— Leon Greyrat —
Opening my eyes, I stared up at the canvas of our tent, slowly letting the daze of sleep filter out of my mind and body as I thought about my current condition.
Thankfully, it seemed that I was alive, judging by the fact I was thinking like this.
After an injury like that… it would be more likely that Orsted was just a dream than me having survived, but from how my hands trembled at the memory, the thrum of pain in my chest and arm, as well as the large patch of dried blood I could see on the ground near the destroyed boulder to my side, that was obviously not the case.
So… I lived through that.
Was I… healed?
Yeah, I must have been, seeing that I could squeeze my right hand and wiggle my toes.
Norn and Aisha didn’t have the skill to do this, nor the mana. And Eris didn’t even know healing magic.
A friendly passerby doing this was… extremely unlikely as well.
So who the hell healed me?
Was… was it Orsted?
Did he change his mind for some reason?
Right after embedding his hand through my chest and spine?
Looking down at my bare torso, I noticed the large scar right where I had been stabbed, and looking over at my shoulder, I could see where my arm had been hastily reattached, a jagged line of scar tissue wrapping around like a sleeve.
But to leave a scar like that…
“That fucker… he just did the bare minimum, didn’t he?” I mumbled under my breath.
Either way, seeing this tent that had been set up, and hearing the familiar muffled voices not far from here, it seemed that the other three had survived.
And tilting my head up, I could see that was indeed the case, as the three were currently loading things into the carriage without a visible scratch on them.
Good… that was relieving.
So Orsted must have left them too.
Did he take pity on me?
Well… I wasn’t stupid enough nor prideful enough to hate him for that.
As I rested my head against the makeshift pillow once again, I noticed a lock of hair fall onto my face.
Except, unlike the usual golden colour I was used to, instead, it was… white.
…What?
Creating a mirror with ice magic, I looked at my reflection, instantly taking note of the streak of white that now ran down my hair near the front of my head.
Was that… from my last attack? When I used up all my mana?
I had heard of such a symptom being the result of overusing one's mana, but I never expected to ever have it happen to me, given my much higher-than-average mana stores and reliance on swordsmanship rather than magic.
Still… at least it looked cool… Right?
With me holding up my makeshift mirror, the other three took notice of my awakened state, all simultaneously dropping what they were doing to run over.
“Leon!” “Brother!” “Big Brother!”
Quickly finding myself in the embrace of all three girls, I wrapped my arms around them all, bringing them closer as I heard them begin to sniffle.
Hearing that, I decided to mute the grunt of pain that nearly escaped when they collectively swarmed me.
Haa… I really worried them, didn’t I?
…I would have to be better.
“It’s okay, I’m here. I’m alright. We’re all alright,” I said, soothing them as I ran my hands through their hair in an attempt to calm them down.
My gentle words seemed to do the trick as they all began to settle down, opting to snuggle against me, trying to retain my warmth as their tears dried out.
Honestly, it was so comfy that I could easily fall asleep here, but waiting around on the side of the road would do nothing for our progress, not even mentioning how it would be quite risky.
That aside… I really messed up, huh?
Orsted… this time, he let me live, and let my family live as well, but there was no telling if that would happen last time.
And what about other strong people in the world?
Sure, the Dragon God was ranked as the second strongest, but he dealt with me easily, only ever using one hand to defend and attack.
…That was quite a depressing thought…
Anyway, moving on, if he took me down that easily, then what about the seventh strongest?
Or even the tenth?
And what if they had other advantages aside from their strength and skills, such as the element of surprise, or even a hostage?
One thing was for sure… I had been ignorant.
I had been content with my current growth rate, seeing as I could easily handle most of the population, and was happy following a set path of improvement.
No… I needed to get stronger than that.
Strong enough to fight against the strongest in this world.
I would need to rethink my abilities, destroy the framework I had set for myself and create something new from the rubble.
Yes… I would get stronger… strong enough to etch myself into the Seven World Powers.
Not for fame, nor pride, but for reassurance that next time I would need to fight an overwhelming opponent… I would win.
— Leon Greyrat —
With our group back on the road, making our way through the mountain pass of the Red Dragon’s Lower Jaw, I watched the passing scenery from the coachman’s seat as we rode onward.
Feeling some movement from my lap, I glanced downward, watching as Eris, who was fast asleep, repositioned herself.
Though, she was still resting her head on my leg.
After staying up all night as a lookout, she was quick to fall asleep, letting the constant rumble of the carriage soothe her to soothing slumber with my leg as her pillow.
“Hehe~ Not there~” she giggled, a small trail of drool dripping past her lips.
…What was she dreaming about?
If I didn’t know that she desperately needed the rest, I would definitely be pinching those cute cheeks right about now.
Sighing with a smile, I turned my head to glance behind me, feeling a familiar tuft of maroon-coloured hair tickle my nose.
Aisha and Norn were in the carriage, and while they weren’t sleeping, they did make sure that their backs were to mine so we were touching as they read.
Honestly, ever since I woke up, the three haven’t let me out of their grasp, let alone their sight.
Not that I could really blame them after something like that…
Anyway, one thing was for sure… to stop anything like that from happening again, both to me and my family, I needed to get better.
But… how would I do that?
Luckily, the good thing about getting overwhelmed by an opponent like Orsted, was that I was able to learn quite a lot from our short battle.
First, there was the way he used the Water God Style’s Flow seamlessly with his bare body.
While Master had done that before, back in Roa, it was… not to that extent.
And his touki… it wasn’t the usual enhancement.
Rather, it was layered. Like threads sewn together into a protective cloth.
…I needed to rethink a lot of things.
Touki, magic, mana… and then combat as a whole.
Ah, and also that wave of mana Orsted used to stop my healing magic.
What would I even call that? Magic nullification?
But it didn’t nullify. Rather, it overwhelmed the mana I was using in the spell with his own, disturbing the spell formation and my mana control…
So… disturb magic then. I needed to practice that too.
And then, with all those pieces, I needed to make a combat style that merged them together seamlessly, cutting out any fat for an efficient, overwhelming combat style as the final product.
“Mmm, Leon…” Eris mumbled, temporarily breaking me out of my thoughts.
Smiling down at her, I ran my hand through her hair, scratching behind her ear as she curled up closer to me.
Cute.
Right. I needed to get stronger, that was for sure.
But for now… I’ll focus on making sure these three are okay after such a nightmarish event.
Ah… and speaking of that ‘nightmarish event’... why did Orsted hate me so much?
I know I attacked first, so it was only right for him to attack back, but mid-way through our encounter, he suddenly… changed.
Before, he was simply warding off my attacks, but then, he changed his focus to eliminating me. Calmly and efficiently, like an S-rank adventurer hunting a monster rather than a murderer killing out of glee or hatred.
Thinking about it… he mentioned a ‘Hitogami’... which could be read as ‘Man-God’... he mentioned that a couple of times… and something about me being an ‘apostle’.
Was that why?
‘Man-God’... was it because I was human?
No. Eris and my sisters were also human and didn’t receive any anger from the man, not even mentioning the girl who was with him.
Maybe… was it the Millis Church? Or perhaps another religion?
But I wasn’t religious at all…
Maybe it was a ranking then? Like the ‘Dragon God’?
Hmm…
Whatever.
I didn’t really understand, and I didn’t want to concern myself with that either.
If we ended up meeting again, I’d steer clear of him, and if I needed to, try to resolve any misunderstanding to avoid another fight.
Eris had told me what happened after I, well, almost died as well.
Apparently, I wasn’t healed out of Orsted’s pity or generosity, but rather by the masked black-haired girl’s interference.
Oh, and Eris also told me about Orsted’s final message.
I already didn’t want to fight, so that part was fine as long as I avoided him.
But after that… I guess I was at the King rank now.
Well, I wanted to feel happy about that, but seeing as my strength meant nothing in front of that man… I didn’t really feel too proud about it.
But maybe that was a good thing.
Who knows…
— Leon Greyrat —
The city of Rivona was the first city anyone coming into the Asura Kingdom from the south would encounter, and thus, it was quite prosperous as a merchant trading hub.
For us, though, it was simply a place to rest after an arduous two days of travel after my battle with Orsted… if you could call it a battle.
Aside from me stiffening when asked by the border guard if I knew anything about the destroyed mountain peak and flash of light, we were able to gain entry into our homeland with ease due to our adventurer card identification, as well as an understanding that we were victims of the teleportation incident.
And so, here I was, sitting on my bed after having put Norn and Aisha to sleep in the other room, waiting for Eris to come back so I could turn off the oil lamp and get some sleep.
And from the steps I heard coming closer, I wouldn’t have to wait for long.
As I heard the door opening, I looked over to see Eris, only to feel my greeting get stuck in my throat a moment later.
Closing the door behind her, Eris took off her long coat, throwing it to the side as she revealed her nearly-naked form to me, being only dressed in a pair of panties and a bra.
And, contrary to her usual undergarments, these were laced, leaving nearly nothing to the imagination as my eyes danced up and down her body.
“Leon,” she said, snapping me out of my daze.
“Y-Yes?” I said back.
Staring back at her face, I noticed that her cheeks were glowing red as her eyes trembled in embarrassment. But I could also see her lips quirked up in a small, prideful smirk.
Instead of talking back to me or explaining herself, Eris walked forward, coming next to our bed before she pushed me down and got on top of me, straddling my prone form as she sat down on my crotch.
This… I was not expecting this.
I could already feel the blood rushing downward.
Shit… I was trapped. In more ways than one.
“Hey, Leon,” Eris whispered, looking down at me as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Do I… make you feel annoyed?”
…Huh?
What the hell was she talking about?
“Uh, no? At least not for the duration of our journey. Rather, you’ve been very helpful!” I smiled.
“Tch!” she huffed in annoyance.
Before I could ask why she seemed so upset, she began rolling her hips, causing me to freeze.
“And? What about now…”
Her words trailed off as she seemingly felt the effect she was having on me and, looking down, her cheeks quickly turned an even deeper shade of red.
Ah, but she was also smiling. What was with her?
And ‘what about now’? Why would her doing that change anything?
I was thoroughly confused.
“You… said you loved me, right?” she said, looking back into my eyes.
“Yes,” I said, raising my hand to brush a final strand of hair past her ear before resting it against her cheek. “I love you, a lot, Eri.”
Grabbing my hand, she pushed it down against the bed as she leaned over me.
“Then… can you show me?” she said, dipping her head so our foreheads touched. “I… almost lost you. I… don’t want to think about how you looked, bleeding and turning cold, but it happens each time I close my eyes… Even though I hate it!”
She then pressed her lips against mine before raising her head to look at me with a pleading expression.
“So.. make better memories… for me.”
Ah… I knew what she wanted now.
I would have to be pretty stupid not to, seeing as how she was dressed and where she was sitting.
But… did I want to take that next step?
Would it… change things irreparably between us?
Taking a deep breath, I looked back at Eris, the girl I loved.
Truly looked.
Her eyes were glossy, tremoring with slight fear, likely at my possible rejection, but there was also an air of excitement and curiosity to them, as well as a tenderness I had grown to selfishly enjoy receiving all to myself.
Then, there was her body.
Her toned body, which she had laid bare before me, clearly expressed how much she trusted me, and from the wet spot I could see forming on the front of her bottoms, I knew how much she wanted me as well.
Her skin was tinted red with a slight glean of sweat… her breasts that I found pressing against my chest with hardened nubs slightly poking out… her hair was tied back with the pendant I had gotten her so long ago, a gift from me that she cherished and had taken care of to this very day.
She was… stunning.
Then her scent.
It was… pleasant.
A mix of smoke from a fireplace which gave me a sense of warmth, the herbal soap she had bought which gave me a feeling of calm, and her natural scent, one that I had grown to love with our time together, that now made my thoughts cloud with desire.
It was so distinctly Eris. And it was so distinctly… arousing.
Everything about her was arousing, and I didn’t need the tightness in my pants that got worse with each passing moment to know… I wanted her too.
All of her, I wanted it.
Her love, her temper, her loyalty, her beauty, her strength, her arousal, her lust her body… I wanted it all.
So… it would be selfish to refuse under the premise of waiting when there was no need to, right?
After all… if we wanted each other… after everything we’ve been through, it was only right that we have it.
I slowly took off my shirt, raising it above my head to reveal my bare, muscled chest, which had recently gained a large vertical scar in the center.
A scar that Eris quickly honed in on.
“...Is it ugly?” I asked.
“No,” she quickly shook her head. “It just... brings up bad memories. But… it’s not ugly.”
She traced her finger down the scarred tissue, making me shiver from the pleasant sensation.
Dammit… now I was definitely enraptured.
With only one last thread of reason holding me back from unleashing my desire, I used it to warn the beautiful girl on top of me.
“Eris,” I said seriously, using her full name as I looked up, taking in every detail of those breathtaking ruby-red eyes. “If we do this… you’ll be mine. And once you are… I’ll never let you go.”
That’s right.
I was selfish, so if she wanted to be mine, she would have to be happy staying that way.
That was me.
Leon Greyrat.
A wrathful, selfish, greedy man.
“I’m already yours… dummy,” she said, leaning down to kiss me.
Trailing kisses down my cheek and to my neck, she stopped only to whisper in my ear, “So… do what you want with Eri… nyan~”
The thread snapped.
And so, following her request, I did exactly that, only after casting a detoxification spell for birth control, of course.
I was more than happy to paint her scary memories with new, exciting, and happy ones, and I wanted to do so long into the future.
Because I loved Eris Boreas Greyrat with all my heart.
And she loved me with all of hers.
And thus, we showed our love in the purest form possible, long into the night, embracing the newfound affection, lust, and ignited passion we held for each other.
— Leon Greyrat —
Stretching out my calves with a smile, I took in a deep breath of the amazingly clear morning air, only tainted by the smell of fresh food cooking on the nearby stalls.
The world… it truly was beautiful, huh?
And more than that, last night was extremely beautiful as well.
Sex… it was… amazing.
As well as extremely fulfilling.
Both in the physical and emotional sense.
So much so that I could easily find myself addicted.
Perhaps… I truly was a Greyrat, huh?
I think… I could understand my brother and father a bit more after experiencing it.
It was a bit awkward at first, but soon enough we both found our rhythm, leading to a different type of pleasure I could have never imagined before.
And by the sounds from last night, it was the same for her as well.
With our supernatural stamina, we were able to go long into the night, the only thing stopping us from going until dawn being the sound of the bedframe cracking under our movements.
Not wanting to pay extra for the stay, we put a stop to things there, but with both of us cuddling close after the act, and Eris wearing a content smile as she fell asleep on my chest, I would say we were both more than satisfied.
However, I did need to cast some healing magic on both of our hips in the morning.
And she was a swordswoman strong enough to deal with a Saint-ranked swordsman… if Sylphy and Roxy ended up working out and we got to that level of our relationship, I would have to be sure to calm myself.
Anyway, after washing off in the bath together, she quickly left for the market to buy something alone, not letting me join her, and not telling me what she was getting.
But that was fine.
After all, I did want to eat breakfast with my sisters.
What I didn’t want, however, were the raised eyebrows from both the innkeeper and Aisha herself, my cute little sister sending a knowing grin my way throughout the entire meal.
Seriously… I watched her all the time, so when did she ever learn about that stuff?
Either way, with them currently doing their own thing in their room, I decided to take advantage of the idle time I had found for myself, as well as the inn’s rather large backyard, to do some morning training.
My sword cutting through the crisp morning air, I went through the very familiar motions as my mind turned to the other reason I came out here.
To think.
More specifically, to think about how I would improve my combat abilities from now on.
The first step, before I embarked on any haphazard training, was to lay out what needed to be done.
A clear training plan.
So… first and foremost was that layered touki Orsted so helpfully showed me, and quite literally, ingrained into me.
It wasn’t the type that everyone in the world was used to using, where it formed inside and over the body and weapon like a shell or armour.
No, it was more like chainmail… A collection of fibres and threads that interlaced, becoming overwhelmingly strong.
It made sense.
With such a structure, it was extremely stable, where even if one ‘fibre’ was cracked, the structure as a whole would remain unperturbed. And there was also the elasticity, flexibility, and tension distribution that it offered.
That explained Orsted’s insane defence.
And as for moving fast… he did something similar to what I did to cut him with my sword.
Tracing a ‘path’ with touki and letting his body follow it.
After waking up from the battle, I realized that much of my soreness was not from the barely-healed injuries, nor my depleted mana.
Instead, most of it was from the backlash of using that technique with my body.
But with that new touki technique that increased my defence… I might be able to use it without worrying too much about any backlash.
Next, there was how he used his body for sword attacks.
That one was just a mix of getting better at unarmed combat while perfecting the touki technique.
I would still prefer to use the sword, of course, but it would be useful to learn as well. Both for when I didn’t have a sword on hand, as well as to weave such attacks into my regular swordsmanship.
Then, there was disturb magic, and in the same vein, combatting it.
Luckily, I could easily train both with what I had in mind by simply trying to ‘disturb’ a spell with one hand and trying to keep it going with the other.
As I had discovered with my limited experiments, sending waves of pure mana outward… wasn’t exactly so simple.
It had to be directed, concentrated, and done with enough accuracy and precision to target the spell’s ‘core’.
…There was no such thing as a spell’s ‘core’, at least from what I knew, and that’s what made it so difficult.
Very complicated and conceptual, yes, but with enough practice… I could do it.
Next was compressing magic, as well as making my magic more efficient.
I wasn’t like my crazy brother, who had a seemingly infinite amount of mana and an enhanced power to the mana itself.
To create an attack that could harm that monster, I needed to be able to compress it to insane levels, while also doing it efficiently, so that I didn’t get any more white hairs.
That was easy to understand, but putting it into practice may be quite difficult.
Anyway, next, I needed to create more unique magic with the freedom that mana offered.
I always knew that this world’s concept of spells was much too rigid, but somewhere along the way, I found myself content with my breadth of knowledge, where the only thing ‘unique’ about my set of spells was my lightning bolt attack.
No. I needed to grow my arsenal to create unique, overwhelming attacks using my talent, raw skill, and knowledge of science.
Magic so overwhelming that powerful opponents would be immediately defeated when they encountered it, and so unique that onlookers wouldn’t have a clue of how to stop it even after seeing it multiple times.
And then, there was my swordsmanship.
I needed to redefine it.
Before, I thought it would be fine to act as a more advanced version of my father, seamlessly switching from style to style as it suited me.
But that wouldn’t work.
Rather, it would limit me to the maximum power of all three styles added together.
Instead, I needed to multiply that power.
And to do so, I needed to mould them together instead of simply switching between them.
Luckily, I believed I was already on this path if that sword strike that was able to reach Orsted’s neck, combining Dance of Deluge and Longsword of Light, was any indication.
I needed to do more of that and to do so, I would have to go into it with an open mind, careful not to be trapped by the predefined standards of this world’s swordsmanship, while also growing the number of ‘ingredients’ I could use by learning more techniques.
And finally, and most importantly, I needed to bring all of these elements together.
It would be a lot of work and a lot of effort… but if I wanted to contend against the true monsters, the strongest of this world, I would have to do it.
All so that when my power is needed… I will become strong enough to be considered one of the Seven World Powers.
All so that I would never be overwhelmed again, and always be there to defend my family.
That, I promised.
My resolve hardened, I returned to swinging my sword, this time with a new sense of vigour that caused whirlwinds to form at the end of every swing.
— Leon Greyrat —
Opening my eyes, I stared up at the canvas of our tent, slowly letting the daze of sleep filter out of my mind and body as I thought about my current condition.
Thankfully, it seemed that I was alive, judging by the fact I was thinking like this.
After an injury like that… it would be more likely that Orsted was just a dream than me having survived, but from how my hands trembled at the memory, the thrum of pain in my chest and arm, as well as the large patch of dried blood I could see on the ground near the destroyed boulder to my side, that was obviously not the case.
So… I lived through that.
Was I… healed?
Yeah, I must have been, seeing that I could squeeze my right hand and wiggle my toes.
Norn and Aisha didn’t have the skill to do this, nor the mana. And Eris didn’t even know healing magic.
A friendly passerby doing this was… extremely unlikely as well.
So who the hell healed me?
Was… was it Orsted?
Did he change his mind for some reason?
Right after embedding his hand through my chest and spine?
Looking down at my bare torso, I noticed the large scar right where I had been stabbed, and looking over at my shoulder, I could see where my arm had been hastily reattached, a jagged line of scar tissue wrapping around like a sleeve.
But to leave a scar like that…
“That fucker… he just did the bare minimum, didn’t he?” I mumbled under my breath.
Either way, seeing this tent that had been set up, and hearing the familiar muffled voices not far from here, it seemed that the other three had survived.
And tilting my head up, I could see that was indeed the case, as the three were currently loading things into the carriage without a visible scratch on them.
Good… that was relieving.
So Orsted must have left them too.
Did he take pity on me?
Well… I wasn’t stupid enough nor prideful enough to hate him for that.
As I rested my head against the makeshift pillow once again, I noticed a lock of hair fall onto my face.
Except, unlike the usual golden colour I was used to, instead, it was… white.
…What?
Creating a mirror with ice magic, I looked at my reflection, instantly taking note of the streak of white that now ran down my hair near the front of my head.
Was that… from my last attack? When I used up all my mana?
I had heard of such a symptom being the result of overusing one's mana, but I never expected to ever have it happen to me, given my much higher-than-average mana stores and reliance on swordsmanship rather than magic.
Still… at least it looked cool… Right?
With me holding up my makeshift mirror, the other three took notice of my awakened state, all simultaneously dropping what they were doing to run over.
“Leon!” “Brother!” “Big Brother!”
Quickly finding myself in the embrace of all three girls, I wrapped my arms around them all, bringing them closer as I heard them begin to sniffle.
Hearing that, I decided to mute the grunt of pain that nearly escaped when they collectively swarmed me.
Haa… I really worried them, didn’t I?
…I would have to be better.
“It’s okay, I’m here. I’m alright. We’re all alright,” I said, soothing them as I ran my hands through their hair in an attempt to calm them down.
My gentle words seemed to do the trick as they all began to settle down, opting to snuggle against me, trying to retain my warmth as their tears dried out.
Honestly, it was so comfy that I could easily fall asleep here, but waiting around on the side of the road would do nothing for our progress, not even mentioning how it would be quite risky.
That aside… I really messed up, huh?
Orsted… this time, he let me live, and let my family live as well, but there was no telling if that would happen last time.
And what about other strong people in the world?
Sure, the Dragon God was ranked as the second strongest, but he dealt with me easily, only ever using one hand to defend and attack.
…That was quite a depressing thought…
Anyway, moving on, if he took me down that easily, then what about the seventh strongest?
Or even the tenth?
And what if they had other advantages aside from their strength and skills, such as the element of surprise, or even a hostage?
One thing was for sure… I had been ignorant.
I had been content with my current growth rate, seeing as I could easily handle most of the population, and was happy following a set path of improvement.
No… I needed to get stronger than that.
Strong enough to fight against the strongest in this world.
I would need to rethink my abilities, destroy the framework I had set for myself and create something new from the rubble.
Yes… I would get stronger… strong enough to etch myself into the Seven World Powers.
Not for fame, nor pride, but for reassurance that next time I would need to fight an overwhelming opponent… I would win.
— Leon Greyrat —
With our group back on the road, making our way through the mountain pass of the Red Dragon’s Lower Jaw, I watched the passing scenery from the coachman’s seat as we rode onward.
Feeling some movement from my lap, I glanced downward, watching as Eris, who was fast asleep, repositioned herself.
Though, she was still resting her head on my leg.
After staying up all night as a lookout, she was quick to fall asleep, letting the constant rumble of the carriage soothe her to soothing slumber with my leg as her pillow.
“Hehe~ Not there~” she giggled, a small trail of drool dripping past her lips.
…What was she dreaming about?
If I didn’t know that she desperately needed the rest, I would definitely be pinching those cute cheeks right about now.
Sighing with a smile, I turned my head to glance behind me, feeling a familiar tuft of maroon-coloured hair tickle my nose.
Aisha and Norn were in the carriage, and while they weren’t sleeping, they did make sure that their backs were to mine so we were touching as they read.
Honestly, ever since I woke up, the three haven’t let me out of their grasp, let alone their sight.
Not that I could really blame them after something like that…
Anyway, one thing was for sure… to stop anything like that from happening again, both to me and my family, I needed to get better.
But… how would I do that?
Luckily, the good thing about getting overwhelmed by an opponent like Orsted, was that I was able to learn quite a lot from our short battle.
First, there was the way he used the Water God Style’s Flow seamlessly with his bare body.
While Master had done that before, back in Roa, it was… not to that extent.
And his touki… it wasn’t the usual enhancement.
Rather, it was layered. Like threads sewn together into a protective cloth.
…I needed to rethink a lot of things.
Touki, magic, mana… and then combat as a whole.
Ah, and also that wave of mana Orsted used to stop my healing magic.
What would I even call that? Magic nullification?
But it didn’t nullify. Rather, it overwhelmed the mana I was using in the spell with his own, disturbing the spell formation and my mana control…
So… disturb magic then. I needed to practice that too.
And then, with all those pieces, I needed to make a combat style that merged them together seamlessly, cutting out any fat for an efficient, overwhelming combat style as the final product.
“Mmm, Leon…” Eris mumbled, temporarily breaking me out of my thoughts.
Smiling down at her, I ran my hand through her hair, scratching behind her ear as she curled up closer to me.
Cute.
Right. I needed to get stronger, that was for sure.
But for now… I’ll focus on making sure these three are okay after such a nightmarish event.
Ah… and speaking of that ‘nightmarish event’... why did Orsted hate me so much?
I know I attacked first, so it was only right for him to attack back, but mid-way through our encounter, he suddenly… changed.
Before, he was simply warding off my attacks, but then, he changed his focus to eliminating me. Calmly and efficiently, like an S-rank adventurer hunting a monster rather than a murderer killing out of glee or hatred.
Thinking about it… he mentioned a ‘Hitogami’... which could be read as ‘Man-God’... he mentioned that a couple of times… and something about me being an ‘apostle’.
Was that why?
‘Man-God’... was it because I was human?
No. Eris and my sisters were also human and didn’t receive any anger from the man, not even mentioning the girl who was with him.
Maybe… was it the Millis Church? Or perhaps another religion?
But I wasn’t religious at all…
Maybe it was a ranking then? Like the ‘Dragon God’?
Hmm…
Whatever.
I didn’t really understand, and I didn’t want to concern myself with that either.
If we ended up meeting again, I’d steer clear of him, and if I needed to, try to resolve any misunderstanding to avoid another fight.
Eris had told me what happened after I, well, almost died as well.
Apparently, I wasn’t healed out of Orsted’s pity or generosity, but rather by the masked black-haired girl’s interference.
Oh, and Eris also told me about Orsted’s final message.
I already didn’t want to fight, so that part was fine as long as I avoided him.
But after that… I guess I was at the King rank now.
Well, I wanted to feel happy about that, but seeing as my strength meant nothing in front of that man… I didn’t really feel too proud about it.
But maybe that was a good thing.
Who knows…
— Leon Greyrat —
The city of Rivona was the first city anyone coming into the Asura Kingdom from the south would encounter, and thus, it was quite prosperous as a merchant trading hub.
For us, though, it was simply a place to rest after an arduous two days of travel after my battle with Orsted… if you could call it a battle.
Aside from me stiffening when asked by the border guard if I knew anything about the destroyed mountain peak and flash of light, we were able to gain entry into our homeland with ease due to our adventurer card identification, as well as an understanding that we were victims of the teleportation incident.
And so, here I was, sitting on my bed after having put Norn and Aisha to sleep in the other room, waiting for Eris to come back so I could turn off the oil lamp and get some sleep.
And from the steps I heard coming closer, I wouldn’t have to wait for long.
As I heard the door opening, I looked over to see Eris, only to feel my greeting get stuck in my throat a moment later.
Closing the door behind her, Eris took off her long coat, throwing it to the side as she revealed her nearly-naked form to me, being only dressed in a pair of panties and a bra.
And, contrary to her usual undergarments, these were laced, leaving nearly nothing to the imagination as my eyes danced up and down her body.
“Leon,” she said, snapping me out of my daze.
“Y-Yes?” I said back.
Staring back at her face, I noticed that her cheeks were glowing red as her eyes trembled in embarrassment. But I could also see her lips quirked up in a small, prideful smirk.
Instead of talking back to me or explaining herself, Eris walked forward, coming next to our bed before she pushed me down and got on top of me, straddling my prone form as she sat down on my crotch.
This… I was not expecting this.
I could already feel the blood rushing downward.
Shit… I was trapped. In more ways than one.
“Hey, Leon,” Eris whispered, looking down at me as she tucked her hair behind her ear. “Do I… make you feel annoyed?”
…Huh?
What the hell was she talking about?
“Uh, no? At least not for the duration of our journey. Rather, you’ve been very helpful!” I smiled.
“Tch!” she huffed in annoyance.
Before I could ask why she seemed so upset, she began rolling her hips, causing me to freeze.
“And? What about now…”
Her words trailed off as she seemingly felt the effect she was having on me and, looking down, her cheeks quickly turned an even deeper shade of red.
Ah, but she was also smiling. What was with her?
And ‘what about now’? Why would her doing that change anything?
I was thoroughly confused.
“You… said you loved me, right?” she said, looking back into my eyes.
“Yes,” I said, raising my hand to brush a final strand of hair past her ear before resting it against her cheek. “I love you, a lot, Eri.”
Grabbing my hand, she pushed it down against the bed as she leaned over me.
“Then… can you show me?” she said, dipping her head so our foreheads touched. “I… almost lost you. I… don’t want to think about how you looked, bleeding and turning cold, but it happens each time I close my eyes… Even though I hate it!”
She then pressed her lips against mine before raising her head to look at me with a pleading expression.
“So.. make better memories… for me.”
Ah… I knew what she wanted now.
I would have to be pretty stupid not to, seeing as how she was dressed and where she was sitting.
But… did I want to take that next step?
Would it… change things irreparably between us?
Taking a deep breath, I looked back at Eris, the girl I loved.
Truly looked.
Her eyes were glossy, tremoring with slight fear, likely at my possible rejection, but there was also an air of excitement and curiosity to them, as well as a tenderness I had grown to selfishly enjoy receiving all to myself.
Then, there was her body.
Her toned body, which she had laid bare before me, clearly expressed how much she trusted me, and from the wet spot I could see forming on the front of her bottoms, I knew how much she wanted me as well.
Her skin was tinted red with a slight glean of sweat… her breasts that I found pressing against my chest with hardened nubs slightly poking out… her hair was tied back with the pendant I had gotten her so long ago, a gift from me that she cherished and had taken care of to this very day.
She was… stunning.
Then her scent.
It was… pleasant.
A mix of smoke from a fireplace which gave me a sense of warmth, the herbal soap she had bought which gave me a feeling of calm, and her natural scent, one that I had grown to love with our time together, that now made my thoughts cloud with desire.
It was so distinctly Eris. And it was so distinctly… arousing.
Everything about her was arousing, and I didn’t need the tightness in my pants that got worse with each passing moment to know… I wanted her too.
All of her, I wanted it.
Her love, her temper, her loyalty, her beauty, her strength, her arousal, her lust her body… I wanted it all.
So… it would be selfish to refuse under the premise of waiting when there was no need to, right?
After all… if we wanted each other… after everything we’ve been through, it was only right that we have it.
I slowly took off my shirt, raising it above my head to reveal my bare, muscled chest, which had recently gained a large vertical scar in the center.
A scar that Eris quickly honed in on.
“...Is it ugly?” I asked.
“No,” she quickly shook her head. “It just... brings up bad memories. But… it’s not ugly.”
She traced her finger down the scarred tissue, making me shiver from the pleasant sensation.
Dammit… now I was definitely enraptured.
With only one last thread of reason holding me back from unleashing my desire, I used it to warn the beautiful girl on top of me.
“Eris,” I said seriously, using her full name as I looked up, taking in every detail of those breathtaking ruby-red eyes. “If we do this… you’ll be mine. And once you are… I’ll never let you go.”
That’s right.
I was selfish, so if she wanted to be mine, she would have to be happy staying that way.
That was me.
Leon Greyrat.
A wrathful, selfish, greedy man.
“I’m already yours… dummy,” she said, leaning down to kiss me.
Trailing kisses down my cheek and to my neck, she stopped only to whisper in my ear, “So… do what you want with Eri… nyan~”
The thread snapped.
And so, following her request, I did exactly that, only after casting a detoxification spell for birth control, of course.
I was more than happy to paint her scary memories with new, exciting, and happy ones, and I wanted to do so long into the future.
Because I loved Eris Boreas Greyrat with all my heart.
And she loved me with all of hers.
And thus, we showed our love in the purest form possible, long into the night, embracing the newfound affection, lust, and ignited passion we held for each other.
— Leon Greyrat —
Stretching out my calves with a smile, I took in a deep breath of the amazingly clear morning air, only tainted by the smell of fresh food cooking on the nearby stalls.
The world… it truly was beautiful, huh?
And more than that, last night was extremely beautiful as well.
Sex… it was… amazing.
As well as extremely fulfilling.
Both in the physical and emotional sense.
So much so that I could easily find myself addicted.
Perhaps… I truly was a Greyrat, huh?
I think… I could understand my brother and father a bit more after experiencing it.
It was a bit awkward at first, but soon enough we both found our rhythm, leading to a different type of pleasure I could have never imagined before.
And by the sounds from last night, it was the same for her as well.
With our supernatural stamina, we were able to go long into the night, the only thing stopping us from going until dawn being the sound of the bedframe cracking under our movements.
Not wanting to pay extra for the stay, we put a stop to things there, but with both of us cuddling close after the act, and Eris wearing a content smile as she fell asleep on my chest, I would say we were both more than satisfied.
However, I did need to cast some healing magic on both of our hips in the morning.
And she was a swordswoman strong enough to deal with a Saint-ranked swordsman… if Sylphy and Roxy ended up working out and we got to that level of our relationship, I would have to be sure to calm myself.
Anyway, after washing off in the bath together, she quickly left for the market to buy something alone, not letting me join her, and not telling me what she was getting.
But that was fine.
After all, I did want to eat breakfast with my sisters.
What I didn’t want, however, were the raised eyebrows from both the innkeeper and Aisha herself, my cute little sister sending a knowing grin my way throughout the entire meal.
Seriously… I watched her all the time, so when did she ever learn about that stuff?
Either way, with them currently doing their own thing in their room, I decided to take advantage of the idle time I had found for myself, as well as the inn’s rather large backyard, to do some morning training.
My sword cutting through the crisp morning air, I went through the very familiar motions as my mind turned to the other reason I came out here.
To think.
More specifically, to think about how I would improve my combat abilities from now on.
The first step, before I embarked on any haphazard training, was to lay out what needed to be done.
A clear training plan.
So… first and foremost was that layered touki Orsted so helpfully showed me, and quite literally, ingrained into me.
It wasn’t the type that everyone in the world was used to using, where it formed inside and over the body and weapon like a shell or armour.
No, it was more like chainmail… A collection of fibres and threads that interlaced, becoming overwhelmingly strong.
It made sense.
With such a structure, it was extremely stable, where even if one ‘fibre’ was cracked, the structure as a whole would remain unperturbed. And there was also the elasticity, flexibility, and tension distribution that it offered.
That explained Orsted’s insane defence.
And as for moving fast… he did something similar to what I did to cut him with my sword.
Tracing a ‘path’ with touki and letting his body follow it.
After waking up from the battle, I realized that much of my soreness was not from the barely-healed injuries, nor my depleted mana.
Instead, most of it was from the backlash of using that technique with my body.
But with that new touki technique that increased my defence… I might be able to use it without worrying too much about any backlash.
Next, there was how he used his body for sword attacks.
That one was just a mix of getting better at unarmed combat while perfecting the touki technique.
I would still prefer to use the sword, of course, but it would be useful to learn as well. Both for when I didn’t have a sword on hand, as well as to weave such attacks into my regular swordsmanship.
Then, there was disturb magic, and in the same vein, combatting it.
Luckily, I could easily train both with what I had in mind by simply trying to ‘disturb’ a spell with one hand and trying to keep it going with the other.
As I had discovered with my limited experiments, sending waves of pure mana outward… wasn’t exactly so simple.
It had to be directed, concentrated, and done with enough accuracy and precision to target the spell’s ‘core’.
…There was no such thing as a spell’s ‘core’, at least from what I knew, and that’s what made it so difficult.
Very complicated and conceptual, yes, but with enough practice… I could do it.
Next was compressing magic, as well as making my magic more efficient.
I wasn’t like my crazy brother, who had a seemingly infinite amount of mana and an enhanced power to the mana itself.
To create an attack that could harm that monster, I needed to be able to compress it to insane levels, while also doing it efficiently, so that I didn’t get any more white hairs.
That was easy to understand, but putting it into practice may be quite difficult.
Anyway, next, I needed to create more unique magic with the freedom that mana offered.
I always knew that this world’s concept of spells was much too rigid, but somewhere along the way, I found myself content with my breadth of knowledge, where the only thing ‘unique’ about my set of spells was my lightning bolt attack.
No. I needed to grow my arsenal to create unique, overwhelming attacks using my talent, raw skill, and knowledge of science.
Magic so overwhelming that powerful opponents would be immediately defeated when they encountered it, and so unique that onlookers wouldn’t have a clue of how to stop it even after seeing it multiple times.
And then, there was my swordsmanship.
I needed to redefine it.
Before, I thought it would be fine to act as a more advanced version of my father, seamlessly switching from style to style as it suited me.
But that wouldn’t work.
Rather, it would limit me to the maximum power of all three styles added together.
Instead, I needed to multiply that power.
And to do so, I needed to mould them together instead of simply switching between them.
Luckily, I believed I was already on this path if that sword strike that was able to reach Orsted’s neck, combining Dance of Deluge and Longsword of Light, was any indication.
I needed to do more of that and to do so, I would have to go into it with an open mind, careful not to be trapped by the predefined standards of this world’s swordsmanship, while also growing the number of ‘ingredients’ I could use by learning more techniques.
And finally, and most importantly, I needed to bring all of these elements together.
It would be a lot of work and a lot of effort… but if I wanted to contend against the true monsters, the strongest of this world, I would have to do it.
All so that when my power is needed… I will become strong enough to be considered one of the Seven World Powers.
All so that I would never be overwhelmed again, and always be there to defend my family.
That, I promised.
My resolve hardened, I returned to swinging my sword, this time with a new sense of vigour that caused whirlwinds to form at the end of every swing.
