Contribution. A word that encompasses devotion and contribution.
If we speak of the contribution of love, then the purest, most sincere gaze would be the truest form of contribution.
But, as greed works,
Once you acquire sothing, you continuously desire more, seeking sothing even holier.
The pure affection naturally transforms into obsession.
Obsession then gives rise to selfish desires. You begin to long only for a gentle, loving partner who belongs solely to you.
In the end, you yearn for a comforting embrace, a tender refuge to soothe and hold you. You wish for a sun that reflects only you, a servant devoted to your every need.
Even though you know so well that such a thing is impossible.
Thud!
"Hah...!! Wait...! Wait a minute...!"
The elf had longed for this.
"Die!! Die!! Die!! Die...!! You earless bastard..!!"
Yohō, who had mounted the elf, suppressed her upper body with one hand, while the other relentlessly pounded her delicate features.
"How dare you deceive ...?! Even though the leader returned so plainly...?!"
Boom!
Just a few minutes ago. The elf, caught lying, was ruthlessly beaten by Yohō, who had co upon her without anyone noticing.
"Die!! Just fucking die...!! You bastard...!!"
The elf, sprawled on the floor, scread, but each of her cries was drowned out by punches that twisted her face. Whenever she tried to say sothing, Yohō’s voice completely overtook her soft elf-like tones.
Drip... drip...
Tears fell from the fox spirit’s eyes. She cursed at the elf who had tried to deceive her, expressing deep resentnt.
"Ugh... ughh..."
"Ugh...?! Ugh...?! You fucking bitch—!!!"
Her words were sharp and filled with contempt, her tongue like a whip. Yohō continued her barrage of insults, each one a venomous lash in the air.
Despite the elf’s graceful appearance, the words that ca from Yohō’s mouth were nothing short of degrading filth, each sentence more vile than the last.
Lying helplessly on the ground, the elf couldn’t even put up a fight. Yohō had the greatest strength and endurance even among the most powerful beings.
With ease, Yohō pushed the elf off her, as if it were nothing. It almost seed as though facing an entire army of Celestials would have been a better fate.
In the end, Elrayna gave up on resisting. She knew that even if she was beaten to the brink of death, the blessings of the World Tree would automatically heal her.
***
Keyal could not say a word. He knew better than anyone that if even one thing went wrong, this entire kingdom would be reduced to rubble.
After all, these were the very heroes he had cultivated, using vast amounts of money to make them what they were.
But,
"...."
He couldn’t stop them. He wanted to, but he just couldn’t bring himself to do it.
As Yohō continued to beat the elf, the shockwaves of her strikes spread. She was venting her anger, pouring her emotions into each punch. But Yohō’s fists didn’t carry the kind of crushing force that would kill a fellow hero.
There was certainly murderous intent in her blows, but if you asked whether they were as heavy as the malice she herself harbored, the answer would be no.
Boom—!!
But that was the way things were between heroes. Keyal, along with others, had a different perspective.
Keyal didn’t speak. He simply opened his mouth in a silent gape, unable to do anything but turn a blind eye to the actions of the two heroes.
"...."
Instinctively, he knew. If he got involved, he would die.
He would either end up a corpse without anyone knowing or be torn to pieces.
Keyal’s eyes drifted toward the two won. One was being beaten, the other was the one doing the beating. They were like opposites, locked in a violent clash. He couldn’t help but nod to himself unconsciously.
A man’s gaze traced a straight line. Once again, Keyal realized there was nothing he could do.
There was no choice but to just let it happen and move on.
‘Well, this must be so sort of karmic retribution.’
It wasn’t until nearly an hour had passed that he finally heard the two won explain the circumstances, sniffling as they spoke.
***
From a typical perspective, it seed that Elrayna was mostly at fault.
"Th-This is what happened..."
Fearful of being punished, the elf, or rather, the "earless," nervously clasped her hands together on her chest, repeatedly pulling them apart as if to explain.
Yohō, who had buried her face into her knees, let out occasional groans from the corner, glancing at through the gap in her arms.
"...."
Keyal, his eyes narrowed, turned his head toward the elf.
Huff...
The elf trembled, releasing whimpering sounds. If anyone saw her like this, they might think he was about to devour her.
"Ugh...M-Master..."
Elrayna's voice wavered with tears. It was hard to even call her a victim or an aggressor—this elf, trembling, was too afraid of punishnt to do anything but sob.
Keyal couldn’t decide. Just considering the situation, it seed logical to punish Elrayna.
But,
=====
Elrayna depends on you. If you are hated by her, this could spiral into the worst possible outco...
Comfort Elrayna. [0/1]
Success: No reward.
Failure: Death.
‘Dammit...’
=====
Because of this damn system, Keyal was in a situation where he couldn’t do anything.
He held his head in his hands. If he let his anger take over and soone, one of these won, died because of him, failing the quest would lead to his death.
What’s worse, even if she survived, the guilt of losing her because of his actions would haunt him forever.
Perhaps, because of Keyal Klein’s nature, now rged with his physical body, he might end up crying endlessly, unable to accept her death, drowning in alcohol for the rest of his life.
At worst, he might even turn into a necromancer, experinting with resurrection magic and such.
‘Well, that’s unlikely, I suppose…’
Even if he was okay, the system would make sure of it.
Keyal's brow furrowed deeply.
"Is Elrayna okay?"
Keyal's gaze sharpened. Elrayna, who had been nervously avoiding his eyes, froze at his question.
Not understanding the intent behind his words, Elrayna looked around, her eyes darting in confusion.
"Uh... um..."
"Ah."
She nodded, finally understanding.
"I-I'm fine, Master."
"Good to hear."
Keyal gave a small, appropriate smile, then turned his gaze away.
Elrayna stared blankly at Keyal. What was going on? Why wasn’t he angry? She started wondering, her mind filled with question marks.
"Kuh...khek."
Keyal, turning his back to the elf, straightened his posture. He shot Yohō, who had been glancing at him, a piercing stare.
"!!"
Yohō quickly looked away, clearly embarrassed.
"Se...Seria?"
For the first ti, he called her by her real na. It was probably the first ti, considering Keyal Klein’s body had taken over, though he felt it had been a while.
Flick flick
Yohō’s ears twitched at the sound of her master calling her, her face still hidden in her arms.
"Captain..."
Her white fur spread out as her ears moved, and the nine-tailed fox, which had been curled around her, slowly raised her head.
Only then did her appearance beco visible. Her white hair, the cold, glowing eyes of her pale blue iris, her beautiful features rivaling that of a princess—she was Yohō, the legendary nine-tailed fox. And further still, she had once been the beloved hero of the beastkin, Seria.
Sitting on the bedding, Keyal slowly stood up.
Step step
He started walking toward Yohō, moving closer with each step.
His arm raised, as if possessed by sothing, drawing closer to her.
Keyal’s gaze closed in. His silver pupils t her bright blue eyes.
Kneeling down, his gaze lowered until it t her, and her breath brushed against his face.
"Is it really you, Seria?"
"Of course. You're really... the Captain, right?"
With a faint smile, Keyal nodded.
"Yes, it’s Keyal Klein. It's really ."
Yohō’s tails swirled out, and she looked at him with intense emotion, as though she had longed for this mont.
This was the answer she had desperately yearned for. The nine-tailed fox, who had achieved everything in life, had been unable to gain this one thing. And now, the man in front of her gave it to her effortlessly.
"I missed you."
"Yes, too."
The air around them grew heavy with emotion.
It was awkward, but neither of them interrupted the silence.
"Why did you co to Solum...?"
"I ca to bring Seria back."
Yohō tilted her head in confusion at the unexpected response.
"... ?"
"Yes. In order to rebuild the guild, Seria's power is indispensable."
Keyal, as if realizing sothing was missing, scratched his chin, his eyes lighting up with a sudden thought.
"Of course, I was mostly worried. Rivera and Elrayna may not be like Seria, but before eting , their situation was really bad."
He turned his head toward Elrayna, who had been silently watching them.
"Elrayna... her condition was much worse than I imagined."
The word ‘condition’ caused Elrayna to suddenly sit up, raising her voice in protest.
"Master..! Th-That..."
Her usual soft voice now sounded out of place, louder than ever.
Keyal smiled at her, and only then did she sit back down.
"Ugh... ‘condition’... Did I look that unclean in your eyes, Master...?"
Her wound still hadn’t healed, and her mutterings could still be heard. Keyal chose to ignore it for now, letting the mont pass.
***
"So... Seria? Will you co with —"
"I'll go!!"
"Eh...?"
"I'll go...! I’ll follow you!! I’ll follow you no matter what!!"
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