Ch 43

  As Zara broke the unexpected kiss that had caught Matt off guard, he found himself at a loss for how to respond. Part of him wanted to yell at her for her boldness, yet another part understood the impulse behind it. The only issue was that Matt had absolutely no interest in nurturing any affection between himself and another person. Fortunately for him, Zara stepped in before he even had the chance to react.

  "I know that kissing you like that was both surprising and unwanted," she began, her voice trembling slightly with a mix of regret and resolve. "But I felt compelled to do it. I don’t expect you to reciprocate my feelings, and I understand that I might have ruined any chance of you taking me along when you leave this world. Still, I couldn’t let my own timidity and aversion to affection dictate my actions any longer."

  "Is that really all you have to say for yourself?" Emily interjected sharply, planting her hands on her hips and fixing Zara with a stern, almost intimidating glare. "We’ve long established the rule against trying to start a relationship with Matt, yet here you are, completely ignoring it—"

  "Give it a rest," Eleanor cut in firmly. "Even I would have broken that rule under the exact same circumstances."

  "Yeah, you all should be grateful that Matt isn’t forced to kiss just anyone who claims she can heal him, or that his power doesn’t require intimacy to trigger—"

  "Shut up, Greg!" Emily shouted, her voice rising in exasperation. "None of us want to hear another one of your perverted theories about how authors justify a man having a bevy of women fawning over him."

  "I'm only saying that Matt is already burdened enough, especially if his powers actually needed intimacy to activate—"

  "I’ll refuse to heal you if you keep going there," Matt interjected sharply. "Really, why must you always go off on these tangents?"

  "I have my reasons," Greg replied coolly. "Still, I’m not sure how you expect to dodge ending up with a harem at this rate."

  "Excuse me!?" Matt shot back, more flustered now. "How exactly are my actions leading me toward a harem?"

  "It’s simple," Greg explained, his tone matter-of-fact. "There are two major types of harem protagonists you’re heading toward: first, the completely clueless idiot; and second, the willfully clueless idiot. In both scenarios, the main character fails to create any meaningful distance from the women around him, ultimately finding himself at the center of a chaotic harem. Worse yet, in these situations, the main character rarely ends up with any of the women, leaving everything in an awkward, perpetual limbo."

  "It sounds like the second type—someone who knows all too well that any move on the women in their orbit will only lead to misery," commented Yumiko with a hint of sarcasm. "Much like how Zara should probably get dressed before we start thinking she’s flaunting her assets on purpose for Matt, which would warrant some appropriate action to correct her from us."

  Zara swallowed hard as she quickly sat up, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She scanned the area until she found the armor set that had materialized beside her earlier and began fastening it on with trembling hands. Meanwhile, Matt felt a peculiar relief; he was in no condition to truly appreciate anything he saw, even though he couldn’t completely deny that the view had, in its way, been enjoyable—a fact that Yumiko seemed to sense from the moment she spoke.

  "Out of fairness, I say anyone who wants Matt to see us naked should have the opportunity to do so," Yumiko announced calmly.

  "What in the world are you talking about?" Emily asked, her voice laced with concern. "Why would any of us agree to that?"

  "It's simple—let him see what he’s been missing by staying so willfully ignorant," Yumiko replied firmly.

  "Not happening," Matt stated firmly. "I’m not some pervert eager to see all of you in your birthday suits. Besides, it’s already too late for that."

  "There’s a big difference between being covered in burns and being freshly healed," Yumiko countered, her tone unwavering. "And I don’t think you’re as immune to affection as you’d have us believe."

  "Yep, it's a complete harem setup," Greg remarked with a nod. "All you need to do now is kick back and let it happen. I’m seriously jealous right now."

  "Maybe you’re just delusional," Matt shot back. "Have you ever stopped to think about just how exhausting it is to deal with one—let alone several—women all vying for your time?"

  "Eh, that's a problem for later once a few of them are actually interested," Greg shrugged. "It would be perfect if they happened to be interested in each other too."

  "That’s it!" Zara snapped, her voice sharp as she glared at Greg. "You’re forbidden from speaking until we're out of here and I don’t have to endure one more word from you."

  Matt held his tongue while Greg chuckled, lightening the mood even as Yumiko’s earlier suggestion hovered in the back of their minds. The determined look in her eyes, however, made it clear that she hadn’t forgotten a single detail, just as Eleanor stepped in to steer the conversation.

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  "Matt, is there anything we can do to make this easier for you?" Eleanor inquired gently.

  "Yeah, for starters, keep everything modest and make sure Greg saves his absurd remarks for later," Matt replied, his voice tinged with forced humor. "Besides, if any of you without severe burns on your torso want to lend a hand and help me get through this, please come over."

  "Shouldn’t we let you fully recover from Zara’s wounds first?" Emily asked, worry evident in her tone.

  "I really don’t think it matters much," Matt replied pragmatically. "The sooner all of you are healed, the sooner we can get moving."

  "Alright, since you offered," Greg said before striding over and taking Matt's hand. "It’s silly to argue—if he wants to face all the pain at once rather than dragging it out, then I say we just let him."

  Matt was genuinely relieved when none of them argued with Greg any further after the incident, and one by one they lined up to have their injuries healed by him. More than once, he had to insist they wait, explaining that he didn’t want any overlapping facial wounds. Stacking such injuries on the face made him worry that they would combine with each other complicating healing them for him. Interestingly, Matt had discovered that his regeneration ability could be somewhat directed: if he focused on healing a specific area, it would mend noticeably faster. The downside, however, was that concentrating on one part seemed to halt the healing process in all the other injured areas.

  This phenomenon prompted Matt to question several things. He wondered if he had been subconsciously focusing on closing wounds during their time in the dungeon. After all, he had observed that any bleeding injury would close up just enough to staunch the blood loss, even while older injuries still demanded attention. It made him curious about the true limits of his healing and regeneration skills and whether it could perhaps be upgraded. These questions were ones he longed to pester Tempormr for answers, although the current silence on that front left him frustrated.

  Matt’s annoyance with Tempormr was compounded by his own irritation; he felt as though he was being burdened with the very people he had tried to avoid because of Tempormr’s reticence. Clearly, Tempormr wasn’t the kind to enjoy typical conversation. In fact, if Matt had to wager, he believed Tempormr cherished solitude just as much as he did. Yet, there was something that compelled even the most reclusive of souls to interact with others, and this thought led Matt to consider Cassie and Apricity. He found himself wondering if they were doing alright—and he couldn’t help but imagine what it might have felt like if, instead of Zara, it had been Apricity who kissed him.

  Thoughts like these filled Matt’s mind until, after roughly two hours of lying on the ground, he finally rose—still injured but feeling well enough to start moving again. Although the others seemed eager to persuade him to wait a bit longer, a single look was enough to silence any further debate. Greg ended up carrying his new pack—still yet to be rummaged through—as they retraced their steps through the dungeon. It became clear that there was no convenient exit as Greg and Emily had initially thought there might be.

  The pair had spent most of Matt’s recovery time scouring the area for a way out, and their failure to find one had visibly annoyed them both. This frustration was a key reason why Matt had decided to get more of his wounds attended to while they walked, trusting that the path back was indeed the correct way out. By the time they returned to the tomb where everything had begun, Matt was fully healed; and all that stood between them and moving on was a single touch to the crystal ball—a touch that would hopefully open the ancient doors. Interestingly, as the doors slid open, Matt noticed several more options to explore, options that the others seemed completely oblivious to.

  At the very top of the list were the permissions to allow others in and out of the fort, which Matt had selected to grant any humans such access. However, Matt planned to change that to a specific list of names once Eleanor provided him with one, ensuring that any spies could be captured. Matt was determined to make the fort their home and pondered what it would take to restore it using the abilities he possessed as its lord. Nonetheless, these thoughts were set aside as they faced a new issue: they had been gone far longer than intended, and it was highly likely that the others had already left.

  Observing the others, Matt decided that if they had left, he was fine with it, as he wouldn't particularly miss any of them departing. After all, in his mind, they were more of a hindrance than a help to him. As they navigated through the darkness that had settled over the fort, heading towards where they had left the others, Matt was both surprised and annoyed to discover that they had set up camp right where they had been left. As Steve approached them with several others, Matt turned to Eleanor and spoke.

  "You can handle them. I'm going to check if wandering the fort alone will attract any monsters as an extra test. Just make sure none of them risk the dungeon and get them settled inside. I'll talk more in the morning."

  Matt could tell that Eleanor wasn’t pleased about him shoving everything off on her. After taking his pack from Greg, he strode into the fort, only to notice a second set of footsteps following him. When he turned, Yumiko had taken it upon herself to accompany him. Frowning, Matt decided that confronting her would only play into her hands, so he acted as if she weren’t there. This silent standoff lasted for a good thirty minutes, until Matt found himself standing atop one of the walls, gazing over the forest that now towered over the fort, and listening to her speak.

  “What is it you seek in a partner?” she asked softly.

  Matt’s smile grew mischievous as he thought of Bob, and he decided to have a bit of fun with his reply.

  “Someone who is relaxed and content simply being in my presence—a being whose only desire is for food and a warm roof over their head. And it’s even better if they’re about 30 pounds, covered in fur, complete with a tail and whiskers.”

  “You speak of a cat, when you know I’m asking what you would seek in a romantic—” Yumiko began.

  “Nothing,” he interrupted. “How can I search for something in a partner when I have no desire for any such relations?”

  “Truly, you don’t see yourself ever—” she pressed.

  “Let’s not assume what the future holds. Yumiko, I won’t say that I would never welcome a woman into my life—I can’t say it’s impossible. Just don’t force me into anything.”

  “I apologize,” she said earnestly. “I know nothing of how romance works, but seeing Zara steal a kiss stirred something unexpected in me. I simply wish to ensure that you know, despite how annoying Greg can be, he might have a point—I doubt it would take much—”

  “No! At least not in this world,” Matt interjected. “Perhaps if we run into each other back on Earth, I might consider opening up a bit.”

  “I thank you for that and will accept it,” replied Yumiko, hurriedly before pausing and continuing. “With that said, I would also like to be considered for the one you take with you when you leave this world.”

  With those words, Yumiko turned and walked away, leaving Matt to grapple with the surge of unexpected emotions. It was clear that any hopes of keeping these feelings under wraps had vanished, and though the temptation to simply slip away from the group was strong, he knew that retreating was no longer an option.