056: Old Shock Apologized to Richard Again (Please Keep Reading!)

The crisp, resounding smack of Richard's slap drew a multitude of curious gazes.

Seeing that it was only Doctor Richard messing around with little Wendy, the patrons went right back to their food and drink.

Wendy made her escape.

Mainly, she had realized long ago that her adopted mother was entirely incapable of protecting her.

That man was vulgar and brutal; Wendy even suspected that Richard would dare to haul both her and her adopted mother into a bedroom while old man Shock was away.

She had to find old man Shock.

Only the old man could possibly keep this scoundrel in check.

Meanwhile,

Mary, the proprietress, was still smiling.

Though Wendy hadn't noticed, Mary had spotted it from the start. Just as Wendy was in the middle of vehemently exposing someone's crimes, the culprit himself had walked right in.

"Didn't you promise Wendy you wouldn't come back?" Mary asked.

Richard replied, "That was before. Coming to the tavern used to be just for a drink, but things are different now. A free kiss is on the menu anytime."

"!!!"

As for the story of the kiss, denying it was pointless. The participants weren't just Richard and Mary; there were two other eyewitnesses from MI6.

Yet Knight Mary was hardly the soft and yielding sort. At Richard's words, she simply beckoned the man over, signaling him to head upstairs.

Once inside the room, Mary bared her arm, activating her magical runes, determined to fiercely punish Richard.

As a result, she still ended up getting fiercely kissed anyway...

Afterward,

her hair thoroughly rumpled, Mary expressed her utter confusion.

Earlier in the day, she had felt a lingering sense of guilt, which was the only reason she had fallen for Richard's trick.

But tonight, he actually dared to come looking for trouble—there was no way Mary was going to coddle him!

To this, Richard said, "Proprietress, you forget that I am a devotee of the Goddess. How could a promise you made under the gaze of the Goddess of Light ever be rescinded?"

Mary: "I don't believe it!"

With that, she lunged at him.

Kissed again +1.

Mary still refused to believe it. What devotee of the Goddess? She had beaten up temple priests of the Goddess Church before without the Goddess of Light lifting a finger to stop her.

Today she was merely trying to beat up a false believer, yet she couldn't even land a single punch—who would believe that?!

Kissed yet again +1.

Mary was practically fuming, on the verge of unleashing her complete combat state.

Richard stopped her.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm an acting corporal investigator for MI6 now too. We're colleagues, you know. If you want a kiss, you can just ask."

"Get lost!"

Mary narrowed her large eyes. "Out with it, what on earth did you do to me?!"

Richard: ɿ(｡･ɜ･)ɾⓌⓗⓐⓣ?

Mary: "Don't play innocent with me. If you didn't pull some trick, how on earth could I be unable to fight back?"

Hearing this, Richard silently opened his system interface and checked. Truly, there was no option labeled [Mary's Kiss].

And so, his expression gradually turned rather peculiar.

Analyzing the cause and effect, if there was no system option, then it must be... love?

By this point, Mary's lipstick had been entirely kissed away, and her lips felt slightly numb, leaving her with an inexplicable sense of unease, as if some terrible misfortune had already occurred.

Right on cue, Wendy's bright voice rang out from the direction of the stairs: "Old man, you're back! I just saw Richard go looking for you!"

What a mood-killing girl.

Inside the room, Richard remarked, "I actually do have a matter I'd like to consult with old Shock about."

As the saying goes, those who do no evil fear no ghosts knocking at their door. Richard's conscience had been sold off long ago, so he didn't feel the slightest bit awkward.

Leaving the room, he walked straight out to greet the approaching dwarf, Shock, wearing a smile. "Thanks, Wendy. I was just looking for you, brother Shock. Let's go talk in your office."

Richard wanted to throw an arm around old Shock's shoulder to display their camaraderie.

Unfortunately, the height difference between them was a bit too stark. Richard raised his hand and ultimately had to settle for a high-five with the old dwarf.

Once inside the workshop, dwarf Shock didn't waste words and immediately poured drinks.

He said, "Mary gave you a hard time again, didn't she? Her foul temper has been like that since she was a kid. Don't take it personally, brother."

An apology from old Shock?

Then he poured another drink and penalized himself with it.

Richard desperately wanted to say, *Big guy, you only guessed the beginning, but the ending of this story is completely different from what you think.*

Unfortunately, rubbing his nose, Shock didn't give him that chance. After downing the drink, he thanked Richard once again.

"The fact that we made it back alive is all thanks to you, Richard. I, Shock, owe you a favor. If there's anything you need help with, brother, just say the word."

A dwarf's capacity for liquor was truly beyond ordinary comparison.

Drinking as he spoke, Shock polished off several large mugs of iced beer within the span of two sentences.

Old Shock had always given off a decent impression—unhurried, extremely patient, and friendly to newcomers.

That being the case, Richard didn't stand on ceremony. He briefly explained how a friend of his wanted to attend a magic academy.

Old Shock suddenly lowered his voice. "The little nurse from your clinic? Does Mary know?"

Richard: "......"

MI6—regardless of what specific departments it handled, intelligence work was definitely their bread and butter.

Susan was a living, breathing person wandering around Charlie's Clinic every single day. She might fool others, but it was impossible to keep it from old Shock.

Richard said, "Brother, that's not what you were saying just a moment ago."

Old Shock took a sip of his drink. "You're planning to get that girl into the Saint Blue Magic Academy?"

"Yes."

With old Shock, Richard could at least treat him as a teammate, so he spoke frankly. "She's Susan from Lord Kevin's household. If I can secure an admission notice to the magic academy, I can get a hefty sum of money."

Old Shock frowned. "Are you that short on money?"

Richard couldn't answer that question directly, so he said, "To accomplish certain things, one always has to pay a price. But don't worry, it has nothing to do with the Saint's Relic incident."

Bringing up the Black Mist Church's Saint's Relic felt a bit like leveraging a favor for coercion.

Richard felt that old Shock's personal favor was far more valuable than cold, hard gold coins, so he didn't intend to cash it in today.

Even so, old Shock still reached into a hidden compartment in a nearby cabinet and pulled out a large handful of coins.

Gold coins were few, but silver coins were numerous, totaling around twenty gold pieces in all.

Old Shock said, "Brother, I don't know what you're planning to do, but the friendship between us can never be measured by mere money."

As he said this, Shock seemed to grow a bit taller.

However, he added, "Just take the money and use it without worry. No need to rush to pay it back. Just don't tell Mary—this is my private stash."

"..."

Old Shock shrank right back down to his dwarf stature.

Dwarves loved liquor—that was a racial trait. Since Shock brewed his own alcohol, no one needed to worry about him on that front.

Yet he had a previous hobby of gambling, even having a history of losing down to his underwear.

Consequently, despite being the master of the house, he never had much loose cash on hand.

If Mary ever found out he had a secret stash of money, Shock would undoubtedly suffer a miserable fate.

As for the matter concerning the Saint Blue Magic Academy, old Shock said, "I can only help you ask around.

"The Saint Blue Academy isn't the top magic academy on the continent, but it has produced prominent figures in the past and is very strict about admissions. As a dropout myself, I'm not guaranteed to find an in."

Richard understood.

He had only come here today with a try-your-best attitude.

If worst came to worst, Susan simply wouldn't become a mage.

Having done his utmost, Doctor Richard would have a clear conscience.