front and the Kingdom''s Grand Duke and her eternal employer behind fled at full speed.
As I stared blankly at the Duke, not comprehending the situation, the northern Duke cleared his throat and addressed me. The silver-haired, blue-eyed man standing 2m tall with a bear-like build and scarred body still had an overwhelming presence.
When I''d seen him in his fur coat before, I thought he was a bear that jumped out of the forest, but seeing him in casual clothes at the mansion, he looked like a bear that had shed its winter coat.
"Since this may be a long talk, perhaps you should get dressed?"
"Ah, yes... good idea."
At his noble way of pretending not to notice this disgrace, I rushed back into the bathroom to dry off. I''d just been soaking in fragrant bath water watching a movie rather than properly bathing with soap and scrubbing, so I only needed to dry off.
Letting my hair dry naturally, I quickly toweled off and threw on a shirt and shorts before heading out to find Arthur Wesley still guarding the door.
His face looked bearish as always, and he naturally placed his hand on my shoulder with a sudden grin. His eyes held the gaze of a daughter''s friend, or perhaps an approved future son-in-law his daughter brought home, rather than the relationship between the Kingdom''s only Grand Duke and holy sword owner.
''Katie wouldn''t have said anything... is he testing me?''
Arthur Wesley had been intense from our first meeting. If I remembered right, he''d whined from the start about both his daughters fighting against inheriting the duke position. r?A?O??B??
Back then, he''d tried taking Katie back north, running useless happy circuits wondering if she might lack adventuring talent - but I''d cleanly cut that off. Couldn''t lose a natural 4★ DPS for such a ridiculous reason.
At this point, there seemed no point in backing away, so I spoke directly too.
"I like her."
"Don''t dodge, tell me like a man, hm?"
I like her.
Game world or not, this was the land where I''d lived, laughed and cried for 11 years. I had no intention of playing philosopher, backing away calling them NPCs and agonizing over what was "real."
If clearing floor 100 might grant a wish, I''d take everyone with me. Rather than a weak modern 21st century mentality, it was better to think with the guts of Roland, 11-year adventuring veteran. I hadn''t built a harem party by touching women without having such resolve anyway.
When I answered without a hint of hesitation at that thought, Arthur Wesley''s eyes went wide instead. Had he not expected me to actually answer directly after demanding I not dodge?
"Ah, um. Well... my daughter is pretty."
"As a companion, swordswoman, and lady, she''s flawless."
"Of course she is, she''s my daughter."
As I openly praised his daughter riding that momentum, Arthur Wesley''s eyes spun. True to his bear-like appearance, he seemed to lack political quick-thinking skills for unexpected situations, simply nodding in approval.
He must have completely forgotten his prepared plans in his rush to agree with the sudden daughter praise. He poured straight alcohol into his empty teacup without any tea and chugged it several times before busily praising Katie''s childhood.
This delighted Han Se-ah who''d kept her camera on us and the viewers watching through her.
"Wow, I thought he was daughter-obsessed before, but this is beyond imagination?"
-Didn''t he come from the north to the central royal forest looking for his daughter before?
-Yeah he dodged his escort knights to see Katie and got scolded hard by his eldest lololol
-Northern Duke drinking soju from a princess tea set while bragging about his daughter what is this lololol
-But damn Teacher Roland''s got no chill just straight up saying "I like her"
-Natural born alpha male OMG no wonder he got chosen by the holy sword and built a harem party lololololol
How could you not laugh seeing a scarred muscular thug delicately holding dainty tea time items completely unsuited to his huge frame, using them to sip hard liquor while bragging about his daughter?
A frilly room, two muscular men, cute tea time accessories, northern liquor poured instead of tea, daughter praise suddenly starting in a serious atmosphere--
The camera perfectly captured this indescribably surreal scene.
Enjoy the chappy!