The Greatsword Is Not My Main Body!

"The reward for the subjugation will be delivered to the inn you mentioned here."

"Yes, thank you."

As I continued to hiccup and struggled to compose myself, Rubia took over the conversation on my behalf.

Still holding me tightly in her arms...

Once my head cleared up a bit, I started to feel incredibly embarrassed.

It didn't seem like she had any intention of letting me go, though.

She'd just told me to stay away earlier.

But now, why is she acting like this?

"What are your plans moving forward?"

"For now… we're planning to rest for the next three days. I'm a bit… exhausted."

Rebuje nodded as she organized the stack of documents in front of her.

"I see. This city is a rather decent place to take a break… It shouldn't be too bad."

Just as she stood to leave the office,

"Oh… And this is more of a personal question, but… do you by any chance know someone named Yuria?"

Rubia's question stopped Rebuje in her tracks.

"Yuria… Are you referring to the adventurer Yuria?"

"Yes."

Rebuje turned to face us.

"I do know her, but… why do you ask?"

A peculiar expression.

It seemed like she knew something.

"I came with her disciple. Someone named Hephaestus."

A subtle frown crossed Rebuje's face.

It was such a tiny change that only I, with my heightened senses, could notice it.

"Yuria left this city ten days ago. She said she was heading for Karahan."

"Would you happen to know why she went there?"

"Hmm… Normally, I wouldn't be able to share that information, but I'll tell you."

Rebuje took her time choosing her words before slowly speaking.

"She went to Karahan in pursuit of Master 'Shirin'."

Shirin?

Was there a Master named Shirin among the NPCs?

Even if I wasn't familiar with all the storylines, I should've remembered the Masters.

"A Master?"

"Yes. She recently became the tenth Master."

Her expression was hiding something.

It was another extremely subtle shift, but I could feel it.

Rubia didn't seem to have noticed it yet.

I should probably tell her later…

"I see… Understood. Thank you."

"You're welcome. If you ever need assistance, please feel free to call on me."

With those parting words, Rebuje left the office.

Her footsteps echoed down the hallway.

They sounded oddly hurried.

"A Master… That Shirin person must be incredibly strong, right?"

I recalled the Masters I'd encountered in the game.

The very first Master I met…

I can't remember the name, but they wore black armor and wielded a heavily worn sword.

They had an overwhelming sense of pride.

Eventually, they fell into corruption for some reason, and the player had to face them.

But… I never managed to win against them.

They weren't designed to be defeated in the first place.

No matter how much you powered up your character, it was impossible.

No amount of grinding stats or improving gear ever worked.

I thought I was pretty skilled at the game, but…

No, they were just designed to be unbeatable.

Anyway, when Rubia asked her question, my answer was:

"They're… insanely strong."

They were in a league of their own. It's like their genre was entirely different.

You'd see a 'munchkin' tag just from looking at them.

"If you're saying that, Noah, they must be amazing."

"Yeah… unbelievably strong."

"I see… But did you actually see them? Or…"

Rubia's expression suddenly turned sharp.

The arms holding me tightened.

"Or is it something that this 'Master' of yours told you?"

Master…?

Oh, right. I had jokingly referred to the game as my master before.

But why does Rubia look so angry…?

"Uh… W-Well… in person? N-No… um… I've seen them…"

"Where?"

"...Uh, um… where was it… I'm bad with maps, so… hehe."

Rubia let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

"Fine. Got it. Well then, shall we head out too?"

"Y-Yeah, sure."

I quickly rubbed my eyes and slipped out of Rubia's arms.

"Hehe… Noah, your face is a mess. Should we wash up before heading out?"

Rubia pointed to the sink in one corner of the office.

"Is it… that bad…?"

"Yes. You're a tear streaked mess. Hehe…"

"Ugh… Then let me just… wash my face…"

I don't think I was even crying that much…

Slowly, I walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet.

As the water gushed out, I reached out with one hand to wash my face.

"Noah, here. Blow your nose!"

Rubia's hand suddenly appeared right in front of my face.

"Huh…? Blow my nose…?"

"Yes, you need to clear it out."

"Into your hand…?"

Rubia nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"That's… gross…"

"I'll just wash it off."

"Still…!"

"It's fine. Hurry—blow!"

Judging by her expression, she wasn't teasing me.

"R-Really…?"

"Yes."

"R-Really doing this…?"

She nodded again.

"N-No, never mind… I'll just do it myself… You go over there, Rubia. It's embarrassing."

Honestly, I almost did it instinctively just now.

But I held myself back.

It's way too embarrassing.

How could I blow my nose into someone else's hand?!

I lightly tapped Rubia and turned away.

Then, feeling utterly mortified, I tried to make as little noise as possible as I sniffled quietly.

After repeating the process a few times, I felt slightly better.

"Haaah…"

But… not completely.

Just as I turned my back completely, ensuring Rubia couldn't see me, and prepared to blow my nose again—

"Take this!"

"Huuuh—Waaahh!"

Rubia's wicked hands crept up behind me…

And started tickling me mercilessly.

"Ahh… H-Hey! S-Stop…! W-Wait, hahh!"

"No way! Noah, you're being so sneaky, I can't let you off!"

"W-When did I… H-Hey! When did I… lie…?! Hnnngh!"

Her hands, which had been attacking my sides, slid up along my back, invading my underarms and neck.

But… but!

I couldn't fight back because one of my hands still had… you know, snot on it…

"H-Hnnngh! H-Stop… stop it! Waaahh—!"

I twisted and writhed, trying to escape from Rubia's clutches, but the more I struggled, the more she clung to me.

Eventually, our bodies were completely pressed together.

"Haa… H-Hnnngh… W-Wait, wait! I-I have to go to the bathroom! Ahh!"

Just then, the door creaked open with a click.

"Oh, by the way, about dinner—"

Rebuje walked in, only to stop mid-sentence, staring at us blankly.

"Oh my…"

Rubia, startled, quickly let go of me.

"Hahh… huff… I almost… I almost…!"

Freed from Rubia's grip, I flopped down onto the floor with a loud thud.

"Um… ahem… sorry to interrupt… I'll leave now…"

Rebuje quickly excused herself and shut the door behind her.

The silence that filled the room afterward was suffocating, broken only by the sound of my ragged breathing.

* * * *

"N-Noah… I'm so sorry."

"It's fine… Just stay away from me…"

"How about we… have some jelly?"

"I don't want any."

As Rubia crept closer to me, I retreated to the far edge of the bed.

"Just… stay right there."

"Uh… okay…"

I had purposely avoided looking at her face to stop myself from feeling sorry for her.

But her voice sounded so small and pitiful just now…

I couldn't help but glance at her.

She looked like a kitten that had been abandoned on the street…

I had planned to stay mad and not say anything for a while, but…

Damn it. One look at her face, and my resolve wavered.

I shouldn't have looked.

"I told you… I told you I needed to go to the bathroom."

"I know…"

"And when did I ever lie, huh?"

"… I'm sorry…"

"What if… what if I had seriously made a mistake, huh? What then?"

"I'm really sorry…"

"And Rebuje saw us! What do you think she's going to think now, huh?!"

The more I talked, the more frustrated I became, and I started pounding the bed with my fists.

"This time, Rubia, you're completely at fault! You're 100% in the wrong! I'm not letting this go so easily!"

With that, I turned my back on her again, dramatically flipping myself around.

I was fuming.

"Uh… unnie? So, what are we doing about dinner—"

Hephaestus, who had been anxiously fidgeting behind us, finally spoke up.

"I-I'm not eating. Go have dinner with Rubia."

Rubia quietly swallowed, her face wearing an utterly devastated expression.

I wasn't going to let it slide this time.

Even before, I told her not to tickle me, didn't I? And yet, she did it all day.

And now… even when I said I needed to go to the bathroom, she didn't stop.

She embarrassed me in front of someone else, showed them a ridiculous side of me—

And even my underwear… They must have seen everything!

On top of that, there's the weird misunderstanding that could come out of this!

I'm so angry I could explode.

"Noah… are you really not coming?"

"Nope."

"We're going to eat dinner and have lots of dessert afterward. You really don't want to come?"

"…I-I'm not going…"

I ignored my growling stomach and waved my hand dismissively.

"Huh…"

Rubia looked utterly stunned by my response.

But I had to stick to my guns this time.

"Just go already…"

I hugged my greatsword and flopped onto the bed.

"I'm going to sleep…"

I pulled the blanket over my head and curled up tightly into a ball.

A few moments later, I heard their footsteps receding, followed by the sound of the door opening.

They seemed to be whispering something on their way out, but with the blanket over my head, I couldn't make it out.

Click!

The door closed.

After counting to ten in my head, I expanded my senses slightly.

Yep, they definitely went downstairs.

Finally, I threw the blanket off and sat up.

Then, I scanned the room thoroughly.

The snacks we bought earlier… there should be jelly and sugar-coated raspberries somewhere.

"Ah…!"

I spotted the bag in a corner of the room and dashed over to it.

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of sugar shifting inside the bag reached my ears as I shook it.

"Hehe…"

The smell was perfect.

I couldn't see the colors in the dim room, but the shapes felt right.

And the texture?

"Oh… it's so soft and squishy."

Perfect!

I popped one into my mouth immediately and began chewing.

The first taste was sweet from the sugar coating, followed by the tangy flavor of raspberries.

"It's… delicious…"

It was incredible!

The texture was so much better than the jelly I had back in Roholan.

Softer, springier…

I could eat this for the rest of my life.

Before the jelly could lose its heavenly texture, I quickly swallowed it.

This time, I grabbed a handful and stuffed them into my mouth all at once.

"Nom, nom—!"

The jelly completely filled the emptiness that my anger had left behind.

It was just too good. Pure happiness.

The sweetness seemed to wash away all my gloom.

Even though there was so much of it in my mouth that it was hard to chew, I diligently kept at it.

That's when I suddenly remembered—there was something I was supposed to tell Rubia.

Rebuje had looked like she knew something about Yuria…

But I'd been so mad that I completely forgot to bring it up.

Well… we haven't left the city yet, so I can always tell her tomorrow, right?

Not today, though.

I wasn't going to say another word to Rubia today.

Tonight, I'll sleep in the room next door with Hephaestus.

Rubia can sleep here by herself!