Lawless & Sinful Another World

The moment I talked about fried food, Lorraine’s eyes widened in the most surprised way I had seen yet. She was completely shocked by the idea of coating food in oil.

Naturally, she didn’t know the names “French fries” or “karaage” either, and she seemed very suspicious of these mysterious-sounding dishes.

“I see… So that’s what the adventurers have been talking about recently.”

Since Lorraine works at the adventurer’s guild reception desk, she had often heard adventurers mentioning “fried potatoes” and such. However, she had no idea what they actually were beyond being food, and it had apparently been bothering her for a while.

“So… is this ‘fried potato’ thing delicious?” “Yes, of course. It depends on personal taste, but if you like it, you’ll get addicted after just one bite.” “What about karaage?” “That’s good too. The moment you bite into it, you get the rich flavor of the meat combined with well-seasoned spices. Just one piece is enough to make you want to drink a lot of alcohol.” “…I really want to try them now.”

Wait, I recognize that look in Lorraine’s eyes…

That distant, dreamy gaze—I’ve seen this before.

That’s right! This is Lorraine’s way of inviting me out!

Since she’s already engaged, she can’t directly ask a man out to eat. Instead, she drops hints like this so the other person will invite her.

If I invite her, then in her mind it becomes “it can’t be helped” or “he asked me first.” Whether she actually wants to go with me or not doesn’t matter—once I make the move, it’s no longer her responsibility!

“U-Um, Lorraine-san. If you’d like, would you go with me—”

“Takuma-san. There’s actually something I need to tell you.” “Y-Yes!”

Completely different from a moment ago, Lorraine’s eyes now stared straight into mine.

Wait, Lorraine-san, this is a bit too intense… You already have someone you love…

“You should hire a bodyguard, Takuma-san.” “…Huh?”

The words that came out of Lorraine’s mouth were completely different from what I had expected.

“Right now, you are an adventurer, but to be honest, you are still quite weak. So please hire a bodyguard as soon as possible and protect yourself.”

Still struggling to keep up with the sudden change in topic, Lorraine continued to earnestly explain why I needed a bodyguard right now.

“New adventurers sometimes find rare materials or treasures. When others—whether fellow adventurers or people in power—find out, they may try to steal them by force. That’s why newly registered adventurers often temporarily hire bodyguards. It’s not free, of course, but it’s better than suffering a much greater loss.”

Finally, my brain caught up with what she was saying.

In short: I have no strength, but I have a lot of money. To bad people, I’m the perfect target.

“It’s true that my appearance has gotten better than before, but… can people really tell that I’m making money or that I’m rich just by looking?” “Not at first glance. But you never know who might be watching you. In some cases, you could even catch the attention of powerful people.” “No, no, surely it’s not that serious…” “It is! It absolutely is!”

Lorraine leaned forward across the table. Thanks to that, her chest came dangerously close to where I could reach out and touch it…

No, that’s not important. She was genuinely worried about me, her expression completely serious.

“This world is one of survival of the strong, whether you’re an adventurer or not. If something stands out, it will be struck down. That’s just how the world works. The rumors of these ‘fried potatoes’ and ‘karaage’ you mentioned have already spread to people like me who have never even tried them. It’s entirely possible that some influential person hears about it, tracks down the source, and tries to get involved with you.”

“By ‘get involved’ you mean…” “…To bring you under their control. Or…” “Or…?”

Lorraine didn’t finish the sentence. She quietly sat back down in her seat.

She didn’t say the rest, but after everything she had told me, anyone could easily imagine what she meant.

If you don’t do what they want, they’ll dispose of you. That kind of thing exists in every world.

It had only been a week since I came to this world. I had only lived here for one week. If possible, I wanted to live a long, healthy life here and die of old age.

There was only one course of action I should take.

“Lorraine-san… Where can I go to hire a bodyguard…?”

After hearing her explanation, I changed my plans for the day to focus on finding a bodyguard.