Ch.361The NPC Who Dropped the Sun. (10)

“If I had a bit more time, I would have tested it more thoroughly by having matches with the others…”

“We’ll take care of that. We’ll let you know later.”

“…Tsk. I need to start working on the warp gate now, so I should head back.”

After returning Ragni and me to the castle, the Chancellor said that and then disappeared, mentioning that we wouldn’t be able to meet him for another year. So that means the Empire and Ponia will be connected by a warp gate in a year.

Ragni, who was covered in dirt, went to wash up with Cara, while I just settled for a quick back scrub. When I apologized to Cara for tearing my pants, she just replied that the clothes were made for me anyway, so I shouldn’t worry about it. As I lay on the bed absentmindedly staring at the darkening sky…

-Knock knock.

“Hm? Ah. Come in.”

Seeing the status window beyond the door, I immediately recognized who it was and invited them in.

“Are you resting?”

“I’m not working, if that’s what you mean. There’s nothing left to do anyway.”

I sit up on the bed and gesture for her to sit down. The blue-haired woman enters in clean pajamas and perches on the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry. Because of me, we’re separated from everyone again.”

“I told you not to talk about that.”

After the Empire incident was over, we had originally planned to return to Neity together, but given the circumstances, there was no way we could escape. So I had initially wanted everyone to rest here, but…

[Master, are there no more dungeons in the Empire besides that one?]

Gor’s question was the trigger. In this incident, our party managed to win without anyone getting hurt, but too many others died. Could we safely get through battles with the Church, or with the remaining Seven Deadly Sins, Sloth and Pride, like we did this time? When Gor posed that fundamental question, I had no choice but to say NO.

In this battle, we faced a priest who used Sloth’s power—or more precisely, who had fed humans to Sloth’s high-ranking demon to increase his power. Gor, who knew the strategy, was incredibly lucky to be able to subdue him easily by taking advantage of the terrain.

This victory was heavily dependent on luck. If we had faced the actual Seven Deadly Sin of Sloth, or someone who could properly wield that power, we couldn’t have defeated them so easily. According to Priest Militz Prime, he only held the title of high priest, not cardinal. In this world where everything is happening faster than expected, he probably came here before he could fully develop his powers. That’s why…

[We have no choice. That means we all need to level up more, right?]

[Le-veling? What’s that? Is it some kind of fruit?]

[I’ll take this stupid demon and explain it to him somehow. Ragni has things to do here, right?]

[…Yes. I can’t leave the Empire like this.]

[Master, we don’t know how the Church will move from now on, but they certainly won’t leave Ragni alone after what she’s done. So while we get stronger, please stay by Ragni’s side.]

[Then I’ll take Ira with me. Jack might not like me saying this, but she’s the most skilled in magic and spirit arts among us. In terms of raw power, she’s even better than me. If she grows a bit more, she’ll easily be able to protect herself in places where Jack goes.]

While Ragni rebuilds the Empire, they would level up by running dungeons. When everyone said this, including about the sleeping Ira, I initially opposed it but eventually had to accept. And then…

[Getting stronger, right? I need to be strong to stay with big brother! Yes! Big brother, this time you’ll wait for me?]

The next morning, Ira also agreed with Gor and Ray, saying she would become stronger on her own and come back. Honestly, if Ira had said no, I would have told her to forget about leveling and stay here. But when she responded like that, I felt rather lonely.

*Sob sob* My little sister has grown up.

“It was a decision we all made together. And now that we’re done here…”

“That’s right. Now that we’re done, we should go to Neity. But, we need to meet up with everyone first, right?”

“Yes. When Ira returns, the Chancellor said we can use the teleportation magic circle to Neity once. I should contact Ira tomorrow using the communication crystal.”

“No, not that.”

“Hm?”

“I mean ‘everyone.’ Miho. And we need to bring that sister too, right?”

“…That’s right.”

I heard from Luxuria that she’s still in Ponia helping with their restoration. Apparently, she even met with the King of Ponia and Green Doll, so I’m sure they had their own chaos to deal with. I never expected us to be separated for so long.

“…Sigh. When we return to Neity, I’m done with leveling.”

“Your problem isn’t leveling, it’s that you need to exercise, remember?”

-Squish.

When I knead Ragni’s arm visible beneath her thin negligee, it’s truly as soft as cotton candy. Seriously. Who would have thought her stats would be limited by lack of exercise? With Ragni’s specs, I thought she could invade the Church alone and go on a rampage. Or maybe it’s fortunate? If Ragni were actually stronger than me… ugh, the thought alone gives me chills.

“Mmh♡ D-don’t keep squeezing my arm…”

“Oh, ah. Sorry. It was so soft I couldn’t help myself.”

I remembered a theory I once heard that the softness of the arm equals the softness of the chest. I was unconsciously continuing to touch her when Ragni let out a slightly sensitive voice, blushing and pulling her arm away. Hmm, that’s a shame.

“The Church has been quiet so far.”

“I see. What about Aigram?”

“I’m not sure. Apparently the mayor and the King of Ponia have been in contact, but he said he doesn’t want anything more from this victory than what he initially proposed.”

“…That demon.”

While not as greedy as Greed itself, Avarice is still quite materialistic for a demon. He even wanted Ragni at one point, so I thought he would greedily extort benefits from this war. The fact that he’s asking for so little is actually somewhat concerning.

“…Jack. You know, my mother’s diary.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you know about it from the beginning? That it would contain all that?”

“…To somewhat defend myself, I didn’t know about the diary. As I said before, I was basically only interested in the main story, and even then I was a speed reader. In other words, if I could skip something without reading it, I would quickly move past it. I just expected there would be something for you when your related quest appeared.”

“There was no queen who wasn’t loved by anyone.” That’s what they reveal in the epilogue sub-quest after the main story ends. Well, it’s a common trope in online games.

But the thing is, how nice would it be if such things came out before the other person caused trouble? Even now, it played a crucial role in healing Ragni’s heart, which had been tormented by the fact that she was an imperial princess. And despite executing the Emperor, she wasn’t troubled by it because she knew he was someone who didn’t deserve her grief. Isn’t my mother-in-law the best?

“Hehe. You called the Emperor ‘father-in-law,’ so are you calling my mother ‘mother-in-law’ too?”

“Well, I’m a citizen of a country that nurtures a Confucian dragon in the heart.”

“Confucian dragon? That’s the first time I’ve heard that. Is it from your previous life?”

“That’s right. It’s about showing proper respect to elders and such.”

“Hehe! What’s that? Then is Jack’s inner Confucian dragon a hatchling? I’ve hardly ever seen you show respect to older people.”

“Hey now. I’ve just refined the process of distinguishing between those who deserve respect and those who don’t. I properly respect my elders.”

The Chancellor was like that only at our first meeting, but look how respectfully I treat him now. The Vice-Chancellor is just like an aged humanoid monster. The same goes for those village brats. Besides, have you ever seen me disrespect the King of Ponia? That person made me a wanted criminal in his country, but I still treat him with respect, which shows I acknowledge what should be acknowledged.

After hearing my explanation, Ragni tilts her head in genuine confusion, which is surprisingly cute. But come on, is that really something to worry about? I’m right, aren’t I?

“Hmm. I see. Then, will you follow my mother’s words too?”

“Hm? Your mother’s words? What are you talking about?”

“May you grow up healthy, loved by all gods. May you grow up experiencing the love you desire.”

“Ah, those words.”

Of course. All gods… well, the gods of this world don’t seem normal, so let’s set that aside. “The love you desire” ultimately means you want to love me, right? Well, of course I’ll love all of you forever…

-Grip!

“Huh?”

As I’m casually stating the obvious, my arm is suddenly pulled and I fall back onto the bed. And then…

“Earlier, you pinned me down like this, didn’t you?”

“…Wait a minute.”

Ragni straddles me, pinning both my arms down, letting her sky-blue hair cascade down. Her red eyes are so unusually serious that I unconsciously switch to formal speech, and she slowly begins to move her face closer to mine.

“You know, lately I’ve been feeling your gaze… on my chest. You look at it quite often, don’t you?”

“…I wish to exercise my right to remain silent.”

No! It’s just that you’ve been wearing that queen dress from the game lately, so my eyes naturally wander, and as they wander, of course as a man—no, as a male—I end up looking at certain parts! It’s because your figure is so provocative!! That’s it?! Damn! Corsets should be abolished!!! Wait, is that not it?!

“Hehe. Why are you so flustered?”

“R-Ragni. Let me just say, I won, right? The promise clearly…”

“When? I never lost.”

“What?”

“Think about it carefully,” Ragni says as she gradually brings her face closer to mine. Wait a second.

[Sigh, I can’t move at all.]

“…Y-you didn’t explicitly say you lost, but…?!!”

-Squish!

Just as I finish speaking, she buries my face in her cleavage, making it impossible for me to breathe. Wow, they’re huge. No, that’s not it!!!

“Jack, my body, my heart—they’re all yours. You can touch me however you want, use me however you want. Honestly, I didn’t want to win in such an underhanded way, but since ‘everyone’ encouraged me, I’m going to do it.”

-Slip. Rustle.

Her thin negligee that was covering her upper body falls away so naturally onto my face and the bed. My eyes are blocked by the negligee, so I can’t see clearly… Wait, why can I see? Damn, is it because of my level?! Is eyesight proportional to level too?! More importantly, what does she mean by everyone encouraging her…!!

“Jack, I love you. If you want to win against me now, you have to ‘completely’ reject me right here.”

“Ugh…!!”

Before I can even ask what she means by that, Ragni immediately puts her lips to my ear and continues with a seductive voice.

“And if you don’t reject me, from today on, you have to help me with my exercise♡.”

As her determined voice pierces my eardrum, her hard fangs bite my ear.