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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Priest's Bond (1)
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There are many ways to calm one's rage, but for men, there's one absolutely foolproof method.
What is that, you ask?
It's simply to admire a breathtaking sight, a stunning vista like the one spread out before me right now.
'Whoa.'
It was truly a magnificent sight.
A pure white shirt, soaked with water, turning see-through.
White skin and curves visible beneath it.
"You're awake…"
A beautiful face with cheeks flushed red, and even a glistening thread of silver stretching from her lips.
The soft sensation detaching from my lips was a shame, but the scene before me was splendid enough to more than make up for that disappointment.
"Ahem."
Sensing my gaze, Daphne cleared her throat and rose from her spot.
Indeed, it was the moment when the fury that had reached its peak shifted elsewhere.
'A man, even at ten...'
Having unintentionally realized yet another mystery of the human body, I sat up and huddled in my spot.
Warmth emanated. Looking ahead, I saw a bonfire burning.
"…"
As my body warmed up, my thoughts began to return to normal.
'She pulled me out, warmed me up, and was giving me mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.'
As the situation naturally became clear, the torrent of gamer-style curses I'd been holding back completely vanished, and a surge of gratitude began to wash over me.
'Damn it, I knew it all along!'
It seemed Daphne had no intention of killing me in the first place.
Come to think of it, unlike the first trial, there was no mention of death upon failure.
"Wh-What are you staring at so intently?"
As I was lost in thought, Daphne, with a furrowed brow, crossed her arms and asked.
When her form was obscured, a flicker of disappointment... no, a sudden jolt back to reality.
Shaking my head, I answered honestly.
"Because I'm grateful."
"For what?"
"For showing me…"
"What?!"
Oops. It just slipped out.
Hearing my honest answer, Daphne jumped in place with a startled expression.
Seeing that, I felt a great sense of crisis and had to quickly move my lips to rectify the situation.
"For showing me that you cared for me. Thank you."
"…"
"Thank you, truly. For saving me…"
"…That was the plan from the start."
Perhaps because I was a child. As I spoke, intentionally looking with a vulnerable gaze, Daphne fortunately let it go without further question.
"You don't need to be grateful. You're the one who proved yourself, not me. I merely kept my promise."
"Does that mean…"
"Yes. I'll let you live."
"Thank you!"
"Ahem, that doesn't mean I'll fully accept you, though."
Daphne continued speaking, clearing her throat.
Her expression was quite solemn, looking rather serious.
Listening to her, it seemed she was talking about something related to the newly acquired quest.
In that case, I should play along.
I looked at Daphne and asked.
"How can I be fully accepted by Lady Daphne?"
"Wouldn't you have to figure that out yourself?"
So, she wants me to figure out how to get into her good graces on my own?
Well, that wasn't bad. In my previous life, I was surprisingly good at navigating social situations.
With that thought, I nodded with a faint smile, and Daphne casually posed a question to me.
"That aside, let me ask you something. How did you trick the Scales?"
She ordered me to do it, and now she's asking how I managed it.
My face almost crumpled into a frown, but I managed to hold it back with difficulty and answered with a forced smile.
"I just did it, and it worked?"
"…I see."
Hearing my answer, Daphne frowned for a moment, then nodded.
Why is her reaction like that? Did I answer too cockily?
So what? It *is* the truth.
In reality, earlier, I was able to naturally trick the Scales just by having willpower.
"Well… anyway, you did well."
Contrary to my cynical thoughts, Daphne soon smiled gently at me and continued.
"Since you worked hard, I should give you a gift."
A gift.
Despite having already brought me considerable trouble, these two words still held enough power to make my ears perk up.
However.
The words that fell from Daphne's lips were very far from what I had expected.
"They say children get hungry quickly after playing hard, don't they?"
"Th-That's… oh, I don't think so? No, definitely not!"
It couldn't be. No, it really couldn't be.
"Really? You don't seem hungry then."
As I shook my head vehemently and protested, Daphne, to my horror, lowered her head with a downcast expression.
I felt a little sorry for her, but it was fine.
It was better for Daphne to be disappointed. Rather than the situation I was imagining coming to pass.
'Thank goodness.'
Just as I was feeling relieved.
-Grrr.
Suddenly, an utterly unwelcome growl erupted from my stomach.
"You, you weren't honest because you were too shy to say, were you?"
Hearing that sound, Daphne, with an excited expression, drew her hand through the air, creating a rift.
That, surely it's spatial magic?
If so, that would be very troublesome.
No. Don't do it. Please.
"I knew you would, so I prepared."
Daphne, oblivious to my silent pleas, waved her hand in the air, then pulled a wooden basket out of the created rift and pushed it towards me.
'Ah…'
An unforgettable stench entered my nose.
I truly… truly hoped it wouldn't be.
"Eat up!"
Inside the opened wooden basket, a grayish object sat alone.
Seeing its appearance, a thought reflexively crossed my mind.
I'd rather have died earlier.
****
The taste of the cold, grayish sandwich was enough to make me lose all faith in humanity.
"Fuck."
The more I chewed, the angrier I got. Daphne had committed an atrocious act, making me, a mere ten-year-old, eat four sandwiches.
-"I'm not hungry, so…"
That wasn't all. Daphne took one bite of the grayish sandwich, then gave me her share too, citing a pathetic excuse.
"Ugh…"
This was the result. I was in the bathroom, covering my mouth, trying to suppress the rising nausea.
At least Daphne's teleportation brought me back instantly.
If I had had to go back the way I came, I would have certainly met my end along the way.
"Even if life is unpredictable…"
Isn't this a bit too much?
Not only did I suddenly transmigrate, but I'm also facing threats to my life.
Now, I'm in a situation where one of the three essential elements of human life—food, clothing, and shelter—is under serious threat.
"Hoo…"
Suppressing the nausea, I clenched my fist and resolved.
'No matter what, *I* have to do the cooking.'
I didn't know how long we would be together, but this was a very crucial matter for me, now that I was living with Daphne.
Honestly, this was more important than preventing the world's destruction.
'Because I also need to raise my favorability.'
[Linked Quest 'Gain Daphne's Favor!' in progress. (Favorability: 30/100)]
The linked quest I received as a reward earlier.
The so-called favorability quest.
It was a shame that Daphne was a character who didn't appear in the game, so there was no information about her.
Nevertheless, raising her favorability didn't seem difficult.
Because, I had only eaten the grayish sandwich, and my favorability had already increased by 10.
This means, if I just eat the grayish sandwich 7 more times…
"Ah, no!"
A sudden jolt of panic.
I clutched my face and slumped to the ground.
"…Let's find another way."
If this were a game where I just had to click a button, that would be one thing.
Eating the grayish sandwich 7 more times is, no matter how I think about it, a bad ending.
"…"
In the game, methods for raising NPC favorability were broadly divided into three: gifts, expressions, and errands.
First, gifts were out, as I had nothing.
The remaining methods were expressions and errands…
'This seems easier than I thought?'
Conveniently, I was currently transmigrated into a child's body.
I was in a very advantageous position to show affection or run errands.
'Just cooking alone should raise it by 20.'
If I help with some housework and make myself indispensable to Daphne, won't it clear?
No matter how much I thought about it, this quest was practically a piece of cake.
I could even choose the reward, she said.
"It's worth a try."
Come to think of it, that was true.
Judging by the reward list that had appeared earlier, this quest would certainly provide me with a generous reward as well.
"With this rate of growth, I'll soon…"
Become overpowered?
Thinking that, I pushed my bangs back and looked in the mirror.
Perhaps because I was a genuine munchkin.
Beyond the mirror, a quite decent-looking… no, an extremely handsome child was grinning widely.
****
I put on a black apron, held a broom, and hovered in front of Daphne, who was sitting in a rocking chair reading a book.
This was a clearly intentional act to gain Daphne's favor.
It's a bit awkward to say this myself, but.
Anyway, I was currently a young and cute child.
And here I was, wearing an apron much too big for my body, even making a show of it in front of her, offering to help with housework.
Even if Daphne was borderline psychopathic, as a woman, she couldn't help but find me cute.
So, just showing this kind of display, wouldn't my favorability increase by about 20?
That's what I thought, but.
Daphne's reaction was very different from what I had expected.
"What is it?"
"I felt like I had to do something to feel at ease."
"Where on earth did you get that apron?"
"It was in the storage room?"
"Haa…"
Daphne merely furrowed her brow deeply and let out a big sigh. No, why on earth?
"Do you think dust will be swept away by such a rickety broom?"
"Huh?"
Then what, give me a vacuum cleaner or something.
"Wait a moment."
Daphne waved her hand in the air, then pulled out a pitch-black broom from the spatial rift and tossed it to me.
-Thud.
Thud? I think I heard an ominous sound.
"If you're going to do it, shouldn't you do it properly? Use that from now on."
Daphne said that nonchalantly, then returned to focusing on her book.
'Why is she so prickly?'
Seeing that, my good mood instantly soured.
Not only did my plan not work out, but I was also being met with such disdain.
But given my situation, I had no choice but to suppress my anger and pick up the broom.
"Lady Daphne. But…"
"What."
"This broom, it won't lift?"
It wasn't a lie. What on earth was it made of to be so heavy?
No matter how much I strained to lift it, the broom didn't budge from its spot.
"It lifts perfectly fine?"
However, Daphne, who had somehow gotten down from the rocking chair, effortlessly lifted the broom.
"Think about it. What did I teach you today?"
"Ah!"
A sudden realization dawned.
I immediately wrapped mana around my body, then placed my hand on the broom.
"Oh!"
Sure enough. The broom, which had seemed impossible to budge, was now lifted as lightly as a piece of paper, unlike before.
"Good job. For now, continue to manipulate mana that way and get used to it."
After confirming that I could lift the broom, Daphne replied nonchalantly and returned to focusing on her book.
'So she was a tsundere.'
She acted indifferent, but the way she kept glancing at me suggested as much.
No, it was certain. Now that I thought about it, even the title of the book she was reading was a foreshadowing.
-[The Bond Between Master and Disciple (Affection)]
Daphne seemed to have already decided to accept me as her disciple.
'Not bad.'
It was a shame that my favorability hadn't increased, but.
Thinking that I could become the disciple of Daphne, a 9th-circle mage and even a swordmaster, my mood quickly improved.
Humming to myself.
A hum naturally escaped my lips.
It was understandable. If I received everything from Daphne and became overpowered, then my transmigrated life would only be smooth sailing.
"Kamel."
As I was cleaning for a while with such a buoyant mood, Daphne called out to me.
"Sit."
"…"
Thud, I put the broom on the floor and trotted over, and Daphne was standing next to a small wooden chair.
'It looked like it could conduct electricity rather well.'
Seeing the appearance of the chair, a momentary sense of unease filled me, but I had no choice but to sit on it.
Because, my situation demanded it.
'Well, she wouldn't treat a child who's about to become her disciple carelessly, would she?'
That's what I thought, but.
No, that *should* have been obvious.
"A-Ack!"
Daphne abruptly drew a sword from the scabbard at her waist, and I let out a terrified gasp.
"Hold still."
As Daphne intoned, my body was suddenly fixed in place by an invisible force.
In my bewilderment, I tried to spring up from my seat, but I couldn't move.
Meanwhile, Daphne's expression was utterly serious, as if she was about to say something like, "A cut here, a cut there."
"I'll cut it for you."
What?