Chapter 9: Training, a relationship, and more choco milk?! (4)
"I'm in your care, Benjamin!" Estelle announced, her eyes still on fire.
Benjamin nodded, "Likewise."
It wouldn't have been weird for her to receive some divination from her goddess, so Benjamin bet that this change had something to do with her being the priestess.
Regardless of the reason, a change worked in his favor.
Benjamin wanted Estelle to become stronger so that he could invest in her strength and skills. He wasn't interested in the deities and following them.
Nothing good came out of it, and dealing with frantic believers was one of Benjamin's worst experiences.
"Let's open the box," Benjamin smiled.
Estelle's wolfish ears flapped with excitement, "Let's!"
Since the black box—the loot box from Zero's death—appeared the size of a shoe box, Benjamin had an inkling he'd receive the new pair of boots for himself.
A pair that would help him fight against the evil spirits surrounding the shrine. Those were obviously his next targets and enemies he had to eliminate if he wanted to leave this place.
Upon opening the box, however, Benjamin and Estelle had laid their eyes on a small ink pot and pen, drawing different reactions from them.
Estelle's eyes widened in delight as she could tell this was high-quality stuff for her talisman writing!
Benjamin squinted his eyes and seemingly appeared disgusted for a second. How come he hadn't received a pair of shoes to enable him more?
He fought against Zero alone, and it was an enemy that could have killed him…
A moment later, he calmed down and sighed, letting out all negative feelings.
That was what it meant to be a side character—probably.
The protagonists always had a priority and charm that changed the entire world, and since the world was vast and full of dangers, there were many of them that kept triggering changes across the globe.
Benjamin wasn't in a rebellious phase of sorts to go against the mission enforced on him and instead believed that following it was the right choice. What were the odds of people like him turning into protagonists or antagonists by acting against that side character's mission?
He didn't want to bet on that and was fine with how things were.
'If things continue like that, I'll get pissed off, though… it's like I'm meant to overgear those protagonists. It's not that bad yet since those talismans can be worth more than I imagine. Also, if she uses them to create a market for herself once we fight a path out of the shrine, my investment in her will increase, and so will its powers. It's not bad at all,' Benjamin dwelled over the first item with his eyes narrowed and mind far away from Estelle.
She was fretting over it, wanting to touch it yet restricting herself as it wasn't her item at all!
Noticing her agitation, Benjamin shoved the box in front of her and said, "It's yours."
"Is it?!" Estelle rose to her feet and leaned over the table, bringing her baby face closer to her friend.
Benjamin smiled, "Yeah. Use it well… right, wait for a second."
While Estelle became overwhelmed by Benjamin's kindness without thinking too much about his goals and investment, or rather conveniently forgetting about them and focusing on his cool side, Benjamin thought about his bank account.
His mind squeezed with a pleasant sensation and image.
[Bank - 3 gold coins.]
Benjamin turned over his right hand and set his eyes on his palm. A moment later, a gold coin coalesced from god knew where and floated for a second above his palm before dropping gently onto it.
Estelle's eyes widened in shock and a clear yearning for an income wiped off her fire of resolution of changing herself. Such a human-like reaction drew a chuckle from Benjamin.
"I'm investing in you, Estelle," Benjamin slammed the coin onto the table with his index and middle fingers joined before meeting Estelle's gaze. "I invest… ugh, how much silver coins make up a gold coin?"
"One hundred!" Estelle replied.
Benjamin nodded," So I invest ninety silver coins for your fighting and talisman skills, and the rest goes to your pocket. You're free to use them however you want… I'd rather taste some of your choco milk again, though."
More choco milk! It sounded better than Her Excellency's voice for some reason!
And it came from Benjamin's lips!
He flicked the coin and let it roll toward Estelle. She picked it up dearly with both hands and brought it close to her ample chest, pressing the coin onto her softness.
It felt so warm. Perhaps it was Benjamin's warmth.
The coin soon melted into Estelle's self, heightening the warmth she felt from Benjamin's deed. In her mind, she received her personal bank account and could now store any kind of income within it, just like Benjamin.
On the other hand, Benjamin received an indescribable connection with the wolf priestess. The link hadn't made itself clear in his mind, but he could feel it.
Now, he should wait for Estelle to begin her training and focus on her talisman skills. With that, the clear information and boons he should receive in the future should appear in his mind.
Well, investing in others was often that simple. Tell them what you expect from them and hand them money, then either wait for promising results or failures.
Since Benjamin wasn't investing in a side character but a protagonist, he expected useful stuff to fill him up in no time.
Clueless about his thoughts, Estelle got off her chair and walked to his side before grasping the hem of her kimono and lowering her head before him.
"I'm sorry for leaving you alone in the cold, Benjamin!" Estelle apologized. Today's day was quite eventful for both of them, and it was nothing but them meeting for the first time, so each had to learn about their differences.
Nonetheless, Estelle had been too wounded by leaving her guest alone for such a long time.
Benjamin reclined in the chair and waved his hand at her, "No need to apologize. I treated it as some sort of ice swimming, I guess? Also, I'm not one to hold a grudge over something like that… you see, I should be the one apologizing to you for pushing my ambitions onto you. I lost a lot of relationships because of it… though I believe it's better to make differences clear from the start than to have a dispute later on."
Estelle curtly nodded.
It seemed all returned to how it had been before their argument.
"W-Were you in a relationship before?" Estelle asked, her cheeks red.
"A few," Benjamin casually replied.
"Can you tell me about them?!" Estelle appeared interested in his relationships, mainly the one in which he changed from a selfish man to someone more bearable.
Benjamin yawned, "I can share some stuff to stir your maiden heart… but you'd better read some romance books."
"I have read a lot already! I have an entire shelf of them, but I want to listen to real-life-" Estelle replied, only to be silenced by Benjamin's fiery eyes.
'Huh?' she trembled and inwardly reacted.
Benjamin smiled and licked his lips, "I was wondering what to do before sleeping! So you have some stuff I'm interested in! Share some books with me!"
"Huh!" Estelle gasped for the second time, stupefied. The man whose fame of immense strength and killing trophies spanned over the world, The Executioner, liked to read romance books?!
Benjamin hollered, "What's so odd about it?! It's so amusing to read those romance triangles, you know? It's nothing like a real-life romance! Haha! Authors also tend to go over the top with descriptions! The last book I read made me shake my entire apartment as I read those flowery descriptions clearly over the top! Haha!"
"Um… what kind of books are you really reading…" Estelle became smaller as Benjamin started taking out examples of various scenes, including sex scenes, which the young woman read with her head steaming.
Ignoring her innocent reactions, Benjamin stood up and passed a casual request, "Now that all's settled between us. I'd like to get a room and some of your books."
"What about your stories? You promised to tell me!"
"Nah, that's for later."
"N-No way!"
"Come on, don't be so selfish now."
"I'm not!"
"Then, take me to my room and go write some talismans with the new ink pot and pen you've received. I will ask you about it tomorrow morning before we start training… ah, not. You'd better tell me about my duties first. Well, tomorrow's gonna be even more busy, so each of us should prepare for it and relax."
"So unfair…" Estelle pouted.
"I like it! Come on! Come on!" Benjamin compelled the priestess while humming.
Forced to show him the room, Estelle sighed and guided the clearly different Benjamin, who had thoroughly relaxed in her presence. In a way, it was a reason to celebrate, but Estelle was still hung on learning more about his love life.
That was what her maiden heart wanted the most right now.
But things also became different for her when she touched the new pen and sank it in the ink pot.
"W-whoa!"