"Defeat... the Demon King?" Frieren's usually calm eyes flickered with emotion.
It wasn't the invitation itself that stirred her but rather the mention of the Demon King.
However, defeating the Demon King wasn't her ultimate goal.
What she truly wanted was
Rei Ao's calm voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Can you exterminate all demons?"
Both Frieren and Himmel looked at him in surprise.
After a moment of contemplation, Himmel responded honestly.
"Apologies, but with our current strength, I don't think we can eradicate all demons."
Demons were scattered across the world, and even locating them all would be an impossible task.
"All we can do is defeat the Demon King, his seven Archdemons, and the Demon King's army to weaken their overall power."
Himmel was self-aware and humble.
Rei Ao said no more, leaving the decision to Frieren.
She narrowed her eyes as if she'd realized something, then gave her answer.
"Apologies, but what I wish to do is to destroy every last demon."
"I see..." Himmel said, his expression briefly falling before he smiled kindly.
"Then I hope you achieve your goal."
"Let's go."
He didn't press the issue further, passing by them without protest.
Heiter and Eisen exchanged glances before silently following their leader.
~~~
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Chapter 124: The Terms of Gabriel's Loan
After the hero's party disappeared into the distance, Frieren tilted her head curiously and asked, "Rei Ao, why did you deliberately remind me earlier?"
She felt as though Rei Ao's words had been intentional, and her curiosity was piqued.
However, Rei Ao responded with a serious expression.
"Apologies, I only felt that if you joined their team, I would lose you."
He was selfish.
To put it bluntly, he wanted Frieren for himself.
Although he neither disliked nor liked Himmelthe so-called 'True Hero'and even respected him, he wasn't about to let go of what he truly desired.
What he wanted, he would claim through his own efforts. If this made him selfish, so be it.
He wanted Frieren's thoughts and heart to be filled with him, not with Himmel.
"Oh," Frieren replied, sensing something odd in his words but not fully understanding his emotions.
She patted him lightly on the back with a small smile. "They can't exterminate all the demons anyway. I'm still waiting for the day when you help me achieve that."
Rei Ao smiled back. "That day won't be far off."
Soon after, Sui and the others returned.
The only notable gain was from Megumi Kato, who had reached level 10. Her progress was impressive, and her newfound strength was being likened to breaking down walls.
"It's time for us to head back," Rei Ao said, scanning everyone.
Aside from Utaha's apparent exhaustion, everyone seemed fine.
Before they left, Rei Ao turned to Frieren.
"Even though you didn't learn much from me, I did learn a very special magic from you."
"I'll demonstrate it for you."
"Hm?" Frieren looked puzzled.
She was about to ask what he meant when the group disappeared into the void.
"What kind of magic?" she wondered aloud.
As if responding to her thoughts, a breeze stirred her silvery hair.
She turned her head
"!!!"
Before her was a world of flowers.
Countless petals danced in the air, blooming into an endless array of vibrant colors. Familiar and unfamiliar blossoms alike unfolded around her, forming an ocean of flowers in mere moments.
"This is Field of Flowers Magic" Frieren murmured.
Field of Flowers Magic.
It was her favorite magic.
Meanwhile, petals drifted into Himmel's view, evoking memories of his childhood.
"Himmel," Heiter asked curiously, "do you know that elf?"
"Yes, but it was a long time ago."
He remembered a distant moment when a kind elf had used flowers to guide his lost, younger self back home.
Heiter and Eisen exchanged glances, sensing there was more to the story.
"Why didn't you try harder to persuade her to join us?"
""
Himmel remained silent for a moment, then reached out to catch one of the falling petals. A soft, warm smile spread across his face.
"What's done is done. Let's focus on finding another mage."
His mind briefly lingered on Rei Ao's presence and Frieren's choice.
He understood nowwhat Frieren needed wasn't a hero.
Returning from the trade would normally be uneventful for Rei Ao, but this time he found himself in a particularly awkward situation.
Seated on his lap, wrapped in a bath towel and faintly exuding a delicate fragrance, was none other than Raphiel.
The two stared at each other.
Rei Ao could feel the warmth and softness of her body.
Raphiel, too, had noticed the shift beneath her.
The tension was palpable, making the air feel as if it had frozen solid.
Finally, Rei Ao broke the silence.
"Would you believe me if I said this was just a beautiful misunderstanding, Raphiel?"
""
Raphiel didn't answer.
She calmly tightened the towel around herself and stood up, her usual serene smile now emitting a chilling aura.
"Rei Ao, weren't you supposed to be gone? Why did you suddenly appear here?"
Rei Ao sighed, offering a helpless explanation.
"I left and returned using teleportation magic, so here I am."
Despite the suggestive circumstances, Rei Ao refrained from letting his gaze wander.
As he glanced around, he noticed that the remnants of their gathering had been neatly cleaned up, and no one else seemed to be around.
It appeared the dinner had ended.
""
Raphiel didn't detect any signs of lying from Rei Ao.
For the moment, she didn't press further. After all, this did appear to be an accidental mishap.
"Hmm? Rei Ao?"
Gabriel poked her head out from her room at that moment, her eyes lighting up.
She dashed over barefoot, grabbing his arm without warning and dragging him toward her room.
"Come with me!"
Rei Ao gave Raphiel an apologetic glance before standing up and letting Gabriel pull him into her room.
This left Raphiel standing there, glancing down at her towel-wrapped body with a troubled expression.
Gabriel dragged Rei Ao into her room, not even bothering to close the door properly.
She pointed to her computer screen, where a game was on display, and said, "Rei Ao, lend me some more money."
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow. "How much this time? Another 10,000?"
"Ahem, let's make it 20,000 this time," Gabriel replied, her face not betraying the slightest embarrassment.
It seemed that after her secret was completely exposed, Gabriel's shamelessness had reached new heights.
"20,000..." Rei Ao rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment. "If that's the case, I think it's time we change the terms of our agreement."
"Huh?" Gabriel squinted. "Change the terms?"
Rei Ao smirked. "You should realize by now that with the amount you owe, there's no way you can pay it backright?"
"Uh"
Cold sweat formed on Gabriel's forehead.
The amount had indeed reached a point where paying it back was impossible. No matter how hard she tried, she'd never manage it.
Rei Ao extended his hand. "Give me another contract. Look over the new terms I've drafted."
"S-sure"
Gabriel obediently handed him a blank contract.
Moments later, Rei Ao presented the newly drafted terms.
[Contract]
[Terms: Rei Ao will lend money to Gabriel freely, with no obligation for repayment.]
Gabriel's eyes widened as she read.
"No need to repay the money?"
Wasn't this just free cash? Was there a catch?
Good fortune?
Heh.
Rei Ao gestured with a smile. "Look at the conditions."
[Conditions: Each loan may not exceed 5,000 at a time. For amounts exceeding 5,000, it will be considered a new transaction, requiring Gabriel to pay a price.]
[The price will be determined by Rei Ao. Gabriel has the right to refuse, which will cancel the loan.]
"A price?" Gabriel looked up at him. "What kind of price?"
Rei Ao shrugged. "For example, helping me with chores, cleaning the house, or like last time."
"L-like last time"
Gabriel's cheeks turned red as she recalled what "last time" meant. The previous loan required her to kiss him on the cheek as payment.
"Isn't there some other way?"
Even in her fallen state, Gabriel still found that kind of payment hard to discuss.
"You can't pay the money back anyway. This is the only way I don't lose out, isn't it?" Rei Ao spread his hands, feigning helplessness.
"Besides, this is practically giving you money for free."
It appeared she had a choice, but in reality, she didn't.
As long as Gabriel needed money, she'd have little choice but to agree.
"Fine, I agree," Gabriel finally relented, as Rei Ao had expected.
Her gaming addiction ultimately outweighed her pride.
She took the contract and stamped it with her handprint.
"Alright, the contract is finalized," Rei Ao declared with a smile. "So, are you borrowing 20,000 this time?"
Gabriel nodded hesitantly. "Yes What's the price?"
"Since 20,000 is equivalent to four separate transactions, and if we set a single kiss as the price for one transaction, that means four kisses. How does that sound?"
Rei Ao's devilish smile grew as he laid out his terms.
"H-huh?" Gabriel was dumbfounded.
F-four kisses?!
"Um Can't we change the terms?"
"Sure," Rei Ao replied with a mysterious grin. "One 'handjob' instead."
"Hand... what?" Gabriel blinked, unfamiliar with the term.
Rei Ao leaned in and whispered the explanation into her ear.
"!!!"
Her face turned crimson at an alarming rate.
"T-that's impossible! How could I do something like that?!"
She finally understood what he meant, and just the thought of it made her want to dig a hole and hide.
"You have the right to refuse," Rei Ao said nonchalantly. "If you refuse, I'll head out now."
With that, he walked toward the door, hand on the handle.
"Wait!"
Gabriel tugged at the hem of his shirt with her small hand.
Turning her head away in embarrassment, she murmured, "Fine. Four kisses for 20,000."
"Of course."
Rei Ao took out his phone and transferred the money.
[Ding! Your account has been credited with 20,000!]
Gabriel barely registered the notification before Rei Ao pointed at her computer.
"Go ahead and spend it on your game. I'll wait."
"!!!"
For a moment, Gabriel thought Rei Ao was a saint.
Letting her focus on her game first? Was he actually such a good person?
Wasting no time, she started pouring the money into the game, gleefully buying the set of gear she had long desired.
With her new equipment ready, Gabriel beamed with satisfaction.
"Alright! Time to test out how powerful this gear is!"
Just as she prepared to dive into the game, however
"Mm!!"
Her eyes widened as her lips were suddenly seized.
It was Rei Ao!
~~~
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Chapter 125: Utaha And Sonoko, Mai and her Mother
Gabriel's mind went blank.
She had just been kissed on the lips by Rei Ao.
Her eyes widened in shock as she pushed him away with all her strength. Covering her mouth, her face turned a deep, fiery red.
"W-why the lips?!"
Rei Ao casually wiped the corner of his mouth and smiled faintly. "A kiss is on the lips. Kissing the cheek is just a peck, not a kiss."
"Huh?"
Gabriel froze for a moment. That kind of made sense.
But
Rei Ao didn't give her time to think, adding quickly, "I already gave you the money, and you've already spent it on the game and bought your gear. The deal is final, no take-backs."
"!!!"
Gabriel's eyes widened in shock.
No wonder Rei Ao let her top up and buy her gear first. It wasn't about caring for her gaming experienceit was all part of his plan!
Staring at his sly smile, she stammered, "Y-you are you actually a demon?"
"Oh?"
Rei Ao leaned in slowly, his smirk deepening. "Vinette calls me the Demon King."
Raphiel sighed deeply as she stood in front of the couch, lost in thought.
She decided to chalk everything up to an accident for now.
But glancing down at herself, her face grew even hotter.
She had clearly felt Rei Ao's reaction earlier. It was impossible to ignore.
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind.
"Ugh, I should just put on some proper clothes."
Wearing only a towel felt way too risky.
On her way back to her room, Raphiel overheard a conversation through the slightly open door of her own room.
"Hey, why are you doing this?"
"Just habit. One more left."
"Wait!"
Hearing this, Raphiel hesitated, her curiosity piqued.
She crept closer to peek through the gap.
What she saw left her stunned.
Inside, Gabriel was hugging Rei Ao, and they were kissing.
"Gab?!"
Raphiel clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp.
She had just witnessed Gabriel and Rei Ao kissing.
Not wanting to be caught, she quickly and quietly retreated to her own room.
Leaning back against the door, her heart pounded in her chest.
She was sure of what she'd seenit wasn't her imagination.
But
"So Gab and Rei Ao are they that kind of relationship?"
Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong!!!
Back at her apartment, Utaha Kasumigaoka had just returned from the forest. She wanted nothing more than a glass of water to calm her nerves.
But the sudden, incessant doorbell ringing instantly shattered her fragile peace.
Dragging her exhausted body to the door, she was ready to give the visitor a piece of her mind.
"Utaha-chan, I'm here to see you!"
"Why are you here?"
Upon seeing her visitor, Utaha bit back her anger.
It was none other than her editor, Sonoko Machida.
"Of course, I came to check on you! I wanted to ask how your journey to another world went."
Having calculated the three-hour limit for the trip, Sonoko had come right on time.
Seeing Utaha's haggard, weary expression, Sonoko blinked in surprise.
"You look like you've been through something life-changing."
"It's hard to have a good experience after going through something like that..." Utaha muttered, her voice tinged with frustration.
Utaha Kasumigaoka shook her head and gave a bitter laugh.
She could still recall the metallic tang of blood entering her mouth, making her complexion turn pale and her stomach churn.
Seeing her state, Sonoko Machida grew concerned.
"If you don't mind, why don't you tell me about it? We're good sisters, right?"
