As we enter into the Drowning Deer Tavern, we are met with a somber and relaxed atmosphere in a shabby yet clean establishment. A village tavern like this doesn't really get any rowdy customers, so it tends to be peaceful around here.
The customers have started to pour in, but it hasn't yet reached its prime-time activity. Among the meager crowd, I notice a familiar face.
"It's time."
The one my eyes were set on was Anto, a tomboyish girl with short hair reaching her neck and a red scarf wrapped around her dainty shoulders. She has her hunting gear set by her feet as she sits alone playing with... my cat.
Yuki, the cat, has a tendency to wander around on her own, but she doesn't usually stay away for this long. I didn't notice it with the sudden arrival of these two unexpected strangers.
I don't pay it any mind and decide to go up to her and sit on the chair in front of her. Eileen simply stands beside me. Anto's eyes graze past me and fall on Eileen, who is a new face here.
I decide to get right down to business and focus on my skills; I feel it taking effect as my vision distorts slightly.
"Anto, will you let me touch your boobs?" I said with an intense, focused glare.
"....."
She seems dazed as she blinks. Is this working? I still can't gauge her affection far, and I feel the meter in the corner of my eyes.
"Ahahahahaha, what are you even doing, Zeth? Did you lose a bet? Are you already drunk?"
"..."
With my face burning with shame, I get up and turn around. I pull Eileen by the collar and head towards a corner.
"Why didn't it work?" I asked, facing the empty corner.
"I don't know."
"It's your fault! What do you mean you don't know?"
"Maybe this world isn't compatible with your divine skills, unlike the ones before."
Huh? The ones before? What does she mean by that?
Before I have a chance to question, I notice Yura walking through the door. Wait, this is bad! Yura and Anto are close; she is definitely going to tell her what just happened.
I rush back towards the table as Eileen follows slowly.
"Hey, Yura, do you know what Zeth just di— uphmm!"
I cover her mouth with a hand before she has a chance to spill the beans.
"I will do any one thing you request—anything—if you keep your mouth shut," I whisper into her while gritting my teeth in embarrassment.
"Rare to see you two together," Yura says with a smile.
"Ahaha, we were just waiting for you. Come sit with us."
"Alright." Yura is slightly confused by the odd behavior, but still decides to sit at the same table as ours.
Eileen is still standing beside me while I take a seat, and she seems to have an odd expression while she stares at Yura.
I nudge her and ask, "What's the matter?"
She closes her eyes and says, "Nothing," as she goes back to her usual stoic self.
"Who is that friend you have over there?" asked Yura.
"Oh, she is—"
"Eileen," she introduces herself, cutting me off.
"Ohhh, is she new here? Perhaps visiting a relative?"
Eileen doesn't engage, nor does she allow me to, as she holds onto my sleeve and pulls me out.
"Oh, bye, Yura. You too, Anto. It seems she is busy. Sorry about that."
As we walk outside, I stare into her face, expecting her to explain herself.
I guess she doesn't want to.
It has been an odd day, maybe the oddest one I could recall.
This entire situation is strange if you think about it. How did these two even find me here? Even if they were looking for otherworlders, how would they expect one at this remote village? And Kurst—uh, something, let's call him Kur—seemed to be expecting me to be here. He wasn't even surprised by my skill; it was as if he was confirming something he already knew.
"Do you like it here?" Eileen, still looking forward, speaks as if she is talking to herself.
"I think I do."
"Hmm."
"I had fantasized about a life of debauchery and decadence, but I don't think I really needed that. I don't think I could truly be happy if I just kept using my ability to get into the heart of others as just a means for more. It's so simple when you know it's fiction, but I can't bring myself to view reality as such. And if I were ever to do that, I will stop seeing this world as real, and at that point, it will just become another game which I am going to get tired of soon."
"Hmm."
She seems to be listening seriously, even if she isn't the talkative type. I never had the chance to speak about any of this to anyone else before.
"When you gave me hope that i could still use my life to have that fantasy, I got excited for a moment, thinking I will get to live it for real now. But I am also somehow relieved to know that it doesn't work."
"I see."
"I know it might sound like sour grapes when I followed after you so enthusiastically, but I think some things are better as just a dream."
"I want to continue to live here, with Yura who is always by my side, and continue to dream of this power fantasy that isn't going to come true, neither does it need to come true. It's not like someone like me could ever be a hero whose ability is to defile women's hearts and then have their bodies defiled by others for my pleasure."
"You are wrong."
"Huh?" I was surprised to see her actually reply to my words.
"I think someone like you would be the greatest hero there could ever be."
"Now, you are just exaggerating, haha."
"People don't always see things for what they are until it's too late, but you do. You cherish what's important to you, living an ordinary life without letting the wish for more tarnish the present."
"But how does that relate to being a hero?"
"Someone so hellbent on not wanting people to be seen by himself as lesser, as mere objects, wouldn't be able to ignore people in pain. The empathy you have is something very few are able to hold onto."
"You think so?" I made a non-committal comment, not knowing how to react to this.
"Mhm, I do."
I look up at the evening star, which signals the coming night, as I think of what this encounter holds for my future.