Chapter 29
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-Naty’s PoV-

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My head…

It’s dark…

Where am I?

The last thing I can remember is me helping Leon fend off demons… and I got hit by an arrow… then I was here… Did I pass out?

The arrow must’ve had some sort of poison… I don’t have any poison resistance…

This is weird… Usually, not even one arrow hits me… Did Agness miss one?

Well, it’s surprising that she never missed one till this point…

Anyway, where am I? Why is it so dark?

Huh?

My hands are tied?

What’s happening?

“Oh! Look at that! The Saint woke up!”

Who’s that?

“Who are you?”

Wait… Is there something on my head?

…I don’t like this.

“Hahaha, take that bag off! You remember the orders, right? Number 3?”

I really don’t like this…

“...I do… You will be the one to talk…”

I am! I don’t understand what’s going on!

.

.

No… Are they…

“...demons…”

“Pffft, yeah! Surprised!?”

This is bad…

“Ohoho, look at her face! She’s starting to understand the situation she is in!”

What’s going to happen to me?

What those demons will do?

…They’ll kill me…

Why am I still alive?

“...why am I here?”

“Hoho, listen here, babe. We had been given very simple orders… To kidnap you… Teleport you here… And…”

Was I teleported? Those demons… how are we supposed to beat their teleportation!? There are only a few such artefacts in the hands of the whole humanity! And they can summon their forces back and forth!

“...To break you.”

“What?”

“Ahahaha! Look at her face, look at it! It’s so funny!”

I… don’t understand… they want to… break me?

Not kill me… but break me?

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.

“...why?”

“Kekeke, ask that question to our boss! I don’t know! But… If I were to guess… It’s to make the whole world despair!”

“...”

“Just imagine how their morality will plummet after seeing the oh-so-noble Saint being defiled and broken by… us! Hahahaha!”

This… cannot be happening.

“...you won’t break me.”

“Yes! Resist! The harder you resist the better the result would be! And… it wouldn’t be fun!”

…sick bastards.

“No matter what you do. You won’t make me despair.”

…I’m scared.

“Or so you think! Oh, look at how much you’re trembling! Don’t worry, it’s just the first day! We have a whole life ahead of us!”

…someone…

“...they will come for me…”

“Your teammates? Certainly, they’ll try and look for you… But they will never find you! Ahaha!”

…save me…

What will they do to me if you won’t come?

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Mixen…

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Why am I even thinking about him?

He won’t come…

I need to do something myself.

Huh?

“Oh, look at that? Trying to cast some spells? Useless. Do you know what this place is?”

“...”

“Answer me!”

…Psychopath.

“...no.”

“Haha, just like we demons can’t properly be on the land of your stupid Goddess, you, in case, can’t be on the land of our God! Can’t you feel it!? His majesty! His glory!”

Is this… demon’s church?

“Ohoho, I got a great idea! We will pray together! Everyday! Ah, it’s past that time today though… how sad…”

…I will never stray from my faith…

What can I do without my spells…

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Nothing…

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Will I… suffer?

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Why would I think about that coward again!?

He’ll never come for me! Even if he did know!

And he’s too weak to do anything anyway!

The only person who can save me is…

Leon.

Yes.

Leon will come for me.

He’s always there for me.

His broad back always looked dependable.

I’m sure Leon is searching for me right now.

Yes, I will believe in him.

I will have hope in you…

“...Leon…”

“Hm? Nonono, your knight in shining armour won’t come. We are hundreds of kilometres away from the capital. Imagine how much time they’ll spend just searching through ten kilometres! And with how well hidden we are… They’ll just miss us anyway!”

He won’t… he always did impossible things… He will save me…

“Well… I know this is just the first day… but… looking at you like this… Hey, Number 3. Remember that beer you owe me?”

…I don’t like the look in his eyes…

“...So?”

“Can you close your eyes for a while? I won’t do much I swear, hehe.”

…what is he…

“...Don’t ruin the plan.”

“I won’t, I won’t… It’s just that… I heard that Saint's skin was smoother than silk… I just wanted to check.”

“...No! Don’t get closer!”

“Hoho, if you scream like that… it will make me want it even more!”

“No! No! Get away! Don’t touch me!”

Don’t touch me with those filthy hands!

Someone! Please! Someone, help me!

.

.

What!?

AGHHHHH!

 Did…

“You b*tch!”

…did his fingers just fall off?

“Number 2!”

What happened?

“I’ll kill you!”

“Stop! She must have some artefact on her!”

…I don’t?

“She doesn’t! I checked!”

“You must’ve missed something! Don’t get close to her! We need to contact the leader!”

“...Damnit! I will remember this!”

*Boom*

They left…

Am I… safe?

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…For now…

How did it happen?

What protected me?

I don’t understand…

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“...When will you come… Leon…”

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It’s cold in here…

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-Mixen’s PoV-

“Why are they in such a hurry?”

From above, Mixen looked at the whole Hero team rushing in one direction.

“...Meow?”

“Naty? She’s usually… behind Agness… Where is she?”

Mixen came closer to the group.

“I still can’t believe it!”

“Are you sure we are going in the right way!?”

“Did I ever let you down? Believe in me!”

For a moment Mixen was confused… but then it clicked.

“You damn fake Hero! I thought I can leave her protection in your hands! I will f*cking deal with you later!”

Leon suddenly turned around.

“Leon!? What is it!?”

“...I thought I felt Killing Intent…”

“We don’t have time for this!”

“...You’re right.”

Mixen thought he didn’t have time either.

“Whitey hold tight.”

“...Meow.”

“I’m guessing it was a teleport… Then it’s probably far away… and underground.”

Flying at the maximum speed, Mixen concentrated on finding something like a cave with his Sixth Sense.

After a few minutes of flying, he succeeded.

“Found it! At least you’re not completely useless, Leon!”

It was a cave without an entrance.

Mixen didn’t care about that and silently made a small hole, covering her up with an Earth spell right after.

“If they touched even one hair on her head… They’re dead.”

Whitey could tell that those words were filled with truth… and malice.

“...Good, she’s fine… They didn’t touch her… Are they waiting for her to wake up? I guess I’ll wait too.”

Mixen sat in the corner of a weirdly decorated cave and petted Whitey to relieve his stress. 

After some time…

“Oh! Look at that! The Saint woke up!”

Mixen watched closely as the demons approached Naty.

“Who are you?”

“Hahaha, take that bag off! You remember the orders, right? Number 3?”

Mixen didn’t like even listening to them… it annoyed him. So he tried very hard to not make his presence known by letting out Killing Intent.

“...I do… You will be the one to talk…”

“...demons…”

“Pffft, yeah! Surprised!?”

“Ohoho, look at her face! She’s starting to understand the situation she is in!”

“...why am I here?”

“Hoho, listen here, babe. We had been given very simple orders… To kidnap you… Teleport you here… And…To break you.”

‘Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it…’

“What?”

“Ahahaha! Look at her face, look at it! It’s so funny!”

‘Hold it, hold it, hold it…’

“...why?”

“Kekeke, ask that question to our boss! I don’t know! But… If I were to guess… It’s to make the whole world despair!”

‘Hold it, hold it, hold it…’

“...”

“Just imagine how their morality will plummet after seeing the oh-so-noble Saint being defiled and broken by… us! Hahahaha!”

‘Hold it, hold it, hold it…’

“...you won’t break me.”

‘That’s my Naty!’

“Yes! Resist! The harder you resist the better the result would be! And… it wouldn’t be fun!”

‘...It’s so f*cking hard to hold it.’

“No matter what you do. You won’t make me despair.”

‘Yeah, don’t give them even a chance to have fun!’

“Or so you think! Oh, look at how much you’re trembling! Don’t worry, it’s just the first day! We have a whole life ahead of us!”

‘Hold it!’

“...they will come for me…”

‘They will, soon.’

“Your teammates? Certainly, they’ll try and look for you… But they will never find you! Ahaha!”

‘You can’t even imagine how wrong you are.’

Suddenly, Naty’s palms behind her back started glowing but dimmed out right after.

“Oh, look at that? Trying to cast some spells? Useless. Do you know what this place is?”

“...”

“Answer me!”

‘...Hooooold it.’

“...no.”

“Haha, just like we demons can’t properly be on the land of your stupid Goddess, you, in case, can’t be on the land of our God! Can’t you feel it!? His majesty! His glory!”

‘This is the church of demons… Goddess of Light and God of Darkness… Goddess of Good and God of Evil… how poetic… This world sure is strange.’

’“Ohoho, I got a great idea! We will pray together! Everyday! Ah, it’s past that time today though… how sad…”

‘...That sounds like lame torture.’

“...Leon…”

‘Tsk, of course, it’s him again…’

“Hm? Nonono, your knight in shining armour won’t come. We are hundreds of kilometres away from the capital. Imagine how much time they’ll spend just searching through ten kilometres! And with how well hidden we are… They’ll just miss us anyway!”

‘What he’s saying is true, but… Leon has a lot of secrets… Even I can’t fully unveil them’

“Well… I know this is just the first day… but… looking at you like this… Hey, Number 3. Remember that beer you owe me?”

‘...Don’t even think about it.’

“...So?”

“Can you close your eyes for a while? I won’t do much I swear, hehe.”

‘F*cking stop or I won’t hold it.’

“...Don’t ruin the plan.”

“I won’t, I won’t… It’s just that… I heard that Saint's skin was smoother than silk… I just wanted to check.”

‘...I can’t reveal myself… Hold it… They won’t dare to do much… It’s just a touch…’

“...No! Don’t get closer!”

‘Naty… I’m sorry… I will hold it…’

“Hoho, if you scream like that… it will make me want it even more!”

‘Hold it… Hold it… Hold… Hold…

’“No! No! Get away! Don’t touch me!”

“Don’t you f*cking touch her with your filthy hand!”

With a flash, Mixen cut the pervert’s fingers.

AGHHHHH!

‘Damn it! I couldn’t hold it!’

“You b*tch!”

“Number 2!”

‘...She won’t suspect anything, right?’

“I’ll kill you!”

‘You’ll die quicker… I need an alibi…’

“Stop! She must have some artefact on her!”

“She doesn’t! I checked!”

‘Right! I can plant an artefact on her!’

“You must’ve missed something! Don’t get close to her! We need to contact the leader!”

‘...I don’t have anything of sorts… Screw it, I’ll just give her something ordinary and say it’s one-time-use… Leon isn’t that knowledgeable, right?’

“...Damnit! I will remember this!”

*Boom*

‘...Good thing she has pockets…’

“...When will you come… Leon…”

‘...maybe I should just kill him?’

“Meow!”

“I’m just joking!... When did you learn how to read my thoughts?”

Whitey didn’t need a mind-reading ability to understand what was on Mixen’s mind.

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After some time Leon and co raided this cave. The two demons who were here were certainly strong… but not enough to defeat Leon who was pissed off.

“Wow, Leon, when did you become so strong? You took out one almost all by yourself! Meanwhile, we barely killed ours!”

“...Mine was just weaker…”

‘Weaker my ass, you almost cut him half with one strike.’

“But where’s Naty? She’s here right?”

“I’m guessing she’s further down the cave.”

.

.

“Naty!”

“Lance!”

“Thank Goddess, you’re fine!”

It was a sweet sight of two siblings hugging each other, other members too came in for a hug.

“...But how did you find me so quickly?”

“Leon told us where to go… You know Leon.”

Naty turned to him.

‘...You… you came for me…’

Naty wanted to say something but started crying.

“Leon…*Sniff*...thank *Sniff*...you…”

“...It must’ve been scary… You’re welcome.”

The smile that could charm even men was very efficient on Naty… And on Mixen too… though in an opposite way.

Seeing this picture Mixen thought to himself.

‘...I’m done. I’m done with this. I’m a master of doing someone’s life miserable, so why not? Leon… I will have so much fun messing with you!’

Mixen’s expression looked like that of a devil under the mask.

“...Meow.”

“What!? I’m not thinking of killing him!”

“Meow!”

“...just a little? C’mon, he deserves it!”

“...meow.”

“Yes! Thank you!... Why am I even asking your permission?”

“Meow. Meow!”

“*Cough*, Understood… Ma’am.”

After being reprimanded by a cat, Mixen decided to lower the scale of his action to just… pranks.

“Time for ‘Mixen’ to return.”

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-Leon’s PoV-

I can’t believe I let it happen…

If only I focused more on her in that fight…

“Leon, I know what you’re thinking about, so stop. It’s okay. Nobody blames you. After all, who knew something like this could happen? Right?”

…I did.

“...Thanks, Lance.”

I should be more careful… more calculative.

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If only I had someone to help me…

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I need to rest, I’m exhausted.

“Is Naty resting?”

“Well, yes, she wasn’t hurt so she didn’t want to rest… but I forced her anyways.”

“Good… Have you informed Mary about this?”

“Mother? No? It happened so quickly that even the general got the news only when we were halfway there.”

“...I see.”

…I’m glad she won’t blame me.

.

.

I haven’t eaten in a while.

“Lance, shall we go and eat?”

“Hell yeah! I would eat half a moon right now!”

…That’s a weird-

“Oh! Hey guys!”

Hm?

Mixen?

“Mixen! Buddy! Haha, you’re just in time! Let’s go grab a bite with us!”

“...Hello.”

“Sure! I also didn’t have food in a while!”

“Great! It’ll be just us, boys! Hehe…”

“What about Naty, Mel and the others?”

…Mel?

“They’re busy taking care of Naty.”

Lance...

“Why would she need to be taken care of? Don’t tell me… Was she hurt!?”

“Uh… No, no… just…”

“She isn’t feeling well, that’s all. Our girls are just worrywarts. No need to be concerned.”

…I’m sorry Mixen, but you are better off not knowing.

“Oh… Well, that’s a given… After what she’s been through…”

Huh?

Does he… know?

“...What are you talking about exactly?”

He can’t possibly know.

Even Lance is starting to sweat.

“Hm? Isn’t this your guys' first time on such a battlefield? I know quite a bit about you… This scale of a fight isn’t easy to handle. Especially for a fragile girl like her.”

“Phew…”

…Right, how could he know…

Lance could’ve made that less obvious though…

“I see, that’s true. Even I and Lance had quite a hard time.”

“...Oh, and the kidnapping obviously.”

*Cough**Cough*

What!?

“How!? *Cough* How do you know about that?”

*Cough*

This is weird…

“Mm? Lance, do you need water? You seem to be coughing too much.”

Why…

“*Cough* Y-Yeah… Something got into my throat…”

…do I feel…

“There is a bar right there, let’s come in.”

…like he’s avoiding the question?

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“Are you feeling better Lance?”

“Yes…”

Mixen seems weird today…

Or did I just become too suspicious of him?

.

But I need to know… it’s too odd…

“Your order, please.”

“Oh! Finally! I’ll have a steak, your best soup and some beer!”

…Will he even eat it all?

Though I’m quite hungry too…

“I’ll have the same.”

“I won’t stuff that much in me. Prepare your chief’s finest dish… no beer… just water. Oh, and here, I’m paying today. No need for change.”

…a golden coin?

That’s a bit much for no change.

…And how in the world do you have a whole pouch of them?

“I-Is that okay? This is…”

“Yes, yes, just make our food quickly.”

It looks like he’s used to spending this much.

“G-Got it!”

“Mixen! When did you become so rich?! Haha!”

…I also want to know.

“Rich? Well… I’m not that rich… Just living for today’s sake, you get it?”

That doesn’t explain where you got all this money from.

Wasn’t his father just a hunter?

“...Mixen, we didn’t get to talk much… So how is your father doing?”

“Hm? Didn’t I tell you this? He’s fine. Better than ever, even.”

“...What does he do now? Still hunting?”

“Yeah, from time to time… Mainly because he can’t sit in one place for long.”

…So he doesn’t do it for money?

“...I see… And what do you do nowadays?”

“Me? Nothing much. Travelling mainly.”

…He didn’t get the question.

“Mixen! I can’t leave this question unanswered!... Why the hell are you so weak!?”

Lance…

“What do you mean I’m weak!? I’m hella strong! It’s you who’s a freakish training addict!”

“But you were so strong when we were kids! You always used to beat me! And you liked training too!”

“Unlike someone, I couldn’t just do nothing all day but train! I had other things to worry about! Do you think I’m someone like Leon who can surpass everyone with pure talent!?”

…Why am I being brought into this?

.

.

I trained too…

“Y-Your order…”

I see a chance.

“Oh… Let’s stop making a ruckus now guys… Thank you.”

“Y-You’re welcome…”

“Grr, fine… But it wasn’t me who started it.”

“...I’ll make you stronger… Leon! Help me too!”

…I fear we have no time for this.

“I might be strong, but I’m not that good of a teacher.”
“Agreed.”

…that hurt.

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This needs more salt.

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*Thump*

…What?

The salt… just all fell on my steak…

Was the lid loose?

“Oh, my Goddess! This is my fault, I didn’t check the salt shaker! Please let me change your order!”

“Ye…s”

I didn’t even get to say yes… They sure pay a lot of attention to us.

“...You should be more careful, Leon.”

“No worries, it happens. I’ll just start with soup.”

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I wouldn’t mind some pepper.

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*Thump*

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Dammit.

“Pffft! Ahahaha! C’mon, Leon! Once I understand, but twice!? Ahahaha! Oi! Ober! Make a new bowl of soup!”

Do you have to laugh so hard?

“G-Got it!”

…Was “Ober” the name of the waiter?

“Ha~... and while we wait for your food, mind telling me how the hell did you let Naty get kidnapped?”

…I just got a chill.

I never experienced this sort of a shiver without direct Killing Intent…

And this smile… He’s mad, isn’t he?

“...That…”

“Fey! Ure taiking as f ish is falt!”

(Hey! You’re talking as if it’s his fault!)

“Chew, then talk.”

*Gulp*

“Leon isn’t at fault! You weren’t there! I was! I know! If we were to blame someone… Blame everyone! We’re all at fault!”

…I’m still to blame though.

“Lance… Even if what you said is right… I still hold some blame, so let me explain myself…”

“I’m listening.”

Ha~... if we combine what I heard from Naty…

“In the middle of the battle, Naty was hit by an arrow…”

“What!? Where did it hit!? Weren’t you and Agness protecting her!?”

“...It’s impossible to catch every arrow on a battlefield of this scale…Especially if it comes from your side… And it just scratched her… But it was laced with poison that knocked her out.”

“...I see… So there was a spy… However, that doesn’t explain how she was kidnapped.”

“Yes… a spy… and not one but two. The other one was close to Naty when she passed out, so he grabbed her… and used some kind of an artefact or a ritual to teleport her away.”

“Ah… That explains a lot… But how did you know where to go right away?”

…Damn… How do I answer him?

“...Mixen… Leon has-”

“No. Lance, it’s fine. I can explain.”

I have an idea.

“...Really?”

“...Yes… I have encountered similar things before. So I wrote to a friend… She helped me create an artefact to track teleports like this.”

…That’s partially a lie.

I did contact Rose and she did send me an artefact… but it wasn’t something like a tracker.

I’m sorry Mixen, I can’t tell that to Naty… but it’s different with you.

“Oh, wow… Can I see the artefact?”

“It’s one-time use.”

Why would you even need it?

“A shame…”

“...Why didn’t I kno-”

“Mixen, I have a question too.”

If you’re suspicious… Can’t I be too?

“...Sure?”

“How did you find out about Naty’s kidnapping? After all, this isn’t something an ordinary civilian like you could know.”

…Don’t try to change the subject this time.

“That’s… I….”

“...Yes?”

…Mixen?

“...I can’t believe you would even ask something so easy to answer!”

“Huh?”

“I was helping out some soldiers, you see, and overheard their conversation. I have very good hearing, so it wasn’t on purpose. When I heard about Naty, I became extremely worried… but then another group was already praising your bravery and wit, saying how cool you are and that you saved the Saint already.”

.

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“Y-Your order.”

“...Thank you.”

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…I was too paranoic…

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I’m stuffed, it’s time to go.

“Hey! The food was good wasn’t it?”

The only thing Lance thinks about other than training and fighting is food.

“It would be if not for the accident…”

“You mean accidents, right?”

“...”

…It might be funny to you, but I’m not amused.

“Heh, they did replace it, so how did it taste?”

“It was plausible.”

I had better, even in this life.

“Plausible!? It was almost on par with the food I had in the Academy! What can be better?!”

…To be honest, the food they serve in the Academy is probably third-rate at best… at least the one they provided to the commoners like us…

“Mixen’s dad cooks far better.”

“Oh~ You know how to appreciate good food, Leon?”

He might become the number one chef in the world with his talent.

“Tha-”

“Wait, wait, wait… Mixen, you’re telling me… that your father is as good at making regular food as he is at making cakes?”

“What? No…”

“Oh…”

“He’s even better at it. Baking is not his forte.”

“What!? But his cakes are the best! And that means… Mixen! Where is your father right now!?”

“S-S-t-toop sh-shaki-ng meee.”

“Ah, sorry, got a bit too excited.”

“Phew, you can kill somebody with that strength of yours.”

…that is the plan?

“My Father… he… he’s at home. In Ganesh.”

Why did he struggle to say such an easy thing?

“Leon! Can we-”

“No.”

“I didn’t even finish the sentence!”

“We can’t. We are running late on our schedule.”

“...We don’t have a schedule, though?”

“...”

…I do.

“Ha~... Fine, fine… Some other time… Hey, Mixen.”

“Yeah?”

“So how are things going with Naty?”

…I’ll listen…

“...Don’t quite get what you mean, but good, I guess? Though we had a fight recently?”

“A fight? Why would you fight? You just reunited after so long!”

“It’s nothing big, apparently, she didn’t like how I smelled.”

“Huh?*Sniff**Sniff* You smell fine though?”

…are you a dog?

“Of course I do! I washed up! Oh, that reminds me… Did you hear about a bathhouse that opened recently?”

Was it at about this time?

“I did… Is it the one run by a migrant from another continent?”

“Yeah, yeah! It’s an asian-style bathhouse! Very good for your skin and pleasant overall. And because it’s a public bathhouse, the price isn’t that big!”

…As if you’d have to worry about that... what’s asian?

“P-Public? So people just… are all naked in there?”

“Yes? What? Are you shy~?”

“N-No? But… if the girls will be there too…”

*Smack*

“Dumbass! It’s separate for men and women!”

…That looked painful.

“Ouououou… You hit as hard as my mother… Shall we go there, then?”

“Yeah! Let’s call the girls too!”

“Th-the girls?”

*Smack*

“Take your damn head out of the gutter!”

…Bathhouse is indeed a good way to relax, Agness used to like them a lot…

“...I’m bleeding.”

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*Knock**Knock*

“Hey! It’s me! Open up, I know you’re there!”

Mixen knocked on the door of Mary’s house.

Despite being in the middle of recovering, Naty got to the door and opened it.

“Hi, Naty! How-”

With a precise movement, Naty grabbed Mixen’s ear. She tried to pull Mixen together with the ear… but it didn’t happen. It was as if the ear was glued to a wall. 

Someone forgot to relax, due to a force of habit.

A moment later Naty succeeded in her task. She blamed her condition for such a strange occurrence.

“Ouch, ouch, ouch! Whyyy?”

“You disappeared on me again!”

“Am I your child? Ououou, I can’t go away without your permission?”

“At least warn me!”

“Fiiiineeee, just let goo!”

“Hmph!”

“Phew… Your grip is stronger than Gerda’s, I swear.”

“Did you just compare me to an old woman?”

Naty was about to hit Mixen but noticed something.

“What’s so bad about being compared to Gerda? I think she’s great?”

Lance and Leon were both behind Mixen.

Being completely focused on Mixen, Naty did not notice them.

“Eek! H-Hi, Leon…”

“...We parted a few hours ago?”

Naty’s cheeks got red and she even tried to hide her face out of embarrassment.

Leon kindly smiled at seeing Naty like this.

Lance, however, had a different reaction… He was concerned… Not for Naty or Leon, but for Mixen. After all, he was always rooting for them. 

Lance looked at Mixen, to grasp his reaction… But Mixen’s face didn’t change at all. It was the same. As if he was wearing some kind of a mask that had a fixed expression. Lance didn’t think that way, it was the face he saw so many times. He remembered Mixen with such an expression. It didn’t change over the years… A happy and carefree smile.

Lance didn’t know if he should be happy or sad about this development. He decided to just let it be and stop meddling so much in it… In the end, his sister’s happiness was what he wished for.

At this moment Mixen thought of something.

‘Praising my Father’s cooking won’t save you anymore, you handsome bastard.’

“Soo… Are we you going to just look at one another or are we going to go already?”

“*Cough* A-Are we going somewhere?”

“Bathhouse!”

“Bathhouse?”

“Yeah!”

“...Why, bathhouse?”

“Why not? It’s cool… Hot actually, but you know.”

“...Is he for real?”

Naty thought it was a joke or a stupid prank. Why would they go to a bathhouse… together?

Suddenly she became red once more.

Leon figured Naty misunderstood.

“...We thought it would be a good way to relax… It’s a type of bathhouse tub you take with friends.”

“F-F-friends?”

Now Naty looked at Leon from head to toe and her imagination went wild.

“...With other girls.”

“Huh? Ah…”

Mixen couldn’t hold in his laughter.

“Pfff! Obviously, genders are separated! Ahaha! You perverted Saint!”

“S-Shut up!”

*Slap*

Mixen fully expected a hit or a slap, so he took it well. Relaxed some of his muscles so that it wouldn’t feel like hitting a brick wall for Naty.

He felt a sharp pain for a moment and blinked… Mixen thought that he was putting on a great show.

And when he opened his eyes he was confused.

He was in the air.

*Boom*

Mixen flew into a nearby tree head first.

“Mixen!”

“Oh, my Goddess! Are you okay?! Mixen!”

Lance dashed to his friend’s side.

“He’s bleeding! Mixen! Can you hear me!?”

Mixen could hear Lance but did not answer.

‘It seems I got flung by her… No fractures, only a flesh wound. She definitely has inherited some of her father’s physique. Should I be waking up after this? I think Mixen wouldn’t be able to take such a hit. I’ll wait.’

“Mixen! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! Should I heal you!?... Mixen?”

“Naty, he’s passed out! Heal him quickly! Let’s get him inside!”

“I’m coming!”

Naty healed Mixen and Lance took him into the house.

Hearing the ruckus outside, others came to look.

Melissa saw Lance carrying Mixen and couldn’t not get “worried”.

“Gosh! What happened? Is that Mixen!?”

“It was an accident.”

“An accident? I heard a loud sound just now, what was that?”

Naty came forward with her head down.

“...I hit him.”

“Huh? Why did you hit him so hard?”

“...I didn’t hit him hard… He just… I hit Lance like that all the time! Leon too was fine after-”

Lance interrupted her after placing Mixen on the couch.

“Naty! Mixen isn’t me. Nor is he Leon… He’s Mixen.”

Naty didn’t answer, only hung her head.

“Oh, don’t worry~. He’ll wake up soon. C’mon Naty, let’s make some tea.”

“...Okay, Mel…”

“Ha! Mixen isn’t as weak as you think! You must’ve surprised him with your strength! He’ll be up in a minute or two! Leon! Let’s go explain our plans to the girls!”

“Yes, We want to…”

Everyone left the room.

Mixen was left to relax on the couch.

However, somebody quietly returned.

She stood right over him.

Crouched to be on his level and whispered.

“Weakling~ You’re not worthy of her.”

This got to him.

But he held it in.

“Mel! Did you find it?”

“Yeah! Coming!”

She took what she needed and went back… Though Melissa looked at Mixen one last time and smirked.

As someone who couldn’t even manifest her Killing Intent, Melissa couldn’t feel the minuscule amount that Mixen was emitting. 

“...It’s cold in here.”

“What are you talking about? It’s fine.”

“Hm… Where are you going, Ness?”

“Just wanted to check something, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay~, don’t let the tea cool down.”

“Of course.”

Mel left and closed the door…

Agness didn’t look for anything in the room and went straight to Mixen.

“...You’re awake aren’t you?”

He didn’t budge.

This got Agness a bit annoyed.

She pinched his nose.

A minute passed…

Two…

Three…

“...How long can you hold your breath?”

“About ten minutes? I didn’t really check it”

“...”

“What? You know that by pinching my nose I would wake up even if I was really unconscious, right?”

“...To what extent are you ready to go?”

“...Further that you might expect… But Naty does pack a punch, she and Lance both got Natan’s physique for sure.”

“What are you talking about?”

“...Forget it. Can I wake up now? It won’t seem weird, I hope?”

“Just go already.”

“I get it… Say… Does Melissa seem weird to you?”

“...Weird? Can you elaborate?”

“Like, does she… No, it’s fine.”

Agness raised her brow but didn’t question it… for now.

Mixen opened the door to the kitchen.

“Guess who’s back!”

.

.

.

On the way to the bathhouse, everyone was having fun. Lance made fun of Mixen for getting knocked out by his sister, Melissa was trying to flirt with Leon, and Tera stuck close to Lance, everything as usual… except Naty was deep in thought. Mixen noticed it.

“He~y, no need to overthink it. It’s my fault for teasing you so much. Let’s just have fun!”

“That… Yeah…”

It took them quite a while to get to their destination, as they were forced to go in a roundabout way to not gather attention.

“Welcome.”

Reception was good and it didn’t take them long before they got to the locker room.

Lance was very quick in undressing.

“Haha! Mixen! Look at those!”

Lance was very proud of his muscles.

“Lance, stop being so childish.”

Leon too undressed quickly and already took everything he needed.

His body looked as good, if not better than Lance’s.

Looking at them Mixen wasn’t jealous.

This one time, he thought he had an advantage.

‘Uneven, and excessive muscles. Only by looking at them, I can tell, they aren’t flexible… Yeah, now that I think about it, they don’t use their body much in combat. Parrying, blocking and rarely dodging… They don’t utilise their bodies to the fullest extent.’

“Why are you so slow, Mixen?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Mixen started pulling on his shirt to take it off… And he looked at his own body.

How many scars were there?

Some were shallow, some deeper… and some lethal…

‘...What’s the point of my flexibility? When I fought against that mage, how could I evade a damn wall of fire? And this one… I got it from a regular soldier randomly swinging his sword… Regular soldier… yeah, I don’t even remember his face…But I remember who did it… and what I did… That’s enough.’

“Mixen?”

“...I’m not feeling good, to be honest… Sorry, but I’ll better go.”

“What? Hey! Mixen!”

Mixen left.

It was sudden and both Leon and Lance were confused.

“Lance, do you think he didn’t heal properly after getting hit by Naty?”

“...Did you see it?”

“Hm? See what?”

“His body.”

“No, why? He didn’t even take his shirt off.”

“...Just a bit… Under his shirt, I saw a scar.”

“...So what?”

“I think he doesn’t want to show it.”

“Huh? Why would he?”

“I don’t know… but I’m sure that his time with his father wasn’t as easy as he told us.”

“...Why would he hide it?”

“He doesn’t want us to worry… or something like that.”

“...Make sense… We’ll talk to him another time, let’s go.”

“Right.”

Going through a long corridor, Lance and Leon saw two doors.

On one door was a sign saying “Women” and another “Men”

“Lance, it’s here.”

Leon opened the door… and heard voices.

‘Shouldn’t we be here alone?’ he thought.

It took him a moment to process that those voices were not voices of men… but women.

And when he did understand it… It was simply too late.

“EEEK!”

Naty screamed.

“...”

Tera blushed and tried to cover her body.

“Oh no~, don’t look~.”

Melissa’s acting was terrible.

“L-Leon!? What do you think you’re doing!?”

Agness hid under the water.

Leon covered his eyes.

“Leon? Why do I hear… Huh?”

Immediately after crossing the doorstep, Lance got a nosebleed and soon after he reached nirvana.

*Thump*

Due to a sudden decrease of blood coming to his brain, Lance fell unconscious.

Leon couldn’t help but look behind to check on Lance.

“Lance! Are you- Ah?”

He slipped.

*Splash*

Even though the distance between him and the bath was quite big, he somehow managed to fall right where the girls were.

“Oh, wow.”

Melissa was the first one to notice Leon’s towel coming off… She didn’t even try to look away.

“Eeek!”

Naty covered her eyes… however still peeked.

“...”

Tera looked somewhere else.

“You damn… pervert!”

Agness didn’t try to hide anymore, she got angry and…

*Boom!*

She blew everything away with a spell.

…It was an awful day for the owner of the establishment…

.

.

.

At least the wind had a laugh.

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