I Level Up With In-app Purchases

I Raise With In-app Purchases – 17

EP.17 Rebecca (3)

“Ah, that.”

I feigned realization as if I had just caught on.

“I think I was too hasty last time and was rude. I shouldn’t have done that… I want to apologize.”

“Hmm.”

I wish she knew how much creepier it is for me, knowing who Fran really is, when she approaches me pretending to be normal.

“I was thinking… maybe you mentioned the relic to me because you intend to tell me about it.”

Of course, I do.

I mentioned it with the intention of selling the relic.

“So?”

“But I didn’t understand why you wouldn’t tell me about the relic in the end.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So I asked Sister about it.”

The ‘Sister’ she mentioned must be someone from the same fake church.

‘She wouldn’t have just taken my word for it and told them that someone knows where the relic is, right?’

It seems quite possible with her.

But in fact, it doesn’t matter.

I could just say I lied to hit on her.

The relic isn’t someone’s pet’s name, and there’s no reason for an ordinary guy like me to have it.

Even if I did, it’s more likely that I would have sold it by now.

“Then Sister said… you probably did it because you wanted to do this and that with me.”

Her cheeks turned red, which made me think she hadn’t misunderstood my ‘this and that.’

“So, she told me to just ignore such talk. And I was going to ignore it.”

“Coming back here means you want to talk more about it, doesn’t it?”

“Right. To me, it didn’t seem like you were after my body when you said those things.”

“Well, I don’t see why you’d be so sure about that.”

I had no intention of messing with a minor, but her soft, mochi-like white skin drove men crazy every time they saw it.

Even if I don’t touch her now, it’s a different story once she’s an adult, isn’t it?

‘I have a bit of a possessive desire, too.’

From now on, I plan to actively help Fran.

I have no choice because if the fake church grows, it will harm the world.

But after going through all that trouble to get her out of the church, to see her go to another man? I absolutely detest NTR.

And isn’t it just a matter of waiting until she becomes an adult? It’s only a problem now.

“Hmph! So, did you really target my body as Sister said?!”

“Yes.”

“That’s… that’s a very serious problem. I can’t do that…”

“Is the church more important, or are you? If you sacrifice yourself, the church could have the relic.”

“But I’m supposed to be a saintess…”

She naively wondered if the church would really abandon her over the relic.

The church don’t fully understand Fran’s power.

They would definitely try to trade her for the relic.

Since they can’t use the relic themselves, they would sell it for money.

‘If it weren’t for the fact that unique equipment can only be summoned once, I would have thrown the relic to that church and gotten her out. It’s a pity.’

Even if I managed to get Fran out of the church, there’s no way she could truly escape from there, and I didn’t want to see the church benefit from the wealth obtained through the relic.

“The relic seems more valuable than a saintess, doesn’t it? Relics are expensive. And they last a long time. On the other hand, you can’t be sold for as much as a relic, nor can you be used for as long.”

“Ugh…!”

It was clear that her own value was seen as lower.

Fran pouted her lips like a pufferfish and stomped her feet in frustration.

Cute, really.

“So, what are you going to do? Are you going to be sold to me?”

“But, I’m currently attending the academy. After graduating, I have to serve as a nursing officer in the military for 10 years. You know that, right? It’s an unavoidable noble duty.”

So, she plans to just take the relic and use military service as an excuse to get away from me?

She must really be a fool.

Why would she even tell me that?

She should have kept it to herself and backstabbed me later.

Having spent a long time among mercenaries, I’m not used to dealing with someone so naive.

“Then I should ask for a higher price. Since I can’t use you for 10 years, I should get that much money out of it.”

“Gasp!”

Fran was surprised, not expecting me to respond like this.

“What will you do if I say I don’t want to?”

“I’d go find someone who looks tastier than you and propose a trade.”

“T-tastier looking person?! I’m not something to be eaten!”

“You don’t know because you’re naive, but you are indeed tasty.”

“Ugh! That’s sexual harassment!”

“You understand that?”

“Aaah!”

Fran runs away with her face flushed red.

“Did she really run away?”

She’s not the type to run away from just this level of teasing.

Considering how she looks and goes around preaching, how much harassment must she have endured?

I thought she would be immune to this kind of teasing.

In fact, when I saw her preaching, didn’t she handle a man’s unpleasant harassment without much trouble, crumpling him up like trash and tossing him into an alleyway?

“What’s the difference?”

I couldn’t understand why she ran away with a red face from me when she could crush those guys’ bones and throw them away without a second thought.

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“Haa… I might actually fall for it at this rate.”

She wanted to argue back, but his words were too convincing, and she couldn’t find a way to refute them.

“What if I tell Sister and she really sends me away?”

Fran is not a fool.

…Well, maybe a bit of a fool, and perhaps clueless!

But even so, she knows this much.

That everything the man said was right.

Compared to the church’s relic, she is a person of infinitely lower value, and there would be no reason not to agree to an exchange.

‘If I’m abandoned here too, then I have nowhere else to go.’

Fran’s face fell.

She didn’t want to be abandoned.

If even this place rejected her, how was she supposed to live?

She thought it would have been better not to start talking about the relic in the first place.

‘I know it’s selfish, but…’

Rather than being abandoned, it seemed better to close her eyes and do something bad just once.

She would have to be more diligent in her preaching activities from now on.

Much more diligent than now!

“…The remaining issue is to prevent that man from bringing up the relic to the other sisters.”

Fortunately, the sisters of the church respect her territory, so they don’t come to preach near the square.

‘How should I persuade him? Since he’s after my body… if I use my body to persuade him not to talk!’

Could that be a possibility?

Fran was considering a dangerous solution.

She was willing to do anything for the church, as long as she wasn’t abandoned by them.

Using her body for the church?

It didn’t matter to her.

She had rejected the man’s condition because it would result in being abandoned by the church.

If it had been a matter of trading her virginity for the relic, she would have accepted the deal without hesitation.

The joy of obtaining the relic would be greater than the pain of losing her virginity.

‘And if I use my beauty to find out the location of the relic from that man…?’

Fran’s eyes sparkled darkly.

She had never valued her body over the church.

The leader had told her that someday, when the time was right, her body would be put to good use.

She had been told to keep her virginity precious until then, but she thought there could be no use more valuable than obtaining the relic.

“I can do it!”

She cutely clenched her fists and cheered herself on to gain strength.

She seemed ready to head back to the general store right away, but Fran hesitated and stepped back from the store’s door.

No matter how loyal she was to the church, she couldn’t help but feel scared about sacrificing her virginity.

Fran needed time to prepare herself mentally.

“Just, just a little later. It seems there’s still time… yeah.”

Fran, having returned to the church, received her meal and ate it heartily.

“Fran!”

“Huh?”

Was she too focused on eating?

She heard someone calling her and coughed as she struggled to respond.

“Oh dear, you should drink water while eating. Don’t choke.”

“Thank you.”

After clearing her throat with water, she asked the sister who had called her.

“Why did you call for me?”

“About that matter from before. I was curious about what happened.”

“That matter?”

“You said it yourself. There’s something you need, and the man told you he has it.”

“Oh! That thing.”

It was about that man.

Was it too hasty to seek advice for her troubles?

She feels like sweat could start pouring out any moment.

“Yeah. So, what happened? Did you get the item?”

The sister’s inquiring eyes were quite persistent.

It made her want to look away from the intense gaze.

“No, I didn’t get it. I’m just going to give up.”

“Why not? Did that man really ask for your body in exchange?”

“…….”

Fran didn’t answer, and the sister burst into laughter.

“See~ I told you, all men are the same. Whatever it is you want, if you work hard at preaching, maybe you’ll be able to buy it with your own money? Just be patient and save up.”

The problem is that it’s not something that can be bought with money.

But since Fran had to keep certain things secret, she just agreed.

“Yes… I guess that’s what I’ll have to do.”

“If you do well in preaching, you’ll get a generous bonus. Don’t give up just because you think you can’t do it, and try your best.”

“…Sister, how do you preach so well? It seems like you always get a bonus.”

“Hehe, that’s something you can’t do. So don’t ask, and don’t be jealous. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”

Fran felt disheartened by the sister’s words.

Sister Miyu was truly a blessing to Fran, who didn’t get along too well with the other sisters.

Of course, Fran knew.

She knew that Sister Miyu didn’t like her like the other sisters did.

Yet, she still approached her first when she was alone and occasionally gave her advice.

But even that kindness had its limits.

When she was younger, Fran tried to cross that line.

But now she knows.

Sister Miyu is kind because she pities her, not because she has any affection or desire to be friends.

‘She doesn’t teach me how to preach because she doesn’t want to let me in, right?’

Fran sighed softly and then put on a bright, fake smile and thanked Sister Miyu.

“Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you for caring, Sister.”