The Unaware Harem Adventure Tale of the Strongest Enchanter ~~I Don’t Know My Companions’ Faces or Identities, but I’m Pretty Sure They’re All Guys~~ - 8. I want to enter Felice-san' room

8. 8. I want to enter Felice-san’ room

With my head still foggy from sleep, I descended to the first floor of the home.

It was nice to have a couple of days off without any major requests. But with nothing to do, I ended up sleeping until nearly noon.

The adventurer business comes in waves. When it’s busy, it’s insanely busy. And when it’s slow, it’s deathly slow.

Once the monsters enter breeding season, there’s almost no time to space out like this.

Hungry, I headed for the kitchen. And I heard lively voices.

…Is someone here?

That’s rare. We don’t usually get guests.

I quietly pressed my ear to the kitchen door.

I don’t know whose guests they are, but this is a perfect chance to gather some intel.

Let’s get some information about my companions through the conversation.

“You’re all doing great. Zain-san, you’re pretty good at this too.”

“Felice-san is really used to this. So even top-class swordsmen can knead bread, huh.”

“Heave-ho, heave-ho—Akane-chan, your hands are taking a break.”

“Phew, what hard work. I really respect bakers.”

“I-is it like this? Like this? This is how you knead it?”

When I opened the door, I found Felice wearing an apron. He was teaching the three newbie girls and Zain how to make bread.

All five of them turned their flour-dusted faces toward me at once.

“What are you doing?”

“We’re making bread.”

“Well, that much is obvious. But why are you guys here? Zain, with your appearance, I didn’t think you’d be into bread-making.”

Zain trembled with bloodshot eyes. They said, 

“Is it weird for me to make bread? Why’s that?”

“Also, how did you lot even get into the home without me noticing?”

“Ehehe, Felice-san invited us.”

“Um, sorry…”

“Nice home… I admire it.”

The other day, after I had neutralized some troublemaking adventurers, these girls thanked me profusely.

With the whole affair in the Corridor of the Dead, I wasn’t exactly a stranger to them. But seeing them this frequently made me suspicious if something was going on. Maybe that’s just my bad habit.

By the way, those troublesome adventurers were arrested by the guards afterward. They were sentenced to more than twenty years in prison.

According to the Guild Master, they had committed all sorts of crimes like robbery and fraud in the capital and were all wanted.

The reward wasn’t much. But apparently, I’ll be getting it later.

“……”

“I-is something wrong?”

The thief girl stared at me intently with a blank expression.

I’m not great at dealing with her since it’s hard to read her emotions.

“By the way, did you come to the kitchen for something, Lux?”

“I was hungry.”

“Then, please have some of this bread.”

“Thanks.”

Felice handed me still-warm bread.

Then I was given a steaming hot bowl of soup as well.

I moved to the table beside the kitchen with the bread and soup in hand.

“*Munch…* It’s rare for you to invite someone to the home.”

“I thought perhaps it’s time I focus on training the next generation. We don’t know how long we can continue as adventurers, after all.”

“You’re so serious…”

“Lux is just too careless!”

While munching on bread, I watched Felice kneading the dough.

The three newbie girls were also seriously kneading dough with focused expressions.

Still, why bread?

“This bread is really good.”

“That’s the bread Zain baked. Please compliment them.”

“I-I baked it… Go ahead and praise me…”

“Yeah, it’s seriously good.”

When I complimented them honestly, Zain went quiet and lowered their head.

Looking closer, they were trembling slightly.

Are they… embarrassed?

What a hard-to-read guy.

After finishing the bread and soup, I stood up.

“Are you leaving already? You’re not a bother, so you’re welcome to relax.”

“Believe it or not, I’ve got a ton of stuff to do.”

“But you slept until noon, didn’t you?”

“……..…Yeah.”

Unable to respond, I left the room.

◇

I went up to the second floor. I wandered the hallways of the home without any real purpose.

I was thinking about how to find out more about my companions’ identities.

I still wanted to know who they really were. That part hadn’t changed.

But if they couldn’t reveal their real faces, then at the very least, I wanted to know their backgrounds.

If I could just find out who they really were, then I believed I could find a way to truly gain their trust.

That plan the Sister mentioned—raising my reputation so that they’d naturally come to confide in me?

No way, no way. That kind of thing doesn’t suit me at all.

Suddenly, one door caught my eye.

It had a nameplate that read “Felice”.

“Right now… I could probably peek into Felice’ room, couldn’t I?”

That’s it. The clue I needed was right in front of me.

Felice was caught up in bread-making. He probably wouldn’t return to his room for a while.

Life in the home was mostly free, with areas divided among members. And each member manages their own area.

Sometimes you wouldn’t even see someone for a week.

Every private room had a lock to ensure privacy.

It was something we all promised when we got the home.

Thanks to that, I had never once seen the inside of anyone else’s room.

I’d never thought about Felice’ room before, but maybe it looked princely.

Or surprisingly cute.

Or maybe it was all stylish for the sake of bringing girls over.

A private room is a treasure trove of personal information. I might even find something that reveals his identity.

I stared at the doorknob and gulped.

“Here I go.”

I grabbed and turned the knob.

*Clunk*. It made a sound. But the door didn’t budge.

It was firmly locked.

Just what are you hiding that you don’t want anyone to see?

Now I was even more curious.

“Heh… Don’t underestimate this Lux. This is nothing.”

From the magic storage at my waist, I pulled out my lockpicking tools.

Every time I go into a dungeon, I get stuck doing thief-like tasks. Disarming traps, unlocking chests—I’ve built up those skills for a reason. Time to use them.

I peeked into the keyhole and fiddled with it using metal rods.

“Got it. Now Felice’ secrets are mine.”

“What are you planning to do by peeking into my room?”

“I’m just taking a quick look. I’m sure I’ll find out your—ah.”

“Find out what?”

I turned around slowly in fear—and there stood Felice. He was smiling softly.

And he had an unsheathed sword in his hand.

Hiiiiiieeeeeeeee!!

“W-what about the newbie girls?”

“They already left. The bread was just a side thing. I was giving them some advice about their work.”

“Oh, I see. Ahaha… Suddenly my stomach hurts. Well, see you later!”

Dripping with sweat, I ran away.

＊＊＊

Felice entered his room.

It was filled with armor decorations and stuffed animals crammed into the space.

Lace curtains covered the windows.

The bed had a canopy and was neatly made.

*Click.* He locked the door.

“Can’t let my guard down for a moment. That was close… he almost saw my room.”

He removed his mask—

and revealed a beauty so stunning, it could charm every man in the world.

She returned the sword to the wall and began removing her armor.

Now in her underwear, Felice let out a deep sigh.

Her white, ample br3asts gleamed with sweat.

A graceful line ran from her back down to her waist.

Her long, slender legs were toned and fit.

She collapsed onto the bed, arms and legs spread wide.

“Just a little longer, Father. I will free you, I promise…”

She clutched a necklace engraved with a crest tightly in her hand.