I Was Reincarnated As An Instructor In An R18 Game... - Chapter 88

Upon entering the tavern, I spotted a man with brown hair leaning down and talking to Croana and Lea.

The adventurers in the tavern were also quietly watching the man.

From the way he was speaking, the man seemed flustered.

Upon seeing me enter, Croana and Lea looked up, and the man turned to face me, straightening his back.

He was a bit shorter than me, had a lean, trained build, and gave the impression of a respectable young man.

His appearance while helping Roy over and over in the game matched perfectly with what I saw now.

I let out a small sigh and asked the man, who looked a little desperate.

“I’m Reid, the owner of Suzuya. Did something happen?”

“I’m Gruug. Are two silver-haired women being sheltered here?”

“…That’s correct.”

“Let me see them!”

“No.”

Gruug came at me, panic all over his face, but I extended an arm to keep him back and turned him down.

Just in case, I whispered to Roy behind me to go confirm the situation.

With a solemn look, Roy gave a nod and exited the tavern.

Gruug, clearly panicking, spoke to me while moving his hands restlessly.

“Why!? This has nothing to do with you, does it!?”

“It does concern me. I’m the one who took them in. I’m not letting you see two women when they’re in such a fragile condition.”

“Seeing me will make them feel better!”

Hm? Was Gruug a narcissistic character?

I tilted my head, observing Gruug suspiciously.

Gruug seems worried and flustered, which means he must have rushed over to Suzuya.

Since there was no carriage parked outside, he probably ran here.

…For someone in such a hurry, he hasn’t worked up a single bead of sweat?

Could it be that he’s acting?

Without taking my eyes off Gruug, I spoke with a wary expression.

“Just so you know… I’ve heard what happened from the two of them.”

“…!?”

“One thing I’m curious about… Who told you they were here at Suzuya?”

“Th-that is…”

Seeing how Gruug was acting odd and shifting his gaze, I signaled for Croana and Lea to come closer.

I asked them to check whether Foria and Synk are wearing any magic tools, and they nodded and left the tavern.

I’ve never even heard of magical tracking devices, but I’m doing this just in case.

With two assistants present, the tavern calm remains undisturbed.

That’s why it should be fine to send Croana and Lea to check.

“Having heard what happened, there’s even more reason not to let you meet them … you understand?”

“Th-that’s not it! It’s a misunderstanding!!”

“…What?”

“There’s absolutely nothing between me and the noble’s daughter!!”

“That’s a lie, you know?”

As Gruug urgently and strongly pleaded, Fia’s voice quietly contradicted him from just behind me to my right.

Her voice was low enough that it seemed only I could pick it up.

Looking in her direction, I saw Fia looking up at me with a mischievous smile.

It seems she has activated her lie-detecting magic that only works for a few hours each day.

With that in mind, I asked Gruug a question.

“You didn’t sleep with the noble lady?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“Lie.”

“You rushed here to Suzuya?”

“Yes!”

“That’s a lie.”

“…You care about those two?”

“I love them!”

“…That’s a lie. You lie so clearly, it’s refreshing, you know?”

Gruug must have heard Fia because he took a startled step back.

Fia looked at Gruug with exasperation, then glanced at me.

Her eyes seemed to say there’s no need for mercy.

I gave a wry smile at Fia’s expression, steeled my expression and addressed Gruug.

“I won’t let you meet them. Go home, Gruug.”

“You mean… you believe these words of a child? This little liar… guahh!?”

“Shut up. If you keep talking, I’ll consider you an enemy.”

I readied myself and stared down Gruug with killing intent

I can’t say I don’t get where Gruug is coming from, Fia does look like a little girl.

Still, that’s no reason to accuse her of lying. If he disagreed, he should’ve responded with composure.

The Gruug I knew from the game was a calm and collected man in situations like this.

In the midst of this tense atmosphere, Roy returned.

Standing beside me, Roy glanced at me and gave a silent shake of his head, then turned to Gruug with a composed expression.

“I have a message from Miss Synk.”

“A-ah… Aah! What did Synk say!?”

“She said she never wants to see your face again.”

“Wha… Why…?”

Gruug looked devastated, clearly shaken by the message.

It made no sense. Why did he assume he’d be welcomed back?

It’s not that being involved with a noble girl was unforgivable.

But if he hadn’t messed up the order of things, it wouldn’t have come to this.

Roy approached Gruug and handed him something.

Then, keeping a wary eye on Gruug, he returned to my side and spoke.

“The effect’s been broken using magic. …Apparently, they didn’t even know it was there.”

“N-no, that’s not it… This was necessary in case we got lost while traveling…”

“Still, don’t you think you should’ve told them? This is… practically a collar.”

Roy showed no effort to hide his disgust as he spat the words out while staring at Gruug.

So it seemed the item had been enchanted with some form of tracking magic.

A collar… Yeah, there’s no denying that’s what it looks like.

I let out a deep sigh and spoke to Gruug.

“Get your noble rank or whatever you want, but don’t set foot in Suzuyа again.”

“…I understand.”

Gruug seemed to struggle for a moment, then lowered his gaze and suddenly quieted down.

Raising his eyes a bit, he gave me a sharp look, said that, and walked past me out of the tavern.

I followed Gruug outside and, noticing the melancholy in his back, asked something that had been on my mind.

“You are Gruug, right?”

“…Of course.”

“It’s true.”

Fia, who had somehow come up beside me, muttered with an exasperated smile.

With eyes blazing in anger, Gruug glanced at me before departing from Suzuyа’s premises.

If we leave Gruug alone now, the chances of trouble starting are high.

I’ve seen plenty of situations like this in the game.

“Sharle, you here?”

“Yes.”

As I muttered her name, Sharle responded softly in my ear.

It’s fine if she replies, but I wish she’d stop whispering in my ear. I flinched a little.

Sharle seemed amused by my reaction and chuckled a bit.

I gave a wry smile and asked Sharle to do something for me.

“I want you to investigate the noble lady and Gruug.”

“Sure. Besides, there’s something I’m curious about too.”

“…Something you’re curious about?”

“That’s right… if things go badly, he might not receive his noble title.”

“I won’t pry too deeply.”

“Fufu, go ahead.”

A warm breeze brushed against my cheek, letting me know Sharle had left.

Letting out a sigh, I glanced at Fia, who was looking shocked up at the roof nearby.

I looked that way too, but there was nothing there.

Tilting my head, I looked back at Fia, who gave me a rare glare and said.

“You… what have you done?”

“…What’s wrong, so suddenly?”

“…No, never mind. Come on, let’s help out in the tavern.”

I gave a wry smile and nodded at Fia’s words, then turned and started walking toward the tavern.

Placing a hand on Roy’s shoulder as he followed me, he shifted his gaze from where Gruug left to look at my face.

Roy wore an indescribable expression, but I smiled without saying anything, and he returned it with a wry grin.

I asked him to help out at the tavern for a change of pace, and finally, Roy smiled and nodded, feeling a bit better.

Chapter length 3167 characters.