CLEAVER OF SIN Chapter 686: Brothel

"Hoo!!!! Are you finally taking our suggestions? That is the smile of a man in love," Williams intoned as he gazed at Asher’s smile, clearly amused by what he believed he had just discovered.

"You both are misunderstanding; I’m just happy for her progress, we are friends after all," Asher replied as he waved his hand to dismiss whatever thoughts they were having, his tone calm yet dismissive.

"You’ve never smiled at my or Finch’s progress, and we are also your friends," Williams countered without missing a beat, his expression filled with mock accusation.

"You both are men, why would I be smiling at the thought of your progress? Why would I even be thinking about you in the first place?" Asher spoke as he met Williams’ gaze directly, his words blunt and flat.

Finch and Williams stayed silent for a moment, Finch’s eyes narrowing slightly before he spoke, asking a question that seemed to have been brewing in his mind.

"Hey, Asher, you don’t need to lie, but are you perhaps a virgin?" Finch asked, his eyes fixed on Asher as though ready to catch him in a lie, his tone carrying curiosity more than mockery.

His question made Williams and Asher pause for a moment. Within the noble circle, the boys were hardly ever virgins, as right from a young age they were already visiting brothels and whatnot; so to them, if Asher was a virgin, he would be a white sheep amongst a group of black sheep.

"And why are you even asking this?" Asher asked as he arched an eyebrow in confusion, clearly unimpressed by the direction of the conversation.

"Well... if you weren’t, you would have made your feelings known to Ryaen by now," Finch replied, shrugging slightly as though his reasoning was obvious.

Asher sighed as he rubbed his temples. ’Should I just teleport back to the Wargrave estate so I won’t have to deal with these two?’ he thought to himself, very tempted at the thought, as his patience wore thin.

From his memories, the original Asher was indeed a virgin; firstly, the boy had never left the Wargrave estate, secondly, there was hardly anyone his age within the Ducal estate to begin with, as all maids and butlers were all in their forties or thirties at minimum. Besides, as a Wargrave, the original Asher’s mind had been consumed by training, which he began at the age of five. The boy simply didn’t have time to indulge in the life other nobles enjoyed.

"Firstly, I’m not a virgin; secondly, drop this matter about Ryaen, or I’m leaving this room for the both of you," Asher spoke with a sigh, his tone carrying finality.

While the original Asher might have been a virgin, he, Ethan, was not; so practically, he wasn’t lying, even if the distinction was something only he understood.

"We give up then," Finch spoke with a shrug of his shoulders; he was just trying to ship Asher and Ryaen, as they seemed like a match made in heaven. Besides, Ryaen also had two elder siblings, twins too, who were locked in a race to inherit the Ducal title, so she was free to be in a relationship with a Wargrave without political restriction.

"Thank you," Asher replied, his eyes shifting towards Finch’s bird that seemed to be holding back laughter as though it didn’t want to blow its cover. Asher tore his eyes away as he couldn’t be bothered by the bird’s antics.

"How about we stop by a brothel after our mission and relieve some pent-up stress?" Williams suggested, his tone casual as though it was a completely normal proposal.

Asher turned his gaze to him and shook his head. He had expected such words from Finch, but not Williams. Besides, he, Asher, wasn’t someone who went around sleeping with women or anything like that; he wasn’t into that sort of thing, although it was a common practice in the world of Crymora.

"Then I guess I won’t be following you both on your next mission. I’m sure Darissa, Vaelra, and Ryaen are open to welcoming me for a single mission, despite it being an all-girls group," Asher replied as he shook his head, unwilling to let these two influence him into such habits.

"You are no fun, bro, all you know is fighting and training," Finch commented, clicking his tongue lightly.

"Says the only fat person in the world," Asher replied without missing a beat, his tone perfectly deadpan.

"Ahem, just like how you Wargraves have a unique physique, I also have a unique physique; it’s just that mine is more special, so it’s harder to activate, maybe when it crosses into a certain Life Rank," Finch cleared his throat as he spoke, even he not believing his own words as he tried to justify himself.

"Yeah, sure," Asher replied, holding back a small laugh that threatened to escape, his lips twitching slightly.

Williams didn’t hold back his own laughter; why should he? He laughed at Finch without a care in the world, clearly entertained by the ridiculous explanation.

"So, when are you guys planning to take on your next mission?" Asher inquired, finding himself with absolutely nothing to occupy his time at the Star Academy.

Compared to Earth's advanced technology, Crymora offered no entertainment like YouTube or video games to combat boredom. 'No wonder they frequent brothels,' Asher mused, a flicker of understanding dawning.

Back at the Wargrave estate, he'd at least attended an auction out of sheer boredom and learned horsemanship and archery from Lyra. But here, within the academy's confines, such diversions were non-existent, leaving him with precious little to do.

"You want us to embark on a mission right away?" Williams questioned, a slight arch to his brow.

"Well... it's not like we're doing anything important. We've been resting for a whole week, so we could leave anytime, even now," Finch chimed in casually, seemingly unfazed.

Asher gestured with a shake of his head,