155 – I Told You We’re Not Enemies – 5

As the Grand Quest, which had not been achieved in a perfect form for nearly several decades, ended in a rare, overwhelming victory for the Light Faction, Cor, which had been the center of the Grand Quest, was now welcoming a festive scene everywhere.

No matter how large a city Cor was, there were clearly more people crowded in Cor than its actual population, which was because not only did the citizens of Gratia swarm in to watch the award ceremony personally hosted by the king and to enjoy the festival, but there were also many who had travelled all the way to Cor via teleport gates from far away upon hearing the news that the Grand Quest had been resolved.

After all, on the continent of Leta, the most important thing was might, and the next was information.

As Gi-jun walked along the main street of Cor with Biche, experiencing firsthand the great boom this city was enjoying and realizing once again how big of a deal it was for one of the Dark Factions to be annihilated, Biche offered him further explanation.

“Since a Grand Quest is as good as rewriting the continent’s history books, a major change is bound to follow whether it fails or succeeds. Moreover, such an overwhelming victory is truly rare…”

“Wasn’t it because they were afraid of that that the gods even went as far as to intervene?”

“Indeed. They still failed despite that. Serves them right.”

Biche giggled as she looked around the square where the festival was taking place.

Reading a somewhat wistful emotion on her face, Gi-jun felt an unnecessary sense of urgency and spoke to her.

“If you don’t like it because there are too many people, should we go somewhere else? We could take a teleport gate.”

“No way. As long as I control my Charm well, I can reduce my presence to some extent, so it’s fine. Even if I can’t do it as well as that guy named Eun-shin.”

“I’m sorry, but our Shin-i can’t do something like Charm control.”

Shin-i just didn’t have any Charm to control…!

No, of course, he wasn’t trying to say that Eun-shin wasn’t charming.

It was just that his presence was excessively weak, and even from quest rewards, his Charm did not rise easily.

On the flip side, only his Stealth skill grew rapidly, which created a vicious cycle that lowered his presence even further.

Moreover, one was originally supposed to obtain titles that lowered Charm if they killed a large number of people from the same Light Faction, and Eun-shin, who possessed abilities optimized for assassination, had already acquired every kind of such title since his tutorial days.

Eun-shin had once said self-deprecatingly that at least it was a relief that having low Charm didn’t make one’s face ugly—nonetheless, his presence was steadily shaved away.

And now, he had reached a point where, even if they were in the same space, no one except his party members could easily notice him…!

“Eun-shin… Perhaps that unusual name is also involved in his special growth.”

“What does a name have to do with… No, no. You’re right, names are important.”

“Exactly. The phrase ‘power of words’ isn’t used for nothing. Your name is also very important.”

Biche looked back at Gi-jun and said with a gentle smile.

Seeing that her expression seemed to have brightened, Gi-jun was also relieved.

The power of words. He resolved to repeat exactly what Biche had said if Shin-i complained about his name later, and as he was thinking this, Biche spoke again.

“Anyway, that guy is truly gifted, from his name to his abilities and personality. If it weren’t for you, Eun-shin might have been the only hope. How did someone like you or Eun-shin come out from among those lacking Earthlings?”

“You’ve always highly evaluated Shin-i, yet you greatly underestimate Min-i, who survived with me until the very end.”

“That woman can’t do anything without you. Since she’s incomplete on her own, I have no choice but to give her a harsh evaluation.”

That wasn’t the only reason Biche viewed Ye-min unfavorably, but she could not tell Gi-jun that.

“She can’t do anything without me…?”

“Enough about that.”

Biche, who had denounced Ye-min in a way that could sound incredibly romantic depending on how one heard it, returned to the topic, telling Gi-jun, who was tilting his head as he pondered the meaning of her words, that that was not the important issue.

“Jun, you’re not managing your Charm properly either.”

“Ah—that’s true. Moreover, it seems the effect of my Charm has been further amplified in Gratia since we completed the Grand Quest this time. I need to do something about it.”

Gi-jun also used to hide his legendary-grade Charm by wearing a mask—but now that his masked appearance had become famous, even that was meaningless.

For now, both of them were wearing robes in a hurry, but even in this state, they drew a lot of attention, and a date where they walked around with their faces covered and their heads bowed would not be fun at all.

“So learn it from me now. There’s nothing you can do about having a handsome face, but you can change your aura somehow.”

“What did you just say?”

At Gi-jun’s question, Biche tilted her head and replied nonchalantly.

“Huh? What did I say?”

“Didn’t you just say I was handsome?”

“What nonsense. I think I’ll have to fix your ears too while teaching you how to manage your Charm.”

He was sure he had heard it that way, but Biche flatly denied it and criticized Gi-jun instead.

However, in fact, Gi-jun knew.

He knew that Biche, if nothing else, had liked Gi-jun’s face quite a bit for a long time.

Even, perhaps, from before Gi-jun’s Charm had grown.

It was certain, as Tinkerbell had even teased Biche for having strange taste.

Of course, that was probably not the only reason Biche had cared so much about Gi-jun, but…

“Are you listening?”

“Yes, of course.”

As Biche’s eyes narrowed, Gi-jun stopped his stray thoughts and quickly nodded.

“Basically, the trick is similar to controlling mana. If you take this to the extreme, you can even hide your appearance completely like that Eun-shin guy. However, you are bound to be noticed by an opponent focusing on you, so of course it is hard to use in a one-on-one. Thus, it’s only a useful method when moving around secretly to avoid attention like this.”

“So if it’s at the level where it can be applied to combat, that means it’s already at Shin-i’s level.”

“Exactly. I’ll teach you, so follow along closely.”

The trick to controlling Charm was indeed similar to that of mana.

If he had no talent, he would have struggled, but of course Gi-jun was not like that, and the two were soon able to move while avoiding the gazes of others despite their endlessly suspicious attire.

“Then should we pull down our hoods? And take off these stuffy masks too…”

“Wait a minute, I want to stop by a clothing store.”

Gi-jun examined her for a moment at those words and soon realized something.

“Biche, did you only wear a robe over that tunic since earlier because you didn’t have any clothes to wear?”

“Could you not phrase it so weirdly? I just thought that since I have to buy clothes anyway, it would be nice to hear your opinion, okay?”

“Ah—you’re right, my mistake. Let’s go right away.”

If there were such a thing as a rating score for dates, Gi-jun had just lost a massive number of points at this moment.

Gi-jun realized anew that no matter how comfortable Biche was to be around, she was still a woman all the same.

He was currently on a battlefield.

If he did not make use of whatever little tact he had to respond, he would end up dying a glorious death in this war called a date.

Reflecting on himself honestly, he took Biche and led her to a famous boutique in Cor.

Fortunately, he held in his hand research material on what was famous in Cor.

For reference, this material was completed by combining half of what Unika—who had visited Cor with him before—had researched to visit when she had time, and half of what the loyal Cait Sith Nabinya had researched by running around.

‘Sorry, Unika, Nabinya…!’

Thinking of Unika, who had returned to Turis without even properly enjoying sightseeing because the situation had turned urgent as soon as they arrived in Cor, and Nabinya, who was probably still lying in bed asleep because she had run around researching Cor instead of even properly participating in the party for her master’s date, Gi-jun offered a salute in his heart.

“Welcome, custom—kyaah!”

When Gi-jun and Biche entered the boutique with their masks off, the employee who was welcoming them backed away in astonishment.

Whether they were wearing robes or just shoddy tunics, their bare faces shone too brightly for an ordinary person to handle.

He wondered if she was exaggerating with that ridiculous reaction, but the employee had actually fallen flat on her backside in surprise.

Feeling dumbfounded but helping her up kindly first, Gi-jun said they had come to look at clothes and turned to Biche.

“Biche, what do you want to do? Do you want to choose them yourself?”

“I don’t know much about clothes, so you choose for me.”

“Sorry, to be honest, I don’t know much about women’s clothes either…”

So, thinking that it would be best to try on a few things recommended by the employee and choose, when Gi-jun politely asked the employee—she ran to the staff room, agonizing deeply over whether there were clothes in this boutique that could match their appearances, and ended up calling all the staff for help.

The employees who rushed out in a swarm caused a stir again upon seeing the two, and as Gi-jun was overwhelmed by the sight of them seriously turning the shop upside down to search for date outfits, Biche poked him in the waist from beside him and spoke.

“Jun, do you know that there are too many women around you, considering you always talk as if you’ve never had any luck with women since way back?”

“Since it’s you, I can answer with confidence that today is the first date of my life. The same goes for looking at women’s clothes.”

“Really? For someone like that, you asked me out on a date quite naturally…”

It probably did not show because they had exchanged messages, but how could one describe Biche’s feelings the moment she saw that message?

As Biche narrowed her eyes and pressed him, Gi-jun thought for a moment and finally confessed his inner thoughts honestly.

“Because I wanted to. I went through so much trouble, so I need some reward too.”

“O-oh? Hmm…”

A reward?

Dating her?

Overwhelmed by Gi-jun’s honest confession, Biche ended up keeping her mouth shut tightly.

As the two stayed in the same space for ten years, they had shown affection to each other knowingly or unknowingly, and although there were times when it was quite blatantly obvious, their relationship had never progressed until the moment they fought the final battle.

Of course, they each had their own reasons for that—but the common reason was that they lacked the certainty of whether they could maintain a close relationship in the future.

In the end, as Biche first handed him a Letaphone when he was leaving for Leta, their relationship continued… and now that they had learned each other’s secrets in one way or another, Gi-jun was thinking that maybe it was time to be a little more greedy.

But in fact, Biche was still—.

“Customer, you are already the most beautiful in this world—but I’ve selected a few items that I think might be at a level that won’t ruin that beauty…!”

“Ah—let’s try them all on, Biche.”

At the moment when the atmosphere between the two was about to turn awkward.

At a truly opportune timing, the employees brought out a few selected clothes just for Biche.

Biche, though hesitating, followed the employees to the fitting room, and turned back to Gi-jun halfway to speak.

“As I said earlier, I don’t know clothes. So look at them and choose the pretty one for me.”

“It might be a dress that’s pretty only to me.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Biche replied in a small voice.

“That’s enough.”

“Well, if you say so… alright.”

That was probably Biche’s best answer in her own way.

Since both of them were fundamentally clueless in romance and lacked confidence in odd ways, this exchange was the best they could do.

The employees, who suddenly had to witness the couple’s lovey-dovey behavior firsthand, felt suffocated, but they endured with their innate professionalism and guided Biche.

Of course, not everyone could hold it in.

“If you’re born with that kind of beauty, you’d feel full just by looking at each other’s faces.”

“It’s a perpetual motion machine.”

“Shh.”

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a beauty they were born with, though.

After that, after Biche tried on several clothes, she purchased the black leather dress that Gi-jun had chosen.

Although it was certainly luxurious, it was a bold dress that was a bit short and revealed her lines quite vividly.

It was certainly a dress that not just anyone could pull off, and Biche, who had thought Gi-jun would choose something safe, was dumbfounded even as she obediently changed into it.

But at her gaze, which carried a complex meaning, Gi-jun puffed out his chest and replied confidently.

“To honestly say that the best thing is the best. This is the path of the superhuman that I chose.”

“I’m sorry, but that was something I didn’t want to hear right now. Still… pfft.”

“When else would I get to wear clothes like this?” Biche said, finally bursting into laughter.

Gi-jun thought that the Demon King-exclusive attire she had worn during the tutorial was by no means inferior to the dress they had just bought—but he was worried that she might not wear it again if he said this, so he decided to keep his mouth shut.

For the record, after leaving the boutique, Biche said she could not walk around in this state in front of others and ended up hiding her clothes with her robe again.