CHAPTER 66.5 - Autograph
(POV - Kei)
Ah, home, sweet home. How I missed you! I'd kiss you, but with my luck, I'd probably break a spell and release the legendary spirit of an ancient Goddess who was turned into a tree by Fravi for greeting Zius, and now that tree's wood is this door.
…
"Why… are you kissing the door?" Mia asked.
Ugh, it didn't work. Well, well. Don't blame me; I had to try. This world is full of surprises everywhere.
"Let's just say I missed this place a lot."
I wonder if some God would team up with me to fight Fravi. She's got to be widely hated; I can't imagine someone with her personality being liked by anyone.
But well, I have no way of knowing, so I'd better not think about pointless stuff. Time to celebrate…! Ugh, I can't; I have homework. I'll let the girls celebrate first and join them later. We have an ob…! No, it's not an object… Uh… Well… We have a new ally! I wonder what the rest of the objects Zius left me are like. Considering my great control over fire and ice magic, one of them must be an ice fairy, since Nirfei's the fire one. I can't wait to meet her!
"Good morning! We're back! We're alive!"
Well, well. Nerka's here, in pajamas. She just came down for breakfast. Her hair's all messy and wild. She looks so adorable!
Though I'm worried about that patch on her left eye. Well, well. The patch has a drawing of Eris winking, with something written on it: "It wasn't my fault!"
I hope they learn healing magic someday. For now, only Drin and I know how to use it on the team. Did they run out of healing potions? I need to buy more.
"Hey," Nerka said, yawning.
She's not fully awake yet. I expected a livelier reaction, considering her extroverted personality.
… Heh. I just noticed. Nerka's considered the most beautiful Elf in her village, and here she is, in pajamas, with messy hair, yawning without covering her mouth. I don't know why I find it so funny.
I cover my mouth and yawn too; it's contagious. I have barely any magical energy left. The energy I gained from defeating Desmolfer's husbands vanished when… my limbs exploded…
I looked at my fingers. If Drin passed out first, that means Nirfei can use healing magic too. "Thanks, Zius!"
"Sweetie, want some coffee with milk…?"
Drin yawned too but turned away so I wouldn't see. Heh. Embarrassed about yawning without covering your mouth? How cute.
"Fufu. Looks like you need coffee too, Drin… Drin?" Nerka said, her eyes slowly widening.
She's finally fully awake.
"Did you do it?!"
What a cute reaction from Drin. I'll treasure it in my mind forever!
"We did it," Mia said.
"You yawn so cutely," I told Drin, giving her a little nudge on the arm.
She looks so adorable when she's embarrassed! I wish I had a camera! Mind, you better never forget this!
"S-stop it, sweetie!"
Heh. That smile of yours says otherwise.
Huh? What's up, Mia?
She pinched my arm. Did something happen…? And why's Nerka staring at me? Do I have something on my face…? Whoa! Right, the explanation! S-sorry, sorry, I got distracted.
Ahem.
I clear my throat… Alright… Where were we…? Oh, yeah.
"It was tough, but we came out alive," I said, trying to sound serious, but my smile's still plastered on my face.
Drin's so cute, my God! Her original form is so beautiful!
"My sweetie was so incredible, way more than before! He took down two of Desmolfer's husbands, high-ranking demons, in just two seconds!"
"W-well, it's not a big deal; Nirfei did most of the work!"
"Fufu. Your face is so red, little sweetie."
A-are you getting revenge?
Drin pats my head.
"Oh, you look so adorable when you're embarrassed, sweetie. I could eat you up with kisses! Mwah, mwah!"
Y-yeah, she's getting revenge! How petty. Well, now it's my turn!
"I took down three thanks to Nirfei, but Mia and Drin defeated two high-ranking demons on their own!"
And yeah, that's true. I was just dodging their attacks and took down the three demons when they let their guard down, but Drin managed to pierce their necks and weaken them with a single strike, which let Mia decapitate them with her immense strength. They're so incredible!
•
•
Kei began recounting the fight to Nerka.
Mia is physically much stronger than Drin because she's dedicated most of her life solely to physical training, since she can't use magic.
Drin had to use all her magical energy to pierce the demons' necks and weaken their bodies with one strike, but that was all she could do. Without Mia to deliver the final blow, they wouldn't have won. Eris is strong, yes, but overall, Mia's the strongest in the group. No one surpasses her in strength, not even Kei, though he's close to catching up thanks to his [Double Points] skill, and that's after over 10 years of training with Sei Molfer.
Kei finally understood why the Supreme God asked him to bring Mia along. Did he see the future? Possibly. If Eris, the third strongest member, had been in Mia's place, she wouldn't have been able to decapitate them, and the demons would've killed her instantly, along with Drin. And since Kei was the one distracting them, there was no scenario where he could've decapitated them with his hands.
Without Mia, they'd be dead.
Kei explained all this cheerfully, showering them with praise. They got so embarrassed that all they could do was…
"Hmmph?!"
Cover Kei's mouth.
A few more words, and they might've jumped him. They know Kei's exhausted, so they're holding back for now.
•
•
(POV - Kei)
Why're they covering my mouth?! I'm not done!
"A fire fairy?!"
… Is that all you heard?! Drin and Mia took down two high-ranking demons on their own! Where's their praise?! Throw a party to celebrate!
"I wanna see her, I wanna see her!" Nerka said, shaking me.
Whoa! I'm gonna puke!
"Oh, I know, I know, I'm incredible, and that's why everyone wants to meet me."
Nirfei emerged from my chest, flying toward Nerka. Well, well. She's oozing arrogance. I don't blame her; she definitely grabs attention.
"It's the price of being so beautiful and fantastic," she said, tossing her hair.
Wow. Her fiery hair is just… mesmerizing.
Let's see… Heh. Fire mustache. If I control it better and make it denser… Heh. It worked! I've got a fire mustache! First time doing this. It's useless, but hey, I love it!
Nirfei floats in front of Nerka while I stroke my mustache. I hope I grow a real mustache and beard soon. In my original world, I never had facial hair, not even on my arms (legs, yes), so I hope I can here!
"Hi, miss. I'm Nirfei, your new teammate."
"So cute!"
Nerka tried to pet her, but Nirfei dodged immediately.
"Only Kei can touch me."
Well, well. That look of total disgust is… Wow. You hate being touched that much? I'll keep that in mind.
"That's not fair! Kei, tell her to let me pet her!"
"Life's not fair. If she doesn't want to be touched, I can't ask her to let you."
"Hmph!"
She crossed her arms and pouted.
"Immature," Nirfei said, sitting on my head.
She's a young Elf, after all. Let her act how she wants.
Now, if you'll excuse me, we need to fix her eye.
"What happened to your eye?"
"During training, Eris hit me too hard and destroyed my eye. I was waiting for you to use your healing magic, sweet husband."
"I don't have much energy; I was just recovering… Wait."
Red lightning started crackling from my body, and Nirfei, startled, jumped off my hair, backing away.
"Warn me before you do that! I thought I was gonna get zapped!" she yelled, flailing her arms and legs.
"Sorry."
But I don't have much time.
"With my 'red mode,' I can push past my limit."
I pat Nerka's head, and a red glow enveloped her face.
… Well, well. You know, mind-Kei, it's the first time I've thought about the girls' heights. Nerka's almost as tall as me, a 13-year-old kid. I wonder how tall I'll get. Hope I hit six-foot-three.
Done. I don't sense any damage. It's fixed.
"You feeling okay now, Nerka?"
… Huh? Something wrong? She's just staring at me. Did I mess up a nerve? No, I did it perfectly.
"Fufu. That smile of yours is pretty manly. No wonder you drive all the girls crazy," Nirfei said, giving me big pats on the back with a huge fiery hand.
Awesome, she can even enlarge her limbs! It's like… Like… Ugh, forgot his name. The rubber pirate! But instead of rubber, it's fire.
And what's she mean by manly? I don't get it.
"Y-yeah! T-thanks!"
She finally reacts.
I deactivate my red mode, and my heart stops for a few seconds. Exhaustion floods my body. I'm definitely out of energy; I need to rest.
"Well, I've got homework to do. Nirfei, stay here."
"Can't I come with you?!"
"If someone spots you, they'll get suspicious of me."
"I can hide!"
"I don't want you hiding all day. If you stay here, you can do whatever you want without fear or worry."
"Oh, I see, I see. Heh. Trying to win my heart with kindness? And in front of your girlfriends? You're shameless, Kei! Hahahahahaha!"
Haha. Very funny. Sorry, I don't have the energy to laugh or feel embarrassed.
"I'll bring you some desserts when I get back."
"Yes, thanks!"
"Rest, sweetie. I'll stay to train with Nirfei. Maybe she can teach us something," Drin said.
"You all should rest too. After what we went through, it's the least we can do."
"I'll hold you to that, sweetie!"
"I'll go with you, Kei."
"No, Mia, if we return the same day, it'll look suspicious. Take advantage of the rest days you requested."
"Yeah, true… I'll train with Terkiana later then."
Well, if there's nothing else, I'm off.
I leave the house. Walk, walk, walk. Ugh…
I looked at the blue sky. You were right, Supreme God. Without Mia, I'd probably be dead right now.
Did Desmolfer ask for your help? Why'd you help me so much? Considering the 50/50 rule, what I did "hurt" the demons, though it also helped them… Ugh, I still don't fully get that rule.
Either way, thanks to you, I'm still alive.
"Supreme God, thanks for the help… Should I pray or offer something…?"
"No need."
The Supreme God appeared in front of me, and I immediately knelt!
"I-it's an honor to see you again!"
"The other objects are tricky. I recommend not seeking them for now. Wait two or three years."
T-two or three years? That's a long time, but I'll trust you. Trusting you helped me survive; I'll never doubt you.
"If you say so, I'll wait."
"The other four objects are in another world. When the time's right, I'll send someone to help you."
Wow, I'll visit another world. My original world?! Or a world with robots?! Maybe a zombie world! Oh, oh, a furry world! Hahahahahaha! That last one sounds… Weird… Better a monster girl world. Heh.
"Thank you so much…! By the way…"
"Yes, I know."
A photo of the Supreme God appeared in front of me, with something written on the back. Wow, a pose of him sitting on a throne, with a cold expression that says, "Everyone's beneath me." Awesome! I finally got his autograph!
"Thanks!"
Let's see what it says.
"To Kei. Good luck. The Supreme God." Written in Spanish. Thanks!
I stored it in my [Magical Storage].
"It'll stay in my family for hundreds of generations, I swear!"
"…"
… Why's he quiet? Did I say something wrong?
"I must go, Crisfa. I mean, Kei."
"No worries, both names are correct."
"Huh?! How'd you find out?"
"Find out what? I don't think you heard me right. My name's Kei. Crisfa's my adventurer name. Both are correct."
"Oh… Yeah… Sorry, I'm a bit distracted. And, please, don't have kids."
The Supreme God vanished. Before he left, I saw a look of deep sadness. Don't have kids…? Huh? What was he talking about? I forgot… Oh, yeah, I got the Supreme God's autograph!
"That God's awesome…! Hnngh?!"
What?! A woman appeared out of nowhere and is kissing me! Who are you?! Why can't I move?! What the hell's happening?!
She vanished, and I fell to the ground.
"W-what was that…?! Huh?"
Why am I sitting on the ground?
•
•
In Godfer, Fravi appeared beside the Supreme God, still wearing an expression of pure delight, licking her lips greedily and letting out an exaggeratedly lustful sigh of satisfaction.
"Worth it! Totally worth it! Ahhh, Kei. Your taste… is better than I imagined. And I've fantasized about this millions of times!"
The Supreme God looked at her with disapproval, closing his eyes with infinite patience before speaking.
"Fravi…"
She immediately knelt, her eyes gleaming with unsettling devotion, breathing heavily as if holding back from doing something even worse.
"You made a mistake, and so did I. You gave something to Kei. That's forbidden."
"… I erased Kei's memory; he won't remember the kiss. But don't do it again."
Fravi let out a sickly giggle and began rocking back and forth on the ground, hugging herself.
"No worries, I've got what I need!"
With a snap of her fingers, a small vial appeared floating above her palm. Then, without a shred of shame, she stuck two fingers in her mouth, sucked them with an exaggeratedly lustful expression, leaned forward, and spat into the vial.
Slowly, the vial filled as Fravi panted in ecstasy.
"I've got Kei's saliva! Our saliva mixed! An infinite kiss! Hahahahaha! Yes, yes, yes! An eternal union, an unbreakable bond! Oh, my dear Kei, we're now connected on a molecular level!"
The Supreme God sighed heavily, rubbing the bridge of his nose while watching her with repulsion. His white eyes reflected the pure resignation of a being who'd seen too much in eternity and still found this excessive.
"Kei, good luck with Fravi… You'll need it."
Fravi gave the vial a long kiss, leaving a wet, drooling lipstick mark on the glass. Then she hugged it to her chest like it was the most precious thing in existence.
"You tasted delicious, Kei! But this isn't enough, no, no, no! Now I want more! I want his sweat, his tears, his sighs, his breath on my skin! I want him to curse me, to scream my name in desperation! Ahhh, that would be… Perfect!!"
The Supreme God looked at her emotionlessly and simply vanished, leaving her laughing alone.
•
•
Meanwhile, in the mortal world, Kei walked carefree, enjoying the cool breeze and clear sky. He stretched with satisfaction, taking a deep breath.
"The air smells so good…"
Then, suddenly, an uncontrollable shiver ran through his body. His muscles tensed, his skin prickled, and his heart raced. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and a chilling void settled in his stomach. He stopped dead, trembling.
"W-what?"
He clutched his chest, trying to calm the oppressive feeling inside.
"Why do I feel violated?!"
Instinctively, he touched his lips, feeling a strange discomfort, like something impure had lingered on his skin. He rubbed them hard, but the sensation wouldn't go away.
A horrible premonition hit him. Something had happened.
Something very, very bad.