[It’s a Pain, so Just Stay by My Side]
I used up a considerable amount of mana to subdue the fly of ‘Gluttony’, only for the Demon King of ‘Wrath’ to show up and take it away with him.
I was totally exhausted, drenched in sweat.
Turning around, I found Nora unconscious, having been stabbed through the stomach.
Despite her critical condition, she had summoned the strength to use her attribute magic, which made it easier for me to defeat the fly.
As thanks, I Regenerated her stomach, but it was taxing on my mana.
The moment I ran out of mana, my consciousness faded away, and I entrusted my body to Balnyan.
The next time I woke up, I found myself lying in a bed with a canopy.
It was dark outside the window, making me wonder how long I had slept.
I could sense someone on the balcony, so I got out of bed, and headed there.
There was Nora, enjoying the breeze.
“I lost.”
“It caught you by surprise. Wouldn’t call that a fair fight.”
“No. Not to that fly. To the Demon King.”
“You lost too much blood—not in any condition to fight.”
That was my honest thought.
If Nora had been in a perfect condition, I was sure she would have faced the Demon King with more courage than me.
“I understand now. Without a deadly sin magic, I’m not yet a true ‘Gordon’.”
“What do you mean?”
“I want to become stronger. I want to be able to stand next to you.”
Now that was a bothersome topic.
Big Sister didn’t make an appearance in the adult strategy simulation game. Instead, Nora took the mantle of Gordon, the Strongest.
A free-spirited character, she was literally unbeatable on the first playthrough. You could only beat her on the second playthrough, which led to unlocking her as a romantic interest.
If you didn’t choose her, she would challenge you to a fight over and over again.
Mind you, she remained a formidable opponent even on the second playthrough, making fighting her a huge pain in the neck.
So, either on the first or second playthrough, she was troublesome.
“Really now?”
The Marquess House of Gordon was a branch of House Deskustos.
We were connected by blood.
This meant that Nora also possessed the qualifications to harbor deadly sin magic.
“I want to obtain Dearest Mother’s power.”
“I see.”
“……Will you stop me?”
“What makes you think so?”
“You don’t seem very happy.”
Nora had been paying much closer attention to others than when we first met. She had formed friendships with Syrup, Ruby, and Kuu, and now she valued my opinions.
Little by little, she was growing further away from the egoistical and self-centered person she was in the game. It was no doubt because of my intervention.
I had initially thought she was inherently evil, given her violent tendencies remain even after she became a potential romantic interest.
But looking at her now, she couldn’t be further apart from the word ‘evil’.
She seemed more like a pure, naive girl thirsting for knowledge.
I couldn’t decide whether that was a good or a bad thing for the future.
No, what was I saying? Wasn’t the answer obvious?
“Power comes with a price.”
“What?”
“The power of greed that you seek to gain comes with a strong urge. When you gain that power, you will not be able to control that urge.”
In fact, she should already be under the influence of the deadly sin magic of ‘Greed’, although subtly.
And this problem didn’t affect Nora alone.
Just like her, I was similarly being corrupted by ‘Sloth’, admittedly to a stronger degree, given it was already awakened. That’s why I’d always felt lazy and unmotivated. The symptoms worsened after I had used so much ‘Sloth’ mana in the recent battle.
It took everything in me just to stay on my feet.
“In that case, what should I do? I want to become stronger. If the only way to do it is through Dearest Mother’s power, I am willing to obtain it and use it! As long as I can become your strength.”
Nora genuinely wanted to support me.
I bet this was her true self, the pre-Greed Nora.
Should I let her be consumed by Greed and use her as a pawn, or should I let her remain as weak as she was now? Ahh, it was such an important decision, but I was too lazy to think about it.
“Haa~ what a pain.”
“Huh?”
“It’s too bothersome to think about, so just stay by my side.”
“What do you mean?”
Before, she must have believed that she was unbeatable, given her strength.
Yet for the first time in her life, she had encountered someone she couldn’t even hope to defeat.
Because of that, she was trying to take the shortcut to grow stronger.
If I were to leave her be, she would end up getting taken advantage of by Brother Testa or Duke Deskustos.
“The deadly sin magic of ‘Greed’ isn’t all-powerful. Just stay by my side and train yourself. The woman named Nora Gorgon Gordon is greedy enough as she is now! So, instead of taking a shortcut, unlock your true potential with me.”
This was a world of an adult strategy simulation game.
Although people’s levels were capped, there were many other ways to become stronger.
Dan’s Holy Sword.
Awakening additional attribute magic just like Lyncean did.
Akali’s new magic tools.
You could also improve your body strength little by little through daily training. There was no need to solely rely on deadly sin magic.
“Is it okay for me to stay by your side?”
“Isn’t that what I’ve been saying? In exchange, just make sure you become stronger. For my sake.”
“I promise!!! I will become stronger for you. Until the end of my life, I will keep to prove my strength just for you, Lord Lu!”
Reaching my limit, I fell into Nora’s arms, who panicked. “Lord Lu!”
“I’m going to sleep. Take me to bed.”
“Can I… can I sleep with you?”
“If you want, sure.”
Nora froze, seemingly finding it unexpected.
She quickly snapped back into reality and moved me to the bed, where I completely succumbed to drowsiness.
Please consider supporting me on Patreon! Then you can read up to 15 advanced chapters!
2 thoughts on “SLO Chapter 168”