"...The more the kill count rose, the more cheerfully she laughed."
Haimer murmured aloud the final line written on the letter.
The corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Now this was interesting.
As far as the Guild of Orario was concerned, this kind of behavior—committing a string of bloody massacres in an extremely short span, even treating slaughter as a source of amusement—would absolutely earn one the label of "evil force" or "potential dark faction," after which they'd send people to keep a strict watch.
But in Haimer's eyes—
Narukami Koharu was quite simply a flawless piece of uncut jade.
Under the system of God's Grace, the obsession and craving of a soul were the finest nourishment for breeding miracles.
Amou Kirukiru's obsession with raw strength had given birth to her own 『Battle Frenzy』.
Tendou Kisara's bone-deep obsession with revenge had awakened her 『God-Forsaken Pain』. In that case—
Then a pure-blooded murderer who took instinctive pleasure in tearing flesh apart and severing sinew, who could laugh out loud in a pool of blood, once she crossed the gate between worlds and arrived in this world of utterly merciless survival of the fittest—
That nature of hers, forcibly suppressed by the morals and laws of modern society, would inevitably erupt like a blaze doused in oil. Giving rise to a monster capable of delighting even a god.
With that in mind.
A measure of curiosity stirred in Haimer's heart. After receiving the baptism of Divine Blood—what kind of skill would surface on the Grace foundation of Narukami Koharu?
Would it be a variant of 『Battle Frenzy』?
Or would it become an utterly pure, terrifying talent that gave concrete form to her killing intent?
These days really were growing more interesting by the day.
"Truly something to look forward to."
Haimer muttered to himself.
He casually stuffed the letter and the photo back into the envelope, then tossed it offhandedly onto the low solid-wood table beside him.
Over at the dining table on the other side of the hall, things were lively at the moment.
A large platter of bacon, fried golden and crisp, gave off the scorched aroma of fat, and beside a mountainous heap of toasted bread sat several jars of jam in assorted colors. Hestia and Aihara Enju, their mouths stuffed full, were bent over their plates working away at fried eggs.
Lili sat on a chair in the corner.
Cupping a slice of bread spread with a thick layer of butter, she nibbled at it in tiny bites, her gaze flicking now and then to the people around her.
She clearly hadn't yet fully grown used to this life where she was neither beaten nor short of food and drink.
Haimer stepped forward, picked up a freshly poured cup of hot milk, and pushed it straight over to Lili's hand.
The bottom of the cup clinked softly against the wooden table.
"Don't be so tense. Eat whatever you like—no one's going to fight you for it."
Lili startled so badly her hand trembled, and her shoulders shrank inward.
Lifting her head and seeing that it was Haimer, her cheeks flushed crimson at once.
"Th... thank you, Kami-sama."
She mumbled in a small voice, hurriedly reaching out with both hands to cup the warm cup of milk.
Breakfast passed quickly.
The empty plates on the table gradually stacked up high; Ryu, leading Chloe and the others, deftly cleared the dishes onto trays and turned to walk into the kitchen. The sound of water rinsing porcelain plates, mingled with the chatter of several girls, drifted out from the kitchen, lending this spacious mansion no small amount of genuine, lived-in warmth.
Haimer stood by the dining table and surveyed the room.
His gaze finally settled on Kikakujou Mary, seated on a sofa not far off.
"Mary."
Haimer called out to her.
Hearing his voice, Kikakujou Mary immediately turned her head.
"Last night you went out shopping with Lefiya and came back late, so you missed your Grace update. Since you happen to have time now, come with me for a moment." Kikakujou Mary nodded, and Haimer, without wasting any more words, turned and headed straight for the stairs.
Second floor, the master bedroom. The sunlight outside pierced through the glass without obstruction, casting a dazzling patch of golden light onto the smooth wooden floor.
The slightly cool morning breeze made the window gauze billow in and out.
Haimer stood by the bed. His gaze rested calmly on Kikakujou Mary as she followed him in. Kikakujou Mary walked up to the bed and bit her lower lip with her teeth. At some point an unnatural flush had crept onto her cheeks.
Her long golden hair was carelessly knotted behind her head, a few stray strands trailing down her fair neck to the edge of her collarbone.
If this were her usual manner when slaying monsters in the Dungeon, she would by now have stripped off her top cleanly and crisply, and lain down flat to complete the ritual. But right now—
Her two hands paused on the buttons of her shirt, her movements turned sluggish.
Her fingertips hovered at the edge of the fabric, and one could even see a faint, barely noticeable tremble.
After all, this could hardly be held against her.
Deep down she had always harbored that subtle masochistic streak, normally wrapped up tight beneath her domineering exterior. On top of that, the moment she'd returned to the mansion last night, she'd run smack into Amou Kirukiru.
Amou Kirukiru had been wearing Haimer's oversized men's shirt, not even bothering to hide the red marks on her neck—that blatantly provocative posture had stabbed straight into Mary's heart.
That visually striking scene, combined with the plotlines depicted in the trashy novels she usually flipped through.
Ran wild in her mind like weeds let loose.
A lone man and a lone woman. Sharing a single room. The door behind them shut tight.
Wasn't this exactly the standard progression of a romance novel? Next— wouldn't Kami-sama seize her wrist with that irresistible force?
And then... Because of last night's provocation from Ubaragasaki Choka.
When she thought of how she'd be able to live for a thousand years in the future, the very first one to come to mind had unexpectedly been her own god.
Kikakujou Mary felt her heartbeat pounding so loudly that even she herself could hear it.
Dawdling and dithering, she finally undid the last button of her shirt.
She slipped the garment off, baring a broad expanse of snowy, delicate skin, and lay obediently face-down on the soft bed.
She buried her face straight into the pillow.
She even deliberately slowed the rhythm of her breathing.
Her whole body taut with effort, she waited quietly.
She had even unconsciously rehearsed in her mind, over and over, just what kind of voice she ought to respond with.
And yet. Second by second, the time ticked past.
The rough handling she'd anticipated.
Or any touch carrying the faintest hint of intimacy.
None of it came to pass. A single drop of Divine Blood, carrying a warm sensation, landed precisely on the skin of her back.
Black sacred script swiftly surfaced on her back, intertwining and entangling like living vines, rearranging themselves anew. The whole process went exceptionally smoothly.
When Haimer casually picked up the parchment beside him, took a rubbing of her updated ability values, and passed it onto the bedsheet beside her face.
"Same as everyone else—your Agility and Dexterity have both improved."
Haimer's voice was still that calm, gentle tone.
But Kikakujou Mary, lying on the bed, went stiff all over, and her heart instantly deflated, like a balloon someone had popped.
That was it?!
As if in a sulk, Kikakujou Mary didn't even glance at the parchment; she reached out, dragged over the blanket beside her, and threw it haphazardly over her chest.
Just now her head had been full of all sorts of heart-fluttering, blush-inducing scenes—she'd even worked out how she'd take her retreating steps. The result? Kami-sama had really and truly done nothing but dutifully update her Grace. What kind of nonsense was this?
Amou Kirukiru had clearly already beaten her to it last night.
Yet facing her, Kami-sama had stayed steady as a block of wood the whole time.
Even in a situation as private as this, he hadn't shown the slightest urge to gobble her up.
Could it be that her own charm really was so utterly lacking?
At that thought, Kikakujou Mary bit her lip, lowered her head to look herself over, and that sense of defeat began churning in her chest like a roiling sea.
Haimer, for his part, noticed how Kikakujou Mary hadn't even looked at the parchment, wearing that expression like a punch sunk into cotton—dejected to the point that even her golden hair seemed to have lost its luster.
Giving his mind a slight turn, he guessed at all the tangled little knots this girl was hiding deep down. "Why the face?"
Haimer gave the parchment in his hand a shake, reached out, and lightly rapped the rolled-up parchment against her forehead. "Don't tell me you stuffed your head full of some messy storyline, and now that it didn't come true, you're sulking to yourself?"
Having her thoughts so bluntly laid bare all of a sudden.
Kikakujou Mary's face instantly flushed red enough to bleed; she frantically clutched the blanket in her hands and hurriedly lifted her head to speak.
"As if!" "I was not thinking about anything weird like that!"
"I was only... only... thinking..."
Kikakujou Mary scrambled to find an excuse, but her mind was a tangled mess, and her voice grew smaller the more she spoke.
In the end, unable to keep the story going, she simply threw caution to the wind.
Kikakujou Mary tilted her head up, her eyes carrying a clear trace of indignant reluctance.
"Kami-sama, is it that I... don't have... as much talent as Kirukiru?"
"Or are you saying that, in your eyes, I don't have even a shred of appeal?"
By the time she asked this, Kikakujou Mary's heart had already gone all sour and bitter.
After all, as one of the Supreme Five Swords, which of them wasn't proud and high-spirited? Her comrade had clearly gone and taken the lead.
Whereas she had done all her mental preparation, only to be left standing in place by the god she liked. That sense of letdown—anyone would find it unbearable.
Listening to this complaint of Kikakujou Mary's, laced with grievance, Haimer felt another layer of helplessness pile onto his heart.
Though he knew well that now really wasn't the time to prove anything to her. Still—
Haimer thought of a solution all the same.
She wanted proof that she had some appeal, did she?
At that thought, Haimer grew contemplative, and his gaze, no longer avoiding it, slid slowly downward along Kikakujou Mary's reddened cheeks.
His eyes passed over her quickened breathing.
And finally came to rest on her chest, which—even pressed down hard beneath the blanket—still revealed a stunningly full contour. "Well." "As for this thing called appeal, of course you each have your own strong suits."
"However." "There's one point where I can say Kirukiru absolutely can't compare to you, Mary." "Which one?" Kikakujou Mary blanked for a moment, the grievance in her eyes thinning a little as she instinctively pressed for an answer.
"She isn't quite as... mature as you, Mary."
Haimer didn't answer head-on; instead he deliberately let his gaze linger on that deep contour for two extra seconds.
And so. Mature. This word.
Under Haimer's pointed, inscrutable stare, was instantly assigned its most literal, visual meaning.
Kikakujou Mary followed Haimer's line of sight and lowered her head to glance at herself.
In that brief instant her brain crashed outright. By the time she registered the meaning behind Haimer's words—
"Whoosh"—just like that.
A surge of heat shot straight to the top of her head.
Kikakujou Mary's fair cheeks flushed in a single instant from her neck all the way up to the tips of her ears, her whole person red as a boiled shrimp. "Kami-sama, just where are you looking?!"
Kikakujou Mary cried out in alarm.
Flustered and fumbling, she yanked the blanket up, wishing she could wrap her entire self into an airtight silk cocoon.
When a person is panicked, their movements often refuse to obey.
The blanket slipped in the tug-of-war.
The broad expanse of breathtaking, snowy skin looked all the more alluring half-hidden, half-revealed.
Watching her flustered, mortified display, all but smothering herself to death, Haimer couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle.
He didn't keep teasing her further, and casually set that sheet of parchment on the nightstand.
"All right, I'll stop teasing you."
"Get changed and come downstairs yourself."
Haimer turned around and tossed out a line offhandedly.
"Also, about those things you were thinking." "If you've really made up your mind, we'll talk again tonight." With that said. Haimer strode off, leaving the space to this golden-haired swordswoman dying of embarrassment and indignation, pushed open the door, and walked out.
The master bedroom door let out another soft sound as it shut tight again.
Kikakujou Mary sat alone on the bed, both hands gripping the edge of the blanket for dear life.
Her heart pounded like a war drum.
That line Kami-sama had said just now... was praising her, right?
She lowered her head to glance at the part of herself she took such pride in, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help curving up into an arc she simply couldn't suppress. So Kami-sama had been paying attention all along.
This taste of shame and secret delight all tangled together had Kikakujou Mary rolling back and forth on the bed several times, hugging the blanket, before she barely managed to calm herself down.
Meanwhile. The first-floor hall.
Ryu, Chloe, Lunor, and Anya—the four of them—had already finished tidying away the last stack of washed porcelain plates.
Seeing Haimer come down the stairs.
Ryu paused in what she was doing, turned around, and gave a slight bow.
"Lord Haimer, today's cleaning work is finished."
"We'll be heading back to the tavern now."
Haimer stepped down off the last stair.
Looking at Ryu standing before him, he nodded with a smile.
"Thank you for your hard work." "Miss Elf, take care on the way."
It was that same phrase, "Miss Elf," again—Ryu had been called this so many times that her eyes flickered.
Those pointed elf ears of hers couldn't help twitching to the side.
After all. They'd been getting along for so long now. And she still hadn't told her name to Kami-sama.
Kami-sama hadn't asked her, either.
The longer this went on, the less she dared to bring it up.
After pressing down this awkward feeling, Ryu lowered her head with a stiff face, put away the rag in her hand, nodded, and walked briskly out of the mansion.
Chloe and the others exchanged sly winks as well, and after bidding Haimer farewell, hurried to slip out after Ryu.
"Hey, I'm telling you!" "Last night in the dorm, weren't you still tossing and turning over it, fretting about wanting to give that whatchamacallit apology gift?"
"You said you'd hand it over this morning during a break in the chores—so where is it?"
The moment they stepped out the gate of the courtyard.
Setting foot on the bluestone-paved street.
Lunor could no longer hold it in; she whipped her head around to stare at Ryu, her tone turning exasperated, like iron that refused to become steel.
Hearing this, Ryu's forward steps stiffened slightly, and she hurriedly turned her face aside, her voice so small it was almost inaudible.
"I... I forgot to bring it."
"Hah?!"
"What do you mean, you forgot to bring it, nya?!"
____
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