Chapter 279: Epilogue. Order of Hierarchy (2)
by Afuhfuihgs
Epilogue. Order of Hierarchy
Creak— The carriage door opened, and the scent of rain-soaked grass rushed in.
A familiar and longed-for smell.
Sss— Haa.
I took a deep breath and hopped down from the carriage’s slightly elevated footboard.
Heinzel said he had some business to take care of, leaving the carriage behind and disappearing right away.
“Wow…”
I widened my blurry eyes, taking in the scenery of Alba at a glance.
It was completely different from what I had sensed with my [Ki sense], a charming and warm sight that made me gasp in surprise.
Low walls. Old houses that perfectly matched the image of medieval homes. The Adventurer’s Guild building towering in the distance. And, in one corner, a blacksmith’s shop puffing out clouds of smoke.
“It’s been a while.”
Hermilla, who had followed me out, seemed to feel the same way, taking a deep breath and smiling softly.
“It feels a little different from when I came before…”
Rubia hesitated, seeming somewhat awkward, and stretched with a small groan.
“Maybe it’s because your mind was complicated back then?”
“Ah… Hehehe. I guess so. It was like that back then.”
Rubia, who had been stroking my hair, gave a bitter smile.
Then, she gently clasped my hand and said,
“Thank you, Noah.”
“Yes…? For what…?”
A slightly warm sunlight fell.
In that light, her silver-white hair, scattered by the wind, sparkled. Behind it, her blue eyes, her light pink lips, curved beautifully towards me.
“For everything.”
“…Ye, yes…”
Beautiful.
So much.
“I, I also… thank you…”
“What are you thankful for, Noah?”
“Uh… th, just… I also, for everything… all of it…”
Rubia, covering her mouth and giggling, poked my nose with her finger.
Meanwhile, Hermilla, who had been standing awkwardly beside us, drew our attention with an awkward cough.
“Ahem. Shall we go in now?”
“Shall we?”
“Ye, yes…”
A hand lightly extended.
I took that hand and followed Hermilla.
Crunch— Crunch—
Stepping on soft grass, passing through slightly damp soil.
We.
Had arrived in Alba.
We were about to eat right away, but Hermilla said she had a schedule, so Rubia and I went to the inn to unpack.
“Shall we take a shower while we wait?”
“Uh… um…”
I had only washed my face and brushed my teeth as soon as I woke up in the morning, and hadn’t taken a shower, so I felt a little sticky…
But there was something that kept bothering me, so for now…
“Noah?”
“Th, there’s… I, I have something to do…”
Rubia, who was about to take off her clothes, tilted her head.
“Something to do?”
“Yes… th…”
How should I explain this…
Should I tell her everything, even the reasons why they might be fighting? Um… Rubia is Serr’s friend, so it would be good for her to know, right?
“Actually, th… they’re fighting inside…”
“Fighting…?”
Rubia narrowed her brows slightly, pondering the meaning of my words, and then parted her lips slightly.
“Ah, could it be…”
“Yes… th, I don’t really know the reason… they were just talking among themselves, and then suddenly, they started fighting.”
Soon, Rubia, who was sitting on the chair opposite me, chuckled.
“I can roughly guess the reason… Hehehe… So? Do you want to stop them, Noah?”
“Umm… Yes.”
I want to stop them.
No… I have to stop them.
Because my friends are in danger? That’s not it.
I don’t really think they’re trying to kill each other for real, and even if they were, they wouldn’t be able to kill each other.
The reason I have to stop them is…
I don’t know why, but the Divinity inside my body keeps getting consumed. No, it’s just being shaved off in chunks.
Well, I still have plenty to spare, so it doesn’t matter, but if the fighting continues like this, there might be variables when a slightly stronger Outer God attacks.
For that reason, I have to stop them.
And, um… a little.
Just a tiiiiny, tiiiiny bit.
I also want to fight.
I’m curious about how strong I’ve become now.
I’ve fought the heroes who were End’s Demon Beasts, including Sirin.
But Kartia, Frey.
Serr.
I’ve never fought these three even once.
So I’m curious.
How strong they are.
They won’t die anyway, so it’s okay to go all out, right?
“Hee…”
Seeing me lost in thought for a moment, Rubia made a suspicious humming sound.
“Do you want to join in and play with them, Noah?”
Join in and play.
It might be a little too brutal to call it playing.
Well…
“A, a little…?”
Hehe. As I smiled a little shyly, Rubia stood up with a rustle.
“You’re taking me with you, right?”
“Rubia too…?”
“Oh my? Were you not planning to take me?”
Uh… well…
“…O, of course… I was planning to go together…!”
Rubia narrowed her brows and glared at me, looking upset.
“I’m disappointed.”
“O, no… that’s not it… I, I was worried it might be dangerous…”
“Sigh… I… waited for over a year alone… Of course, it was hard for Noah too, but it was hard for me in my own way… Noah is trying to ostracize me… Is it true that when bodies are far apart, hearts grow distant too…?”
Rubia, making a pitiful voice, covered her face with both hands.
“O, ooh… no, that’s not it… I, I’m sorry… Ooh… what should I do…”
I immediately ran towards Rubia and hugged her trembling shoulders tightly.
“I, I was worried Rubia would get hurt… Ooh… I, I’m sorry…”
Soon, I wriggled up onto her lap and slowly lifted her head.
“Le, let’s go together… I’m sorry… Eh…”
Rubia was smiling.
A very mischievous and playful smile.
“So, it was a joke…?”
“Hehe… Of course. Did you really think I would think that? Of course, I was a little upset at the thought of Noah leaving me out… But, well, I think you really thought I might get hurt. So, it’s okay. On the contrary, I feel good that Noah cares about me?”
As soon as Rubia finished speaking, my clothes slid down to the floor.
“…Eh?”
I looked down to check if they weren’t tied properly.
But there was only Rubia’s hand there.
Rubia untied them? When???
“So, to calm down this excited heart. Before we go to our friends, let’s do it just once.”
“Yes…?”
Rubia, giving a seductive smile, came closer and whispered in my ear.
“Do you know how hard it was for me to hold back since the carriage?”
And she took my hand and made me touch her underwear.
“Gasp…”
“It seems like I held back a lot, right?”
Ugh… More…
I blankly opened my mouth and nodded.
But only for a moment. Suddenly snapping back to my senses, I hurriedly opened my mouth.
“Th, then… let’s wash… sh, shower… I, I, haven’t… sh, sho… showered, yet…”
Thump-thump— My heart pounded as if it would burst.
This wasn’t the first or second time this had happened, but why was I like this today?
My face was hot, my arms and legs were hot.
My lower abdomen was ticklish and tingly.
Rubia’s fragrant scent seemed to be coming at me even more stimulatingly…
“Then, we can do it while we shower.”
Rubia’s lips bit my ear.
Goosebumps rose and my body trembled.
At the same time, Rubia’s eyes widened.
My eyes widened too.
My butt.
My butt, touching Rubia’s legs, was a little.
A little, a lot, wet…
My mind went blank.
I seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, and my body trembled.
No, that’s not it, that’s really not it…
“Could it be…”
“N, no, it’s not like… I, I didn’t pee…”
Rubia smiled brightly.
“Oh my…”
And she jumped up from her seat and threw me onto the bed with a whoosh.
“Ru… Rubia…? We, we were going to… sh… shower…”
Rubia, who climbed on top of me as if to crush my body without answering, had a glint in her eyes.
Hiccup.
“I, sho… hic. Shower… not, yet… th…”
Rubia still didn’t say anything.
It didn’t seem like she was going to end it like this.
Then, why was she staying still…?
Could it be that she was waiting for my answer…?
What answer?
No, there’s no need to think about it in this situation… right…
Slowly, I released the strength in my legs, which had been closed, and wrapped them around Rubia’s legs.
I released the strength in my arms, which had been covering my chest, and lightly wrapped them around Rubia’s neck.
“Th, then… since I didn’t shower, th… doing it with your mouth is not allowed… we can only do it, just once… okay…?”
I asked as gently as possible, smiling brightly.
And, Rubia.
Didn’t grant my request.
Nothing…
“Haa, it’s a little chilly, but I feel refreshed. How about you, Noah?”
“…M, me too.”
Three hours later.
Rubia and I, who had finished showering and even filled our hungry stomachs with Hermilla, arrived at the meadow right next to Alba.
Hermilla had another busy thing to do, so she couldn’t join us here.
Staggering— Carefully avoiding my sore thighs from rubbing together, I climbed onto the hill and took a deep breath.
Cool air.
I was a little exhausted, but breathing in the air of the open space made me feel somewhat refreshed.
In contrast to me, Rubia, full of energy, was smiling brightly and fixing my hair.
…Why is it always only me who has a hard time?
Of course, if I resisted with force, I could push Rubia away…
But how could I do that?
If Rubia got hurt or upset…
That would be even more painful for me.
And, th… anyway.
When we’re doing it, I also… th, umm…
“Noah?”
“Uhek… Ye, yes…?”
“But, how are we supposed to go to where they are?”
“Ah… that’s…”
Actually, I don’t really know either.
I thought that just like when opening the ‘door’ to the outside, I could open the door to the place where my friends are.
If it was just transferring consciousness, I could just close my eyes and concentrate, but it’s not just transferring consciousness now.
Rubia is going with me too.
“Well, I don’t really know, but… I’ll try.”
I had also told Hermilla in case something happened. That the sky might darken and the Black Sun might rise.
I need to control that now too.
If it gets dark every time I draw the Greatsword, people will be very confused.
Ugh… There’s still a lot I need to get used to…
First, let’s clear away the distractions.
Shaking my head, I took a step forward.
And, placing my hand on my chest, ―Kugung!
I drew the Greatsword.
The sky instantly turned crimson.
The Black Sun rose in the center of it.
In that alien landscape, I swung the Greatsword.
Tzzzzz―
Space cracked and tore.
Creating a huge door.
But… the appearance of the door…
“Uh… it’s very luxurious?”
“Th, it is…?”
As Rubia said… the appearance of the door was very luxurious. More like a royal palace than an ordinary house’s door.
No. It looked like the door of a huge mansion.
That’s not what I imagined…
What the heck did you do in my soul…?
Feeling a little uneasy, I grabbed Rubia’s hand tightly.
As a result, Rubia grabbed the doorknob instead of me, who didn’t have a free hand.
“Hoo… shall I open it…?”
“Yes…”
Rubia, swallowing hard, carefully.
Opened the door.
At the same time.
Tzeoeong―!!
A huge wave of power crashed into Rubia.
“Rubia!”
I immediately ran in front of Rubia and stepped into True Awakening. Kuung―! The wooden flooring flew up. Crimson Divinity raged around it. The Greatsword was raised. The Greatsword was level with the ground.
Unstable posture. Disordered breathing.
If I swung like this, I could block the attack, but I wouldn’t be able to end their fight.
Even as I did so, the wave approaching this way was gradually swelling and filling my vision.
No.
I thought it would just be a sparring match.
They were really fighting seriously.
…This is really absurd.
Gritting my teeth, I swung the Greatsword.
From right to left.
Crimson Divinity raged along that trajectory. The finely sprayed [Sword-Thread] wrapped around Rubia, blocking the fragments and the aftermath of the power rushing towards her.
And in front of that.
My Divinity, reaching out to the chaotic landscape.
“Wh, what the hell!”
―Swish! It was neatly cut in half by a katana emitting a deep blue moonlight.
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