Ch.161Echo – 1

As soon as I realized that fact, my body froze stiff.

When I had faced Durahan, blood had streamed from my eyes and ears after the battle, but now, not only was there no bleeding, I couldn’t even feel that simple headache.

Naturally, I was shocked. After all, it was memories connected to this light spear that had bound me so severely and made me flounder in the past until now.

“My lord. That spear…”

The four who knew about my past were equally shocked. Despite the light spear being in my hand, I was holding it calmly, and everyone’s faces showed utter astonishment.

“…Could it be that you’ve recovered?”

“I don’t really know myself.”

That was all I could answer right now. Because I knew nothing. Why it didn’t hurt, for what reason, how long this situation could last.

Truly nothing at all.

“…So, I need to find out from now on.”

But I needed to discover the cause, and how long it might last. I absolutely had to. This was my chance to be freed from the memories that had eaten away at me and tormented me for over a decade.

Even if I couldn’t forget, perhaps I could escape them.

I looked down at the light spear in my hand. The spear was emitting an absurdly brilliant golden light. It was so bright that I wondered if it had always been this beautiful.

“I understand. Then the first thing to do is clear.”

Laura carefully opened her mouth while watching my reaction.

“First, we need to find out how much of your memories you can recall without harm. Your past memories are numerous, after all. Some are still sealed at present. Finding the reason can come after that, I think.”

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

I set the light spear vertically on the floor and closed my eyes. I began to trace my past memories bit by bit. I gradually dug up memories that I had once buried deep in a corner of my mind, not wanting to recall them.

I pulled out memories of betraying humans and being betrayed by the Demon King, memories of killing monsters designed solely to kill humans, memories of countless corpses.

It still didn’t hurt. I went further back into the past. Being betrayed by humans, the woman who was humanity’s only hope being betrayed, and yet she pleaded with me as she handed over the light spear—

“…Ugh.”

I clutched my throbbing head. My staggering body barely managed to hold onto the edge of the bed. The four, startled, rushed to support me from all sides.

“…I think I’m okay now. Thanks.”

I slowly removed my hand from my head. It had just caught me by surprise, but this level of pain was quite bearable.

No, it wasn’t just bearable—it was like child’s play.

What I had to endure until now was excruciating pain, as if my entire head was being burned in fire. But now it was just ordinary pain, which was already a tremendous improvement.

When I shared this observation, Rosaria asked worriedly:

“But you’re still in pain, right? Are you really okay?”

“This much I can handle easily.”

“Even so…”

I was being completely sincere, but everyone seemed to focus on the fact that there was pain at all, looking half-convinced.

As I leaned against the light spear—which was standing vertically on the ground as if defying the laws of physics—trying to catch my breath, Rosaria, who had been fidgeting for a while, approached right in front of me.

Then, out of nowhere, she pulled my head into an embrace, burying it between her breasts.

“What are you doing?”

“What’s this sudden action?”

Elisier and Laura immediately reacted. Rosaria hugged my head tighter and snapped back:

“What, should we just watch him suffer in pain? We need to comfort him. What does it matter if it hurts a hundred times less? He still can’t stand properly and needs to lean on something.”

“No, really, I’m fine—”

“Hush. The patient should be quiet.”

Rosaria buried my head deeper. The scent of milk filled my nostrils. Realizing she wouldn’t let go with just a word or two, I gave up and obediently surrendered myself.

‘Well, it’s not like this is the first time.’

I’ve had plenty of physical contact before. This wouldn’t particularly ruin the mood, and my head would remain calm—

‘Wait, calm?’

I urgently checked my physical condition.

It didn’t hurt.

The throbbing pain in my head that had been there just moments ago had completely subsided. I was dumbfounded by this development.

As I broke free from her arms and stood up, having been half-resigned to my fate, Rosaria displayed a question mark in return. Her attitude suggested she hadn’t expected this reaction at all.

“What? What’s wrong, Mira?”

“Suddenly the pain is gone.”

“Oh, really…? I mean, of course! See? I was right, wasn’t I?”

Rosaria, after a moment of confusion, puffed out her chest triumphantly. Beside her, Laura and Elisier were looking on with expressions that seemed to ask, ‘Does this actually work?’

“I was right, wasn’t I, Mira? How about it? Want me to do more?”

The sweater made of starlight threads loosened on both sides. The fabric covering the upper part of her chest dissolved away, reducing her top to something closer to a bunny girl outfit. Her ample cleavage, previously hidden by clothing, was revealed.

Her slender arms lifted and supported her breasts from underneath, as if showing them off.

“…No, not you, Rosaria. This is a bit awkward to say, but… I think I need to experiment with the rest of you too.”

To put it bluntly, I meant I wanted to bury my face in Priscilla’s, Elisier’s, and Laura’s chests as well. It was such an absurd request that even I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

Normally, I would never make such a proposal, but given the current situation, I couldn’t back down.

This was the pain that had always clung to me, refusing to leave, even after returning home from the first world, and even after being dragged back here to start the second world.

“My lord, I understand what you’re trying to say, so you don’t need to make such a strange expression.”

However, it seemed they were thinking something completely different from me.

“…What?”

“It’s obvious. You’re probably feeling sorry for making us do such things.”

When I couldn’t deny it, Laura snorted as if she had known all along.

“You tend to hesitate in unexpected places. As you’ve shown through your actions many times, you need to handle us more boldly. And not just boldly—we would welcome it if you explored our bodies much more actively than you do now.”

Laura looked at Priscilla, Rosaria, and Elisier in turn, as if asking if anyone would object. Not a single person did. They all wore expressions suggesting this was only natural.

“We always harbor such feelings, yet you hesitate so much just to ask if you can borrow our chests? Let me tell you here and now. From now on, don’t ask—command us. As long as you don’t order us to leave your side, there is no woman here who would refuse your words.”

Click, click. Delicate fingers began to undo the buttons of the dress shirt being used as pajamas, one by one.

“So, my lord.”

Laura, having unbuttoned her shirt down to her navel, spread her arms wide.

“Come here.”

After Mira left, saying he needed time alone but would return by the end of the day, the four remaining people excitedly discussed all sorts of things.

The act of lending their chests had actually been effective in alleviating Mira’s pain.

From now on, they could legitimately offer their chests without hesitation while also relieving Mira’s suffering, so it was natural for the four to be excited.

“Then does that mean the bigger the chest, the more effective it is?”

The good atmosphere might have lasted longer if not for Rosaria’s careless remark, made in the excitement of having found a solution.

“You’re talking nonsense.”

“That can’t be true. Don’t say such strange things.”

Laura immediately responded, and even Priscilla rarely frowned.

“If you’re trying to say your chest is the biggest, I’ll have you know I’m not inferior to you at all.”

“No, that’s not exactly what I meant…”

When even Elisier joined in, Rosaria, who had no such intention to begin with, shrank back and mumbled awkwardly.

“I was just wondering if the effect is greater with larger breasts, if there’s anyone who could beat the chairwoman.”

“…”

A sudden silence fell.

That’s right. The women by Mira’s side weren’t just the four of them.

“Sigh…”

I stared blankly at the light emanating from the light spear thrust vertically before me.

In the past, it would have been an object I loathed just looking at. I disliked even calling it by its proper name, referring to it simply as “that thing.”

But now I felt nothing of the sort.

‘Why this sudden change?’

If there was any reason, there could only be one. The excitement I briefly felt when I was with Elisier. Nothing else came to mind.

The problem was that, in our current state, it was impossible to recreate those emotions. It would only awaken strange sexual desires in the perfectly normal Priscilla and Rosaria, while I would remain the same as before.

I was about to sigh again and grasp the light spear.

“You look troubled. Something wrong?”

“…”

An innocent female voice came from the empty space where I had sensed nothing.

This meant she had arrived right behind me, ignoring not only my senses but also the detection magic densely spread around. My body tensed instantly.

A slimy yet chillingly powerful aura, now all too familiar, was detected a beat late. I could see the plants at my feet collectively withering and twisting black.

As far as I knew, the power capable of such a feat was limited.

“The demon sword should have been destroyed. Where did you get that power?”

A demon who had accepted the power of a demon god.

I asked the question while holding the light spear, ready to fight at any moment. But the answer that came back far exceeded my expectations.

“Hmm? Oh, you mean my power?”

“…Your power?”

“Yes. I made the demon sword, you know.”

It felt like all the plans I had just made were completely shattered. Unable to even think of pointing the light spear, I slowly turned around.

There stood something in human form, draped in a black robe, with a height similar to or slightly shorter than Rosaria’s. I couldn’t tell the gender. All the curves and shapes of the body were buried within the robe.

The face was the same. The inside was covered with dark shadows, completely invisible.

“You—”

“Ah, wait, wait. Me first. I spoke first, didn’t I?”

The robed figure raised an index finger and waved it once as if saying “tsk!” then opened its mouth again in that innocent female voice.

“Listen. Instead of the goddess, wouldn’t you like to join hands with me?”