CHAPTER 113: NO NEEDLESS SHED OF BLOOD

Oof.

As expected of Hades Border—it was as scorching hot as hell. The sun was absolutely merciless.

Any run-of-the-mill creature surviving around here had to be packing some serious power. Maybe they used magic to soften the blow.

Well, it still wouldn’t be enough to hurt our gang.

I, for one, could even bathe in lava. No problem!

Not that it’d feel good—it’d definitely hurt. A lot.

But I wouldn’t die, and that’s what matters in the end.

Still, I wonder why Alicia seemed completely unfazed. Maybe Levi’s doing something about it?

I, Ruben... (ugh, I really need to figure out a surname in case someone asks), Levi, Bina, and Alicia were walking under the hot sun, through a plain stretch of dry wasteland. Nothing but heat, dust, and the occasional scraggly tree far off in the distance. A few low hills broke up the landscape here and there.

Levi had used a ripple gate to teleport us as close to the human settlement as possible.

I thought she’d drop us inside the city, but then again, the way people would freak out... and besides, Levi herself hadn’t entered human lands for four millennia—she told me herself.

Yeah. She’s a grandma dressed as a beautiful girl.

Of course, I’d never say that out loud—she really cherishes her human form.

Ah, right. Thanks to my riot, she was now wearing a longer skirt (still far from her knees, though), and her chest was decently wrapped in a silver cloth.

I won’t lie and say she looked like a nun, but hey—her sexiness dropped by about 5%.

At least people won’t stare as much now, unlike when she wore literal handkerchiefs as a skirt.

Speaking of people—I was beginning to sense the presence of plebes not too far off. A few more hours, and we’d probably run into them.

"Ugh. My feet hurt, Ruby!" Alicia whined, clutching my arm. "Carry me!"

What a brat.

And yes, I noticed her chest fats are still in good condition. Mhm.

I didn’t protest. I let her climb onto my back.

I swear it wasn’t because it had been a while since I last felt them!

But yeah... I remembered when I first carrie—

"Hehehe. I remember when you first carried me like this,"

Alicia said, finishing my thoughts.

"Ah, yeah," I responded. "That was just five days ago, but it feels like way longer."

I guess when you’re having fun, time doesn’t flow normally anymore.

Speaking of which, I’ve been having too much fun lately—hope that doesn’t come back to bite me.

"Master Ruben, after Alicia, it’ll be my turn to ride you."

"Please, don’t make unfunny jokes, Bina."

I narrowly escaped being turned into a personal carriage.

Levi hadn’t said much in a while.

I could chalk it up to jealousy—what with Alicia on my back and all...

But honestly, she’d been quiet even before we left Coastelle.

"Levi?" I called as we kept moving. "Is something bothering you?"

Her expression was a bit too calm, and her eyes kept drifting into space.

"N-Nothing, Master Raven," she assured, snapping out of it. "I was just... thinking."

Thinking, huh?

Ugh. I hate that stuff.

I did feel like prying—asking her what she was thinking about. (Something told me it involved another assault on my virtue.)

But let’s not.

"Is that so?" I said. "That’s fine and all... but..."

I locked eyes with her. "Don’t overthink and end up hurting yourself, okay?"

Then I smiled—just to lift the mood.

Her eyes widened. "M... Master Raven, are you w-worrying about me?"

More like I’m worrying about myself, given the context, but of course—

"I am worried about you..." I replied. "We’re a team now. A... family, I guess. So don’t make me worry too much, alright?"

"Understood, Master."

Good.

She seemed more like her usual self now.

"...Now, when will I be getting my own ride...?"

"..."

Okay.

*

Despite walking without any visible weapons, not a single beast or monster dared cross our path or threaten us.

One of them—perhaps driven beyond reason by hunger—charged toward us at full speed. But as it got within a few meters, it suddenly began scraping the ground with its limbs, trying frantically to stop itself from ramming into us.

It was hilarious—the way its eyes basically begged gravity to vanish.

Miraculously, it managed to escape.

That’s what happens when you travel with the ultimate monster—Leviathan!

Alicia and Bina’s auras weren’t exactly welcoming either.

Alicia was already putting in 200% effort just to suppress hers.

And as for Bina—well, that was just her natural state. She’s a dangerous pervert who would happily assault and almost kill a stranger without blinking.

Cetus and several new Sea Demons—quite a number of them—had been assigned by Levi to inspect and monitor Coastelle.

Flora was assisting them.

Since she’s shy (and doesn’t exactly look human), she chose to stay behind and wait for us in Coastelle.

I’d already briefed Levi about the strange, fantastical locations Bina and I stumbled upon during our search for Flora two nights ago. So Cetus and her crew were now investigating those places while we handled things on the surface.

And now that we were still outside human territory, I decided it was a good time to beg—yes, beg—the gang:

"No needless bloodshed, okay?"

To which they all immediately objected:

"What? But Master Raven, blood must be shed if we plan to dominate and rule over the humans," Levi said without missing a beat.

So her true intentions were starting to slip out.

"But Master Ruben," Bina added, "humans are too fragile and weak. They bleed even if you just lightly assault them."

No one said anything about lightly assaulting them, Bina.

"Besides, Ruby," Alicia chimed in, "humans tend to be disrespectful and arrogant. You might have to behead a few hundred just to establish your authority."

GULP.

And the best part? Alicia’s literally a human herself—talking about "humans" like she’s a Principality.

Clearly, Levina’s antics have rubbed off on her.

As I scolded them, the whole group began to pout, booing me like children denied treats.

Wait—am I the only one in this crew who doesn’t plan to plague the humans?!

I seriously need to tighten the leash on Alicia before she ends up becoming some mid-boss villain because of whatever twisted development that bastard author might be planning.

It would NOT be funny if Alicia went rogue.

Though... I sort of get where they’re coming from:

"Look, I get it," I started,. "Humans can very easily display untold levels of foolishness like it’s a walk in Valhalla. And yes, it can be very, very tempting to bite their heads off... but we need to exercise restraint. How else are we supposed to conceal ourselves among them, waiting for Pluto’s orders?"

They all seemed to get where I was coming from.

Good.

Because these girls were walking calamities, each and every one of them.

But Bina... Bina looked particularly gloomy now.

"M...Master Ruben," she said softly. "Are you truly sure about this quest...?"

"The quest to slay Cthulhu? Of course not," I replied, waving it off. "Because I might end up dead... in the process of fleeing, that is. Which is bad."

She still looked troubled... Maybe she just doesn’t want me to die young? Maybe.

"The thing is," I continued, my tone softening into something unusually serious, "I’m bound by a pact. I can’t refuse. But Pluto—the one who gave me this gig—would never just toss me into an impossible task without a plan. I’m sure of it. The death god is actually kind of, uhh... sensible. Fatherly, even?"

(Little Ruben Note: At that time, I knew nothing. That Pluto is as much of a jerk as I am.)

Anyway, after I gave them all the commandments and golden rules, we proceeded.

In no time, we reached a point where a small village peeked into view, just past a gentle rise in the slope.

Hmm. From my standpoi—

"This is as far as you go, strangers. We cannot allow you to go any further!"

Uh-oh.

We were intercepted by a small group of burly, macho, muscle-bound fellas—with faces that looked like they were sculpted by the gods themselves.

"Tsk." I clicked my tongue. "All of them have the height and stature I envy... yet Pluto denied me."

Argh. I already wanted to murder these fools.

Actually... maybe I should.

It’d be like peeling another layer of dirt off a muddy paw.

And anyway, they weren’t exactly humans either.

"Who are these people?" Alicia asked as she slid off my back, her voice already shifting. "The village guards? Or... bandits?"

Her tone deepened dangerously by the end, and her supposedly innocent gaze was now sizing the pretty boys up like they were last week’s rotten produce.

Wait a minute... Somewhere along the line, Alicia developed some spine, didn’t she?

"These folks?" Levi said, smiling devilishly. A violet glow sparked in her hand, slowly forming a long, radiant whip.

"These are Nor-dwarves."

Yikes. We’re already planning to break the new set of law.