Chapter 37
Nancy glanced at Aaron in surprise. The arrogant, smirking face of the man from a moment ago had turned cold. He stared at her in silence, and Nancy thought it would be less frightening if he had a sword in his hand.
“T-This is better for both of us, right? We’re young and have our whole lives ahead of us… It’s too soon to change our relationship just because we did it once…”
A chill ran down Nancy’s spine. She had a strange sense of déjà vu, like this was the same kind of problem that had led to trouble the day before.
“So, you want to pretend it never happened?”
“…”
“Fine. If that’s what you want, I’ll accept it without a word.”
【 Be careful! If your companion is too disappointed, they might leave the party! 】
Wouldn’t it be better if he just argued instead of silently deciding to leave?
Nancy panicked and grabbed his arm as he started to rise.
“Do you have more to say?”
His voice was icy. Nancy’s mind raced. If Aaron really left the party, she might become the first hero to be defeated by demons in under 30 seconds.
Think, think… What exactly went wrong?
Nancy couldn’t figure it out. Had she said something wrong? Everything she said was true.
“If not, let go of me. I can’t undo a mistake once it’s been made, but I can at least wash away the remnants from my body.”
A thought quickly flashed through Nancy’s mind.
“Are you upset because I called what happened last night a ‘mistake’?”
“…”
There was no answer, but since his affection wasn’t dropping further, it seemed she had hit the mark. Nancy continued, explaining her choice of words.
“I just thought you’d want to act like it never happened. That’s why I figured we’d treat it as a mistake…”
“Why would you think I’d be so irresponsible?”
“Uh… what?”
“Even if last night was a mistake, I’m the type to take responsibility for my actions. Aren’t you?”
Nancy’s eyes darted around nervously, unable to respond, and Aaron let out a bitter laugh, clearly hurt.
“I can’t believe this. What were you thinking when you told me to cxm inside?”
But I never said that…
Nancy furrowed her brow, trying to recall if she had said something like that while out of her senses.
“You clung to me, saying— ugh.”
Aaron turned his head away, unwilling to continue.
Nancy didn’t remember that either. But she finally understood why he was disappointed.
“T-The truth is, I was scared.”
Aaron’s head jerked slightly, as if he was about to turn back, but then he stopped.
Now that she knew the reason, Nancy could see his thoughts clearly. He had taken last night very seriously. The fact that he was talking about responsibility made that obvious.
“Were you scared about having a child? If you do get pregnant, of course, I’ll take responsibility—for both you and the baby.”
Look at that. I didn’t even mention a baby, and he’s already talking about it.
Nancy debated whether or not to tell him about the foolproof contraception skill.
In the end though, she decided not to. If she started explaining weird skills, it might lead to revealing that she had used 〈〈Seduction〉〉 on him.
And that would be a real disaster—becoming the hero who seduced a paladin to hide a deal with demons.
“I was afraid you’d regret it. I was worried that maybe… you’d end up hating me.”
Nancy skillfully dodged the baby topic.
“I was scared you’d end up disliking me after what happened, that’s all. Nothing else.”
Aaron hesitated, but eventually, his gaze softened as he looked back at her.
“You were still interested in me?”
“Uh… yeah.”
Is that really how this works?
Nancy gave a vague nod, and Aaron immediately moved closer, pulling her into an embrace.
“I don’t regret what happened, and I don’t dislike you because of it.”
“Mmm. Thanks.”
“I didn’t realize you had feelings for me. If I’d known, maybe it would’ve been obvious from the way you acted.”
“I… I’m just good at hiding my emotions…”
Nancy felt embarrassed by how blatantly she was lying.
Aaron released her from the hug and cupped her face, gazing into her eyes. His expression, initially curious, gradually turned more serious. Their faces drew closer.
It finally dawned on Nancy that the 〈Seduction〉 skill she’d used on him hadn’t worn off. The memory of nearly dying the night before flashed through her mind.
I need to turn this off.
Since Aaron’s hostility had already dropped, Nancy attempted to deactivate the skill. But the system rejected her.
Nancy had failed to deactivate the skill and now had to deal with a man who was falling under its influence all over again.
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