No Such Thing as a Chaste Man! Just Give It Ten Tries! - Chapter 8
“How am I supposed to check that? With him dressed the way he is.”
Jenny’s question about whether Ephelinus could get aroused made Seo-ah think back to what he was wearing last night.
Given that it was his bedroom, he could have worn something relaxed like a nightgown, but he had been dressed in the same plain priest’s attire he wore even to bed.
Last night, he wore a simple, ivory-colored tunic that reached his knees. On him, even such modest clothing gave the illusion of a saintly ceremonial robe.
With that loose fabric draped over his lower body, there was no way for Seo-ah to know what was happening underneath.
“Or… maybe he’s too small to show anything?”
“No way.”
“How can you be sure?”
“He has big hands, a big nose, and he’s tall. That usually means… you know.”
“Is that a saying in your world?”
“Yep. It’s a belief where I come from.”
At Seo-ah’s confident remark, Jenny chuckled. During the expedition, the superstitions and sayings from Seo-ah’s homeland had become a source of endless amusement for the team.
“Fine, let’s assume he’s big. What’s the use? If he doesn’t get aroused, it’s all for nothing. If my potion worked as well as it did, and he still did nothing, maybe he’s incapable of such things?”
“Hmm. Isn’t there a potion to make even, um… incapable men react?”
“Seo-ah, that would be… considered a kind of assault.”
“Maybe he wants to get aroused but can’t, so I’d be helping him. Healing.”
“With such clever words, I wonder why he doesn’t return your affection.”
Rurina shook her head at Seo-ah’s shameless response.
“I’m beginning to resent him, too… If he hadn’t taken the initiative, there’d be no chance of you going back. I still remember hearing from the spirits just before we returned to the capital that the United Elder Council was planning your return. I was so shocked.”
“I know right.”
Seo-ah smiled faintly. Ephelinus was someone who always kept his promises, and unfortunately, the promise he had made was to send Seo-ah back to her original world. His stubborn sense of responsibility was the same as the kindness he had shown her when she first arrived in Genève.
This very quality was what had made Seo-ah fall for him, but it also left her feeling conflicted and bitter each time she felt resentment toward him.
It was because of that very character she admired that he was now so determined to send her away.
Still, there was another target for her frustration. The real problem was the government that had eagerly jumped on Ephelinus’s reverse summoning ritual and set it in motion.
What kind of crazy world treats a hero willing to stay as if they’re an inconvenience?
She’d try twice more. If that stubbornly handsome man rejected her again, she’d march straight to the United Elder Council and demand an answer. Though she’d never spoken of it to her friends, Seo-ah had already resolved to do whatever it took to stay here.
“Seo-ah, would it work if you just spent a night with someone, anyone? Peter mentioned that although the caster’s purity might not matter, yours as the summoned one is critical. If you wanted to find a man to spend a night with the Dragon Slayer, Lady Jang Seo-ah, the line of candidates would stretch all the way to the El River and back. Besides, don’t you get plenty of attention at every banquet?”
“If you’re uncomfortable with strangers, what about Lord Nemion? He’s quite accomplished in… reproduction and might be a suitable choice.”
“Someone I know would be even worse. Ugh, no way. I don’t want to be with a man I don’t care about. I’ve grown so used to His Holiness’s face that every other man looks like a squid by comparison. I’d rather stage a hunger strike in front of the Council.”
“I have no idea what this ‘sea creature’ you keep mentioning looks like, but… I have to admit his appearance is mathematically perfect.”
“You appearance-obsessed elf… So, what’s the plan?”
“From here on, it’s up to Jenny to work her magic.”
“All right… Jenny will do her best.”
Jenny sighed deeply and began jotting notes in the leather-bound notebook she had on the table.
She carefully recorded Seo-ah’s report from last night’s experience with the potion and considered all of Seo-ah’s suggestions to design new features for the potion. Jenny herself didn’t want to part with Seo-ah, so she was tirelessly experimenting in her workshop every day and night, working to create anything that might help.
“Seo-ah, would it help if the El River flooded? Or if a fire accidentally started in your room and you wanted to share a room with the High Priest?”
“Haha, the spirits would get so annoyed with me, saying I lack respect for nature. They already scold me enough for that.”
“They know I care for you enough to bend some rules.”
At Rurina’s offer to disrupt nature if it meant helping her, Seo-ah wrinkled her nose and smiled.
“Thanks. There’s not much time left, so I’ll give it my best. ‘No such thing as an immovable tree if you strike it ten times,’ right? I only need two more tries.”
“That’s our Jang Seo-ah—always tries ten times before crying.”
“Hitting a tree, honestly, still sounds so barbaric no matter how often I hear it…”
And so, fifteen days later, Jenny handed Seo-ah her newest concoction.
