Chapter 56

“However, the ‘Black Mourning Brigade,’ huh? A bunch of monsters hiding among humans and scheming in the shadows… that’s troublesome.”

As I walked through the city, I thought to myself, “Seems like there’s a lot going on beneath the surface.”

“A while back, there was that incident where some mafia guys were given the cursed poison of an evil dragon by some ‘merchant.’ That might be connected too.”

Snatching poison from the most fearsome of the evil dragon species would be no easy feat.

Could there really be a merchant around here capable of getting their hands on something like that?

But—

“If that merchant is actually an evil dragon or one of its kin, then it wouldn’t be that hard to acquire.”

That would make sense.

By keeping the lord Burae alive but incapacitated and letting the mafia take control of the city, they could disrupt the public order and indirectly cause a lot of human suffering.

It’s a way to weaken humanity without getting their own hands dirty.

“Looks like I need to take this seriously. Alright, first I’ll track down the locations of the Seven Grand Masters.”

The seven individuals who are the cornerstone of humanity’s prosperity. Rumor has it they’ve now become targets of the ‘Black Mourning Brigade.’

To track down their current whereabouts, I decided to head to the Adventurer’s Guild.

◆　◇　◆

“Whoa, it’s Jade!”
“Hide the women and children! This guy will even go after crazy chicks if they look good!”
“J-j-j-j-Jade-san is totally insane! Chiss chiss!”

“What’s with this treatment?”

…The adventurers around me seem absolutely terrified.

Did I do something?

“Yooo, Jade!”
“Greetings, good sir!”

As I stood there bewildered, two beautiful figures approached me.

One was Lua, a mischievous pretty-boy type, and the other was Shirokusa, a handsome black-haired swordsman.

At first glance, these two look like beautiful young boys or girls, but they’re grown men… seriously.

“Hey, you guys. What’s up with all the weird attention I’m getting?”

“Huh? You seriously don’t know? Are you trying to rub it in, huh?”
“I’ve heard all about Jade-dono’s amazing feats, you sly dog!”

Both of them started elbowing me. So annoying.

“Come on, come on, Jade-san, sit down, sit down!”

They made me sit down. What is this treatment?

“No, seriously, what’s going on…?”

“Of course you’re getting attention! You managed to make her your girlfriend—Saint Anemone!”

“Wh-wh-wh-wh-WHAT!?”

No, no, no, no! What the hell are you talking about, Lua!?

“I mean, it’s about time, isn’t it? You’ve been charming all sorts of beautiful, yet odd, women for ages!”

I haven’t charmed anyone!

“Hehe, to think you captured the heart of that infamous, lolicon High Saint. She’s dangerous—turns every guy who gets close into a little girl.”

“You’re so brave I can’t even feel jealous!”
“I’m impressed!”

Wait, wait, wait! What are you even talking about!?

“Hold on, you guys, this is a huge misunderstanding!”

“Don’t try to hide it. Apparently, a ton of people saw you calming down Anemone right in front of the theater, making her all lovey-dovey.”

“I did calm her down, but I didn’t make her lovey-dovey!”
“I heard rumors about you being naked and getting handed some, uh, questionable fluids?”

“Damn it, that part’s true, unfortunately!”

Those two things I can’t deny!

“Ahhh, Lua is so sad. My single buddy Jade is the first to reach the finish line, huh?”

“No, no, Lua-dono. Rumor has it this man is also living with his busty, lolita, stepsister. Plus, he’s got several other women after him. This might turn into a fierce competition.”

“Whoa, a wife war, huh? The women Jade attracts are always strong and crazy. This could get bloody…”

Stop saying whatever you want!

“Listen up, you idiots. This is all a misunderstanding. Aside from my pink-haired roommate, I’ve got nothing going on with Anemone.”

“—Oh my, oh my. Did I hear someone talking about me?”

And then it happened. Out of nowhere, Saint Anemone appeared, sitting on my lap.

Straddling me. Naked.

“Whaaaaat?! Jade’s starting missionary with the crazy saint out of nowhere! That’s insane!”
“That’s not what’s happening!”

She just appeared like this!

“Hey, Anemone, what are you doing!?”

“Hehehe, I just wanted to feel your warmth, Jade-san.”

“S-she’s his loving girlfriend!”

She’s not!

“Ahh, so warm… the feel of human skin and flesh… When I touch Jade-san, I can actually feel something.”

“Oh yeah, I remember you mentioning something like that—how you can barely feel anything.”

I don’t know all the details, but that makes sense.

Inside me swirls the ‘All-Consuming Flame,’ a power capable of burning anything, even touching souls. Because of that, even if someone’s physical nerves are dead, they can still feel sensations through their soul.

“If only Jade-san were a little girl, Anemone would marry him for sure.”

“Too bad for you.”

I’ll keep quiet about the fact that I could transform. No way I’m letting myself get roped into a marriage with a lolicon.

“So, can I come to you whenever I feel lonely?”

“Honestly, I’d rather you didn’t…”

…But still, living in a world where you feel nothing must be tough.

You can’t feel warmth. You can’t feel softness. Maybe you can’t even taste food. If that’s your life, it must feel like you’re losing the sense of being alive.

Maybe that’s why she almost went berserk. Losing touch with other people’s pain and reality, her mind must’ve reached its breaking point.

In that case—

“…Alright. If it’s me, you can come whenever you need to feel something. But no more climbing all over me naked.”

“Is it because… you don’t like me?”

“No.”

I activated the Skill ≪Storage Space: Item Box≫ and pulled out a shirt, draping it over her naked body.

“It’s because, you know, you’re a girl. You should take better care of yourself.”

“…!?”

Whoa, her usual faint smile just froze.

…Maybe because she’s a lolicon, she didn’t like wearing a guy’s shirt? Did I mess up?

“J-Jadeeeee!! That’s exactly what we’re talking about!!”
“You guys, seriously!?”