Chapter 157: The Assassin’s Handshake

"Looks like you’re working, and I’m eating. Go on, get back to work. I’ll finish my meal, and when I leave, I’ll grab your canteen and bring it to you."

"Oh, right. Sorry. I almost forgot. I’ll see you at the cafeteria entrance, then."

Seline nodded and walked away.

...

High above, Kaelthar watched.

’Within Viper Eyes, Seline is known as the Executioner. She had joined the squad for one reason alone: strength.’

Unlike Blandina, whom Kaelthar had known for quite some time, Seline was an entirely different kind of person.

’She is frighteningly intelligent and love fighting.’

Kaelthar knew that much about her. What he found particularly interesting, however, was that Seline was a genuine elf, both in her avatar and in the real world.

And then there was Haru.

The bastard who had ruined Kaelthar’s plans to capture the Kitsune Goddess.

Kaelthar doubted that Haru was anywhere near Viper Eyes’ level. After all, the man was merely a single Gamer, yet somehow, he was the one standing beside the Kitsune Goddess.

Only a handful of Gamers knew what the goddess looked like as a child.

And, unfortunately, Kaelthar was the only member of Viper Eyes who knew.

What a shame.

"Hmmm..."

His gaze followed Seline.

Perhaps Viper Eyes should keep that Gamer close until he returned. It would certainly be easier to kill Haru and take the Kitsune Goddess afterward.

A faint smile spread across Kaelthar’s face.

"Viper Eyes is going to win this game."

His smile widened.

"Things are finally getting interesting."

...

Haru thoroughly enjoyed his meal of corruption.

He would do it again without the slightest hesitation. There was no reason to overthink something so convenient.

Fortunately, the situation at the cafeteria queue had calmed down. Nobody had been reported, and consequently, nobody would be punished.

A satisfactory outcome.

After finishing his feast, Haru headed outside. He had been among the first students to finish eating, so there weren’t many people passing through the entrance anymore.

He walked a little farther before settling onto a nearby bench, then he waited for the elf. He glanced around. Nobody. The area was relatively quiet, and the surrounding darkness made it even more secluded.

’Perfect.’

Haru reached into his inventory.

’Where did I put that damn canteen?’

After rummaging around for a moment, he finally pulled it out.

"There you are."

The canteen looked practically new.

Now all he had to do was wait... Haru leaned back against the bench, already growing bored.

He raised a finger and conjured a tiny flame, and for a moment, he simply watched it flicker, a pointless little gesture. Then something occurred to him.

"Wait..."

’Mana.’

His mana.

He extinguished the flame and checked his reserves.

They were considerably fuller than before. Not completely full, of course, but there had been a noticeable increase.

"Ah, Seline..."

Only then did Haru remember their handshake. That brief contact had restored a considerable amount of his mana, and, now that he thought about it, Seline was a noble.

She belonged to House Orphéne, one of the Five Spawn Points.

Perhaps that explained it.

Replenishing his mana wasn’t nearly as simple as he had initially imagined. He had already tried touching the hair of various women while carrying out his cleaning duties, hoping to trigger his ability.

The results had been disappointing.

Barely any mana.

It was almost as if the System had already selected certain people for him, qnd there seemed to be another pattern. The higher a woman’s status, the greater the potential reward.

Isabela, Kira, and Lilithine were excellent examples.

After touching Isabela several times, the System had absorbed the innate magic of House Valtherion [Ignition]. Since then, Haru had been able to conjure flames. At first, they had been little more than flickering sparks, but with daily practice, his control had steadily improved.

Kira, on the other hand, wasn’t a noble. Despite that, after interactions, Haru had obtained enhanced senses from her. And although her contribution to his mana reserves was considerable, the ability itself had been entirely different from Isabela’s.

Then there was Lilithine. The most troublesome case of all. Haru still had no idea what he had obtained from her. She had given him an extraordinary amount of energy, but the System had begun its mysterious update before he could properly investigate the results.

Perhaps he would finally find out today.

Assuming he accepted the System’s request, of course.

Haru rubbed his chin. There were already enough examples to draw a few preliminary conclusions about his innate ability.

[Touch of Goddess] wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared.

First, nobility seemed to matter: The higher a woman’s status, the greater the potential benefits. In some cases, he could even inherit the magic associated with her noble house.

Second, spirituality appeared to play a role: Kira and Lilithine were obvious examples. Neither needed to belong to a noble house to provide him with substantial benefits. Perhaps certain individuals possessed spirits that resonated particularly well with his own.

It was a reasonable hypothesis.

Lilithine was a saint with two distinct sides to her nature, while Kira supposedly prayed to Yukihime, a goddess who happened to be his daughter.

Haru stared at the tiny flame he had conjured again.

"What the hell has my life become?"

Thoughts, hypotheses, and more thoughts.

His life had somehow turned into an endless cycle of strange encounters, mysterious abilities, and increasingly absurd revelations. Still, there was one undeniable advantage. Seline had given him more mana, he couldn’t complain about that, but then another question surfaced.

’Why am I hesitating to start the mission to make her my waifu?’

Haru frowned.

It wasn’t as if he intended to make every woman he encountered his waifu. If that were the case, he’d spend his entire life running around trying to absorb abilities from random women... That would be ridiculous.

Not to mention a waste of ability slots. And Haru was a practical man, peculiar one, certainly, but practical nonetheless.

"One thing at a time."

He nodded to himself.

"From now on, that’s how I’ll do things."

Decision made.

For approximately three seconds, Haru felt remarkably satisfied with his life. Then his wrist began to ache.

He looked down at it, the discomfort was slight, but noticeable.

’Ah, right.’

The training with the Forgotten General.

Haru rotated his wrist, testing its range of motion. The pain wasn’t severe, but he couldn’t understand why he was only noticing it now.

’And where was that helmet, anyway?’

He was fairly certain he’d stored it in his inventory.

"Why am I noticing this pain now?"

A strange question. One that his mind had barely finished forming when his entire body broke out in goosebumps.

The spirits within him stirred, every instinct he possessed seemed to awaken at once. something was wrong.

Haru raised his head.

He hadn’t heard anyone approaching.

Of course, elves were naturally light-footed. Their steps could be so silent that even an attentive person might fail to notice them.

Still, that wasn’t the only reason his instincts were screaming.

Someone was standing right in front of him.

Seline.

She looked down at him while casually sweeping a strand of hair behind her ear.

For a moment, Haru could have sworn her blue eyes reflected the moonlight itself.

He stared.

A second passed.

Then another.

Eventually, Haru stood up, finally revealing the full extent of their height difference.

"Your wrist hurts?"

Seline’s gaze had fallen to his hand.

Haru glanced down and rotated his wrist once more.

"Yeah. A little."

He nodded.

Then, almost immediately, another thought interrupted him.

’Why don’t I want to make her my waifu?’

Haru couldn’t figure it out. There was no obvious reason to hesitate. Seline was a noble, she seemed capable, and her mana had proved useful. Yet something about her made him reluctant to proceed.

’Strange... Very strange.’

Haru pushed the thought aside and raised the canteen with his other hand.

"Here."

That was why they had arranged to meet in the first place.

Seline’s eyes immediately settled on the object.

Haru extended his hand, holding the canteen out to her.

However, he didn’t release it just yet, instead, he offered his other hand. A handshake.

A simple gesture of gratitude.

At least, that was the explanation he would have given if anyone had asked.

Seline glanced at his outstretched hand, she wanted her canteen back. And apparently, Haru wanted a handshake first.

For a brief moment, she seemed to consider the request. Then she accepted, their hands met.

Mana flowed.

Haru nearly sighed in relief.

’Ah, good old mana.’

The familiar sensation spread through him, and his reserves increased once again.

’Wonderful... Absolutely wonderful.’

But Seline wasn’t looking at the canteen anymore.

She was staring at their joined hands.

Then she released him.

Slowly, she turned Haru palm toward herself and examined it, tracing its lines with her eyes as though searching for something she recognized.

Her expression changed. Only slightly, but enough for Haru to notice.

She looked at Haru palm again.

Finally, she raised her eyes to meet his.

"That’s strange..." Seline’s gaze lingered on his hand. "Your hand..."