010: The Burning Glow
Albion approached the hero. He immediately took off his glove and threw it towards Kiryuu. It was cut in half in mid-air. If that wasn¡¯t enough, it also ignited and burned to ashes.
Shino was glaring at the prince as she sheathed the dagger she hid on her person. She already had a notorious reputation. Agitating the royal guard in this situation would not be favorable for her. But, she could not stand such disrespect.
Dessa cheekily blew out the flame on her fingertips. She winked playfully at the prince and wiggled her finger side to side. She shared the same sentiments with Shino.
¡°Tch, hiding behind women. If you¡¯re a man, then fight me!¡± Albion shouted.
¡°I don¡¯t even know who you are,¡± Kiryuu responded without missing a beat. He pulled Vena and Hilde closer to him. ¡°Jealous, I guess?¡±
¡°He¡¯s the prince of the empire,¡± Hilde elbowed his side for both his words and actions. She didn¡¯t pull away from him though.
She had a bad impression of the prince, Albion. He has been persistent with his visits. He was also fond of bragging about his status as a hero candidate. It was all to get what he wanted. If that didn¡¯t work, he would use his position. If that also failed, he would use threats and violence.
¡°I see,¡± Kiryuu noticed that Albion reacted to how he pulled them close. He leaned his head on Hilde¡¯s shoulder. No reaction. He leaned his head on Vena¡¯s shoulder.
¡®Ah, he¡¯s fuming.¡¯
Hilde chuckled a bit and told Kiryuu how Albion had been fixated on Vena since a few years back. Of course, none of his methods worked as the adventurer¡¯s guild was supported by the kingdom and the empire. Ever since then, the princess had to go with him to keep him in check. ¡°He hasn¡¯t changed a bit.¡±
¡°Y-you¡ª!¡±
Lysis stepped between Albion and Kiryuu. Her men followed behind her, already prepared for an altercation.
¡°I would appreciate it if you would take this elsewhere,¡± she said, eyes dead serious. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me if you¡¯re a prince or a hero. If you cause trouble, I¡¯m putting you down.¡±
¡°Watch me, sister. I will definitely show this man his place,¡± he cracked his knuckles and started to stretch. He changed into simple clothes made for training and exercising. On his waist was a short wooden sword.
¡°Hm? Yeah, sure,¡± ignoring the words of her brother, Albion, was a woman with red hair. He was always like this. She started to go with him for his safety. At first, he didn¡¯t like how he was demoted from envoy to escort. He challenged his sister to a duel. It was a one-sided beatdown.
Her attention was elsewhere. She preferred dungeon crawling instead of this envoy mission. Because of her brother¡¯s arrogance, she was stuck babysitting. He would just flaunt his position even to his escorts, so she was assigned the role. She, too, was a hero candidate. Though, that was common for nobility and royalty so it didn¡¯t mean that much to her. Thankfully, this time was a bit different. She managed to witness something¡ªor someone interesting.
She looked towards the opponent of his brother. He was idly talking to the well known elf receptionist of the guild. He too wore the same set of clothes for training. A genuine hero. She didn¡¯t expect to witness a descent. She had seen summoning rituals but those were done by royal mages. To think that a goddess would personally send someone was unbelievable.
Vena was asking Kiryuu if he was doing alright. He just returned, after all.
¡°I¡¯m fine, don¡¯t worry,¡± he said, kissing her softly on the cheeks.
¡°Kiryuu¡¡±
¡°Vena¡¡±
Thwack!
¡°Stop messing around,¡± Hilde smacked his head playfully with the training wooden sword. She knows that he was doing it on purpose. Albion could see what he was doing. She had to admit, it was a bit sly.
¡°And you, stop getting carried away,¡± Hilde pinched Vena¡¯s cheek a bit.
¡°Mwu¡¡± Vena also knew what he was doing but she wasn¡¯t expecting a kiss.
As Kiryuu went to face Albion, Hilde gently nudged Vena.
¡°How is he?¡± She asked.
¡°He¡¯s genuinely enjoying himself,¡± Vena responded. ¡°He¡¯s also feeling a bit mischievous.¡±
¡°That was fairly obvious a while ago.¡± Hilde heaved a sigh of relief. She was anxious when he returned. He was a little different but she still felt comfortable in his arms. ¡°I mean¡ you saw it, didn¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Yes. It was certainly something I¡¯ve never seen before but¡¡± Vena paused. She still felt a bit guilty for that time.
¡°It¡¯s alright. I was nervous too¡¡± It was when he pulled them into his arms. She was afraid that she would push him away. She was glad it wasn¡¯t the case.
Behind them, Dessa and Shino were having their own discussion. Shino seemed to be worried about something. Dessa kept consoling her. Eventually, Shino went and whispered something to Vena.
¡°Wait,¡± Hilde looked at the training sword in her hand. ¡°He forgot this.¡±
¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is a correction. I wasn¡¯t expecting this immediately after the declaration,¡± Kiryuu muttered to himself. There exist occurrences called ¡®corrections¡¯. A hero finding the last ounce of strength to win. A villain on the verge of escape, only to be mauled by a passing demonic beast. It could be an unexpected meeting of people fated to be together.
Fate? Destiny? Karma? Red string of fate? Those were all corrections. As far as he knew, the more prominent a divine presence is, the more likely there are to be corrections. These can come from either deities or the will of the world.
¡°I¡¯ll ask Maia later,¡± he shrugged and faced the prince, who stood a few meters from him.
¡°I commend you for accepting my challenge,¡± Albion pointed the sword at Kiryuu. ¡°I have spent the past years honing my skills. That elf woman will be¡ª¡±
An elbow interrupted his monologue. Kiryuu had already closed the gap and ¡®nudged¡¯ Albion¡¯s face. He almost forgot to hold back when Vena was referred to as ¡®that elf woman¡¯.
Albion staggered backward a few steps. He placed a hand on his face. There was a painful sensation on his upper lip. He tasted iron.
¡°H-how dare you¡ª¡± There was no one in front of him. He heard some shuffling behind him and turned around and¡ªthere was no one there either. He could only see his sister, chuckling.
¡°Behind you,¡± she said, amused.
Albion turned around only to be met with a right hook. He fell back onto his rear and grasped his jaw.
¡°C-cheater! I wasn¡¯t ready!¡± He tried to get up but stumbled to the side.
¡°Fine then,¡± Kiryuu walked back to his initial position. It was obvious that he was playing around. "Let''s start over."
From an outsider¡¯s point of view, Kiryuu disappeared from his spot. He immediately appeared in front of Albion. Shino and Vena recognized that move. It was the one he copied from Shino.
It was followed up with an elbow strike. If he had aimed at the jaw, he could have knocked out Albion. Instead, he tried to aim for the nose but barely missed. Once more, he used the same move to reposition himself. He had his back towards Albion and faced Fianna. He bowed courteously towards her before the prince sensed his presence. By the time Albion turned around, Kiryuu already moved and was preparing his right hook.
Kiryuu went back to his original spot and taunted Albion with a hand gesture. It was as if he was goading the prince with ¡®come at me¡¯.
It worked. Albion was provoked.
¡°[Star of Aries, heed my call.]¡±
A magic circle appeared under Kiryuu.
¡®A slow spell. I could dispel this right now. I only need to interrupt the formation but¡ I guess I can wait a bit.¡¯
¡°[Embrace my foe in eternal torment. Flame prison!]¡±
He smirked. He thought that an otherworlder would see magic for the first time. He was certain that the hero was confused. Now it is too late to escape the spell.
Flames erupted from the ground and swallowed Kiryuu. The flames spun into a sphere and enclosed him. Those outside could see a silhouette of his form. He wasn¡¯t taking any action.
¡°Now then,¡± Kiryuu said as he was encased in flame.
¡°[Status]¡±
|Kiryuu
|Hero of the Goddess
|STR: E?
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.|DEX: E?
|CON: E?
|INT: E?
|WIS: E?
|CHR: E?
| Unique Ability: Conqueror
| Sealed Ability: Rapid Movement
| Sealed Ability: Mana Manipulation
| Sealed Ability: Physical Enhancement
| Sealed Ability: Sleight of Hand
¡°Woah, nice,¡± he said as he looked at his updated status. The cross marks were still faint but they were there. He read on a bit. He initially thought that sealed abilities couldn¡¯t be used. It turns out that he could use them but not at their full potential. There were conditions for them to be unlocked. There was nothing stated on what those conditions were.
This was like how he originally planned it. He would need to make an effort to recover his abilities. It would seem that it adapted to the system of the world. He found no issues with that.
¡°Now then,¡± he banished his status card and cracked his knuckles. ¡°Let¡¯s test this out.¡±
¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Hilde furrowed her brow. Given how Kiryuu moved a while ago, it was highly unlikely for him to get caught. She guessed that he let himself get caught on purpose.
¡°He¡¯s testing something,¡± Dessa responded. She could see the flow of mana and saw that there was a shell between Kiryuu and the flames. That mana control was crude. But, with each second, the flow of mana started to get more refined. She understood. He was regaining his abilities. She couldn¡¯t help but show excitement.
Kiryuu¡¯s silhouette held his hand out. The flames were suddenly blown away, only to gather into his palm. The flames burned brighter as they formed into a ball the size of an adult¡¯s head.
¡°W-what?!¡± Albion saw that Kiryuu was unscathed. ¡°That¡¯s not fair! How could you escape that?!¡±
¡°Catch,¡± Kiryuu said, as the ball of flame shot out towards the prince.
¡°S-star¡ star¡¡± Albion stuttered as the ball of flame rapidly approached.
Then, the fire dissipated and completely dispersed. It wasn¡¯t what Kiryuu intended. Someone else interfered. He noticed and closed the distance between them. The flame ended up as the perfect distraction so he could deliver a left hook. He hit Albion square on the jaw and followed up with an uppercut as a finisher. He maintained that pose as his opponent was knocked out.
The princess simply looked at her brother on the ground.
¡°Will someone please get this fool out of here?¡± She requested while prodding her brother with her foot. Ah, he''s breathing. Two of the knights from Lysis¡¯ unit went and fetched the prince. They had to make sure there were no serious injuries, just to be sure. There were a lot of witnesses. Albion would not be able to accuse Kiryuu of any false charges. That, and Fianna watched the entire thing.
¡°You made a good show out of it,¡± the princess addressed Kiryuu and approached him.
¡°I admit that I was feeling mischievous,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯m not going to apologize.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine. He needed to be brought down a peg¡ or ten,¡± she sighed. ¡°My mother has been spoiling him so much. It all went to his head.¡±
¡°You protected him, didn¡¯t you?¡±
¡°Eh? You noticed?¡± She chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s still my younger brother, after all. I don¡¯t want him getting disfigured by that attack.¡±
¡°You don¡¯t think he could handle it? That armor looked decent enough.¡±
¡°I don¡¯t doubt the armor¡¯s protection. I was just surprised how densely concentrated the mana was in that ball of flame.¡±
¡°You still extinguished it fairly easily,¡± he already knew who it was that interfered.
¡°Wanna have a go?¡± Her real intention slipped out. She knew that her brother was no match for a hero. She didn¡¯t expect the hero to do some interesting things. It got her all fired up.
¡°I would be honored.¡±
Fianna smiled and picked up the training sword that her brother dropped.
Kiryuu nodded as he sensed an object flying towards his head at an impressive speed. He smirked and reached out his hand to catch it without looking.
Unfortunately, he was completely off the mark and it smacked him on the head. He turned around and looked at Hilde, who stuck her tongue out at him. She was adept with throwing weapons. Throwing the training sword toward his hand would be easy. She felt like he was getting a bit too friendly with the princess so she went for the head.
Kiryuu rubbed the back of his head as he picked up the training sword. He gave it a couple of practice swings before facing the princess.
¡°Shall we?¡±
Fianna dashed, immediately closing the gap. She swung her weapon at him. It was a clean cut to the neck.
But, for Kiryuu, Shino was faster. He took a step back and leaned enough to dodge with minimal movement.
Fianna immediately followed up that missed swing with a thrust. Kiryuu took in a deep breath and disappeared from her sight.
¡°Got you!¡± Fianna fired off a spell behind her at that moment. Flames erupted towards where Kiryuu appeared.
¡°Woah there!¡± He immediately enchanted the outer layer of the training sword. He swiped at the flames with it to disperse them. He tilted his neck to the side. Fianna had used the flames as a cover and had thrust at him.
Her sword whizzed by his ear. He stepped forward and aimed a knee at her abdomen. She blocked it with her free arm. They were too close to swing their swords. Both of them tilted their heads back and lunged at each other.
There was an unpleasant sound when they collided. They staggered away from each other, dazed and clutching their heads.
Fianna recovered first and fired a flame lance towards Kiryuu. He quickly inhaled and disappeared. She was waiting for this moment. She noticed that he had to take in a deep breath every time he disappeared. She was not sure what the skill was exactly.
There were three possibilities for the skill: movement, teleportation, or time manipulation.
She crossed out time manipulation. It would have been handy during their close quarters encounter. It wouldn¡¯t have been a draw if he could manipulate time. That was her assumption.
It was either teleportation or movement. The former didn¡¯t need travel but has a set destination. The latter required travel but was more flexible. She felt that he was still testing this ability. Either he could only teleport a set distance or he could not yet fully control the rapid movement.
She estimated the distance where he would reappear. The flame lance was just a bait. She turned around and swung her sword. Kiryuu appeared just as she predicted. He should have no time to inhale.
He smirked as he disappeared. The sword hit nothing but air. He appeared in the same spot. She swung her sword again but he ducked to avoid it. He grabbed her wrist and her collar. The next she saw was her vision tumbling upside down as he had thrown her down on the ground.
¡°Hah¡ I see¡ I was the one¡ baited,¡± she tried to catch her breath.
¡°Your guess was pretty close,¡± he said. ¡°You were just a bit off the mark.¡±
It was a movement skill as she thought. Due to the sealed state, there were limits to what he could do. He had to stop breathing when he activated the skill. When she predicted where he was going to appear, he still had enough breath to perform it two more times. He gambled on those times as he performed the skill in rapid succession. The first was to dodge the blow. The second was to get back into position.
¡°It¡¯s my loss,¡± she admitted
¡°It was a good fight,¡± he said as he helped her get up.
¡°The goddess has picked a good hero this time.¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡±
¡°Usually, otherworlder heroes tend to be¡ inexperienced. Instead, they have the blessing and the potential of growing at an outstanding rate.¡±
¡°So you train them?¡±
¡°Yes, we train them to get them accustomed to fighting. Our court mages should be performing the summoning ritual soon.¡±
The same could be said for the kingdom. Their hero summoning ritual would be done in the next few days. It was a bit delayed due to the Asmodeus incident. Also, a certain priestess escaped to join a feast instead of resting.
¡°If you ever visit the empire, please let me know.¡±
¡°I will keep that in mind.¡±
He offered his hand, which she gladly shook.
¡°You¡¯re really something, aren¡¯t you?¡± Hilde and the others had approached.
¡°Indeed. He was even faster than when we first fought,¡± Shino said. She knew well how that skill worked. She could probably replicate what he did but it might take her a while to master. ¡°Using that skill in rapid succession. I never thought of using it like that.¡±
She would use it to close the gap between her and the target. It was enough to take someone down. When faced against several opponents, she would jump into a blind spot. It gave her enough time to use that skill again. It was impossible for her to change directions during movement. Instead, he used in rapid succession. He was able to move back enough to dodge and immediately return to counterattack.
¡°That mana control is something else too,¡± Dessa chimed in. She had a sparkle in her eyes and was almost drooling. ¡°Master. I¡¯d like to request your help in the forge some time.¡±
Dealing with material with high magic conductivity requires talent. Controlling and manipulating mana with precision is a must. A talented blacksmith needs to be proficient in these fields. Especially if they wish to create enchanted or magic items.
Dessa already knew that Kiryuu has high quality mana. She didn¡¯t know he was good in controlling it too. It was yet to be seen if he was as precise as her on manipulation and control. If he assisted her in created a weapon for him, she might be able to finely tune that weapon. It would be a legendary weapon that would synchronize perfectly with him. A weapon befitting of a hero.
¡°Heh¡¡± Fianna looked at the women before her before she turned back to Kiryuu.
¡°I do wonder. Who in the world are you?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right, Kiryuu,¡± Vena held onto his arm and smiled. Dangerously. ¡°I think you owe us an explanation.¡±
Dessa was chuckling to herself. She only caught a glimpse of his memories but she was certain where her loyalties lie.
¡°Erm. Um. Why don¡¯t we talk about it over dinner?¡± He owed them at least that much.
Meanwhile, Rionna had gone over to the unconscious prince. She already checked and made sure that he didn¡¯t have any internal injuries. He would wake up in a while¡ probably.
¡°How should I report this?¡± Lysis asked Rionna, keeping her voice low.
¡°The prince¡¯s attitude is already known. He was foolish to challenge the hero that was able to subjugate a demon lord.¡±
¡°He also defeated that woman in combat, huh?¡±
¡°Yes. I did not see it but I got the details from Vena.¡±
¡°I see. Should we warn the nobles?¡±
¡°No, let them do what they want. It will be their own undoing,¡± Rionna chuckled to herself. Lysis felt a shiver down her spine. ¡°Those foolish enough to do anything to him should prepare for the consequences. This would be a good way to weed them out.¡±
¡°I¡¯m relieved that he is not an enemy of the kingdom,¡± Lysis sighed and shook her head.
¡°You could offer yourself to him if you¡¯re that worried,¡± Rionna teased.
¡°Please don¡¯t say something so frightening with a bright smile,¡± Lysis groaned. Her duty was to the kingdom. If she were told to offer herself to ensure its safety and prosperity, she would do so. Thankfully, it might not have to come to that. She is completely inexperienced with such things.
¡°Ara~ Even the queen might offer herself, you know?¡±
¡°¡¡°
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°Hiya!¡± Lysis chopped Rionna on the head. ¡°Do take care to avoid insinuating such things. It would lead to bad rumors.¡±
¡°Fine, fine,¡± she rubbed her head and cast minor healing to relieve the pain.
Rionna kept her eyes on the empire¡¯s princess. The empire should be almost ready to perform the summoning ritual.
The appearance of the first hero is usually a sign. The arrival of the other heroes are nearing. News will spread soon. The first hero descended on the kingdom. The kingdom itself was ready to perform their own summoning ritual.
The principality wouldn¡¯t be performing any summons. They already have candidates waiting to be chosen. There was always at least one hero chosen from the principality.
Soon, the demon lords will show themselves. Asmodeus was the only one that tried to integrate into their society. The other demon lords fought until the end. They either died or hid elsewhere. Those demon lords will either revive or reveal themselves soon. This cycle was interesting. It was the first cycle where a demon lord would ally herself with the hero before the wheels are set into motion.
¡°We¡¯re going to be very busy.¡± Rionna muttered to no one in particular.
011: Cold and Lost in Desperation
After their sparring, Kiryuu managed to convince them to discuss things over a meal. Filled with curiosity, the princess gladly welcomed the invitation. Rionna was adamant on having another feast but Lysis dragged her away. She will take part with the upcoming hero summoning along with the other priestesses. She still turned up during dinner though. She escaped while Lysis and her team were busy with guarding the prince.
The prince was livid when he regained consciousness. He walked away on his own and left her sister alone. He planned to go to a brothel but Lysis warned him. Should he vent out his frustration on someone else, she will hunt him down. He tried to talk back but her killing intent rendered him speechless.
Raful has been managing the guild in Hilde¡¯s place so he couldn¡¯t attend. Kiryuu thought that Raful seemed more like a guildmaster than Hilde. She seemed to sense this so she glared at him. He pretended not to notice and avoided her gaze.
People were more festive right now because of the heroic descent. It was something they had never seen before. Most of the adventurers were out drinking and celebrating.
¡°It¡¯s fine as long as I don¡¯t drink,¡± Rionna said with a wink.
¡°You never change,¡± Fianna addressed her.
¡°You¡¯ve grown quite a lot.¡±
The two knew each other from their adventuring days. Rionna was already a veteran when she met the princess. It was during a battle against the demons. Adventurers and reinforcements were dispatched to the empire. Back then, the princess was still a promising new adventurer.
Upon hearing this, Kiryuu wondered how old Rionna was. He kept it to himself but Rionna was smiling at him. He felt a menacing aura from her. He decided to change the topic.
¡°It must be a pain being a babysitter,¡± Kiryuu told Fianna.
¡°It¡¯s annoying but someone has to do it,¡± she turned her attention to him. She looked at their circle and couldn''t help but chuckle.
Kiryuu, the hero who descended from the goddess herself. Seated beside him were Vena and Hilde. The popular and cute guild receptionist, and the notorious and attractive guild master.
Dessa sat beside Hilde, and Shino beside Vena. A well-known master artisan and an infamous deadly beauty.
The kind and gentle priestess Rionna sat next to Dessa. Fianna, the flame princess of the Empire, sat between Shino and Rionna.
¡°This is such a grand table,¡± she chuckled and turned to Shino. ¡°I never thought I¡¯d find myself seated next to you.¡±
¡°Likewise,¡± Shino nodded and drank from her cup.
¡°Anyway,¡± she noticed that Shino was brooding over something else. She turned to Kiryuu. ¡°What¡¯s your story?¡±
Heads turned toward him. They were also curious. Even though Dessa was able to peer through his mind, there were too many things to piece things together. All she could remember was that feeling of incredible curiosity. It was an exhilarating thirst.
¡°That¡¯s right, Kiryuu,¡± Vena said. She was seated beside him and had her arm wrapped around his. He escaped explaining earlier because of that encounter with the prince. There was no way out this time.
¡°Geez, stop using your eyes. I¡¯m not going to lie,¡± he gently placed his hand over Vena¡¯s eyes.
¡°Fine,¡± she pouted and pushed his hand away.
He pondered for a bit. It was difficult to explain in full detail. He started explaining in the simplest terms he could think of. It was up to them whether they believe him or not.
¡°I¡¯m a wanderer,¡± he started. ¡°I travel between worlds. Sometimes it¡¯s within my control. Sometimes it just happens without my knowledge.¡±
He paused for a bit and scratched the back of his head. ¡°Anyway, moving on. When I was transported into this world, it seemed that I encountered certain issues. An outside force meddled with my travel. I lost my memories because of that.¡±
There was no lie in what he said. He was only telling them what was needed, of course, so he wasn¡¯t lying.
¡°The goddess was able to call out to me. She had been watching from the beginning. It was thanks to her that I was able to recover my memories but¡¡±
He looked at his hand for a bit. Slowly, he clenched it into a fist. ¡°In return, she chose me as her hero. Something like that.¡±
¡°¡¡±
There was complete silence. His story was a difficult pill to swallow. It only gave more questions than answers.
Dessa¡¯s eyes were sparkling. She got up and walked up behind him. She embraced him tightly. Her chest pressed against his back. He could definitely feel a soft alluring sensation.
¡°Master~¡± She was slightly drooling. Her true intentions showed. ¡°Those memories of yours, please let me see more of them~¡±
¡°Mn¡¡± Vena could see that Kiryuu was definitely stimulated by Dessa¡¯s chest. She pouted and pressed closer to him. She pressed her chest against his arm.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Hilde hit all three of them on the head.
¡°You¡¡± Pervert is what she was about to call him. Though, she was also envious and wanted to snuggle up to him a bit.
Kiryuu wrapped an arm around Hilde¡¯s waist and pulled her close. He kissed her cheek and Hilde started turning a shade of red. When he nuzzled her neck, it caught her by surprise. She elbowed his side before hiding her flustered face.
¡°Master~ I want a kiss too!¡± Dessa joined in and continued to cling onto him.
Vena sighed and shook her head. There was a desire for her to monopolize him. But that was how it was with heroes and otherworlders. Her attention shifted to Shino, who was simply spectating.
¡°You¡¯re getting worried for nothing,¡± she told her. She noticed how chaotic her aura was recently. It was as if she would crumble at a single touch.
¡°Mistress, I¡¡±
¡°Just ask him yourself. It¡¯s not like you need my permission for everything.¡± Vena was flattered that Shino held her in high regard. Shino recognized Vena as the legal wife in this situation.
¡°I¡ very well,¡± she nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±
¡°Heh¡ so there¡¯s already a hierarchy, huh?¡± Fianna couldn¡¯t help but chime in. She intended to lighten the mood.
It worked well enough and Rionna started to tease Vena about it. Their small celebration continued until Lysis barged in and dragged Rionna away. It was then that they bid each other their farewells.
The princess had some business left with the queen so she left with Lysis. She also helped drag away Rionna. The priestess kept insisting on having just one drink but everyone knew she won¡¯t stop at just one.
Hilde and Vena decided to drop by the guild first. They need to update Raful on how things went. Things weren¡¯t as busy as it normally was. But, they still had to make sure things were running smoothly.
Dessa went back to her shop. She had a lot to prepare. She requested that Kiryuu visit her shop soon. She wanted to make him a weapon. A weapon to surpass all legendary weapons.
Kiryuu and Shino returned to the inn they were staying at. While on the way, Kiryuu spoke up.
¡°Is something bothering you?¡± He asked.
¡°Master, I¡ no, I am simply in awe at your strength,¡± she replied with hesitation.
¡°I see,¡± he knew that it was not the case. He wouldn¡¯t force her to speak up. He could. After all, she was his slave. He never felt that was the case. Even though he lost his memories at the time, he was certain of one thing. Something drew them together. It might be a correction. It might be something called a trope.
It hasn¡¯t been that long since their paths crossed. He wanted to continue treading the same path with her and everyone else.
¡°You¡¯re always welcome to talk to me when you feel like it,¡± he assured her.
¡°Thank you¡¡± She bowed her head. They didn¡¯t talk even after they reached the inn. They went to their respective beds to rest.
But as he expected, she went to his room for a nightly visit. It was impressive. Her presence was almost undetectable. He pretended to sleep.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
¡°¡¡±
It didn¡¯t work.
¡°Master¡ you are awake, are you not?¡± She immediately saw through his ruse.
¡°Yeah,¡± he sat up and looked at her. He wondered if she was just guessing.
¡°Allow me to service you,¡± she said as she climbed onto the bed and sat on his lap. She wore only her lingerie. She tried pressing her body against his but he stopped her.
¡°What are you up to?¡± Something felt wrong. It was like the last time she tried this.
¡°I only wish to be of use to you, Master.¡±
He combed his fingers through her hair. ¡°You can tell me anything.¡±
¡°I¡ please hold me.¡±
¡°Alright,¡± he pulled her head to his chest and embraced her.
¡°Master.¡±
¡°Hm?¡±
¡°Please don¡¯t throw me away,¡± she said weakly.
¡°What are you talking about?¡± He stroked her hair and tried to comfort her.
¡°What did you even buy me for?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he admitted. He had no memories then. ¡°At the time, I thought to myself, ¡®I must have this woman¡¯.¡±
When they first met, she saw nothing from him, not even a speck of strength. She refused to acknowledge him.
Yet, she lost. She believed that perhaps she was simply unable to comprehend his strength so her eyes did not work. She was right.
When he descended, her eyes showed her a small glowing light on his chest. That light grew and expanded outward limitlessly. She was blinded by his radiance. That light settled and everything appeared normal. She realized it. She was too occupied looking for any semblance of his strength. She did not realize how it was already beyond her.
It was the first time she saw a person with such a mysterious power. She wanted to be by his side. She wanted to walk with him. But he was too far and out of her reach. Something stirred inside her.
She saw herself being left behind. Thrown away. Those thoughts continued to plague her. It brought back terrible memories. There was a voice she had not heard from in years. It started to cry out.
¡°Useless things get thrown away,¡± she muttered as she held onto his shirt. ¡°Useless things get thrown away.¡±
She continued to repeat those words, almost in a trance. She was at her limit. She was unable to keep this up any longer.
Kiryuu gently tilted her head up so she could look at him.
¡°Master, please don¡¯t throw me away! I will do anything! Anything!¡± She was frantic.
¡°Just what did they put you through?¡± He wondered.
¡°This worthless one¡ this¡ this¡¡± She clung onto him.
Shino Tsubasa.
It was the name she was given. It meant she was finally worth something. It meant she had a purpose. She no longer remembers her old name.
Most of them were orphans of war. Some were sold by parents who could not afford another mouth to feed. A handful of them were like her.
Otherworlders.
They were a prized catch. Otherworlds tend to have a rare or unique skill. She had her eyes. She could perceive and assess someone¡¯s strength or threat level. That alone was pointless. She was still physically unable to fight. She was caught all too easily.
Some had better skills. They were worth more. Perhaps it was a blessing that she was not among them. Those otherworlders were turned into experiments. They were bought and broken by people fascinated by skills. Most of the experiments were about replicating or transferring skills. It seemed that the rarer a skill was, the harder it is to replicate or transfer.
Those like her with negligible skills were thrown among the generic haul. They were told to do only one thing. Survive.
The first thing they were told to do so was to forget their names. They were assigned numbers. Those will be their identities until they were given worth. Their names were beaten out of their bodies. Every time they were asked of their identity, they need to answer by their number. Anything else was a wrong answer. Wrong answers meant beatings, or worse.
During the day, they were tossed into the wild. They had until the setting of the sun to return. There were magical beasts being raised in that area. At night, those beasts were more active. If they could not return, they would serve as feed.
Those that could get back before the sun sets were given a hard piece of bread and a bowl of watered down soup. They were allowed to sleep inside the warehouses. There were no beds but they had a roof over their heads.
Those who got back at night were refused any food. They were also not allowed to sleep inside. They had to endure the cold.
The assaults began at night. Those outside were the first targets. They served as stress relievers. Being beaten was the least of their worries. After all, they were not worth anything to these people.
As they were abused, they kept being told that it¡¯s their own fault. They were weak. They were worthless. They deserved this.
Shino was known as number 26535 then. During the first night, she was unable to return in time. The cold made it difficult for her to sleep. She easily noticed the men approaching because of her eyes. They showed her bright wisps of light approaching. She hid herself on the edge of the forest and saw everything.
The next night, those eyes helped her find the way back faster. She wanted to return late but her hunger won in the end. Still, she waited for others to arrive before she returned. She dreaded being alone in that place.
It was crude but food is food. After her meal, she slept immediately even though it wasn¡¯t dark yet. She wanted to wake up before the sun sets so she can find a place to hide.
She failed.
As she was trying to leave the shelter, she was spotted. She was caught and dragged back inside.
They next day, she was sore all over but was given no rest. They were thrown into the wild again. She tried to find food but it was fruitless. She returned. She gulped down her soup and took her bread. She then went out and ran back into the forest.
Some started to do the same, getting only their daily rations and hiding nearby. Not everyone could do it. There were still those that remained during the night. They simply accepted the assault.
At one time a young girl was dragged away. She kept a rock on her person. When she found the chance, she hit her captor on the head. She wailed on him and bashed his head. His friends tried to help but a man told them to just watch. He had an air of authority around him. He was addressed as Boss Rayis.
After she was done, Rayis clapped and congratulated her. She was now worth something. When he approached, she tried to fight back but was easily overwhelmed. He tossed her to the other men. He told them to teach her the basics.
Rayis turned to the forest. He smirked. The men started to enter the forest. They caught everyone hiding nearby and gathered them in front of their boss. Those in the shelter were also gathered outside. Shino thought her hiding spot was good but she was still found. Even those that climbed trees were caught.
They were all given soft bread and warm soup. They were cautious at first. Shino caved at the smell of the soup and gave in. She felt alive for the first time. The soup had taste and the bread didn¡¯t feel like a rock passing through her body.
¡°Do anything and everything to survive. Throw away everything else,¡± Rayis said. ¡°A moment of silence for those unable to return. At least they fed my pets.¡±
He addressed those that kept staying at the shelter. In particular, there were those that did not put up any resistance after a while. ¡°You useless lot. Well, you still managed to return so we will find some use for you. Be grateful.¡±
He then turned to those caught in the forest. ¡°Those that adapted and tried to hide, good. You have some bit of worth.¡±
He turned to the girl that attacked one of his men. ¡°You should strive to be like her. Do everything you need to survive.¡±
¡°But remember this. I own every single one of you,¡± he said. ¡°So you damn better be useful.¡±
He turned to the man with his face caved in. He was still breathing but barely. Rayis took a vial from his pocket and poured it on the man. His wounds rapidly recovered.
¡°Thanks, boss,¡± the man said and got up. He felt his face for any abnormalities. It still felt a bit sore but he was healed.
¡°Don¡¯t thank me,¡± Rayis said and gestured to the other men. ¡°Thank you for your contribution.¡±
The other men started to drag him away and into the forest. The man started to panic and pleaded for his life. ¡°Wait! Boss! I¡¯m sorry! Don¡¯t throw me in there! Don¡¯t throw me in there!¡±
¡°I have no use for idiots that get bested by a young untrained girl,¡± he said. ¡°Well, you could still be pet food.¡±
Shino later learned that the man was bound and left to be feasted on by the beasts. Those beasts had been trained to be aggressive toward humans. They were mainly bought or rented for cleanup and disposal. The clients were usually those that do not want to leave any trace of their victims.
The first group was trained to be spies. They were used mainly to gather information. They had little combat ability but were proficient in escaping. Those that failed were sent to nobles that offered a lot of money. The younger and more attractive ones fetched a higher price.
The second group was given combat training. The girl was included in this group. They were trained to be assassins. The first thing they mastered was hiding their presence. Anyone caught within a time limit was beaten half to death. They were given a potion to help them recover. It did wonders physically, but not mentally.
Then every night, they were given a target and a wooden stick with red dye. They were only allowed to attack their target or anyone that would attack them. In the morning, those that had the least red dyes on them were given a more luxurious breakfast.
Their last test was held in the forest. They were each given a target in the group to kill. To pass, they need to survive by nightfall and kill their target. They can also kill their assigned assassin and they would pass.
Those that passed from both groups were finally given names.
Years passed and the organization continued to thrive in the underground. It was not until recently that it was brought down.
Rayis was a war profiteer. He would profit from the conflict between nobles. His network extended until the underground of the empire and the principality. It was through the effort of the late king and the heroes that his organization was shut down.
It was revealed that he was an otherworlder summoned by the empire. Because he had no skills, he was tossed away by the previous king. He was only able to obtain skills because of his experiments. He could stand against the elite knights but was still no match for a hero.
They brought him down and captured him. He was executed via bronze bull. But at the time, instead of screams of agony, maniacal laughter echoed until his death.
A few weeks after that came the massacre of the royal family. The remaining assassins were given one last mission. Rayis knew his end was near. They timed it right as the adopted princess was away.
She immediately returned upon hearing the news. She fought off the assassins and took them down. She wanted to keep them alive. When they realized they were no match for a hero, they ran away. They were found dead soon. They took their own lives by ingesting poison. Shino was the only one that kept fighting. When she finally gave up, she tried to take her own life but was stopped by the hero princess.
Shino thought that perhaps her opponent wanted to finish her herself. She laid down her arms and knelt on the floor. She closed her eyes, waiting for her death. At the very least, she thought, she was useful until the end.
Instead, she was placed under a binding spell until the slave crest was embedded onto her body. The princess told her that death was an escape, not a punishment. She needed to atone.
Shino lost her purpose. She thought that she might find it as a criminal slave but her previous buyers were all trash. They only wanted her for her body or their own sadistic needs. She was still able to defend herself but she was not allowed to kill. She kept running away. She had nowhere else to go but the slave merchant.
¡°I am the only one left,¡± Shino snuggled up against him. ¡°Even I am forbidden to take my own life. I envy that girl who fought back.¡±
¡°The one with the rock?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Shino said. ¡°She never got her name.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Kiryuu continued to stroke her hair.
¡°It was during the final test,¡± she said. ¡°She was my target.¡±
012: A Moment is All We Are
¨ˆHero? What a joke. Quit this farce. This is what happens when you try to be something you¡¯re not, after all.
?There must be a way.
¨ˆDo you think of her as a broken vase? That previous girl, perhaps. But this one¡ this one is as good as powdered dust.
?Then I will mold that dust into a finer vessel.
¨ˆHow? You can barely hold yourself together, ¡®hero¡¯.
?Lies¡ I¡¯m perfectly fine.
¨ˆYou¡¯re falling apart at the seams. And you¡¯re bringing everything down with you.
?I can fix this. I can still make this work.
¨ˆAdmit it. This is still just another story to you.
?Shut up¡
¨ˆWhat makes you any different from the deities you used to abhor?
?I¡
¡°...I don¡¯t know¡¡±
¡°Master?¡± Shino looked up Kiryuu. He seemed to be in a trance. She tried to pull away but he tightened his embrace.
Kiryuu blinked several times and snapped out of his trance. He heard a faint snapping sound in his head.
¡°Master, are you alright?¡±
¡°Shino,¡± he stroked her hair and sighed.
¡°Yes?¡± It surprised her but she enjoyed the sensation nonetheless.
¡°What is it you truly wish for?¡± His words made it seem as if time had stopped.
She went through a great ordeal. There was but one thing he could do. It was dangerous but he could make it so those things never happened. But there were a lot of repercussions. He would have to deal with every one of them. The risk of the Will of the World finding him out at that would be really high. There was also the risk of creating a domino effect and causing all kinds of problems. He would have to fix those as well.
But if he succeeded, that would invalidate everything she went through. All her pain and suffering, gone. But so would the person she became today.
She told him her story but he felt there was something more. He refused to believe that her desire was something as simple as ¡®being useful¡¯. There was turmoil. He had been trying to wrap his head around it.
She had tried to seduce him at first. But then, she was pushing him away when he wanted to treat her as a comrade. Now, she was offering her body so he wouldn¡¯t throw her away. Her actions have been contradictory, almost as if there was an inner conflict.
¡°I¡¡± Shino had already let go of who she was in the past. Her name. Her old world. Her family. During her ¡®training¡¯, they hammered those things out of her. But they were not able to take away one thing she held onto all this time. Ever since she found herself in that horrible situation, she only wanted one thing.
To be saved.
All those years, she clung onto the hope that someone would save her from her misery. She couldn¡¯t run away. There were eyes and ears everywhere. Death was not an option either. She was afraid of what they would do to her body or soul if she died. After all, she had already seen Rayis do things that should have been impossible.
Her experience warped her. The steel-willed survivor kept the facade. The one that wanted to be saved was buried deep within her. Her words became twisted.
¡®You are not worthy to be my master¡¯ meant that the person just wanted her for her body. After she got her name, the only ones allowed to touch her were the higher ups. They were ¡®the worthy ones¡¯ according to Rayis. She didn¡¯t want her body to be defiled any more than it already was.
¡®You are not strong enough¡¯ meant that the person held promise. But she was subconsciously comparing them to her old master. She wanted to be with someone stronger than Rayis. She feared his return. She wanted to be freed from her shackles.
The hero princess, now currently the queen, held the most promise. Because of her, the organization fell. As they executed their leader, she thought that she was finally free. She hoped that she would be out of his reach. She offered her neck in the end. She felt relieved. Her suffering would finally come to an end
But she was denied. Atonement? What bullshit was that? Hasn¡¯t she already suffered enough?
She resigned to her fate. Waiting until the time where Rayis would return. A nagging feeling gnawed at her. The feeling that her old master would find a way to return. No one else could save her. No one else could help her. Everyone that wanted to buy her were not worthy nor strong enough.
Except¡
The past days caused her turmoil. The strong but chained exterior. The weak and caged interior. One desperate not to be thrown away. The other begging to be saved this entire time. Recently, that exterior started to crumble and the voice within her started to claw her way out.
She looked up at him. Her eyes started to water. A moment of weakness was all took for her lips to quiver.
¡®Save me.¡¯
¡°Hmm~¡± Dessa hummed to herself as she was organizing her tools. She took the ingot from before and rubbed it on her cheek. The idea of crafting a weapon that would surpass anything she had ever created made her drool a bit.
She send a presence and turned around. A shadowy figure stood behind her. It tried to grab her but a serpentine tail sent it flying toward the wall. Her lower half had transformed into something like a snake¡¯s. This was Asmodeus¡¯ demon lord form.
She slithered over to the figure. Several rainbow colored feathers shot out toward her. They bounced off an invisible barrier.
She constrained the figure with her tail and pulled them closer.
¡°Lucy,¡± Asmodeus smiled as she recognized the figure. An attractive slender woman garbed in a dark red gothic dress with black trimmings. Her golden hair was tied up in a ponytail, complimented by a red ribbon.
¡°It¡¯s Lucifer!¡± She glared at Asmodeus with her golden eyes.
Asmodeus loosened her hold and placed Lucifer down onto the floor.
¡°What are you doing here, Lucy?¡±
¡°Lucifer!¡± She repeated. Asmodeus always shortened her name. It was irritating. The others may be fine with their nicknames but not her.
¡°Yes, yes, Lucy. What are you doing here?¡± As always, Asmodeus ignored her objections.
¡°Y-you¡¡± Lucifer sighed and shook her head. ¡°Whatever. I heard that you got hooked by a hero, is that right?¡±
She heard that Asmodeus was defeated by a hero and became a familiar. Some of the rumors went as far saying she was one of his slaves or lovers. For Lucifer, this seemed more like standard deception. She could not accept that a demon lord would be defeated by a hero so early in the cycle. After all, the seven demon lords are extremely powerful beings. Asmodeus is the weakest when it comes to raw strength. But she should have no problems dealing with an inexperienced hero. Asmodeus was one of the more crafty ones. When it comes to craftiness, they couldn¡¯t hold a candle to Satan. That vixen was one hell of a schemer.
Picture this: a hero overflowing with the desire for women plus the demon lord of lust. Lucifer had that kind of scenario written in her head.
She believed that it was actually the hero that was defeated and enamored. An otherworlder became a candidate. But Asmodeus was already manipulating his emotions and desires. Unable to control his lust, he would end up a puppet to the demon lord. It was easy to cloud his mind with promises and rewards that would fulfill his lust. It so happens that the puppet candidate was also chosen by the goddess. There were no other heroes yet but they already have one in their grasp. A puppet hero was a huge advantage this early in the cycle.
At least, that¡¯s what Lucifer thought.
Asmodeus was conflicted when she heard all about that elaborate scenario. She was not sure whether to go along with it or tell the truth. She felt the need to consult Kiryuu with this matter.
Going along with that plan meant that Lucifer would focus on a candidate to turn to her side. The goddesses may be able to call forth heroes but even those heroes had their own desires. Getting candidates and heroes over to their side was nothing new. In the past cycles, there was at least one or two heroes that would change sides. But they would end up perishing because they were outnumbered.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
They misunderstood her defeat as a ploy. They started to move earlier than expected. Well, most of them. Belphegor is most likely holing up in her den. She is the perfect shut-in. To compliment that, she boasts the highest defensive capabilities. She is the most difficult to reach, let alone defeat. In the previous cycles, she was left alone. It was easier to deal with her minions. As long as there is no longer a threat, they let her be.
If she denied that claim and admitted the truth, it was possible for the demon lords to go after Kiryuu. She was not worried for him. At all.
She was worried for her fellow demon lords. They were still sisters, after all. There was also the risk of those closest to him being dragged into the conflict as collateral damage. She tried to imagine a pissed off Kiryuu going on a rampage. A cold shiver went down her spine all the way to the tip of her tail.
¡®As I thought, I should really consult with Master first.¡¯
As she thought that, she sensed a familiar presence coming in through the front door. Lucifer sensed it too. That presence soon made its way to where the two demon lords were conversing.
¡°Master?¡± Asmodeus exclaimed. It was Kiryuu, somewhat. His appearance was a bit pale and wispy. It almost seemed as if he had been solidified smoke.
¡°Master?¡± Lucifer raised her brow. She squinted her eyes at Asmodeus.
¡°I can explain.¡±
¡°No need. He¡¯s ¡®that¡¯ kind of person, huh?¡± She misunderstood again. ¡°No wonder you had no problem roping him in.¡±
¡°Dessa,¡± Kiryuu walked over to Asmodeus, completely ignoring Lucifer. That annoyed Lucifer. Her human form was quite the beauty. Her dress complimented her alluring curves. But she pondered about it. If he was ignoring her, then she can only confirm the charm.
Kiryuu stroked Asmodeus'' serpentine body as he got closer. He gazed at her form, almost as if licking her all over.
¡°Mn~¡± Asmodeus completely didn¡¯t expect it. She knew how attractive her physical appearance is. As a human. Right now, she was in her demon lord form, a monstrous state. The sudden sensual act got her flustered. Her tail started to swing down and hit the floor repeatedly.
¡°Well, I¡¯ll leave you two alone for now,¡± Lucifer bowed courteously. She was still trying to get the attention of the hero. It didn''t work. She clicked her tongue as her figure burst into a flurry of glowing feathers. She was content with what she saw. She hated it. But she applauded Asmodeus¡¯ ability. Plus, that lust in his eyes were genuine.
¡°Ah, I wonder,¡± she thought to herself. ¡°Should I go for a candidate right now or wait for a hero?¡±
¡°Master¡ um¡¡± Dessa had leaned back in surprise. She bumped against the table as Kiryuu stopped right in front of her.
¡°Yes? What is it?¡± He asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Despite his appearance, he was very tangible.
Dessa was outright confused. She knew for certain that he was not charmed. For some reason, he was coming onto her even if she was in her current form. She climbed up on the counter and slithered backwards.
Kiryuu suddenly climbed onto the table, causing Dessa to fall back in surprise. She tried to get back up but he pushed her down. He reached out and pulled a green feather from behind her ear. He blew onto it and the feather shattered like glass.
¡°Tch,¡± Lucifer clicked her tongue. ¡°Did he know or was he just trying to look cool?¡±
She left behind one of those feathers to keep watch. In her current flustered state, Asmodeus shouldn''t notice it. She found it strange that the hero would spot the feather. To be fair, it looked like he was just teasing her sister. She admitted that he was smooth.
¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just a coincidence,¡± she convinced herself. ¡°That hero couldn¡¯t even tell that Asmodeus was in her demon lord form.¡±
She shrugged and continued her merry way. She planned to visit her other sisters to inform them of Asmodeus¡¯ success.
Shino had cried her heart out before falling asleep. For all the things she went through, she couldn¡¯t tell a single soul until now. She clung onto Kiryuu the entire time. He indulged her and embraced her. When he did, she stirred a bit and smiled.
He already had an idea on how to deal with Rayis. Doing it by himself might be problematic. He needs to rely on Dessa. But he couldn¡¯t leave Shino.
¡°I wonder if this is enough,¡± he gathered copious amounts of mana in his hand. The skill was called Mana Manipulation. It was a simple ability to manipulate mana. It seemed vague but he¡¯d rather call it versatile.
There were two things he noticed when he sparred with the siblings from the empire. The prince needed to chant. The princess threw spells at him without chanting anything. He also tested it once. He was able to absorb the flames and throw it back towards the prince without any chant.
He can only assume that a strong mental image is needed. The chanting is something that helps with that. He doesn¡¯t know what those ¡®stars¡¯ represent but he¡¯ll get to that subject some other time.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on the flow of mana gathering in his hand. He immersed himself in that flow. His consciousness followed that stream until it reached his hand. A wispy eyeball formed on his hand and he was able to see through it. He opened his eyes and looked at the magic eyeball. He willed it to turn towards him. He felt as if his consciousness split between him and the eyeball.
That was fine. He had experienced something more troubling before. Also, if he let his main body sleep, he should be able to focus more on the astral form.
He closed his eyes once more and concentrated.
A simple familiar would have been enough. A bird or a small critter. But no. He got carried away. He pushed the ability to the limit and created an astral form of himself. The pale color was not that noticeable. There was the misty smoke issue. But It was the dead of the night so people might think they¡¯re just lacking sleep. Hovering above the rooftops might be riskier so he went on foot after exiting through the window. He came across a couple of drunkards before he reached Dessa¡¯s place. They forgot about it in the morning.
As he reached Dessa¡¯s shop, he noticed another presence like hers. He thinned his presence by dispersing a bit of the collected mana and passed through her door. Because of Dessa¡¯s identity, the mana in the shop is fairly thick and concentrated. He should still be undetected if he was careful. He then listened in on their conversation.
¡°It¡¯s Lucifer!¡±
He heard things from that point. He was thankful that she was plenty talkative. In fairness, she had quite the imagination. He decided to go with that. He gathered mana from his surroundings until his presence could be sensed.
He pretended to be dazed and completely ignored the other person and focused on Dessa. It surprised him at first when he saw her form. He was certain that she was supposed to be a succubus. The form she had during that incident and the actions she took definitely matched with that.
¡®I¡¯ll just ask her later.¡¯
It wasn¡¯t difficult to act like he was enamored with her. He genuinely felt aroused. Seeing her get flustered was also a bonus.
It wasn¡¯t long before Lucifer pretended to leave. He noticed that one of the feathers didn¡¯t disappear. He was willing to see just how far he can take things before she left. He continued to tease Dessa until he found a way to get rid of that feather.
When Dessa saw him destroy the feather, she realized that he was driving Lucy away. She heaved a sigh of relief and tried to get up again. ¡°Ah, I see now.¡±
But he pushed her back down on the table.
¡°M-Master? Lucy is gone?¡± She searched around with her own ability to detect mana and foreign magical objects. She confirmed that Lucifer was not longer around.
¡°I know.¡±
¡°You can stop pretending now.¡±
¡°Who¡¯s pretending?¡±
¡°B-but this form is hideous¡¡±
¡°I was going to ask you about this form,¡± he turned around and looked at her serpentine body. ¡°I thought you were a succubus.¡±
¡°Y-yes, but I am also a demon lord,¡± she answered. It was easy for them to blend in with human forms. They have have demihuman forms depending on what kind of demihuman they were.. Dessa was a succubus. Lucy was a vampire. Demon lords have the ability to change into a more powerful form.
¡°I see,¡± he nodded.
¡°How about you, Master?¡± She asked in return. ¡°Your form is¡¡±
¡°Ah, this?¡± He showed some of the wispy smoke from his arms. ¡°Shino is using me as a body pillow right now so I couldn¡¯t come in person. I used an astral form instead.¡±
¡°You projected your consciousness into a form molded by mana?!¡±
¡°Exactly. I¡¯m glad you understood immediately.¡±
¡°It¡¯s part of my specialty after all,¡± she chuckled a bit. She left it at that. He continued to surprise her still. She tried to get up again but he pushed her down by her shoulders. ¡±Erm¡ Master?¡±
¡°Yes?¡±
¡°What did you come here for?¡± She tried to change the topic even though her tail was wagging and hitting the floor.
¡°Ah, well, I have a request for you,¡± he explained about Rayis¡¯ soul and what his plans. He could do it by himself but that might expose him to the Will of the World. If it was Dessa, it would be something natural for her to do as an enemy of the goddesses.
¡°B-but,¡± it was a very bold move, even for her. It was natural she would hesitate.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll handle everything else afterwards.¡±
¡°And the goddess?¡±
He smiled and pressed his lips against hers. In his current state, it should be easier for her to connect to his consciousness. He led her to extracting the memory during the time the goddess summoned him. She had always wondered what happened. Now she knew.
¡°Mn¡¡± She pushed him back a bit to break the kiss. She felt out of breath from what she saw. She trembled from fear, awe, and excitement.
¡°Very well, Master. Leave it to me,¡± she said, knowing that he was capable of protecting her from any possible retaliation. In fact, there might not be any retaliation at all. To be sure, she had a request for him. "Please let the goddess know it was all part of your plan."
¡°Alright. Thanks. I knew I could count on you,¡± he stroked her hair and smiled. ¡°For now, here¡¯s a downpayment.¡±
He started kissing her neck as he tugged on her clothes.
¡°M-master?¡± She was expecting him to leave after affirming her cooperation. The thumping sound on the floor got faster and louder.
¡°You¡¯ll have to make do with my current form for now,¡± he said and gently bit her shoulder. ¡°After you¡¯ve done my request, I¡¯ll reward you in person.¡±
Dessa¡¯s strength gave way. She couldn¡¯t resist. She didn¡¯t want to resist. She thought her form was hideous so she kept pushing him away. She was in denial. It was difficult to believe that someone would be attracted to that form of hers. She knew there were a few rare ones but they seem to have a bad reputation.
Her master felt genuine attraction. He was definitely a strange one too. Still, it was the first time she felt her heart skip a bit. It was even more than the time she caught a glimpse of his memories. She mostly saw his skill and knowledge of magic.
He caressed her body, even her serpentine lower half. She wrapped her tail around his waist gently and he took delight in it. He wasn¡¯t disgusted or appalled. At that moment, she decided to leave everything to him.
After that night, Dessa needed a new table and several floorboards.
In the midst of a sea of souls, one shone brighter than the others. When people die, their souls are returned to the stream. They are unable to keep their consciousness. Rayis retained his consciousness. He experienced his soul crossing over to the stream. He went against the current and kept looking for a way to get back into the world. He didn¡¯t know how long he had been looking for a way back.
It was only until he saw a bright light that attracted all the other souls that he found the chance. The other souls were slow. They sluggishly moved towards the light. He knew what that was.
There were otherworlders that he had tortured and experimented. A lot of otherworlders. There were those that mentioned that light. Those that saw the bright light had the best skills. Those skills that were now his. If he were to reach that light, it might be possible to get a rare and powerful skill. It might be even possible to meet a goddess.
He had the advantage so he raced towards the light as fast as he could. He couldn¡¯t contain his excitement. He wanted to get the power of a goddess for himself. This was his chance. This was his moment.
¡®Bwahaha! I will finally get my revenge on all you fuckers!¡¯
013: Edge of the Unknown
¡°Tell me what you found out.¡±
¡°Ah. Yes. Understood.¡±
Vena was a bit off. She had a lot on her mind recently. At the moment, she had an audience with queen Aislin. Hilde sat beside her. Lysis sat beside the queen.
Aisli¡¯s expression softened. She smiled softly. She was asking Vena to provide information about her lover. It was for the benefit of the kingdom but using force and authority might cause a turn for the worse. ¡°Vena, you don¡¯t have to force yourself. I know I¡¯m asking you a lot. Please let me know if it¡¯s too much.¡±
¡°N-no, it¡¯s not that!¡± Vena said.
¡°Your Majesty, if I may?¡± Hilde interjected.
¡°Alright,¡± she nodded.
¡°If I were to assess his capabilities then it would be difficult, even at this point.¡±
¡°I see. Even with Vena¡¯s eyes?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Hilde nodded. ¡°This is the first time in a while that she¡¯s been unable to comprehend what she saw.¡±
Hilde described what Vena had told them before. It was that time when he descended. That incident in itself was a first for a hero. Hero summoning was common. A hero to actually descend from the skies was new. Lysis furrowed her brow.
¡°Lysis, what do you think?¡± Aislin turned to her. Lysis was also there during the fight between Kiryuu and the siblings from the empire. The prince was incompetent but the same could not be said for the princess. She was a high ranking adventurer. The new hero was more than a match for her.
¡°I mean no offense but I believe he may be the most powerful hero to ever appear.¡±
¡°None taken,¡± she smiled. ¡°I¡¯m relieved that he ended up in the kingdom.¡±
Otherworlder heroes tend to stay with the first nation they come into contact with. Their main mission is to remove the threat of the evil god. There¡¯s a reason why otherworlders are treated well because of this opportunity. They are still a force to be reckoned with. Most nobles consider them as military might and they¡¯re not wrong in that aspect.
During her time as a hero, Queen Aislin could be said to be the most powerful among the seven. After each cycle ends, the blessings of the goddesses would diminish. A small bit still remain and they keep most of their abilities. But for Queen Aislin, she still has a strong blessing. The other heroes only have a minor blessing remaining.
Despite that, she was told that the new hero was still stronger. She wants to make sure he would not bare his fangs against the kingdom. Although, that seemed very unlikely at this point. After all, he had already established himself within the populace. Rumors have it that he has a fondness for women. There might be nobles that would try and offer their daughters to him.
But that kind of plan might not work too well. He was already surrounded by very prominent beauties.
¡°Tying him down to the kingdom, huh?¡± Aislin muttered.
Hilde coughed at her remark. Oops, she leaked that out, huh? Well, that was also an option. She ended up as a queen. It wouldn¡¯t be much of a surprise if he became a king in the future.
¡°As a last resort¡ maybe¡¡± She teased, her playful nature surfacing for a bit.
Hilde reacted but Vena just blinked her eyes. It was a bit peculiar. Vena was the most attached to Kiryuu. That much was obvious, even compared to Shino and Dessa.
¡°Vena,¡± Hilde noticed it as well. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡±
Vena took in a deep breathe to compose herself.
¡°I love him,¡± she declared. It was as if those words were addressed to herself. ¡°I believe I do. But at the same time, I think I¡¯m also afraid.¡±
It was the same when her eyes first triggered. She was confused, seeing strange things around people. It took her a long time before she was able to grasp her ability. She could distinguish a lot of things with her eyes.
She felt afraid of the unknown. His explanation was that he was someone that travels between worlds. That might be able to explain the strange sight. It was awe-inspiring, in good ways and bad.
That night, she gave herself to him. She thought it would finally quell those lingering fears. It didn¡¯t. It did affirm her feelings for him. She truly believes that what she felt for him was love. But she didn¡¯t want to accept that she also felt fear.
¡°You mean to say that he was lying when he said he was a traveler between worlds?¡± Aislin asked.
¡°No, I don¡¯t think he was lying. But I think he was not telling the entire truth either,¡± Vena didn¡¯t use her eyes at the time because he asked her to trust him. She wanted to trust him.
¡°If he was hiding it, there must be a good reason,¡± Aislin nodded.
¡°Maybe¡ he¡¯s also afraid,¡± Hilde said. She remembered that time when he descended. That time, Vena had taken a step back. The expression he made was painful to see. It was as if he was expecting it.
Shino had a strange attachment to him. Dessa was fascinated with the memories she saw. Vena had her eyes. Hilde had¡ nothing. She even treated him so badly. She also almost killed him.
At the very least, she wanted to tell him her story. It was a traumatic past. But it was a part he was not involved with at all. Even though it was painful to recall, she gave it her all. That day, she felt a heavy burden lifted.
That was enough for her. She already prepared for the consequences. Somewhat. She thought that he would be crazy to forgive her with just that.
But he did. It seemed too good to be true. A scenario straight out of a fairy tail. But she grabbed hold of that moment. That time, she started getting attached to him. Slowly, but surely, her affection for him started to grow.
It might be her way of atoning as well. She would believe him. She wanted to.
She subtly analyzed his words and actions. Unlike the other three, she had no means of seeing him in a special way. He was worried when they asked him about his identity. He picked his words carefully. He didn¡¯t lie but he was definitely hiding some things from them. She believed he had a good reason.
¡°If you found out who he really is and what he can do? Will you still love him the same?¡±
A moment of silence befell the room.
¡°I believe there is nothing to worry about. After all, we are only trying to gauge his power,¡± Lysis broke that silence.
¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Aislin confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s just a habit of precaution. I don¡¯t think there would be any problem for the guild and the kingdom to support our heroes.¡±
¡°Heroes?¡± Hilde raised her brow.
¡°Yes, we have finished the summoning. We will introduce the summoned hero to the guild soon.¡±
The summoning was a great success. Usually, the gathered power is meant to summon two heroes. This time, they only had to summon one hero. There was a surplus of magic power offered to the goddesses. For sure, this hero will also be powerful.
It was a girl from another world who was summoned. She was surprised at first but she suddenly broke down and started crying. She kept muttering ¡®I was right¡¯ while they tried to calm her down. She was resting in her given quarters for now.
¡°Leave her to me when the time comes,¡± Hilde said. ¡°What was her heaven?¡±
¡°Jupiter,¡± Aislin responded. Each hero was blessed by a goddess. Each goddess had a realm called a ¡®heaven¡¯. It is believed that magic users call upon the stars to give them power. Heroes call upon the heavens themselves. An insignia appears on a hero¡¯s body to show their heaven.
The new hero was a bit lethargic after she broke down. The castle servants assisted her in bathing and getting dressed. It was at that time that they found the insignia on her shoulder.
¡°I see,¡± she nodded. ¡°Vena, can I leave it to you to find out Kiryuu¡¯s heaven?¡±
¡°I understand,¡± she nodded and closed her eyes. She took in a deep breath and sighed. ¡°Please leave it to me.¡±
They already have an idea thanks to Rionna. Hilde just used this as an excuse to have the two have a one-on-one talk.
¡°Mistress,¡± Alexios bowed his head as the goddess entered the audience chamber. ¡°My apologies for calling you. A soul is on its way here.¡±
¡°A soul?¡± Maia sat down on the throne. Myrina bowed her head as she had passed by. ¡°Have the blessings been assigned?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± Alexios nodded. ¡°Aside you and Lady Merope, all the other goddesses have bestowed their blessings. That is, as far as I am aware.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
Maia immediately used her vision on the approaching soul. There was most likely a good reason why Alexios called her. Her sister, Merope, has yet to choose a hero. In her own case, she chose a hero but didn¡¯t impart any blessing. It was a useless thing to do.
¡°It¡¯s tainted,¡± she said. ¡°It didn¡¯t go through the purifying process and headed straight here. We might have a troublesome visitor.¡±
¡°Erm, could it be that person?¡± Alexios coughed. He refused to acknowledge that person as a hero but he couldn¡¯t deny the power he wielded.
¡°Hm,¡± Maia checked on Kiryuu¡¯s soul. To her surprise, he was heading here as well. ¡°Make that two troublesome visitors. He¡¯s also heading here.¡±
¡°What?!¡± Alexios shook. ¡°H-he didn¡¯t hear me, d-did he?¡±
¡°Relax yourselves,¡± she fixed her posture on the throne.
The two attendants bowed their heads and steeled themselves for the arrival of the souls.
A small blue flame appeared before them. It materialized into the form of a young man. He was dressed in a formal fashion with a black and dark gray color motif. He hunched forward with his hands in his pockets. Black unkempt hair. Black sunken eyes. A malicious grin.
¡°Dear goddess, I have answered your summons,¡± Rayis said mockingly.
¡°You must be mistaken,¡± The goddess Maia replied immediately. ¡°Begone.¡±
She made a shooing motion and Rayis was sent flying and out of sight.
Rayis did not expect to be thrown back that far. But he was already prepared for something like this. He still had access to all the abilities he stole. He stabilized himself in midair and flew back towards the goddess. He approached his original position but something hit his face. He hurtled in another direction.
Kiryuu had appeared before them and kicked Rayis away. He turned towards Maia and bowed his head. ¡°I have come to your aid, my goddess.¡±
Maia¡¯s lips curved a bit into a frown. Here is the culprit, she thought. He was definitely the root of this. There was nothing she could do about it. No matter how abnormal that other soul was, he was an even bigger anomaly. She will just have to interrogate him later. He owes her that much for bringing this mess here.
Suddenly, a blade made of dark energy pierced Kiryuu¡¯s chest. Rayis had appeared behind him, grinning.
¡°I¡¯ll be taking your blessings now,¡± he laughed. From his experiments, he had to understand a skill first before he can take it. He normally does it through appraisal. He needs to decipher the name of the ability. Then, he just needs to comprehend what that ability does.
He obtained the ability to appraise and the ability to steal skills through a stroke of luck. He tracked down a reincarnator, a beastfolk slave. He killed that slave and found the orbs inside their body.
He obtained the ability to identify objects and to take some of their properties. He developed those skills no matter what it took. There was a lot of blood on his hands. A simple item identification became complex appraisal. A simple property mimic became a skill deprivation. That was the purpose of building his organization. It was all so he could grow stronger.
During his last struggle, he was able to appraise the previous hero. He comprehended that heroes are given blessings from the goddesses. Those blessings would enhance a person¡¯s stats. They allow them to go beyond the limits of normal humans, even otherworlders. The gap between a hero and a hero candidate was vast. He assumed that this new hero had blessings already. But¡
¡°What blessings?¡± Kiryuu turned his head to the side and looked at Rayis. He was pointing two fingers at him. A concussive blast blew away Rayis and the sword dissipated.
Maia could see a gaping hole on Kiryuu¡¯s chest. He turned around to where Rayis was and she could actually see through his chest. The hole started to close. She understood that because it wasn¡¯t a physical body that he could do that. It wasn¡¯t a task that could be called easy. She made a mental note not to apply any form of common sense to this person.
¡°What the fuck are you?!¡± Rayis immediately appraised Kiryuu when he got up. He could see from his title that he was a hero. But everything else, including his stats, titles, and skills, were marked with [???]. Even his name was barely comprehensible. It said Kiryuu but it seemed scratched all over.
Kiryuu didn¡¯t respond.
¡°Whatever! I¡¯ll just take it from your corpse!¡± Rayis shot up into the air. He conjured a hammer crashed it down on Kiryuu¡¯s head. Or so he thought. He whiffed and hit nothing but the ground.
Kiryuu had jumped back to avoid the attack. As the hammer smashed the ground, he jumped on it and kneed Rayis¡¯ jaw. He landed on the ground and immediately followed up with a strong kick to the abdomen.
Rayis staggered backward and jumped away from Kiryuu¡¯s range. He didn¡¯t have a physical body but he still felt pain. He jumped further back and made some distance between them.
Kiryuu didn¡¯t move nor speak. Rayis waited a bit more but it seemed that this hero was not going to take any action.
Rayis pondered for a bit. He kept losing in close quarters combat. That part about the missing blessing nagged at him. He should have appraised him at the very start.
¡°Is it a counter or a retaliation ability?¡± Rayis stood still for a while. Nothing happened. He purposely left himself an easy target but his opponent wasn¡¯t at all moving. Kiryuu didn¡¯t even speak a word. He just looked at Rayis with indifference. It was frustrating.
¡°[Vetrivel!]¡±
Rayis summoned a golden spear. It has a wide spade for a spearhead. On his command, it flew straight towards Kiryuu.
Kiryuu shifted his body to the side. His hand moved at a blinding speed to grab the shaft. If he hadn¡¯t, the spear would have went straight for the goddess. White energy wrapped around the spear and crushed it. The spear warped and shattered like glass.
¡°Quite the faithful dog, aren¡¯t you?¡± Rayis tried to taunt Kiryuu.
Kiryuu raised his hand towards Rayis. A white and gold spear shot out from his palm. In the midst of its trajectory, it shattered. The fragments split into many smaller variations of itself.
¡°Bastard!¡± Rayis spat out and created as many barriers as he could. That spear had the ability to ignore a target¡¯s defense stats. For enemies with a weakness to certain attributes, it would take on those properties. It was a very powerful and versatile spear. He used the skill called Weapon Summoning. He had also taken someone else¡¯s knowledge about legendary weapons. He could not produce the original but he was able to create a disposable duplicate.
The spears clashed with the barriers in an explosive clash. As the smoke clears and the dust settles, Rayis could be seen standing but in tatters. He was able to protect his vitals. Many spears pierced his limbs and lower body.
¡°Impossible!¡± The only other person that was able to go through his barriers was the previous hero, Aislin Anrion.
¡°No, you¡¯re still a hero, I suppose,¡± he muttered. ¡°Even though you¡¯re just a hatchling, you¡¯re still pumped full of abilities given to you, huh?¡±
Rayis had nothing. He clawed his way to where he was. He was still no match for a hero. He was willing to sacrifice anything and everything for his own sake. He still needed to take revenge on the people that forsook him and threw him away.
He still had an ace up his sleeve. He wasn¡¯t able to use it on Aislin. He probably would not get the chance. She was already battle-hardened. She already had the experience. That was why they were able to defeat the evil god.
This one seemed reliant on his abilities. Rayis had been wide open for a while now but this hero did nothing but wait.
¡°A counter ability, huh?¡± Rayis said. "An ability that counters after taking an attack. It probably deals damage equal to the power of the attack. That is troublesome but..."
¡°[Shades of Sheol!]¡±
A black magic circle appeared behind Rayis. The space started to tear, revealing a dark mass inside it. Several dark and horrific arms started to crawl out from it. They extended and constricted Kiryuu.
¡°Tch,¡± Rayis clicked his tongue. The arms started to drag Kiryuu into the tear. But his expression didn¡¯t change at all. Except his brows that furrowed as he was trying to resist. Rayis wanted to see an expression of fear or panic.
¡°Whatever,¡± the arms dragged Kiryuu into the tear. Even if he reached out, there was nothing he could do but sink into the void. The torn space stitch itself shut.
Rayis kept his eyes towards the celestial beings. He felt a bit more satisfied now that the goddess and one of her aides had a panicked look on their faces.
¡°Alexios, was I hallucinating?¡±
¡°No, Mistress,¡± he replied shakily. His knees were buckling but he managed to keep himself upright. ¡°I never realized that witnessing such a thing would bring this much distress.¡±
¡°Where¡¯s your hero n¡ª?¡±
¡°Myrina, how about you?¡± Maia ignored Rayis, who was trying to brag about dispatching the hero. ¡°Myrina?¡±
Her aide did not respond. She was still poised and ready against any attack.
¡°Mistress, she has fainted,¡± Alexios pointed out. Myrina did faint while in a battle-ready stance.
"..."
"It is impressive that she managed to keep her poise."
¡°I see. I can¡¯t blame her,¡± Maia understood that Myrina will always choose fight than flight. Her own body wanted to flee. That conflict caused it to shut down instead. ¡°Take her back to her quarters. Both of you rest.¡±
Rayis was confused. He was completely being ignored. The aide, Alexios, walked over to his unconscious companion. He slung her over his shoulder and proceeded to walk away. This pissed him off.
¡°You¡¯re not getting away!¡± his shadow expanded from under him. Its arms tried to reach out and grab Alexios.
¡°Ah, you¡¯re still here?¡± Maia forgot that there was still a troublesome visitor remaining. Several chains of light appeared out of thin air and restricted the shadow. It allowed Alexios to get enough distance from them. He exited through a summoned door that immediately vanished.
¡°The fuck is going on?!¡± They were panic-stricken a while ago, weren¡¯t they? He disposed of the hero, and they were at awe with his power, right?
But the aide completely ignored him. The goddess forgot he was even there. ¡°I just took out your hero! You were trembling with fear!¡±
She sighed and crossed her legs. She felt a bit more relaxed now. She could deal with this one, at least. Something tells her that she didn¡¯t need to do anything. She leaned back on her throne as the chains tore the shadow apart.
¡°I guess you didn¡¯t see it then,¡± she muttered.
Rayis fell on his knees in anguish. ¡°Saw what?¡±
She felt a shiver down her spine and trembled slightly. All throughout that ¡®fight¡¯, Kiryuu never said anything nor did his expression change. Whatever it was that Rayis did, it dragged Kiryuu out of that realm. Because the tear was behind him, he didn¡¯t see Kiryuu¡¯s expression before he sank into the void.
A grin. It was a grin filled with malice. They recalled that time he bested them. He was naked and used a pillow, of all things. He was playing around. He was toying with them. That¡¯s why it surprised her when he appeared. He seemed different¡ªserious, almost. Then she realized they were all dancing to his tune. A requiem for this unfortunate guest. She looked at him with eyes full of pity.
¡°Stop looking at me with those eyes!¡± Rayis spat out. He tried to charge forward but he couldn¡¯t. He looked down and saw those dark arms grabbing hold of his legs. The tear opened underneath him and he started to sink into it.
¡°Shit! Why?!¡± He conjured up the golden spear and started stabbing the hands dragging him down. For each limb torn by the spear, two would emerge. They overpowered and dragged Rayis into the void.
Maia watched the tear close. Dead silence. It was uncomfortable. She got up from her throne and exited the audience chamber. She couldn¡¯t really grasp the series of events that occurred. But she didn¡¯t want to think about it. He will definitely return after he was done. She wanted to forget about it and move on. Actually, a nap sounds nice right about now. Maybe a couple more pillows and a fluffy comforter would make it all better.
Rayis found himself face down on the ground. He clutched his head as his vision started to clear.
¡°Where am I?¡± He looked around as saw that he was on a flooded plot of land. He could feel the wetness of it. There seem to be some crops planted on this land. He looked up, expecting to see the sky. He saw countless glowing streams and currents across the dark void of space.
He heard footsteps and turned around. He saw the hero approaching him while cracking his knuckles. He was grinning. The way he was expressing a semblance of emotion perturbed Rayis.
¡°Welcome to the rice fields, motherfucker.¡±
014: This is not the End
¡°What the hell are you?¡± Rayis was on high alert.
¡°A hero.¡±
¡°My ass! You don¡¯t even have a blessing yet! You just got lucky!¡±
¡°Lucky?¡±
¡°That¡¯s right! You got some damn good skills after coming from another world. I had to claw my way to get to where I am.¡±
Before he ended up in this world. Rayis was an average person. He was forgettable. His presence was¡ª
¡°I don¡¯t care about that.¡± Kiryuu interjected. ¡°I don¡¯t care about your backstory. I don¡¯t care about what you did in your first life or what you went through.¡±
¡°What?!¡±
Rayis blinked and Kiryuu was already in front of him. His hand digging into Rayis¡¯ chest.
¡°Gah!¡± He screamed in agony. He felt his very being tearing apart.
¡°This is what I came here for,¡± Kiryuu pulled out a small white orb from Rayis.
¡°That¡¯s¡ give that back¡¡±
It was his contingency plan. It was the reason he wasn¡¯t fazed even when he was sentenced to death. For every person caught or recruited into his organization, he took a fragment of their soul. It allowed him to keep his sentience even if he was just a soul. Having surviving members helped him find his way back, or so he believed. Even if there were no survivors, he would still be able to survive the purge. He would use those soul fragments as a bait to avoid being purified. He did not expect that having a surviving member helped his odds of getting to the light.
¡°How did you even¡ do that? Why¡ even?¡± Rayis lost his strength and dropped onto his knees.
It took him years to be able to rip a piece of someone¡¯s soul. Yet this man was able to do it flawlessly and with precision. Of the countless fragments inside him, this man was able to pick out one over the rest.
¡°She wanted to be saved.¡± The orb was absorbed into into Kiryuu¡¯s hand as he looked down on Rayis. ¡°For many years, she cried but no one could hear her. This is for all her sadness and frustration.¡±
He clenched his fist and drove it into Rayis¡¯ face. A thundering noise echoed as the ground beneath them shattered. A small crater formed under Rayis as he was flattened on the ground. Kiryuu slammed his foot down. Again, and again. He drove Rayis deeper and deeper into the ground.
¡°Agh!¡± Rayis shot a blast of energy at Kiryuu in desperation. He missed but it propelled him a short distance away. Kiryuu went after him.
Rayis got up immediately. In his fury, he started firing all kinds of destructive spells at Kiryuu. Conflagrations scorched the ground. Energy blasts rupturing the surroundings. Ice swords shot in repeated volleys. Plasma beams cutting through the air. Wind cutters and earth spikes destroying the terrain. He threw everything and anything that came to mind at Kiryuu. ¡°DIE YOU OP FUCKER!¡±
Kiryuu weaved between those attacks fluidly and with minimal movement. An ice sword nearly nicked his ear as he tilted his head. He would deflect or disperse an attack when needed. Razor sharp winds died down in front of him. He even deflected a beam of light with the back of his hand. As the ground started to tear, he used the solid protrusions of earth and the flying ice swords as platforms.
¡®What the hell is this guy?!¡¯ Rayis was shocked. Right now, he should have more than enough to go toe to toe with a hero. He had no physical body so there was no risk of straining and breaking it. He was free to go wild with his magic and abilities. There had been cases of people dying. It was because they couldn¡¯t handle the overwhelming magic they used. It takes great skill and control to make sure the physical vessel wouldn¡¯t break. The risk was high when using powerful magic. Despite not having that weakness, he could not land a single hit. He could see Kiryuu¡¯s amused expression.
In his desperation, he started summoning copious amounts of weapons. From flying blades and guns, to lasers and artillery. But it only made things easier for Kiryuu. He would take a weapon and use it to defend until there was a better one available. He dodged, blocked, or deflected the projectiles with various melee weapons. He found the gap between sweeping lasers to avoid them.
¡°Just. Die. Already!¡± He was furious. He was being toyed with. He should have reached a level that no hero had reached before. All those years spent gathering those skills seemed pointless.
Rayis placed his hands together. He turned all the thrown and shot weapons into pure dense energy. He detonated them all at once in a catastrophic explosion. It deafened him for a moment. Only a buzzing noise rang in his ear as his hearing recovered.
When the sword Kiryuu was holding started to convert to energy, he tossed it behind him. He forced it to detonate by infusing it with his own mana. He positioned himself so the explosions propelled him forward toward Rayis. He twisted his body so he was approaching feet first. He dropkicked Rayis right in the face. He curled his legs and kicked off of his face. He did a flip in the air and landed on his feet.
¡°Fucking¡ªgah!¡± Rayis stumbled and rolled on the ground. He punched the ground several times in frustration.
¡°I didn¡¯t want to use this,¡± he spat on the ground as he got up. ¡°But you leave me no choice.¡±
The soul fragments from Rayis started to flow out and merge. A large celestial being formed behind Rayis. Kiryuu looked up at the collosal entity. A single finger was as tall as he was.
¡°[Avatar of the Oversoul]¡±
It was a state of transcendence that was highly risky. He could go wild with magic because he doesn¡¯t have a physical vessel to worry about. But with this, even his soul was at risk of breaking. But that was what the other fragments were for. Those would be shaved off first, giving him ample time to deal with this hero. And if he could take his soul, then he could reach greater heights of power.
The huge entity swung its fist down at Kiryuu.
¡°[Libitina¡¯s Coin]¡±
A small gold coin appeared between Kiryuu¡¯s fingers. It caught the large fist and stopped it in its entirety. He pushed the coin and it was absorbed into the celestial body. A bright golden light could be seen traveling from the fist and up the arm.
¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Rayis saw that the same golden light was traveling up his arm. He felt a burning sensation from it and tried to catch it with his other hand. The celestial figure mimicked his movement.
It traveled from his shoulder to his chest. Rayis felt as if flames were going to burst from his chest. The celestial being started to crack. Its chest shattered like glass and the creature crumbled.
¡°What did you do?!¡± Rayis was clutching his chest. His upper body had fractured just like the avatar he had summoned. ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO?!¡±
Countless orbs flew out from the gaping hole in his chest. They were soul fragments. They varied in size based on their stats and skilled. The smallest ones had few or no notable skills. Rayis took them as they added to his stats. The more powerful the skill it housed, the larger the soul fragments. All those fragments surrounded Rayis. They began to morph into their appearances during the time they were alive. All the souls and skills that Rayis took escaped from him.
Kiryuu couldn¡¯t see the beastkin that started him on his path of stealing abilities. It was strange as he could already see various races.
¡°No¡ no! This can¡¯t be happening!¡± Rayis screamed as one of the souls sliced him up with a blade. He wouldn¡¯t die in this state but he was powerless. All those souls bore a grudge against him. Only after they were satisfied would they finally join the stream of souls and move on.
Kiryuu took Shino¡¯s soul since she was still alive. They would be repercussions if a fragment of her soul entered the stream. He turned around and started to walk away.
¡°Wait! Wait!¡± Rayis stretched his hand out to Kiryuu. The other souls kept him restrained. ¡°Save me! You¡¯re a hero, right? Save me! Please!¡±
¡°No,¡± Kiryuu shook his head and chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t think I will.¡±
He kicked off the ground, leaving behind a screaming, cursing Rayis. His voice soon drowned by the myriad of vengeful spirits eager to satiate their grudges.
Kiryu weaved between the soul streams when a small figure popped out from his shoulder. It was a cute figure the size of a fist. A mini-figure of a woman with a lower half that of a snake¡¯s.
¡°Are you satisfied?¡± He asked the mini-figure.
¡°Very much so, Master,¡± Mini-Dessa nodded happily. She requested to witness how he would deal with Rayis. A fragment of her soul is currently being used as a vessel for the Mini-Dessa. Her physical body was still recovering from last night¡¯s activities. ¡°Erm, you will inform the goddess Maia about this, right?¡±If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
¡°Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s what I plan to do next.¡±
Kiryuu stopped. He was facing the remnants of the tear but¡
¡°Dessa, get back inside for now.¡± He placed his hand on her head and gently nudged her back inside him.
Dessa did so obediently. She caught a glimpse of several glowing arms. They were protruding out of the space surrounding the tear.
¡°I went too far, huh?¡± Kiryuu got carried away. The Will of the World was now fully aware of his presence. He wasn¡¯t worried about himself but he would hate not being able to see Vena and the others anymore. Also, he still had Dessa¡¯s and Shino¡¯s soul fragments.
He prepared to fend off those hands. If he got completely caught, he would be erased. He needs to get into the tear somehow. He clenched his fists. Runes and symbols glowed and etched on his limbs. The arms grew closer, and closer. Suddenly, they stopped. The glowing arms went limp and started to retract.
¡°Fuck,¡± Kiryuu cursed. He was not relieved at what happened. There was someone else more troublesome than the Will of the World. ¡°I don¡¯t want to deal with her right now.¡±
Kiryuu flew towards the tear and entered the realm of the goddesses once more.
Maia woke up to the sound of knocking. She slowly got up and dragged herself to the door. She wore a short-sleeved shirt and a comfortable pair of shorts. Her hair was tied neatly in a ponytail. Lazily, she opened the door.
¡°Hi,¡± Kiryuu greeted her. Mini-Dessa sat on his shoulder as she waved.
Maia blinked a couple of times before slowly closing the door. She took in a deep breath and slowly opened the door again.
¡°Tch, he¡¯s still here,¡± she clicked her tongue and closed the door again.
Kiryuu was about to knock when the door opened only slightly. Maia peeked in through the crack.
¡°What are you doing here?¡± She showed her displeasure with his presence.
¡°I figure you wanted an explanation,¡± Kiryuu scratched the back of his head.
¡°I just want to say that this is all Master¡¯s plan. I only did what he asked me to do,¡± Mini-Dessa pointed out in her defense.
¡°I figured,¡± Maia sighed, still not opening the door further. She knew this was all his fault. After a short nap, she realized that she would be better off not knowing all about it. It was just a pain in the neck. She couldn¡¯t even understand how he got here. It should be impossible for anyone to enter the realm of the goddesses. To pinpoint her own private quarters was unthinkable.
¡°Consider it forgotten. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me,¡± she hurriedly tried to close the door.
¡°Hold up,¡± Kiryuu placed his hand on the door. Frustrated, Maia exerted a godly strength to close the door.
¡°¡¡±
It didn¡¯t budge.
¡°A-at least let me get dressed?¡± She pleaded and kept pushing on the door.
¡°It won¡¯t take long. You¡¯re fine as you are. Pretty cute, to be honest,¡± he smiled as he pushed on the door and intruded into her room.
Maia gave up when she was already pushed back. She dragged herself to her bed and let herself fall into it.
¡°What do you want?¡± She turned to Kiryuu with a sour expression on her face.
¡°Rayis was talking about a blessing a while ago.¡±
¡°Of course. We, goddesses, provide our chosen champions with blessings and abilities. I didn¡¯t give you one because it was pointless.¡±
¡°And this?¡± He pointed to the back of his hand.
¡°It¡¯s the mark of my heaven.¡±
¡°Heaven?¡±
¡°Oh¡ right,¡± Maia briefly explained how people call on the stars to use magic. She then explained about the goddesses and their assigned heavens. Hers is the Moon.
¡°The moon is beautiful,¡± he nodded and smiled smugly. He really thought he pulled off a good one there.
There was an awkward silence as the two were confused what that phrase was for.
¡°It doesn¡¯t translate well into other languages. My apologies.¡±
Maia sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me. You didn¡¯t look up the magic system before you came into this world?¡±
¡°I was in a near-death state!¡± He really was. That was the reason Maia noticed him in the first place. But it was desperation and impatience that drove him to that point. Besides, he was supposed to have an arc where he learned magic and its systems. Then, he would find out that he excelled in it. That was supposed to be how it would go.
¡°Anyway,¡± he dismissed that topic for now. Talking about arcs elicited confused looked from the two. ¡°I want to avoid any complications. I don¡¯t want to stir things up because I don¡¯t have a blessing.¡±
¡°Fine,¡± she gave up took off her bedroom slipper.
Mini-Dessa hopped off of Kiryuu¡¯s shoulder and settled on the bed. She was not sure if there were any side-effects if she were to get a blessing.
¡°I bestow upon you my blessing,¡± Maia¡¯s slipper glowed with her declaration. Then, she slapped Kiryuu on the forehead.
It didn¡¯t work. The light was supposed to be absorbed into his body, even if it was an astral form.
¡°L-let¡¯s try again,¡± she struck him again. It didn¡¯t work but that felt great. She smacked him on the head again. And again. And again.
¡°Hold up,¡± Kiryuu grabbed her wrists. She was holding the slipper with both hands and was about to swing down with full strength. ¡°Are you giving me a blessing or bruises?¡±
¡°You¡¯re the one that wanted the blessing. Be obedient and let me hit you,¡± she struggled against his grip.
Mini-Dessa felt like causing some mischief. She never liked fighting against the goddesses and the heroes. That¡¯s why she wanted to make sure they knew that it was her Master that told her to lead Rayis¡¯ soul. Seeing the goddess in this state, struggling with her Master over a slipper, gave her an idea.
She snuck behind Maia as the two were struggling. She coiled her tail like a spring and poised to strike. She then sprung forward and shoved Maia forward. This caused the goddess to lose her balance and fall forward.
Kiryuu would have caught Maia but he was still holding her wrists. He fell flat on his back as Maia tumbled on top of him. He felt a soft sensation on his chest, a warm, sweet taste on his lips, and a blinding light that engulfed both of them.
Hero Kiryuu obtained the [Blessing of the Moon].
Goddess Maia obtained the [Blessing of the Conqueror].
Shino¡¯s eyes fluttered open. Her head still lay on Kiryuu¡¯s chest. He held her all night. It was rewarding in its own way. She felt as if she finally broke free of a heavy burden. A burden she had been carrying ever since she ended up in this world. She snuggled up against him, wanting to get a few more moments of this blissful situation.
She was about to bury her face in his chest when a serpentine tail wrapped around her master¡¯s waist. Shino immediately got up, only to see Dessa with her lower half transformed. She was clinging onto Kiryuu from behind, even nibbling on his shoulder playfully.
Shino immediately pinched her awake.
¡°Mrfnya¡¡± Dessa opened her eyes as he cheek pried away from the sleeping Kiryuu.
¡°What are you doing here?¡± Shino let go of her cheek once she was awake.
¡°Master told me to go ahead,¡± Dessa yawned and embraced Kiryuu from behind. She was still out of it.
¡°Go ahea¡ªhey!¡± Not wanting to be left out, Shino embraced Kiryuu from the front. She wanted to inquire about Dessa¡¯s lower half but this was of more importance.
There was a knock at the door. The handle started to turn. Dessa forgot to lock the door when she came in. Vena and Hilde let themselves in when they noticed the door was unlocked. There were greeted by a strange sight.
A sleeping Kiryuu, sandwiched between Shino and Dessa. One wore thin lingerie, the other''s lower half was that of a snake''s. Dessa¡¯s tail slowly wrapped around his legs. The two eventually realized that some people came in.
There was an awkward silence. The sound of the door closing echoed in the room. Hilde made sure to lock it.
¡°I¡¯ll be honest,¡± she sighed. ¡°Of all the things I braced myself for, this was not one of them.¡±
Kiryuu stumbled out of the doorway. He fell forward and rolled over. He laid on his back when Mini-Dessa followed soon after. She was thrown like a stuffed toy and landed on his stomach. He saw a flustered Maia slam the door shut.
¡°You went too far,¡± he said as the door disappeared. They were back at the large empty white space.
¡°Master,¡± Mini-Dessa was not at all remorseful. ¡°Demon lords and goddesses are similar beings. The difference is us demon lords descend and act on our own while the goddesses calls upon heroes.¡±
¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± He flicked her on the forehead.
¡°Ow!¡± She held her forehead and cried a bit. ¡°If a demon lord can become a familiar, maybe a goddess can be one as well.¡±
She was curious. This was the first time the possibility appeared before her. She couldn¡¯t resist. Kiryuu kept silent. It was possible for a goddess to serve under someone as a familiar. If he told her that, she might pester him about it.
¡°Dessa,¡± he called out to her as something from afar caught his attention.
¡°Master?¡± She turned towards the direction he was staring at. There were glowing arms sprouting all over. It was like the ones they encountered a while ago except they were tinged in a purple hue. The arms ¡®sensed¡¯ Kiryuu¡¯s position and started to crawl toward him.
Mini-Dessa tried to jump back inside Kiryuu but she found herself trapped in a glowing sphere. ¡°Master?! What is this?!¡±
¡°I need you to go on ahead. I¡¯ll catch up,¡± Kiryuu dug into chest and took out a white orb. He pressed the orb into the sphere and deposited it in Mini-Dessa¡¯s hands. The space under them started to tear. There was a rip small enough for the sphere to pass through.
¡°Master! Wait!¡± she protested but he already dropped the sphere into the tear. The last thing she saw was the sight of the arms swarming and completely constricting her Master.
The drop caused Mini-Dessa to immediately fuse with her original body. She was still exhausted but quickly transformed into her human form. She got dressed and hurried to the inn where Kiryuu and Shino stayed.
She didn¡¯t waste time going in through the front door. She summoned her wings and entered through the window.
¡°Guh¡¡± Her knees buckled as she landed on the floor. It was her first time conjuring up an astral form. It was only possible because of Kiryuu¡¯s help. Even then, she only created a small version of herself. He warned her of the extreme exhaustion that would occur. It was worth it. It was worth witnessing something beyond her wildest imaginations.
¡°Master,¡± she muttered and dragged her body the the bed. Her vision blurred and her judgment clouded. Before she passed out, she managed to climb onto the bed and cling onto her master.
Kiryuu blacked out when the arms piled all over him. When he regained consciousness, he was in a black void of space. It was like the audience chamber of the goddesses, albeit shrouded in darkness. He sat on a chair with a dim light over his head. It was the only source of light in this vast expanse of darkness.
In front of him was an empty wooden table. The atmosphere gave off a feeling of a suspect brought in for interrogation. He looked down and found that his wrists were cuffed together and his ankles were bound to the chair¡¯s legs.
In front of him, a woman made her entrance and walked into the light. She had silver hair and red eyes. Her skin was pale and she wore a white silk dress. A pair of white stockings emphasized the beauty of her smooth legs. She was attractive and voluptuous. Yet Kiryuu¡¯s face contorted in frustration upon seeing her.
She sat on the table in front of him and slowly crossed her legs. The way the silk slid over and exposed her thigh would captivate any man. A bit of her skin teased him but he was having none of it.
¡°You¡¯ve been causing some trouble, haven¡¯t you, ??????¡± Her sultry voice sent shivers down his spine.
¡°I don¡¯t want to deal with you right now, ??????¡¡± He complained. It was the only thing he could do right now.
015: This is not the Beginning
It took a while for Vena and Hilde to pry both Dessa and Shino off of Kiryuu. Hilde pointed out that he wasn¡¯t waking up from all that commotion. Dessa let slip something about ¡®his soul being elsewhere at the moment¡¯.
The other three froze and looked at each other. Eventually, they cooperated to pry her off of him and tossed her into the bathtub. That woke her up, even if just a little. It didn¡¯t negate her exhaustion though.
After getting interrogated about her appearance, she transformed into her human form. She tried to talk about astral forms but it was difficult to put her thoughts together. She convinced the others to go for breakfast first. She believed that her master should be able to handle what those things were.
Hilde checked his body. She didn¡¯t want Vena to use her eyes. She was already having some troubles as things are. True enough, he seemed like he was just sleeping. She found no reason for Dessa to do anything to him. She was bound to him and it would do her more harm than good.
They had a hearty breakfast. Dessa started talking about Kiryuu¡¯s visit but her words were getting garbled. It devolved into a snore as she fell asleep. Her head smacked on the table and she jolted awake. She blinked a couple of times and yawned.
¡°No good. I¡¯m still tired,¡± she groaned and wiped the food that got on her face. Everyone else already finished their breakfast. It was difficult to explain when she couldn¡¯t get her thoughts in order.
¡°Master should be just fine,¡± she said and got up.
¡°Where are you going?¡± Shino asked.
¡°Back to sleep,¡± she replied and dragged herself back to the room. She wanted to cling onto him. She believed that her astral form was a hindrance. That¡¯s why he sent her back. It was definitely not some form of sacrifice, right?
Hold up,¡± Vena stopped Dessa in her tracks. ¡°I want first pick.¡±
¡°Hey now!¡± Hilde got up from her seat in protest. ¡°I-in that case, I call second pick!¡±
The two already had their fill. Truth be told, they were both envious when they saw that.
¡°Tch,¡± Shino clicked her tongue. But She had her master all to herself last night. She couldn¡¯t help but wish they did more than just cuddle. But she had to give in. There was a hierarchy, after all.
It wasn¡¯t a complete waste though. She felt great the morning after. She felt free.
¡°Next time for sure,¡± she muttered to herself with determination.
¡°Hey.¡±
¡°What?¡± Kiryuu glared at the woman in front of him.
¡°Give me a name.¡±
¡°Library Bitch.¡± No hesitation.
His chair lurched forward and brought him closer. She forced his chin up with her foot. It had a sensual allure. Her feet were bare, save for the stockings she wore. His cheek twitched a bit. She smirked and started poking the edge of his lips with her toe. So he bit her.
She slammed her foot on his face because of it. The chair toppled back but shattered into oblivion. Kiryuu tried to get up but she straddled him and pinned his wrists above his head.
¡°How rude,¡± she pressed her chest against his and licked his cheek.
¡°What do you want?¡± He said with a sigh.
¡°You¡¯re no fun,¡± she groaned. Their figures dissolved into smoke and reappeared as they were before. He was bound to the chair and she was sitting on the table.
¡°Get to the point.¡±
¡°Fine,¡± she crossed her arms in front of her chest. ¡°You messed up. Really badly.¡±
¡°I¡¡± He tried to retort but she was right. Everything messed up. The more he tried to fix things, the worse things got.
¡°There is a reason why I never give you any heroic roles,¡± she went on to explain. ¡°You¡¯re not suited to being a hero.¡±
¡°How would you know? You never gave me that role.¡±
¡°Well, you¡¯re not relatable at all,¡± she sighed and shook her head.
¡°Relatable?¡±
¡°You need to be someone that people can project themselves into.¡±
¡°Excuse me?¡±
¡°It¡¯s called wish fulfillment. Other than that, let¡¯s see now,¡± she got off the table and approached him. She grabbed him by the chin and examined his face.
¡°Looks? Fine. As long as you don¡¯t grin. You have a malicious grin. You know that, right?¡±
He huffed and tried to shake her off.
¡°Overpowered?¡± She traced her fingers on his chest teasingly. ¡°You definitely fit that bill even before we met.¡±
¡°Attitude?¡± She traced his lips with her thumb. He snapped at her but she withdrew her hand. ¡°It could use a bit more work. You need to be more docile. Every now and then, let people walk over you.¡±
¡°Not going to happen,¡± he struggled against the bindings on his feet to no avail. He made do with trying to push her back with his cuffed hands.
¡°Obtaining abilities?¡± She took hold of his wrists and pressed his hands against her bountiful chest and moaned. ¡°I''m impressed at how you¡¯ve set it up to unseal your original abilities. It worked well with the system.¡±
¡°So what¡¯s your point?¡± Everything she said was positive so far. It annoyed him that he couldn¡¯t pull back his hands so he groped her hard instead.
¡°Mmm~ Well, it¡¯s about this thing right here,¡± she licked her lips and placed her foot on his crotch. ¡°There¡¯s a problem with you and your lovers.¡±
¡°Excuse me, what?¡± He jerked back but he couldn¡¯t escape from the chair.
¡°Your heroines,¡± she repeated and applied a bit of pressure with her foot. ¡°Your harem.¡±
¡°What about them?¡± He read that it was normal. Even in that world, he was informed on several occasions that polygamy was common.
¡°You¡¯re not supposed to progress your relationship with them.¡±
¡°What?¡± He tried to pull his hands away to no avail. ¡°Come again?¡±
¡°I said, you¡¯re not supposed to progress your relationship with them,¡± she gently moved his hands down to her hips. The cuffs disappeared just so she could wrap his arms around her waist. They returned immediately after.
¡°You should keep it vague.¡± She teased and straddled him. ¡°Be affectionate but not romantic. Show that you care for them equally. Be attracted to them but never see them in a sexual light.¡±
¡°That¡¯s the dumbest thing I¡¯ve ever heard.¡±
¡°Build up sexual tension¡ªand then completely run away from them,¡± she disappeared into mist. She appeared on the table again. ¡°Even after the end of your quest, you shouldn¡¯t have sexual relations.¡±
¡°I stand fucking corrected,¡± he hung his head and groaned. ¡°That¡¯s not a hero. That¡¯s a dense spineless idiot.¡±
¡°See? Aren¡¯t the roles I prepare for you much better?¡± She smiled and tilted her head to the side cutely.
¡°Enemy of mankind?¡±
¡°Mhm.¡±
¡°Demon king of slaughter?¡±
¡°Yep.¡±
¡°The man who built up a saint¡¡±
¡°Yes!¡±
¡°¡and the man who burnt her down.¡±
¡°That was my favorite¡ª!¡± She gasped and placed her hands on her stomach.
¡°I hated you for that,¡± he broke free of his restraints and drove a summoned blade through her stomach. His hands trembled in resurfaced anger.
¡°I know,¡± she wrapped her arms around his neck and breathed heavily. The blade shattered into pieces. She was unscathed. ¡°You¡¯re great when you¡¯re angry. I¡¯m the only one that can handle you at your worst, after all.¡±
¡°I give up. What do you want?¡± He sighed and let his hands fall to the side. No matter what he can come up with, it didn''t matter. It won''t affect her at all. In fact, she''ll only enjoy his struggles.
¡°The same thing as you,¡± she giggled. ¡°I want to negotiate. You have a problem with your roles and I want ¡®that which you have taken¡¯.¡±
¡°Fine,¡± he sighed in resignation. He took ¡®that¡¯ anyway as a trump card against her.
¡°Good,¡± she grabbed his face and tore it off. Or so it seems. She tore away a wispy apparition of him. It was battered and all roughed up. It dissolved into the air the moment she let go of it. ¡°You don¡¯t need to force yourself into the facade of a hero.¡±
¡°A square peg¡¡±
¡°¡in a round hole, yes.¡±
¡°Alright, you win. Let¡¯s talk.¡± He¡¯ll make sure to get the most out of this deal. Time was no issue. He can already guess that she took him to a place beyond time, space, and even reality.
¡°But first, a name.¡± She pulled him towards her and he fell on top of her. The table disappeared and they landed on a soft bed. ¡°I want a name.¡±
¡°Libra.¡±
¡°Try again.¡±
¡°Hmm. How about Kara?¡±
¡°Hmmm, yeah. I like that. It¡¯s like your name,¡± she smiled and played with his hair. By name, she meant his true name. It wasn¡¯t the one he was given for that world.
¡°Are you fine with this? Won¡¯t it make things more confusing?¡±
¡°What do you mean?¡± She pouted. They were already getting to the good part. She didn¡¯t want any more delays.
¡°Your sudden appearance might be confusing for everyone.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she pulled him close and aggressively savored his lips. She pulled away to catch her breath. Her cheeks were flushed and she couldn¡¯t wait any longer. He still seemed a bit bothered so she simply offered some words of assurance. ¡°You¡¯ll reveal everything to your heroines, right?¡±
¡°Yeah. I have to,¡± he wiped his lips clean with the back of his hand. Her taste still lingered. His cheek twitched slightly. He was already prepared to tell everything, especially to Vena.
¡°That¡¯s where the rest of the exposition comes in. Now stop teasing me so we can fade to black and skip to the next segment.¡±
Stolen story; please report.
Kiryuu opened his eyes to the familiar ceiling of his room. Despite waking up, he felt exhausted still. Dealing with Kara takes a lot out of him.
He tried to get up but felt a soft weight all over him. He noticed that he was in the middle of a pile.
Vena was on top of him. Her head laid on his chest. He wanted to stroke her hair but he couldn¡¯t.
Hilde was on his left, using one of his arms as a pillow. She was huddled close to him.
Shino held his other arm against her chest. His wrist was caught between her thigh. It didn¡¯t seem to be accidental too.
Dessa was embracing his legs. Her tail wrapped around his feet. It was futile to even attempt moving his legs.
Well, he could just force his way out. But why would he even do that? He was already in a really good position.
His shuffling caused Vena to stir. She yawned and slowly opened her eyes.
¡°Good morning,¡± he greeted.
¡°Good morning¡ªhm?¡± It took her a moment to realize that he was awake. When she did, she embraced and kissed him. ¡°Welcome back.¡±
¡°Ah¡ hm? You knew?¡±
¡°Yes,¡± she turned towards Dessa, who was happily rubbing her cheek on his thigh while she slept.
¡°Ah. Sorry.¡±
¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡ I¡¡±
Vena¡¯s expression changed. Her lips quivered so she placed her hands over her mouth. Her eyes started to water and she averted her gaze. She grasped his shirt tightly.
¡°No¡ please don¡¯t¡¡± She cried as she turned towards Kiryuu. He could see glowing outlines forming in her irises. ¡°I don¡¯t want to¡ Stop!¡±
The commotion caused the others to wake up. With his arms free, he placed his hands on her shoulders.
¡°Vena, your eyes,¡± he pointed out.
¡°I know!¡± A hand pushed against his chest, another kept holding onto his shirt. ¡°I don¡¯t want to! I want it to stop!¡±
¡°Vena?¡± Hilde rubbed her eyes and saw Vena shut her eyes tightly. ¡°Your eyes! Wait¡ no. It can¡¯t be¡¡±
She went and held Vena from behind. She can see how torn she was. She knew what it meant too and felt conflicted.
¡°Kiryuu, her eyes are forcibly activating.¡±
¡°I see. That means¡ª¡±
¡°You¡¯re a threat,¡± Hilde shook her head. Vena¡¯s eyes never reacted this badly before. She wanted to say he seemed more like a calamity but decided against it. She bit her lip. ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe it. I want to trust you. Kiryuu, please. This isn¡¯t true, is it?¡±
The other two kept silent. Dessa knew more about Kiryuu than the others. Shino was not bothered given her previous master. It didn¡¯t matter to her what he was.
¡°Vena,¡± he held her hands tightly.
¡°No! I don¡¯t want to!¡±
¡°Please. I need you to see.¡±
¡°But I¡¡±
¡°It¡¯s about time you find out who I am and what I do.¡± He turned to Hilde and smiled. ¡°Please support her. It might be too much for her.¡±
Hilde nodded. She didn¡¯t want to run from this. But she already had a feeling that he was something else. That time when she attacked him. When she heard he survived, she couldn¡¯t believe it. Because she was certain that, at that time, he died. He stopped moving. His heart stopped beating. Or what was left of it given how many times she stabbed him.
¡°Vena. Let go,¡± she tried to pry her away.
¡°No! Stop! Kiryuu, please! I love you¡ª¡±
He tilted her head up to face him. She opened her eyes inadvertently. He smiled and said, ¡°I love you too.¡±
She froze. His appearance, in her eyes, started to transform and warp. She pulled away from him. She would have fallen off the bed if not for Hilde.
To the others, Vena appeared to be frantically looking around. This was something only she could see
This was the first time she saw something this distinct and detailed. It had always been a vague aura. Even compared to when he descended, this was on a different level. It was disturbing.
There were several bookshelves surrounding him from the side and from behind. They were filled with books. Each of them glowed differently. But they were all repulsive. Each book had a fleshy limb or appendage that latched onto Kiryuu.
Their nails tore deep into his flesh. She could see trails of muscle and sinew from his back connecting to the shelves.
Finally she turned to face him. His cheeks were sunken. His eyes were bloodshot. His lips cut, but he continued to smile at her weakly. He knew she was seeing something horrible. Kara definitely had a hand in that.
Vena¡¯s hands trembled as she tried to reach out to him. The other limbs and appendages suddenly squirmed and flailed violently. She backed away immediately and took her distance.
She realized how far she retreated and broke into tears. She hugged herself as she broke down. She hated how her body was reacting.
Hilde embraced her from behind to comfort her. She turned to Kiryuu and tried to speak but no words came out. She trusted Vena with her life. If she would be forced to choose, she would abandon Kiryuu.
She didn¡¯t know what to do. Living beings tend to fear the unknown, she thought. Maybe that¡¯s why Vena¡¯s eyes were reacting so much. Kiryuu was too big of an anomaly to comprehend.
Yet, just thinking about that possibility made her heart ache. She knew, deep inside, that she felt more guilt than anything. She was still trying to atone for what she did back then.
She was certain that he died. No one could have survived that. She went at him with the intent to kill. When she stabbed him, she used a certain kill technique.
[Quiver Edge]
A skill that coats the blade in a fine magic edge with unparalleled sharpness. Upon impact, the magic edge would rapidly vibrate. It takes a lot of mana to use and takes a long time to master. It requires precise control. Because of how fatal this skill was, she was certain that his heart should have been torn to shreds. She didn¡¯t just stab through his chest, she obliterated his rib cage.
When she found out what really happened, she spiraled into guilt. As a guildmaster, she should have kept her cool. She was really glad he survived. She could atone. She would support him with everything she had.
He was affectionate with her but he didn¡¯t push things further. Was he being considerate of her circumstances? He embraced Vena already. She figured the other two as well. Whenever she thought of it, her body shivered. She still wasn¡¯t ready. He knew that and he was giving her time. She didn¡¯t deserve this. He was treating her so well. She thought that maybe he would be the one. The one she needed to get better.
And now¡ she was torn. She even told Vena that he has his circumstances. And yet here she was. A hypocrite unable to follow up her words. She still held more trust in Vena¡¯s eyes than in him. She hated herself.
¡°I should go,¡± Kiryuu said and tried to get off the bed.
¡°Master¡¡± Shino tried to approach but Dessa stopped her. She glared at Dessa but she gestured to let them be.
¡°No!¡± Hilde yelled. Her voice caused Vena to tremble a bit. She locked eyes with Kiryuu and started to tear up. ¡°Stay. Please. I need you. We¡ I don¡¯t want you to go.¡±
Vena looked up at Hilde. She knew how much her eyes have helped them all these years. She knew how much trust Hilde had in her eyes. She, too, trusted her eyes with her life, It saved her a lot of times in the past.
Vena didn¡¯t hate Hilde for picking Kiryuu over her eyes. She hated herself. She wanted to be by his side.
She bit her lip and steeled herself. She slowly reached out to him. The arms clutching his body started to twitch and flail. She withdrew slightly and tried to back away but she couldn¡¯t. Hilde was giving her a push from behind.
She ignored those arms even when they lashed out at her. They just phased through her. Slowly, but surely, she was able to take hold of Kiryuu¡¯s cheeks.
¡°You¡¯ve been through a lot, haven¡¯t you?¡± Tears won¡¯t stop flowing from her eyes.
The shelves and the limbs started to crumble into dust and Kiryuu¡¯s appearance started to revert. His grotesque appearance returned to the vibrant dynamic aura around him. She embraced his head tightly against her chest. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
Hilde sighed with relief as strength left her body. She had been too tense.
¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± she dragged herself toward Kiryuu and embraced him from the side.
He adjusted to embrace them both and sighed as they fell back on the bed.
¡°I¡¯m jealous,¡± Shino pouted. She wished she could have seen what Vena saw. She held an absurd curiosity towards her master.
¡°Don¡¯t be,¡± spoke the demon lord who was even more curious about their master.
Shino raised an eyebrow at Dessa but she only chuckled. ¡°You¡¯ll see.¡±
Dessa claimed his legs once more.
Shino¡¯s lips curved into a smile as joined in and she gave her master a lap pillow. It might not be one for self indulgence but it was a powerful move.
It was after everyone had their fill that Kiryuu revealed who he was. They deserved this much.
¡°Excuse me, Ms. Saki,¡± a maid entered the room after knocking on the door. She pushed a food tray into the room and stopped by the bed.
A young girl sat up on the bed, gazing outside the window. She turned towards the voice and smiled.
¡°Thank you, Marianne,¡± she placed a hand on her stomach as the appetizing smell wafted towards her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble.¡±
¡°Please think nothing of it. I am sure you have your circumstances,¡± the maid bowed courteously before she set up the food. ¡°How are you feeling?¡±
¡°I am better. Thank you,¡± she said and rubbed her eyes a little. She was summoned into this world. She was going out of room when a bright light engulfed her. Next thing she knew, she was surrounded by people she did not know. It took her a while to register that she had been summoned into another world.
She broke down, crying. It was both from anguish and from joy. A few years back she saw her sister disappear after being swallowed by a bright light. No one believed her. A few years passed and certain kinds of novels became popular. It was about people being transported or reincarnating into another world. She thought that something similar might have happened to her sister.
¡°The queen requests for an audience tomorrow. A priestess of the Goddess Taygete will also be present.¡±
¡°A priestess?¡±
¡°Yes. She received an oracle from the Goddess Taygete. She wishes to impart upon you her blessing, and to proclaim you as her hero.¡±
Saki had a befuddled expression.
¡°My apologies,¡± Marianne bowed earnestly. ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it for now. We can explain everything tomorrow.¡±
She finished preparing Saki¡¯s meal and bowed again before leaving. ¡°Please call for me if you need anything.
Saki clutched her hands against her chest as the face of her sister came to mind. ¡°Aya-nee¡¡±
The blinding light started to fade. Two young men and a young girl can be seen on the floor. They were all on their behinds as if they slipped and fell.
¡°Greetings, heroes from another world!¡± A loud voice greeted them. They saw a kindly man dressed in regal attire. A golden crown adorned his head.
¡°Hey! Sato! Look!¡± One boy started slapping the other¡¯s arm.
¡°What? What is it?¡± Sato adjusted his glasses and got up. He was surprised to find themselves in a strange place. They were surrounded by people in strange attires. ¡°Hey, Take. Did we just¡ª?¡±
¡°We just got transported to another world!¡± The girl piped up. Her eyes sparkled as she looked around excitedly.
¡°Megu! This is real, right? Right?!¡± Take was getting very excited too. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯m a hero?¡±
¡°Ahem,¡± the old man coughed and gathered their attention. He started to laugh out of amusement. ¡°Ah. How great it is to be young! Welcome, heroes of another world, to the Midozan Empire.¡±
The emperor bowed his head slightly. The robed mages around the otherworlders knelt down and bowed their heads. There were three priestesses that didn¡¯t kneel but they still bowed courteously.
A few moments passed and the Emperor raised his head and clapped his hands together. ¡°Tonight, we feast!¡±
A young elf woman stood in the middle of a platform made of dried wood. She was surrounded by her family, her peers, and the high ranking officials of their land. A robed woman approached and sprinkled glittering dust all over the platform. The young elf knelt down and placed her hands together.
¡°Oh, Goddess, we call upon thee,¡± the elf priestess sprinkled the rest over the young elf girl. ¡°Impart your judgment upon this brave soul.¡±
The priestess stepped back and knelt in prayer. The dust ignited and the flames roared. They consumed the platform and the young elf before swirling into a vortex.
Those around kept on praying. Suddenly, the flames were snuffed out and the young elf stood upon the platform, unscathed. She gazed upon the skies. Her eyes were glowing. She smiled and turned to the priestess. Her eyes reverted to their normal color.
¡°Thank the goddesses,¡± the priestess looked up. Tears rolled down her cheek as she saw the smile of her daughter. She ran up to her and embraced her tightly. Her daughter, the new champion of the Goddess Celaeno hugged her in return. Cheers erupted from around them as the last remnants of the glittering dust faded.
A wagon stopped in the middle of the forest. It had a decent design on it and an emblem on the door. But it was badly beaten up. It showed signs of aging and use. It seemed as if it was going to be left here to be abandoned.
The two armored men that drove the carriage cut the horses loose and leashed them to the trees. On top of their heads were furry ears. Some of their teeth are longer than normal. One of the men had a striped tail and the other has two curved horns on their head.
¡°It is truly unfortunate,¡± the tiger-man sneered. ¡°The queen¡¯s carriage was ambushed by bandits.¡±
¡°Indeed. We must bring back evidence,¡± the goat-man responded while laughing. ¡°Perhaps her dress stained with blood?¡±
¡°But what if someone happens upon this place?¡± Their voices were mocking and sarcastic. They were speaking loud on purpose so the occupant can hear their conversation.
¡°They would witness the unfortunate queen¡¯s corpse, ravaged and defiled by a group of bandits. Hahaha!¡±
¡°Ah, but there are only two of us.¡±
¡°Then we better get to work.¡±
They looked at each other and grinned as they opened the carriage door. Inside was a stunning woman wearing an adoring dress. On her head was a small crown, and two fluffy ears. Her two fluffy tails wrapped around her body, as if trying to shield her.
¡°I see. So this is it,¡± she turned to the men with a deadpan expression. She was already expecting it but¡
¡°Pathetic,¡± the queen sighed and closed her eyes. ¡°You are all pathetic.¡±
¡®Would you wish for me to save you?¡¯
¡°Huh? Who¡¯s there?¡± She looked around for the source of the voice. She turned to the men but they were frozen. Their malicious grins plastered on their unmoving faces.
¡®You¡¯ve suffered for so long. You poor thing.¡¯
¡°Who are you? What do you want from me?!¡± The voice unnerved her. She had endured a lot but this voice¡ this voice sent chills down her spine.
¡®I want you to kill them. Kill them all!¡¯
¡°I¡ I can¡¯t. I¡¯m weak¡ and useless¡¡±
¡®I will bestow my power upon you... my hero.¡¯
¡°H-hero?¡±
¡®That¡¯s right. I choose you as my champion.¡¯
¡°But¡ Someone like me¡¡±
¡®Hush, my dear, everything will be alright.¡¯
¡°Everything will be¡ alright¡?¡±
¡®Yes.¡¯
¡°Yes¡¡± She approached the guards who resumed moving.
¡°Huh? What are you¡ª¡± The tiger-man¡¯s vision started to spin before it stopped. He was looking up at his own body that crumpled onto the ground. Blood spurted from the stump that was his neck.
¡°Hyi¡ª!¡± The goat-man¡¯s scream as cut short as the left half of his body fell to the side. The remaining half fell backwards onto the ground.
The queen licked the blood off her fingers. She hummed a soft tune as she started to walk away. Her tails split and multiplied as her hips swayed.
Then she disappeared.
016: Surrounded by Sin
¡°To our heroes!¡±
¡°¡°To our heroes!¡±¡±
The emperor, Altas Dominus, began the feast with a toast and the hall erupted in cheers. The banquet hall had many tables where many nobles ate and socialized. The servants were busy serving the dishes. The guards were patrolling but they were also in a good mood because of the summoning.
The empress, Anatasia Dominus, smiled as she raised her glass. She had beautiful black hair with red streaks. Her eyes felt like they held teasing mischief. Her figure had curves in the right places. She was a magnificent beauty. Stories say that she was to be wed to the elder brother of the current emperor. That that man was cruel and treated people like objects.
Altas, fought against him, resolving himself to even put down his own brother. The previous emperor, their father, favored Altas. It was the other nobles who wished to use the elder brother as a puppet that supported him. It was a well known story of bravery, justice, and valor. Emperor Altas quickly gained popularity within the masses.
At the center of the hall was a large table. The emperor and the empress sat with the summoned heroes. The heroes were accompanied by their respective priestesses. There were two empty seats. The prince and the princess would be arriving shortly from the kingdom.
An efficient transport system came to fruition because of otherworlders. They developed the concept of teleportation circles. To use these, approvals were required. These were by high ranking officials from both the destination and the origin. This is to prevent anyone from abusing the system and sending entire armies to key locations. These circles are strictly guarded and monitored. But they were a fast method of travel.
¡°Thank you very much for your hospitality. It is an honor to be invited by your imperial highness,¡± one of the priestesses expressed their thanks. They only needed to provide information to the summoned heroes. They were roped into the banquet at the insistence of the emperor.
¡°Think nothing of it!¡± The Emperor laughed heartily. ¡°We have been blessed. To think we would summon three heroes. It took me by surprise.¡±
Before, the summoning was an issue. It needed an extreme amount of mana. It wasn¡¯t as easy as pouring it in the summoning circle too. If it was not done with precision, the summoner would be drained of mana and life force. The chances of death are high.
There were times when greed ran rampant. Old rulers would exhaust and sacrifice their mages for a chance to summon as many heroes as they can. Those led to ruin. Heroes are considered as military might. If a single nation were to try summoning a lot of them, others will become wary.
There are those that try to perform the rituals in secret. The rituals are meant to summon the heroes, not to be abused. Those people exploit the summoned otherworlders. Rayis was one example. The nations formed an agreement to regulate the summoning rituals.
They settled on an agreement. The kingdom and the empire may only prepare a ritual to summon two heroes at a time. This included the necessary magic power and a regulated magic circle.
Quality was not an issue. Otherworlders tend to have a hidden potential within them. Their initial statuses can be weak. But heroes hold the possibility of overcoming their limits. This was made clear because of Rayis and his organization.
A successful summon in itself is a cause for celebration. Summoning three heroes is a blessing.
The sound of a horn caught everyone¡¯s attention.
¡°Announcing the arrival of Princess Fianna Dominus!¡±
Everyone stood from their seats. The summoned heroes followed suit. Fianna marched towards the main table. Along the way, she greeted some of the guests that she came across.
¡°Father, Mother, I have returned,¡± she bowed her head. At this gesture, they took their seats and so did the other guests.
¡°Welcome back, dear,¡± her mother smiled and looked around. ¡°Where is your dear brother?¡±
¡°Ah, he went straight to his room. It seemed that he still frustrated, after all.¡±
¡°Oh? Did something happen?¡± her father raised his brow. He knew of the prince¡¯s attitude. He would march in and flaunt his achievement, regardless of the triviality. This included returning from the kingdom as some sort of ambassador.
¡°He had his ass handed to him by one of the kingdom¡¯s heroes,¡± Fianna said without missing a beat. She was blunt with her words and her tone carried amusement. The empress frowned a bit with her choice of words.
This might incite misunderstandings so she quickly followed up. ¡°He was trying to coerce the hero¡¯s lover to be his and flaunted his power. It was a sanctioned duel with witnesses so there are no issues.¡±
¡°Oh my. I will comfort him later,¡± Empress Anastasia sighed. ¡°You¡¯re quite harsh on your brother, Fianna.¡±
¡°You spoil him too much, mother,¡± she shook her head. ¡°His abilities are the real deal but he needs to fix his attitude.¡±
¡°I know, I know. I¡¯ll¡ try not to do it too much.¡±
Fianna shrugged. She couldn¡¯t do anything even if her mother would spoil her brother more after this. She turned to the new faces and nodded.
¡°Forgive me. I am Fianna Dominus,¡± she introduced herself to the heroes.
Emperor Altas laughed. He had not seen his daughter this excited before. There were three summoned heroes in front of her but she only talked about the incident at the kingdom. There had been problems with his son, and his wife has indeed been spoiling him.
¡°A real princess¡¡± Megumi, usually called Megu, leaked out a sigh. It might be strange to be entranced by a princess when they already met the emperor and the empress. But maybe because being a princess is something that a young girl would dream to be.
¡°Nice to meet ya! I¡¯m Takehiko. You can call me Take,¡± he pumped his fist a bit and continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to be the strongest hero ever!¡±
¡°Oi, what are you saying out of the blue?!¡± Sato nudged his side with his elbow. He then bowed his head towards the princess. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Take can be a bit, uh, impulsive. I¡¯m Satoshi. You can call me Sato.¡±
¡°I am certain that you heroes will grow strong,¡± Fianna smiled a bit in response.
¡°My daughter has always adored heroes. She herself is a hero candidate so her abilities are top notch.¡±
¡°Ah! Father!¡± Speaking of duels¡
¡°Yes, dear?¡±
¡°I also got to spar with Kiryuu.¡±
¡°Who?¡±
¡°Ah, one of the kingdom¡¯s heroes.¡±
¡°So they have summoned their heroes as well.¡±
¡°Ah, yes, but the kingdom summoned only one hero. Kiryuu is a Wanderer.¡±
¡°A Wanderer, huh?¡± Emperor Altas stroked his chin. A wanderer is an otherworlder that is not summoned by the ritual. ¡°To think that a wanderer would be chosen as a hero.¡±
He saw something spark within his daughter and pressed on with the matter. It was also a good way to gather information. It was a surprise that the kingdom only summoned one hero this time. It might complicate things when they were able to summon three. But given that they had a Wanderer chosen, it might not completely be an issue.
The talk between father and daughter continued. The priestesses supplemented the summoned heroes. It helped them understand things better. The three heroes got engrossed in listening. They were still young normal students. This was a refreshing experience.
As the story went on, each of them felt excitement growing in their chests. They were heroes too. They want to reach the same heights as this person. Princess Fianna talked about him so fervently. Even the murmurs among the nobles dwindled. They were all listening in, gathering information about the hero Kiryuu. Even the empress became curious.
When Fianna described ¡®the descent¡¯, some people whispered among themselves. They wondered if it was exaggerated. Never had there been an incident where a hero would come down from the sky. But it seemed true. It happened in front of a large crowd. Rumors of this will spread. It might already have all over the kingdom. A lot of the nobles made a mental note to gather as much information on this hero as soon as possible.
What was even more surprising, especially to the emperor, was that Fianna lost to this hero. She even outright claimed she could not afford to hold back. She made use of chantless and instant casting. She was already experienced in actual combat, both against demonic beasts and humanoids. But she still couldn¡¯t grasp Kiryuu¡¯s ability then.
The heroes from other worlds were usually blank slates but filled to the brim with potential. That way, they can be nurtured from an early point and go beyond the limits of normal people. They are meant to be observed and guided. A newly arrived hero bested one the empires strongest hero candidates. It caused some unrest.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
The emperor smiled. His daughter trained her entire life, inspired by the heroes and their legends. She persevered and placed herself in dangerous situations to achieve strength.
Her title as a hero candidate was not for show. It was backed up with merits and achievements. But in exchange, she was not able to live out the life of a young girl.
Seeing her this passionate was rare. As a father, it warms his heart to see that spring has come for his daughter¡ or so he thought.
¡°Father, I will resume my dungeon exploration in a few days,¡± Fianna declared.
¡°You¡¯ve just returned. Why not take some time off?¡±
¡°One or two days but I can¡¯t idle for too long. I need to get stronger for the next time we meet.¡±
As agreed during these times, there will be an opportunity for all the heroes to meet up. Those that can go with them are their party members or people assigned by the heads of the state.
It was normal for the princess to be in that meeting as well. Before that time, the summoned heroes will train. They would be devoted to training and becoming stronger.
For now, they enjoyed the feast.
¡°The princess sure was passionate,¡± Take said as the three of them were being led to their rooms.
¡°Heroes have always been admired by the people. Being able to meet a strong hero is an honor for most people,¡± the priestess assigned to him, Fel, nodded.
¡°I¡¯m definitely going to be a strong hero. Then Princess Fianna will fall for me,¡± he told himself with utmost ambition.¡±
Beside him, Sato sighed loudly. ¡°This isn¡¯t a competition. We¡¯re supposed to work with the other heroes, remember? We don¡¯t even have a clue about how this world works.¡±
¡°We will handle that,¡± Vaine assured her. She was the priestess assigned to him. ¡°We will make sure that you will be able to adapt to this world.¡±
¡°Mmm... It would be an honor to watch the growth of such promising heroes,¡± Mona chimed in. She was the priestess assigned to Megu.
¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m the main character, right?¡± Take insisted. In their previous world, he always went about his own pace. He ended up dragging the other two around. They learned to try and match with his pace most of the time.
¡°Stop that. This isn¡¯t one of the stories on your reading list. This is real,¡± Sato groaned. They were just normal people being dragged into this. He was already tired of the problematic situations that Take got them into.
¡°Come on, you two,¡± Megu grabbed both of their arms and pulled them together. ¡°We¡¯re all heroes, right? Besides, if it¡¯s the three of us, we can handle anything!¡±
The two always clash because of their opposing attitudes. If she were asked, in the most dire of situations, which she would side with. She would still aim to pick the both of them. They both had their flawed and polished sides. What was flawed for Take, was the opposite for Sato. They only thing they shared was their feelings for Megu. She knew that but she didn¡¯t want to lose any one of them.
¡°Yeah, I guess,¡± Sato would rather be a hero than be treated as a sidekick. That has happened a lot in the past. People were calling him Take¡¯s sidekick. It irked him greatly but he knows that he lacked the ability to be as confident and assertive as Take.
¡°It¡¯s a friendly competition, right?¡± Take said. He says that but he was someone that was adamant on his main character status. He always decided what they should be doing when they hung out. Even now, he was deciding that he will be the greatest hero of this generation.
¡°Whatever,¡± Sato felt that it wasn¡¯t the case. He thought it would be great if the kingdom¡¯s hero could whoop his ass as well. Take was a decent person but sometimes he places his own values above others too much. For once, he would like to feel like what it was to lead. That was his goal.
¡°Let¡¯s all do our best,¡± Megu smiled. She was happy that the three of them were still together. There was never a dull moment when they hung out, even though the two would often quarrel. But that added spice to their everyday life in their previous world. Despite how it looked, she knew that the two get along well.
Saki finally mustered up the courage to leave her room. She had recovered well enough. Though, the servants knew of her circumstances so they were able to sympathize with her.
It was Marianne that she had opened up to by chance. As she was the one assigned when Saki came to her senses. This information was relayed to the queen. Marianne was then assigned as her exclusive servant for the meantime.
There were many nobles that voiced opposition about Saki as the hero. A lot of them brought up the issue of her mental instability.
But there was nothing they could do as the goddesses have already chosen their champions. Even if they were to offer hero candidates related to their houses, it would be denied.
Queen Aislin could tell that they are thinking of their own benefit. She also believed that Saki is capable of getting back to her feet given the right care.
Saki was invited for tea in the garden. It was the first time since the summoning that they would be able to talk. She was nervous. Queen Aislin smiled at her gently. Saki turned to Marianne who placed a hand on her shoulder. She felt at ease.
¡°I heard of your circumstances. I am truly sorry for what you had gone through,¡± the queen said. The truth was not what people thought. They thought she broke down from not accepting the reality of being in another world. The truth was an overwhelming emotion. Hope.
¡°We will do everything we can to help but we also need your power as a hero,¡± she continued. ¡°We have a library filled with all sorts of books. You can also contact the guild for information about your sister.¡±
It has been years. At worse, Saki expected her sister to have already perished. She might not have been summoned in this world in the first place. But that is fine. All she wanted was some closure, if possible.
Saki bowed her head towards the queen and trembled. She had experienced being made fun of. They called her crazy. Even her own family ignored her.
It was the first time she had someone to support her other than her kind and loving sister. ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much.¡±
Kiryuu felt something soft and pleasant press against his face. He could barely breath and woke up. Shino had fallen asleep while giving him a lap pillow. He tried moving his arms but two lovely women were clinging onto him from the side. His legs were also bound and constricted by a certain lamia-succubus demon lord.
¡®Well, this is a fine way of dying,¡¯ he thought. not that he would die from this in the first place. He could still breath, even if only by a little. Rather, his senses were flooded by Shino¡¯s scent which more than kept him awake. He was supposed to tell them who and what he was but they all got a bit too comfortable.
He thought of sleeping but¡
Squish. Squish.
He could feel soft and pleasant sensations pressing against his arms.
¡®This is bad,¡¯ he thought.
But it got worse, in a sense.
A certain someone was rubbing their cheek on his thigh. She was inching upward too. Dangerous!
Kiryuu tilted his neck so he can take a peek at Dessa. She was still asleep but¡
She stirred when she felt something hard poking her cheek. She stifled a yawn and opened her eyes. Realizing her position, she turned towards Kiryuu. He was helpless as he looked at her. She grinned and pressed her bountiful chest against his crotch.
His spine arched as his body jerked a bit. Vena was still asleep but she seemed to have sensed something amiss. Her brow furrowed and she tightened her grip on his arm.
¡°¡?¡±
She pressed her chest against his arm more but¡
¡°¡!¡±
Vena¡¯s grip was so strong that his arm was starting to bend where it wasn¡¯t supposed to.
His struggling disturbed Hilde¡¯s sleeping. She didn''t wake up but she held his arm in her chest and nuzzled her cheek on his shoulder. And also¡
¡°¡¡±
Hilde was holding his wrist between her thighs. Any attempts to escape was met with capture once more. She kept his arm and wrist in place no matter how much he struggled. How skillful.
Still, he made an effort to point a finger towards Dessa, who was distracted with trying to pull off his clothes. He shot a small ball of compressed energy and hit her in the temple.
She would usually be able to shrug this off but she was already weak. She hadn¡¯t recovered yet. The impact knocked her out and she smacked her head down on his crotch.
¡°Mngh!¡± His gasps of pain were muffled as he was smothered by Shino¡¯s chest.
After a while, they woke up and realized the state he was in. Shino woke up first. She saw that he was on the brink of losing consciousness. He was able to recover but Dessa¡¯s antics caused another problem.
¡°Please accept our offering, oh great hero,¡± the elf priestess brought out a small plate. On top of it was something wrapped in fragrant leaves. Steam was visible and came out from it. When she received the oracle about her daughter, this parcel appeared. It came with a flash of bright light. She received a whisper that it was for the growth of the hero.
Alvise Liv Avery, one of the seven chosen heroes, graciously accepted the plate and bowed her head. She slowly unwrapped the leaves. A slab of meat was revealed, wonderfully cooked and brimming with teasing delight. Some of the juices oozed from the side of the meat. It made her mouth water.
She cut a piece off and took it into her mouth. Its rich flavor permeated her senses. The meat melted in her mouth. She gulped in hesitation, wanting to savor it more. As soon as she did, she felt overflowing strength flow through her body. Her skin started to glow faintly. The onlookers gasped in awe. They could sense her growing power.
She took another serving. It seemed even more delicious than before. Her body felt light, almost as if she could fly right now if she wanted. Even the others could sense the mana overflowing from her. More than that, they were slightly envious. It was clear that Alvise was enjoying the meat.
Before she realized it, she had already consumed the offered meat. She felt strange. She wanted more but she felt full. She was satisfied and felt brimming with power but her curiosity peaked. They were omnivores but she had never tasted such a fine dish. She clenched her fist and raised it up in the air. The crowd cheered and the feast continued.
For some reason, their appetites were swelling that day.
¡°I¡¯m sowry¡ ¡®M sho sorwy¡¡± Her words were garbled between pained cries. A naked and battered woman had her knees and head on the ground. The second queen, Tyr Etl-Lavi, had bruises and cuts all over her body. Her clothes were torn to shreds and she was pummeled without mercy.
It was all done by the person that was supposed to have been killed. Rather, the person that they had planned to dispose. The first queen, Rune Velia, formerly known as Rune Velia-Lavi. She no longer acknowledged the name of the Beast King.
It was moments ago when the Beast King, Artashir Lavi, and the second queen were talking. They were discussing about the disposal. They were both looking forward to the future of the Principality. Artashir refused to be called a Prince. He declared himself the Beast King that would drive their people to greatness.
Their celebration was cut short as the doors opened and Rune calmly walked in. Before anyone could snap out of it, disappeared from sight. The guards were all slaughtered, sliced apart by her claws.
Artashir¡¯s limbs were torn off. He was still alive but barely. But he could tell that something was keeping him alive. He shouted at Rune but she broke his jaw. Tyr tried to escape.
Rune¡¯s speed was unimaginable. She caught up to Tyr in a blink of an eye and slammed her face on the ground. She started pummeling her with her fists. It took an excruciatingly long while before she stopped. Artashir watched helplessly, unable to do anything but watch Tyr suffer.
Rune sat on the throne and crossed her legs. Tyr whimpered and started to crawl on the ground. Artashir rocked his body back and forth, trying to use his stumps to get closer to Tyr. He wanted to call out but Rune started cracking her fingers.
Tyr stopped crawling towards Artashir. In front of Rune, she curled into a ball. Her head pressed onto the ground, she started to apologize again and again.
¡°I will forgive you,¡± Rune said.
Tyr shuddered and slowly looked up, hoping that her words were true. Rune had always been known as a kind and motherly queen. A pacifist. That was why they didn''t think she was capable of this. It came as a complete shock.
Rune smiled at her. It was the smile she was well known for. A smile that calms the heart and soothes the soul. But it made her words even more frightening. ¡°But only after you have suffered as much as I.¡±
017: A Thousand Black Flowers
Imagine each world as a story. A book. His role was to make sure that these stories went in a certain direction. He can create the necessary ripple to set things in motion. He doesn¡¯t need to manipulate everything. He needs to ensure the occurrence of some key incidents.
His name¡ varied between worlds. Like Kara, his real name was incomprehensible. He had a name he used most of the time. But that was butchered and jumbled into what it was now: Kiryuu.
Was it a correction? He assumed so. He felt a bit awkward but there was nothing he could do about it.
There was one thing he was sure of. He was never good with saints. One of his most bitter ¡®jobs¡¯ had him raising a saint. He worked in the shadows. He created miracles that a god took credit for. He poured everything to turn that saint into a beacon of hope.
But then came his next mission. To cause the demise of the very saint he created. He manipulated people and events. She was branded a heretic, betrayed, and condemned. She burned. Her rise and fall led by strings he pulled. He hated it.
The client was happy, much to his chagrin. They now had the spirit of the saint join their myriads of heroes and legends. Many of which, he also had a hand in their story. Those spirits never knew his involvement, save for a few.
Some hated him. Some understood him. There were a rare few that loved him.
He was livid. But there was nothing he could do. It was a normal occurrence. He told himself that he should not get attached. It was easier said than done. After all, he was the one involved in the world. He wasn¡¯t some pompous being up in the clouds. More often, he knew the world and its people better than the gods.
There are some deities that interact with their worlds. But it was meager compared to him. He doesn¡¯t see the gods in a positive light. And they couldn¡¯t care less about him.
They handed over their requests to Kara. They would bow their heads towards her. They treated her with utmost respect. Respect¡ªand fear¡ªfrom her incomparable power. They knew not of a being that could be above her. Her appearance wasn¡¯t even her true form. It was a concept given a body. As for her gender, that was Kiryuu''s doing.
Root. Akasha. Void. Beginning. Alpha. End. Omega. Emptiness. Those were but a few names that used to describe her. But they can only grasp the surface of what she really is. There are beings that are not limited by the comprehension of the human mind. Even they cannot fathom the depths of her identity. Kiryuu simply referred to her as the Library. She calls him her Keeper.
That made the other gods think he was a lackey. Just a minion they look down on. They mocked him and called him the ¡®machine of the gods¡¯. Unjust complaints were common. Sometimes they want a story to go in a very specific manner. Almost impossible, even. They scrutinized even the most minute of details, often on purpose.
That was the way things went. Especially with humanoid gods. He thought it was petty and ignored it. Until one day, a deity took a step too far with both their words and actions.
His task was to save the human beings oppressed by various dominant races. Their biggest enemy was magic and demonic races. It took him a thousand years. He established a kingdom that became a beacon of humanity.
¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be exciting to turn things around?¡± That god said. ¡°How about I have the humans wipe out the other races? Maybe, I¡¯ll even give them my blessings.¡±
Kiryuu wasn¡¯t human. He only looked like one. It was common knowledge. He interacted and formed relationships with all kinds of races. That was sneered upon, especially by gods who have a favorite race. The narcissists are the worst. Their discrimination is extreme.
He took a deep breath and sighed. In the blink of an eye, he floored the god. Even though the deity struggled, he couldn¡¯t get up as the pummeling continued.
¡°Scold me later,¡± he said, taking a short break to crack his neck and knuckles. The beatdown continued. Merciless. Relentless. The god was beyond recognition.
The gods turned to Kara. They called it an outrage. They said that it was disrespectful to the gods. Even though the offender started to plead, Kiryuu continued until he expired. This incited the gods to riot, showing off their divinity and powers.
Kiryuu glared at them and they went silent. He exuded an overwhelming amount of pressure and divinity that made them shrink. They have never seen this before.
¡°What¡¯s the fuss?¡± Kara asked them, ¡°A god died? So? I''ll just have another one created.¡±
They were dumbfounded. It was a daunting task and required a lot of power, divinity, mastery of concepts and ideas. They watched as she called him and gave him the task to create a god.
¡°With whom?¡± He asked, nonchalantly. It was unnerving. He had slain a god in a one-sided beating. Yet, he was indifferent to it. As if the rage and pressure from before did not exist. That god was already starting to dissolve. Divinity flowed out and scattered. They were overwhelmed and shaken to the core.
¡°Anyone you fancy,¡± she answered.
He glanced at the remaining gods. Many retreated and immediately returned to their realms. They found that he had already been there. But he did nothing but visit and have a cup of tea with a goddess, usually their spouse. It was a warning.
They realized that he was one step below her. But that level was beyond them. They thought him harmless and a pushover. But it wasn¡¯t the case. Some of the more respectful gods didn¡¯t have much of an issue with him. The arrogant ones tried to negotiate with Kara in vain.
¡°Who are you to tell me what to do?¡± Her smile was terrifying. It was a calm and gentle smile. A complete opposite of the pressure of her words. She sent Kiryuu to their realms to cause havoc and tragedies.
¡°Not everything is sunshine and butterflies,¡± she said. It was easy for her to have a world destroyed and another created. Although, he was the one that did the dirty work.
She is the one that assigns him the tasks he needed to fulfill. She gives him the stories he needed to be in, and what roles he should take. It was all down to the specifics. From the man (or woman) of the hour, to the exact second, to the minute details on who the witnesses should be. It became monotonous. He didn¡¯t like it.
She had him take on the darkest and dirtiest tasks. He is the best with what he does. It doesn¡¯t mean he enjoyed it. The repetition. The grind. It was all boring. He hated his job. He hated her. But she could handle him, even if he was at his worst. He was her own guilty pleasure.
Their relationship is just as complex. They have been locked in a forceful coexistence. His past actions caused her to become who she is now. His actions caused them to be bound to each other.
His only means of escape had already been bargained. It was a means to be erased completely from existence. A means that would free him from her grasp.
She was the void. Emptiness. The Root.
He was a paradox. Outside of any reality. Unbound to any rule.
She was the Library, and he was her Keeper.
Unbound from everything and nothing. Bound to one another.
¡°That is the gist of things,¡± Kiryuu tried his best to explain the summary of it. He shuffled his legs a bit. He had been sitting formally on the floor. The other women were sitting on the bed, listening to his story. His legs were starting to go numb. But he endured it. ¡°Well, before I arrived in this world, at least.¡±
Things had finally calmed down after they noticed his barely conscious state. It was not surprising that they would have questions. He was gone to god knows where. His body was left behind like an empty husk. Moreover, when he returned, it caused Vena¡¯s eyes to trigger intensely. They already figured he had been hiding something. It looks like that was no longer possible.
He asked them to sit comfortably. He sat on the floor. Shino was quite familiar with that pose.
He started to explain but¡ they each had their difficulty understanding it completely.
Dessa was able to comprehend most of it. She was a demon lord, after all, and the peculiar one that thirsts for knowledge. She was in a state of pure bliss, muttering to herself incomprehensibly. She was in her own world, trying to visualize what she had heard about the gods. She was a simple being with curiosity as her fuel. She was already determined to follow him to the ends of this world. If possible, maybe even to other worlds. Would he even allow her? She was willing to do anything. Anything.
Shino had come from a world where each part had their own way of worship. Some worship only a single god. Others had their own pantheon of gods. The concept of various deities was not new to her. But she believed that the gods are the most powerful beings to exist. The image of her master trampling down a deity left her conflicted. There was admiration. But there was confusion as he tried to comprehend this ¡®job¡¯ he was describing. Why was he in this world? What role was he supposed to play? Rayis¡¯ face flashed through her mind. She felt anxious.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Vena¡¯s focused more on those he affected with all his travels. It would explain what she saw with her eyes. He seemed cursed and possessed by myriads of horrendous beings. Was it a manifestation of his guilt? Or did it show how much blood he had in his hands. She noticed that his expression often darkened while he was explaining. He continued to talk, while his dead eyes stared blankly into space. How long has he lived this life? It was difficult to believe he was still sane after everything.
Hilde felt anxious. For some reason, she felt as if she was sinking into a dark, murky place. She didn¡¯t know the intricacies between deities like Dessa. She couldn¡¯t see people and intentions like Vena. She didn¡¯t have an outside perspective of this world like Shino. She tried to comprehend as much as she could but one thing stuck to her mind: the tasks.
Not how he was stronger than gods. Not how he can travel between worlds. But that he acts even if they were atrocious. But the suffering of other people.
She wondered. Was she supposed to suffer the way she did? Could he have stopped it? Or did he choose to let it happen? The image of him ignoring her cries for help plagued her thoughts.
¡®Why?¡¯ She wanted to scream. She wanted to shout. ¡®Why didn¡¯t you save me?¡¯
Hilde felt someone squeeze her hand tightly snapped out of it. She felt fished out of murky water. She didn¡¯t realize she was hyperventilating. She started to take deep breaths until she calmed down.
Kiryuu had placed his head on the floor and prostrated before them.
¡°I¡¯m sorry for deceiving everyone and causing a mess.¡± He explained that he wasn¡¯t supposed to be in this world. It was already balanced and there was no need to interfere. His presence was unnecessary.
But his selfishness threw a wrench in the machinations. It caused a mess of everything. The hero selection. The actions of the demon lords. Even the cycle of generations. His meddling affected everything.
All because he wanted to take a vacation. He wanted a break from all the madness Kara put him through.
The problem was his capabilities with world jumps. His control over interdimensional travel was unstable.
Kara can plant him in a world or dimension without any difficulty. Her authority allows her to stitch together everything needed to place him in a world. Before he met Kara, he was able to travel between worlds, only involuntarily.
If done intentionally, his mere presence can alert the Wills of the Worlds. They will try and erase him as soon as possible. He avoided that by breaking down his soul into the weakest possible state.
It bypassed the sense of the Will of this World. But he didn¡¯t expect his state to be noticed by one of the goddesses. But that was only the beginning. It caused a chain of events that disrupted the natural cycle.
He explained that he finished dealing with Rayis. He was supposed to return but Kara intervened. Shino flinched slightly when the name was mentioned. Vena and Hilde were curious about what he meant. Vena held off from asking but it was already too much for Hilde.
¡°What do you mean you dealt with Rayis? Rayis is dead!¡± She was exasperated. He was overloading her with information. She found a lot of them difficult to comprehend, and when she did, it pained her.
¡°I¡¯m sorry¡ I¡¡± She clenched fist and looked down.
Kiryuu tried to get up but she held up her hand. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Just¡ continue.¡±
An obvious lie. He bit his lip. It felt like that time with Vena. It was as painful as well.
He took a deep breath and sighed. He explained that he had a negotiation with Kara. He omitted the part about what happened before that, for obvious reasons.
In the end, they reached several compromises. He will continue with his ¡®job¡¯. Instead of being given a role immediately, they will discuss it. But the advantage will alternate between them. Since he forced himself on this world, he will be the one to compromise for the next. As for his tasks, she will avoid giving him highly specific tasks. She normally dictates his exact actions. He will be allowed some leeway as long as it doesn¡¯t completely affect the story. Instead, he only needs to affect the world¡¯s myth and history.
The most important part is that she will allow him to fix his mistakes in this world. He was already on the clock. His first task was to tell them the truth. The second was to accept the consequences.
¡°Get up.¡±
He obliged. He could see her trembling. Her fists were clenched tightly.
¡°Hold on a minute, Hilde¡ I mean, Mistress¡¡± Shino got up from went between them. She inadvertently addressed Hilde by name. She intended to refer to her as ¡®Mistress¡¯ as she did with Vena.
¡°Why are you taking his side?!¡± Hilde shouted.
Hilde knew about Rayis¡¯ doings. He was a high priority target. A lot of people and organizations were looking into him. She has information about his organization and members, including those broken into obedience.
She figured that Shino would at least understand.
¡°Why are you acting up now?¡± Shino argued. The organization was capable of gathering information. She knew about Hilde¡¯s circumstances as well. Still, she believed this wasn¡¯t a matter of whose circumstances were worse. But she can understand that Hilde had been unstable since that incident. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say a while ago how much we don¡¯t want Master to go?¡±
¡°I¡ But¡¡± Hilde fell to her knees and broke down crying.
Shino went to Hilde and embraced her. ¡°It¡¯s never too late to be saved¡¡±
Kiryuu knelt down and placed a hand on Hilde¡¯s shoulder. She tensed up. She couldn¡¯t look him in the eye.
Vena gave her a gentle push. It felt reminiscent of the push she gave her during the ¡®descent¡¯. And a while ago, Hilde kept her from running when her eyes went haywire.
Hilde fell forward and into his chest. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. She couldn¡¯t deny the warmth that enveloped her.
¡°I can¡¯t¡ understand anything anymore¡¡±
Kiryuu combed through her hair affectionately and sighed. He turned to Vena and smiled a bit. He glanced at Shino who sat by Hilde. Then he looked at Dessa at the edge of the bed.
¡°I have experienced countless lives. I have lived countless roles. I have taken on countless names. But know that as long as I am here with you, I am and always will be Kiryuu.¡±
He paused and took a deep breath. ¡°This is my fault and my responsibility. So let me tell you about ¡®corrections¡¯.¡±
¡°Mmm! How delicious!¡± Rune purred as she cut another piece of the steak and ate it.
¡°I-I am humbled, your majesty,¡± the cook did his best to bow despite his shaking knees.
¡°Please, try it,¡± she addressed the woman sitting in front of her.
¡°Thank you very much for your hospitality, your majesty,¡± Lysis looked at the steak on her plate. It was definitely appetizing. But she was distracted by the other figures seated on the table.
¡°Are you not hungry, Tyrf?¡± Rune smiled at the woman to her left.
¡°I¡¯m¡¡± Tyrf¡¯s hands were trembling. Her clothes were disheveled, stained, and torn. A musky smell wafted from her. She was on the verge of tears but she held back from crying.
¡°Oh my, is it not to your liking? Ah, of course!¡± Rune nodded to the cook.
The cook pushed the tray towards Tyrf and brought out a small pitcher. Lysis can clearly see the hesitation in the cook. He forced himself to approach the second queen. Tyrf¡¯s eyes widened as the cook poured a viscous white liquid all over her steak.
¡°Hrggrhhhng!¡± The person seated to Rune¡¯s right made a commotion. Seated might not be the best term. The beast king Artashir was nothing more than a limbless stump placed on the chair. There was prominent damage on his throat and he couldn¡¯t form coherent words.
¡°There you go,¡± Rune ignored Artashir and beamed at Tyrf.
Lysis shuddered when she saw the strange liquid. She didn¡¯t know what it was but it disgusted her.
Tyrf took a long look at her steak then turned slowly towards Rune.
Rune kept smiling. ¡°Go on.¡±
Tyrf¡¯s teared up as she slowly cut a piece of the white-covered steak. Her face contorted in disgust as she took it in her mouth. She forcefully swallowed it without chewing.
But¡
¡°Urk!¡± Tyrf reeled back and fell off her chair. She threw up on the floor and started coughing.
¡°Ah, I guess she can¡¯t eat steak yet.¡± Rune sighed and shook her head.
¡®I don¡¯t think the steak was the issue,¡¯ Lysis thought to herself.
She was sent here as a messenger. After it was approved, they used one of the teleportation gates. They were welcomed by the first queen herself. Lysis noticed that The Savite Principality was covered by a translucent red dome. She never heard of the principality using any barriers.
The other knights were given meals and some room in the barracks. She was invited over for lunch. It was not how she would expect it to be. They already have information on the friction between the queens. She never expected it to end up this way.
Lysis kept her judgment to herself. Rune was definitely being cruel but¡ it was vastly different from how she normally was. Lysis wondered what could have pushed such a kind and gentle soul to this extent.
She remained composed, but forced herself to eat the delicious steak. At least, as much as she could stomach after seeing that.
¡°I apologize on behalf of Tyrf,¡± Rune turned to Lysis.
Lysis forced herself to slice off another piece of the steak and smiled. Her instincts were screaming at her right now. She should avoid offending Rune as much as possible.
¡°Please do not mind it,¡± she said and wiped her lips with the napkin. ¡°I can see that you have some domestic affairs to get to so I¡¯ll make this brief.¡±
Tyrf looked up at Lysis. Her eyes pleading in desperation. Lysis ignored her to the best of her ability. She had a terrible feeling that one wrong move and she won¡¯t make it out of the principality alive, or sane.
¡°In a month, there will be a conference held for the heroes. We hope for your participation in the matter.¡±
¡°Ah~ Of course.¡± Rune clapped her hands together. ¡°I hope Aislin is doing well~¡±
Before she became queen, Aislin had met with Rune. She was like a daughter she never had. Rune had not been able to bear any children. That might be the reason she was particularly close with Aislin.
¡°She is particularly busy with the kingdom¡¯s hero but I will send her your regards.¡±
¡°I am grateful,¡± Rune nodded. ¡°I get to see Aislin in a month. I can¡¯t wait~¡±
¡°Your majesty will be escorting the beast principality¡¯s hero?¡± Lysis can already see the logistical nightmare. If they weren¡¯t careful, they could start a war. The safety of all foreign VIPs is of utmost importance.
¡°Oh my~ Did I not inform you?¡±
Lysis tilted her head to the side in confusion. Rune rose from her seat. Her tails split and emanated a powerful aura.
¡°I am Savite¡¯s hero.¡±