Chapter 56: Lingering, Unwilling to Leave

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“Hmmm~ That’s a ceiling I’ve never seen before, but it feels pretty good this time.” Even as clouds drifted endlessly before his eyes, he habitually commented on the ceiling before beginning his search for his boss.

“Are you awake?” Lianhua was seated on a sofa made of clouds, sipping some unknown beverage. This time, to underline her status, Lianhua didn’t wait for Lancer to wake up before appearing as she usually did; instead, she closed her eyes and sipped her tea, waiting for him. According to Lancer’s later inquiry, she said she found this manner more impressive for this particular mission.

“It’s you again, Tokiomi,” Lancer sighed, covering his face with his hand.

But when he looked up and saw Lianhua’s crossed legs, with her foot pointed right at him in a show of aristocratic pride—

“Pfft—” Blood spurted from his mouth in his inner world.

While Lianhua usually appeared in a loli form, her frequent scheming made Lancer categorize her as a “loli Gilgamesh” type. But now, he was reconsidering.

“Blue and white stripes. My life is complete,” some idiot blurted out his inner thoughts, heedless of the consequences.

“Blue and white?” Lianhua echoed, not quite understanding at first, but when she saw Lancer’s blissful expression, realization finally dawned.

“Idiot!”

Thud!

--------------------Awakening--------------------

“Hmmm, another unfamiliar ceiling, but it still feels pretty good,” Lancer muttered reflexively again, then paused as something struck him. “Why do I keep saying ‘another’ and ‘this time’?” But, being a fool and a loli-con, he didn’t dwell on it for long.

Getting up, he spotted Lianhua sipping tea in the distance and called out, “What’s going on? Is this an aftereffect from the mission? That’s never happened before... and I keep feeling like I just woke up a moment ago…” He rubbed his head, uncertain.

“Idiot, what are you babbling about? I’ve been watching you play dead on the floor this whole time.” Her tone was as usual, but his soldier’s intuition warned him not to press the issue—or else something dangerous would happen.

“So, how did the mission go?” Fearing danger, Lancer swiftly changed the subject.

“Not bad. The other party accepted my terms. As long as you collect all the remaining Grail fragments or, rather, the residue of the black mud next time, the problem should be resolved. In exchange, they’ll hand over the ‘fruit’ to me, and as your reward for your efforts, you can take with you anyone you wish—so long as you don’t force them.” Since things had gone smoothly this time, Lianhua simply explained the situation to Lancer.

“Really? So that means…” Lancer couldn’t help but imagine scenes from the novels he’d read before, a smug, punchable smile spreading across his face.

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“What perverse nonsense are you thinking about?” Lianhua bluntly shattered his reveries. “I just thought it’d be fun to have a few companions along. What were you imagining?” Once again struck down, Lancer collapsed, though since he was fully conscious this time, it wasn’t a fatal blow.

“Lianhua, what are you talking about? I’m a decent person,” Lancer protested, putting on a straight-laced expression, then for some reason, acted cute, “Doing H is wrong, you know~”

Lianhua simply looked at him, silent and speechless, then waved her right hand, conjuring a cloud in front of Lancer.

“Doing H is wrong, you know~”

Seeing his own image in the mist repeating his words, Lancer spat out blood again.

“Hey! Lianhua, who is that?”

“Mmm…” Lianhua held her head, then widened her eyes and said, “It’s you.”

“Impossible! That cutesy guy can’t be me!” Lancer shouted, but it was no use. He could clearly tell it was himself from the image, though for some reason, with his lines softening, there wasn’t a trace of masculinity left. If it weren’t for his Adam’s apple, flat chest, and masculine outfit, anyone who didn’t know Lancer would think he was a girl.

“Yes! That’s it! Lianhua—it has to be you!” Lancer shouted as if grasping at straws. “Change me back!”

“Impossible.”

“Why not?!”

“This is your true appearance. When you entered this place, you stopped being an ordinary human. To show your status as a resident of this world, the world itself subtly reshaped your appearance into what best suits you—and beautified everything.”

Hearing Lianhua’s explanation, Lancer went OTR, sprawled on the ground muttering, “I was born to be a trap,” over and over.

But after a while, as if something snapped, Lancer said, “Hmph, if I look like a girl, then I’ve decided—I’ll get revenge on society.”

Lianhua looked at the apparently broken Lancer, utterly speechless.

“All right, let’s talk about the mission now,” she said.

Concerned for his own life, Lancer stopped acting cute, sat across from Lianhua, and listened carefully.

“The final reward for this mission was supposed to be a secret, but since you completed it, I’ll tell you what it is.”

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Hearing this, Lancer swallowed nervously.

“You ‘borrowed’ some things before, right? Plus your previous debts—this time, it’s all written off.” Lianhua expected Lancer to be pleased, but he hung his head, his expression hidden.

Suddenly, Lancer grabbed Lianhua’s shoulders, tearfully asking, “Doesn’t my tofu incident count?”

With a hint of embarrassment, Lianhua looked away and explained, “Haven’t you ever played an RPG? The tofu was just to get you started on the quest.”

Seeing Lancer slumped in disappointment, Lianhua hesitated, then said, “Fine, for the sake of your fragile heart, I’ll give you a vacation.”

“A vacation? No thanks, last time was too brutal. That damned quest, I’m still trying to avoid it.” The mission was awful, but the reward was something he had to get—after all, that palace was every male creature’s dream.

“Well then, how about this time you go to a world with no high-level combatants, one whose basic power is about the same as your own, for a bit of sightseeing?”

“Oh? In that case, thanks a lot.” Hearing this, Lancer was overjoyed, not knowing that when he reached that world, he’d be cursing his luck all over again.

“All right, your points are gone, but you still have a chance at the lottery. Want to try?”

Seeing the infuriating lottery machine again, Lancer didn’t have the energy to complain. Out of habit, he gave it a spin, and the prize seemed decent.

“False Reality—allows you to turn a vividly imagined fictional thing into reality; must be a strong impression. Usable in games, with restrictions: the user cannot exceed the holder’s own power, and it can be used once a week.”

Lancer looked at this item, a little bemused. It seemed only useful for others, but then again, his King’s power wasn’t much lower than his own—maybe it would come in handy.

While Lancer was still mulling it over, he was suddenly attacked from behind again.

“Have fun~~”

That was the last thing Lancer heard.