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A few days have passed since we returned to Stollar. I faced many troubles in Berith, but I have discovered a good byproduct of it.

Specifically the eyepatch on my right eye. This magic item that sealed my charm power seemed to also ward off people’s interest in me, so the confession heat which was one of the reasons why we separated from here had temporarily calmed down.

Michelle and Finia were getting confessed as much as before, but the confessions towards me, which used to number the most, had been reduced greatly and were on their level now.

Thanks to that, albeit it was still annoying, it no longer hindered my activities and my daily life had improved.

Leaving that aside, we still had one more problem. That was, as expected, my charm power. If I removed my eyepatch I charmed people looking at me, and if I spoke, it would influence their conduct.

Moreover, if people who held affection to me from the start received its effect, there was a chance that their affection would run amok. In other words, Finia and Michelle who were in the same party and held favorable impressions towards me were at risk.

If it suddenly got removed during the battle and they got trapped by its power, it could lead to a bad ending. I had to come up with countermeasures.

“So, I went and came up with these.”

I gathered the four of us in the cafeteria of Gadius’ inn and put four silver rings on the table. It was already well past noon, so there were few people in the cafeteria.

Given that they were ornaments, Finia and Michelle’s eyes nailed down on them. As expected, the girls had positive reactions towards the rings.

“These are magic items, right? Rings of Resistance?”
“Yeah.”

Cloud, who was the only one feeling complex about the rings, remembered the item’s name. These silver rings had a spell that boosted one’s mental resistance. They would get damaged if you kept receiving a certain level of mental attacks, but they were famed to be very useful magic items.

Adventurers tended to find themselves in all kinds of troubles and crossed swords with all kinds of enemies. Among them were monsters that attacked not with physical but mental attacks too. Some of the Undead used intimidation and charm attacks.

Wearing this ring during those times would make the attacks more bearable.

There were also higher-ranked monsters like Dragons that gave off an overpowering aura, not through special abilities but from their very existence. The twin-bladed Devil also held this power.

These magic items were more demanded the higher one’s skill was. That’s the kind of thing Ring of Resistance was. Some of the Adventurers were even saying that one became a proper Adventurer once they earned enough money to afford to equip them.

“But didn’t they cost quite a lot? I guess we can afford them, but it would be a little painful to our wallet to buy them right after buying a carriage.”
“Well, we had an additional reward. I bought them using that extra money.”
“Oh yeah, because we carried more luggage.”
“There’s my eye to consider too, so it’s a good time to start wearing them, don’t you agree?”
“We’ve become quite famous in this city for sure.”
“So yeah, these are on me. Accept it”
“Yaay!”

Michelle was first to react to my words. A girl who was 90% made up of appetite had become sexually aware.

Finia also excitedly reached out towards it. She took the silver ring with no cloudiness in her hand and without any hesitation, she proceeded to put it on her left hand’s ring fing—

“Now hold uuup?!”
“Kya! What’s the matter Lor—Lady Nicole!”

I leaped at Finia and grabbed her right hand, stopping it in place.

She yelped in surprise, seeing me suddenly stopping her with all my body.

“Why are you putting it on that finger!”
“Huh, isn’t it only natural?”
“I don’t understand what’s natural there!”

I was trying to tear her left arm off her left hand, but she was putting up an unexpected resistance. And with all her strength. It was a competition between me who was powerless without strengthening, and her who was weak due to her elvish trait.

“P-Please let me go, Lady Nicole…”
“Grrrr… I refuse!”
“I will not give up on this!”
“Wouldn’t this be bad towards Cortina?!”
“That’s beside the point now!”

Cloud looked at our struggle in exasperation and put the ring on his right index finger. These rings were magic items, so they had the ability to correct their size to fit the finger. It also properly fits Cloud’s finger, growing to an appropriate size.

Then suddenly, I noticed that Michelle who was silent had put the ring on her left hand. Needless to say, on her ring finger.

“Aaagh, when did you-?!”
“Ehehe, it’s a present from you, Nicole, so it has to be there.”
“I don’t understand that logic!”
“Please wait, Michelle. I can’t allow that for anyone other than me. I can’t! I definitely can’t!”
“Ehh, isn’t it fine?”
“But Finia, if you put it on that finger, people will think you’re Michelle’s partner.”
“W-What did you say—?!”

Finia’s expression was dyed in despair at those words. It wasn’t like she hated Michelle or anything. But she could not allow people to misunderstand her relationship with someone other than me.

Michelle puffed her cheeks, apparently finding that hard to swallow.

There were some problems but it looks like my statement that induced discord had served its purpose. Finia had a complex expression for some time, and then she gave up and put the ring on her index finger.

“I have no malice against Michelle, but I don’t want to be misunderstood to have such a relationship with anyone but Lady Nicole.”
“Well, I get that but…”
“Just as planned.”

Cloud sighed when he saw me grinning to myself. I was a little irritated, but even Gadius gave me the same exasperated sigh, so I couldn’t criticize him.