Chapter 203

Chapter 203

Daybreak. “Here,” I said, handing a letter to Keir and Jess, both looking gaunt. “…What’s this?” “Take this to Emily in Tritia. She’s at a place called ‘Night Fairy,’ and she’ll take care of you.” Keir had never left Lakers his entire life. Even if I gave him money, I couldn’t guarantee he’d settle down well away from Lakers. But I could trust Emily. Even if she was a bit weak, she was reasonably strong, and as the shop’s ace, she earned good money. Unlike her lower half, she wasn’t a big spender, so if she saw the letter, she’d likely help them in every way she could. “Can we open it?” “You can, but you won’t be able to read it.” “…..” Did he remember what I said about another world? Keir nodded with a complicated expression and tucked the letter into his chest. Watching him carefully place the letter there, I turned my gaze to Jess. “….” Regarding Jess, I had mixed feelings. I wanted them to be happy together, but I also felt a twinge of jealousy. I didn’t think she had stolen Keir from me, but I was a little envious of the form their relationship took as lovers. I had thought Keir would be broken. Not because of me, but because the environment had forced him to be that way. But he wasn’t. Whether it was because of Jess or some other reason, the important thing was that. Fixing a broken man. That was something I couldn’t do. I was good at breaking things, but I had never done the opposite. And I probably wouldn’t be able to do it in the future either. So, I said to Jess. “…Please take care of Keir.” “Yes…?” Jess looked at me as if to ask, ‘Are you talking to me?’ But I didn’t repeat myself. They would probably do well on their own. She, who had fixed Keir, would know better than I, who had broken him, what they needed to do in the future. // The shorter the farewell, the better, they say. It’s not like we’d never see each other again. I briefly saw them off and returned to Lakers. After passing through the city gates and returning to the Fifth Winter Inn, I found the room I had checked into. “This guy’s pretty good…?” “Heh, you too….” There, I saw El and Aiden arm-wrestling. The two of them were holding hands, their faces contorted as they faced each other across the table. “…What are you doing?” “Oh, you’re back?” “Huh? You’re back sooner than I thought?” The sight of them seriously arm-wrestling across the table was quite amusing. But wrestling is more fun with the body, isn’t it? Especially when you’re naked, it’s more thrilling. …Ah, El already has someone. Even though they’re separated, her heart still belongs to him. Cheating would be a bit much. Thinking about things that didn’t matter, I sat down on the bed. “I took them both there and came back.” “…Is that so?” That was one thing settled. I felt a mix of relief and wistfulness. In any case, it would have been difficult to leave them in Lakers. I didn’t know what the aftermath would be, but I didn’t want to leave them in a place that might be devastated. …Maybe we’ll have a chance to see each other again someday. “….” I neatly put my thoughts about them aside and asked Aiden. “Are you using inner force?” “No, that’d be cheating.” “Oh, so you might actually win?” No matter how powerful Blood Shadow Demonic Art was, it was a different story if they weren’t using inner force. Aiden was also learning martial arts, and El was a woman. Due to the difference in gender, her basic physical abilities were inferior to a man’s. Of course, her body was stronger than an ordinary person’s due to her qi cultivation, but Aiden was also learning martial arts. So…. Thud. “Ugh!?” “Hehehe…” …Well, as expected, the successor of Blood Shadow Demonic Art wouldn’t lose. El, who had easily defeated Aiden, looked at Aiden and me with a triumphant expression and let out a victory cry. “Hmph, did you think this daughter of a noble bloodline would lose to a mere mortal?” Watching El confidently raise her nose, I quietly assessed. “You’ve lost all shame, haven’t you?” “I learned it from you. Purple whore.” “….” It was true, so it was hard to argue. So, I blankly stared at El, and she immediately deactivated her chuunibyou mode and bowed her head to me. “I’m sorry.” “…Huh?” What was this? Was she trying to be funny? Looking at El as if I didn’t understand, she cautiously raised her head and asked. “Oh, are you angry?” “No, I’m not angry.” “Really? You’re not angry that I called you a whore?” “…Do you think I’d get angry over something like that?” When I asked back, El nodded as if she understood. “I guess not.” // The matter with Keir was over. Now it was time to talk about the plan. “By the way, when is that herb arriving?” When El asked, I tilted my head and replied. “Hmm, I wonder?” ‘I wonder’ wasn’t an answer. Of course, I didn’t know. I was a specialist in using my body. Besides, I hadn’t had time to find out. Naturally, I turned to Aiden, and he nodded and opened his mouth. “…In a week.” “A week?” “What, that’s not long?” Aiden nodded at me and El, who answered in unison. “That’s what I heard.” He shook his hand a few times and added. “So, I think we need some preparation.” “What kind of preparation?” “Of course, an escape route and a plan.” The plan Aiden spoke of was simple. “You’re in charge of the commotion.” He pointed at me and assigned me the role, then turned his gaze to El. “And we’re in charge of stealing.” “…We?” “I’m fragile, you know.” It was amazing that a man could say such a thing, but it was true. Aiden was the weakest of the four of us—including Emily. What could he extract from the atmosphere where even natural qi was scarce? It was only natural that Aiden was weak. However, El, perhaps due to the aftereffects of her victory, said to Aiden with a triumphant expression. “Weakling.” “I know that, so can you focus?” “Sungchul, I mean, does Emily really like him?” “…Hmm.” Ignoring them, I answered El, who was asking, with a wry smile disguised as silence. Of course, she liked him, but I didn’t know if it was as a male childhood friend or as a potential lover. …Probably the former, right? “….” When I didn’t answer, Aiden also closed his mouth with a gloomy look. Only then did El realize her mistake and patted Aiden on the back to comfort him. “It’s okay. If it doesn’t work out, we can just make her look at you later.” “Shut up.” “Should I teach you hypnosis? Like changing common sense.” “…Is there such a thing?” “No, not really. I just said it to cheer you up.” “You bitch.” Wasn’t that a form of humiliation in some ways? Watching the two of them laugh playfully and dejectedly, I smiled faintly. They seemed to have gotten quite close during their travels. That was a good thing. There was nothing wrong with us getting closer. The only thing I regretted was. “…I wish there were more men.” “Huh?” “No, it’s just me talking to myself.” I lightly answered El, who was asking back, and asked Aiden. “So, what kind of commotion do I have to cause?” To that question, Aiden answered as if it wasn’t difficult. “It’s simple. You just have to pretend to be a demon outside the castle walls.” “…Huh?” What kind of nonsense was that? As I tilted my head, Aiden explained in a little more detail. “So, if you draw aggro outside the castle, the dragon knights will gather there.” “Yeah, like you’re splitting up alone.” “Hey, I’m explaining, aren’t I?” Watching El, who was adding to the conversation, and Aiden bickering, I pondered for a moment. So, in other words. “You want me to fight the dragon knights?” “Yeah.” “Even several of them?” “That’s right.” Was it possible? …I didn’t know. Even if I was strong, the dragon knights weren’t weak either. Of course, they were the ones flying in the sky. In the first place, the dragon knights and griffin riders were the main forces of the Killkard Kingdom. I was lucky to defeat one of them before. The dragon knight had gotten close to me to attack, and my ultimate attack had luckily hit. …But now, the situation was a little different. “I can do it, but I probably won’t be able to defeat them.” “…You’re saying it’s difficult?” “Yeah, it was all over the news about a year ago. The kingdom’s military buildup. It was a column about the dragon knights.” “What are you talking about?” At Aiden’s gaze demanding an explanation, I answered casually. “It’s just about their weapons. The ones that shoot fireballs from afar. They call it a fire spear, and it’s been upgraded.” “….” “The problem with the persistence of the fireball spell has been a problem, but the concept of an air barrier has improved that problem.” “Can you put it simply?” As requested, I shortened the explanation. “The range of the fire spear has increased.” It was simple. Now, attacks would come from farther away and higher up. No matter how skilled I was in martial arts, I couldn’t fly, I could only walk. I had to counter the dragon knights with weapons like short spears, bows, or muskets, but none of them were satisfactory. The musket had a slow reload speed, I couldn’t use a bow, and the short spear…no matter how much inner force I put into throwing a short spear, I couldn’t guarantee that I would hit a dragon knight flying in the sky. “I see.” When I told him that, Aiden nodded and replied. But he didn’t seem disappointed. “But you don’t have to defeat them.” “Really?” “…Honestly, if you were that strong, we wouldn’t have to do this.” That was true. “You just have to hold out until we steal the herb.” “How long is that?” “…Well, I’d have to see the place first, but it won’t be more than 30 minutes.” “That…I think I can do that.” The fire from the fire spear was a bit scary, but the situation was different from when I was branded. I could block it to some extent by covering myself with inner force, and even if the fireballs were flying from afar, the speed was still the same. If I dodged, I could dodge as much as I wanted. “Then, I should gather some magic power.” “Gather?” To El, who was asking back, I nodded and replied. “Yeah, even if I have a core, it doesn’t mean my magic power is infinitely replenishing. There’s a limit to how much I can draw out in a day.” “…Hoo.” It was enough to circulate qi, but not enough to use it lavishly. Even though there was a huge difference from when I was just drinking men’s semen, I still had to conserve it. “And I have to take out the magic book too.” If I was assuming a fight with the dragon knights, I had to use everything I could. The more means I had, the better. // As part of that preparation, Aiden and I headed to the shopping district of Lakers. Of course, there weren’t many weapons in Lakers, which wasn’t a major city, but there weren’t none either. I could get as many short spears for throwing as I wanted, and I had to prepare those things just in case. “…Sorry, it feels like I’m putting too much of a burden on you.” On the way there, Aiden apologized to me quietly. And I answered that apology with a small smile. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be sorry about something like this.” It wasn’t just for Aiden’s sake. This was also to strengthen the position of another friend, Triscelina. The First Prince, Zersian, was wary of her. If Zersian’s business failed, it would be more beneficial than harmful to Triscelina. In many ways, it was an important matter. As I was thinking that to myself, Swoosh.

Suddenly, Aiden strokes my hair. “Huh?” Why all of a sudden? Touching is always OK, but at this timing? Puzzled, I look at him, and Aiden seems flustered, showing me his hand. “Ah, I saw this was stuck to it.” “….” Looking closely, he’s holding a small leaf. Did it get on me when we were walking outside the castle gates? After looking at it for a moment, I giggle and say to Aiden, “Thank you.” “….” But he doesn’t readily answer. Is that why? I just said hello, but the atmosphere has become a little strange. “….” “….” Hmm. …Now that it’s come to this, should I try holding his hand and walking? It doesn’t mean anything, but I’m curious to see what kind of reaction he’ll have. Just as I was thinking that and reaching out my hand, “…Laila?” An unfamiliar voice rings in my ear. It wasn’t Aiden’s voice. The voice was coming from behind. With a puzzled feeling, I inadvertently turn around, and a face that feels somehow familiar comes into view. “….Huh?” The owner of the voice was someone I didn’t expect. A soldier wearing distinctive leather armor and a longsword. On his chest is a symbol representing the Lakers Guard. “Laila, it really is you.” The guard looks at me, surprised. It’s a face I remember. I remember him more clearly because he was particularly small. A frenemy of a different kind from Keir, and a man who was a guard in Lakers. “Seran?” Seran. Seran of High-Speed ​​Ejaculation. …Why is he here, of all times?