I set True Hero and Pervert as my jobs. If I was going to make it through this next ordeal, I would need both.
“M-mother, is it really alright if he does this?” Celeste asked worriedly. “Should we leave?”
“Of course, we shouldn’t, daughter. You should enjoy the show. This is a prime learning opportunity. You can watch your lover from another angle. You can learn a lot about your man, and his tastes, based on how he interacts with different women in bed!”
“R-really? Ah! You’re right! When he’s with Miki, he’s much rougher and acts a little mean! And when he’s with Lydia, his eyes are really big and looks slightly afraid.”
“Hey!” Lydia cried out. “He-he’s not afraid!”
“Ah… even if you say that…” Miki blushed.
“Oh! Oh! What’s he like with me?” Shao asked excitedly.
I decided to ignore their conversation. I really would need to give Astria a talking to before she filled my girl’s heads full of weird notions. Now I had to deal with a critiquing audience while doing this! Ah, well, it’s not like I hadn’t enjoyed the girls in front of each other before. With a breath, I took a step forward into the barrier. Shao had already thankfully fetched her spectral dagger, so I wouldn’t have to worry about a double-cross.
Still, with the beautiful Queen lying there in her bed, staring at me predatorily, it felt a bit like going into a lion’s den. Well, I experienced the same every time I entered Lydia’s room, so this was fine.
“See! That’s what he looks like whenever he’s with Lydia!”
I ignored the conversation behind me even harder. I had to focus here. Although I joked about True Pervert and such, I had no such dreams. The real reason I was here was that I didn’t want to see the Queen of Aberis fall to such an ugly fate. She was a hero, and she didn’t deserve such a death, especially for a louse of a King like Edward. I also owed Prince Aberis much, and I wanted to repay him by bringing her back. Of course, I also hoped going above and beyond the call of duty might lend me a little bit more support. If I had control of the Queen, let’s see the Prince refuse to send me more troops!
Ahem… but the main reason I was doing it was that I wasn’t the kind of guy who liked sad endings. That was a part of me, perhaps only Shao knew. The reason I could dive down these dungeons and put my life on the line wasn’t that I loved treasure, or that I was a thrill-seeker. Those were part of it, but the primary reason was that I wanted to see the end of the story. I wanted to turn tragedy into something happy. I had hoped I had done that with every girl traveling with me, and I hoped I could do it with every dungeon I entered.
That was my great secret—the difference between a True Dungeon Diver, and a normal Dungeon Diver. I invested myself in the lives of those involved in the curse. I wanted to make a difference. Now, I had to man up and taste the Queen of Aberis. Our lips finally met, and the pair of us fell down to the bed. It was going to be a long night.