Chapter 7 Spoiler Part I "I... actually never thought that I would encounter such generic bandits?" "Who ya callin' generic, huh?" "Ah, did I say that out loud?" "Better shut yer yap, boy. I got archers aimin' at ya." Unfazed, I leaned towards Shino and asked her a question in a whisper. "How fast can you rid of those archers?" "There are three of them, I shall do it as soon as I can." "Await my orders then." "Yes, Master." The man seemed to have gotten pissed and drew out his blade. Ah, seriously, I didn't think I'd come across such general enemies. We were doing yet another orc subjugation quest when we came across these people. They're bandits however you look at it. They seem to have some low analysis skill as they targeted us. However, their eyes soon were glued to Shino. "Hey boss, isn't that guy the one that bought Shino?" We were faced with five people that surrounded us. The others seem to have gotten a bit nervous when they realized that Shino was here. Only the 'boss' was slightly calm. "It's fine, boys, we can kill the master and gain ownership. Archers!" "Shino." "Yes." In that moment, Shino disappeared. Several groans echoed from the bushes and trees. As the thugs that ambushed us were distracted, I took the chance to draw my blade and aimed for the nearest one. As I cut down one of them, the others snapped back but hesitated slightly. Fools. I am not new to killing. Hesitation will lead to your downfall. I immediately cut down another before they finally went for me. However, their skill levels were too low. Combining Enhanced Reflexes with Enhanced Melee Combat would take care of them rather easily. As expected, their 'boss' is representing the cowardly cliche, staying at the back line while his men get cut down. I decided to try out Force Manipulation with a weapon. While there was distance between us, I made a downward slice and discharged my energy through my weapon. It ended up being similar to one of the original skills I had, Dimension Slash. It easily cleaved the man in two. Incidentally, Dimension Slash was registered as an active skill in my status. I did not incur any crimes because of two things. One, it was in self defense, basically. Two, there are no remaining witnesses. In order to stamp one's identity with a crime, it needs to be reported and investigated first. That would not occur as all these people are dead anyway. Even if there was someone that escaped and reported, it will most likely be ruled in my favor as they jumped me anyway. "Master, I have knocked out the archers—ah..." Shino returned just as the two halves of the man slowly plopped onto the ground with a sickening squelch. She had the archers by the scruff of their necks. However, I don't think she expected that I had no interest in leaving them alive. All of them had Murderer on their statuses. A few even had Rapist and another had Arsonist. "I didn't expect you to keep them alive." "My apologies, I had thought you'd want to interrogate them." "That is true. You did well." She went back to her normal self. Perhaps she accepted that her master is not so kindhearted as to avoid killing. I decided to bring the topic up. "Did you not expect me to kill them?" "It just caught me by surprise. I had thought that Master, as a hero candidate, would be restricted by his morals." "I am no saint, Shino. I will say that I will cut down anyone that seeks to harm those close to me. Those that stands in my way will be shown no mercy." "I am relieved to hear that, Master. Please allow me to continue standing by your side." I nodded and walked up to her. Since she somewhat reacted when I said that she did well. I decided to give her an affectionate pat on the head. I saw a small smile form on her lips. It seems that she has taken a liking to pats ever since I did so before. "Tie those three up. We'll interrogate them once they woke up." "Yes, Master." "How good at you at torture, Shino?" "Unfortunately, I only carried out assassinations. Information gathering was handled by someone else." Later that day, Shino learned my methods for extracting information. In the end, the archers were killed after they spilled their guts in both figurative and literal sense. Shino nodded after that interrogation. "Master never ceases to surprise me." She said so out of honesty. Having the Hero Candidate title made her think that I would not be capable of doing what I just did. "You saw their statuses, right?" "Yes. I am certain that Master did what he thought was necessary." What was necessary, is what she said. She didn't say that it was the right thing to do. She said, instead, that it was the necessary thing to do. I find myself able to trust Shino more. I do not see her as someone that would betray me so easily. Rather, her loyalty is something that I have gotten to admire. "But I suppose I got ahead of myself. Let us not kill unless it's necessary. If someone may hold a valuable piece of information, let us preserve their lives until they have exhausted their use." "Yes, Master!" I look like the bad guy here. I'm sorry to all you hopefuls that thought me as a hero. Really though, if I had not seen their statuses, I might have spared them. For now, we inspected their bodies and took whatever gold and valuables we could use. After which I asked Shino to help me bury them in one pile. We hunted down three orcs after that and Shino dragged the bodies like before. There was something I wanted to examine so we ended with that for the day. Part II One of the things that I've gotten from the bandits was a map. It was a map of the forest but there were certain notes and markings that made it a bit specific. At first, I thought it led to their hideout. However, it seems that it had leads to several places on the map. Since I wanted to keep my killing a secret to Vena-san, for now, I did not inform them of the bandits. Shino kept silent as well. It seems that she would not divulge information so easily and would mostly just speak if ever I opened up a topic. She's sharp, I'll give her that. "There are five camps overall but they don't seem to be the type to have too large an organization to need these many camps." I was muttering to myself after examining the map. I could find these places easily but I wanted to know what they were for. From the looks of it, I would not be able to find out that easily. I'd have to investigate them myself. The next morning, I decided to have a private conversation with Shino in my room. I had locked the door when she came in and she became nervous all of a sudden. She wouldn't face me and continued to kneel on her mattress on the floor while looking down. "Shino." "Master... please be gentle." I gave her a gentle chop on the head without any strength into it. That snapped her out of her flustered state as she looked up at me while holding the top of her head. "What are you thinking at this time? I wanted to inform you our next course of action." "Ah! Y-yes! Of course." That was a rhetorical question anyway. This side of Shino is cute too so I can forgive her. I'm just quite amazed at how flustered she gets when it comes to things like this. Her personality takes a completely different turn than when we're in public. I have no problems against it but please do not cause misunderstandings. I think Shino and Vena-san have been eyeing each other out recently too. Vena-san has glared at Shino a couple of times when we were going out to do a quest. I like that side of Vena-san as well. At the guild counter, a female elf that would mostly be described as gentle, adorable and cute, sneezed. Part III I showed Shino the map and told her that I planned to gather information about the areas. She also thought that it would be best to go there ourselves. While she suggested we split up to cover more ground, I objected and said that we cannot risk it. I decided to rely on her a bit more since she does like those instances. Also, I needed someone that I can ask if ever I encountered something that I did not know of. I am still fairly new to this world. If anything, information has always been power. We decided that we would go under the cover of taking an orc subjugation quest. At that time, it struck me that it would be possible that these camps are possibly related to the recent sightings of orcs. However, we'd confirm it first before reporting it as it would be better to be sure that our information was legit. For now, we decided to prepare for tomorrow's quest. Part IV Now that we're a bit more relaxed, dinner was quite peaceful. Though Hilde and Vena-san don't seem to be fully accustomed to Shino, they don't voice out their complains as it would do nothing anyway. Raful, on the other hand, seems a bit more relaxed. Although he would often tease Vena-san every now and then. Of course, when that sort of thing happens, I find myself being troubled as I am between Vena-san and Shino. Each would try and subtly inch closer but it mostly ends up making it difficult to eat. It seems they have a bit of a rivalry. Geez, so early in my adventure and already I go through troublesome experiences every day. Ah, but I have no complaints. Although I feel a bit bad since I'm not exactly the right kind of person that someone should fall for. I know that I'm a bit assuming when I speak like this but I'm the worst person to fall in love with. I have commitment issues. Also add to the fact that I had to restrain myself at that time with Shino. It's a bit troubling that the more I try to lay low, the more I experience these encounters. Although because of the title, it's not really a surprise that there are people that want to gather information about me. I'm starting to become a bit well-known within the guild as well. Part V: Vena-san's Perspective Kiryuu-san has been making great progress nowadays. At first I thought he was simply a newbie adventurer. Then there was the incident with the evaluation platforms. I had no idea what to do so I waited for Hilde-san and Raful-san. Unh, that ended up in quite the situation when Hilde-san attacked Kiryuu-san. When I heard the whole story, I was a bit surprised. Item boxes are difficult to steal from. Unless one finds the storage that it is linked to, items are normally safe to stow in there. However, I heard that Kiryuu-san managed to steal from Hilde-san, who was a reformed master thief, and from her item box too. The following days were a surprise one after the other. Raful-san offered him a place to stay. After that, the priestess, Rionna-san, came to heal him herself. Not only that, but he was granted the title of Hero Candidate. Although I was a bit disappointed that he only picked a normal looking sword. I enjoyed it when he was relying on me and asking me about tips and information about being an adventurer. I can't quite imagine that I'd be trying to assist another possible hero. There was Rionna-san from before but things are a bit different with Kiryuu-san. He seems like a nice enough of a person but I felt like he seemed a bit lonely. I could see it in his aura. It was quite a melancholic one. When Raful-san teased them both about nightly activities, I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. I guess Kiryuu-san is a man after all and Hilde-san is a woman. Ah, but I can't help but feel upset about this. Raful-san, that was a mean joke! Just when I thought that things would be calmer, Kiryuu-san went for a slave. Who would he try to get but the infamous Shino, the Blade of Death! I tried my best to protest but seeing Kiryuu-san so confident, I eventually gave in. I was worried that my hand were shaking. I froze when he threw his sword at me, I thought it was all over. I was surprised when he actually won. It took me half a day to register that in my head. I couldn't help but be happy for Kiryuu-san but I'm upset about his new slave, Shino. I wonder if this is jealousy. Whenever I think of Shino being beside him all the time, I couldn't help but feel upset. When Raful-san and Hilde-san started questioning Shino, I was reminded of the duel. I wanted to speak up that the way he moved did not seem to fit his level and stats. Kiryuu-san said that it was because of Enhanced Reflexes that he won by luck. I looked at Shino's aura. I thought I'd see something dark and malicious but what I saw was something pure. I knew it from then that she was telling the truth. She pledged herself to Kiryuu-san. Somehow... I really feel jealous. Mou, I was really upset that I was a bit harsh on Kiryuu-san. Recalling about that incident made me worry. Au, does he hate me now? Kiryuu-san didn't change much although he sincerely apologized to me a couple of times. Please stop. I can't handle it when you do such things. I can't help but wonder what it is about him. Whenever I look at his aura, it seems strong, dependable, but very lonely. As if he was detached from the world. He does things at his own pace but it's as if he doesn't rely on anyone but himself when it comes down to it. When he came back from Dessa-san, I was slightly upset. Comparing Dessa-san's body with my own, I felt like I already lost. Even Shino...Shino-san was at a loss. I wanted to be closer to Kiryuu-san so I'm glad that he got to stay a bit longer. However, my duties at the counter prevented my from spending more time with him. Au, I envy you Shino-san. Today, Kiryuu-san finished yet another orc subjugation. Their team boasted the best results so far. It's quite unbelievable. People would chatter and say that it's because Shino-san is such a capable fighter. I'd like to think that this isn't just because of Shino-san. I felt like it was Kiryuu-san's achievement. After all, he defeated Shino-san on a one on one duel. Something feels a bit off though. Kiryuu-san's aura was... sad. It felt lonelier than it was before. Sometimes I felt like this ability is more of a curse now. Kiryuu-san talked to me as usual but I can't help feel that something happened that bothered him recently. He's still keeping to himself. Someday, I hope that I can stay by his side, even just for a little while. I really am jealous of Shino-san.
Ah, here's the chapter that bothers me. It bothers me because there's a lot of stuff that happened during the character's development from way back starting in 2009 that it would have made more sense if this was elaborated or something like that. Chapter 8 Spoiler Part I Under the guise of orc subjugation, we immediately went to the one of the camps marked on the map. Shino was already capable of stealth. I was moving according to my own experience. I eventually obtained the necessary stealth skills but they were a tier higher than Shino's current ones. As we neared the vicinity of the camp, I stopped her with a hand motion and gestured for her to come nearer. "Shino, how do you regain your skills back?" "Some of my abilities return by leveling up. Others require permission from you, Master. However, a few unique skills can only be unlocked by permission of the queen." "I see. Very well. I permit you to use whatever skills necessary for your own survival. However, I forbid you from taking an action in saving my life if it means sacrificing your own." "Master! That's—!" I covered her mouth with my hand and looked at her straight in the eye. I just shook my head a bit and slowly removed my hand. I turned around in order to continue the search but I felt a tugging on my sleeve. "Master, I do not wish to follow that command." "You have no choice." I answered her without turning around. "But—" "You'll understand soon enough. Besides, do you really think that I'd die that easily?" I turned my head towards her and chuckled a bit. "I meant no disrespect." "I am confident about your loyalty. However, I want your trust as well." "A-as you wish." Our conversation ended with her head bowed. She still worries. I can feel it. In time, Shino, you'll know the kind of person—no, the kind of monster—I am. I hope by then that you'd still wish to stand by my side. Once we had vision of the camp, we moved to a good vantage point where we can observe from afar. My hunch was right. We saw a couple of orcs in the camp. They numbered less than ten but still pose a threat. It doesn't seem to be something that would equate to the size of an army if you add the other camps. There are, however, some rather unique orcs that I've spotted. They seem to wear some sort of headdress made out of bones and feathers. "Shino, what are those?" "Those are Magus class orcs. They are capable of using elemental magic. However, what's more terrifying is they can mentally link to other Magus orcs." "Meaning if we attack this camp, the other camps would know." "Yes." Looking around we saw corpses of adventurers. There are some empty cages. Shino said that it's possible those are reserved for prisoners or slaves. I noticed a faint glow from the Magus orc. I intentionally moved into the foliage to cover my sight and I can still sense that orc's energy. I tried to find a similar glow to all the other orcs as well. It was similar but of a different color. It took me a while but I eventually managed to sense Shino as well. I gained two skills that are related to tracking because of it. Magic Detection and Force Detection. Magic pertains to mana and Force includes energy. This is good. I can track both those that can and cannot use magic. We eventually started to check out the other camps as well. According to what we got from the archers, they knew their boss is working with someone else. However, they have no clue on who. They get paid via dead drops and only their boss knew about the whole thing. I should have kept him alive. We did know that they send captives, especially women, to their unknown benefactors too. I feel like it's connected to these camps. We spent the day searching the entire area for remnants of that bandit group. We got the same information so that could confirm it, at least. The only ones I left alive were those that did not have any grave criminal titles on them. There are some that have been forced to cooperate and were grateful for being set free. I could tell who was lying based on their statuses. I gave some gold to those that wish to resume as adventurers. I also asked that they keep silent about this for now as we wish not to cause a panic. I only told them that they stumbled upon something big and can't promise their safety if they decided to talk. After that incident, we hunted some stray orcs and proceeded back to the city to turn in our quest. Part II "Um, thank you for the hard work today as well, Kiryuu-san." "Thank you for taking care of me again, Vena-san." Vena-san always handled our requests since we were bringing in whole corpses and there were some parts that other people can gain from them. We could keep the bodies and look for these people ourselves. However, since there's the option, I turned over the bodies to the guild and leave it to them to process it. Plus, the gold and jewelry bonuses are nice as well. "Ah, also... D-Dessa-san wanted to see you as well..." "Is she done with the weapons already? I'll go see her later then. Thank you, Vena-san." She seemed a bit bothered that it was about Dessa-san. I blame Raful for bringing up the idea that I was 'going' for her. Although she's rather attractive and alluring, I have no plans for that at the moment. I'm still at the first city, after all. After that was done, I decided to rest for a bit before heading over to Dessa-san's shop. I'm thinking of getting a gift for Vena-san as well. Perhaps an accessory would do nicely. Part III We sidetracked for a bit and bought some alcohol for Dessa-san. I almost forgot about that. As soon as we entered the shop, Dessa-san was wiping herself with a clean cloth. It seems like she was just smithing just a while ago. That was a nice sight to behold but I looked away for a bit and pretended to look around the shop. I heard a faint giggle before she went and got changed. She brought out all the equipment that I requested so I, in turn, brought out the alcohol that I purchased. "Also, I'd like to make another request. If possible, I wish for it to be done immediately." "Oh~ That'll cost you extra~" With that suggestive tone and remark, one can almost assume that it wasn't monetary value that she was after. I coughed a bit to compose myself. "I wanted to custom request an accessory. I already have the design in mind." "Ah~ Unfortunately, custom requests take a bit of time, Kiryuu-kun~ I have a couple of accessories here though if you're looking for gifts." Ah. No good. "Then I'd like to take a look at those please." I avoided the rings, obviously. I decided to get a simple silver bracelet with some emeralds on it for Shino. I felt like I had to reward her a bit. Plus, a bracelet should not hinder her much. Next, I picked out a pair of silver earrings with gold lining. Each had an emerald and a diamond studded on them. Dessa-san had a very intrigued look on her face. Her expression was somewhat saying 'It's for a girl is it? Who is it? Who?'. I decided not to entertain that and proceeded to pay for the accessories. "Boo~" She pouted as we finished our transaction. I bowed my head and said that I'll come back after a while for custom made designs. She said that if I brought a more luxurious kind of alcohol, she'd make it worth my while. I choked a bit and almost tripped as I was heading out. I gave Shino the bracelet that night and she seemed really happy about it. Part IV The next day, we were about to head out once more. Although it wasn't an orc subjugation quest this time. I killed some time by the guild lobby and waited until Vena-san had free time. I then presented her with the earrings when I managed to find the time. Since it feels a bit embarrassing, I decided to do so when no one else was around, except Shino. "K-Kiryuu-san, that's..." "You don't like it? I'm sorry. I wanted a custom designed one but it would take much more time." "N-no, that's not it. It's just that... au..." Vena-san was turning a deep shade of red. Wait. What did I just do? I mean, I was intending to give her this gift as an apology for when she really worried about me during that duel. At that time, Hilde walked into the office and saw that scene. Her eyes widened immediately and she pointed a finger at me and started to shout. "RAFUL! GET IN HERE QUICK!" As if it were an emergency, Raful had burst into the office. At least, I had thought that the door would be smashed into splinters with the intensity that he had made his entrance. He looked at where Hilde was pointing at, us, and his expression turned from dead serious to a smile. Then he started laughing. "Oh ho? Isn't it too early for a proposal?" "...hau..." Wait. What? Part V Hilde is rather pissed. Well, Vena-san is pretty well known since she's the front of the guild. Hilde and Raful are popular as well although for different things. It had been Hilde's duty to ward off any infatuated adventurers that would make advances on Vena-san. Oh yeah, apparently, in their custom, one presents earrings instead of a ring when proposing. Therefore, if an elf had earrings on, it meant that they were married. Oh wow. This could not get any worse, could it? "Master has also presented me with a bracelet." Shino chimed in and showed off her accessory. Hilde tried to jump at me but Raful, quick as always, managed to hold her back. Alright, apparently giving jewelry to a slave meant that one is taking them as a mistress. Was that the reason why she was so happy that night? I learned that Polygamy is allowed and not uncommon in this world. I wish I had known that earlier. This is bad. This only the first volume and I'm already getting married. Ah. No. Rather, I don't believe that I am even remotely good enough for Shino, let alone Vena-san. I started feeling some pain on my chest. I can feel my heart beat. It started to get a bit harder to breathe. This feeling. I know this feeling. It hurts. This was not something I'd like to take light of. Some heroes might enjoy this scenario but not me. No. It's painful. Wounds heal; scars fade. But the pain from such things remain. The longer I tried to forget, the more excruciating it is to be reminded how cursed of a being I was. "I'm sorry! I had no knowledge of the custom and I beg for forgiveness!" Hah. It was painful. My chest felt searing hot. I immediately went into a formal kneeling position and placed my hands and head on the floor before them. Shocked, Shino tried to get me to sit up but I remained in that position. My hands were shaking, despite being unmoved. My way of speaking became a bit more formal as well. "Please incur any punishment! I shall endure it!" I shouted as I remained in that pose. It came as a bit of the shock to all of them, even to Hilde. Everyone went silent for a bit. Shino eventually gave up and sat on the floor. "Kiryuu-san..." "Allow me to take them back! Please forgive my insolence!" Ah. Tears. It's been a while. In the entire span that I had existed, I had only gotten married once, before I started world jumping. Until now, I had only ever married once. I was happy. I had a loving wife, two lovely daughters. They accepted me for who I am and the kind of profession I had. But it was exactly that why it was so painful. Those happy moments soon came to an end. I was strong enough to protect them. I poured every fiber of my being on the line. But none is immune to the nature of things. Eventually, death will claim everything and everyone, except for this man that kneels here as he cries. A pathetic excuse of a man whose only merit is that he is able to continue existing no matter what. It was painful because of the incident that caused me to be flung from my own world. I did not even see my girls grow up. I was not even there when they died. All I had left were graves on an old worn down cottage in the middle of a forest. I am a terrible father. I am a terrible husband. I just... disappeared. And right then I felt gentle hands on my head. The force that Shino used could not move me but those hands easily got me to lift my head up. My eyes were red and tears stained my face. Those gentle hands cupped my cheek. "Why? Why are you crying, Kiryuu-san?" My eyes were cloudy. Even Shino had a worried look. The Master that was bragging about his strength just a while ago, now a sniveling idiot. How embarrassing. Raful had a serious expression and Hilde seemed a bit shocked. I couldn't tell them the entire truth. Vena-san had a very worried look, almost as if she was about to burst into tears herself. I can at least tell her the gist of it. I am intent on keeping my existence a secret for now. "I... once lost everything..." Part VI: Vena-san's Perspective I Kiryuu-san returned after an orc subjugation again. There's been a lot of sightings recently. I hope it doesn't become a huge incident. It would be bad if stronger monsters started appearing where newbie adventurers were supposed to start at, after all. I received a message from Dessa-san. She requested for Kiryuu-san to go to her shop. It was about the weapons but I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy. At least Shino-san is going with him so I shouldn't worry... The next day, Shino-san seems to be in high spirits. D-did they do something last night? Shino-san is kind of glowing with happiness. I'm feeling slightly uncomfortable... Due to the increase of subjugation quests, I was a bit busy attending to the adventurers. I did notice that Kiryuu-san wasn't going out yet and mostly spending time within the guild lobby. I was teased a bit by my fellow attendants because of it. I was finally able to have some time to myself and went to the office for some tea. There was a knock on the door and Kiryuu-san entered. Only guild officials are allowed here but he's been given leeway since he obtained the Hero Candidate Title and has gotten a bit close with Raful-san and Hilde-san. "K-Kiryuu-san, that's..." It was a pair of earrings. The race of elves that I belong to had a custom of not wearing any earrings until we were to be married. Naturally, proposals are done by presenting the partner of choice with a pair of earrings. Did Kiryuu-san know of this custom? If so... eh? Did he... propose to me? "You don't like it? I'm sorry. I wanted a custom designed one but it would take much more time." "N-no, that's not it. It's just that... au..." Words could not escape my lips at the moment. I was immediately flustered and my body felt hot from embarrassment. Shino-san looked calm, as if she were expecting this. Did Kiryuu-san knew of it after all and really proposed to me? That's... that's... au... We were interrupted by Hilde-san who immediately called Raful-san. Au, this is too embarrassing. Kiryuu-san is smiling. I couldn't look at him in the eye... Part VII: Vena-san's Perspective II Ah... I was hopeful. When we explained about the customs, Kiryuu-san was a bit shocked. We also found out that Shino-san received an accessory as a slave. No wonder she was so happy. By the looks of it, Kiryuu-san did not know the custom. I felt a bit disappointed and then embarrassed when I realized that I slightly wanted that proposal. It was then that I saw Kiryuu-san suddenly lowering his head until it touched the floor. He started shouting apologies. This is the first time I had seen him and I was completely surprised. Shino-san seemed to have gotten surprised as well and tried to get Kiryuu-san to get up but he wouldn't bulge. Kiryuu-san's voice... frightened me. I remembered how his aura had that constricting melancholy and I felt it was a bit stronger now. He started to speak formally, begging for forgiveness and mentioning punishments and the like. The sight of Kiryuu-san silenced even Hilde-san and Raful-san. He started begging to take them back and I felt hurt. Was I not good enough? I started thinking that maybe it disgusted him to be married to someone of different race but... no, there was something else. I almost wanted to cry. I went to him and gently got him to lift his head up. I wanted to cry even more now. Kiryuu-san was... crying. His eyes were red and tears streamed from his face. It wasn't the look of someone appalled, no. He had the expression of someone crying to ease the pain. "Why?" I asked out loud without realizing it. I wanted to know what was causing him this pain. "Why are you crying, Kiryuu-san?" I wanted to help ease that pain. I can feel tears welling up in my eyes and thought that I'd end up crying as well. "I... once lost everything..." That night, Kiryuu-san told us that he was not from this world. He said that he was similar to summoned heroes like the queen. We never mentioned that the queen was a summoned hero but he said that he could see the influence of the other world similar to his during his stay. We learned that in his original world, he had a family. A wife and two daughters. He also said that he was a mercenary, that's why he had experience in fighting. It was a happy life. However, due to a goddess' curse, he was thrown away from that world and flung into another. That world was not this one. He said that he did what he could to return but by that time, so much time has passed that his wife and daughters had already passed away. I felt like crying when I heard that. Kiryuu-san's eyes felt empty when he said that only graves and a house on the verge of collapsing was all that welcomed him. He hung his head low and apologized once more. The idea of marriage opened up old wounds. However, he smiled a bit and added that if it were me, he wouldn't mind getting married again. I was a bit flustered but at the same time, I felt a bit happy. However, he said some things that made me realize just how lonely he truly was. "I'm not the kind of person you think I am. You deserve better. I'm sorry." I can't accept this. Kiryuu-san is degrading himself to such a degree. I was here thinking that I wished he relied on me more. He seemed strong, independent and very capable. My first impression of him held true and now I knew why he seemed so lonely. I had gotten up and raised my hand. Ah, what am I doing? I'm getting a bit rash but I decided to stop hesitating already. I'm not as strong as everyone else in this room but I didn't want Kiryuu-san to be like this. It felt painful. It's almost as if I could feel his pain when he told us of his past. I steeled myself and swung my hand. The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the silent office of the adventurer's guild.
Chapter 9 Spoiler Part I: Shino's Perspective I have not been with Master long. No, it's only been a few days. However, I have always been surprised about his abilities and his way of thinking. During that time when we were ambushed, I had thought that Master would keep them alive as he was a Hero Candidate. I was wrong. Those people were cut down without mercy or hesitation. It caught me off guard but I am not against it. It's a bit of a relief to know that Master would not make the mistake of hesitating. It gave me some peace of mind, strange as it might sound. The next thing that occurred was when we were gathering information on the grounds marked on a map he obtained from the bandit boss'corpse. I was able to utilize my sneaking skills but Master was able to do so without any. I almost felt like he would disappear in front of my eyes if I didn't pay close enough attention. When he gave me permission and an order, I showed my worry. I voiced out my objections but he told me in brimming confidence about his own abilities. I finally thought he was starting to rely on me more but somehow I felt that Master is still handling everything himself. I wish to believe in Master's strength but... I feel like he's taking on such a great burden. I was quite happy then. Master had given me an accessory. I felt like I've gotten close to him. I've already pledged myself to him and if he wishes to... he could... he could use me as he wishes. Ah, there was another kind of accessory that he bought. I had an idea who it was for but I was quite satisfied even if I were to be just a mistress. I am happy as long as I am by Master's side. It was later that night that I found out the truth about my worries. The reason why Master is so strong and the kind of scars he had. It was the first time that I saw Master in such a submissive pose. I found myself trying to get him up but to no avail. I saw Vena-dono approach. I knew it. If it was her then maybe she could get through to Master. It was later on that we heard Master's story. I knew that he was hiding something from us. I knew then why he was so strong and why he had a lot of things he didn't know. I also knew then why he was intent on keeping to himself. The burden placed on him was too great. I felt slightly upset but I decided to put my selfishness aside. I was about to take off the bracelet and return it to Master when Vena-dono's hand landed on his cheek. Part II My cheek stung a bit. Ah. That's right. After I told my story to them, though not everything but a basic summary of it, Vena-san had gotten up and slapped my cheek. I looked up at her and saw that she was teary-eyed. Before I knew it, she had wrapped her arms around my head and held me close to her chest. I inadvertently closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around her waist in return. "Then get stronger, Kiryuu-san. Strong enough not to let yourself be weighed down by the past. I'm sorry but let me selfish just this one time, okay? I'm going to wait until that time." Ah. That's not fair, Vena-san. It's too early in the story for such a thing to happen, you know. If we rush things this way, bad things might happen. I'm not sure I'm strong enough right now. I haven't gotten back my abilities yet too. Defeat. It was my complete and utter defeat. Against Vena-san that held me closely, I couldn't say anything. In the end, she kept the earrings but didn't wear them. Shino also conveyed her selfish desire and begged me not to take back the bracelet. Ugh. I can't exactly deny her when she's like that. We stayed like that for a bit. Raful decided after a while to drag Hilde away. Shino followed them and we were left inside the office for a while. Honestly though, I don't know what to say. I still feel like I don't deserve something like this. "Are you still doubting yourself, Kiryuu-san?" "Yes." "Can I ask why?" "It's too fast." "Too fast?" "I've only been here for a couple of days. A lot of things happened in a short period of time. If this was a story, it's too early for this kind of development, don't you think?" "I guess but... I think this is fine too. Kiryuu-san has made things a bit interesting recently." "I see..." We stayed like that for a while until it was late. I decided to part with Vena-san for now and headed to my room to think. Shino came in after a while and went on a formal sitting pose like how I first saw her before. She isn't wearing the bracelet but she didn't offer to give it back to me either. "Master, what you said earlier. Was all of it true?" "Yes. But it wasn't the entire truth. I'm sorry." "Then... I shall also wait." "Will you stay by my side until then?" "Yes, of course." "Also, I'm actually level 100 in my status but it's being hidden by a skill." "I see—eh?" "Good night." I reached out and gave her a path on the head. I'm feeling a bit better now. I could hear Shino groaning a bit but she eventually gave up and heaved a sigh before she too turned in for the night. Part III "Then, please take care, Kiryuu-san." Vena-san saw me off as we headed out once more. It was another orc subjugation quest but I have been wanting to test out something as well. I informed Shino that we would infiltrate the camps tomorrow. Today, I was planning on experimenting a way to take out the Magus orcs simultaneously. "Shino, keep guard. Make sure that no one would be able to escape." "Yes." We spotted two stray orcs. For now, Shino was to stand guard and cut off their escapes route. I, on the other hand, was going to try and figure out a way to eliminate the orcs quickly. I also wanted to test the strength of the throwing knives I've ordered. It took about three to five knives for an orc to go down. I also obtained the skill for ranged weaponry because of it. However, this was a bit too slow. Add to that, there was one more problem with facing the Magus orcs. "Magus orcs have a resistance to physical type attacks. In order to take them down, people normally use spells or arts." Spells are skills that make use of magic. Arts make use of force. Fighters and combatants tend to rely on arts while mages rely on spells. Since I had zero MP, I couldn't very well use spells right now. We went some place else where no one was around and I took out one of the throwing knives. I recalled being able to use Dimension Slash but I remembered that it was not a fighter ability but a spell back in my own home world. That said, Dimension Slash is not practical on throwing knives as they don't exactly slash. Also, the resulting glow would render the stealth attack useless as it would attract attention. "Hm..." I made a slash with the throwing knife and used Dimension Slash. Sure enough, the skill worked like before although the wave was smaller. When I used the skill as I threw it, the spinning knife emitted a glow but there wasn't much improvement. We decided to look for more stray orcs to test it out. The result was that it takes two to three knives. It was certainly stronger but not exactly there. I also noticed that whenever I used the skill, my HP decreases. "Strange. Arts and spells are normally used by spending MP." "Even arts?" "Yes. MP is kind of like an energy resource. For Master to use HP for an ability is strange." I had Shino deliver the four orc corpses while I looked for more places to experiment on. There was a skill that I have yet to try and I didn't want Shino to be there in case I failed miserably. Part IV "Ah, crap." The throwing knife I held broke. That was the third time. I had the skill Force Manipulation and thought that I'd transfer the energy from the blade and onto the tip while trying to use Dimension Slash. It resulted in the throwing knives breaking. After five more failures, I tried something else. "Ah. This is kind of working." Instead of focusing it on the sharpest point, I instead tried to coat the entire throwing knife with energy. It started to emit a glow and after a couple of tries, I figured out how to feel the energy on the weapon and how much it can handle. I tried to do so with Ouroboros but it seems to continue to absorb energy. Since I was relying on HP, I had to stop and stick with the throwing knives. I obtained the skill Force Infusion from that. Shino returned after a while and we went to hunt down more orcs. We couldn't find any this time so we instead went for some of the wild animals. We came across a wild boar. It's quite huge, almost as big as a normal adult. It took three infused throwing knives to take it down. We eventually found more orcs and only a single infused throwing knife was enough to take down an orc. Apparently the boar was stronger. "I still feel that it's lacking." "It's certainly something I've never seen before, Master." "How so?" "Normally, people would apply enchantments to their weapons through either arts or spells. It causes a change in property as well. However, I've only ever heard it apply to melee weapons and not projectiles." "Not even arrows?" "Enchanted arrows make use of jewel shards on the arrow heads. It's more of a job of a craftsman to create enchanted arrows. However, those are expensive." I see. That's why Dessa-san only offered that the melee weapons are enchanted when she made them. I asked Shino to take the corpses once more as I tried to figure out something to enhance the power. I still need to figure out a way to eliminate the Magus orcs all at once. Part V "Hehehehe... I did it..." An exhausted yet somewhat slightly sinister voice escaped my lips. After a lot of trial and error, I finally figured out something. First, I tried to amplify the energy within the blades as I threw them. They broke the moment they left my hand. The output from one hand was too fast and hard to control. Also, I couldn't manipulate it well enough. I opted to try it with two hands. It was a bit stupid to hold onto a throwing knife with two hands. It was also a bit awkward trying to throw them. Eventually, I figured out a way to do so by gathering energy in between my hands as clasped the throwing knife. What resulted was the the knife started to float in the air as it was being infused with energy. When it was at the limit, I instead tried to only fill up the hilts. Eventually, the hilt shattered and blade shot out a fair amount of distance. It was embedded in a tree but not before completely piercing through another. This was it. I had gained the skill Infused Missile. Incidentally, my Force Manipulation tiered up to Master because of it. This could work but it still isn't done. I took out another throwing knife and tried to infuse it with energy once more. Once the blade was filled with it, I started to fill the hilt. I knew the amount it would take before it would shot out so I decided to output that much instantly but instead of directly into the hilt, I poured it all around it. It was a eureka moment as the energy gathered into an orb that wrapped around the hilt. I pulled back my hands and the blade stayed hovered until it absorbed the entire orb of energy and then shot out. This works. This will definitely work. I obtained the skill Delay Casting because of it. It took me a couple more tries to figure out how to tweak the Delay Casting to specific times. After that was one more important step. Using Force Detection and Magic Detection, I visualized targets as I was pouring the energy. They were mostly trees that had faint magical energy. What resulted was the creation of a new skill called Seeking Missile. This is great. Excited at the progress, I started trying various ways of infusing energy it order to improve the speed in which it does so. I had obtained the skill Speed Casting after several attempts. I got a bit carried away trying all the new skills. Because of it, when Shino had already returned, I was already at 500 HP and had to stop. We finished up by gathering as many of the intact throwing knives as possible. Due to that, my Delay Casting and Speed became Master level. I was a bit disappointed that the Force Manipulation didn't tier up but that's just fine. I got the skill Arcane Barrage and Snipe so that was quite productive. Part VI That night we shared a table with the others again. Vena-san was at my right once more and Shino was at my left. Raful seemed like he was content with how things were but Hilde looks a bit frustrated still. "Erm, are there any other customs that I should worry about?" Eventually, I had to ask that. I already said that I wasn't originally from this world. It would be best to ask them about these things before I made another mistake. Although the recent chain of events seemed to have resulted well, it might not go the same way as before. I learned that things are the same with humans, still. I should avoid giving out rings to human female acquaintances. This was something that Hilde repeated several times. I also learned that some demons have been trying to live alongside humans ever since the Great Demon Overlord was vanquished. During the saga of the heroine, the queen, she fought against the seven demon lords and eventually, the Great Demon Overlord. The seven demon lords are currently in hiding since people would normally seek them out for revenge. For the demonkin, performing a contract with them is the custom for starting a partnership. There have been cases of demons and humans getting married although that was still a controversial issue. There was also a bit about divine beasts but they said that it differs per species so it was all hard to explain the specifics. That said, most elves value the appearance of their ears. It's forbidden to cut off their ears and is treated as a grave crime. Hilde was glaring at me as she was explaining various things about the elven race. I found myself trying to hide behind Vena-san during that time. After that, it was time to turn in for the night. I only noticed that my Health Regeneration had tiered up to Enhanced. I leveled up quite a bit but my MP is sitll zero. My HP, however, sat at around fifty thousand max. I have a bit of a leeway but it's better to ensure that there will be minimal mistakes made during the raid tomorrow. Even though I called it a raid, it was just pretty much Shino and I doing all the work. Just in case, I ordered several healing potions from Karlaan. I've raised a lot of flags recently. I hope things go well tomorrow.
Chapter 10 Spoiler Part I Ah. A dream. Or is it a memory. I found myself looking through the eyes of my old self. A thief, assassin, or mercenary. Pick your poison. As long as the pay is good, I would take on the job. I see a bar; I'm a regular there. It's where people like me gather. A place to call our own. We aren't exactly wanted in society; we're but a dispensable necessity at most. I see a woman, she's been here a lot. Quite the lovely lady. She has a bulge on her stomach but it didn't deter some men from trying to make advances. Unfortunately, that woman is the friend of the barkeep's wife. We're actually more afraid of her than the kingdom soldiers. Women are scary. I approached because I was curious. I at least asked for her name. I'm a bit on good terms with auntie so I'm not harshly driven away. She did warn me with her eyes though. Women truly are scary. I see myself advancing forward in time a bit. This woman has gone into labor. Auntie grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and told me to help. She said I might learn a thing or two. Ah. I see. This is how humans are made. Made? No. Born. Unlike me who was created, this child is a human baby. How cute. I started to be more acquainted with the lady. I found out she lived alone in a cottage in the forest. I asked why. She seemed sad. She told me that she was a fallen noble. She ran away from home after she had gotten pregnant. Her parents blamed her. We spent days chatting, getting closer. At one point, she told me the truth. Her brother had forced himself upon her. Her parents wanted to get rid of the child. At first she wanted to but as time passed, she grew to love the child. I asked what happened of her brother and I didn't like when I heard that he got off with a slap on the wrist. It infuriated me. She supported herself by farming a small plot of vegetables and fruits. I decided to start visiting her every now and then. I did not need to eat. I did not need nourishment. I only eat just to enjoy the taste of a meal. She needs it more than I. I am not new to love. No, I am not. In time, we fell in love. We had a simple marriage. I have also grown to love the child as my own daughter as well. I continued to support her. They both knew of my circumstance and accepted me for who I am. At first I was afraid, almost to the point of petrification. "Coooool! That means papa's strong riiiiight?" My lovely daughter. If only I were stronger then. After some time, we received summons from her family. I objected against it but I eventually allowed it after insisting that I come along. Dinner seemed normal. The parents looked worried but seeing their grandchild seemed to give them ease. It seems that they truly loved their daughter and her child. However, I was constantly on guard. Why only now did they take action? Why not then during the time she needed them? I did not voice out my concerns. I patiently tried to wait for the whole thing to end. Ah, unfortunate. The brother that had been glancing our way seemed to have snapped. No. He seemed to have been unable to control himself any longer. "Is that my daughter? Is that my child?" His voice was strange. I sense thirst. I felt disgust. I finally knew what those glances meant. He was looking at my wife not with concern, not even with guilt, but with lust. It was those same eyes that gazed upon my daughter. "That is my daughter. I ask you to step back." "No! It's my child! My daughter! Come here, baby, I'm your daddy~" "Papa... I'm scared..." I had gone between them and shoved the brother away. I drew my blade. Guards started to respond in kind but the parents were trying to calm things down. They were trying to get the brother to stop his madness. "I am the best swordsman of the land! Do you think you would fare against me? Give me my child now!" He drew his blade and charged at me suddenly. How naive. The best swordsman of the land? His stance was pitiful, his grip was wrong. I experienced countless deaths fighting stronger opponents. I learned. This man. He is weak. As if to prove my point, I parried his blade, barehanded. He was so slow that I was able to slap the broad side of his blade with the back of my hand. It dropped onto the ground. Disgusting. Insect. "Papa..." I was releasing so much killing intent that I thought I had scared my daughter. Ah. No. She knew. She knew my profession. She knew what I am. She knew me. I am her papa. She is my beloved daughter. "Make the scary man go away..." The brother quickly picked up his sword and stepped back a couple of strides. He started bragging that he was taking it easy since I was street trash. He took a stance. It seemed foolish. They say mimicry is the lowest form of flattery but his attempt just made it seem like an insult. He bragged that it was the strongest move he had ever learned. Ironically, that stance he took on was the same as the man that I could not defeat. Obviously, this one is a fraud. I developed a technique for countering that move but I never got to try it for that legend already passed away. A shame. Then, I shall show him the true technique. Gripping the blade in my right hand, I drew it back as I pointed the blade towards him. The technique required that I wield with both hands. However, I have reached that point in which I can execute it with one hand. He, on the other hand, grabbed the sword by both hands and had it close to his chest. I laughed a bit. Ah. What a scrub. Git gud, you disgusting lech. Ah, my laugh pissed him off. It seems we are about to start. "I will kill you and take back what is mine." "You talk well for a dead person." Ah, he's really angry. That is already a mistake. He charged, yelling out the technique's name in a rather ridiculous fashion. "Ultimate Technique! Chu-Ba-May Ga-Shi!" I wish I could facepalm at that moment. I could only sigh as he was closing the gap between us. Watch this, fool. You might learn a thing or two. "Chujou-ryu Ougi! Tsubame Gaeshi!" How many times have I been killed by that technique executed flawlessly? How many times have I lost that duel? I do not believe this is the ultimate technique but it certainly is way better than that trash of an attempt at mimicry. The brother was only halfway the distance but in that instant I was already right in front of him. He must have been shocked. I can clearly see him wide-eyed. It's as if time slowed down intentionally to let me savor this moment. A diagonal downward slash from the left. It cut through his hand, instantly severing flesh and bone. I also intentionally cut his crotch deeply. A diagonal upward slash to my right. Almost instantly after I slash down, I turned my blade and sliced upward. I made sure he could never reproduce ever again. I also took his other hand. He fell on his knees, at a shock at the loss of both his hands and his manhood. I raised my sword above my head, ready to deliver the final blow. "The technique you speak of? I know of it. I've also mastered it after losing to it so many times?" "...ugh..." "Die. Tatsu-no-ken!" "Reiku!" I had swung down my blade but a voice had stopped me just at the tip grazed the brother's stupid head. It was my wife. She was covering my daughter's eyes. Ah. I suppose this should be enough. I grabbed a table napkin and wiped my blade of the blood. I then threw it to the brother's face. His forehead was bleeding slightly. I sheathed my sword and went to my daughter. She was let go by my wife and ran up to me and hugged me. "Is the scary man gone?" "He won't bother us any more, sweetie. Not unless he wishes to go away permanently." "Aw, you didn't kill him?" "Now, now. No talking like that until you're older." "'Kay~" My wife is really worried for no reason. I'm going to start teaching my daughter how to wield a blade soon. I carried her in my arms as I turned around, bowing to the parents and stating that we would take our leave. As we did so, the brother started to shout at the guards to attack us but those guards instead turned to the parents. The father gestured with his hands not to attack and let us go. I did not realize my daughter stuck her tongue out at the idiot with the missing hands as we were leaving. A flash and a glimpse of another memory. I had another daughter, this time it was my child by blood. However, I loved them both the same. They got along well too. Strange. My eldest daughter is taking after me and my youngest is taking after her mother. Ah. No. It's not strange at all. Another flash and I saw tragedy. The guild. Burning. A large dragon blotting out the sun. A fickle goddess. A curse. My desperation. My farewell to the world. Part II I immediately woke up, finding myself sitting up as well. That last part reminded me that even I cannot undo such things. But having such a vivid recollection made me feel slightly at ease. Are they telling me to move on? Or did I miss my family so much that I dreamed of them? No, that was a strange dream on its own as well. But at the very least, I somehow felt peace. Was it the strange circumstances of me and my wife? Was it my lovely and talented eldest that looked up to me greatly? Was it my kind and gentle youngest that never failed to make us smile? I knew they grew up well. I took knowledge from the library. I may not have seen it. I may not have been there. But that alone is enough. "Master." "Ah, did I wake you?" "No. Is something wrong?" "Just a sweet dream of long ago." I smiled a bit and nodded and started to prepare for our raid. Part III "Shino. Make sure that I am not disturbed nor are we detected." "Yes, Master." With both of us capable of concealing our presence, it made things a lot easier. However, we had to be alert. I actually had to calculate the time for the delay of the infused throwing knives to shoot as simultaneously as possible. I ended up learning new skills from combining my skills but I paid little attention to them for now. "Master, there are humans in the cages." "Prisoners?" "Slaves, from the looks of it. All of them seem to be female. The ones that are alive, at least." "Thank you." "Master?" "We shall save them." "Yes!" If I didn't know, I might have targeted them as well. I was focusing on detection skills only but now I had to carefully pick out which targets are supposed to be disposed of and which ones are supposed to be saved. I am thankful, Shino. I prepared two infused throwing knives for all the orcs. The Magus orcs have four knives aimed at them. Despite the number of casts that I did, my HP only decreased by about ten thousand. Since my status only showed five thousand instead of fifty thousand, Shino probably only saw me lose a thousand HP. "Amazing. Using health to cast and only losing so little." "It's still taxing though. Thank you for your support." "Your will is my command." We had only a few minutes until the volley fired. It was all Seeking Missiles so there was no problem with the tracking. I did add a few more just in case. "Once it starts, go out and kill any orcs that survived. However, I want you to prioritize rescuing the slaves." "As you wish." "Let's go." I took Ouroboros out of its sheathe and soon, the knives started to fly. From my experiments, the knives are not strong enough to pierce through an orc but it was strong enough to bury itself entirely inside them. It certainly made it deadlier. It was also more convenient as we could avoid any crossfires. From my detection skill, I saw that all the Magus orcs have been eliminated. I'm certain that all the orcs have been as well but we had to confirm. I had Shino go out and confirm although her primary mission was to rescue all the imprisoned humans. Something felt off so I was being cautious. When we finished the last camp, we managed to secure all of the slaves and confirm that all the orcs have been eliminated. However. Something troubles me. I hate it when I end up being correct in cases like these, honestly. Of course, I was right and soon found the reason for my worries. Miasma started to pour out of the orcs' corpses. The moment they did so, the bodies of the dead orcs were dissolved and it only made the miasma thicker. "Shino, get them all out of here now! Lead them back to the city!" "What about you, Master?" "I will ensure that you can all escape. There's something coming and if I don't hold it off, it will kill everyone." "I... understand." Good girl. It would be troubling if we had to argue. I'm glad that Shino has started to trust in me a little. I am worried that they would all get caught up if this turned into an all out battle. The miasma from the devoured corpses started to gather in front of me. This is bad. It soon took the form of a huge demon that had red demonic markings lining up its body. It was around five meters tall. It had six arms, each wielding a different weapon. Its face had a skull plate covering it with two pairs of horns arched upward. Its body was blackened. It barely had any armor but I feel like it would be difficult to take down such a beast. Analysis showed its name to be the Demon of Infused Hatred. I must do it it though, or at least, I can try. I don't want to attack while it's still in a miasma state as it might cause complications seeing that it's in a non-solid state. It might curse me instead or something. "Inform the guild about this. This is a demon." "A-as you wish but..." Shino hesitated for a bit but it seems like she will not disobey my orders. At this moment, while the demon was still gathering miasma, she was steeling herself. She probably felt like she is abandoning me but decides to trust in me fully. "It's fine if Master wishes to simply buy us time. However, I would be perfectly fine with it if Master defeats it too." Ah, didn't that sound more like the other way around? Wait, isn't that supposed to be my line then? Damn. I missed having a cool moment there. With that, Shino led and evacuated all the others and headed quickly towards the city. Moments after that, the demon finally completed its form. I gripped Ouroboros tightly and grinned a bit. "Now. Let's dance!"
Chapter 11 Spoiler Part I Name: Demon of Infused Hatred Race: Greater Demon HP: 20000/20000 MP: 10000/10000 Level: 56 Strength: 60 Agility: 30 Intelligence: 30 Endurance: 80 Wisdom: 1 Luck: 1 Skill: Demonic Strength Skill: Weapon Mastery Skill: Iron Skin Skill: Solid Defense Skill: Poison Immunity Skill: Debuff Immunity Skill: Berserk Skill: Ghastly Howl Class: Summoned Beast Title: Beast of Increasing Vengeance Those stats are quite poor, comparatively speaking. However, it's because of its skills that makes me a bit wary. Weapon Mastery probably increased its efficiency with its arms as it had taken out several weapons to wield. The lower arms took out two shields, one red and one blue. The upper hands each held a large sword. It was probably as big as me. The middle ones wielded a bow. Almost immediately did it utter a howl that made me cringe a little. I almost took a step back but I had steeled myself and gripped my blade tighter. The demon started shooting magic arrows using its bow. With its large MP pool, it can probably do so without running out any time soon. "Tch," I quickly moved from my spot and utilized speed to circle around it. I started infusing several throwing knives and left them in my wake. The demon followed me with its sight while the knives were shot out. It raised the red shield and managed to block several of the knives. Others that managed to slip through pierced through the demon's skin. However, it seems that there is a layer of protection and the knives did not do much damage. I raised my blade and slashed downward, then followed up with another horizontally while casting Dimension Slash. Two waves of energy surged but it was blocked by the blue shield. In response, the demon raised both swords in the air and swung downward. I immediately darted forward to avoid being cleaved. It resulted in the swords getting buried a meter into the ground. Taking the opportunity, I aimed a cut towards its wrist. "GRRRUUAAAAAAAAHHHH!" I managed to deal a bit of damage to cause it pain but not enough to disable it. I noticed that its strength and endurance increased by a bit when it took damage. It must be that pesky title at work. It tried to sandwich me in between the shields so I hopped and ran up its arm. I infused three knives and aimed it at the demon's face. It pulled out the blades and swung upward, causing me to get launched a bit into the air. It started to shoot at me with more magic arrows. "Taking away my dodge skills, huh?" I made use of Ouroboros to deflect the incoming magic arrows. As expected of its infinite durability, it can withstand even those. I used my other hand to start infusing more knives. While they did little damage on their own, if I focused them on a certain spot, it could accumulate. That red shield was a bit troublesome though. It swung one of the swords at me and I had no choice but to block it as I was in mid-air. "Oof!" I got swatted to a nearby tree. Although I did take some damage, it wasn't all that bad. I figure my stats also reduced the feeling of pain as well. I decided to start concealing myself as I rush towards the demon. I'm aiming for the shields first. I applied several infusions along the way but several of them were targeted at different things on purpose. As they shot out, I noticed that it was mostly the arm holding the red shield that was putting out the effort to block them. When I shot out several Dimension Slashes at it, the blue shield moved in to block that skill. "Is it because the knives still have the physical blade with them unlike the Dimension Slash?" I guessed that the shields each blocked a certain property. One was for a physical attack, the other for magical. I changed my plan and started aiming more knives at the magic shield and Dimension Slashes at the physical shield. Whenever the demon spotted me, it would start shooting magic arrows. When it couldn't sense me, it randomly cleaved away trees and bushes. I used Snipe with the Infused Missiles to aim for both the blue shield and the demon's joints. Every time the red shield moved, I utilized Arcane Barrage with Dimension Slash to intercept it. Once enough damage was done to both shields, the demon discarded them and it instead equipped two axes. Its HP was down by about ten percent. Still, I had more HP even after casting those skills. My real problem is that the strength and endurance of the demon had already gotten beyond mine. I need to avoid getting hit or else it might be problematic. It seems to have a harder time finding me so it started to rampage around. Although it did so, it still ends up making several places I can conceal myself in. I am able to blend in with the fallen trees. Unless it wipes out all of the foliage, I can sneak around it and fire from a distance. I decided to set up Seeking Missiles while sending out Dimension Slashes every now and then. I did not need to worry about the shield now so it wasn't a waste to chip its health bit by bit. The knives were a bronze coin each. I had five thousand purchased from before. After the experiments and orc subjugation and raid, I still had more or less four thousand left over. I moved from spot to spot to make sure I can avoid those weapons. I sent Dimension Slashes in order to further agitate the demon and so it would still know that I am around. I was preventing it from rampaging elsewhere. I had spent about ten thousand HP before but because of the acquired skills, I can use less HP for a Seeking Missile. I decided to use all of them simultaneously. In order to do so, I started leaving Infused Missiles on a delay as I moved. Delay Casting and Speed Casting helped with the timing as well. I would make circles around the demon, avoiding the attacks as much as I can. There were times where it would try and attack me with two to three arms so I went in between its legs. Whenever I do that, it would use its Ghastly Howl then jump high into the air and started firing magic arrows until it lands back down. I quickly move into the fallen trees during those moments. I'm not feeling physically tired but I felt some mental exhaustion from the piling of several howls. It slowed me down a bit but I eventually used up all the knives I had made for me. They are quite cheap for me, anyway. It would be bad to get caught up in the barrage as I had set up the knives all around the demon. It might also shoot out of the forest so I had to think up a way to isolate the area of effect. I had a bit of an idea since there was a bit of a pattern to the demon's movements. Once more I had went between its legs. As expected, it howled then jumped high in the air. It no longer had the shields and it should not be able to dodge so easily if it's in mid-air. At that moment, all of the Seeking Missiles finished their casting delays and shot up at the airborne demon. It was quite the sight to see. Though an individual Infused Missile did a small amount of damage, the damage of simultaneous Infused Missiles was not to be trifled with. Actually, it might have been overkill to use four thousand throwing knives now that I thought about it. Even with the demon trying to block, all of its weapons were shattered mercilessly. The protection on its skin could not handle the assault and broke. Suffice to say, it turned the huge demon into a messy pile of minced meat. Its blood and what's left of its flesh poured down on the forest, staining the entire area, and me, with its blood. There doesn't seem to have any effect. I thought its blood would be cursed or poisonous but apparently there's nothing to worry about. It caused the skies to turn a shade of dark red as it drizzled. The smell of blood made me shake my head a bit. If it were a more soothing petrichor, I would not have disliked it. 「Ouroboros Skill Unlocked」 「Passive: Devourer of Gods」 「Active: Vector Wielding」 「Skill Created: Hishu no Yuudachi」 「Skill Obtained: Chain Casting」 「Skill Obtained: Catalyst Breaker」 「Skill Obtained: Debuff Resistance」 「Skill Obtained: Indomitable Mind」 「Title Obtained: Demon Vanquisher」 「Title Obtained: Grudge Exorcist」 Because of that battle, all of my skills jumped up to Legendary. Even skills like Silent Casting and Free Casting jumped up. Those were the skills I obtained during the raid. Speed Casting changed and instead turned into Instant Casting. It was also legendary. The higher tiered spells still needs chants but this shortens it greatly. The skill that Ouroboros unlocked was one passive and active skill. I guess it fulfilled a bit of the conditions to unlock it or maybe because I leveled up quite a bit. Actually, I jumped to level 150 suddenly. Firstly, the passive skill greatly increases my stats and level based on the strong enemies I defeat. Even though the enemy was half of my level, it was deemed worthy enough to have been eaten by Ouroboros. The stronger the enemy I defeat, the greater the bonus. My stats doubled, except for luck. Of course. Secondly, I obtain a skill or skills that would be related to the enemy that I have defeated just now. Stronger enemies yield more skills it seems. Thirdly, the skill I obtained, Vector Wielding, allows me to mentally wield more weapons. This, however, only applies to weapons that I can infuse. At the very least, I can use it on Ouroboros. I'll try testing the range of it when I get the chance. The other skills I got were because of the actions I had taken. Chain Casting was because I was using Dimension Slash and Seeking Missile repeatedly. It helps eases casting multiple spells or arts at the same time. Catalyst Breaker is a bit familiar. It detonates the infused weapon, in this case the throwing knives turned into Seeking Missiles, causing even more damage. That's why the demon turned into a rain of blood. There's barely any of its flesh falling on the ground. Debuff Resistance is self explanatory. Indomitable Mentality is a more specific resistance towards mind and mental attacks. I guess it resulted from resisting the Ghastly Howl over and over again. I figure that several skills are obtained from defeating the demon too. The titles I gained are useful against demons, I guess. The Grudge Vanquisher also helps against ghosts and spirits so I guess that's fine too. Although it mostly applies to those beings that are seeking vengeance. I decided to make my way out of the forest. I looked at my HP and I still have at least ten percent left. That in itself is still quite large but I'm starting to feel the pain and exhaustion. My muscles are starting to ache. It was quite difficult to block those heavy attacks without incurring some form of damage, after all. I somehow wish that I could have gotten that demon's weapons but it seems they were summoned along with it so they got destroyed as well. "Master!" From afar, Shino called out to me. A fair distance behind her were several adventurers accompanying Raful and Hilde. Vena-san still had to stay at the guild, after all. Shino looked very worried as she ran up to me. Ah, it was probably because I was covered in blood. It's not mine though so I'm fine. "It's done." I muttered as I found myself stumbling forward and blacking out. I was more exhausted than I had thought. I felt something warm and soft so it's fine, I guess... Part II: Shino's Perspective Even though Master killed those bandits before, he ordered me to prioritize in saving the prisoners and slaves. As I thought, Master isn't such a bad person. It was amazing how he managed to eliminate every single one of the orcs. Even the Magus orcs were done in by that skill. I have never seen that kind of skill before. I've seen mages cast magic arrows but this one was certainly different. I was considering this raid a success but something happened. There was a mysterious miasma that turned all the dead orcs into a huge monster. I used my Analysis and confirmed that it was indeed a demon. I am not confident I can defeat such a thing on my own but if it's with Master, I felt it was possible. However, he ordered me to lead the rescued humans back to the city and report it to the guild. Was he planning to fight that thing all on his own? Ah. I wish to stay. I wish to fight alongside him. Something told me that he would certainly defeat it. I wished to see it for myself. After returning quickly, I immediately went to the guild and reported everything. Vena-dono was extremely worried and Raful-dono and Hilde-dono were immediately contacted. Only a few adventurers rallied and we immediately headed out. The rescued prisoners and slaves were tended to by Vena-dono and the other members. Some of the adventurers were expressed their doubts but seeing the faces of Raful-dono and Hilde-dono with very serious expressions made them stop. As we neared the forest where we executed the raid we were met with a strange sight. "Look! Up there!" We saw a demon that had leaped into the air. It was the huge monster I saw a while ago. I am sure of it. Those six arms are definitely a confirmation. It was about to start firing magic arrows on the ground below it, it seems. Suddenly, there were countless bright projectiles that came from the forest and hit the demon countless times. It was only for a short while but I was fairly certain that it was the technique that Master used during the raid. But that many is... wait... Master uses his health to cast his abilities. Isn't using that much dangerous? "That's Master's ability!" I had exclaimed without thinking as I rushed towards the forest as fast as my feet could take me. I was already exhausted since I had no rest so I couldn't use my abilities to close the distance. The skies turned red and what remained of the demon rained down and turned the entire area into a dark shade of crimson. "Shino! Hold on! What do you mean ability? Are you saying that Kiryuu was the one—oi!" I heard Hilde-dono call out to me but I ignored her and kept running. I caught sight of Master coming out of the forest and immediately called out to him. It seems that he saw me and had smiled. Ah. His health is extremely low. The moment that he affirmed that he had defeated the demon, he fell forward. I caught Master in my arms and felt his strength leave his body. I was relieved to find out that the blood that covered him was not his own. Using my Analysis skill, I noticed the titles that Master had obtained. I apologized mentally to Vena-dono. For now, I shall let Master sleep in my arms.
Chapter 12 Spoiler Part I 「Could it be? Perhaps... you may be the one...」 I awoke to the sound of a voice unfamiliar. It spoke of another language but I have grasped it a bit. I opened my eyes and found myself staring the the ceiling of my room. Slowly, I sat up. My body felt a bit heavy. I wasn't sure if it was from exhaustion. My body felt hot and my muscles felt sore. It lingered for a bit before I started to feel well enough to get up from the bed. Placing my hand to my head, I groaned as I tried to recall what had occurred. Ah, that's right. I fought a greater demon and won. I probably passed out from exhaustion. The last person I remember seeing was Shino and that was it. "How long was I out? I wondered a bit as I looked at the clothes I was wearing. It was quite clean, actually. I seem to recall being bathed in blood so someone must have tended to me while I was asleep. The thought kind of made me uncomfortable but I guess there's nothing I can do. I'm feeling a bit hungry. I should get something to eat. "Ah!" "Ah, hi..." I was about to open the door but someone else had already done so from the other side. She seemed pretty surprised that I'm awake. Tears started to well in her eyes and she quickly clung onto me and placed her head on my chest. I placed my arms around her and nuzzled her hair a bit. She started to cry but I just let her. I'm sorry. I've made you worry, haven't I? "I'm back, Vena-san." Part II Our reunion was cut short when Hilde had gone to check up on us. Vena-san was supposed to see my condition but since she took a while, Hilde followed soon. Apparently I had been out for two days and a half. We were sharing a table once more, having dinner. I felt really hungry so I had several helpings. This was also something I liked. I mean, it might sound strange but being satiated feels great. I had no need for food or sustenance normally so being hungry and being able to sate that hunger felt quite blissful. The others just thought it was normal since I was asleep for a few days. "Geez, what a troublesome person." Hilde addressed me as such. Raful just laughed as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Ah, let the man have his fill. What's important is that he's awake." He seemed a bit relieved. Shino calmly sipped her tea as if she was confident that I would recover. Hilde still seemed agitated though. Still, she sighed and gave up and left me to eat in peace. Vena-san sat closer to me than usual so I decided to lean against her for a bit. She let out a cute squeak but she didn't move away so I placed my arm around her after I was done eating. She laid her head on my shoulder which caused Shino to imitate her. Hilde placed both her hands on the table and looked like a vein on her head would pop. Take it easy, Hilde. Later on, we met at the office to discuss the matters privately. Of course, it was a bit of a big deal since we had to explain the circumstances regarding the orcs, the captured humans, and also the demon that had spawned. "I took matters into my own hands at the time. I apologize." I bowed my head a bit when I explained to them my decision in handling the orc raid alone. Raful heaved a sigh and shook his head. Hilde is... Hilde. "I appreciate the initiative but that was too dangerous." "You could have died!" "Things did go well so we might be able to overlook this a bit..." "Aren't you being too soft, Raful?" "I want to know first. Why did you take on the task alone?" Ah. Wait. Isn't Hilde the guild master here? "There were Magus orcs. I decided then and there that I could prevent casualties if I take them all out at once. I was not expecting the demon to appear." "This is insane, I tell you. Forget taking out five Magus orcs at the same time. What was that skill that we saw? Shino said it was your ability." I turned to Shino a bit. She bowed her head and looked at me apologetically. "My apologies, Master. I had no intention of divulging it. My mental state was a bit weak at the time. Please punish me as you see fit." I raised my hand a bit. She flinched a bit and braced herself. She probably thought I was really going to punish her though. I merely patted her head. "That is fine. I understand." "Mou..." Vena-san, who had her arms wrapped around mine, pouted a bit. She has clung onto me a bit since dinner but I'll indulge her. Besides, I'm not complaining. I am also guessing that she must have been really worried. I decided to pat her on the head as well. "I'm sorry for making you worry." It must have been quite the sight. I was covered in blood, after all. Speaking of which. "Oh yeah, I was covered in blood, right? Who tended to me while I was out cold?" The culprits were found easily as both Shino and Hilde choked. They both started to cough. Raful started to laugh. Vena-san started to mumble and turn a shade of red. Wait, even Vena-san too? "My apologies again, Master. I suggested we cleanse you of demon blood as we do not know what kind of effects it might have." "Y-yeah. That's definitely it. We were looking out for you, you know." The main culprits were Hilde and Shino. Vena-san was supposed to help but she was so flustered when they were taking off my clothes that she was unable to do so. You should blush more, Hilde. It makes you cute, even though you're quite the violent one. It was Shino that seemed to have done most of the work though. I thought that Shino was quite composed but I saw that the girls were in varying shades of red. "So... you saw...?" "Yes, Master. Even though Vena-dono should be the first one to experience such. I apologize for my imprudence." "Hau... doing something like that..." Vena-san's hiding her face from me. Hilde refuses to look at me. Shino looks composed but the red tinge on her cheeks proved others. Plus, she also averts her gaze. I sigh and hung my head a bit. "Leaving that aside, although it's Hilde's first time seeing a man—" Bam. Fast. Hilde punched Raful square in the jaw. From the strength of it, he might not be awake for a week. Oh. He's back up. Damn. He's tough. "That aside, we want to know about the demon." I explained that there was miasma that came from the orc corpses. It seems like a summoning ritual that was triggered upon death. I feel like it's something that the Magus orcs could do but that guess was immediately refuted. "That sort of magic is only accessible to demons. It's a bit of a stretch to say that it was done by orcs." "So, were they possessed in the first place?" "It's highly likely. We are investigating the area where you fought the demon. That part of the forest is contaminated by the blood." "What do you mean?" "The leaves of the plants that are growing there permanently turned red. We have people patrolling the area just in case." Oh, Hilde's quite reliable at times like these, huh? I guess she does have a serious side. Too bad it's barely seen. At least, I could barely see her being this serious about her work. "You were thinking something bad about me, weren't you?" "It's your imagination." I immediately dismissed her accusations that were a hundred percent correct. They did agree to keep this information confidential. It might start some discrimination against the demonkin living together with the humans. Most of the demonkin started to strive for coexistence. There are a few stragglers, but those are expected. "So... what was that skill that you used against the demon?" "Ah, that. It's a bit difficult to explain. I ran out of throwing knives." "Throwing knives? Those things were throwing knives?" "Yes, I used up all of the throwing knives I got from Dessa-san." "How many?" "More or less four thousand..." "Ugh..." Hilde rubbed her head. She looks like she's feigning a headache but the gesture conveyed the message that she's trying to wrap her head around it. Raful had a serious expression as well. Since it was really impossible to throw four thousand throwing knives at the same time with enough strength and accuracy to turn a demon into minced meat, I started to explain it to them. I first asked that they do not divulge the information without consideration though. I first explained that my abilities make use of my health as I had zero MP. Shino confirmed this as well. Then, I said that I use Force Manipulation mainly and in conjunction with other skills in order to produce the skill that was called a Seeking Missile. However, the weapons break upon usage. I also explained how I had several attempts in which the blade would shatter furiously in front of me if I was careless. Shino said she has never seen anything like it. Hilde heaved a sigh as if she was done with the entirety of the situation. "People from another world are certainly full of surprises. The queen was like that too. I guess that's why you obtained the Hero Candidate." "I don't want it to be public though. Honestly, I just wanted to explore and learn new things." I told Raful my honest intentions. I have no desire to fight for the kingdom or be a hero. I just wanted to learn new things. Also, it's still so early in this story and a bunch of things already happened! I don't want to be hindered with my explorations. Part III We discussed a bit more about the confidentiality of the situation. Unfortunately, it would still be reported to the higher ups but they assured that it's highly unlikely I'd get in trouble. If anything, it was a bit of an achievement too. Defeating a greater demon by myself was a huge thing and getting the title was evidence of that. The next day I was promoted to Gold-EX and was eligible for a rank up. Because of the effects of Hidden Origin, my level is shown only to be at level 50. My stats were all at 60. My luck was still stuck at 1 but my agility was highest at 80. They said that the huge burst in level up, coupled by exhaustion, was the reason I was asleep for a while. Raful wasn't really worried but Vena-san would not stay put. Because of the Hero Candidate title, a lot of people were convinced that I defeated the greater demon that was summoned. Dessa-san, in particular, was quite intrigued. I did apologize to her when I said that I used up all of her throwing knives but she seemed quite happy that something she made aided me. She tried to flirt with me a bit but casually mentioned that she shouldn't go off and steal Vena-san's lover. Ugh, that rumor traveled fast, huh? I bid her farewell and took my leave when she started asking if I wanted a third wife. Dangerous. Due to the investigation about the now called Forest of Blood, I wasn't allowed to take on quests since I bathed fully in it. It would have been boring but I managed to spend a lot of time with Vena-san. It was fun but Hilde would occasionally interrupt and tell us to go flirt elsewhere. This resulted in a very flustered elf sweetheart so that's fine as well. The following days, I've gotten visits from the rescued prisoners from the camps. They said that they were informed that they would be turned into sex slaves explicitly by the orcs. It was probably a terrifying experience for them so they were grateful for the rescue. Since all the survivors were female, it might seem a bit weird for some people. In some instances, Vena-san would go up to me and wrap her arms around mine while dragging me away. She would say something like me needing time to recover and what not. It's alright though. A jealous Vena-san has her own charms as well. These days were fun and all but I'm starting to feel annoyed that I can't go out yet. Part IV I accidentally sighed loudly during dinner. "Please endure it a bit more, Kiryuu-san. You'll be allowed to go out soon." "Sorry, Vena-san. I didn't mean to sound impatient." "You seem to enjoy flirting everyday though." What's with that bitter tone, Hilde? Although I figure it was still a bit of a joke on her part. Raful seemed to always bring up the issue that Hilde hasn't gotten herself a man still. The ever common sight of Hilde punching Raful was like a side dish to dinner. "I can't help it if I'm not popular, you know." Actually, she's quite popular among the other adventurers. She has pretty good curves and she's well endowed. Not as much as Dessa-san but she has her charms. Her attitude might put off other people but that's what makes her as she is. "Oi, I don't like the look on your face." "It's your imagination." I immediately dismiss her with that. I then placed an arm around Vena-san as a precaution. It caused Hilde to shake her head and leave the topic alone. I don't want to bring up the topic of curves when body proportions when I had just visited Dessa-san today to inform her of the knives. Both Shino and Vena-san are a bit sensitive when it comes to that. Although I was told that the matter would be concluded soon, I have a bad feeling that there was something more to the demon being summoned. It was fairly close to the city too so it was a bit suspicious. That time before I woke up as well, I heard a voice. It was a woman's voice. A goddess? I wonder. I'll probably ask about religions and interracial marriages tomorrow. I'm just hoping that this dreadful feeling is nothing. I really hate it when those turn out to be correct, I really do. That aside, I'm going to bring up the topic about Ouroboros as well. Defeating the greater demon allowed me to obtain skills that could be linked to it. Although I'm a bit hesitant on who to ask. Shino is certainly someone I can trust. As much as I dislike it, I'll have to visit Dessa-san again tomorrow. It's not I dislike her, just that I feel powerless when she teases me. I'll inform Raful and Hilde, then ask Shino and Vena-san to accompany me just in case.
Chapter 13 Spoiler Part I: Vena's Perspective 'Is this really okay?' Kiryuu-san hasn't woken up for a while now. I was so worried back when Shino-san had rushed in and said that she needs our help. I couldn't see Kiryuu-san with her and I started to panic. Hilde-san and Raful-san went with Shino-san together with the other adventurers that were up for the task. I couldn't blame the others, if what Shino-san said was true then Kiryuu-san is holding off a five meter tall greater demon all on his own. Please be alright, Kiryuu-san. When they brought Kiryuu-san in, I feared the worst. There was blood all over and he wasn't moving at all. Raful-san told me that the blood wasn't his own so I felt a bit relieved. Apparently Kiryuu-san took down the greater demon on his own. That's amazing, really, but I couldn't help but worry still. Later that night, I was informed that Kiryuu-san wasn't in any danger and he just needed to rest. However, they needed to clean off the demon blood that dried up all over him. T-that's... hau... At first, I accompanied both Hilde-san and Shino-san. Raful-san is strangely nowhere to be found. I can't do this. It's too embarrassing. How can Hilde-san and Shino-san be composed at a time like this. When they took off his clothes, I both tried to avert my eyes and ironically was curious as well. Eventually, I had to excuse myself. After that, he was asleep for a while. A few days later, I went to check up on Kiryuu-san's condition and opened the door. I was surprised to see him standing there. I froze for a moment. Is it really him? Had he already woken up? As if to confirm, my body had moved on its own and clung onto him. It is him. I was crying before I even realized it. There were a lot of things that needed to be discussed. I'm just glad that I could spend more time with Kiryuu-san. I was really worried, you know? I eventually found myself clinging onto him a bit more. I feel like I've gotten really attached to him, much more so than that time with the unintentional proposal. I was caught off guard when he wrapped his arm around me. I'm starting to panic a bit. Is this really alright? I mean. Things are going quite fast as he said before but... I'm starting to feel a bit insecure. Am I really good enough? Kiryuu-san has been doing one amazing thing after another. He also makes an expression every time he talks to Dessa-san. That bit made me a bit upset. I'm still waiting for that time, I'm still hopeful about his proposal. Some of the other members started to encourage me a bit. I'm not as strong as Shino-san. or Hilde-san. I'm not as curvy as Dessa-san. I'm a bit shorter than average too. My hair just reaches only to my shoulders. I kind of envy Shino-san's hair because her ponytail reaches past her waist. I wish I had Hilde-san's fiery hair. Mine is just a faded blonde color. The only thing I've been complimented on are my emerald green eyes. There was that time when a lot of females visited the guild to show their thanks. These are all the people that Kiryuu-san rescued. Fueh? Why are they all female? Before I knew it, I was dragging Kiryuu-san away from them. After that, I turned so red that I couldn't look at him for a while. He found it amusing somewhat but he nuzzled my hair which was something I liked. I'm really glad that Kiryuu-san is alive and well. I'm happy that we could spend a bit more time together. I wish that he would rely on me though. I'm worried though. Are things really fine like this? I'm wondering if I'm pushing myself on him too much. I've changed without realizing it. Now that I had the chance, I find myself unable to collect my thoughts. Part II "Right, so I wanted to see who's the best at examining weapons." "Haven't you gotten an appraisal from Karlann?" "Yes, but that fight unlocked a few skills." I placed the sword on the table and everyone tried to examine it. They all shook their heads. This was a bit of a surprise. "Unfortunately, swords that are legendary artifacts do not show their abilities to others aside their owner." "Even a merchant with the highest appraisal skill would only see what was initially appraised." That was a bit... disappointing. Do I really have to go to Dessa-san's then? I thought they could explain things a bit more but that was unfortunate. I brought up the topic about Rionna-san from before but the chances were slim. "It's true that she might visit since we gave the news about the greater demon." "However, even she might not know the actual abilities of the sword. It's also most likely that she knew it was a legendary artifact and that you would be able to be unlock it." "But there's an advantage to that as well. Other than you, no one can use it." It's surprising how in sync these two can be. I felt bad for looking down on Hilde. I mean, Raful is alright. Hilde is rarely showing her good points. "Are you thinking something bad about me again?" "It's your imagination." This must be a bit of a gag by now. I'm impressed and a bit afraid that she can sense whenever I'm thinking of her in a bad light. Women are scary, you know. "Not even blacksmiths?" When I mentioned that, Vena-san had scooted closer to me. Ah. It's about Dessa-san so that's understandable. "Normal blacksmiths won't be able to do anything but Dessa-san might be able to figure something out." "Hah... it can't be helped, can it?" "Ho~? I thought you were going after that buxom smith too." "It's your imagination. Plus, it was mostly Raful's idea of a joke and you all bought into it." "Then why are you always flustered after leaving her place?" "Have you been spying on me?" "N-no. I'm just worried you're cheating on Vena, you know." You're not helping, Hilde. I immediately cling to Vena-san to try and dispel those accusations. "It's difficult to deal with Dessa-san since she's always teasing me, you know. That's why I asked you first so if it's possible that I don't have to go there anymore." "Sure, sure~" Hilde's in a pretty teasing mood today. I'm guessing she's gotten fed up a bit about us 'flirting all over the place'. Although I can understand that she's genuinely concerned about Vena-san, I'd appreciate it if she could not say things that could create misunderstandings. Where did that serious guild master mode go? I wanted to explain about the abilities unlocked but Raful stopped me there. He said that it would be better if it's kept a secret until we figure things out. He did agree to going to Dessa-san's place. Just in case, I said that I planned for Shino and Vena-san to accompany me. Part III Along the way, I couldn't help but think about that voice I heard. It doesn't sound at all like someone I've met before but it sounded somewhat familiar? It's not the voice, it's what I felt when they said those words. It's a bit hard to describe. "Is there anything wrong, Master?" "Ah... well, I was wondering about this world's religion and marriage between different races." I heard a cute squeak from the now blushing Vena-san. Ah. I started recalling that time. When she said that she'll be waiting, I felt like I should strive to give her an answer in due time. I got a bit flustered at that. "Deities are all different. Most of them have been heroes before and had ascended. Not everyone follows the same deity though and sometimes it differs per location or per affiliation. Like warriors may worship a war god or merchants worship a goddess of fortune." "I see." "There's nothing against marriage between races. And... t-there's also nothing against polygamy." You faltered for a bit there Shino. Now that I think about it, they aren't wearing the accessories I gifted them without knowing the meaning to it. They also haven't given them back so I felt a bit relieved. I didn't say anything about it though. I feel like I need more time. Plus, I felt that we had more trouble ahead. Ah, we're here at Dessa-san's shop. Part IV After coming in, I called out to Dessa-san. I couldn't hear anything coming from the workshop so I started to call out again. Since I already intruded before, I decided to take a peak. There was nobody there. I tried to get a feel of a presence but I could only detect Shino and Vena-san. "Maybe she went out?" I scratched the back of my head. Maybe we had visited at a busy time. Although if she weren't here, shouldn't the store be closed instead? It's a bit dangerous to leave it open like this if you're not around, you know. The more we waited, the more I felt uneasy. I figure that we should return another time and went towards the door. I tried to open it but it was sealed shut. Oh no. This is bad. That feeling of dread slowly started to increase. I could feel the atmosphere getting heavy. I turned to Shino but was surprise to see her limp on the floor. Vena-san was slumped against the wall. They were awake but they seem unable to move. "Mas...ter... run...!" I quickly used my Analysis and saw that both of them are paralyzed. They don't seem to be losing any HP but their MP was suddenly down to zero. I tried to move but I felt sluggish. The air felt heavy, almost as if pushing me down. I tried to detect someone else's presence but there was no one here. I try to reach out for my sword. Almost immediately, I was hit with a force that pinned me to the wall. Like some invisible field that was keeping me against it. I started using Force Manipulation to wrap myself in energy. Slowly, I felt the weight getting lifted. I drop to the ground and in that moment, the energy that coated my body disappeared. The heavy weight once more pinned me down. I continued to struggle but the energy that would coat my body was being dispersed. When about ten percent of my HP was lost this way, I stopped and tried to struggle with brute force. It was no use. My body was starting to feel hot. Almost like it's on fire. I turned my head to Shino and Vena-san again. It seems that their paralysis was gone but they had something that bound them and prevented them from moving. They had Immobilized on their status. It was probably what was keeping them from moving. I refuse to let myself be caught in this. I continued to apply coat after coat of energy around my body. Slowly, I started to regain my mobility. I braced myself whenever I felt like the pressure would pound against my body and it helped in resisting it somewhat. However, my HP is slowly ticking away. I got up and leaned against the wall. In an attempt to break free, I gathered as much energy as I could that coated my body and suddenly expanded that outward. I felt the weight lift off my body. But it was only for a short moment. That energy field was shattered almost instantly and I was once more pinned against the wall. I felt pressure on my neck, trying to cut off my air. "Ki...ryuu...-san..." I heard Vena-san's voice as my vision was starting to dim. I instinctively placed my hands against my neck but I could feel nothing but pressure there. I tried to fight it off by exerting energy and applying it only to that part of my body. It's like a war of attrition. I could breathe but my HP dwindles. If I stop, I am unable to breathe and I would pass out. I lost, eventually. I couldn't maintain it and my vision was to the point of blacking out. Once it was apparent that I could no longer fight back, the pressure disappeared and I found myself slumped on the floor, leaning against the wall. I turned my head towards Shino that was pinned down on the floor and Vena-san that was in a similar position to me from across. They seem to be worried more about me. You two, you should worry about yourselves more, you know. There was no longer any pressure against me but that wasn't needed any more at this rate. I barely have the strength to even keep myself awake. I could feel my chest getting heavier, but at the same time hotter. I feel like I'm burning from the inside. I tried to keep awake, I really did. My eyes felt like they were made of lead. My body is screaming to lose consciousness but I'm really stubborn, you know. I'm glad that I informed Hilde and Raful. You know, at times like this, shouldn't one of you be bursting through that door right now to save us? As I turned my gaze to the door, I saw my sword on the floor a short distance from me. Slowly, I tried to reach out to it. As if there was something about it that may be able to turn things around. A little bit more, almost there. I managed to grab hold of the hilt but... nothing. I barely had any strength and the sword left my hand, along with the strength of my entire body. As I lay there, I heard footsteps. I couldn't move a muscle but I desperately kept my eyes open. Someone is coming from the workshop. There wasn't anyone there before and none of us could detect them either. As my vision was getting blurry, I decided to rely on the Analysis skill. Surely, there was someone there, slowly exiting the doorway and looking at all three of us. I can only assume that they were the one that had created this trap. They look a bit exhausted but impressed when they were looking at me. It seemed that they had trouble keeping me down and was praising me a bit. Hot. Hot. My chest was starting to get hotter. I groaned in pain and rolled around on the floor. I couldn't even place my own hands to clutch my chest in this situation. Eventually, I was laid flat on my back by our assailant. I could hear Vena-san mutter but I couldn't make out the words. Shino seemed agitated and was gritting her teeth. Some bit of strength returned to my arms but I could only clutch my own chest as I couldn't bear the heat. My own status was not changing. This doesn't seem to be a mental assault either. I strained my eyes and tried to focus on the person that stood before us. White hair, golden eyes. A pair of horns that protruded forward from her head and curved downward slightly. She looked at me with a familiar face and licked her lips as if I were a meal to be devoured. Demon Lord Asmodeus.
Chapter 14 Spoiler Part I "You... why...?" "To be able to talk, still, you certainly are tenacious, hero~" "Dessa-san..." That's right, the one that had attacked us was Dessa-san herself. Rather, it was the demon lord, Asmodeus. Black leather barely covered her body, almost as if made on purpose to tease hungry eyes. She licked her lips and straddled me, tracing a finger on my chest. "You eyes are wandering, hero, even if your precious woman is right across us." Instinctively, I tilted my head back and looked at Vena-san. However, Asmodeus had grabbed me by the head and made me face her. She leaned against me, those dangerous mounds of hers pressing up against my chest. Her long tongue slithered on my neck. I could feel my body getting hotter. It's getting really dangerous. "I had wanted you to assault those two but I can't seem to manipulate you. It looks like you're resistant to that. However, I guess even heroes have desires, hm~?" She moved her hips against me. Yes, I am fairly certain that my body was responding well to her teasing. She also had the appearance that certainly accentuated her alluring figure. I turned my head away but she had grabbed me by the chin and forced me to face her still. "Still resisting, hm~? You did take quite a while to put down. Even I, the demon lord that boasts in crowd control, exhausted my entire magic power just to bring you down. Well, no matter. Thank you kindly for the meal~" She does see me as a meal, after all. After those words, she proceeded to devour me. Rather, I was helpless as she placed her lips against mine. She pinned both my wrists down and slowly I felt my energy leave my body. My HP was slowly dwindling down. My regeneration was able to hinder the complete absorption of my HP but it was slowly trickling down still. Despite my mind protesting, my body was responding to her teases. She removed her hands from my wrists and slid them under my shirt. She caressed my chest. Was this a way to absolve me of my resistance? Strength returned to my arms but they had wrapped around her waist. Reacting to that, Asmodeus broke the kiss to utter a very erotic moan. However, a thin line of energy connected our lips still and I was still being drained. Damn it, I had hope there for a second. I mean, my hands moved unintentionally but I thought her drain would be stopped if contact was cut. I was certainly not enjoying myself at all... She sat up, still straddling me, and moved her hips teasingly. She placed a finger on her lips and sensually licked it. It looks like she was getting pleasure from all of this. Hey, don't go off and leave me hanging! I mean, you know, you're draining me to the point that I'd probably die so at least let me die in pleasure. Wait. No. What was I thinking. I'm not going to die from this. I refuse. However, the demon lord continued to drain me while still grinding her hips. Even though we were both clothed (although she was barely covered), I must admit that there was some pleasure in it too. There must be a way out of this. When my HP was down to a dangerous point of five percent, which was still a hefty five thousand, Asmodeus stopped draining me. No, rather, it was stopped without her volition. Suddenly she was panting and grabbing tightly to my shirt. She seemed to have drowned in pleasure but something else seemed to be the case. "Impossible... this much is... I can't... hah..." The drain continued, or so I thought. Rather, it started to go the other way around. I saw that her now full MP was slowly decreasing. Instead of gaining back my health, I was starting to gain MP. It was strange because my maximum MP is still at zero. However, I was slowly gaining more and more MP from her. "No... stop... I can't...." Asmodeus' MP soon dropped down to zero and the drain cut off. At this state, she was unable to move her body, similar to what had happened with Shino and Vena-san. With my hands on her waist, I rolled to the side and our positions were now reversed. Thump thump. Ah. I feel hot. All that draining made my vision a bit hazy. Thump thump. I can see Asmodeus with such a erotic exhausted look on her face right now. It would be just fine if I got my revenge, right? I mean, isn't this what she wanted? I found my fingers soon digging onto that succulent mound of hers. They're big and supple. I can barely grab one in my hand. I feel hungry. No, perhaps, thirsty. "Kiryuu-san!" I was snapped out of it when Vena-san had used what strength she had recovered and had clung onto my right arm. My left hand was still groping Asmodeus' chest but my head started to clear up a bit. Even Shino recovered slightly. Hey, why are you stripping off your clothes?! "I-if Master desires so, this body of mine..." Both Shino and Vena-san were flustered red. I wondered if they also got affected or the scene they saw was a bit too stimulating. Right then and there, the door burst open. You're late, Hilde. What took you? I wanted to retort that but she took one look at me and her face was filled instantly with disgust. Ah. She could see me on top of the blissfully unaware Asmodeus, my left hand groping such a voluptuous amount of flesh. On my right arm was Vena-san, her clothes disheveled and slowly slipping off. Hey, what did that happen? And Shino was in the process of stripping. Um, can we just go back to the HP draining? I feel like I'd survive that instead. "You..." "Ah, wait, I can explain..." "...bastaaard!" Ah, she aimed a punch at me. The kind of punch that usually knocked out Raful for a few seconds. Without realizing it, she had stepped onto Ouroboros' hilt and stumbled towards me. Ah, that's dangerous! She ended up tackling me, almost, but I didn't fall backward. I felt something soft on my lips. "Hilde-san, that's not fair!" I heard the flustered and intoxicated voice of Vena-san. Realizing what happened, I placed my left hand on Hilde's shoulder and pushed her back. She ended up stumbling and straddling Asmodeus as well. Her weight was pushing down on Asmodeus' chest and I heard an erotic moan from under Hilde. I was expecting to get punched but Hilde had stopped responding. I tried to shake her a bit but she was in a deep shade of red. Vena-san was shaking her as well, saying something about being unfair and getting ahead of her. Shino was crawling towards me on all fours. In that moment, Raful had peeked his head in. Upon seeing the entire scene, he laughed and slowly retracted back. "Help meeee!" Part II "So... talk." We were back in the office once more. Hilde and Raful were interrogating Dessa-san, aka, Asmodeus. Though she had her human form while she was taken here, she was back to her demon lord form. She was in a formal sitting pose on the floor. "Why am I being interrogated too?" Beside her was me, also forced in a similar pose. To my left was Shino. Vena-san was sitting on the couch with Hilde-san even though she wanted to sit with us at first. Hilde really is protective of Vena-san, huh? "Silence, pervert." "Hey, you're the one that kissed me, you know." "Hau... kissing Kiryuu-san before me..." Recalling the scene, Vena-san turned a shade of red. Hilde was also flustered but she tried to convince Vena-san that she had no intention and it was entirely an accident. I mean, it really was but I think there was something in the area that clouded our minds a bit. Even I had wanted to assault Asmodeus when she was under me at the time. "Demon Lord Asmodeus." Ah, there was also someone else in the room with us. It was Rionna-san. She came alone this time, it seems. She came here initially to purify the Forest of Blood. Seeing how there's an incident that involved one of the demon lords, she had to oversee the situation as well. She's serious, unlike before when she was teasing Hilde. Perhaps because it was an incident regarding a demon lord. "You were granted clemency and was allowed to live alongside humans. Care to explain your actions?" "Ah, let's see. I was really just biding my time until the Great Demon Overlord returns. I mean, you know of it too, hm?" "Wait, what do you mean revive? I thought he was completely defeated." Asmodeus implied that even Rionna-san would know that the Great Demon Overlord would revive and was not completely defeated. Rionna-san sighed and shook her head. Raful inquired more about it from Rionna-san but she ignored him for now. "I see. And to ensure the revival of the Great Demon Overlord, you planned to get rid of the hero candidate?" "No, I actually wanted to stay hidden until that time." "Then why—" "It was because hero over here was covered in a scent of demon's blood. Coming into my store smelling like that. Fufu~ You were teasing me too much~" Saying that, she clung onto my arm. I could feel my entire limb sinking dangerously in the valley between those mountains. Hilde forced her away and slapped my shoulder harshly. "In light of this incident, you shall be sealed." "Fufu~ You can't~" "Is that so?" "Yes, you can't vanquish a demon bound to their Master~" Asmodeus turned towards me. Wait. When did that happen? I don't recall being her master at all. She then bowed her head towards me with a mischievous smile. "Please take care of me, Kiryuu-sama." "Stooop! Explain! Now!" I unintentionally panicked and demanded such a thing. "I would like to know that as well." Rionna-san seemed to be curious but unlike Hilde who was looking at me while trying to put Vena-san behind her, Rionna-san was looking at Asmodeus. It was explained that while Asmodeus was draining me, something went wrong. It must have been when it had went in reverse. To simplify, it's like a one-way valve. Her drain is similar to that. However, she was unable to drain me completely as it was beyond her capacity. She said that her drain not only refilled her MP but also her HP. However, since she couldn't handle it, the one-way valve-like system broke. What resulted was an effect similar to a balloon where the air would go out. Incidentally, what she had absorbed from me started to return and I ended up completely draining her of magic power. Because of it, she became my contracted slave. "Ugh... this is a nightmare..." I placed both hands on my head and sighed. It was one troublesome thing after another, I see. Given the situation, Rionna-san instead changed the punishment from being sealed to serving me instead. Even Asmodeus seemed to take a liking to it too, strangely enough. "No man has ever given me so much bliss before~" "Please stop. I did nothing of the sort." In order to keep the incident a hush, she was forbidden from using her demon lord form unless it was an emergency. She was back to being the normal Dessa-san, which was actually not that much different from when she was Asmodeus. "Wait, so you two knew who she really was?" I asked Hilde and Raful and they both nodded. Even Vena-san knew. It was something only the higher members of the guild knew. I guess that's why Vena-san was worried so much. I still couldn't understand most of what happened aside that I had too much energy than she could handle, but that was it. I asked how we ended up in a contract and Dessa-san pointed to the hilt of Ouroboros. "This one? I was about to ask you to inspect it but then that happened. Wait, huh?" I placed Ouroboros on the table and something was a bit amiss. 「Ouroboros」 All Stats + 50 Durability: ∞/∞ Passive Skill: Devourer of Gods Passive Skill: Adversarial Dominator It changed. The active skill wasn't there but instead there were two passives. Since Dessa-san was an expert blacksmith as well, she could see it. "Will you allow me to explain, Kiryuu-sama?" "I'm still uncomfortable with being your master but please, do so." As I thought, the passive skill I first unlocked increased my stats and allows me to obtain skills by defeating enemies. An example would be the greater demon from before. Further more, the more I defeat a certain enemy or monster, the more likely I am to develop a skill. However, there's a limit. It's uncertain but it usually depends on the enemy on the kind of skill. Also, the stat gain from defeating an enemy only applies for the first time. The stat increase of the weapon also increases from that. The second skill was new. Dessa-san said that it's similar to the first but it applies to those I have defeat or subjugated without the need for killing, unlike the first one. She then pointed to herself and then towards Shino-san. "Although it's strange. I can't see the other skills anywhere." "Yeah... so do I..." It was weird. I had a bit of an idea so I decided to check my own status. The previously active of Ouroboros was now added to my skills. There were also several skills I had obtained because of the second passive. Skill: Vector Wielding Skill: Force Drain Skill: Heaven Step Force drain was from Asmo—Dessa-san. It seems that I've gotten a higher tiered form of Reduced Earth from when I had a duel with Shino-san. Apparently, since I owned the sword then, it applied. But I wasn't able to unlock it until the second passive appeared. As for why it went to me, I had a feeling that it was related to Origin: Conversion. Hah. I noticed something. my MP was at 100000/0. That was the amount I had drained from Dessa-san then. At that time, I felt my chest tighten a bit and I started to feel a bit hot again. I felt some difficulty breathing. "Ara~ This is bad." With that voice, you seem more amused than concerned, Dessa-san. "Care to... explain?" "Ah. It seems when you drained her magic power, you gained it as that as well, magic power. Seeing that your maximum MP capacity is zero, you need to release that magic power or it will endanger your health." "Impossible... my abilities make use... of my health." Rionna-san turned to Hilde and Raful and they both nodded as if to affirm the situation. She was a bit surprised but at the same time was interested in it as well. That was why I couldn't use my MP. It was a bit weird seeing that my origin was magic and alchemy so yeah, that was a bit troubling. "There is another way, of course~" When she explained, it was then I realized why she had that kind of attitude to the situation. Dessa-san had an expression on her face that says she was looking forward to it. Another way to dispel stored magic power was through exhaustion, the kind that Dessa-san was an expert on as Asmodeus, Demon Lord of Lust.
Chapter 15 Spoiler Part I "I refuse." I can't believe those words came out of my mouth at a time like this. Let me explain. During the actual time I was traveling, unlike right now when I forced myself to be summoned into another world, thereby being the protagonist of the story somewhat, I was quite the charmer. Yes, I was quite open. Be it human or not, if it was a lovely female within my strike zone, I would definitely jump on the opportunity to bed her. I must admit, I have a very wide strike zone. That was me, as Reiku. The me now is Kiryuu. I didn't want to get into the heat of things so early. Plus, if I garnered the kind of reputation I had as I did then, who knows what kind of hindrances would occur. I just wanted to explore and dig up the hidden knowledge of this world! I was starting to get used to the pain in my chest but it certainly bothered me. As that was the case, I accidentally said out loud my thoughts of just doing it with courtesans. However, that was refuted and I admit, it was a bit insensitive of me to say so in front of all these women. Vena-san and Shino were looking down, as if saying to themselves that their bodies were not good enough. "Normal people wouldn't be able to handle that amount of mana. If it were just me though~" "I-I refuse... for Kiryuu-san to do it with other women..." "I too, wish to help... If Master is a-alright with this body of mine..." Ah. Vena-san seemed to be unable to contain herself when Dessa-san tried to monopolize me. Rionna-san explained that not everyone can handle mana being poured into them unless they were able to utilize magic power themselves. Shino expressed her willingness to help me but I'm still slightly uncomfortable at the chain of events. If only I understood that Origin: Conversion a bit more, perhaps I could convert my MP into something else. "If it comes down to it, we could all have 25,000 MP each. That way, we can all share Kiryuu-sama's burden~" "Hey, isn't that a bit off?" "Hm~? Aren't there four of us to aid you?" The slightly confused Dessa-san was tilting her head to the side. She then pointed to herself, then to Shino. After that to Vena-san and then to Hilde. "I refuse!" "That's what I said!" "Shut up, pervert!" Apparently, Dessa-san had counted Hilde in the MP relieving team. Seeing the liveliness of the group, Rionna-san had gone back to herself when I had first met her. "Ara~ Hilde-chi and Vena-chi are rivals?" "No! Rionna, you've got it all wrong!" "Mou, Hilde-san. That's not fair getting ahead with a kiss." "Master, I-I would also like a kiss..." I had given Shino a soft chop on the head. As she held her head with her hands, Dessa-san continued to lean against me while my arm was arrested my those lovely mountains. "Fufufu~ If all of you aren't up to it, I alone shall take care of Kiryuu-sama's needs." At some point, it was hard to understand what was going on anymore. Eventually, Vena-san stood up. She was holding the pair of earrings in her hands. She looked at Rionna-san and took in a deep breath to steel herself. "Rionna-san, please give us the rites for matrimony." "T-then I too wish for..." "For me~? Kiryuu-sama, you shouldn't have~" Unlike the two whom I've given the accessories, Dessa-san seemed to have pulled something from my pocket. It was a leather choker studded with mithril and small rubies. Hey, where did that come from? The craftsmanship was similar. I felt like Dessa-san slipped that into my pocket and waited for the right moment. After a couple more refuted protests from me and Hilde, it was eventually agreed that the rites for matrimony were to be done by Rionna-san. That, and I was forced to accept the fact that it wouldn't be as bad for my image if I were to do the act with my wife and mistresses rather than slaves. It was like the lesser of evils. I'd probably still get a bad reputation with the jealous admirers but it was certainly better than a person that buys out slaves for sexual purposes. "First and foremost, I grant thee the title of Hero. For overcoming great challenges and protecting this city, I bestow upon you this title." 「Title Obtained: Spirit Dragon Hero」 The title of hero apparently based either on deeds or on name. At least, whichever one seemed to sound better at the time. I felt like they took the meaning of the name given to me by this world a bit too literally. After the following ceremonies, Vena-san, Shino and Dessa-san gained titles as well. It was short and simple but official as Rionna-san had the authority. 「Vena obtained a title: Bride of the Spirit Dragon」 「Shino obtained a title: Consort of the Spirit Dragon」 「Odessa obtained a title: Familiar of the Spirit Dragon」 The difference in titles was because of circumstances. Shino was still a slave and Dessa-san was a contracted demon. However, I am officially considered to be married to all of them, Vena-san being the wife and the other two as mistresses. Still, even though the effects were all the same, Vena-san seemed to be really proud and even Shino and Dessa-san held her title in high regard. There doesn't seem to be any complaints from the latter as well. The titles have an effect, of course. As for me, well, stat boosts and increased stat growth. Of course, people seeing the title would certainly not think of me as a commoner. The titles they had gave us a bit of convenience. Rionna-san started to explain it. First, we would be able to converse telepathically regardless of distance. Think of it as a really powerful phone in which two people are connected to. So the connection I have with Vena-san is different from Shino's and Dessa-san's. Secondly, I would be able to sense if they are in danger and gain the ability of teleporting to their side. This ability would take about an entire day to cooldown, it seems, but it's convenient either way. Thirdly, the three seemed to have set those titles as the active ones almost immediately. Ugh, now everyone with the least bit of Analysis skill would know. I mean, I must admit, I shouldn't complain but I felt like this is a bit too fast of a development. The moment I thought so, I felt the pain in my increase a bit. I almost forgot what it was all about. "Are you sure you don't want to as well, Hilde-chi?" "Why would I want to be married to such a pervert?" Hilde would have none of it and refused to be part of it. I thought she was just not interested but I could see a faint blush on her cheeks. She started saying that since it was done anyway, we should get on with our businesses. Raful scratched the back of his head and chuckled before saying that he will accompany Rionna-san back. Rionna-san shot me a wink before she left and told me not to overdo it. How mean. Part II Due to the rankings agreed upon by the three without my knowledge, the rights to the first honeymoon was given to Vena-san. Shino-san and Dessa-san considered themselves to be on equal tiers but Dessa-san had voluntarily given the second night to Shino. Honestly, how can I go out adventuring like this? For this, we had rented out a luxurious room that with soundproofing enchantments. This is because Vena-san has a roommate and Hilde didn't want to hear any 'funny noises at night'. Vena-san had been extremely flustered the entire time. In fact, she was in a shade of red, more so when the innkeeper congratulated her when we had asked for a room. She was pretty well-known so that kind of news spreads fast. She also had admirers of her own which didn't like the news that she's already taken. In order to get her to relax, I suggested we cool off in the bath for a bit. She thought we would bathe at the same time and started to stutter so I told her I meant for us to take a bath one after the other. I went in first then. I finished taking a bath and I only wore a towel around my waist. Vena-san already saw me naked before but she still got flustered when I came out of the bath. After which she had taken a bath herself and came out with only a towel covering her body as well. I got her to sit beside me for a bit and talked to her for a bit to try and calm her down. We talked a bit on how we first met and I told her that I was infatuated with her when I saw her. Eventually, our talk led to when she said that she would be waiting for me. I asked her if that had not passed yet and she felt like there was still something missing. To answer her, I placed my lips on hers and caressed her cheek. After that, we consummated our relationship as newlyweds. I was as gentle as I could and treated Vena-san as a lover would. It was a passionate night and I never knew that hearing Vena-san call out my name would incite such feelings in me. On a related note, she managed to drain around five thousand MP. Part III On the second night, since the room was satisfactory and we didn't get any complaints from being loud, it was Shino's turn. The innkeeper looked at me with a bit of shock and awe. I kind of expected this though. I mean, when word spread pretty fast that the very lovely and charming guild elf lady was wed to a hero, what was surprising that on the same day, the same hero had taken in two mistresses. I can feel piercing gazes whenever I'm outside. Shino is also pretty famous, after all. Shino was composed, so it seems. She was certainly not as flustered as Vena-san but she was fidgeting a bit every now and then. Just like before, I suggested that we each take a bath first. Only, when I started to bathe, Shino entered and offered to wash my back. She was the one that helped clean me up during that time I was covered in blood so I suppose I'll allow it. As she did so, she admitted that she was inexperienced with this sort of thing. Granted, she has used her feminine charms before but she never went all the way. Something about a man's lustful gaze irked her. "But if it's Master... I offer this body of mine..." "If you say it like that, I might not be able to control myself unlike that time in the forest." "T-then... please do not hold back for my sake... Master..." The way she spoke just invigorated me. She was being bashful but at the same time trying her best to speak those words. It seemed like it had taken a great amount of willpower to say those things that she was panting as she did so. That only added to the eroticism of her words. I apologized beforehand as I decided to take here then and there. I said that I might not be as gentle as a lover but she responded by saying that she was fine, even if she was still treated like a slave. I was a bit more rough compared to that time with Vena-san but I made sure that she enjoyed that night as well. I lost a bit of control so Shino drained about eight thousand MP. Part IV On the third day, I felt like the innkeeper would have a heart attack when he saw me bring in Dessa-san. She was quite the famous craftsman, after all. Not only was she extremely talented and strong, she was also very attractive. She wore very revealing clothing that covered the bare minimum and is quite a healthy man's fuel for fantasy. Not a surprise as she's actually Asmodeus, the Demon Lord of Lust. Unlike the two, she clung onto me the entire journey to our room. I couldn't help but still be amazed at the stimulating feeling of my arm in her cleavage. However, when we were in the room, she became a bit flustered. Wait. Are you telling me that Asmodeus, the Demon Lord of LUST was inexperienced?! "Ah, w-well, you know. I didn't actually have to do it with anyone. K-kissing is enough to drain so..." "Oh? Even though you teased me so much?" "Ah... not that. I just... um..." "You just what?" "I saw a bit of your memories so..." Wait. What? She saw my memories? I don't recall any sexual relations before I got married to Vena-san so that means that memories that she might have found are those from before I got to this world. "What memories?" "Y-you see, I can see someone's memories to study their desires or experiences and... ahn~" Her knees were getting weak just by remembering my memories. Apparently, in order to help her seduce her target, she would examine their desires or memories and act accordingly. Sometimes, she can even adjust her form to suit the target's favor. However, only a kiss would suffice and she would drain men empty without having to do the deed. "Getting me all fired up and showing such an erotic face. And now you know my past experiences too..." "K-Kiryuu-sama, hold on! I won't tell anyone! I swear!" "I know you wouldn't but... aren't you getting excited to experience those yourself?" "Ahn~ P-please be gentle~" This time, I really lost it. Although it wasn't to the point of breaking someone. No. I still considered Dessa-san as someone important to me so I gauged carefully up to where her limits reached. I had been the roughest with Dessa-san but she seemed pretty satisfied so we went at it until she was unable to stand. Needless to say, she drained around twenty thousand of my MP. Also, we broke the soundproofing enchantment. And the bed. And the bathroom door. Also, several tiles. Part V Breakfast the next day, I was being interrogated by both Vena-san and Shino. Hilde was there because she's still worried abour Vena-san. Raful was there because it was his idea of a fun scene to watch. Did you want popcorn too, Raful? "That's not fair, Kiryuu-san! How much MP did you spend on Dessa-san?" "A-amazing. And I thought you had not restrained yourself with me, Master." "Wait, were you all keeping track of it?" "Fueh... was Dessa-san really that good?" Vena-san felt like she lost to Dessa-san. Shino was quite amazed to see the huge void in MP compared to when we were done. "Fufufu~ That's not it. Kiryuu-sama was so intense, I thought that I might break~" That's not really helping, Dessa-san. Why are you looking at me with such sparkling eyes? 「Obtained Title: Overlord of Lust」 「Obtained Skill: Legendary Sex Technique」 Hey... that's a joke, right? I refuse to acknowledge that title. Unfortunately, it was not hidden at all and those with an advance Analysis skill could see it. Hilde immediately narrowed her eyes at me. It was actually the first time that I saw Raful spit out his drink as he started to laugh. "N-no fair... Kiryuu-san..." "Master... n-next time, please don't hold back..." The fourth day was a resting day. However, the three had agreed to have a test of endurance. On the fifth day, the innkeeper had fainted when he saw me along with Vena-san, Shino and Dessa-san. I did pay for the damages, you know. We ended up getting a new room with the strongest enchantments to prevent sound from coming out. Also, the furniture was certainly sturdier. In the end, the results are as follows. Vena-san drained twelve thousand MP. Shino drained fifteen thousand MP. Dessa-san still leads with twenty thousand MP. I had around twenty thousand MP left but the three decided that they would like to rest for about a week first. Since my MP was not as dangerous as it was before, I agreed to it. Moreover, I was worried about them, after all. The following day, Hilde was twitching a bit when she saw the amount of MP I had left. Seeing the three driven to exhaustion, more importantly was Vena-san, she started to call me things like a demon, a pervert, or something like that. It caused Dessa-san to say something utterly ridiculous. "Since we'd want to take a week off first, why not have Hilde take care of the remaining MP?" "I have no complaints." "...zzz... nooo... das cheating..." Dessa-san was leaning against my left arm. Shino was maintaining her composed attitude beside her but I can tell she's haggard. Vena-san was partially asleep with her head on my right arm. Hilde was turning to a shade of red that she started to speak in a really fast manner. "I refuse." "Hah? Are you telling me I'm unattractive?" That's a surprisingly unexpected retort. "Uh, no, you're actually very beautiful and sexy but I won't force you to do something don't want to." "Are you telling me I can't handle it? Just you wait and see. I... I'll drain that MP of yours!" Oh. God. Damn. It. How did it come down to this? Raful immediately contacted Rionna-san. When she heard the news, she immediately obtained permission to use the royal teleporter and appeared by lunch time to perform the ceremony. I honestly thought Hilde would back out but she actually went through with it. 「Hilde obtained a title: Bride of the Spirit Dragon」 It seemed like Bride was the highest tier for this title. Shino and Dessa-san got a bit energetic and expressed their desires to reach that point as well. Seriously, this development is a bit... Part VI The next day, the innkeeper looked at me with empty eyes and started to laugh. It's like the sight of me and Hilde was enough to drive him insane. We didn't break anything when I brought the other three here so I was hoping there wasn't an issue. Still, it must have been too much for him. I'm sorry. When I locked the door, Hilde was sitting on the edge of the bed. One look and I knew from her face that she was panicking. She was shaking and sweating and was a crimson red color. "You didn't have to do this, you know. Why are you forcing yourself?" I saw beside her and asked her that. She jumped a bit and didn't seem to realize that I was already near her. She gulped and tried to speak but no words came out. I heaved a sigh and shook my head. I then proceeded to carry her in my arms, which warranted a surprisingly cute yelp from her. I carried her into the bathroom and threw her in the bathtub. She landed with a loud splash. "What the hell are you doing?!" "Ah, welcome back, Hilde." "Ah... yeah..." That seemed to get her back to her old self at the moment. She huddled her knees to herself and placed her head down on it. "Ugh... I wasn't thinking straight." "You could have backed down from the marriage ceremony then, you know." "True but... I kind of envied Vena, you know. She seemed really happy at the time." "She was quite happy. That's why I want to protect that smile of hers." "Ugh, how cheesy." She started to tell more about herself. She does get teased a lot but she felt like she had no charms of her own. She was rough and blunt and pretty much was capable of disabling anyone that tried to do anything with her. "Most people only liked me because of my body anyway." "Eh, that's true." "O-oi, you're supposed to say something like 'I like you because of you' or something." "So you're actually quite the romantic, huh?" "Gah! I've been had!" "But it's true as well, you know. Hilde wouldn't be Hilde if she wasn't rough and blunt. But in a way, she's quite endearing and often reckless. She also makes sure to protect those she holds dear." "Saying those things suddenly... that's not fair." "Is it? Sorry for always being a bother to the guild. I've caused so many incidents, haven't I?" "Yes, you've been quite the handful. But I think it's amazing to have accomplished so much in such little time, I admit. Defeating several Magus orcs. Destroying a greater demon. Hell, you also subdued a demon lord." "Getting praised by you feels good, somewhat." "Pervert..." Since she helped clean be before, I decided to return the favor. Although, it was no surprise that it led to something else. I treated her gently and lovingly. I've seen a side of her that no one else has. She kept saying that she's not very feminine so I described in detail what I found beautiful about her as I made love to her. This flustered and bashful Hilde is cute too. The following morning, during breakfast. Hilde had her head down on the table. She's not really tired but it looks like she's disappointed in something. The other girls weren't saying anything about it. Ah, she drained only two thousand of my MP since I was being really gentle and considerate. Hilde was feeling down about it but she secretly admitted that she liked how I was very romantic. But of course, she was still a bit competitive so a week after that, to celebrate the complete recovery (or draining in this case) of my MP, the girls all somehow managed to come to the consensus that I would take them all together. Poor innkeeper-san was like an empty shell when I talked to him. He just handed me a key and that was it. Suffice to say, I ended up paying for damages again. Since they would need a few days again to rest, I decided that I would explore the nearest dungeon in the meantime. Unfortunately, that idea was also shot down the following day. I just wanted to get away from all the sharp glares I've been getting recently. Please just call me Hero instead of Overlord!
Chapter 16 Spoiler Part I Ah. I messed up. After the hype of the recent chain of events, it slowly dawned on me that I ended up deviating from the original plan. I wanted to have a lighthearted adventure. I wanted to explore dungeons, slowly develop myself being a cheat, and all that. I did not expect to raise flags so quickly. I'm not even out of the first city yet, and that's saying something. I felt like it's starting to turn less about Kiryuu and more about Reiku and that wasn't what I was going for. Granted, I have no right to complain, really. Vena-san is really adorable and lovely. Should I start calling her Vena now? I normally just added honorifics out of respect and felt like it was a bit endearing. I'll talk to her about it. I'll probably ask Dessa-san about it as well. Regardless, I really wanted to go out and develop my skills more. I also wanted to explore and I felt like I might not be able to do so freely. It got me feeling down a bit so I was eating little during breakfast. I was lost in thought and I had been sighing a lot. "What's wrong, Kiryuu-san?" "Ah, Vena, good morning." "Hau..." "Sorry, was that a bit too much?" Ah. She's so cute. I tried calling her by just her name and she got a bit flustered. She shook her head though, and smile. She tried to call me without honorifics but she couldn't. She eventually settled on calling me Kiryuu-kun instead. "You seem inconvenienced, Master." "Ah, Shino, it's nothing." Was it that obvious? Even Dessa-san asked. Well, I tried calling her Dessa and she made a cute sound saying that she liked being called that. She still calls me Kiryuu-sama though. When even Hilde and Raful started asking, I hung my head and gave up. "I've been looking forward to exploring and conquering dungeons but I haven't been able to. I mean, I'm not really complaining..." I did get married after all. I'm not going to say that I did not like that part. Or the several nights after. No. I'm probably the envy of a couple of mean wishing for me to explode. "It's just not like me to stay put in one place after a while." It was kind of selfish of me so I thought I said something bad. They just raised their eyebrows for a bit and talked casually about the situation. "The dungeons have already been conquered by the queen though?" "Indeed, even the hideouts of us demon lords were taken." "If you want to go to the dungeons still, you can always use the teleporters, Kiryuu...kun..." "Master, what made you think we'd hinder you in exploring the kingdom?" "Raful and I need to stay here though but it's not like traveling is difficult." Well. Damn. "The queen sure accomplished a lot, huh?" I actually ended up feeling a bit more depressed. The dungeons are used for leveling and as a way to make money because of the monsters and their parts. All of the ones in the kingdom have been conquered already by the queen. A teleportation system was available for adventurers. The higher the rank, the more places you can visit. Merchants tend to travel on the roads in order to get to villages that have no teleportation circles but that wasn't much of a hassle. "Hah... why was I even summoned in the first place?" I had my head on Vena's shoulder. She was stroking my hair, saying 'there, there' as well. This is fine too, I guess. "Kiryuu-sama, perhaps it has something to do with the Great Demon Overlord's revival." It seemed that it slipped my mind. Incidentally, Dessa had intended to lay low until that time. But apparently the smell of demon blood on me drove her to the point where she attacked us. She had said something about the revival before. However, she now chose to serve me because we unintentionally created a contract when her attempt backfired. Well, that's one of the reasons. The other one is probably about my memories and she admitted that she was curious about me as well. "As for that, Rionna has brought the news to the higher ups so I am certain some plans are being made." "I give it a few days before they start posting quests related to it. But like I said, Raful and I are needed here but we won't stop you if you wish to form a party to take on quests." Raful and Hilde need to stay, huh. Does that mean that Vena can accompany us? I'm not undermining her, you know. She just is that kind of person that makes you want to go and protect her. That lifted my mood up a bit so I gave them my thanks. As I figured, I really want to go exploring and what not so I asked about unexplored areas. As it stands, not every dungeon has been conquered, just the seven great ones as it was needed to subdue the Great Demon Overlord at the time. That said, there are numerous smaller dungeons but I didn't realize that I'd get my wish soon, although I feel bad for liking how it turned out. Part II A few days later, news spread that the great dungeons all started to collapse. Although, that's not the reason why I got excited. It seems that new dungeons started to get built from them. The dungeons were building themselves from the base and up. The monsters were said to be stronger and the rewards are not yet known. Although it seemed to be related to the Great Demon Overlord's revival, it wasn't explicitly stated. Perhaps because it might cause a bit of unrest with the demonkin that were coexisting with the other races. They were avoiding any potential turmoil that may result from that. The seven great dungeons were used by the demon lords that served the Great Demon Overlord. I also wondered if he had a name but it was filled with titles and several names so I'll just refer to him as GDO. As Asmodeus, she also had a great dungeon under her. However, even if she now serves under me, we still need to conquer than dungeon. Though, a final boss fight would not occur. "Fufu~ Most people conquer dungeons to obtain the secrets and power they hold within. However, I can teach Kiryuu-sama those secrets myself~" "You're quite proud for the weakest of the demon lords, huh?" "Guah! That's not true, Hilde-dono. My abilities are just not deemed useful by many, that is all..." "Seduction?" "Nn, craftsmanship!" Ah. So the reason why she was the weakest was because she excelled in craftsmanship? She also boasted that she was the best in something like crowd control so I asked her about that as well. "Fufu~ Of course, when one cannot fight directly, is it not better to obtain skills to make things easier?" She uses those debuffs and curses in order to disable her opponents. Once they were helpless, she would strike the final blow. She did so in order to gather rare materials all for her crafting. "Thus, I would be able to teach my legendary crafting skills to Kiryuu-sama." There was a twinkle in her eyes. I felt like she wanted to teach me those regardless whether or not it was related to the dungeons. I caught her muttering to herself one time that she always wanted a personalized gift. It was probably from that time when I asked a custom accessory but it could not be delivered. "Craftsmanship, huh? That is fairly interesting but I wanted to challenge a dungeon soon." "Ara~ But you need to have good equipment too, you know? Also, I was interested in Kiryuu-sama's ability to infuse weapons." Doesn't that just make me a guinea pig? I had wanted to retort but I also was somewhat interested. It reminded me of when the skill Seeking Missile was created. The very powerful version of it was also what decimated the greater demon before. Hearing about how the throwing knives she made was used to completely mince such an enemy was probably something that made her proud. She seemed to take pride in her craft. Or maybe she just liked shiny things, I had a thought like that as well. "Speaking of which, shouldn't Master let them know about it as well?" Shino stopped us from getting way ahead of ourselves. Dessa wanted to try out several weapons and accessories that can be created alongside the influence of my abilities. I, on the other hand, want to try out possible skill combinations and skill creations. I raised a brow out of curiosity and Shino casually let slip a bomb. "Master's true strength." Part III "T-two hundred..." "Hah... seriously, boy. You're full of surprises." "...amazing..." "N-no wonder I failed in draining that time..." "..." Oi, Shino. Why are you joining the shock party. Ah, yeah. That time I told her my level was before I fought the greater demon. My level and stats increased then. During the incident with Dessa in Asmodeus mode, it was counted as something like a boss fight and it ended up this way. They couldn't see the hidden skills but only the stats. Hidden Origin was a bit flexible on that part on which information I can reveal. Name: Kiryuu Race: Human Age: 19 HP: 250000/250000 MP: 0/0 Level: 200 Strength: 300 Agility: 450 Intelligence: 200 Endurance: 200 Wisdom: 200 Luck: 1 I guess it's what's befitting of someone with the Hero title. When inquired how I hid it, I said that I had a skill that allowed me to show false information. Shino was surprised that my stats were at a monstrous level but I figured that Ouroboros had something to do with it. Dessa, on the other hand, was looking at me while licking her lips. In response, I flicked her on the forehead to snap her out of it. With this, I shouldn't have problems convincing them that I can handle a dungeon. However, they suggested to tackle it as a party still as it would prove advantageous for the others to gain levels. Hilde had to stay but Vena prioritized her husband more so she was granted to accompany us under the guise that she was a guild member doing field work. Honestly, I'm just flattered that she wanted to join up so I gave her a kiss on the cheek. After getting told off by a blushing Hilde not to flirt in public (she muttered that it was unfair if it was only Vena), we decided to plan a bit. For now, Dessa will teach me craftsmanship and we will secure necessary weapons and protective accessories for our dungeon conquest. In the meantime, I will also try and create skills. Rather, I wanted to try and recreate some of my abilities that will prove useful. Dimension Slash was one such ability which surprised me when it retained its name. Since I had Ouroboros, I had no other problems with other weapons. I did suggest that we each keep a hidden weapon on our person just in case. Shino had her weapons from before but we also want to develop stronger ones in the future. Dessa was more of a spell caster so she also had accessories to amplify her skills. On close combat though, she can extend her nails which are strong enough to clash against mithril. Perhaps what surprised me the most was Vena. She still had some equipment for when she needs to go out so we asked to see them as a base. Behold, my lovely wife boasts wielding a tower shield with great proficiency. Add to that, she also wielded a flat lance-like weapon. Since it was flat, it acted like a blade with its edges but it was certainly taller than your average person. "I'm in love with you all over again." I unintentionally said that out loud. Vena blushed but she seemed happy to be praised. Dessa thought that I prefer the maiden in distress type of people but I said I'm more into capable women. While it's true that Vena gave off that feeling that you'd want to protect her no matter what, I am truly impressed. "Vena-dono is truly a powerful foe." "Ara~ I'm envious~" Because of it, Shino and Vena sparred with wooden weapons. It was quite the spectacle. Shino utilized speed that can't be followed by a normal human eye. However, none of her hits landed and Vena's small frame stood her ground, unmoving. After their match, I couldn't help but embrace Vena from behind. She let out a cute squeak. I gave her a kiss on the cheek for that. Shino was looking hopeful so I gave her a pat on the head. "Hau... I'm sweaty, Kiryuu-kun..." "Sorry, I couldn't resist." Dessa hugged me from behind suddenly. She said something about taking measurements although I have a feeling that she felt neglected and wanted to join in. I gave her a pat on the head as well. "This will do for now~" She seemed to expect a bigger reward. Given that she's the one in charge of making the weapons, I expect to witness her full expertise soon. I meant her craftsmanship in that manner. It was a bit established that a certain hero obtained a very skeptical title and skill due to a certain honeymoon event. As it is, our party has a well balanced setup. Vena is our vanguard. Shino is our flanker. I'm an all rounder. Dessa is our rearguard. I can use ranged attacks with Dimension Slash but I also wanted a physical ranged attack just in case. Dessa said she's working on something for everyone so we best be patient. She's really fired up for this too. While Vena and Shino would spar every now and then, I asked for a place where I can practice and experiment. Since the previous attempts in creating Infused and Seeking Missiles have been dangerous for my surroundings, I couldn't do so carelessly. Because I've been needing space, and that we couldn't keep renting a room whenever we wished for convenience, and we certainly can't impose much on the guild, Hilde suggested for me to try and aim for a plot of land on my own. "Aren't those expensive?" "Well, you can always save up for them anyway. Besides, since you're officially a hero now, many nobles would want you to settle in their territory." "Ah, that certainly need some time to think about." "You don't need to worry about travel because you can always... you know... use the teleportation circles so..." "Ah, had Hilde been lonely?" "Idiot, I was busy." With the matters about the dungeons, Hilde was busy managing her side of the things. Also, she can't exactly explore with us. I could feel that she didn't want to admit she was a bit lonely. "I'll come visit every now and then." "F-fine. Just don't cause too much trouble." I gave her a kiss on the cheek before we parted. She jokingly punched my arm for that. Jokingly. It almost felt like it dislocated though but she was smiling so I guess that it's fine this way. Tomorrow we get to see the weapons and accessories Dessa made for us. I gave her all the metals, ores and jewels I got. Her eyes were beaming to a whole new level. I expect a lot from her. Vena and Dessa both gave out their cards for me to keep. Dessa was required but Vena wanted to do it since I was designated as the party leader. Dessa's card initially shows her human profile but I can view the other version on a whim. Kiryuu Himitsukami [Spirit Dragon Hero] Level 200 Human [19] Summoned Hero [Diamond-A] Sub-Specialties [Emerald, Ruby] Venalise Alf Siofra [Bride of the Spirit Dragon] Level 120 High Elf [197] Guardian [Ruby-SSS] Sub-Specialties [Sapphire] Shino Tsubasa [Consort of the Spirit Dragon] Level 45 Human [21] Assassin [Emerald-SS] Sub-Specialties [Broken Diamond, Ruby] Odessa Mu [Legendary Blacksmith] Level 80 Human [28] Blacksmith [Obsidian-EX] Sub-Specialties [Sapphire] Asmodeus [Familiar of the Spirit Dragon] Level 80 Demon Lord [91] Hex and Curse Specialist [Sapphire-SS] Sub-Specialties [Obsidian]
Chapter 17 Spoiler Part I: Random Villager's Perspective It was quite a spectacle to see. Even though it was a bit dangerous, there were onlookers that seemed to forget that they had to keep distance. In light of the newly formed dungeons, monsters and the like started to get stronger. Not all villages within the Nilith Kingdom are capable of protecting themselves from any kind of monster attack. As such, requests were made through the guild and some people were dispatched. In cases where a village has no teleportation circle yet, there are magicians from there that create a temporary portal. It was a one-way portal, unfortunately, so there needs to be a magician in that village from the guild to create a portal to return. Most villages are fairly confident about the guild's capability of handling monster subjugation requests since the reign and saga of the queen. Of course, safety is still a priority so most people would watch from afar. However, the spectacle seemed to have brought in a couple of people as audiences. Soon, it started to grow in number. "S-she took on the attack as if it were nothing." Even the guards that formed a perimeter were impressed. They were there in case the monster gets too close to the village. They would buy time while the adventurers would lure the monster away from it again. The monster this time was a wyvern. It was about as big as an average house and twice as long. Since it wasn't a dragon, its wings were attached to its arms. It was covered in sturdy brown scales that can rival even steel. It had a spiked tail and could breathe fire. It was pretty standard. That doesn't make it weak at all, however. Most adventurers would not face such a thing alone. Right now, the guards saw a small elf girl take the full brunt of its charge with her shield. Not only was she unharmed but the parrying motion she did at the right time stunned the beast for a while while. Since it got disoriented, the wyvern started to spin while swinging its tail. It was in that moment that the elf girl slid her strange lance into an opening in the shield. The reason why there were so many onlookers was partly because these adventurers were wielding powerful weapons. The gimmick of the elf girl's weapons was for the lance to merge with the shield. The former becoming the handle while the latter transformed into a large blade. With a graceful yet powerful swing that one would not expect from her small stature, the elf girl cleanly sliced off the spiked tail. The wyvern roared in agony. It was still disoriented so it instead tried to take to the skies where it was out of reach. However, it was because it was an open target that it allowed for the other members of the party to take this opportunity. Another member of the party was a blacksmith. While her muscles were not as bulky and prominent as one might expect for her profession, she was capable of wielding a hammer that was almost as tall as her. A strange hammer that had several gems on it, she seemed to be able to charge it with magic power to cast enhancing effects on the other party members. She swung it around for a bit before arching it over her head and backward. The head of the hammer smashed the ground behind her which activated a yellow aura to spread in the area and cover her party members. It seemed to have been done on several occasions and was speculated to be the reason how the shield elf girl was able to keep the monster at bay. The other member of the party immediately hopped onto that hammer's head. As if they already knew what to do, the blacksmith swung the hammer sideways and towards the wyvern's direction. A burst of light came from the hammer that increased its speed and power, effectively launching the sword wielding girl towards it. This girl was witnessed earlier circling around the beast. While the shield elf girl would taunt the beast, she struck at several points on the wyvern. At first, people thought she was doing feeble pokes and slashes. Eventually, they realized that her concentrated attacks were targeting the wyvern's weak spots, effectively dwindling its fighting power. As she was launched overhead, she made a quick but precise slash, tearing the wyvern's wing webbing and causing it to fall to the ground. Wyvern bones are sturdy and there were only a few weak spots to ensure disabling it. She did so with one strike and it was done with extreme grace as well. As the wyvern tried to get up, the shield elf girl bashed against its legs while the blacksmith aimed for several strikes to its head. The sword girl landed without any issues and joined in disabling the wyvern. People expected that they would drive it out at this point but they didn't know that they were actually aiming to slay it. It normally takes two parties, with four to six on each side, to subjugate a wyvern. It was all in preparation for a man wielding a strange bow. That man had gotten various gazes since they had arrived. A single man in a party of three gorgeous women. Of course, people would first ogle the women. However, when they stared too long, especially the men, they would suddenly feel a very heavy pressure from the man that, in their eyes, was the personification of evil. Why? He had his arm wrapped around the cute elf girl. On his left, the buxom blacksmith clung onto his arm. Seeing those lovely hills was enough to get a man stimulated and his wife jealous. The graceful woman also showed submissiveness to the man. When they heard they were all his wives, of course many cursed under their breaths. Even I couldn't help but feel some form of anger. Seeing the spectacle being done by the women during the fight, I thought that the man was a weak but rich person whose only merit was his finances. He has only ever drawn his bow and has not even fired yet. As soon as the wyvern was severely crippled, it struggled to get away, even crawling if it had to. It was then that the man fired his bow. Did he use a sword as an arrow? Isn't that a bit stupid? Of course, that's what I thought at first but as soon as the 'arrow' left the bow, some sort of impact washed all over us. I think I heard a loud booming sound when the man released the bowstring as well. There was a blinding flash of light and I closed my eyes instinctively. I thought I saw a large coiling snake that appeared from the man's 'arrow'. After the onlookers all shouted in unison, I turned to see what the commotion is all about. The wyvern was cleanly cleaved in two. Ah, also there seemed to be a fissure that stretched for several hundred meters long. What the fuck was that? I saw the elf girl as if she was reprimanding the man. The man was chuckling, rubbing the back of his head. I heard some words and I was not sure if I heard it correctly. The man said something that he tried making it as weak as possible. Weak? That sort of thing... is weak?! Adventurers. Honestly. I can't understand them. Ah, I'm content being a farmer, I guess. Part II We were testing out the new weapons that Dessa gave us. Earlier on, she started to explain how they work. She also said there were new gimmicks so she would try and improve them as much as she could. The reason why she asked me to help in crafting is because there were some mechanisms that she couldn't make work without the kind of infusion I was capable of. I was very much able to control the flow of my energy due to Force Manipulation so that was really helpful. It's like I'm some tool though so I felt bad. Although at the end of the day, I 'punished' Dessa so we're even. Even though it was basically the same thing, I 'rewarded' Vena and Shino for helping out test the weapons as well. What she used were crystals that were infused by my own energy. These would then be the main source that would enable the gimmicks to function. I don't need to keep supplying them though. I only need to activate the weapon once it's finished and then it's up to the user to input their own magic power to activate the effects. As to how this was possible, Dessa explained that this is the first time HP was being used as a resource for abilities so she was trying to compare the power output. Needless to say, her theory worked. She first explained Vena's weapon. She modeled it after her equipment, a large tower shield and some sort of lance blade. It was more of a mix between a lance and a glaive. For easier understanding, a flattened jousting lance is the best image. And while it was best at defense, Dessa experimented on allowing it to shift its form into a more offensive form. It would turn the lance and shield into something like a mix between a two headed great axe and a great sword. It was probably because it followed the shape of the shield for its blade. After several practice swings, Vena was slowly getting used to switching between the modes. Shino's weapon looked like a simple nodachi. That's because its gimmick was not a mechanism easily seen. It actually gives her a buff upon activating it. When she does, she is able to see the weak points of her targets. Dessa explained that her agility and accuracy is best suited for this kind of weapon. Also, she accumulates charges by sheathing her weapon. After a certain amount of time passes with her weapon sheathed, her first attack brought forth from unsheathing blade is several times more powerful. It took Shino a short amount of time to get used to it. However, the weak point detection seemed taxing so she would only use it when she was going to attack. I'm confident she would be able to pull it off. Now, Dessa explained that she can't fight in her Asmodeus mode all the time. Granted, not many know of her situation so she needs to be fighting as a blacksmith. That would make me the ranged attacker but we'll go to that later. Her weapon is a large great hammer. She's already quite the tall woman and this hammer is just around her height. The scary thing is the hammer head was around a meter across. Yet, she is able to wield it without issue. The gimmick of the hammer is that she can charge it with her own magic power. Upon performing a swing, she is capable of releasing either a party buff or an area debuff. If needed, there seem to be a few holes on the hammer head. She explained that magic power can be channeled through those holes to boost a swing, making it several times stronger. She was showing off about how she can wield it with no problem. At some point, she even said she might be able to launch someone into the air if needed. Finally, my weapon. At first, it looked more like a piece of armor instead of a weapon. It was a gauntlet that covered my entire left arm. She said that it is made from the rarest material that she had in her posession, Athrumenium. It looks flashy and all when I put it. It also seemed to have the ability to alter its size to fit the wearer comfortably. When I mentioned this, Dessa said that it's the main ability of the alloy she had been experimenting on for years. She told me to apply energy to it and I did. Several blue lines glowed that seemed to represent my veins and arteries but they disappeared after. I was informed to imagine a ranged weapon for myself as I tried it again. I did so and I was a bit surprise when it shifted into a bow. The parts of the bow seemed to unfold as if they were hidden in the arm portions of the armor. It seems to hide its ability to shift by making it look like it actually had mechanisms for shifting when it was actually the alloy's ability to do so. Pretty clever. I always wanted to try shooting a sword as an arrow. I mean, I've heard it going around before so I pulled the bowstring, which also shifted to allow me to draw Ourboros as the arrow. I didn't fire it, of course, but I've gotten a strange prompt that almost made me do so. 「Would you like to infuse Athrumenium Arm and Ouroboros? Y/N」 I pondered after this for a while. Does that mean that Ouroboros will start having shifting abilities as well? The abilities often transfer to me so will I get those too? I didn't want my skin to turn silver so I pondered for a bit. The others seemed to notice that I was deep in thought so Vena called me out. "Kiryuu-kun?" "Yes?" 「Confirmed. Infusing Athrumenium Arm and Ouroboros.」 Wait. Shit! A blinding light engulfed be for a bit. When it faded, nothing seemed to have changed. I still had Ouroboros in my hand and the Athrumenium Arm was still there. However, upon analysis, I noticed that they were both the same weapon now as if one. Their abilities also fused. I quickly looked at my body a bit and I was still made of flesh, thankfully. I relaxed a bit and deactivated the weapon by cutting off my supply of energy to it. The arm started to fold into itself. The sword also did the same thing. They seemed to have transformed into a more compact version of the whole arm. They now looked like fingerless chainmail gloves with a silver plating on the back of my hands. 「Midgardsormr」 All Stats + 50 Durability: ∞/∞ Passive Skill: Devourer of Gods Passive Skill: Adversarial Dominator Passive Skill: Energy Transmutation Passive Skill: Energy Materialization "Success~" "Dessa... come here for a bit~" Ah. Apparently it was an experiment that I did not know about. I mean, I wanted to try the abilities of the weapon too so I activated it. Ah, would you look at that, it seemed that I was able to conjure up a riding crop on my right hand. How convenient. The nature of the weapon—or armor? let's just call it artifact—seems to focus on being able to shift. I wondered if the material didn't change but the riding crop was of a high quality leather. What's more, I don't need to continuously provide energy, so my health doesn't go down even when I wield a weapon for a long time. Also, it could be noted that these weapons can actually detach from the gloves. Ah, as I thought, it wasn't limited to weapons as there is now a ring gag on my left hand. "Since you had me take part in an experiment of yours, surely you don't mind me testing its versatility, correct?" "...h-help..." The reason Dessa was nervous is because she probably knew what was going to happen. The other two were clueless but this former demon lord had a glimpse into my memories. She knows what was going to happen and was not sure if she can handle it. As I said, I 'punished' Dessa that night. Vena and Shino were both curious so I gently introduced them to this new form of play. I was rougher with Dessa but it seemed more like a reward for her. I'm somewhat afraid that I'm turning her into a masochist. Pretty soon, we'd be challenging her dungeon so it's good to be prepared.
Chpater 18 Spoiler Part I "So it has something like this." After getting a feel of our weapons, I decided to get to the dungeon as soon as possible. We made use of the teleportation circles to get to the first dungeon that we decided to conquer. Since we already had the dungeon's final boss in our party, I figured we go there first. I initially thought that it would be easier but since the dungeons have rebuilt themselves, Dessa warned us that it's possible her knowledge of the previous dungeon won't be of much help. At the very least, we won't have to struggle with the final level, probably. After being teleported, we were brought to a hall slightly similar to that of the adventurer's guild. It was larger though and seemed to have a lot more people guarding it. The entrance to the dungeon was in plain sight. Although I've subjugated the final boss of the dungeon, on several occasions even, I certainly would like to experience some sort of adventure arc in the dungeons. "Is it normally this crowded?" "Ah, that's probably because the dungeons have rebuilt so many adventurers came to get treasures or get stronger." I was inquiring about it on the counter. The lady had a uniform similar to Vena's so I figured that the guild handles these dungeons as well. After answering my inquiry, she caught a glimpse of Vena and waved at her. "Vena-san, you're back to field work now?" "Y-yes, you could say that." "Fufufu~" Seeing her slightly flustered reaction, she glanced at me and chuckled rather mischievously. I changed the topic by asking about how the dungeon works since it was my first time entering here. Since the details of the dungeon were unknown since the rebuilding, we would have to wait a bit more for the news from the guild before we could enter. That's why there are a lot of people in the lobby as well. "Move aside, you—huh?" I felt someone place a hand on my shoulder paired with a voice I don't recognize. Erm, it seems that they have a troubled look on their face. I realized only then that they were trying to shove me out of the way but apparently they couldn't. I could hear Dessa snickering behind me. "You're in my way, so move!" Ah, it seems that there are these types of people as well. They tried to shove me but I just leaned back a bit to dodge. Also, I may have moved my foot out a bit so they ended up stumbling. I felt Vena slapping my shoulder for that. Hey, I didn't do anything wrong. "Bastard!" The man quickly got up and placed a hand on his blade. Getting a good look at him, he was sporting some pretty shiny armor. Platinum? Mithril? It's a bit difficult to tell as it was really shiny. Almost as if new. I mentally chuckled at the lack of experience of this man, which I just assumed was the case as his armor lacked damage. This blond fellow had a look of forced prestige. Rather, if one were to look at him, they'd assume he was of a high standing but a pompous one to flaunt it. In response to his actions, Shino was prepared to draw her blade but Vena was one step ahead. Taking out her shield, she slammed it down on the ground to get everyone's attention. "Please maintain order within the lobby. Lack of proper behavior will not be tolerated." She was really cool just now. I guess it's also part of her job since she was affiliated with the guild. The man, though annoyed, changed his expression when he saw Vena. Oi, any more and I can't forgive you if you look at my wife like that. "V-Vena-san...?" "The rules apply even to you, Prince Albion-san." "Oh, if it isn't Vena. Has my brother caused you trouble again?" "Princess Fianna-san. Greetings." I turned my head to what I assumed were the party members of this man. I paid not much attention to them aside for the woman that was supposedly her sister. Unlike him, the woman, at a glance, was battle hardened. That dark red armor of hers had scratches and dents all over. It was dull in appearance but it seemed to have survived many battles. I've heard of armor being bathed in so much blood that it eventually turned red. What's more, I see no weakness in her poise. It felt as if what she wore clashed with her long flowing white hair. Although she said something about being related to the prince, I can see no resemblance. Vena had bowed her head as the woman approached. I was still lost in my observation and only when our eyes met did I blink. I nodded my head as a gesture of respect. Her gaze went from me to Dessa and finally to Shino. At that point, I felt, for a moment, as if the gazes of the two were enough to kill the other. Although that passed quickly soon, I took note of it. It didn't feel surprising. Given Shino's past, she certainly made many enemies. "Aneue, it was not my fault! This commoner was in the way!" He meant me of course but playing ignorant, I looked around for a bit as if I were searching for someone. "I see no commoner around." I mumbled to myself but in a voice audible enough for everyone to hear. Dessa, stop snickering already. I did so because I heard the sound of heavy metal clinking. It was without a doubt a heavy shield I know. I don't think Vena would attack anyone for something this small but I felt she was about to speak up so I interjected. My mischievous side is showing, oops. I shouldn't get carried away. After all, I'm here as Kiryuu and not Reiku. I'm planning to keep things that way as much as possible. Because I interrupted her, Vena looked at me with a pouting face. Hey, it's not my fault. Although I think she knew that, she was probably silently reprimanding me for adding fuel to the fire. Ah, so cute. So cute that I decided to surprise her by stealing her lips for a bit. "Unya!" "Gwoh! How dare you?!" It would have been perfect, hearing Vena's cute squeak were it not for the terrible and almost manly squeal that followed after. From what I can tell, Vena is really popular. However, the news of her getting married had not traveled far. So was it possible that this prince has no idea of it. "Come to think of it. I thought the royal family was wiped out?" "These people are from the empire, Kiryuu-kun." Although she was saying that, she was pinching my side rather harshly. Ow. Ow, hey! I involuntarily jerked to the side a bit because of that. Yes. The brat couldn't shove me with all his strength but Vena can move me with such an action. Women are terrifying. "Insolent, disrespectful, lowly cur!" The brat was about to draw his blade but Shino had already stepped in between us. She didn't draw her blade but the princess had also stepped in between them still. "Enough!" I thought I'd see blades being drawn. I was prepared to stop them myself but a voice caught everyone's attention. From the direction of the teleportation circle, Hilde and Raful walked forth. "Prince Albion, I ask that you do not trouble others. Princess Fianna, I trust you know the jurisdiction of the guild." "Of course. My apologies for getting carried away." "I, as well, Hilde-dono." "And as for you." She glared at me, the person who had intentionally placed on a clueless face. A pointed a finger to myself as if to ask 'me?' and that prompted her to sigh. Raful is amused as always. "You're really troublesome." "Thank you for looking out for me." As if I'd stop from there. Upon saying those words, I leaned forward and stole Hilde's lips for a bit. I could hear the brat getting all worked up again. Of course, unlike Vena, Hilde's reaction was something that suited her. I received a face full of her fist and staggered backward. "Guidlmaster Hildegarde, would you mind explaining to me a couple of things?" Part II Hilde came in order to relay the discussed details with regards to the dungeon. Of course, she reprimanded me for causing such a scene that the princess was curious about the situation. "I'm Kiryuu. I look forward to working with you." "First princess of the Aloisius Empire, Fianna. Likewise. My apologies for my brother's attitude a while ago." "Ah, no, I should apologize for messing around." Hilde explained the details. Of course, she had to explain the case of my marriage. She normally just intended to say that I was wed to Vena. However, since I kissed her, the issue was brought up as well. The complaints of the brat (I refuse to acknowledge his nobility) were like an ambient background music as I found it easier to maintain a civil conversation with the older sister. Also, Hilde said that it's because I was wearing such a plain beginner outfit that I was thought to be a newbie. Ah, well, it's not like I need the armor but that's not my fault, right? There are plenty of people that stick to their first armor and focus on improving their weapons first. "To have such a relationship with popular girls. You're quite the lady killer." "Ah, no, that's a complicated issue." "Is that so?" "However, I do not regret it and I treasure all of them." Apparently the brat had a thing for Vena back in the day. So he was certainly pissed because of me. Well, that kind of made me feel good a bit. "I see. However, I trust you know of that person's circumstances?" "Ah, yes, fully. Does Fianna-sama find trouble in trusting her?" "Just Fianna is fine. And anyone would, after what she has done. However, I trust in you." "Your words are wasted on me." I bowed my head a bit. As I thought, there was still that issue with Shino so that moment of sparks flying from their gazes were true. "I beg to disagree." "Really now?" "Had I and that woman drew both our blades what would you have done?" "I would have stepped in and stopped both of you." "You would indeed, huh?" She bowed her head which prompted me to bow mine as well. It seems like a discussion between the involved parties with Hilde and Raful supervising to make sure no trouble ensues. As for the brat, I think he got tired of being ignored and decided to shut up. "As for the details, it is as follows. After our observation, we noticed that the monsters in this dungeon are by far the strongest, despite the demon lord that inhabits it being the weakest of the seven." I glanced at Dessa who seemed to have a twitch in her cheek. Hilde did bring up that topic before though and she seemed to poke fun at Dessa for her rankings. "We have yet to receive further detail so we are not allowing any adventurer that is Gold and below to enter the dungeon alone. At most, a party can have up to only one gold card holder. Silver and below are not allowed at all." "Hah! Tough luck, you bastard—ow!" Fianna had bonked her brother on the head for saying that out loud. With all the explanations, did this person thought I was lower than gold rank? How utterly stupid but people like these exist, after all. "You're the gold adventurer we're bring in the party so keep yourself silent." "Ah, was he perhaps talking about me?" I knew, of course, but since I'm still in my mischievous mindset, I just had to add fuel to the fire. Fianna nodded her head but Hilde just sighed and shook hers. Raful patted her on the shoulder. I'm sorry your husband is such a troublesome fellow. Ow! Vena! Stop pinching my side! "I, as party leader, am a Ruby card holder. May I inquire what Kiryuu-sama's card rank is?" "Just Kiryuu is fine. As for me, I am a diamond card holder." I returned the gesture of requesting to be called without the honorifics and casually said my card rank. Of course, the prince was starting to blab on and on and on. In the end, he said something that was quite—how should I put it—ballsy. "I invoke my right as the first prince! I demand to know why this c—person, has a higher rank than I!" He was about to call me something else but the princess glared at him. Then, I felt a bit of a powerful pressure. It was the aura of someone who has had enough with all of this nonsense. "Fufufu, well, it is easy, prince. We can give you the same rank right now if you do what Kiryuu has done before." Ah. Hilde is in a very scary mode at the moment. From what I gathered, the guild even had jurisdiction with the empire. I haven't studied the other kinds of countries yet but the guild is not something you trifle with. Hilde sure has a lot on her plate. I should treat her to something in the future. "I can do whatever this man can do!" "Then please hunt a hundred orcs within five days while leaving the corpses intact." "T-that's..." "Then kill five Magus class orcs simultaneously in separate camps using only one ability." "I-impossible..." "After such please dispose of a greater demon by yourself to the point where but blood and minced meat remains." Hilde is brutal. But isn't she advertising me quite a lot already? Ah, I've already given up on not standing out so I guess I'll let Hilde have this one. She seemed really stressed up already so this was kind of the last straw. Actually, I thought that Fianna would have a scarier personality but even she acknowledged Hilde in this. "Are these, perhaps, Kiryuu-sama's—I mean—Kiryuu's accomplishments as of late?" "Well, yeah, then add to the fact that he even managed to make our Hilde here swoon, that's something quite impressive—agh!" Raful was well met with a very explosive punch from Hilde, of course. Though, he is able to get back right up after which is really amazing in its own right. "Once more, I look forward to working with you, Kiryuu." "Likewise, Fianna." Hilde pretty much dealt the most devastating blow. Although I did sneak in a finisher by placing my arm around Vena and holding her close. There is nothing wrong with a man treating his wife with affection, after all. Part III After the whole fiasco, Hilde managed to relax a bit. We were preparing to go into the dungeon so we had some time to spare. I decided to go up to her and hug her from behind. By the way, I already notified the others that I wanted to help her relax so I got permission already. "Kya!" "Thanks for looking out for me." "Y-you're really troublesome, you know." I kissed her cheek and she eventually relaxed and leaned back against me. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry but I'll have to rely on you to look out for me every now and then." "Hmph, there's no helping it, I guess." "Look after yourself too, alright?" "You're the one going in the dungeon." "Sure, but you're apparently stressed out already." "Shouldn't you look after Vena more?" "I plan on doing that as well. But Hilde is important to me too." "S-saying those things is... unfair." We stayed like that for a bit until Hilde had enough strength to elbow me in the gut, saying something like I'm getting too affectionate in public before she headed back to the office. Raful seemed to stay here to help manage the lobby. In return, I had to pat Shino's head every time she does something good. Of course, Vena was fine being embraced or kissed. Dessa would cling to my arm every now and then but those are minor details during our dungeon exploration. Before we headed out, however, I met up with Raful a bit and chatted. I eventually asked him what he was going to do here. "Ah, we give out orbs that would allow adventurers to escape to this lobby in cases of an emergency. We're on standby to heal those with injuries." "I see. Using potions and magic?" "Just magic. We will setup restoration areas in general and tend to more serious injuries after." "That's quite amazing." "Of course. I'm a priest, after all." Eh? EEEEEH?
Chapter 19 Spoiler Part I The dungeon was pretty much what I expected it to be. They are also powered by the core within the boss room. Needless to say, we only need to worry about getting there. It was pretty basic. On the first floor there were some weak slime blob sort of monsters. A bit further, some goblins started to appear. We passed through these quite easily. I was practicing by forming those throwing knives by supplying energy. They pretty much functioned like normal projectiles which was quite useful. They did confirm that the monsters in this dungeon were stronger than the others. Dessa had an idea and told us once we were out of anyone's earshot. "It's possible that to compensate for the lack of a final boss that the monsters got stronger." "Is it that noticeable?" "Yes, Kiryuu-sama. At this rate, it's not a wonder they restricted access a bit." The slimes were a bit more resilient to attacks. There were also two kinds. One was resistant to a certain type of attack (slash, blunt, pierce) while another was resistant to a certain element (fire, water, wind, earth). That said, there were seven varieties of slimes and they were all mixed up. Bigger slimes that were called mini-bosses had two resistances at random. Even so, if I used Infused Missile, I could clear them without any problem. Likewise, the goblins, your typical green short creatures with crude weapons, were using formations and maneuvers. This is certainly a more advanced combat that was applied by the dungeon. Further on, we encountered blue-furred humanoid creatures called kobolds that were employing some pretty good ambush traps. However, Shino could get rid of them quite easily. The evidence that showed how strong these monsters have gotten is the amount of experience they provided. Shino's level shot up by around twenty and that's great, really. The dungeon mobs would disappear upon dying but they would leave behind loots of sort. I gathered them into my inventory quite easily using Vector Wielding. The next set of floors were the more intermediate ones. Suffice to say, a newbie would die easily in this kind of setting. It was filled with mainly orcs and minotaurs. There were also moving trees that shot out poison darts and explosive fruit. However, they cannot get by Vena's shield. When a Magus orc would appear, I employed Heaven Step and immediately decapitated it before returning to my spot. I could find them easily as their magical energy was different from the others. I killed about four of them before Vena and the others realized what I was doing. I got scolded by Vena. I heard that sometimes these dungeons can stretch up or down to a hundred floors. It was safe to assume that each advancement in difficulty lasted for about ten floors before going up. We came across several parties. Normally, parties range from as little as two people up to as large as sixteen people. Dungeon raids are a thing, apparently. Normally, I expected there would be a case of malicious adventurers that aim to use dungeons as a means to prey on other adventurers. However, with the difficulty of the monsters, it is most likely that they are easier to deal with. Since I can detect presences easily even if they set up a trap, I can warn the others ahead of time if we were to encounter other parties. We encountered cyclops and cockatrices along the way. The cyclops were really strong but their weakness being their only eye was an easy target for Shino. The cockatrices were harder to approach supposedly because they can breathe out a cone of petrifying gas. However, they are clumsy and noisy and it's easy to attack them from behind. Also, that kind of debuff was easily countered by the area of effect buff released from Dessa's hammer so they were basically big chickens waiting to be beheaded. We managed to easily get to the fiftieth floor where there was some sort of safety area before the next floor. Apparently, the next floor was the area to fight the midboss of the dungeon. I thought they had a system for such. They did. Normally, one party would challenge it at a time. This was because of the loots and what not. However, given the circumstances, people were actively trying to see if they can work with other parties to take it down. The reason being was there were a few people that got here that were consisting of only two people. That's quite impressive, I admit. Even though we were breezing through the level with us four and we didn't think it wasn't that hard, I must say that we were kind of a special case. Suffice to say, the difficulty of the dungeon removed most of the troublesome kind of people, at least. Most, because we encountered Fianna's party at the safety zone. Of course, that brat was still there. Part II As settled, those that came here with the midboss as their goal formed parties of their own. Those that wanted to advance, such as in our case, formed one large group. We still have no clue what the midboss was but I felt like we can handle it on our own. We could do it with just our party but I honestly just want to get to the last floor as soon as possible. I decided to get acquainted with some of the people here. Of course, I met people from all kinds of places. Obviously, I'd chat up with Fianna as well. She seemed pretty close to Vena. Although there was still some animosity between her and Shino but it seems like there will be no incident. The other members of her party were pretty decent. Although, I wondered a bit why they were all women. I learned that it was Fianna's original party and the brat was just carried surplus. "I look forward to working with you." "Likewise." "Same here." "I, as well." They had a mage that specialized in destructive firepower, Ruki Tiamat. Their shrine maiden that is capable of healing and aiding the team, Iris Iztel, has a pair of wings. I was informed that she was angelkin. I wanted to stroke those wings but I got elbowed in the side by Vena. Their vanguard, armed with a short sword and a buckler, was a demonkin called Kyleigh Lyall. She was easily the tallest out of all of us adventurers here. She had a small horn protruding from her forehead and had a slightly reddish skin. I was informed she had the blood of an oni within her. I thought she would recognize Asmodeus but I was relieved that it was not so. Further more, most adventurers had parties that consisted of mixed races. She said it was a bit of a relief for her that she rarely had to experience discrimination. However, the main culprit was the brat, who showed disdain against her. Unfortunately, his say on the matter was pointless as Kyleigh was the princess' vanguard. The brat could not even be a match for her. "What tactic shall we employ?" I asked the four girls that we were to be cooperating with. They had luggage that made some noise but was promptly ignored. He wasn't complaining a bit too much though. Fianna must have noticed what I was thinking about and chuckled. "Ah, that person lost his gas complaining how difficult this is. He actually almost died on several occasions." "How unfortunate." "Quite blunt, aren't you, Kiryuu?" "I am merciless against anyone one who would ogle my wife." "Wives." "Wives, yes, sorry." I was corrected in such a way. Despite having been known as someone that has several wives, I was treated well by the other girls. Well, after a while. At first, I could feel painful glares when it was brought up but after they heard the gist of things, well, they understood, somewhat. It was good that things were cleared up with ease. "Excuse me, we would like to join as well, if you may allow us." We were approached by a party of three people as well. A dragonkin vanguard, Veles Minda. A foxkin warrior, Zefania Velius. An undine mage, Melusine Aqua. Ah. I'm a bit uncomfortable in this scenario. I couldn't help but be bothered with this setting. Is someone making it so I am surrounded by women? Granted, there's the brat but he's luggage. I mean, the undine has a smaller frame than Vena. The foxkin warrior, I definitely had to avoid staring at. I mean, I'm fairly attracted to ears and tails so... yeah. The dragonkin has a frame similar to Dessa but her muscles are a bit more prominent. Also, she has scales on her limbs and has a tail. They were attractive and had their own charms. The reason these women formed a party on their own? Well, it was mostly common for party members to be of the same gender, especially if they were nonhuman. There were still dangers of a woman alone in a party of men. The queen can't fix everything during her saga, after all. I realize that it glares could kill, I probably would have died several times already whenever I came across human parties on the way here. Or at least lose a lot of my HP. Part III The plan was for the vanguards to secure several vantage points. The rearguard were to prepare their attacks as soon as we were able to distinguish what to use. Thankfully, we can make use of a variety of attacks, both magical and physical. The others were to respond to the movements of the midboss and seal them if possible. I'd like to see Shino and Fianna working together on this one. When asked about my weapon, I showed them the fingerless chain gloves. At first, they thought I was someone like a monk but I told them I was stationed at the rearguard. For our coalition group, the rearguard consisted of me, Iris, Melusine and Ruki. Melusine specialized in Wind and Water elements. Ruki can use all elements offensively but lack defensive or supportive capabilities. Iris focused greatly on defensive and supportive skills but was capable of flight so she can heal almost anyone if needed. This much is fine. We entered the room once it was our turn. Ah, we almost forgot about the luggage. Honestly, we could without that thing. "Still a cavern-like structure, huh?" "It usually is like this until it gets really near the boss room where it becomes some sort of an underground castle." "I see. There's lava on the sides so we should be careful not to get knocked over." "It's a bit hot..." I was conversing with my fellow rearguards. Because of the area, Melusine disliked it as she was an undine. We were in some sort of large circular area. There was lava on the side that occupied an area that was in the shape of a crescent moon. There were some solid rocks jutting out of the lava area. I wondered what the material for those are. Dessa seemed to be looking at them intently. Was it because she's a blacksmith? She doesn't have that expression on her face when working on ore or crafting though. In fact, she seemed to furrow her brow as well. "Rock wyverns! Five of them!" Ah. That's what it was. Those rocks weren't really rocks. Rather, they were the shells of the wyverns that were able to lie and wait in the lava. Since the material was that durable, I expect that using normal weapons against those would prove difficult. Their rocky scales and shells were not even damaged by the lava. Dessa charged up her hammer with magical energy and slammed the other end on the ground. A large yellow aura washed over us. I can feel like I can move without worrying about my stamina for a bit. She also started swinging it around, charging the hammer red before swinging it down full force. This time, a red aura washed over us. Melusine seemed to like it as it gave some resistance to the heat of the area. "This is... amazing. Without even chanting..." Iris, who focused on the support role was surprised at the sudden buffs given to the entire unified party. Still, she applied defensive and evasive buffs on the vanguards while casting on the area where we were that increases mana regeneration. I don't benefit from it, sadly. "Come! Lesser creatures!" Veles was taunting two of the rock wyverns nearest her. She was wielding dual swords. Actually, they seem more like she was wielding two claymores after seeing the size of those blades. They didn't seem to encumber her as she was able to nimbly dodge the charge of the rock wyverns. She was an evasive type of vanguard that utilized more dodging instead of blocking. Vena was handling the other rock wyvern along with Dessa. Now that I think about it, Dessa is quite good on the front lines as well. She had to be our rearguard since we didn't have one. Kyleigh and Zefania dealt with the other while Fianna and Shino worked together to keep the last one at bay. Luggage was on his face, stumbling forward after seeing the huge rock wyverns rise from the lava pool. "I'll try out different elements to see which one is its weakness." "I'll try and seal their movements with wind and water blades if needed." "I'll focus on healing and defense." "I'll try... something..." Ah. One of those things doesn't belong there. That was actually me. I don't know what I was going to try, really. I wanted to try the move I used on the greater demon back then but there's a risk of hitting everyone else. Those Seeking Missiles pierced through the demon so it was good that they were aimed upwards. In this place, I'd end up hitting everyone else. I didn't expect to face against a mob for the miniboss room. Of course, when I said that, the three girls looked at me and raised their brows. Geez. I get it. I'll figure something out. Since we were fighting wyverns, I was reminded of that time we hunted a lesser wyvern. I wonder if I can do a variation of that move. Or perhaps, I can mix that with the concept of a Seeking Missile... I closed my eyes and felt for the presences of the wyverns. Good. Their signature, to say, was unique so I am able to track them separately. That ability proved to be really useful. Right. I need a bow. "Oh?" I heard a curious sound from Iris as the glove on my left started to transform quite magnificently into a gauntlet that wielded a bow. It actually extended a bit more and created a chest guard for me as well. The right glove transformed into a flexible finger guard. I drew the bow and aimed at the nearest rock wyvern to the right. When I did, an arrow materialized from the right glove and placed itself neatly on the bow. It was a normal mithril arrow, aside the scaly pattern on the shaft. With that, I waited. The rock wyverns weren't really needed to be in a specific position since they were being pushed back. However, for convenience, I wanted that they be in the lava pool as much as possible. At the very least, hypothetically speaking, if there was some sort of projectile that moved in a circular path, it would be ideal if they were all hit. Melusine and Ruki were chanting their spells when I saw a situation that was close to the ideal. The rock wyverns were at least on the edges of the area, just right beside the lava pool. This would do. I released the arrow and invoked the skill. Ahaha... shit. I accidentally killed all the rock wyverns.
Chapter 20 Spoiler Part I A few days earlier, I was testing out the new gear I obtained. This was the day after I 'punished' Dessa. If it failed, I would have lost Ouroboros. That said, it didn't really bother me but I would have preferred being informed of experiments beforehand. Given that, I was getting used to generating throwing knives. The extend out from the plated side, like a popular superhero's claws are. Only once they slipped in between my fingers, they detach so I can throw them. The material can vary. I am capable of producing mithril throwing knives because I have that regeneration skill that more than makes up for the HP spent. I tried out throwing knives first. They spun when thrown, of course, so I tried out other things as well. Throwing stars were faster but less accurate since they can easily be affected by the wind. I tried creating something like kunais which was more accurate but lacks in damage. It was here that I experimented on these three things. After a few trials, I found that I can instead create hollowed versions which were less taxing on HP. The attack power isn't reduced much but they have a tendency to break on impact if the opposing material is sturdy. The next step I took was filling that hollow gap with energy. It was less taxing on consumption but a bit more dangerous. Instead of a chance of breaking on impact, it would shatter violently. Certainly, the damage is greater and it's actually a pretty nasty modification. I have yet to create one out of pure energy. What I noticed was while I or the gear was in contact with the projectile, I could shape it to my liking. Upon leaving my person though, I have no more control over it. I could designate it to track a certain energy or aura like a Seeking Missile but that was primarily it. I was curious about this aspect. After a couple of hours, I found that I can do two things. I could leave a small opening at the back end to connect to it via energy. It worked but it is mainly utilized to increase the speed of the projectile. It made manually influencing the trajectory a bit harder. Its greatest use, though, was not for the energy to explode upon impact but to instead have that energy boost that projectile. The other method was to still remain connected to the projectile by using a very thin but sturdy filament to connect to the gear while in flight. Throwing stars and knives are not practical for this use so I decided to use something like arrows. While more taxing on consumption, I certainly was able to control the projectile to the extent that I could even change the shape of the arrow while it was still in flight. This was promising. It was also what I had used to cleave the lesser wyvern that we hunted. Although I was trying to be flashy and all, I didn't expect it would also have a promising amount of strength. As for why it was a snake, well, an arrow normally oscillates in flight, correct? I just thought that if I were to path that, it could look like a snake's slithering motion. Granted, I could have used a dragon but that's a bit overrated. Plus, my weapons from before and right now are both named after serpents. So yeah. That then was simply pure power. I kept trying until I was more than capable of manipulating the kind of effect the magic power inside the projectile would have. Eventually, I ended up creating a few skills because of it.. Part II 「Vizdaetre!」 I invoked one of the skills I crafted upon releasing the shaft. The arrow halted in midair during its flight and coiled upon itself into somewhat of an orb. It grew larger and larger until it was around half a meter in diameter. At that point, a bluish-white serpent burst forth from it. I was controlling it, of course. There was still a thin filament that connected me to it. That serpent flew towards the rock wyvern I had aimed at and passed through its body and headed towards the next. It should be noted that the tail is yet to be seen as it's still extending out from the coiled arrow before. It passed through all the rock wyverns, its trajectory eventually caused it to circle back towards the orb of its origin. Upon reaching it, it opened its jaw and swallowed the orb, at which point, the entirety of its body disappeared into a purple mist. Both the party members and the rock wyverns were frozen for a bit. What broke that silence soon was when one of the wyverns started to suffer from a seizure. A purple haze came from its mouth. Before long, the other rock wyverns also started to show the same symptoms before all of them dropped dead. It was a venom that activated after seven seconds or after the afflicted has taken seven actions. I didn't expect it to be that strong though. I was thinking only of debilitating the rock wyverns but I have yet to get used to adjusting the intensity of my skills. Not to mention, even though it took a chunk of my HP to cast, it was still negligible as my regeneration was already starting to heal me up. I should try and remedy this a bit. Should I feign weakness or exhaustion? Of course, I did hide my maximum HP with Hidden Origin. Only a few people know the actual value. I decided to manipulate the HP value being shown to leave it at a single digit. Also, to make it more convincing, I sent out a transmission for the three in hopes that they can play along. 'I'm going to pretend to be drained. Play along!' That was the extent of my message before I promptly let go of my bow and allowed myself to fall forward. I could hear Vena calling out to me so I guess that made things a bit more convincing. Shino utilized her Reduced Earth and caught me from falling face first onto the ground. You have my thanks, Shino. Although not as voluminous as Dessa's, she has a fairly nice chest. I gladly welcomed being caressed by her pillows. Vena and Dessa were already rushing towards me. I acted like there was no strength left in my body except to wiggle my hand a bit to try and show that I was just fine. "Kiryuu-kun!" "Kiryuu-sama!" "I'm alright... I just need a bit of a rest." Shino assisted me so I was able to sit down. Now that the room was clear, the lava started to cool down and harden rapidly. It was a safety zone until we leave, resetting the room for the next batch of adventurers. I'm getting a couple of stares from the members of the other party but it's no surprise. I overdid it a bit, I think. Playing along, I took a potion from my inventory and drank it. At which point, Iris seemed to have returned to her senses and applied a healing spell on me. I had my HP recover bit by bit. "You have my thanks." "Think nothing of it. That skill though. What was it?" Of course, the others would ask about it. "It's a very powerful venom that goes straight into the body of a target. Any physical defense is ignored." A high resistance or a magical defense can probably prevent it from being applied. I haven't tested it fully but from the looks of it, it's pretty effective against those that rely much on physical types of defenses. "S-snake. Snake! That's it! I understand now!" Oh. The luggage started to speak. Luggage doesn't speak. Should I perhaps made it accidentally graze him? Ah. That would have been troublesome to resolve. "Can't you see? It's probably his nature! He used s-some sort of charm on those women!" "Enough, Albion!" "Aneue, you too? A-ah no. It doesn't work on men, does it? That's it. It is my d-duty to take back what's mine!" I think the luggage lost its mind. I wasn't paying much attention to it. I mean, upon my analysis, that brat barely had any good stats or skills. His specs were poor even at the level he was in. I suppose it was because he was boosted or power-leveled and he didn't accomplish his strength on his own. It reached a point where he drew his sword with the intent to attack me. Yep. Stupid. At that moment, Fianna immediately went behind him and delivered a blow to the back of his head. It didn't knock him out though. Though his consciousness was fading. "Aneue... why?" "You behavior is no longer acceptable. I expel you from this party." "Guh..." She punched his jaw to knock him out. Then she placed a letter in his pocket and took out an orb. She crushed it and sprinkled the bits onto him. Immediately did he glow and disappear. I assume that was what Raful was telling me. I still can't believe that guy is a priest. "Forgive my brother's words. I accept full responsibility for him." She placed herself in a formal sitting position and bowed her head towards me. We didn't need a break but the others had a couple of questions for me. It was fine until the luggage equipped a sword. I didn't think it was possible. "I have enclosed a message regarding his offense. He shall be sent back to the empire and observed. As for compensation—" "Ah, there's no need. I appreciate your concern but this much is fine." "I see. Then... I thank you for not drawing your blade." That was directed at Shino. From the looks of it, the first one who would have responded was Shino. Given her reputation, Fianna's decision might have actually saved the brat. "Think nothing of it." Shino responded with such. Perhaps these two would be able to get along soon. Part III We proceeded out of the midboss' area since there are other parties waiting. Because the others still had a few questions, in particular, Ruki and Iris, we stayed together and continued to advance until we reached a safety zone at the eightieth floor. The area seems like an ancient labyrinth or ruins. We would probably spend the night here. "I see, so Kiryuu-san has no magic power?" "Kind of. I utilize my own health, see?" "Eh? Isn't that dangerous?" "I guess so." Since most people have a basic analysis skill anyway, it was not much of a surprise when I told them that I used my health as a resource for using abilities. I was talking mostly with the rearguards since that role was usually for the firepower of the team. Iris was also part of that although her mobility paired with her supportive abilities made her versatile. Right now, I'm being bombarded by Ruki. Vena and Shino were at my sides and Fianna sat nearby just to listen. Iris was then talking with Dessa with regards to the wide area of effect buff she had cast in succession. The others seemed to be interested in her hammer too so she was being asked. Moments later, we eventually gathered together and started to talk about various topics. By various topics, our party's various weapons. "I see, so they were all made by Dessa-dono." Veles held her in high regards. Well, she is quite a popular person, after all. She is the legendary blacksmith and a lot of people come to Teras just to get to her workshop. She is known for not taking in any apprentices which leaves many aspiring blacksmiths disappointed. "I couldn't have done it without Kiryuu-sama. Although these are still in their prototype stages." She was certainly very proud of her craft. She started to explain the various mechanics of their weapons. She was not talking about my gear at all. She's probably saving that for last. She did say that it was all experimental as the kind of energy I am able to put into these weapons were different from just magical power. "But that's all I'll say on that~ Fufufu~ After all, secrets are a woman's romance~" She was bragging about her work but she would not divulge the secrets to it so easily. That was understandable. Of course, when one is showing off, it is often good to provide some sort of visual aid. I could hear impressed sounds when they say the gimmicks of the hammer. Even more so, I heard expressions of awe when Vena showed off the transforming shield and lance set. Shino's weapon had barely any gimmicks but Fianna was able to try it by slicing a huge solid rock pillar. "Amazing. I could definitely spot the weak spots and the unsheathing attack was definitely powerful. However... it's a bit..." "Indeed. It is very taxing. Hence, I only activate it upon opportune moments." Of course, Dessa had intended to save her latest masterpiece for last. She said it was initially an armor capable of adapting to the size and the wearer. However, due to 'Kiryuu-sama's amazing abilities', it turned into a very versatile gear. I had the others try it out but no one was able to use it. Still, they felt stronger when wearing them. It was probably because of the all stat increase. Hm, now that I thought about it, even with the all stat increase, my luck remains at 1. I wonder what was up with that. "Did you use these when you defeated a greater demon by yourself?" "Not really." Fianna's party already knew that I defeated a greater demon. The others, however, became a bit more curious when that was said. "That was a desperate situation. It's hard to explain the circumstances but I made use of throwing knives then." "Mithril? "Iron." "Hn, how is that possible? Iron should not be enough to even scratch a demon's hide." "Ah, does that apply to you as well?" "Just a bit~" Kyleigh was quite proud of herself. She was the vanguard, after all, so she was expected to endure most of the attacks. Still, since I just said I used throwing knives, they thought I used them normally. "Not to mention, didn't Hilde-sama mention something about using an ability that turned a greater demon into nothing but blood and minced meat?" "Aha...ha... You were paying attention to that?" When it came to destructive power, Ruki was certainly interested to a great degree. Now that she mentioned that detail, I had eyes looking at me as if inquiring. No, not only that. They were sparkling! Even my own party. Hey. This is a ten-on-one battle. Not fair! "Does it help if I said I used four thousand of them all at once?" No. No, it doesn't. In fact, that only made them more curious. That was actually pretty stupid of me to say. How does one use thousands of throwing knives all at the same time? Well, that's what all those stares are asking, from what I can tell. "F-fine, if I show you, will you please stop looking at me like that? Ah, Vena, save me." I hid myself behind Vena who made a cute squeak when I did so. Shino and Dessa seemed to have gotten back to their sense, eventually followed by everyone else. I thought it would be done with just that but they had more questions that followed. I should have probably asked for a spare throwing knife instead of picking up a random pebble, charging it with energy and blasting apart a rock pillar in one shot, huh?
Chapter 21 Spoiler [Fufufu~ A discarded piece of trash, huh? You'd do nicely.] Part I Things have been quite smooth lately. We were able to progress without much difficulty. We ended up forming one large party. At first, I felt some tension in the air but after a while, things seemed to have gotten calmer. I tried to do the least amount of work as possible because, well, I don't want to deprive them of their dungeon experience. Besides, this place isn't supposed to be this easy. That doesn't mean I'm not being cautious but I did not think I would tackle it with a party. I figured during these times, the protagonist goes on a journey alone and conquers something like this by himself and thus began his journey as a cheat or something. Ah, can't be helped. I was already a cheat from the start anyway. That said, there were some instances where I would react as soon as humanely possible. There were some monsters that focus on sneaking about and performing assassination attacks so I fended those off. Lastly, I made sure to get rid of anything that remotely resembles ropers in the faster manner as possible. I mean, I guess some people take advantage of that view but I'm a bit selfish. I'm not even going to forgive a tentacle for even trying to touch my Vena. That counts for the others as well. "You're quite quick to respond, Kiryuu-dono." "Am I? I'm just trying to avoid any troubling predicaments." Zefania, the fox warrior, noticed my quick response to certain things and approached me about it when we were relaxing in another safety zone. It seems that the other girls also took notice and nodded their heads. "In particular, do you perhaps have a hatred for ropers?" "Eh? No. Why'd you ask?" "You seem to make sure to eliminate them first beforehand, even the ones that were in their hiding spots." "I-it'll be troublesome if they were to hinder us in battle, of course." That's the truth of it, but not the entirety. Although, I feel like there are some pressing matters. "A-ah. Yes, of course. It's just that we did not expect a male adventurer to not take advantage of it. Forgive me for my assumptions." "So that was it, huh? Erm. Please don't apologize. Given the nature of the dungeon, it's understandable to be wary." So that was it. Well, I was actively trying not to get into a scenario like that. Also, I just remembered the kind of dungeon we were in. That's why there was an increasing amount of ropers the nearer we get to the final floor. Now that I think about it, does that also explain why we kept fighting against minotaurs, centaurs, and goblins in droves? It's like a setting out of an erotic fantasy. It made me shudder a bit and I took a glance at Dessa. As if she understood my thoughts, she shook her head as if saying that she had nothing to do with this at all. "It relieves me to know that you married a gentleman, Vena." "A-ah. Thank you, Fianna-san." Well, I'm trying to have Kiryuu be at least a reasonable kind of person. Reiku, however, is a different one all in all. I do let a bit of Reiku out in the bedroom though. At the very least, it wouldn't be long until we reach the boss room. Part II "So, which party wishes to tackle the final room alone?" We had another discussion as we were in the safety zone just outside the boss room. The other three looked at me, as if expecting me to speak up when Fianna had brought up the question. Actually, the others were also looking at me the same way. "Erm. Is there something on my face?" "Master, it seems that you are being inquired if you want to face the boss with just our party." "Well, isn't there safety in numbers?" "Says the guy that cleared the midboss room by himself." I thought I tasted a bit of salt there, Ruki. Well, she was someone that certainly enjoys firepower and what I did was just a demonstration of that. "That was a gamble, honestly. If I were alone and that didn't work, I wouldn't have been able to move at all." "Using your own life as a resource is certainly troublesome, after all." The angelkin, Iris, looked at me with a sad smile. For a healer like her, it must be tiresome to look after someone that can only be useful upon the cost of their own health. Unexpected things could occur as this was the enemy territory, after all. "The truth is, we are not confidence in our own strengths as well." "If Kiryuu-san had not been with us, we might not have reached this far, to be honest." "That's why we will respect your decision if you wish to face the boss alone." Zefania's party spoke out their opinion. While it may be true that I was strong enough to clear the dungeon by myself, probably, I tried to do the least amount of work as possible. Although I perhaps underestimated their ability to observe the kind of things I have been doing during my attempts at being discreet. "I say, we all face this together. If you feel that you are lacking then that's perfectly fine. At the end of the day, are we not doing this for our own reasons? If it does not sit right with you to rely on someone, then mark this day and look back on it when you get strong enough to be that someone that people can rely on." "Quite the speech there, Kiryuu." "Erm..." That was embarrassing, I admit but it did the job and we decided to face the final boss as a party. Although, I was fairly certain that the boss of this dungeon is supposed to be a certain blacksmith in our party. For some reason, I feel uneasy. Part III "Foolish prey! Your resistance is futile!" "Your arrogance ends now!" Steel clashed against steel. Two blades against one. While the set of large swords had power in them, the smaller sturdy blade had finesse, its owner nimble and agile. It was a battle between prey and predator. But it should not be the case for these two were but comrades only a while ago. "Disgusting spawn, begone!" "Arrogant wench, fall!" Yet on another side of the battlefield, two forces clashed like heaven and hell. Two people that were pillars of a team clashed their ideals. But only a while ago these two worked in sync, boasting a defense that can rival a fortress. Yet, each sought the other's downfall. "This is your domain no longer." "Know your place!" When opposites clash, sparks fly. When they unite, they can tear the ground asunder. Yet nothing seems to bridge this huge gap that was not there a while ago. As their spells clashed, they shaped the battlefield. It would have been to their teams advantage, but it became a battle of dominance. "Traitor! I will have your head!" "It was my duty and I shall honor it by taking your life!" These two were natural enemies given their past. But their time spent well together had given the time to heal those wounds. And yet, even if only scars remained, they had been forced open. The desire for revenge and the command to kill permeated the air. "Kya! D-don't touch me there..." "Ara~ How can one resist partaking of a meal before them?" And yet on one corner was another kind of battle. One that does not belong here but in the bedroom. It was misplaced but both seem unable to find it in them to realize that their comrades are out for the head of another. "Fufufu~ What a wonderful show! Does that please you, hero? This is entertainment brought to you by the great me, after all!" "Tch, how troublesome." It was indeed troublesome. When we had entered the boss room, we were suddenly flooded with a strange aura. And then, out of nowhere, Veles, the dragonkin turned her blade against Zefania, the foxkin. It was just the beginning of our problems as soon, everyone was attacking everyone. Shino faced against Fianna. Melusine, the undine, battled with Ruki. Iris and Kyleigh, an angel and a demon, sought the other's demise. Dessa assaulted Vena with her own means but it was nonetheless the doing of this fiend. This girl clad in a red and black gothic outfit was the cause of this. We were greeted by her upon entry and it was then that we were hit with that wave. Her short silver hair and two pairs of horns that curved up were a familiar sight to Dessa. She probably trying to warn me but it was too late. She was as short as Vena although a bit bigger in the chest area. Erm. I have more pressing matters at hand. "What did you do?" "Fufufu~ The great me has just awakened them to their true selves, their origins. It is not something one should go against." "Origins?" "Yes~ Like a prey against a predator. Or perhaps that of royalty and one that is meant to end the lineage? Maybe it is the case of dominance or a rivalry of ideals. Ah, that one is strange, the great me admits." She pointed towards Dessa who was intent on her harassment. Should I part those two first? They stay in one corner while the others are just rampaging all over. "You though, hero, baffle the great me." "I'm flattered but I highly suggest you turn them back." I shot a quick Seeking Missile but the girl drew a curved blade and blocked it. How annoying. I should probably part the others first. "You should be honored. For you are the first to resist the Origin Corruption. Should the great me kill you or see what nasty origin you are hiding—tch!" She weaved to the side and dodge several Seeking Missiles. However, as the name implies, they changed their trajectory and she had to use her blade again. "Let the great me finish talking, you insolent—ack!" I sent Seeking Missiles at her, one after the other. It was done with one hand. In the meantime, I had my other hand placed on the ground, letting the metal from my gear flow into the ground and towards the several pairs that were fighting each other. I need to hurry before someone actually ends up killing the other. "Brat! The great me is speawkiw—ow!" In her attempts to speak, she bit her tongue. She ended up getting hit with a seeking missile to the forehead but as expected, that didn't do much of a damage. She ended up crouching and rubbing her head though. "「Sae Ida Khamae!」" From underneath the fighting pairs and the other pair in the corner, several chains wrapped around them, binding their bodies and immobilizing their limbs. Those chains forced the fighting pairs apart, resulting in all of my other party members to be isolated and wrapped in chains. "Eh? EH? What did you do? What was that skill?" "You, turn them back." I shot several Seeking Missiles towards the demon girl but she instead took to the air and deflected them with an invisible force. Another wave started to wash over me. It was similar to a while ago, except this made the air around me feel heavier. It was so heavy, in fact, that I ended up going down on my knees. "Kiryuu-kun!" "Master!" I could hear the others calling out to me as well. It seems that they have been freed from the corruption but because of what I did, they were helpless. The chains were of great strength and most were worn out from fighting each other. "Be proud! For the great me am pouring my all just for you, hero! Come! Show the great me what lies behind that facade! Show me that origin of yours! That which you pride the most, I will twist it!" Ah. Shit. I used so much of my strength just to restrain the others. I feel like I'm sinking and my vision is starting to fade. There's a throbbing pain in my head. Is it fear? Worry? Ah, no. It's anxiety perhaps. My origin is not something to trifle with. But I am already lacking in ability to resist. At this point, I should probably just leave it to that origin which she speaks of, yes? "Yes! Finally!" "「Coma Veil.」" In that instant, every one of those that were chained fell into a deep slumber. I stood up and straightened myself. I dusted my arms a bit and turned towards the demon girl that was the cause of all this mayhem. "Greetings, Demon Lord Lucifer. What brings you to this lair?" "Oh ho? So you know of the great me. In that case, are you not honored? Fufufu~ To think this hero was capable of such a thing. Truly surprising." She was looking over my comrades that were all fast asleep. They were helpless, to say the least. She was approaching Dessa, specifically, most likely because of their related affiliations. "Guah! You dare?" She stepped back immediately. From she once stood, a ray of light blasted the ground and froze it solid. "To dodge that, you are more formidable than I would have thought. However, I dare you to touch any one of them and I will tear you limb from limb." "Fufufu~ How scary~ Is this the true self of the hero? A merciless being of devastating power?" She licked her lips as if seeing a tasty treat in front of her. No doubt she was planning on turning me into one of her underlings. Is that not the reason why she forced this side of me to come out? Ah, but did she really succeed with that spell or was I just pissed off at her actions? I wonder. "You shall be honored to be the strongest minion of the great me!" A magic circle formed on her hands. I could feel some pressure on my neck. However, I was not at all worried. "「Cancel」 that." I waved my hand and the spell she was casting immediately dispersed. She was a bit dumbfounded but she refused to yield and starting to cast again. "「Dismiss」thy thoughts." And yet once more her spell was broken. "Stop doing that!" "Stop doing what?" "That!" "That?" "Yes!" "What?" "Be mine!" "I 「Forbid」 it." "Guah!" Each time she tried to cast a spell, I would break the formation one after the other. Soon, however, she was truly stubborn. I would have thought she would run out of magic power but it seems she has a lot in reserve. "Serve me!" "「Denied!」" "Be my servant!" "「Dispel」 that desire." "By my decree, give me thy soul!" "Allow me to 「Thwart」 thy plans!" "Become my champion!" "I 「Foil」 thy plans." "Ugh, how are you doing that?" At this point, she was slowly lowering down. The casting of spell after spell seems to have exhausted her to a great degree. All of them were for naught though and they were all shattered before her. However, she seemed to have one final attempt. "By my will, by my name, by my soul! I Demon Lord Lucifer, command thee! Fall, hero! Become thine champion! Bow thy head before the great me!" "Experience 「Overwhelming Denial」." "I-impossible. To even prevent my oath... such a thing... exists?" I walk up to the demon lord that started to pant. Her legs were shaking slightly and she stumbled backward as she tried to step back. "Fool. I knew a great wizard who could control the battlefield to his whims. You don't even hold a candle compared to that being. Even I only experienced a single victory out of countless others." "No... That can't be! The great me is... is..." "Not convinced? Then I shall persuade you. So shall we 「Descend into Madness」?" A sphere of dark energy encased for the demon lord and I. It was in this moment that we were transported into another realm. The purpose? To prevent collateral damage, particularly the sleeping ones chained in the boss room. A small book materialized in my hand, the compressed form of the library. Lucifer would look with curiosity and a slight fear. I can see her lips slightly quivering. "Now, Demon Lord Lucifer, is it not time for our 「Epic Confrontation」?" "H... have mercy..."
Chapter 22 WARNING: GORE AND VIOLENCE AHEAD Spoiler Part I: A Certain Demon Lord's Perspective Time. It was really what we needed. It was foolish for those humans to think they can really defeat those such us ourselves. Our time is now, and once more we shall rise again. We waited and all of that would pay off today. The mechanisms that we had hidden were already set in motion. The dungeons that we held under our name started to rebuild anew. It certainly caused a stir in the human world. It seems that they have prepared for this. However, no amount of preparation will be enough. We are stronger, better. We are the ultimate beings that will rule this world. "Impossible." What I witnessed before me truly is. Once our dungeons were established, we noticed that we were lacking someone. I decided to visit her dungeon to see what was going on. There was nothing interesting to note yet, aside from that thing that seemed to have captured the interest of one of my fellow demon lords. Ugh, disgusting. I wouldn't touch that with a ten foot pole. It seems that despite the difficulty of the dungeon increasing, there are those that still managed to reach the final floor this early. I thought I'd have a little bit of fun. Though, I didn't expect to see her in the company of the enemy. And yet, there is one that stood out. I couldn't affect him with Corruption Origin immediately. It seemed that he has obtained some form of resistance. Even my fellow demon lord fell to my ability so it was doubtful to be a weak curse. I had to expend all of inhibition and even had to remove the corruption from the others so I could focus the condensed form on this man. This was the result of my actions. "You are shaking." The man spoke to me. I looked around and we were in a barren land that seemed to stretch infinitely. Alone. I felt afraid—no, terrified. This man, one I had pegged to be another hero to toy with, was already preventing me a while ago from using my abilities. There should not be a way to do that. At the very least, to have even the voiceless incantations to be nullified was not what I expected. I would not admit my fear. Even though I visibly quivered, I felt a rush unlike ever before. I decided that I would hold my ground. I would not be defeated so easily. "Yet, aren't you enjoying yourself quite a bit?" As if my body knew what he referred to, my hands reached up to lips. A crazed grin was probably plastered on my face right now. There was a reason for it as soon enough, hordes of demons and monsters were immediately summoned behind me. It was my own army with only the strongest kinds of demons and monsters, 「Legion」. It was not only the army's strength but the fact that I can summon the fallen members indefinitely as long as my magic power holds out that was fearsome. "Wait... what?" I wanted to see the look on his face when he realizes that he would face off against the mightiest army under the great me, the Demon Lord of Pride, Lucifer. But he was soon sighing and shaking his head as if disappointed. "Did you just use an ultimate ability without saying the name? That's a wasted opportunity!" "Eh?" He was not afraid. Rather, he was admonishing me for something so stupid. "Wouldn't it be more imposing if you had a key phrase to speak before activating your ability? That would have looked better." "F-foolish human! Die!" "「Exscindo!」" He tore one of the pages and it quickly flew towards me. In that moment, I was blinded by a burning light that reverberated through the fiber of my every being. I felt like I was being disintegrated. To be done in so easily, I refuse to accept such fate! "Not yet. You don't get off that easily." A felt a warm hand on my nape and I felt the pain decrease slightly. I was tossed to the side and outside of what seems to be the area of effect of that ability. My body still felt like it was burning even though I seemed to have suffered no physical damage. I then realized that what I experienced was barely the full effect of the ability once the light from before intensified. I realized only then that my army, my 「Legion」 was swallowed by it. The light faded and I was met with the view of the plains once more. There was no sign that my army ever existed, aside the fact there now exists a crater there. Part II I really find it a bit frustrating how fast things are progressing. It makes me worry somewhat. It's a bit of an ominous feeling but I suppose there are some forces that work when things go out of whack. For example, in some worlds, there are beings that prevent it from progressing technologically. Normally, however, these worlds have magic that progress instead. It's the kind where gods are actively participating or intervening. It's times like those that I am reminded why I dislike celestial beings or deities of the sort. I used to hate them indiscriminately but I've grown to learn that not all deities are terrible. I still am wary though. Now, back to the topic at hand. Honestly, if I were to tell my entire story, you'd need to be an immortal like me in order to learn all of it anyway. Maybe I should write a light novel about it? That sounds fairly interesting. I should make a mental note about that. I don't forget anyway. If I made an effort, I can recall everything so I can definitely share that story. But you can always go to the archive and read about it though? Well, enough about that for now. I could see that the demon lord Lucifer was staring blankly into space. Well, that space was where her army was a while ago. There was no trace of it at all. Not even a trace of magic or whichever kind of energy she used. It was as if they simply ceased to exist. Rather, it was as if they did not exist in the first place. "I-impossible." "Ah, don't you know that there are people that can make the impossible, possible? You should really broaden your horizons." "W-who are you?" "Ah, isn't that a bit of an issue here? I've been trying to hide who I am and you made me surface with a bit of an extra effort." "Fufu... For the great me, such a thing is—" "Now, should I kill you? I really don't want this secret getting out..." "Eh? W-what do you mean... ah, no. I should... um..." Actually, I was a bit joking there, although I would resort to it if I have to. After all, right now, I'm not Kiryuu, but Reiku. Such a thing was not beyond me. It was interesting to see her reaction so I did go for that. It was interesting to see her conflicted as whether to stick to her pride or admit that I was too much for her to handle. She seem to still be confused. She was adamant, which I have to applaud still. She truly embodied her domain but that foundation was slowly crumbling. She was about to speak when we were both engulfed by a blinding light and found ourselves in a strange place. Part III "Greetings, hero, and the lesser being that was brought with you." "Fu... Lesser being? Says the castrated dog." "Silence, foul being. Thy presence is merely tolerated." We found ourselves in a room that seemed similar to a throne room but with the materials made of white stone and marble. The first one that spoke was a winged man that seemed to be dressed like a clergy. He had black short hair and would probably be described as charismatic and attractive. I think this was one of those moments where a protagonist would wish for their imminent explosion. I wonder why though. The one that reprimanded Lucifer was a winged woman clad in armor. She had a faded blonde hair and would definitely remind someone of a battle maiden. Unlike the seemingly carefree man, she seemed stern. Her figure seemed to influence her armor and I admit that she is quite an attractive woman. Her long hair flowed behind her and it ended in a braid. It reminded me of an actual valkyrie from before. They stood beside an occupied throne between them where a beautiful woman sat crossed legged. Silver white hair, red eyes, while I do appreciate her attractiveness, I felt a nagging sense of frustration and can only assume that she was a goddess. She seemed to have this motherly aura about her as she smiled. Still, as of right now, I still have a negative disposition towards deities. I do not dislike her, yet, but I am on guard. As such, I have decided not to act just yet, to see what they have to say. While it tends to be a common thing where the church or the gods were the true enemy, I would like to hope that it would not be the case here. "Hero, your actions have been recognized. Our goddess, the eldest of those that rule this world wish for you to be her champion." The eldest. So that means that this world was under several divine beings. I would like not to encounter any more of them while I am in this state. If it were myself as Kiryuu, I may have at least opted to listen and possibly negotiate. But as I am now, that's not possible. "And if I refuse?" "Then it would be unfortunate if harm would befall your companions, no?" "As usual, you pompous people use power to get everything in your way!" Lucifer was greatly expressing her anger. I mentally sigh as I ended up in a situation that felt rather cliche. Hm. It would not be cheating to tweak things a bit, maybe? Although the threat made clearly annoyed me. I almost felt my cheek twitch slightly. The man continued to talk. It seems he was using his charisma to sway me to their side, despite making a threat with a smile. I can play that game as well. "Hero, we do not mind if you subjugate pitiful existences such as demon lords. However, those unworthy should not speak without being talked to, correct?" "She is not my subordinate. I was actually thinking of getting rid of her to keep my secret." I heard a small squeak and turned towards the demon lord. As of right now, she was biting her lip but her eyes were somewhat pleading. Alright, I think I'm done messing with her. I think that melted her pride a bit. "Would you like us to dispose her for you? Consider it a gift from us for your future cooperation." "No, she may prove useful but I am unsure yet so..." "W-what are you talking about? I am Lucifer, Demon Lord of Pride! I am certainly far more useful than that airhead Asmodeus!" Oh, so she cracked? I chuckled a bit but I decided to move on with this discussion for now. "Like I said, I'm not really keen on cooperating just yet. It's a bit of a bother. I would have to refuse." "Are you quite sure about that? We cannot guarantee the safety of your companions in the dungeon, after all." "I-Is that so? Can you assure their safety then?" I try to act like I'm threatened but it might seem more like I'm angry. Although that latter part would certainly be the truth. "Our goddess can certainly give them her blessing, even if you have filth among your numbers like that one over there and the mongrel blacksmith." "I see. Then, I would like a written contract please." "I am glad you see it that way." "N-no, hero, you would really go with this?" I walked up to the man who had a scroll materialize in front of him along with a quill. I took hold of the quill and looked at the parchment as if trying to read out the contents. "I do not appreciate you calling one of my wives as a mongrel, though." With a speed that was beyond his recognition, I had stabbed the quill on his neck. My other hand grabbed his hair and drove the quill deeper. With a force beyond human, I dragged the quill across his neck to create a gaping wound. Although stunned at first, the woman aide drew her blade and approached me at blinding speed. Good, it would save me some time anyway. I grabbed the contract and poured energy into it and used it to cut her blade in half. It was an extreme definition of a paper cut. It was funny in its own way. With a flick of my wrist, it rolled into a cylinder with a sharp end with I drove into the chest of the woman. Her armor was useless, ironically providing defenses that were paper against actual paper. As the goddess was about to stand, I extended my free hand out towards her. In that moment, gravity increased a hundredfold and she was forced to sink back into her seat. I was surprised that she survived but I suppose that the resilience of deities are truly something to behold. Still, I heard a few cracks here and there and decided to lighten the burden to keep her alive. "You dare?!" "I dare. Keep this in mind, goddess. This is my warning for even thinking about harming any of my companions. The second one shall be for trying to harm them. If there is a chance that you succeed, I will personally make your life a living hell." I looked at the man that was bleeding out on the floor. He was also resilient and was still alive though his hands grasped his neck and he couldn't speak because of the wound. The armored woman I kept restrained and her struggles were in vain. "You shall not get away with this." "Now, now, it would be a shame if my secret were to be revealed but it would also be shameful if a goddess were found out to be subdued, correct?" "Kuh..." "I'll give you permission to take a peek into my memories if you are capable. Specifically, only the part of what I did to the last goddess that tried to mess with me. She was probably stronger but you are certainly more attractive." There was a bit of an emphasis at the last part. I think everyone else in the room felt some sort of dread, including Lucifer. Also, I think at that point, they saw that Overlord title I got before and I actually felt a bit embarrassed about it. Seriously. I had taken out the paper roll from the woman's chest and thrust my hand into the wound. My fingers grabbed hold of her heart. She screamed in agony but was slowly losing her strength. Just then, I poured my energy from my fingertips and into her heart. Once that was complete, I slowly pulled my hand out. Blood was mixed with something that looked like silver liquid metal and the wound closed. "We will take our leave, for now. I will be taking her along, just in case. Lucifer?" "Y-yes, you do not need to ask. I will serve you from now on." "Very well then. We are leaving." A light slowly enveloped the three of us and we were soon transported out of there and into the dungeon room where everyone else was sleeping. I'm already trying to formulate a story to tell them once they woke up and I am certain that Lucifer and the winged woman would obediently cooperate. But before I left, I made sure a message was heard by the goddess. "Goddess 「Maia」, I pray the next time we meet, you control your lapdog's tongue. For your sake." The story goes that after subduing Lucifer, I was blessed by a being that I have no idea who and was sent the winged woman, whom I found out to be named Myrina, to watch over me. Although the goddess didn't really introduced herself, I could use my Analysis skill on her. In that state, there was no restriction. As for Myrina, I won't force her anything so I simply bound her to keep my secret and be unable to harm any of my companions. She glared at me the whole time but it was probably because I obtained a title among others. Thankfully, only one title was visible but that was still barely a good thing. Since I was turned back to Kiryuu after the others woke up, I felt a bit guilty about threatening the goddess but I believed they brought it to themselves. It's not like Kiryuu and Reiku are separate personalities anyway. I just wanted to make a bit of a distinction. 「Obtained Title: Overlord of Pride」 「Obtained Skill: Dominion」 「Obtained Skill: Prideful Motivation」 Those were visible as I obtained them after Lucifer submitted to me. Dominion greatly enhances party members and companions. I wasn't sure about the specifics yet so I will have to test those out later. The other skill was apparently related to what I said, naming a skill and creating phrases or words to speak before using them enhanced a skill greatly. It would even make sense if I were to shout 'Sneak Attack!' or 'Assassinate!' at times but I would probably avoid that out of pride. Some things would certainly toe the line. 「Obtained Title: He Who Looks Down on Gods」 「Obtained Title: Keeper of Secrets」 「Skill Upgrade: Hidden Origin -> Inversion Reversion」 The two titles, which can thankfully be hidden, are probably related to the incident a while ago. The skill that upgrade now not only allowed me to hide my identity but also allowed me to regain my abilities for a small duration of time. In essence, Lucifer's attempt of Origin Corruption was stronger even though the effect was unintended. Perhaps she was indeed useful if there was an emergency. For some reason her form changed as if she had aged a bit. Was she trying to compete with Asmodeus? She still loses by a bit but I prefer this form than a little girl form. That would give me more trouble, I am sure. However, one thing certainly troubled me but right now, I'm just glad we could rest up and that none of the people I had worked alongside the dungeon was hurt seriously. 「Obtained Title: Enemy of the Pleiades」 Part IV: Enemy Territory "Myrina was taken. How dare he? Shall I proceed to destroy the capital?" "Have you not heard his words, Alexios?" "Forgive me, Maia-sama but should we take his threats seriously? He simply caught us off guard. We simply used too much of our power to commune to him. Yet, his ungrateful—" "Silence!" "F-forgive me..." Right now, the goddess Maia had her eyes closed. While it bothered her that she was given permission, wounding her pride greatly to admit it, she took the opportune moment to scour through the permitted memories. Those memories can be seen through in an instant since time was barely of any consequence to them. She would be able to see through years within but a second. Alexios heard of it and knew what was going on but he was unable to see the memories. However, there was a slight change in the goddess after some time. She started to shake and certain parts of her were stimulated. "H-he tricked me!" "Maia-sama, what happened?" "I saw his memories but... through the eyes of the goddess that he subdued..." '...and yet, I feel so hot...' "Alexios, gather my sisters immediately. Do it in person and in haste." For Alexios, it was an honor to be tasked a mission personally. No doubt that he would waste no time. At the time, he also felt a copious amount of anger but also curiosity. It was the first time he saw the goddess in that state and it frustrated him to no end. For Maia, experiencing such humiliation of being declined by a hero became of no concern once she had a look at the memories. Even though she was tricked into seeing things from the victim's perspective, it helped her gauge her current enemy. He was not one to be taken on alone if it had to come to it. She had to discuss this with her sisters for sure. Once Alexios departed and she was alone, she felt a feeling that she deemed unfitting for a being of her stature. It angered her to an extent and though she had been warned, she could not help but demand retribution. Those threats were not meager. She needed the help of her sisters. '...the next time we meet...' Those words echoed in her ears. She may have not realized that she was looking forward to it.
Thanks. Although slightly delayed because the internet connection at home has been down for two days already. Ugh. Also, I need a new notebook to take note of all the details and foreshadowing so I won't forget them.