The Munchkin Disciple Wants To Stop Being Obsessed Over

6 – The Priest’s Year (1)

There are several ways to pacify anger, but one is especially efficient for men.

The sight of an awesome panorama, just like the one unfolding before me.

‘Oh my.’

That was an amazing view indeed.

Her white shirt had become see-through from the wetness, revealing the white skin and curves beneath.

‘Busted…’

The loveliness of her face tinged red-hot and the silver streaks flowing from her lips.

The loss of the soft touch on my lips was regrettable, but the sight before me more than made up for it.

‘Ahem.’

Feeling my gaze, Daphne coughs awkwardly and stands up from her spot.

Indeed, it was a moment in which the anger that soared to the top of my head was diverted elsewhere.

‘Even a ten-year-old man…’

I got up and crouched down in my spot, unintentionally understanding another mystery of the human body.

I could feel a warm heat. In front of me, a bonfire was aflame.

“…”

Once my body began to thaw, my thought process began to function normally again.

‘It warmed me up and performed CPR after rescuing me.’

As soon as I understood the situation, all of the loaded quips from gamer K vanished, and waves of emotion began to roll in.

‘Damn it, I trusted you!’

To begin with, I don’t think Daphne intended to kill me.

Come to think of it, there wasn’t even a mention of death as a result of failure, unlike the first test.

“What… why are you looking at me so intently?”

Lost in thought, Daphne asked, crossing her arms and furrowing her brow.

As something was covered, regret sprung up …wait, that’s not it. Wake up.

I honestly answered, shaking my head.

“Because I’m thankful.”

“For what?”

“For showing me…”

“What?!”

Oops. I didn’t mean to say that.

Hearing my honest reply, Daphne jumped in surprise on the spot.

Seeing her reaction, I felt a great sense of crisis and had to move my lips quickly to recover the situation.

“For showing me how you care for me. Thank you.”

“…”

“Really. Thank you. For saving me…”

“… I intended to do it from the start.”

Perhaps it’s because she’s a child. Seeing me looking at her tenderly and deliberately, Daphne thankfully didn’t question it.

“You don’t have to thank me. The one who proved himself was you, not me. I just kept my promise.”

“That means… “

“Yes. I’ll save you.”

“Thank you!”

“Hm, that doesn’t mean I fully accept you yet.”

Daphne continued speaking after a fake cough, looking quite serious.

Listening to her content, she seemed to be talking about a newly acquired quest.

Well, then I should keep up with the rhythm.

I asked Daphne, looking at her.

“What should I do to be fully accepted by you, Daphne?”

“Shouldn’t you figure that out yourself?”

So, I need to make myself look good to her.

Well, it wasn’t bad. Even in my previous life, I was a guy with formidable social skills, after all.

With that thought, I nodded subtly, with a faint smile, and Daphne casually threw me a question.

“So tell me, how did you deceive Cheonching?”

It’s hilarious she’d ask how I did what she instructed me to.

My facade almost crumbled at her questions, but I managed to smile and replied nonchalantly.

“It worked because I just did it.”

“I see.”

Hearing my response, Daphne frowned for a moment, then nodded.

Why that reaction? Did my response sound too irresponsible?

Well, whatever. It was the truth.

The truth was that merely asserting my willpower managed to deceive Cheonching quite naturally.

“For what it’s worth, you’ve struggled.”

Unlike my critical thinking, Daphne gently smiled at me, soothing my mood.

“As a reward for your struggle, I’ll give you a gift.”

A gift.

Despite having given me tremendous ordeals before, these two words still made my ears perk up.

However.

The story that trailed off Daphne’s lips was way off from my expectations.

“Don’t children get hungry faster after strenuous play?”

“Not… ah, not really? No, no!”

It won’t happen. No, it can’t.

“Oh? Not feeling hungry?”

I was in a huff, shaking my head, and to my distaste, Daphne lowered her face in disappointment.

Through an indistinct feeling of remorse, it was fine.

It was better that Daphne felt disappointed than having my presumed scenario happen.

“That was close.”

Then, comforted by that, the worst scenario happened.

My stomach grumbled.

“Little guy, aren’t you speaking honestly because you’re worried?”

Daphne, upon hearing the sound, brightly manifested a rift in the air with a wave of her hand.

Was that space magic?

If it were, it would be very, very troubling.

No. Don’t do it. Please.

“I knew this would happen, so I prepared.”

Daphne, unbeknownst to my worries, waved a hand resulting in a rift from which she pulled out a wooden basket and presented to me.

My goodness…

A foul smell I could never forget came rushing into my nose.

Even though I desperately didn’t want it to be…

“Eat lots!”

Inside the wooden basket with the lid opened, a grim ashen sandwich sat.

An immediate thought upon seeing it.

I should have died earlier.

****

The cold taste of the ashen sandwich was enough to kill any human empathy I held.

“Damn.”

The more I chewed, the angrier I got. For Daphne to commit the heinous crime of feeding me four sandwiches, when I was just a ten-year-old, was beyond belief.

-“I’m not hungry…”

If that were all, I wouldn’t mind. But Daphne took a bite of the ashen sandwich and handed her portion to me under some petty pretext.

“Ugh…”

This is the result. Here I am in the bathroom, holding back the urge to vomit.

Thank goodness for Daphne’s teleportation that brought me back instantly.

If I had to return the way I came, I would undoubtedly have died on the way.

“Life is unpredictable but…”

This is a bit much.

Not only did I suddenly become possessed, but now my life is threatened.

Now I’m in a predicament where one of the three essentials of life, food, is a threat.

“Hoo…”

Suppressing my nausea, I clenched my fist and made a vow.

‘I must cook, no matter what.’

I don’t know how long we’ll be together, but this was a very serious matter for my future life with Daphne.

Honestly, this seemed more important than saving the world.

‘I need to increase her affection too.’

[Linked Quest ‘Win Daphne’s Favor!’ in progress. (Affection: 30/100)]

The linked quest I received as a reward earlier.

The so-called affection quest.

It was a shame that nothing was known about Daphne because she wasn’t in the game.

Still, it didn’t seem hard to increase her affection.

After all, eating just one ashen sandwich had already increased her affection by 10.

Meaning, if I eat seven more ashen sandwiches…

“No, I can’t!”

The sudden depression switch was pressed.

Holding my face, I slumped to the floor.

“…Let’s find another way.”

If it were a simple game, it wouldn’t matter.

But eating seven more ashen sandwiches is a bad ending, no matter how I look at it.

“…”

In the game, there were mainly three ways to increase NPC’s affection: gifts, expressions, and errands.

Firstly, I don’t have any gifts to give.

That leaves expressions and errands…

“Seems easier than I thought, right?”

Just then, I found myself in a child’s body.

It’s an ideal situation for expressing emotions or running errands.

“I bet my cooking skills alone will raise my points by 20.”

Maybe doing some housework and showing off to Daphne will clear the quest?

No matter how I look at it, this quest seems like a giveaway.

Heck, I even get to choose my reward.

“It’s worth giving it a try.”

I realized that after thinking about it.

Looking at the rewards list that arrived earlier, this quest will undoubtedly provide me with satisfactory rewards.

“If I continue growing at this rate soon…”

Won’t I become a power-gamer?

That thought crossed my mind as I brushed my hair aside and looked in the mirror.

Due to being mighty, or so they say…

The handsome boy smiling bashfully in the mirror was indeed worth a second glance.

****

I squirmed in front of Daphne engulfed in a black apron, holding a broom while she was reading a book in a rocking chair.

It was a conscious attempt to woo Daphne.

Even though it’s odd for me to say it.

At heart, I am a cute and young child.

I offered to help around the house with a much bigger apron tied around me.

Even Daphne, who’s near psychopath, being a woman, will find me cute.

Won’t these actions raise her liking at least 20 points or so?

That was what I thought.

But Daphne’s reaction was quite different from what I had assumed.

“What?”

“I thought I’d feel better doing something.”

“Where’d you get that apron?”

“It was in the storeroom.”

“Huh.”

Daphne scowled deeply and sighed firmly. No, why?

“Do you think the dust will be swept by such a flimsy broom?”

“What?”

Well, then give me a vacuum cleaner.

“Wait.”

Daphne began waving her hand in the air and soon pulled out a broom of the darkest color from the void and threw it at me.

-Thud.

Thud? I think I heard something that should not have been heard.

“If you’re going to do it, do it right. From now on, use that.”

Nonchalantly, Daphne said and went back to reading her book.

“Why are you so grumpy?”

I felt really annoyed looking at that.

Not only did things not go according to plan, but I even had to endure this sort of indifference.

But given my stake here, I had no choice but to suppress my anger and lift the broom.

“Ms. Daphne, but…”

“What is it?”

“I can’t lift this broom.”

It wasn’t a lie. What on earth is it made of that makes it so heavy?

No matter how much I groaned and tried to lift it, the broom didn’t budge an inch from its spot.

“I can lift it just fine,”

But somehow, Daphne, who had since stepped off the rocking chair, picked up the broom quite easily.

“Think about it. What did I teach you today?”

“Ah!”

The realization came out of nowhere.

I immediately clad myself with mana and touched the broom.

“Oh!”

Just as I expected. Unlike before, the once immovable broom was now light as a feather.

“You’re doing well. For now, get comfortable with using mana like this.”

Daphne casually responded, checking that I was lifting the broom, and started focusing on her book again.

‘She is acting aloof.’

Even though she was pretending to be indifferent, I felt like she was frequently glancing at me.

No, positive about it. Now that I looked at the title of the book she was reading, it was a foreshadowing.

-[The Affection between the Master and the Pupil]

Daphne seemed to have already decided to take me on as her pupil.

“Not bad.”

While it was a shame that my likability wasn’t increasing.

Thinking that I would be able to become a student to Daphne, who was both a 9 circle magician and swordmaster, improved my mood considerably.

“Hmm, hmm.”

Can’t help but hum a song.

It’s understandable. If Daphne transfers everything to me and I become a prodigy, my future life will be nothing but roses.

“Camel.”

Caught up in my high spirits while cleaning, Daphne called for me.

“Sit.”

“Huh?”

With a thud, I put the broom down on the floor and hurried over, only to see Daphne standing next to a small wooden chair.

‘Looks like it would give off a good shock.’

Seeing the chair made me feel nervous, but I had no choice but to sit.

Because, that’s the situation I’m in.

‘Well, she won’t treat me poorly if I’m her pupil.’

Or so I thought.

“No, it’s only natural.”

She gasped.

Suddenly, Daphne unsheathed the sword ail fastened on her waist, which made me catch my breath.

“Stay still.”

At these words from Daphne, my body was suddenly fixed by an intangible force.

Flustered, I tried to get up from my seat, but I couldn’t move.

In the midst of this, Daphne was looking so serious as if she was about to say, “I’ll cut this and that.”

“I’ll cut it.”

What?