Episode 124: A Hymn for the Weak
The tale of “Dragon Quest I” had spread throughout Midford.
Not only among the intellectual class but also among the common citizens who couldn’t read.
The reason being…
“Woo-hoo! I’m rolling in it! All thanks to you, Andrews-sama!”
That’s Galanta’s doing, that minx.
This girl, clinging to me on the sofa and showering me with kisses, is a Halfling Musician.
Being a bard, she apparently strums and sings “Dragon Quest I” wherever she goes.
“It’s the best~! Smooch, smooch♡”
And when she’s in a good mood, she’s the type to demand kisses repeatedly. She likes this kind of blatant flirting.
I hug Galanta, inhaling the citrus scent from her boyish, short brown hair.
Ever since coming to this world, I’ve become completely okay with loli-like appearances like Halflings.
I wonder why…?
Perhaps it’s because of being a Changeling… a half-spirit, half-human.
The blood of妖魔, spirits, and such beings craves young women and children, huh?
“Ah…♡ It feels so good when you touch me…♡”
“Hmm? Does it?”
“It’s the ‘Charm’ power of a Changeling, right? I’ve been completely captivated♡”
Hmm…?
“…I don’t know anything about that, though?”
“Really? I heard from my grandmother that Changelings have eyes that charm the opposite sex?”
What’s that? Sounds scary…
No, but, after all, it’s just a rumor… but that’s not quite right.
It’s entirely possible, you know.
For example, my face.
If I do say so myself, I’m handsome.
How handsome? Like a character from a certain famous RPG’s (Final Fantasy-esque…) new release?
A face that’s realistic yet extraordinarily well-defined.
Let me tell you, this world is definitely real.
Girls have pores on their faces, they grow unwanted hair, and they have body odor.
Yet, I alone have the CG-like perfection of a JRPG heartthrob.
In other words, I’m the kind of top-tier hottie who could get away with saying, “As long as there is light, I will fight!” while looking like a hero guided by a crystal in some Final Fantasy-esque action game. Even though I’m like this, I have the face of a “Warrior of Light” (lol).
That’s already pretty scary, but there’s more.
I’m more than just handsome; I’m “beautiful.”
How should I put it…? There’s a limit to how beautiful a human face can be, right?
Facial features are about balance, and making the eyes too big or the mouth too small would only make it uglier.
So, there’s an optimal solution… and nothing can surpass that optimal solution.
Or so it should be, but for some reason, I appear more beautiful than that optimal solution.
I’m a hottie who transcends being a hottie.
So, it’s not strange that it’s evaluated as a ‘Charm Magic,’ in the sense of beauty that warps reality.
That’s right…
My Dragon (Ability) is the same; it flies even though its shape isn’t suited for flying.
That’s also magic…
The professional warriors use “Magic Skills,” but that might as well be magic too.
So, have I been walking around scattering Charm Magic all this time? What a terrible nuisance… I’m truly sorry…!
“I’m sorry…”
“No, it’s okay! I’d hate to be charmed and treated badly, but I’ve been charmed and made happy. There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”
“But still, other men…”
“…Aren’t you the one who would make me the happiest out of all the men who would marry me?”
Huh? Ah, yeah, that’s right.
“Andrews (he), you need to realize this. Being your mistress is a truly happy thing for someone like me, a流民.”
Yeah… that’s right.
Seriously, Galanta is so cute, yet she’s from the Discriminated Class…
She can’t marry a decent person, and even if she becomes a mistress because of her looks, she’ll be abandoned when she has children or gets old.
So, inevitably, she’ll marry someone from the same Discriminated Class… and that’s why her descendants remain at the bottom forever.
It’s terrible… this difference in status.
“You gave me everything, right? Look.”
Galanta opens the eye that was closed.
There, instead of a brown eye, was a pale blue eye…
Heterochromia,虹彩異色症.
“Everyone hated me for this creepy eye color, saying I was ‘cursed.’ Even though I’m a Halfling, I was hated by my fellow Halflings. Of course, I couldn’t get along with humans either.”
“Yeah…”
“Hey, Andrews (he)? I think I made the right choice when I left the Halfling troupe back then. Life in the city has its hardships, but I’ve been able to earn a lot of money, and you’ve been so kind to me. I’m happier here than I was there.”
Heavy… isn’t that heavy?
“If I had stayed there, I would have been used and abused until I died as a cursed child, unable to even become a Halfling’s wife. Even if I went to the city, I think I would have only been able to live in the Slums. The fact that I can work as a Musician now is all thanks to you.”
“Don’t… don’t take it as such a big deal? Just say you’re by my side because you like me…”
“Oh, you~! Do you still not understand my feelings?! Then I’ll resort to force! Smooch~♡♡♡”
Hmm, everyone has their own circumstances…