"Look, I'll be direct. Whether you like me or not, I have no intention of starting a relationship with you beyond what I proposed before. If you don't want that, that's fine. Let's carry on as usual and behave as if we were strangers."

Yes, things may sound dry, but there will be no misunderstandings. Lily once told me something that I made sure to never forget.

["Having sex without a loving bond is fine, but pretending to have a loving bond in order to have sex is miserable. I would be really disappointed if you did something like that, sweetheart."]

Her words were right, and I can do many things, but disappointing her and the rest is out of the question.

"B-but..."

"And if by any chance you think you owe me something, or that I did it because I have some kind of taste for you, you're wrong. I purified you because your smell was killing me. And again, I helped you with your other problem simply because you look a little like my friend."

"..."

"I hate misunderstandings and cliché scenarios, so it's better if that 'I don't know' stays that way, or you clarify it in a way other than love. Are we clear?"

"Y-yes."

"Well...Now, the carnal relationship is another matter. You know, I thought about it, and it'll probably be hard for you to find a good art that uses poisonous mana and improves your vita–constitution. How about this? Your body in exchange for an art that has what you need."

"..."

Yes, I told her I had to practice a poisonous art specialized in vitality, but that was all. I didn't give her anything. There's really no reason for me to do so.

Poison isn't a very developed element on this continent, and in fact, on the magic side, it's trash, with nothing but basic spells.

And now that I think about it, maybe that's part of why she's so bad at fighting. I only see her throwing basic poison balls and spears all the time.

The arts are even worse than magic, perhaps there are few, and it would be lucky if that art is based on vitality.

She could learn another from another element, since the arts don't need affinity; they themselves produce elemental mana when circulated, and having affinity is just a bonus.

But she's so tied to poison that probably no art of another element would help her much, and even with the imbalance in her body, it could be adverse.

So I thought I'd make things easier for her by giving her one of the ones in Willian's legacy, which I think is reasonable.

'Wait... it's reasonable, right?'

"Hmm, hey, between you and me... this proposal is reasonable, right? I mean, you depends on this so that the pain doesn't come back. I'm not taking advantage or anything, right? I really don't want punishment from my harem later."

"..."

"You know, there's one who's especially sadistic and beats me up for any little thing. Like going into the girls' bathroom and appreciating female beauty in its natural state, with great appreciation and detail. I don't understand what's wrong with that."

"..."

"Hey, say something. Why are you always so quiet? Isn't she the irrational one? I mean, it's a shared bathroom, I have to bathe, and I'm just looking. She's the weird one, right?"

"Y-yes."

"Right? You know, I thought about it before, but you have good judgment. Oh, let's not get sidetracked. So what I proposed to you is reasonable too, right? What do you think about it? Your body for a art: a carnal relationship of pure pleasure. When this expedition is over, we'll go back to being strangers."

"I-... I'll think about it."

"Oh! Really? You know, if it helps you decide, you can keep your hair long. I thought about it, and since it will be dark, it doesn't matter if you have it; I hardly noticed it before."

"...Does it bother you to see my face?"

"Huh? Nah, you're actually very pretty, and that's why I'm telling you to cut it. That way I'll get more excited. In fact, one of my girlfriends has vertical pupils, and I really like them. Your fangs and moles also give you a unique touch. Your dark circles too, but I see they're gone. Didn't you sleep well before?"

"..."

"Hmm... actually, if you groomed yourself enough, you'd be a real beauty who would attract many. I really don't understand the need to hide your appearance... oh."

Come to think of it, I do it too, but mine is legitimate. I have to be careful with that sexual predator named William; it's a necessity.

But I guess she, like Silvia, does it just because of her personality. Although she's even worse than Silvia in that regard.

"Anyway, I hope for a positive answer. If possible, before nightfall. I'm really at my limit, not to mention that in the morning... ugh. Well, just remember everything I told you when you think about it, and don't get distracted if the wolves don't attack."

..

.

"I-I-I-I-I..."

"What's wrong with you now? Why do you sound like a broken tape recorder?"

"I-I-Ugk!"

"Did you bite your tongue again?"

Really, when I think about it, he's at least three times more frustrating than Silvia. He has such a hard time speaking that it stops being understandable and becomes annoying.

Anyway, she probably came to reject my proposal. When I thought about it more calmly, I realized that it was wrong to trade art for sex. I'm really not thinking straight lately.

Besides, with her personality—worse than Silvia's—I doubt she would do something like that. As shy as she is, even if she really liked me, she would probably never make the first move.

I literally push Silvia sometimes, but she's hopeless. I don't want to imagine how difficult this woman will be.

And I can't even imagine her getting involved in a purely physical relationship with no commitment. In all likelihood, she's a virgin in her late twenties, like Princess Celestine.

"I-I-I..."

"Stop it! Seriously, if you're going to refuse, just nod."

"..."

"Huh? Why aren't you nodding? Didn't you understand what I said? If you're going to refuse, just nod, it'll be easier for you."

"...I-I... huuhh... haaahh~, I... I accept your proposal... I give you m-m-my bo-bo-bo... uek!...dy."

"What!"

"Hiii, I'm sorry!"

"No, I didn't mean to scare you... I was just really surprised. I thought you would refuse. You know, I thought about it and felt bad for proposing that to you. I was even thinking of giving you the art without any strings attached."

"..."

"Ahem... but since you accepted, I don't have to think about anything anymore. Okay, when we're done, I'll give you the art in exchange. You're okay with that, right?"

"...Yes."

"Yes! we—"

"David, Ophelia, your role for tonight."

"Oh, wait here, let me see..."

Well, that was very good news. After all, she wasn't Silvia. They just looked alike. It seems Ophelia isn't as indecisive as she appears.

I went to where the guy who called me was. It's an everyday thing: we were assigned roles for surveillance, but since there were so many of us, it would only be for an hour, along with other groups positioned at different points in the camp, in case the beasts or chimera wolves came.

The guy always stands more than ten meters away and calls me. We've actually been at it for more than a day, but no one comes close enough to know that Ophelia no longer emits that stinky smell.

"Here's the time and your position."

"...Okay."

I took it and read it, and luckily it was the second hour, which meant that once I finished, I had the rest of the night off, which was great.

"Hey... hmm, are you okay?"

"?"

"You know, our leaders know about the problem with Ophelia, so they thought about changing partners if they show signs of madness."

"...I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You can even fake it, I'll be your witness. I really don't understand how you've put up with it until now."

'This guy is a busybody.'

Really, he would have been my guardian angel if this were in the early days or if I hadn't been able to purify her, but right now the last thing I wanted was to be separated from her.

'Let's see... I don't think anyone cares enough about this guy, let's try that.'

"...Honestly... I really don't smell anything bad."

"What?"

"Well, I had never gotten close to her because of the rumors... but now that I'm close, I don't feel like it's a big deal. It smells like grass."

"Huh?..."

"Yeah... I really don't understand. It was the same thing a while ago: when I found an Calyphora flower, I heard it was stinky, but it smelled really good."

"An Calyphora flower? Damn! Is your nose broken or something?"

"...I don't think so, I have a good sense of smell, I can smell the beans from dinner."

"....ah! I think I know what's going on. You're one of those people who smells things differently. I once knew someone who always complained that cilantro smelled and tasted like soap, although your case seems extreme."

"...Really? There was something like that? So perfume made with the Calyphora flower isn't a good idea."

"Yuck! That's disgusting. For your own sake, don't even think about doing that... whatever. I have to keep assigning roles. If you don't have a problem with that stinky ball, all the better, you seem like the ideal partner."

"...Yes."

Good, the guy didn't suspect anything. Now I could return to Ophelia with a light heart, finally getting rid of my frustrations from the last few days.

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