Kkiik- As the carriage door opened, the scent of wet grass rushed in.
A familiar and nostalgic smell.
Seu-eup-
Taking a deep breath, I jumped off the slightly elevated carriage step.
Heinzel quickly vanished, saying he would be taking care of some business.
“Wow…”
With wide, foggy eyes, I took in the landscape of Alrba.
It looked completely different from what I’d felt before, charming and warm, and I gasped.
Low walls. Old houses that immediately reminded one of the medieval era. In the distance, the towering Adventurer Guild building. And in one corner, the blacksmith was puffing out thick clouds of smoke.
“It’s been a while.”
Hermila, who followed me down, seemed to feel the same, taking a deep breath and giving a small smile.
“It feels a little different from when I came here before…”
Rubia, seeming a bit awkward, stretched her body with a Kkeungh-.
“Maybe you were just feeling complicated at that time?”
“Ah… Huhuhu. That’s true.”
Rubia, who had been patting my head, gave a bitter smile.
Then she gently held my hand and said,
“Thank you, Noah.”
“Y-yes…? For what…?”
The slightly warm sunlight fell on us.
In that light, her silvery-white hair swayed in the breeze, sparkling. Her hidden blue eyes and soft pink lips curved sweetly toward me.
“Everything.”
“…Y-yes…”
So pretty.
Seriously.
“I, I’m also… thankful…”
“What are you thankful for, Noah?”
“U-uh… Just… thankful for everything…”
With a light giggle, Rubia poked my nose with her finger.
Meanwhile, Hermila, awkwardly standing to the side, cleared her throat to pull our attention.
“Ahem. Shall we head in?”
“Shall we?”
“Yes, y-yes…”
With a lightly extended hand.
I took her hand and walked after Hermila.
Jajak- jajak-
Stepping on the soft grass, passing through the slightly damp earth.
We arrived.
At Alrba.
*
We were about to eat right away, but upon hearing Hermila had a schedule, Rubia and I went to our lodging to unpack.
“Shall we wash up while we wait?”
“Uh… um…”
I hadn’t showered after waking up at dawn, so I felt a bit grimy…
But something was still bothering me, so for now…
“Noah?”
“Uh, um… I… have something to do…”
Rubia, who was about to take off her clothes, tilted her head.
“Something to do?”
“Yes… um…”
How should I explain this…
Should I say everything that I predicted about the fighting? Hmm… Since Rubia is friends with Ser, it’s probably good for her to know, right?
“Actually, um, they’re fighting inside…”
“Fighting…?”
Rubia slightly narrowed her eyes, pondering what I meant, and her mouth parted slightly.
“Ah, don’t tell me…”
“Yes… I don’t know why exactly, but it seems like they started fighting suddenly while chatting amongst themselves.”
Before long, Rubia, who sat opposite me, chuckled.
“I have a general idea about the reason… Hehe… So? Do you want to stop them, Noah?”
“Hmm… Yes.”
I want to stop them.
No, I have to.
Is it because my friends are in danger? Not really.
I don’t even think they seriously want to kill each other, and even if they did, they wouldn’t be able to.
Still, the reason I need to stop them is…
For some unknown reason, the divine power inside me keeps getting drained. No, it’s like chunks of it is being sliced off.
Well, there’s still plenty for now, so it’s fine, but if this fighting continues, an unexpected situation might arise if a stronger outsider shows up.
For that reason, I have to stop them.
And um… a little bit.
Just a little.
I also want to fight a bit.
I’m curious about how strong I’ve become.
Even though I’ve fought against the heroes, who were the Monsters of the End, including Sirin…
Cartia, Frey.
And Ser.
I’ve never fought any of them even once.
So I’m curious.
How strong will they be?
Since they won’t actually die anyway, it should be fine to go all out, right?
“Hmm…”
Rubia noticed me lost in thought and gave a dubious sniff.
“Do you want to join in and play, Noah?”
Join in and play, huh.
It might feel a bit too deadly to call it playing.
Well…
“J-just a little bit…?”
Hehe, a bit shyly laughing, Rubia stood up swiftly.
“Are you taking me with you?”
“Rubia too…?”
“Really? I wasn’t planning on leaving you behind, you know?”
Um… well…
“…Of course, I was going to take you with me…!”
Rubia, who had narrowed her eyes at me, looked almost on the verge of crying.
“I’m disappointed.”
“Uh, no… It’s just… it could, it might be dangerous…”
“Sigh… I waited alone for over a year… Of course, it must have been tough for you too, but I’ve had a hard time waiting as well… Are you trying to leave me out? Is it true that distance makes the heart grow fonder…?”
Hik hik- Rubia, with a pitiful voice, covered her face with her hands.
“Uh, uh… No, that’s not it… I-I’m sorry… ugh… what do I do…”
I rushed to Rubia, wrapping my arms tightly around her trembling shoulders.
“I-I was worried you might get hurt… ugh… I’m really sorry…”
Then I climbed onto her lap and slowly lifted her chin.
“L-Let’s go together… I’m sorry…”
Rubia was smiling.
A very mischievous, playful smile.
“Did you think I was serious…?”
Puhuhut… “Of course not. Did you really think I would think like that? I was just a little upset that you considered leaving me out… Honestly, I figured you’d be worried about me getting hurt. So it’s fine. I actually feel happy thinking that you care about me!”
As soon as Rubia finished her words, my clothes slipped down to the floor.
“…Eh?”
I looked down to check if I hadn’t tied them properly.
All I saw was Rubia’s hand.
Did she untie it? When did that happen???
“So, to calm this fluttery heart, let’s do it just once before we meet with the others.”
“Yes…? H-huh…?”
With an enchanting smile, Rubia approached and whispered in my ear.
“I’ve been holding back ever since the carriage.”
Then she took my hand and made me touch her undergarments.
“Ugh…”
“Seems like you’ve held back a lot, right?”
Gahh…
I nodded with my mouth agape in a daze.
But only for a moment. Suddenly coming to my senses, I hurriedly opened my mouth.
“U-uh, then… let’s wash up… I-I haven’t showered yet…”
My heart was pounding like it was about to explode.
This kind of thing wasn’t new, but why was I feeling like this today?
My face was hot, my limbs were hot.
The lower part of my belly felt itchy and tingly.
Rubia’s alluring scent seemed to approach me even more provocatively…
“Then, we can do it while we wash.”
Rubia’s lips bit into my ear.
Osooso- Chills ran down my spine, and my body trembled lightly.
At the same time, Rubia’s eyes widened.
Mine too.
Her hips.
The hips that were in contact with Rubia’s legs had become a little.
A little, a lot, damp…
My mind went blank.
I felt like I forgot how to breathe, and my body was trembling.
No, it can’t be, it really can’t be…
“Don’t tell me…”
“Ah, no… I’m not, I’m not…”
Rubia beamed brightly.
“Oh my…”
Then she jumped up suddenly and threw me onto the bed.
“R-Rubia…? We… we agreed to wash first…”
Without answering, Rubia climbed on top of me, her eyes gleaming.
Glup.
“I… I didn’t… didn’t shower… so…”
Rubia remained silent.
It seemed like her gaze wouldn’t let this end like that.
So, why was she just staying quiet…?
Could it be she was waiting for my answer…?
What answer?
No, there’s nothing to think about in this situation…
Slowly, I relaxed the strength in my legs, wrapping them around Rubia’s legs.
I loosened my arms from covering my chest, gently wrapping them around Rubia’s neck.
“T-then… since I haven’t showered, we can’t go all the way… just once, okay…?”
I asked as sweetly as possible, trying to smile broadly.
And Rubia.
Didn’t grant my request.
Nothing at all…
*
“Hah, it’s a bit chilly, but still refreshing. How about you, Noah?”
“…I feel the same.”
Three hours later.
After finishing the shower, Rubia and I, who had filled our hungry stomachs along with Hermila, arrived at the grassland next to Alrba.
Hermila had to go off to her next busy errand.
So, carefully avoiding the throbbing pain between my legs, I climbed up the hill and took a deep breath.
The cool air.
Though a bit drained, filling my lungs with the open air somewhat revived my spirits.
In contrast to me, the lively Rubia smiled brightly, tidying my hair.
…Why am I always the one struggling?
Of course, if I resisted with force, I could push Rubia away…
But how could I do that?
If that would hurt or upset Rubia…
That would torment me more.
And, well… regardless…
When it’s time, I could… um… hmm…
“Noah?”
“Ugh… y-yes…?”
“By the way, how do we get to where those people are?”
“Ah… that is…”
Honestly, I might not know exactly.
I figured it should be like opening the “door” to go outside; just open the door to the place where my friends are.
If it’s just crossing consciousness, I just need to close my eyes and concentrate. But since it’s not just that right now…
Rubia would be going with me too.
“Well, I don’t know for sure… but I’ll give it a try.”
I also informed Hermila about unforeseen situations just in case. The sky could get dim and a black sun might rise.
That’s something I needed to adjust as well.
If it grows dark every time I draw my Great Sword, people would get confused.
Ugh… I still have much to get used to…
For now, I’ll clear my mind.
I shook my head and took a step forward.
Then, placing my hand over my chest, Kugung!
I drew my Great Sword.
In an instant, the sky turned blood-red.
In the center floated the black sun.
In such a strange scenery, I wielded the Great Sword.
Chee ji ji jik—
The space split and tore apart.
A gigantic door was born.
But… the appearance of the door…
“Uh… it looks quite luxurious, doesn’t it?”
“Y-yeah…?”
As Rubia said, the door looked very luxurious. Much more so than a standard household door… This looked like the Imperial Palace.
No, it resembled the door of a grand mansion.
I didn’t envision this kind of appearance!
What on earth did my soul do…?
Feeling slightly uneasy, I tightly held Rubia’s hand.
As a result, instead of me being empty-handed, Rubia grasped the doorknob.
“Phew… Shall I open it…?”
“Yes…”
Gulp. Rubia swallowed her dry throat and, cautiously.
Opened the door.
At that moment.
Jjeo eong—!!
A massive wave of power surged towards Rubia.
“Rubia!”
I immediately rushed in front of Rubia and stomped down. Kuwung—! The wooden floorboards flew up. Around it, a red-black divine presence surged. The Great Sword was raised, horizontal to the ground.
Unsteady footing. Laboring breaths.
If I swung it like this, I could block that attack, but I couldn’t finish their fight.
Meanwhile, the approaching waves were gradually growing larger, filling my vision.
No.
I thought it would just be practice, but they were actually fighting for real.
…This is just ridiculous.
Grinding my teeth, I swung my Great Sword.
From the right to the left.
Following that trajectory, the red-black divine presence surged. The fine strands of sword energy wrapped around Rubia, blocking both the shards and the impact rushing toward her.
And in front of that.
In the chaotic scene, my divine presence stretched out.
“What the hell, damn it!”
Skritch! The sword emitting a bluish moonlight was cleanly severed.
