Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 605: Honestly, There Was Nothing She Could Do With This Man
On Steven's side, he had absolutely no idea just how much impact that single phone call had had on Gladiia.
Since she had been the one to say "forget it" in the end, there was no way he was going to force the issue.
Besides, it wasn't as though she had outright refused. They had already agreed that they could go somewhere together another time. For Steven, arranging a date like that wasn't difficult in the slightest.
After all, what he had in abundance was time.
If he wanted to, he could teleport to Gladiia's side at any moment and make it up to her with a quieter outing far more suited to her tastes.
So, after confirming that Gladiia had no intention of coming, Steven mentally crossed her name off the list.
The only people left to consider were Irene and the three Infected girls living on the frozen tundra.
"If you think about it, the number of romantic debts I've racked up really isn't that high, huh?"
"Maybe I'm actually pretty devoted?"
With that nonsense joke made, he dialed Irene's number.
The three girls on Ursus were a special case. If possible, he'd rather go see them in person.
Otherwise, he could already picture how Talulah would react.
She would put on an indifferent front and reject him with a haughty expression, then secretly grit her teeth and cry little pearl-like tears alone in her office.
For a tsundere of that caliber, straightforward honesty was probably the best approach.
Of course, that didn't mean the girl he was calling now wasn't a tsundere too.
If anything, compared to Talulah, Irene was the textbook definition of the word.
The moment she opened her mouth, people naturally thought of "tsundere."
That voice of hers—proud and sharp, yet carrying an unmistakable trace of sweetness—made it impossible to think otherwise.
And sure enough—
"Oh? So you do remember how to contact me, Mr. Jesse?"
The call connected after only a brief ring.
The distinctly Irene-like voice that came through carried an obvious note of dissatisfaction.
Anyone could tell she was annoyed.
The fact that she still called him "Jesse" instead of using his real name only made it more obvious.
Steven, however, was long accustomed to this sort of attitude.
For tsunderes, the answer was always the same:
A direct strike.
"Lungmen's celebrating a festival. I'm one person short. Are you coming or not? Just give me a straight answer."
"...Huh?"
Irene froze.
She had already prepared herself for a lengthy verbal sparring match.
Normally, Steven would definitely take the bait and trade barbs with her for hours.
Instead, he had launched a complete surprise attack.
Lungmen's festival?
What did that have to do with her?
And what was this "one person short" nonsense? Was he inviting her to join some party game?
Besides, she still had duties as an Inquisitor. It wasn't as though she could just drop everything and run all the way to Lungmen because he felt like inviting her.
Seeing her momentary silence, Steven continued casually.
"It's lively. It's interesting. And I figured you've been stuck in Iberia suffering all this time."
"So I thought it'd be a waste to enjoy myself alone. That's why I'm letting you know. Whether you come is up to you."
After a brief pause, he added with a grin:
"See? I'm pretty good to you, aren't I?"
Irene could be considered the first friend he had made for the last few centuries.
To say he felt absolutely no feeling for her would be a lie.
Especially when it was painfully obvious that the little bird wasn't totally against him.
Once he had accepted that fact, things became much simpler.
As for worries about bad endings, yanderes, jealous confrontations, or some metaphorical knife waiting for him in the future—he'd deal with those when the time came.
He had faced legit lovecraftian eldritch monstrosities multiple times already.
He wasn't going to be scared of something like this.
"...You're sure you're not just calling to show off?"
Irene rubbed her temples in frustration.
It had been a while since she'd last spoken with Steven, yet the familiar headache he always brought with him returned almost instantly.
"You know perfectly well what the situation in Iberia is like. Getting away isn't nearly as simple as you make it sound. The amount of work an Inquisitor handles every day is probably beyond your imagination."
She let out a sigh.
"And now you're telling me to travel across several countries just so I can go on a date with you in another city?"
"Have you completely lost your mind?"
"Not at all."
Steven stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"I'm basically an official partner of Iberia at this point, aren't I?"
"Couldn't I just go talk things over with Carmen as the nation's food supplier and see if he'd be willing to approve a day or two of leave for you?"
"..."
Irene stared blankly for a moment.
Then her expression twisted into one of helpless exasperation.
"Can you please use your status for something normal?"
Honestly, if Steven seriously approached Carmen under the banner of Iberia's largest food supplier, then forget a single day's vacation, even if he declared on the spot that he wanted to whisk her away and keep her as his personal mistress, Carmen would probably do nothing more than ask whether she was willing.
That was simply how much influence Steven now possessed.
The potatoes he had introduced had already proven just how terrifying they were.
In less than a month, they had effectively solved Iberia's long-standing food shortage.
Their growth speed was absurd.
Their resilience to harsh environments was equally absurd.
And their yield?
Even more absurd.
Each plant only produced three or four potatoes, but every single one was the size of at least two fists.
The harvest was enough not only to fill Iberia's food deficit but even to make exporting a realistic possibility.
The only thing that can somewhat be considered as a minus was the fact that the entire country now smelled faintly of cooked potatoes.
French fries.
Hash browns.
Mashed potatoes.
Potato stew.
Potato everything.
No matter how delicious something was, eating it every day eventually became tiring.
Still, compared to the days when starvation had been a genuine threat, that complaint was insignificant.
Calling Steven the savior of Iberia's common people wasn't even an exaggeration anymore.
Given his contributions, anyone would gladly give him face.
Which was exactly why Irene couldn't understand him.
Why was he so fixated on her?
There were countless better ways to spend a favor of that magnitude.
Yet he wanted to use it just to get her a day off work.
Was it really worth going that far?
"I think this is a perfectly normal use of it."
Steven's answer came without the slightest hesitation.
"I want to share my happiness with people I care about."
"What's strange about that?"
He chuckled softly.
"If a status like this can't be used for something like that, then what exactly is it supposed to be used for?"
"..."
Irene froze.
The hand holding her communicator tightened unconsciously.
At some point, a faint blush had begun spreading across her cheeks.
Honestly.
Did this idiot feel no embarrassment whatsoever?
How could he casually say things like that?
There was no way he hadn't broken countless girls' hearts before.
He had to be some kind of professional scam artist.
A master swindler specializing in emotions.
At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
Stay alert.
Do not board this man's pirate ship.
Maintain maximum vigilance against fraudsters.
That was what she had intended to say.
Yet when the words finally left her lips, they came out completely differently.
"...Really?"
Her voice had become noticeably quieter.
"You care about me that much?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Steven laughed.
"Like I said, it all depends on what you want."
"If you want to come, then leave everything else to me."
He patted his chest confidently, as though making a solemn promise.
To Steven, saying such things wasn't difficult at all.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the call—
Irene lowered her head slightly.
Her silver hair concealed the redness creeping across her face.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"...Well."
"I suppose it's not completely impossible."
She tried her best to sound reluctant.
Tried.
And failed miserably.
"You really want to go on a date with me that badly?"
A small smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
Honestly.
There was nothing she could do with this man.
"Good grief..."
Her voice softened into a gentle murmur.
"You're hopeless."
"I'm only agreeing because I feel sorry for you, okay?"
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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Tn: I updated the story daily, but if you want to see more chapter of this story ahead of time, please go to my Patreon.
Latest Chapter: Chapter 689: Impossible to Refute[1]
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713
[2] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl/posts/arknightcraft-169789182?collection=55713