"Why did you stop? Make haste, vice-captain, we have to rendezvous with the other nobles soon."
A voice resounded as a lavish carriage ca to a stop at the outskirts of Cadun village. The occupants of the carriage were already desperate, taking a dangerous shortcut to cut their way through the hills.
"That, my lady, it seems so people are tied up ahead."
"Tied up?" the lady tilted her head.
"Sister, you should wait here. I'll go check it out."
"I'll co along."
The two lords and the knight stepped out of the carriage. Not far away tied up with a waning string were a boy with shark-like teeth and a handso man half asleep.
The two scions of the Hall Marquis had encountered a pair of gold-ranked adventurers on their way to the Imperial Capital.
***
"D-dawn..."
"Oh? How surprising, so you rember ?" Dawn took a step closer. Instinctively, I backed away.
"H-how can I ever forget—"
"Why? I thought you didn't rember all your one night stands. So, you fuck soone and then disappear once you're bored, right?"
Shit. I couldn't say no here. It was my fault.
"Oh!" Titania exclaid from the side. "So that's what happened."
Suddenly, I felt her kicking my face with her tiny legs. "You're scum! I am not helping you with this anymore. You better apologize properly."
"Look, that wasn't my—"
"Wasn't what!?" Dawn took another step closer and grabbed my collars. Her hold loosened for a split second when she noticed the scar running down my neck to my chest. She quickly recovered and continued, albeit a little softer. "Choose your words wisely, scum."
I was about to speak up when images of the last two years flashed into my mind.
'Kid, you're conceited.'
The master's words rang in my ears.
There had been many battles where my life was pitted against enemies I couldn't hope to defeat. To be scratched just one less ti, to take just one more calm breath, I had employed hundreds and hundreds of cheap tricks.
I could just lie.
It was going to soften the blow for both of us. There wasn't anything wrong with being cheap, was there?
I would get away easily, and it would soothe Dawn's anger easily as well.
"I..."
Before I could speak, another image flashed in my head.
That night, when I had gotten just a small glimpse of her face under the faint moonlight. It wasn't easy to rember sothing I had only seen once before, but I did see her.
Was lying the right thing to do?
I had been cheap, yes, but wasn't it all so that I can get rid of my conceitedness and fight head-on?
Lying would just be spitting in the face of all that effort.
I stepped ahead and placed my hands on Dawn's.
"I won't deny that I was scared to approach you after the manager took away."
Her neck hardened as Dawn frowned.
"But, I also rembered that fight. One wrong move and we both would have died... If sothing like that happened again, I might have lost badly. Even if you died, the result wouldn't have changed."
"What do you—"
I took another step ahead and clasped her hands tighter. Dawn and I shared a deeply emotional bond, one that we verified with our bodies. Of course, I cared about her after that. What kind of asshole wouldn't?
"I wanted to be strong enough to face you. So that I could defeat not just one but hundreds of those monsters!"
"Wow~" Titania sighed from the side.
Dawn too loosened her grip as her breathing got heavier. I could feel her hand heating up in my grasp.
Did it work?
Was I safe.
"What's with that, bastard..." Dawn spoke in a soft voice.
A smile tugged at my lips.
She must have been blushing redder than a tomato!
Suddenly, Dawn pushed away.
"So you didn't talk because you were so focused on growing stronger?"
"Strength is the most important, after all."
"Haha... hahaha..." Dawn suddenly stared at the sky and started laughing. "I'll cash in the favor, god."
Another chill ran down my spine.
"Please bestow his divine punishnt."
"Hah—"
The sky cracked before I could say a word.
In the blink of an eye, a blue tint covered the world and a raging bolt of lightning fell on the Earth. I tried to move, but it was too late.
"AAAAH!"
Lightning spread all over my body before flashing away. I scrunched my body and closed my eyes.
And the lightning was gone.
"Huh?" I opened one eye and looked up. Dawn was standing there with her arms on her waist. "I-it doesn't hurt?"
The lightning strike would have probably killed a normal person, but it was too weak. It felt like a mosquito bite.
"Haha..." Dawn's mouth opened up in a peal of manic laughter. "Now you'll know! No matter where you go, you'll always stub your toes you fucker!"
"OH, YOU DEMON!"
I took a step ahead when my shoes struck against an upturned brick on the ground, stubbing my toe right away. From the sides, quite a few people were staring at us as we talked nonchalantly even after being hit by lightning.
Dawn suddenly sighed.
She ca closer again and pulled my chin.
"I'll assu you ant you wanted to get stronger to protect ."
"Not real—"
"Shut up."
She was fun to tease as well. I held in a laugh and wrapped my hand around her shoulder, flexing that we were of the sa height now.
"Good to see you again," I said.
"You too."
"Find the people you were looking for?"
"Let's talk sowhere else," Dawn said and we started making our way through the streets of the sixth district, ignoring the people around.
Soon, we found ourselves in front of the closest hotel which was also one of the biggest ones in the sixth district.
"Wait here, I'll book us a place."
I made my way in and booked us a suite room on the top of the seven-story building. I thought it would be good to chat in a wide space for just us two.
"Are you here with the madam behind, sir?" the person at the reception asked.
"Yes, please give a room where we can be comfortable."
"Right away, we'll take a couple minutes to prepare."
"No problems."
"Alright, have a great night sir."
The floors underground were operating as a casino while the first two floors served as different attractions and restaurants in the hotel that was filled with the rich people of the capital.
A bellhop inford us that the room was ready and we got on a simple chanical lift and reached the top floor that only had a dozen suite rooms, the most lavish floor. I didn't know about this place beforehand, but it was good enough for us.
"Co in," I said, opening the door of the suite room. "We have a lot to talk about the empire, things are looking dangerous for now."
The door opened up, and neither of us stepped inside.
"A lot to talk about." Dawn muttered. "In a honeymoon suite, huh?"
Well fuck.
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