Chapter 158 : Chapter 158
Chapter 158: Band (1)
Actually, things like "Honey," "Darling," such... moderately cringe-worthy terms of endearment were within the expected range.
But this... honestly, a title I hadn't expected at all popped out of nowhere, so I was quite flustered.
But well, I still handled it appropriately.
No matter how unexpected it was, if I couldn't even handle a variable of this magnitude, I wouldn't have set up such a plan in the first place.
...More than that, that's that.
I had the thought that I should have a serious talk with Lily sometime later.
Like, what kind of person she usually thinks of me as, and so on.
Of course, the possibility that a preference hidden deep within Morgana's psyche had awakened was probably the highest... but I should still check once.
Who knows what might happen later if she keeps having some strange misunderstanding about me and that becomes a trigger again?
Anyway.
"Who are these people?"
"They are my companions."
I introduced my companions to Morgana, who had regained her energy a bit and left the room.
"Companions?"
"They are bandmates who have performed with me."
Naturally, those bandmates were my party members.
"Ho-oh."
For reference, Rine was also included there.
She was currently carried on Miki's back, but she was completely invisible to Morgana.
That's because she was wearing the 「Pitch-Black Shadow Cloak」.
Ibi's 'invisibility cloak'.
Rine is someone who usually has almost no presence to begin with.
But on top of that, in a situation where she has no movement at all, even 'Invisibility' is applied, so it would not be easy to sense Rine's existence even for someone sensitive to presence.
Furthermore, her mana is also completely 'asleep' right now.
Therefore, she isn't detected by mana detection either.
In other words, it meant that Rine in her current state wouldn't really get caught at the checkpoint.
That is, of course, assuming we pass the checkpoint safely.
"Everyone is an extremely outstanding player. Since we've been in sync for a long time, not to mention their teamwork with me."
And this 'Band Operation' was exactly the method that would let us pass the checkpoint safely.
"A band, huh."
Morgana showed clear interest upon hearing my words, and at that, I lightly gestured to my companions to introduce their respective roles.
"...I beat the drum."
The first one to break the ice upon seeing this was Toric.
"Ah... I, I know how to play the violin!"
"I... play the o-organ...!"
Following that, Miki and Lily—as expected, with somewhat awkward acting—followed suit.
"......I play the flute."
Finally, even Ibi answered with her arms crossed, with an expression that said she had absolutely no idea why on earth she was doing this.
"Everyone is an outstanding player. As the frontman of the band, I guarantee it."
Actually, let alone playing properly, they are complete novices who probably haven't even held those instruments in their hands before.
"Please hire these people along with me. It will definitely be a great help to Morgana business."
However, the most important thing when doing [Deception] is ultimately confidence.
If I have an attitude of not believing it myself, how can I make the opponent believe?
"Our band is practically one body. Without these people, I absolutely never perform alone."
So if you say any bullshit confidently, it tends to sound plausible for the moment.
"...Then why were you performing alone yesterday?"
"...!"
However, perhaps I should say she is a born businesswoman as expected, a cool-headed and sharp point came back immediately.
Though the fact that the claim(?) itself was so full of holes that it would be a fatal wound no matter where you stabbed it was probably a bigger factor.
Actually, when Miki, surprised by those words, flinched and reacted, Morgana, seeing this, narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze as if demanding an explanation from me.
"Everyone was sick from drinking."
"...Sick from drinking?"
"Sick from drinking."
When I shrugged my shoulders and answered nonchalantly, Morgana went "Hmm..." and crossed her arms, then began to examine my companions again.
"...Honestly, rather than a band, they feel like a group of adventurers."
"We hear that often."
Since we are actually an adventurer party.
"So the band name is also 'Adventurer Band'."
"Are you serious?"
Morgana asked back in disbelief, but eventually showed a reaction that the name didn't matter whatever it was.
"Well, fine."
Saying that what's important is the skill anyway.
"Then let's see some skills. Try playing."
"Now? Here?"
"Yes. Let's decide whether to hire or not after seeing the skills first."
"You said you would hire me? Isn't the talk already finished?"
"That's because I already saw your stage. Don't I need to see it myself first to properly know what kind of products everyone is and how to sell them?"
Actually, Morgana's request was very natural.
Currently, our 'Band' was like a rookie band trying to win a kind of label contract from a big-hand investor called Morgana.
"Excuse me, sorry but right now the instruments are..."
"Ah, did you say you play the organ? Then let's hear your side later for now."
Morgana is showing a very firm attitude because she knows this well too.
So.
"Actually, right now everyone doesn't have their instruments."
"What did you say?"
Here was the turn for [Deception].
"No, what kind of band doesn't even have instruments? Are you really a band?"
"There were circumstances. So when you hire us, we would like you to get us new instruments one by one as well. Good ones."
"What kind of..."
As expected, Morgana showed a reaction of being utterly dumbfounded.
"Just what circumstances are there for a band to travel empty-handed without instruments?"
"Well, we broke them."
"Broke them? The instruments?"
"We got into a fight with the audience during a performance and broke the instruments, so we fled to the north. Since I didn't have a penny but at least had my instrument left, I was earning the money for instruments for the time being."
"Just what happened for you to fight with the audience to the extent of breaking the instruments?"
"It happens often when you're in a band. It's nothing you need to worry about."
"It happens often?"
"That's just how the world of street music is."
"Just what world is that...?"
Because that is Rock.
But Morgana, who seemed to lack knowledge about Rock, didn't seem to be able to fully shake off her suspicion.
"Are you telling me to believe that right now...?"
--
[Deception]
Success
--
"......No, I guess it's a somewhat plausible story...?"
Morgana tilted her head with an expression that her common sense was denied, but eventually, she didn't argue further on that point.
"Don't worry. I guarantee the skills for real. You saw my performance yourself, right? Would a bard like me form a band with low-level players?"
"That is... certainly, maybe so..."
Although Morgana showed signs of gradually being convinced, the [Deception] check just now was ultimately just barely convincing her of 'the reason why we, a band, cannot play right now because we don't have instruments'.
To [Persuade] her to win the 'label contract' and go to Shurina all together, one last punch was still needed.
So I decided to utilize the 'advantage' created overnight on Morgana, who hadn't completely shaken off her suspicion yet.
"──Morgana."
Specifically, the point that she had fallen head over heels for me.
"──!"
As expected, when I dropped the sly tone I had used until just now, completely changed my expression, called her name with a firm voice, and took a step closer at the same time, Morgana flinched and shrank back on the spot.
"Don't tell me, you intend to disobey my words now?"
"Ah..."
Approaching like that, I slightly grabbed Morgana's chin and pulled her towards me.
"W, wait, you, outside..."
"You?"
"...M, Master."
"Good."
Although I heard sounds of my party members watching the scene from the side gasping "Hah," or muttering curses like "What the f*ck...", right now was the time to focus on Morgana.
"Do you want to be punished again?"
"...!"
"Or... perhaps, are you acting like a naughty child to get punished on purpose?"
Thanks to that, Morgana couldn't take her eyes off me, just as I wasn't taking my eyes off her, and her lips were trembling.
"M, Master, it's not like that, I distinguish between public and private matters..."
"I said I would play along moderately outside, but did I ever say it was okay to go against my words?"
"Ugh...!"
Honestly, even I couldn't guess the reason at all why it became such a relationship, but anyway, now was the time to use everything available.
"I have no intention of performing without those friends, do you really want to lose me here? ──Even if it ends as just a one-night dream, are you really okay with that?"
"S, such...!"
Honestly, I don't want to do this either.
It's not like I have a taste for being called Master by others.
But I'm just doing it because I have to.
Because I am the leader of our party.
So I was putting in effort to overcome this crisis situation by sacrificing my body as a leader like that, but Ibi was looking at that appearance of mine with a disgusted expression as if it was an eyesore, saying "What is that f*ck...".
"Now, you must answer?"
"I, I understand..."
"Understand what?"
--
[Persuasion]
Great Success
--
"I, I will follow Master's will...!"
"A wise choice."
Since I was eventually able to get the answer I wanted, I returned from the 'Master of the Night' to the 'Bard of the Day' again and showed a refreshing smile.
"You won't regret it."
To put it bluntly, she will regret it immensely.
As I said earlier, we are an adventurer party, and we even plan to take 'Rine' secretly.
I mean, who told you to contribute to kicking out our party's mage, our Rine, and treating her like a slave?
This was a rather minor revenge.
The current treatment as a slave is ultimately just a kind of roleplay, and compared to the humiliation Rine suffered when she directly became a slave, it was just a drop in the bucket.
So on the other hand, I also felt a bit gratified.
"......."
But perhaps because she didn't know well about Rine's circumstances yet, Ibi didn't seem to agree with me much.
"...You are a real piece of trash."
Perhaps that's why, when Morgana went to prepare the carriage with her subordinate to leave the village, she suddenly approached me and threw these words.
Although there was an unfair aspect, actually, looking at it objectively, it was indeed a trashy act.
I didn't even deal with the opponent(?) fair and square directly, but even used a 'dream'.
It was a remark I couldn't possibly deny.
"Still, I'm pretty trash, right?"
So when I shrugged my shoulders and asked back slyly, Ibi flicked my forehead with a 'Thwack!' instead of answering.
***
"When we arrive in Shurina, first of all, you will meet Governor Kurt."
After getting on the carriage heading to Shurina, Morgana suddenly broke the ice like this.
"Normally, you would have to go through a detailed inspection, but... since you are guests brought by my side, we can probably offer you maximum convenience regarding that part."
"I would be grateful if you did."
"Instead, since that is the case, you will have to meet Kurt in person and explain the reason for coming to Shurina."
To ask for understanding, that this is unavoidable for her as well.
To that, I answered with a grin.
"I understand."
Because I seduced you to meet Kurt from the very beginning.