Having gone to have a meal, Rubia returned quickly, just as she had said before leaving.
She got back so fast that I didn’t even have time to think about what happened yesterday…
“Well then, shall we eat before it cools down?”
A clattering sound came from the table.
Since I heard two sounds overlapping, it seemed like Rubia had something for herself today…
I was so flustered yesterday that I didn’t notice this… ugh…
“Noah, take your time getting up.”
Rubia’s arm wrapped around my waist.
“You only need to hold my hand…”
“Just in case you might fall.”
And then she slowly lifted me up and guided me to the table.
As I sat down and fumbled for a spoon, I heard a scraping sound from my right.
“I’ll feed you.”
Rubia, sitting close enough for our shoulders to touch, spoke with a teasing tone.
“Hoo, hoo—Noah, ahhh—”
“Ugh, uhh… ah, ah—”
I opened my mouth wide, worried it might spill at the corners.
As the delicious, sweet potato soup cascaded into my mouth…
When the spoon came out, I tightly closed my mouth, slurping it back in, fearing I might spill some on the table.
It was neither hot nor lukewarm.
Just the right temperature.
“How is it? Not too hot?”
I nodded vigorously—
I was too busy chewing the potato in my mouth to do anything else.
Rubia’s hair brushed against my right cheek.
How close were we for her hair to touch me…
“Hoo—now, ahhh—”
“Ah—u-urp—uuummm… Huh, Rubia, have some too… I can eat alone… just… give me the spoon…”
“Huh? I only brought one spoon?”
Huh…?
“Wh—why…? Rubia, aren’t you eating…? I can’t eat two bowls by myself…?”
“I need to eat too, after all. Hoorp—”
“Eh…?”
With only one spoon…
Two bowls of soup…
And I just… real-I-I?
“Why is there only one spoon…?”
“Anyway, I’m going to feed you, right? So one is enough. Now, ahhh—”
“I… last time there were two… Uup! Don’t get it on my face!”
“Puhaha… So just open up quickly.”
“… Ah…”
Once more, the soup entered my mouth.
But… I didn’t close it.
I couldn’t even stick out my tongue…
I was just sitting there with my mouth wide open like a baby bird being fed.
This time, it was salty tomato soup…
“How is it? Mine’s salty and delicious, right?”
“It… it’s delicious, but…”
Is… is this right…?
What on earth happened yesterday… for Rubia to act like this?
“R-Rubia… what on earth—Ump!”
“How about we eat first and talk later? There’s not really a good story to tell while we’re eating…”
Rubia’s voice became a bit low.
“Okay… got it…”
“Ahhh-”
“Uuuuuh-”
Once our bellies were comfortably full and the stomach cramps had faded.
“It’s all done. Was that enough?”
Finally… finally, I’m done eating!
My jaw was sore from how much I had to open it… ugh.
“Yes… then tell me. What happened yesterday—”
“We can clear the table later… Noah? Now take off your clothes.”
“… Huh…?”
What in the world was that supposed to mean?
“Do you need help?”
Without a moment to think.
Without any time to untangle the chaotic thoughts in my mind.
Rubia’s hand reached for the hem of my clothes.
“Hek! W-wait a second…!”
I immediately stood up and backed away until my back hit the wall.
“R-Rubia…? W-why are you suddenly asking me to take off my clothes?!”
“I’m not trying to do anything strange. Oh my… it’s already come off.”
“Y-yeah…?”
I looked over my clothes in confusion.
How on earth did they come off in such a short time?
What the heck…?
“Well, I guess it’s easy to take off clothing like this. Since you untied the cloth around your waist… hmm, should we change your clothes?”
Cloth…?
The cloth around my waist…?
Oh no…
Is it because I tossed and turned in my sleep…?
It didn’t get untied even when I was fighting monsters…?
“R-Rubia… your habit of touching is too… p-perverted! P-please… give me back my clothes quickly…”
“That’s not going to happen.”
Rustle-rustle—
I heard the sound of Rubia picking up the clothes that had fallen to the ground.
But I couldn’t stop her…
I was covering myself with both hands…
Of course, I had bandages on my chest and was wearing panties…
But still, this situation was… incredibly embarrassing.
“Then I’ll go do the laundry, so… um… you can take off the bandages—”
“That’s not going to happen…!”
“Then how about the panties?”
“Of course not!”
“Well… you’ll regret it.”
Regret…?
“W-what… regret…?”
“Ah, um, it’s a bit awkward to tell you right now… but should I tell you? About what happened yesterday.”
Rubia’s voice was tinged with a strange, playful tone.
And… just a hint of annoyance.
“… Go on, please.”
Thump-thump—
Rubia’s footsteps drew closer.
“Noah, about what happened yesterday…”
Eventually, when Rubia arrived right in front of me,
She softly wrapped her hand around my neck.
And whispered in my ear.
“The drunken Noah spoke all sorts of embarrassing things… and in the end, he threw up on my clothes. Then he fell asleep by himself.”
“Eh…”
“So that’s why I’m undressed. Of course, I could clean it with Divine Power, but… it’s kind of awkward, you know?”
Rubia’s fingers traced along my neck.
“I did clean your clothes with my Divine Power too… but just randomly undressing someone who is sleeping… seems a bit… strange.”
Those fingers traveled down from my collarbone to my chest.
“Besides, if I tell you this right after you wake up, you’ll sulk and not eat again. Right?”
The fingers that had reached from my chest down to my bellybutton…
“So you should take it off. Quickly.”
Her palm pressed against my waist, pulling me closer.
“Hek…”
“If you don’t want that, I’ll just take it off.”
“I… I’ll get undressed…”
My trembling hands brushed past Rubia’s arm and reached for the bandage around my chest.
“J-just a second… please… go over there…”
“Sure.”
“D-Don’t look back…”
“How will I receive your underwear then?”
“Ugh… then… I’ll turn away, so just catch it.”
I hunched over and slowly turned around.
And grabbed the knot right under my armpit.
Slurp— The soft bandage unwound gently as I carefully accepted it with my hand.
“R-Rubia…”
Then I toss the bandage in what I thought was roughly where Rubia should be.
Rubia let out a tiny sigh as if she was disappointed, taking the bandage cautiously.
But… why isn’t she leaving…?
“R-Rubia?”
“Yes?”
“Why… why aren’t you going?”
“There’s one left, right?”
Ah.
*
“Sisters!”
A bright voice from Hephaestus echoed through the sharply opened door.
“He-Hephaestus!”
“Welcome back. You’ve been through a lot… oh, the Great Sword forging is done?”
“Ah, I just stepped out… my masterpiece…”
“Gasp… the G-Great Sword…!”
With every step Hephaestus took, there was an accompanying crunching sound.
I wriggled my body, wrapped in a blanket, and sat up.
“Okay, sis. Listen. If there’s anything uncomfortable, be sure to tell me.”
As I extended my hand, Hephaestus gently placed the Great Sword on it.
A tingling sensation coursed through me.
At the same time, a broad smile appeared on my face.
“Heehee…”
Colors began to fill in around me.
Rubia, wearing a soft smile.
Hephaestus, with her cheerful face.
“Hehehe… I missed you… really…”
I immediately gazed at the Great Sword.
Its form was similar to the one I used before.
But one thing stood out prominently.
A fragment of Carpen was embedded right in the center of the cross guard.
“Wow… a f-fragment…!”
I jumped down from the bed and began to stroke the fragment.
It had felt rough when I handed it to Hephaestus, but now it was incredibly smooth!
Moreover, it was round and beautifully shaped!
And the blade beneath it continued sensually.
Huh?
“A sword sheath…?”
“Yep! Since you always dragged it on the ground, the tip was getting damaged. Plus, the Great Sword you were using before was all bent. So, I made this! Just for you!”
“Wow…”
It felt thick, much thicker than regular leather, when I ran my hand across it.
This sheath was really made to protect the blade.
But… there’s a problem.
“B-but… I think I might not be able to draw it… since my arms are short… s-so what should I do…?”
The reason I went without a sheath…
Was because I couldn’t draw it due to my short arms…
So I had it dangling from my waist.
“Hehe… I thought of that too. Do you see the hook near the guard?”
Listening to Hephaestus, I looked around the cross guard.
There was a small hook on the right of the sword.
“This…?”
“Yep. That. Try to loosen it.”
With a click, the sound of a snap echoed as the sheath slowly slid off.
“O-ohhh…!”
It had felt quite firm while fitting the sword, but now it easily became flimsy…
“How is it? Is it okay?”
“Yep…!”
I vigorously nodded my head.
“What about the weight?”
I stood up and held the Great Sword with one hand.
The weight? Perfect…
I carefully swung it.
Horizontal, vertical, diagonal.
All of those felt perfect.
And I couldn’t check the effect of the fragment…
“Hephaestus…”
“Yes…?”
“Wow, it’s perfect…”
I gave a thumbs-up.
I wanted to wink, but…
Since I closed both eyes, I skipped that.
Hephaestus’ lips curled up into a smile.
In sync, the corners of Rubia and my lips rose too.
“Hephaestus, you’re the best…”
Rubia’s lips slightly drooped.
“S-so you’re second best…”
*
“Didn’t forget anything, right?”
I checked the bag on my waist, confirmed the Great Sword, and checked my potions.
“Yes.”
“Okay, I packed everything too.”
Hephaestus nodded while shaking her big backpack.
“It won’t be easy.”
Rubia lifted the bag she had placed on the ground and continued.
“The environment will get colder as we go up, and we don’t know when or where the monsters will appear.”
“… It can be solved with sensing.”
“And there’s no guarantee we’ll immediately find Hephaestus’ master.”
“It’s fine.”
Hephaestus firmly gripped the stone of fate in her right hand.
“And… it’s also the dwelling place of the white disaster, Tylant.”
Tylant.
A 12-person raid boss residing in Karahan.
In the game… it was known as the “cola bear,” but now I surely can’t call it that.
Casually referring to it as the dog next door was probably the same as how I referred to the 4-person raid boss, Carpen.
“Although it’s sealed, unlike during the Carpen event, so we shouldn’t encounter it.”
That’s true.
It was sealed even in the game, but… the story was about it getting released somehow, leading to a raid.
It was said that the Master “Vamilion” went with a 16-member elite subjugation party, lost both arms, and ended up sealing it.
But I can’t remember the details well.
“Well… I’ve talked your ear off about Tylant since yesterday, so shall we head out now?”
“Yeah… let’s go.”
After leaving her behind, setting off toward the future…
“Hoo…”
I stood straight up, collecting my thoughts.
Tylant.
Even when I encountered it in the game, it wasn’t in a fully released state.
And still, it was a 12-person raid.
If I truly encountered it in real life…
Everyone would die, surely.
But.
If there’s even a one in a thousand chance…
If I meet Tylant this time…
I won’t let anyone die.
No matter what.
Tightly gripping the hilt of the worn one-handed sword at my waist.
I stepped forward.
