2018 Halloween Special

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Translator: Nat


Outside the walls of Rafen, about an hour away by carriage through the fields……men sweat as they swing sickles and axes.

「The inside of this tree is rotten. Let’s tie a rope around it and pull the whole thing down instead.」

「The women can pick up the pebbles afterward. We’ll shatter the large rocks and move them out of the way.」

The ones working are not laborers under the orders of Domestic Affairs Official Adolph nor are they neighboring peasants diligently clearing the land.

Among the men, a woman in white clothes unsuited to the environment raises her voice.

「Those with business acumen make the money and donate it, those with strong bodies do the physical labor. Both are equally actions of devotion to God, which will certainly please Altair.」

The female’s voice brought wide smiles to the men, who chanted their thanks to God and worked even harder.

They are all believers of Altair.

The feudal lord allowed them to have a base within Rafen, which while called a temple, is just a large mansion. On the other hand, the number of believers had increased greatly, probably due to the fear and despair of the violent war, and they were beginning to have disputes with the people around them.
This led to the idea of building a larger base further from the walls to conduct their activities.

The increase in the number of believers also meant an increase in donations and labor, so they had no difficulty with money or manpower.
The problem was whether they could obtain permission to use the land, but they managed to do so by choosing a location on the outskirts of Rafen, away from the city roads, in a low-lying area with rough soil that was unsuitable for cultivation.

Of course, the feudal lord did not provide any funding and everything, including the maintenance of the roads, had to be done by themselves.

「Each drop of sweat and each copper coin donated contributes to the new temple. Now, keep working, there is not much time until sunset.」

The men sing songs praising Altair as they toil.
Several individuals among them discover something strange after toppling a rotten tree.

「What is this? A rock……no, it looks like something man-made.」

「A shrine?」

Mossy and chipped in places, it was indistinguishable from a naturally-occurring stone.
It was only recognized as a shrine because a beautiful polygonal jewel-like object sits inside the center, which is clearly different to its surroundings.

「Could it be a shrine of Altair? If so, that would be a miracle……」

「No, it’s not. There is no pattern on the back. Altair shrines all have them.」

The believers sigh.

「Oh, it’s a sham then. Worthless things should be torn down.」

「All Gods not named Altair are fake.」

The believers destroy the shrine with hammers and resume their work.


The Next Morning – Mansion.

「I feel refreshed.」

I stand up from the bed and stretch in front of the window.

「The best thing about the war being over is that I don’t wake up in the middle of the night.」

I drink to my heart’s content, fuck women and sleep soundly.
This is what it means to enjoy life.

Sitting back on the bed, I rub the ass of the woman lying next to me.

「Au……haauu……」

The ass belongs to Rita.
Last night when she brought a candle over, I dragged her into bed and fucked her like crazy.

As proof, her maid uniform is strewn around the bed and her headdress is still on her head.
She isn’t fully awake yet and is only shaking her ass occasionally.

「Fufufu, you really have a big ass. I can’t get enough of this bounciness and smooth skin.」

Just as I’m about to mount her again, I hear light footsteps from the corridor.

「Good morning, Aegir-sama!」

「Hey, I’m already up.」

The door opens when I answer, and in walks Celia wearing full pants and a cape.
Her dignified appearance only looks cute to me.

When I spread my arms, Celia smiles, but she soon notices the naked Rita and pouts. I hug her and nuzzle her cheek to cheer her up.

「Your schedule for today is to listen to the daily reports of Adolph-san and Leopolt-san. That’s it……but there is one report that I’m curious about.」

「Here is fine. Tell me.」

Celia helps me dress as I stand up.
Rita tries to get up but her legs give out, causing her to fall back onto the bed.

「I haven’t confirmed it so it may be a rumor, but a night guard saw something strange in the wilderness southwest of Rafen. Late in the night, a group of large men 2 meters in height were walking without torches in the direction of Rafen.」

「It’s unlikely they are bandits. Could it be orcs?」

Nearby monster nests should have been eliminated already.

「They vanish like smoke when someone gets too close. No footprints are left behind either……three people spotted them so it’s hard to think they were all half-asleep.」

I put a hand on my chin.

「Are there any other clues?」

「A peddler who was pressed for time saw a monster that he had never seen before when traveling at night. It was along the road.」
「Hau!」

I slap Rita’s ass on reflex.

「Is it an insect?」

It would be trouble if it was one of ‘those’ things.

「The monster’s only defining feature are its large eyeballs and it disappeared right as it pretended to attack.」

「I can’t be sure with just that information. And the insects can’t do tricks like that.」

As grotesque as they are, the insects are living creatures.
Having the ability to vanish means that it’s in the category of ghost or demon.

I plant a gentle kiss on Rita’s butt cheek when she gives me a bitter look.
Jealous, Celia slaps Rita’s ass several times, turning it red.

I punish Celia by kneading her cheeks, then I stand up.

「In both cases, the monster disappeared and no harm was done. They are also in different locations so we can’t take countermeasures. We’ll just have to wait and see.」

I choose to open the window and gaze at the lively city instead.

「There’s a festival today. Uh……what was it called again?」

Rita answers, shyly picking up her scattered clothes and dressing herself.

「It’s an ancient festival called the exorcism festival that takes place in parts of Goldonia. In order to ward off demons, people dress up as monsters and try to scare them away……actually, the native pumpkin festival is also close to this date, but Adolph-sama opposed the idea of holding consecutive festivals due to the high expenses.」

Celia goes on as she rubs her reddened cheeks.

「Those who immigrated from Goldonia want to have the exorcism festival and the native people want to have the pumpkin festival, it’s caused a bit of a dispute.」

Casie also fussed about wanting to have the pumpkin festival.

「I got an idea. If picking either one will mean somebody is unhappy, why don’t we combine the two festivals?」

And so, today became the pumpkin festival of exorcism.

Exiting the room with a smile, I find Casie floating along the corridor.
She’s holding a pumpkin under her arm but she doesn’t look happy at all.

(Uuuu, my head hurts. It feels like my body is being torn apart~)

「What’s wrong? Today is the pumpkin festival, why aren’t you in a good mood?」

Casie languidly sticks to the wall and slides down to the floor.

(I’ve been feeling sick since this morning. Maybe I caught a cold.)

「How do ghosts catch colds……?」

(The height of the pumpkin festival starts at night. I’m going to sleep until then.)

Casie places a bag of ice on her head and returns to her room.
I’ll bring an easily-digestible pumpkin soup to her later.
***

Then, at night――

(I’ve completely recovered!! In fact, I feel better than normal! That pulling sensation won’t keep me down! Ahyaaa!!)

Casie, whose eyes are spinning, bounces around the corridor and then flies out of the window.
She descends to the city, tipping over basket torches and bumping into guards along the way.
I’m glad that she’s healthy first and foremost.

「「「Papa.」」」

Turning around when I feel a tug on my sleeve, I find my children standing behind me.

「「「Ghost.」」」

They have a white sheet draped over their heads and horns made of paper and branches attached to the top.

「Fufufu, it’s a bunch of tiny monsters.」

I pretend to pick up Mel’s daughter Sue, who is in the front, and surprise Nonna’s daughter, Anastasia, by picking her up instead.

「Yahー」

Anastasia, still just three years old, swings her arm and splatters ink on my face with a pen brush.

「Dowah.」

The other kids throw acorns, tickle my armpits with cattails, and one of them even kicks my leg.

Being the exorcism festival, it is a day where people disguise themselves as monsters and play tricks on others.
Looking around, I can also see many expensive ornaments covered to match the mischievous theme.

「Ugugu……Aegir-sama’s children……mumumu.」

Celia is doing her best to hold back as the children tug her hair.
Oops, Catherine’s daughter, Rose, lowered Celia’s shorts down to her ankles.
As expected, that lit Celia’s fuse and caused her to chase after Rose.

「This is a great opportunity to play with them lots.」

Appearing with a giggle is Mel.
On her head is a grotesque mouth made of cheap materials. The two-mouthed woman……I believe it’s called?

「Guooh.」

Playing along and falling in response to Mel’s roar, I am then pounced on by the children, who start jumping on my stomach.

「They’re giving it to you good, huh?」

That voice belongs to Carla, who emerges with makeup resembling a dead person and red liquid dripping from her skin.

「I’m a zombie, I’ll bite you.」

Carla pushes aside the children and gives me a playful bite on the nape of my neck.
The children proceed to play tricks on the both of us.

「Wai-it tickles! Hey, don’t step on my back……mugyaa!!」

There was a dull impact sound.
Apparently, one of the kids jabbed Carla with an enema using considerable force.

「Who did that!? You’re gonna get it!」

Carla scrambles after the children, who all scatter.

「Gosh……it’s like she has the mental age of a child.」

Nonna comes in with a sigh.

Her attendants, Sally and Maruru, are dressed like witches, but Nonna simply looks like she’s wearing suggestive clothes.

「Carla went and prepared all of this. I’m not interested in this kind of festival……and this outfit is basically underwear.」

「No, you’re wrong.」

Upon closer inspection, the fabric covering each breast has an eyeball and opened mouth traced over it.

「It’s a costume of a breast monster. Fits perfectly, no?」

Nonna instantly turns red when Carla taunts her.

「T-that kind of monster doesn’t exist! It’s something you invented!」

Nonna steals my cape and uses it to hide her body, then starts chasing Carla.
I guess I didn’t notice……no, her breasts are too big that the tips can’t be seen.

「Auu.」

A cute squeal prompts me to turn my head and find a pretty girl standing next to me wearing ears and a fluffy tail.

「Oh, a monster fox. Hahaha, that tickles.」

I wonder who this is. No, it doesn’t matter, she’s cute.

「Ridiculous. Truly ridiculous.」

The person grumbling is Brynhildr.
She is wearing a white cloth on her head and a blood-covered kimono.
Is she the ghost of a woman who died with a grudge still in her heart?

「Don’t say that, you went to all the trouble of getting in costume.」

Conversely, Lammy seems eager for the festival.
She has wings made of wood on her back, so I’m guessing she’s a gargoyle.

「What do you think of this costume? I’m going to play around in the city for a bit.」
「So tedious. I’m just going to finish early and go home, you come with me.」

The two of them walk towards the city.

「……costume?」

Oh well. It shouldn’t be anything I need to worry about.

「It might seem meaningless, but since it’s a tradition past down from old times, it might actually have some history behind it. The frolicking also acts as entertainment.」

「It cannot be affirmed. Nor can it be denied.」

The headless Tikuku carries Bug-helmina under her arm.

「Kyaa!? Oh, it’s just a costume……you scared me.」

A maid dressed as a vampire shrieks, but walks away with a relieved smile realizing today is the day of the festival.

The pair nods contently.

「Effect of disguise confirmed. It should be safe to go into the city.」
「Umu. Maybe I’ll find something if I walk freely. I’ll be back shortly.」

They head to the city acting as a dullahan.

After nearly one hour of play, the kids get tired of messing with me and shift their target to the guards and servants.

「Should we go too?」
「Yes!」

Celia accompanies me to check out the city.

Similar to those in the mansion, the people of the city are enjoying themselves while wearing costumes.

「Bah!」

「Kyaa! Geez!!」

A man jumps out of the back alley with large nails, scaring a woman.

「I’m not feeling so……ah!」

「Uoh!? I thought my heart was going to stop!」

A woman suddenly lies down only to lift her head back up with a zombie mask on.
The man, after falling on his butt, laughs at himself for getting tricked.

This is the real nature of the exorcism festival, to become monsters and prank others.

「This is a costume of a child-loving pervert. I know you don’t understand……but loneliness is also the fate of the minority, and something that must be accepted.」
「Keep walking, you pervert.」

A suspicious man gets escorted by guards.

That’s not all for this year’s festival.

「Now, it’s time for the pumpkin stew! The flavor is as sweet as honey!」

「We have soup over here! One bowl for a copper coin, and three bowls for two copper!」

「Boiled whole pumpkin! Try to eat it if you dare!!」

Unlike normal festivals, most food served by stands, except for drinks, are pumpkin dishes.
The citizens dress up and scare each other while tasting pumpkin-filled delicacies.
Hopefully, Casie hasn’t collapsed somewhere due to the overwhelming selection.

「So the peddler was rushing to deliver pumpkins at night for today.」

Pumpkins are not a popular enough vegetable to be stockpiled.
On the other hand, it can be kept for some time so you can find them fairly in stock in any city, and collecting them all will result in a sizable amount.

「By the way, why do people dress up for this festival?」

「You know……dress up as monsters to let the monsters pass by……or something?」

「Then why are pumpkins eaten?」

「I don’t know. They’re delicious though. Very sweet.」

I can’t think of any reason why it’s done.
I’m the one who combined the two festivals, but I don’t know the background behind them.

「Orah! Eat this, Pumpkin Catapult!」

「Uwaaaaah!」

I look over at the not-so-calm voice and see half-naked men smashing each other with pumpkins.
A familiar voice screams as one person slips on the ground and becomes motionless after hitting his head against the gutter.

「What are they doing over there?」

Celia strains her eyes and sighs.

「It’s the idiots of the 105th corps……what are they doing?」

In the midst of it is Yakov.
With a bottle of alcohol in one hand, he evades the pumpkins being hurled at him from all sides, then he catches a slow-moving one and throws it back.
The pumpkin travels through the air like a rock right at another person’s face, knocking him out.

「Gahahahaha! What’s wrong, you guys!?」

Yakov’s pumpkins knock other men over, but they also knock over the pot of soup of a street stand, and also crash through the window of a residential building, eliciting a scream.

「How did the pumpkin festival become the pumpkin throwing festival……I’ll tell them to stop.」

Celia puts a hand on her short sword, but such dangerous objects aren’t allowed at festivals.

「Old man, I’m borrowing this.」

I grab what looks like boiled whole pumpkin with my bare hands and run at Yakov.

「Wah ha ha ha! The next opponent has come!? I, the greatest pumpkin warrior, will――」

I don’t let him finish to the end and slam a pumpkin on his head.
His head might have cracked open if it was raw, but fortunately it’s boiled soft and crumbles on impact, although it still causes Yakov to drop to one knee.

「Play some tricks on him.」

Children who were hiding in fear of the rampaging idiots jump out and ride Yakov like a horse.

「Nuooh! Stop, stop it! Seriously, don’t pour hot soup over my crotch!!」

That settles it.

「What should we do next?」

「You say that as you are walking to the brothel district.」

I act surprised as I enter the adult zone.

In addition to the usual bewitching aura, festive decorations have been added to the brothel district, like hand-made skulls and caged torches that look like will-o’-the-wisps.

「Wah, how pretty……」

The sullen Celia can’t help admiring the enhanced scenery.

Prostitutes luring customers outside aren’t simply wearing skimpy outfits either.

「Hey boys~ why don’t you come on in.」

One has rabbit ears on her head and a white tail can be seen right above the spot where the fabric digs into her ass.

「A special service is offered during this festival only~ Come play with us.」

This one has cat ears, the one on the other side has dog ears……and there are girls dressed up as little devils and succubi too.

「Not good……this isn’t good……」

My legs power their way to a brothel despite Celia hanging onto my waist.
However, right before I can walk through the entrance, a woman dressed as an elf points a homemade spear at me.

「Today, humans are forbidden past this point~」

「Mu, humans can’t go in?」

The woman points to the plaza.
There, a temporary shop has been set up where a costume set of a crude loincloth and a club can be bought for three silver coins.

「If an orc were to run past, there’d be nothing I could do~」

「Indeed. An orc could mate with monster rabbits and monster cats as it pleases. Of course, us elves too……」

Now that she mentions it, I notice men are continuously selling costume parts for about one copper coin.
The one spreading the message at the center seems to be a woman, but this is such a wicked idea.

「I won’t let you.」

Celia takes my wallet and runs off.
I guess I’ll give up for today.

「You can come in our shop even if you’re not an orc. Humans are fine over here♪」

「Geh!? Isn’t that an orc with cat ears and an orc with bunny ears!? Like I’ll go in such a demon world, my eyes have been poisoned now, go to hell!」

I hear a harsh growl followed by heavy footsteps.

「What’s your problem? You better not be making fun of okamas! Please escort the party of one for a pumpkin drilling festival!」
「「「Drilling festival!」」」

That sounds like it’s coming from the Chrysanthemum-opening Garden, but it’s not my problem.

Celia and I look around one street off the main road.

A few paces ahead, we find a woman fallen on the path.

「Are you alright?」

Picking her up, I see that an arrow is stabbed through her head.

「I’m dyinngggg! Did I surprise you?」
「Hahaha, yeah you did.」

The festival continues here too.

A window opens revealing a woman who shrieks as one her eyeballs hangs out of its socket.

Occasionally, I also scare some women as I walk by.

「Woah……oh, nice savage man costume!」

Actually, I’m in my everyday clothes.

Scaring and getting scared, the fun continues.

「I’m going to the toilet.」

Celia runs off in the direction of the main road.
She rejected the suggestion of me holding her up as she pees in the gutter.

Now then, there is a woman muttering in the shadows of the building.
Those white clothes stained with blood must be a costume.

「Resent……resent……why……why me……aaaah……」

Her ability to recreate a genuine hateful voice is impressive.

When I tap her on the shoulder, she turns around and immediately attacks me.

「I feel so much resentment!!」
「Me toooo!」

I smear the blood paste given to me along the way on my face and scream back at her with my eyes rolled back.

That causes the woman to momentarily freeze and then vanish into thin air.

「Nu?」

Weird.

Next, I hear a rustling sound in the dark.
Looking closer, I see a monster spider with what looks like a female’s upper body attached to it.

It’s shaped differently than the monsters from the abyss and since the upper part is human, this must also be a costume.

The spider woman stares at me with her red eyes and scratches the ground menacingly with its legs.

In response, I stick fake fangs with some clotted blood painted on them into my mouth and gnash my teeth.

The woman tilts her head and disappears quietly into the darkness.

「She could at least say hi. I mean, that was a great costume.」

Next comes a mysterious orb which floats at a low height……it turns out to be a giant eyeball.

Trying to scare it back just makes it blink in confusion before flying away.

「I wonder how that costume works. I can’t think of how it can be done.」

Celia returns.

「Did you have lots to pee?」

「Yes! I drank lots at the food stand……wait, what are you asking!?」

And then another man appears in costume.

The disguise is of a four-armed monster that I don’t know the name of.

「It’s another masterfully-crafted work. I can’t possibly match――」

Before I can finish, Celia jumps out in front of me and throws a dagger at the man.

「What are you doing all of a sudden? That’s dangerous.」

Celia turns to me with a serious expression.

「That isn’t a costume!」

The man proceeds to roar.
Examining the man again, I notice that he has only a single eye in the center of his face and his height is easily three meters.
Furthermore, he is somewhat translucent and wispy like mist.

「Please realize!」

Celia throws another dagger, which simply passes through the four-armed man’s body.

「A real monster mixed in with the costumes?」

I reflexively reach down to my hip, but I don’t have the Dual Crater with me, let alone a sword.
Obviously, I merely intended to enjoy the festival.

The monster growls and charges at us.

I immediately push Celia behind me.

Raising my arms, I manage to block the monster’s strike.

「Guh……he’s quite strong.」

The attack is painful. However, I don’t get blown away for some reason.
Oh I see, it doesn’t have mass.

「Then how about this?」

I dodge his second strike and send my fist toward his unguarded torso.
That only throws my own balance off, making me trip.

「……I punched the air.」

It’s not like I missed.
My fist certainly went at his body, it just didn’t make contact with anything.

Celia supports me with more daggers, though the result doesn’t change.

「It must be a ghost type. We can’t deal with it if we can’t land a hit.」

I’m sure the Dual Crater can cut ghosts too, but I can’t change the fact that it’s not here.

「Then let’s see if this works!」

Celia throws a dagger, this time it stabs the monster in the abdomen.

「Silver is effective! It’s a ghost after all!」

Silver is said to have properties that oppose monsters.

「Do you still have any silver swords?」

「The one I threw is the only one I have. Ah!」

I would have preferred if she handed it to me instead.

Celia repeatedly hits her head at the realization of her blunder.

What now?
If only we had another form of silver……

「Celia, take off your socks.」
「No. I wore them for the whole day and they stink!」

That’s not the point.

「Take the silver coins from my wallet and put it in your sock. I’ve got a bunch of them in there for playing in the brothels.」

Ten silver coins are more convenient than one gold coin for tipping the prostitutes.

Celia does as instructed and passes the sock to me.

I receive the monster’s strike, then jump back as I catch the weighted sock.

「Celia’s stuffy sock is wasted on a monster like you, but I’ll give it to you this time.」

I put some distance between us and give the sock a twirl.
The monster mindlessly charges.

「Hup.」

I casually crouch to dodge the strike I’ve already seen twice and aim for his lowered chin with the spinning sock.

This time, the blow connects and sends a colorless splash of blood flying.

「It hit!」

I’m not finished.
As the monster reels back, I whack his leg from the side, whack him once in the side, and whack his crotch from below.
The sock tears open, spilling the coins.

Groaning the agony, the monster scatters into smoke.

「……is it defeated?」

「I don’t know.」

This place isn’t safe.
Now that I think about it, the spider woman and the floating eyeball might have been real monsters too.

My attention shifts to the main road.

「Why……why did you throw it away……?」

「Ahaha, mister are you an umbrella monster!? I’m a demonic middle-aged succubus!」

「Urrr, uuuuh.」

「Did you have too much to drink? Your makeup is running off and your face looks like it belongs to a real corpse. Eat some pumpkin to sober up.」

Clearly, some real monsters have slipped into the city under the cover of the festival.
But because everyone is in disguise and people have been drinking, none of the citizens have realized it yet.

「Wouldn’t they attack when discovered? Like that four-armed one.」

If so, that would be dangerous.
At a quick glance, I can already see quite a few. It would never end if we had to eliminate them one by one.
This hasn’t happened before, meaning the root cause should be an abnormal phenomenon.

Casie suddenly flies past us.
She’s carrying pumpkins under her arms but the way her eyes look makes it seem like she’s half-asleep.

(It’s calling me. I have to go. I have to go.)

「Go bring me my Dual Crater.」

I order Celia as I chase after Casie.
She seems to be heading southwest.

I found the cause shortly after heading southwest for an hour.

「That must be it.」

The site seems to be in the middle of being cleared.
Trees are not completely chopped down and the land is partially leveled.

In the center is a faintly-glowing magic circle.
Monsters I’ve never seen spawn from it or are being drawn to it and forced to sit around it.

「It’s dark even though the circle is glowing. How oddly unsettling.」

Celia’s right, the area seems dark despite the presence of a light source.
I don’t understand it, but my instincts are telling me something evil is at work.

Casie floats over to the magic circle like the others, but when I grab her and stuff some pumpkin into her mouth, she comes to her senses.

(Huh, what was I doing?)

You’re a non-fighter, so go watch from there.

In the meantime, I try poking the magic circle with my foot, but as soon as I get close, electricity crackles and sends me flying.

『You little insect.』

And then a head, arms, and a chest rises from the magic circle.
Judging by their size, the entirety of the monster should be a giant at least 6 m tall, but the parts below the chest seem to be stuck.

Its frame is similar to a human’s and it seems to understand our language.
What’s important is not its two twisted horns nor its purple skin nor its sharp claws growing on each hand nor how its mouth and ears are torn.

The sensation and overflowing negative aura informs me that the evil being is beyond human.

I draw my Dual Crater, anticipating a hard fight.

『You are no match for this opponent. Run away and call a hero here.』

A fair-skinned beauty appears to combat the wicked energy being emitted from the magic circle.

Looking closer, there are countless chains of light extending from the female which are restraining the evil monster.
It seems that she’s the one keeping the monster in check within the magic circle.

『This is the Demon of the Doomed World who had plunged the world into darkness in ancient times. Even the four chosen ones and the hero who descended from the other world could not defeat it and had to seal it away. And right now, that very seal is about to be broken!』

The female grits her teeth in distress, while the demon smiles like it’s having fun.

Apparently, the demon is unbelievably evil and was sealed by four incredibly powerful individuals and a hero?

『Kukuku, to destroy the shrine without knowing you, the chosen sage, threw away your life to protect the seal……humans are irredeemably foolish. What is stopping you from letting them perish?』

『Silence demon. Even if the shrine is destroyed, I will use my remaining magic to seal you! I will by no means let you out.』

So the woman sealed the demon at the cost of her life and some idiot wrecked the seal.
Nevertheless, she is doing her best to restrain the demon, however, based on her face ……

『It’s a matter of time. Currently, I’m only able to summon lesser monsters that don’t obey my commands, but as soon as your magic is exhausted, the seal will weaken. Will it be one week until a monster is summoned that is strong enough to flatten a nation or will it perhaps be one day……kukuku.』

『Human over there, quickly……go and call the hero of the present age……!』

Even if you tell me that, I don’t know any heroes.

And world circumstances aside, I can’t abandon a suffering woman.

「So, I’ll do it.」

With my Dual Crater drawn, I run toward the demon.

『Don’t!』

『Foolish little insect. A human who isn’t a hero can’t touch me.』

The demon points a finger at me.
I brace myself for the electricity from earlier, but to my surprise, the area 5 m around me shines and a second later, pitch-black flames erupt.

「Woah!」

I reflexively stab the Dual Crater into the ground, dispersing the magic and defending myself.

「……such terrifying flames.」

Rocks within the range of the fire turn red and melt.
If I was any slower, I would have evaporated.

(What is this black magic? I can’t take it. I’m going to puke. Urk.)

Lindwurm ceases to react altogether after that.
Magic is supposed to be his favorite, however he can’t deal with demons, I guess.

On the other hand, the demon unhappily furrows its brow.

『Your power is as small as my pinky finger yet you blocked my flames. What an unpleasant little insect you are.』

The demon proceeds to open its mouth.
It’s so black inside, almost like it leads to the abyss.

『Not good. Put up a magic barrier!』

The female warns us, but neither I nor Celia can use a technique like that.

A low-pitched growl causes the earth to shake, causing the vibrations to travel up my legs.

「I-I’m not feeling so good……urg……my heart……auuu.」

Celia clutches her head and crouches.
As much as I want to help her, I also can’t move my body.

Malicious desires flow into my brain, making me want to kill people who are pleading for their lives, violate women who are crying, and trample infants who are bleeding.

『Embrace the darkness and die.』

I remember something.
In the past……long in the past, this happened before.

It was my first meeting with Lucy.
It was as if I was being drawn into her eyes……

The evil sound is forcibly lifting up my black-dyed heart.

I replace the wicked urges with lewd thoughts instead.
Nonna is sandwiching me between her enormous breasts, I’m having outdoor sex with Carla, Celia and I are doing father-daughter play, and I’m with Lucy doing――

「Hmp!」

I eliminate the evil sound with a fierce grunt.

『What?』

The noise stops as the demon expresses his surprise in displeasure.

Celia also stands up shakily, cold sweat dripping from her body.

I managed to save her, but she’s unable to fight.

『Resisted the demonic cursed song, you little insect――no, or could it be?』

The demon waves his finger in my direction.

This time, black flames travel along the ground.

I swing my Dual Crater, but it doesn’t erase the flames.
Is it because the demon’s magic surpasses the power of mythril or is it because that good-for-nothing dragon passed out from food-poisoning?

「Still――!」

I slam the Dual Crater into the ground, scattering dirt and sand.
Obviously, dirt can’t extinguish flames hot enough to melt rocks.

But even if only slightly, the wind pressure blows the fire back.
At the same time, I push the sword into the ground and launch myself backwards.

The flames stop right in front of my eyes and I smell the distinct scent of charred hair.

『You’re full of openings.』

The demon’s long arm reaches out and assaults me from the side with its large claws.

「I know.」

I swing my sword as I’m flung into the air by the demon’s claws.

Although I crashed down from a considerable height and bounced on the ground a few times, I was able to cut off one of the demon’s claws in exchange.
I spit out a mouthful of blood accumulated in my throat.

『――that blade was able to touch my body……now I understand. You must be a descendant of the hero, Taro.』

Who? I don’t know that person.

『No, that’s incorrect……I don’t sense Taro’s power. Is it possible that you’re a new hero……』

Like I said, who’s Taro?
I don’t remember becoming a hero or whatever.

This situation is juicy though.
I grin, stick my hand in my pocket and speak in the most solemn voice I can muster.

「Indeed. I am the reincarnation of the hero Taro――」

I raise my sword and aim for the instant the demon’s eyes are attracted.

I crush the pumpkin cake that was in my pocket and then throw the pieces at the demon’s widened eyes.
Simultaneously, I pull back my sword and run forward.

『Geh, how dirty! But trying to blind the demon of the doomed world won’t work!』

『Guwaaaah!!』

The result is different from what the female says.
The demon is covering its eyes with its hands and flailing.

「Hmph!」

I unleash a powerful swing and cut off the demon’s left hand.

『How dare you, how dare you――! Where did you get the fruit of exorcism!?』

It’s not the blinding that was effective, it was the pumpkin.
Now that I think about it, the reason the monsters didn’t rampage in the city and the reason Casie was brought back to her senses was due to the pumpkin.

「Casie, give me your pumpkin!」

(Uuu, it’s such a waste.)

I accept the pumpkin from Casie and run at the demon.
Yakov might have did something similar or not earlier.

The demon’s hand regenerates immediately, however, its eyes have not recovered yet.
It’s funny how pumpkin cakes are more effective than the Dual Crater.

『Stop, don’t bring that fruit near me! Stay away, stay awaaaaaay!!』

「You can’t be picky with food!」

I jump, holding the pumpkin with both hands, and smash the pumpkin with all my strength on top of the demon’s head.

The pumpkin breaks the demon’s horns and sinks into its head, causing black vapor to rise.

『I’m losing my power! I’m losing the power to destroy the world!』

The demon’s body visibly withers and the light fades from its eyes.

At the same time, the chains of light extending from the female drags the demon into the magic circle.
The demon completely disappears into the magic circle.

『Now! Place a new seal on the magic circle――place down an orichalcum crystal or a philosopher’s stone!』

「You have that?」
「Nope.」

Celia and I search our pockets to no avail.
Is there anything we can use as a substitute?

「It couldn’t hurt to try.」

I put down a half-eaten roasted pumpkin skewer that I bought at a food stand.

The moment I do so, a dazzling flash of light pierces the sky and the evil aura hanging in the air vanishes.
Monsters nearby also evaporate one after the other like they were exorcized……

(Aah……the light……the river……are you……god……?)

I quickly hide Casie in my cape. That was close.

By the time the light diminished, the demon and magic circle had already disappeared, leaving only the faintly-glowing female standing.

「Thank goodness pumpkin can be used as a substitute. If you told me it had to be an eggplant, I’d be out of luck.」

I don’t get a reply, the female just mutters to herself.

『I can’t believe it’s a sturdier seal than the philosopher’s stone……and it took us three years to find it. I even sacrificed my life and you’re telling me it could have been done with a pumpkin without me having to die?』

The female clears her throat after finishing her rant.

『Thank you, hero……』

「It’s Aegir. I’m no hero.」
「Aegir-sama is more of a hero than anyone!」

『Thank you, hero Aegir. Winning by blinding its eyes and dunking a pumpkin on its head wasn’t pretty, however, you did well to seal the demon of the doomed world. You saved the world.』

Oh, good.
If the world was destroyed, I wouldn’t be able to sleep with any women nor would I be able to enjoy delicious food and wine.

『The seal is tight――though not much of my power remains. There might not be enough to reward you.』

I press a finger against the female’s lips.

「Before that, I want you to tell me your name. I can’t just call you “beautiful lady”.」

She smiles.
I knew it, complimenting a woman’s beauty never fails.

「My name is Ipolloti. I am the guardian sage and close companion of the hero, Taro.」

Ipolloti? That name sounds familiar.

「Ipolloti, the God of self-sacrifice!? She was a legendary sage, who after dying, became known as a God!」

Ipolloti somewhat puffs out her chest proudly.
Hers are pretty big.

「The legend speaks of a hero and four others who serve him――the sage Ipolloti who became a God after death, Maro the first great magician, a spear user sent from the heavens, and a half-God half-human archer――defeating the demon king. Only the names of the sage and the magician are known.」

Well, we know the hero’s name is Taro.

『Ahem. I am pleased that this story could be passed down to future generations. Now tell me, after I sealed the demon lord……was the hero able to live happily?」

Ipolloti inquires Celia with a distant look.

「Yes. Of course, this is based only from the legend, but after subjugating the demon lord, the hero gave up his sword and lived a normal life for the rest of his years.」

『……he always said he wanted that. I wish I could have married him and had children though.』

Celia tilts her head.

「Err, the hero lived modestly with his wife. And apparently he had children in the double-digits.」

Ipolloti freezes.
I feel a sinister aura. Did the seal break?

『With who?』

「The great magician Maro.」

Ipolloti shines brightly for an instant.

『I knew that girl was aiming for himl What happened to remembering my sacrifice and staying single for the rest of your life!? I was moved in the moment when he said that, but thinking clearly, there’s no way someone who snuck into his bed three times at night was going to stay still after her rival died!』

Noticing our gazes, Ipolloti snaps back to reality.

『……with how much stronger the seal is, I have magic to spare, so let me bestow a blessing upon you. I can reinforce your body, your weapon or give you a powerul familiar spirit. Tell me what it is you desire.』

Her attitude became uncaring.

I approach the peevish Ipolloti and kiss the back of her hand.

「I don’t need a blessing. If you’ll listen to my request, I want to heal your wounded heart.」

Our eyes meet.
As expected of a sage revered as a God, she understood my intentions right away.

『Are you serious? I am a spirit who has lost her physical body long ago.』

「As long as we can touch each other, we are no more than a man and a woman.」

I embrace Ipolloti’s shoulder with one arm as the other arm circles her waist.

『Strength, looks, build……I give you 55 points. Far from acceptable.』

Not the best assessment, I agree.
But I have a trump card. I bring her behind the ruined shrine and lower my pants.

『9-95 points!』

Looks like I’m up to par.
***
――After what felt like 3 hours.

「Aegir-sama, are you seriously going to do naughty things to a goddess!? Wait, what?」

(Pervert. Pervert!)

Celia and Casie jump behind the shrine.

However, we are catching our breaths like nothing happened.

『I stopped time briefly. It would only feel like a split-second to them. Having spare magic allowed me to do so.』

With that said, Ipolloti buries her face into my back.

『You were incredible……let us meet again.』

「Yeah.」

We exchange a deep sticky kiss before parting.

Ipolloti still has to keep the demon sealed.
That’s why I’ll come visit her once in a while. That’s the duty of the man who took her virginity. Not like she has a physical body though.

「I’ll make this area a pumpkin field. A shrine will be built and an event will be held once a year where pumpkins are smashed.」

That’ll stop the demon from coming out.

『Then let me send you to the city.』

Ipolloti takes my hand and leads the way.

「You can move!? I thought for sure you couldn’t move from the shrine.」

『The demon of the doomed world is on the verge of dying, so I was likely able to act freely for a few decades. I simply remained attached to the shrine as a promise to the hero.』

The rules are surprisingly lenient.

(I feel like I’ll go to heaven if I stay near this person……)

Then Casie, why don’t you go back first?
The pumpkin festival lasts until the morning, and with the demon gone, you can play properly.

(Yay.)

All of a sudden, Ipolloti’s eyes narrow and her face becomes serious.

『……there’s one more thing I want you to tell me.』

A few days after the pumpkin festival, the statue of the great magician Maro located in Trisnia was destroyed, causing a fuss.


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