Chapter 31 - Demonstration

(AN: Published on December 25, 2020. 23:00, GMT +7.)

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"…So, let me get this straight…you don't only have the power to make women stronger but also become stronger when you have…s-sex…with women." Aina stuttered and flushed deeply when she said that word. Her eyes couldn't meet Merlin's mirthful purple eyes.

"Yep. That's correct," Merlin replied nonchalantly, nodding all the while. He found this silver-haired girl cute.

Hearing his nonchalant reply, Aina felt irked, thinking that Merlin was toying her; it was unpleasant feelings.

"T…That was an excuse so that you can do perverted things freely, wasn't it?" Aina asked in an accusing tone.

Aina felt complex when she thought about this outrageously handsome hero. After her misunderstanding getting cleared up, she thought he was a decent sort of man, but it seemed to be otherwise.

Men are still men, and they are perverted. Even this hero is included.

Aina felt regretful for feeling guilty and remorseful earlier.

Merlin was perplexed after hearing Aina's words. He also noticed that Aina's wariness for him had returned. "No! I'm not looking for an excuse to be able to do perverted things freely!" He tried to defend himself, but Aina didn't seem to hear him.

Filia, Tianne, and Llusse just watched everything silently. They seemed to be entertained by the back and forth between Merlin and the new member with a straight-laced personality.

For a while, Merlin tried to convince Aina, but the silver-haired mage was surprisingly stubborn.

"All right. That's enough, you two." Filia interrupted Merlin and Aina suddenly. After they turned their heads to her, she continued while looking at Merlin, "How about giving us a demonstration? Perhaps, you can convince Aina with action."

Merlin quickly agreed. 'That's right. Actions have more weight than words, after all!'

After that, they decided to head outside of Füs; to be precise, their destination was a clearing not far from the village, though it wasn't the location the original trio had visited earlier this morning.

Merlin had to put on his hood because he didn't want to gather attention on himself. Even though he didn't mind abusing his charm, he was very picky with the targets he wanted to charm.

He wanted to charm relevant women in this world…at least, for now. He was aware of the hassle of managing many women at once. He didn't want to be bothered with something troublesome like that. Thus, he restrained himself from flaunting his charm.

He'd planned to seduce the original trio—Filia, Tianne, and Llusse— and Natalia in the beginning. After that, he wanted to add the wolf demi-human, Mila Micola, when he finally met her.

That was his original plan, but Aina was an exception; Merlin accepted her into his group because she was a talented mage with a cute and exotic look. He wasn't aware that she was a new character in the novel adaptation of the doujinshi this world was based on.

Be that as it may, Merlin only planned to restrain himself this early; he would flaunt and abuse his charm after he seduced and conquered the Queen and the Princess.

Indeed. Merlin was serious with his world domination plan. It was certainly unheroic, and even villainous, but he never wanted to be the hero to save this world with nothing in return, to begin with.

Putting all that aside, back to Merlin and his entourage in the location not far from Füs, Merlin demonstrated his physical capabilities, shocking the girls with his higher physical parameters than ordinary humans.

He ran so fast until his figure became a blur, and he lifted a big boulder that weighed more than a ton. He also showed how dexterous and reflexive he was.

After Merlin finished demonstrating his abilities, Aina couldn't help but accept it. She couldn't deny the result despite her doubt.

When the sun was setting on the horizon, Merlin and his entourage returned to Füs.

"By the way, is this enhanced physical capabilities of yours what made you want to learn swordsmanship and archery from me and Filia?" Llusse asked as the five of them returned to the village.

Under his hood, Merlin turned his gaze to Llusse and replied, "Yes. I feel it will be a pity if I don't take advantage of my physical abilities. What's more, I feel helpless and frustrated when we return from the place where I was called yesterday. You girls were fending off the monster while I, the only man in our group, could do nothing to help."

"I don't understand your thoughts. It's normal for women to be more skilled than men in this world," Aina sounded confused as she said so.

'That's right. This world is matriarchal, so it's considered normal for women to be more skilled than men.' After thinking that, Merlin said, "In my world, men and women were treated equally. As long as they strive to be better, men and women alike have the potential to become experts in their chosen field of expertise."

"I see…" Aina replied curtly, though Merlin could see that her scholarly spirit was inflamed.

"I'm curious about your world, Hero," Tianne chimed in.

"Well, I don't mind telling you about my world when we have some free time." Merlin offered, and Tianne nodded in acceptance eagerly. Even though Aina didn't show the same energy as Tianne, she was also interested; Merlin could see it too.

"Putting that interesting topic aside, if you have decided with all your heart, I will gladly teach you swordsmanship, Hero!" Filia exclaimed all of sudden.

"Don't forget about me! I'm gonna turn you into a skilled archer after I'm finished with you!" Llusse added all of sudden as if she didn't want to lose against Filia.

"Then, I'll be in your care, Filia, Llusse." Merlin nodded to them firmly.

Filia and Llusse looked pleased while Tianne pouted in displeasure after hearing their short talk; she wanted to teach Merlin something too.

Meanwhile, even though Aina didn't mind contributing to Merlin's development, she was still slightly wary of him after realizing that this guy was a real pervert. She wasn't comfortable being alone with Merlin, fearing that he'd sink his perverted claws into her.

Even though Merlin felt frustrated and helpless when he noticed Aina's reservation around him, he felt that Aina would lose it after they became closer to each other.

Merlin also noticed Tianne's displeasure. After considering briefly, he decided to tell her something. "Don't worry, Tianne. You'll be able to teach me some defensive and support magic you are skilled with in the future."

Merlin's words piqued the girls' interest, and they gave him gazes that urged him to explain clearly.