Benny spoke with a serious face.
âFirst, can you take your clothes off?â
ââŠ?â
You said you wouldnât make me do anything lewd.
Could it be that being naked isnât considered lewd by Benny?
At this point, it doesnât matter if this is a reversed world or not, isnât this just a person with shattered moral values?
But now Iâm really curious. If being naked isnât enough, then what does it take for Benny to feel itâs lewd?
âNaked dogezaâŠ?â
The phrase slipped out of my mouth. Ellie, who had been tilting her head and eavesdropping on our conversation, immediately stormed out from behind the counter.
âBenny. Over here.â
âWait, wait! That was a misunderstanding, Ellie! It wasnât even something I said in the first place!â
âEnough, to the Room of Truth.â
The sourcđČ of this content is freÄwÄbηovel.cà«Šm.
âKyahhh!â
Benny was dragged to the warehouse by Ellie gripping her ear. As she flailed her arms towards me, seemingly asking for help, I waved back at her.
âBye-byeâŠ.â
âHelp me, you jerk!â
The warehouse door slammed shut with a single scream. As I took over Ellieâs spot at the counter, it wasnât long before a tattered Benny emerged, clutching her head.
Her purple eyes, adorned with heart patterns, flickered with intense emotion as our gazes met.
âHey!â
Of course, she shriveled up again under Ellieâs silent watch from behind.
âI wasnât asking you to strip naked, just to give me something you usually carry aroundâŠ.â
âWhy didnât you say so from the start? Both Ellie and I misunderstood for no reason.â
I shrugged and tossed my socks over to her.
âIs this enough?â
âYeah.â
Benny, carefully picking up my sock with her index finger and thumb, turned around and dropped it into her own shadow.
Strangely, instead of falling to the floor, the sock slowly sank into the shadow as if it were being swallowed by a swamp.
It must have gone to where that shadow monster resides.
After glaring at her shadow for a moment, Benny let out a sigh of relief.
âPhew. This should be fine for a while.â
âWhat did you do?â
âI threw it a toy so it wouldnât come out and bother us. It seemed to like you, so it might interrupt. Without something like this, it would pop out all the time.â
ââŠIs it that bad?â
âThereâs a reason why, out of all the good nicknames, I ended up with the name âCreepy Witchâ.â
Benny, who spoke in a calm voice, looked a bit lonely.
âAlright, then letâs go to my workshop. Iâll briefly explain what you need to do there. Iâll also show you some magic as a bonus.â
âNow? Itâs the middle of the night thoughâŠâ
ââŠOops.â
Benny, realizing her mistake, gaped blankly. The sharp teeth glistening between her lips were quite impressive.
After hesitating for a while, Benny scratched the floor with one foot and asked.
âCould you take off just a little more?â
âYou mean the socks? Just a moment.â
When the other sock was taken off, she accepted it and put it into a small box.
âAhem. You said you were going into the Labyrinth with Lydia these days, right? Iâll follow along to observe. Iâll also see how you use magic.â
âThen I should drop by the workshop after the loot calculation is done.â
âYes. Thatâs it.â
Benny, who nodded in satisfaction, tidied her hair that had become disheveled from a few hits. Then, she tapped the floor with the tip of her foot and said.
âIâll come with Lydia tomorrow. The daily wage will start tomorrow as well.â
âAlright. Then just pay for the socks and go.â
ââŠ???â
Benny tilted her head, wondering if she had heard correctly. Then I placed my hands out towards her.
âDid you think I gave them to you for free? I gave them because they were necessary for your experiment.â
ââŠGot it. Ten copper should be enough for the socks, right?â
âHmm. I think I should get 1 silver since they have my scent on them⊠Well, fine. Iâll let it go for 10 copper this time!â
ââŠâŠâ
With a look of disbelief, Benny took out 10 copper and handed it over. After seeing her off, I quickly ran to the counter and handed over the coins.
âEllie! A cold glass of milk, please!â
âI think I mentioned it before⊠Itâs premium milk, so 10 copper wonât cut it.â
âThen Iâll give you the chance to lick my bare feet in addition to the 10 copper.â
âNo, what kind of benefitâŠbenefitâŠâ
Ellie, who was about to let out a hollow laugh, stopped mid-way. She kept repeating the same words like a broken phonograph, and soon quietly took out the milk.
Then she whispered softly.
âItâs fine if itâs later too, right?â
âIâll even make a certificate for you, so wait a moment.â
Tearing a sheet from the stack of papers bought for writing last time, I scribbled down the words I had just said in crooked letters.
â1-time foot-licking pass for 10 minutesâ
Feeling it was a bit lacking, I also drew a few cute pictures.
âHere you go!â
Ellie had a complicated expression for a moment, but her hands quickly snatched the coupon and tucked it into her bosom before anyone could see.
Anyway, she is someone who is honest about her desires.
The next morning. As promised, Benny came with Lydia to the Fairy and Silver Coin.
Seeing me all dressed up, she jumped onto a nearby chair with a satisfied expression.
âGood, good. It seems like youâve got the basics down. Well, itâs natural since Lydia taught you!â
ââŠJust to ask, do you always have to climb up somewhere when greeting?â
Yesterday and today, seeing her constantly climbing up somewhere, I asked in disbelief. Lydia, not Benny, answered my question.
âBenny is short. So, she climbs up high to make a strong first impression.â
âLydia?! I told you not to say that!â
âHe would have found out in a day or two anyway.â
âStill!â
Benny stomped her feet, throwing a tantrum. Chuckling at her display, she continued speaking.
âI actually like that youâre short, Benny. I donât have to look up like with other people.â
âI said that I hate that!â
âWho cares? Iâm just saying I like it. Anyway, letâs get going. Honestly, Iâm a bit excited to try out the new stuff we got.â
âYeah. Are we doing the first floor again? OrâŠâ
âLetâs just go straight to the second floor. Thereâs nothing left on the first floor except for fighting the Giant MantisâŠand we can replace that with the Spider Queen on the second floor.â
âThatâs true. Alright. Then letâs stop by the Guildâs supply shop before heading in.â
âSeems like we should, right? We havenât bought any lanterns.â
âI have one. Itâs this yearâs new release from the Magic Tower. Itâs a Mana Stone rechargeable type, but it can also be charged directly with mana. It has ten output settings. It comes with a stealth detection feature using visual distortion. The design was handled by the Artisan Guild.â
ââŠHow much is it?â
âJust 5 gold. It was originally 6 gold, but I got a VIP discount. Ahem, ahem.â
Lydia, with hands on her hips, boasted. She was blatantly demanding praise for her great achievementâŠ
âEquipment freak.â
ââŠ!â
âDo we really need such an expensive lantern when we have Benny, a mage, in our party?â
âBut, but we might get separated from Benny.â
âEven so, this level of lantern is unnecessary. Wouldnât it be better to buy a reasonable lantern and use the remaining money to prepare emergency food or survival kits?â
âI already bought all of that.â
ââŠ?â
âHeheh. I bought top-notch everything and used the remaining money to buy a good lantern.â
ââŠâŠâ
This time, it was my turn to be at a loss for words.
Both are minor consumables, but theyâre famous for getting more expensive as the grade goes up.
Like bread that fills you up with just one piece, a portable Safe Zone, long-distance communication magic tools, potions, etc.
It must have cost a fortune, but you bought everything top-notch? And you still had money left to buy an expensive lantern thatâs less important?
How many gacha pulls would that money get meâŠ
âHa!â
At the point where the first thing I want to do with what could be dozens, maybe hundreds of gold is gacha, Iâm not much different from Lydia.
With a much more lenient heart, I patted Lydiaâs shoulder.
âPlease cut me a little piece from the emergency rations later if we need to eat them. Iâm curious about the taste.â
âThat is, if Jonah is with us at that time.â
Lydia and I exchanged small promises in a warm atmosphere. Once again, Benny interrupted us.
âWait a minute! Didnât you say youâve been teaching under Ellieâs request for the past month? And youâre planning to take him around as a porter during my break?â
âYeah, thatâs right.â
âBut on the second floor? At that age? With only a monthâs experience as an adventurer?â
âItâs true.â
Ellie quietly looked at me after giving a short answer. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed she hadnât disclosed the details to Benny.
I nodded slightly to show my gratitude to Lydia for giving me the choice and then opened my mouth to speak.
âI took down the Floor Guardian of the first floor.â
âWhat?!â
âIs this a secret?â
As I said that, bringing my index finger to my lips, Bennyâs expression turned into a frown.
âDonât lie! Itâs hard to believe that thereâs a Floor Guardian on the first floor, let alone that you defeated it!â
âThen how about we make a bet? The loser has to be the porter for the day.â
For your information, I only make bets I can win.
The moment we arrived on the second floor through the stone monument, Benny collapsed to the ground.
ââŠBe honest. Youâre actually much older, and just young looking like me arenât you?â
âGoo goo ga ga. Iâm baby Jonah. Iâm an orphan, so I donât know my real age.â
ââŠâŠ.â
Without a word, Benny took over the bag I was carrying.