True Feelings
Now I'm caught in an awkward situation. In the first place, it's my fault that any of this happened. Yet both Arin and I have benefited, and Catherine is the only one getting the short end of the stick.
Quite honestly, if she approaches me again and Arin agrees, I'll be more than willing to take her along with me.
And therein lies the problem. I'll probably have to be the one to speak to Catherine, and Arin will definitely bug me about her. It actually feels kind of nice to have multiple women's attention. Now all I need is a loli – *ahem* a slip of the tongue there.
I've never noticed this before, but Catherine's body is quite fine. She has a plump behind, but her chest area is a little bit lacking. Her face, although not matching up to Arin's, would still qualify to be a beauty queen back on Earth.
Anyway, it's almost time for breakfast. I don't think I should let Catherine see me in public before we diffuse the situation, so I stealthily leave the inn.
Ah, it's nice to breathe in the fresh air.
I've been so caught up in my troubles with women that I neglected to remember that today is the day the entire Border Town knows of Khardin's death.
Thankfully, no details about me have been leaked out, and Arin has her head in the clouds from this morning's confession.
The next thing I need to do is get my money. Arriving at the weapons shop, I hail my zombie clerk.
Instead of greeting me, he just hands me a bag of gold and off he goes. I get that he maintained the previous owner's personality, but I control him! At least show me some respect.
Fufufufu. I made 300 Noxia swords, which go for 100 gold each. 90% is 90 gold each, and that means I now have 27,000 gold! I'm rich! The feeling of the gold clinking in my hands is heavenly. I really want to pour all of it into a bathtub and soak myself in it!
*ahem* Now, I don't need to worry about my financial situation. Ideally, I'd like to invest it in some other businesses, but Border Town is too small for my liking.
There is also no alchemist workshop here, which means the potions I need can only be provided by Ed.
I also lack the Alchemy skill, since I've never witnessed anyone use it before. I'll probably have to go to the capital to get a glimpse at it.
Ultimately, I would like to leave before the whole succession war begins. Who knows if someone will defect from the Kingdom and try to become independent. Damn! I just raised a flag!
Oh, we also need to talk with Arkan's party. They'll either disband or need to find another Ranger, since I'm taking Arin with me.
I still can't get over the fact that she's my girlfriend. My first one in this life!
And I'm still 14!
I shake my head to clear my thoughts. Right now, I need to focus on how to interact with Catherine. I have nothing left to do in the town, so I'll only be idling in my room and making more Skeleton Warriors.
Speaking of which, Olaf had actually escaped that trap I set up. He managed to kill three of my LV30 Skeleton Warriors, which is actually quite impressive given his assumed state. After that though, he succumbed to their assault and died.
Strangely though, I didn't get an EXP. Maybe my Warriors received it.
Since I'm level 81 now, I can produce LV70 Skeleton Warriors with ease. Hehehe… and I have a new project in mind.
A Lich! Now that my Necromancy is max level, I can impart half the level of any of my skills; which means a LV70 Skeleton Mage with LV5 Necromancy and LV7 Bone Manipulation!
Each one will probably be able to summon an additional 10 LV30 Skeleton Warriors, so if I can manage to make one Lich a night, that's a massive boost to my forces.
I'll also start turning the redundant LV10 Skeleton Warriors into armors now. Having undead guards while on our journey will be ideal.
Back to Catherine. I don't think she'll like the fact that I started dating Arin straight after I 'slept' with her, but there's no longer anything I can do to change that fact.
I'm now aware of the fact that she likes me, and I hope the time I've given her and Arin right now is enough for them to sort out their feelings.
Otherwise, I might really have to leave her here. Her mother doesn't seem too lively, probably affected by her husband's death. Catherine is the only one running the inn, so what will happen if I take her away?
That means I'll have to find another worker, and Catherine's mother will have to like her as well.
So troublesome. But if it's for one of my girls, then it's all worth it.
Now I'm back at the inn. While maintaining my nervousness, I step in, only to find Catherine working like she normally would. So was I the only one worried about it? That makes me kind of sad.
In any case, it's good that she's back to her lively self.
"U-Um… Daniel, could we talk for a bit, nya?" (Catherine)
Catherine's voice was like an angel had descended and cast away the darkness that was clouding my mind.
It was cocky of me to think of her as my girlfriend already, but I got caught up with the recent adrenaline rush of the confession.
Now, I've realized that I'm not the only one who was worried about our relationship. That lifted a heavy load off my mind.
"Sure. Any time." (Daniel)
"Thank you, nya! My break will be two hours, nya." (Catherine)
"Alright, see you then." (Daniel)
I go back to my room. The sudden emotional rollercoaster has left me exhausted, and I'm in no mood to create skeletons. Honestly, I'd rather go into withdrawal from not making them than force myself.
'Hehe, good job Daniel! You've finally matured a bit.' (Ed)
'Hey, I thought you were the one that needed to mature?' (Daniel)
'That's true, but in my case it's more about a proper grasp on my emotions. I have already exceeded the mental capacities of most beings, so I'm able to form accurate and rational judgements on how a person develops. However, my emotions, on the other hand, are something I need to develop myself. Once again, I'll be in your care, slightly-more-mature Daniel.' (Ed)
'That's pretty interesting… but I'm no psychologist. And is it really necessary to add that adjective in front of my name? I'll also be relying on you a lot, Ed.' (Daniel)