“…Um… what exactly does that mean?”
Polena brought up a rather unexpected topic that felt somewhat serious in many ways.
Given this, I questioned her again with curiosity, and as she looked at me, Polena spoke with a smile on her lips.
“It’s the literal meaning. If you succeed in saving those poor people, from then on, I will serve you as my master. In both a professional sense and, well, a physical sense too.”
With those words, she showed a meaningful smile.
At this, I began to feel a different kind of embarrassment.
‘Wait, what? So if I do a good job, you’ll become my slave? Is that what you’re saying?’
From the way she framed it, it seemed like she wasn’t just talking about doing simple manual labor. It sounded like she was offering to be a slave in a sexual sense as well.
And with this perspective in mind, I couldn’t help but sneak a glance at her voluptuous figure.
‘Sorry to say, but honestly, just looking at her body, Cazerose doesn’t even come close…’
Sure, the lower half might be somewhat comparable, but there was no denying that her big, beautiful chest was beyond comparison.
To put it figuratively, the difference between them was like comparing cherry tomatoes to watermelons.
Meanwhile, it seemed Polena noticed my gaze lingering on her chest, as she slowly approached me and said in a sweet, soft voice,
“Just so you know… I may look like this, but I’m still a virgin. If you handle this matter well, I’ll give you this too, that I’ve kept safe all this time. How about it?”
“!…”
She probably said that to solidify my decision.
But in the moment I heard this, I was suddenly able to pull my thoughts away from the pleasurable implications.
‘…This isn’t just a simple matter, is it?’
Honestly, when she mentioned giving herself to me, I assumed she was just a light-hearted, easygoing woman.
After all, being a barmaid, she would likely be accustomed to selling her body, and I thought her earlier proposal came from that aspect.
However, as she speaks of herself as a virgin, I began to realize that this offer was not something ordinary for her.
Considering the fact she had maintained her chastity while intertwined with the messy world of taverns, it was all the more evident.
Realizing this, I stiffened my expression and asked her calmly,
“Is there something unspeakable that you wish to convey?”
“!…”
At my words, the smile on Polena’s face vanished, and her expression began to harden slightly.
I then looked directly at her and asked with seriousness,
“If a woman is delegating a task while bargaining with her virginity, then this isn’t a simple matter. What is the reason you’re going this far to stop this situation?”
“…”
She maintained silence for a moment at my question. Then, after a while, Polena looked at me with a voice carrying a much heavier emotion than before.
“If I confide in you… will you make a contract with me?”
“I can say that depending on the story, I could do just that. So, what will you do?”
“…Hah…”
At my words, she barely exhaled a sigh as if resigned.
Then, filling her previously bright smile with a bittersweet expression, Polena began to share her story with us.
*
Polena had come from another country as a traveler and fallen in love with Münhel, so she decided to settle down.
Despite being a foreigner, her cheerful personality and ability to exude a warm atmosphere allowed her to blend effortlessly among the townsfolk, forming friendships along the way.
Maintaining close ties with various people regardless of background, age, gender, or religion, Polena enjoyed a vibrant life surrounded by friends.
But one day, her joyful everyday life was suddenly shattered by the calamity of heretic persecution.
Just a little while ago, she had shared laughter and joy with her friends, but suddenly they began to fight frequently and eventually stopped talking entirely.
For someone like Polena, who was originally a foreigner and had little interest in religion, this situation was uncomfortable and hard to comprehend, yet she could still vaguely grasp the increasing danger.
Watching the rising conflict born from religious differences, Polena realized that the situation was escalating dangerously.
And then, on that fateful day, all her fears began to materialize.
Mobs suddenly rose up under the banner of expelling heretics from the city.
Among them were many she knew well and had formed friendships with, and they took advantage of the darkness to raid the homes of those deemed “heretics.”
As a result, that ‘heretic’ and his family were all brutally murdered overnight, and the shop they operated was turned to ashes, with all the goods looted.
The person who had been killed was, just like the murderer, someone Polena once considered a friend.
One friend murdered by another overnight…
In the face of such absurdity, Polena began to feel a profound anguish, but this was merely the beginning compared to the countless tragedies that would follow.
Since that day, assaults on heretics occurred almost daily.
Under the name of the church and in the name of God, countless people were stripped of their properties and killed, turning the peaceful town of Münhel into a slaughterhouse where people were massacred in the name of God.
And there she stood, watching those scenes unfold from a distance,
Polena found herself consumed by an indescribable despair.
Those who believed they were executing religious righteousness in the name of God were merely friends turning on each other in a brainless frenzy.
An utterly deplorable situation that no human could tolerate.
Yet, despite recognizing that, Polena remained powerless to act.
All she could do in the face of such lunacy was watch it unfold.
And when it became too much to bear, when she couldn’t handle the mental anguish any longer…
At that time, she found herself with no choice but to force a smile.
Raising a toast in happiness,
She would drown her anxiety in comforting words of procrastination for tomorrow.
After all… nothing would change even if she worried and suffered about it, so she would say it loudly.
Thus, she adapted to this situation, reaching the present day.
With unspeakable pain buried deep within her heart, she stood in the midst of hell, raising her glass and smiling brightly.
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