Ah, that one scratched a nerve.
No, scratch wasn’t the right word.
I wanted to kill him. Right here. Right now.
“What did you just say?”
Even when I asked, the bastard just grinned shalessly and tilted his chin up.
There was still sothing in his eyes.
Confidence?
No—arrogance.
“For a human to bear the child of a god...”
His lips slowly curled into a grin, and he licked them with his tongue.
“...she should consider it an honor. That woman, she’s not of this wor—”
—BOOM!!!
Before he could finish, I smashed my fist right into his face.
It was like a bomb went off—shockwaves blasted in every direction.
—WHOOSH!
The flas wrapped around him exploded outward like blood splatter from the punch.
Fire, ready to engulf the entire cavern, abruptly weakened.
He looked up at .
What the hell... is this?
I had slamd him straight to the edge of the wall.
And I wasn’t done with his mouth yet—I threw another punch.
—BOOM! BAM! THUD! BANG!
“Guhhh...!”
The bastard, who’d barely held onto a humanoid form, had flas flickering weakly.
His face was now a lted ss—like soone crushed clay.
I grabbed what was ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) left of his head and lifted him into the air.
“Say that again. What did you say?”
“Heh... heheheh... What, are you deaf? Or maybe—”
—KRAKOOM!!!
Before he could spit more bullshit, I kicked him. Hard.
My foot sank into his gut, denting it inward.
His body blasted through the wall and crashed into the rubble behind it.
—CRUNCH!
I grabbed his face again, dragging him out from the debris.
His flas had weakened into a shimry haze, yet he was still grinning like an idiot.
“Did reality finally break your brain?”
“No... I just couldn’t help but laugh at how pointless your effort is...”
There’s a certain point when rage hits its limit—
and you go quiet.
I grabbed his arm and twisted.
—CRACK! SNAP!
“GUUURGH...!”
“Oh? So you can feel pain?”
“Heheheh...”
I ripped his arm off.
Flas surged again from his shoulder, and a new arm regrew instantly.
“You can’t kill .”
Wrong.
Gods aren’t all-knowing.
They’re not all-powerful.
They age.
They die when they hit their limits.
They just live longer than us, that’s all.
“I’ve heard that line before. From others like you.”
“...?”
“Wanna know what they’re doing now?”
“What kind of nonsense are you—”
This asshole.
He’s really bringing out my temper.
I fiddled with my earring and pulled out my Holy Sword—
which was, of course, just a massive club.
The bastard squird in my grip, finally sensing sothing was wrong.
“Why don’t you go ask them yourself?”
“W-Wait—!”
—CRACK!
I swung the club with one hand and crushed his other arm into pulp.
“GUUURRAAAAGH!!!”
“What’s wrong? That one not regenerating as fast?”
—BAM! BAM! BOOM!!!
I wailed on his limbs for a while.
If we weren’t in a gate right now, anyone outside would’ve thought an earthquake hit.
The hell did you just say? Lyla...? You’re out of your fucking mind.
[Holy shit the Hero's gone berserk]
[First ti seeing his eyes go that dead]
[Bro’s beating the crap outta him like a dog]
“...sir!”
—WHAM! CRUNCH! THUD!
“Hero!”
“Huh?”
I’d been so focused on pumling him that I didn’t even hear Lyla calling .
She was smiling—probably because I was beating up the creep who tried to sexually harass her(?).
“At this rate you’re going to break him completely!”
“Oh. Right...”
I snapped out of it and looked down at the ss on the ground.
“Hrk... S-Spare ...”
Molten lava poured out from where his face had been, like a geyser of blood.
His limbs were completely gone. Only his upper torso was still intact.
I reached slowly—toward where his heart should be.
“W-What are you—?”
I pushed my hand deep inside him—
slowly, painfully—so he’d feel every bit of it.
—CRUNCH... squelch...
“GUHH—! That’s my...!”
Sothing round and searing hot brushed against my fingers.
A core. Like a molten bead.
It pulsed like a heart, and I gripped it tightly.
“P-Please... ngh...!”
I stared straight into his eyes.
Even as his body writhed in agony,
those eyes were filled with disbelief—
and a fear he had never felt before.
NTR ans death penalty.
And I ripped the core right out.
The monster’s flas instantly died.
The surrounding fire went out like candles in the wind.
“Let’s grab what we need and go.”
I shoved the bastard’s body and core into my ring and turned to leave with Lyla.
—squelch...
“Hehehe...”
“...?”
“Let’s go back!”
I wrapped an arm around Lyla’s waist and leapt upward—
But then I spotted sothing in the corner.
His sword. Still intact.
Why the hell didn’t that disappear?
I took it too.
Glancing over at Lyla snuggled beside —
If I compress this... it’d make a beautiful gem. Maybe for a ring?
The artifact the Takamine family promised was supposed to be jewelry-shaped.
What if I embedded this ruby-colored gem into it?
Mm. Not bad.
I’d craft it—then confess to Lyla properly.
The thought made feel even better.
“All right, let’s head ho!”
****
We took the sa waiting helicopter and flew back to the Takamine estate.
By the ti we arrived, Reina was already there—along with another woman who looked strikingly like her.
“...?”
“It’s an honor to et you.”
Her voice was soft, but her manner was impeccable.
Dignity and authority lingered calmly behind every word and gesture.
“I’m Sayō Takamine. Reina’s mother, and the matriarch of the Takamine family.”
Her gaze was serene.
Her tone low, steady, each sentence exuding poise.
She really does feel like a noble from Everheim.
They led us to a parlor.
There was no need to drag things out.
I pulled the heart out of my ring and looked at Reina.
“Here. The heart.”
It was still warm.
A twisted, grotesque thing—shaped like a gemstone, its veins flickering with fire.
“Yes... that’s it. It’s not even alive anymore, and yet it still radiates heat...”
Just then, Reina’s mother, Sayō, spoke softly.
“If you wouldn’t mind, could you follow for a mont?”
With her hands neatly folded, she turned and walked toward the corridor in the back.
At the end of the hallway, we stepped into a quiet room—
A man lay there.
His body was little more than skin and bones.
Barely breathing, but still alive.
So this is...
“He is our family’s patriarch—and Reina’s father.”
Sayō turned to and extended her hand.
“May I have the heart?”
“This was part of the contract.”
I handed it over.
Sayō gently placed the heart on the man’s chest.
Then she opened her mouth and began to chant.
—WHOOOSH...!
The fire blood from the heart, instantly engulfing the man’s entire body.
The flas flared violently, crackling with the kind of heat that sounded like it was lting flesh.
“W-Wait, hold on—!”
Weren’t we supposed to heal him?
Was this... cremation?
“Fufu, don’t worry. It’s controlled.”
Her voice was unwavering.
Just as she said, the flas began to flow into the man.
His sunken cheeks slowly plumped back.
Veins reappeared in his withered arms.
Color returned to his pale lips.
“Thanks to you, we were able to save his life. He’ll need ti to regain consciousness, but he will wake.”
With gentle affection, Sayō brushed his forehead.
I looked at her for a long mont—then asked carefully,
“...Was there a reason you felt the need to show all this?”
“...Because once he’s awake, he can give you the artifact.”
“What does that an?”
“The artifact cannot be touched by anyone who isn’t authorized. But rest assured—we’ll honor our promise. No matter what.”
...Did I just get scamd?
I almost frowned, but before I could, Sayō smiled.
“In a day or two, he’ll be up. Until then, please rest. We’ll take care of everything.”
****
We returned to the parlor.
Sayō glanced at Lyla with a faint, unreadable smile.
Then she turned to .
“I’d like to speak privately with you, Hunter. Would you mind giving us the room?”
Her smile was polite, but her words were sharp and clear.
Leave us.
I was about to call her out on overstepping—
But Lyla beat to it, smiling sweetly.
“Oh, I don’t mind. This is a ‘business’ talk, right?”
Her tone was light, like this didn’t bother her at all.
Hmph. So now that the daughter failed, the mother’s setting things up herself?
But Sayō only chuckled quietly and nodded.
“Thank you for understanding. As expected, you draw a clear line between business and personal matters—because you’re just ‘colleagues,’ after all.”
There it was.
Buried in that elegant voice was a sharp barb:
You’re not lovers. Just partners. Barely that.
Hmph. Guess she doesn’t get that this isn’t so guild deal, lady...
Lyla took a sip of tea, calm and composed.
Her voice stayed gentle.
“Well, I’ve ‘always’ been by the Hero’s side. I think it’s only right he makes the important decisions.”
“That’s admirable. It’s truly a blessing to have a ‘loyal colleague’ you can trust in crucial monts.”
The two of them sat there, sipping tea, staring at each other.
anwhile, Reina sat awkwardly in the middle, not knowing what to do with herself.
And I—
I didn’t even know what the hell was going on.
“...?”
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