A week passed and with it two other settlements were reduced to dust. The goblins, noticing that they were hunted, now banded together, leaving one settlement to support another, their warriors working together to protect their kind, their children. How can a race which reproduces through rape of other kinds even possess something like familiar feeling? At least I managed to take care of their victims before Alice and Sarah could see them. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the miserable state of their victims, limbs cut off to stop them from fleeing, only living to breed more.

At least today will mark the end of their lives. I took a look on my message window. While my body still ached here and there it told me that today would be the last day I spent waiting.

Then the sound of rain was disturbed by the rustle of leaves, ripping me out of my thoughts. I readied myself for another fight, but soon relaxed when I saw Sarah coming back from scouting.

“Anything good?”

“Found another settlement a few miles north from here, this one not abandoned. Bigger than the last one and filled to the brim with goblins. There were at least three mages and ten generals, but there was a bigger tent in the middle where a few of them walked in and out, maybe there are more.”

“Even more, huh.” They’ve got more experience in fighting against them. The mages could be difficult if there is another special case like the wind mage. Still…

“Let’s do it. We need to push us further if we want to stand against them.”

“It’s one thing to push yourself, it’s another to rush into disaster headfirst.” I sighed. Somewhere in these past few weeks they lost their fear, reveling in the feeling of getting stronger. Exactly like me in the first time. “Okay. Go and rest up. When Alice wakes up, we will go to the settlement.”

She stepped past me, sitting down near Alice, who nearly completely pushed the piece of leather she covered herself with away, snoring quietly.

“How can she even be sound asleep like this?”

I chuckled, reminded of how she complained because of uncomfortableness before. “It’s just a matter of familiarization. And not thinking about all the dangers lurking in here.”

My words just elicited a sigh from Sarah before she laid down next to her, pulling the piece over them both.

We walked towards the settlement, through the storm. The rain was now accompanied by a constant rumbling, thunder growling in the clouds.

“Hachooo! Damn, just what is even going on with this storm, it’s been raining for weeks!” Alice cursed out, pulling the leather sheet with which she covered herself from the rain closer together.

“At least it gives us hope for your intelligence. You know how idiots don’t catch colds.” Sarah snickered at Alice. Clearly Alice hadn’t been a good example for Sarah seeing how she adopted her use of snide remarks.

“Ohh, you shouldn’t have said that little girl.” In reply to her words Alice stepped past me towards Sarah, who in response tried to get away from her by escaping to the other side, resulting in them running around me.

These two… After the third time I saw them rush past me I grabbed them both at their collar, lifting them up as they struggled to break free.

“It’s okay to be relaxed but don’t forget that we’re in a dungeon.”

“Yeees.” Alice replied carefree which provoked another stern view from me. If I didn’t know I could count on her when things get difficult… I placed them both back on the ground, continuing to walk towards the settlement.

As they followed behind me, I felt Sarah staring at my back. “What is it?” I turned around, seeing her pull her cloth together just like Alice.

“Aren’t you cold?” She asked, staring at me as I just walked around with jeans and a simple shirt, nothing to shield me from the rain.

“Endurance will also strengthen your resistance towards these things. That and I also surround my body with warm air.”

Hearing my answer, she went silent, stepping closer to embrace my arm.

“Haa, just like a heater in winter.”

“Not fair, me too!” Just like Sarah Alice stepped near, warming herself with the surrounding air as she held onto my arm.

So, I went down from god to human to heater. I let out a sigh, raising the heat a bit as I felt the cold of their bodies.

Hearing my sigh Alice started to speak once more, mockingly shocked. “Don’t tell me you’re not happy? You’ve got two beauties in your arms.”

I managed to suppress a groan. The student still couldn’t hold a candle against the master. “I believe I told you I’m not interested in you.” But I didn’t think about how my words would play out next.

“So you’re fine with Sarah?” A grin covered her lips. “I don’t care about your preferences, but I believe you should wait until she’s a little older. The poor girl isn’t completely grown-up yet.”

As she finished her words, I decided to flick her forehead, seeing how retorts only dug my grave deeper with this girl. But as I wanted to free my arm, I felt the grip around it turning tighter. I looked downwards only to see Sarah look away, her checks turning bright red. Don’t tell me…

But before I could start to think about it Alice spoke out once more. “Though it saddens me a little that you didn’t choose me. You even saw everything…” She ended her words with a pout. God, this woman…

“You know I could just raise the temperature around us altogether?” I tried a last way to free myself, only to fail miserably.

“Don’t. You need to conserve your mana for the battle.” She leaned her head at me, whispering quietly. “And you’re way warmer than the air.”

Sarah in exchange was just quiet, but her unwillingness to let go said anything needed to say.