âAh-he-â
Jonahâs ahegao double peace!
Itâs super effective!
Lydia is confusedâŠ!
âUh, th⊠Uh?â
Like a fish out of water, Lydia could only bob her mouth open and shut, unable to form words.
Lydia usually displayed faint expressions of emotion. It was quite rare to see her this visibly flustered.
âŠWhich probably made me take the prank a little further! But anyway, seeing Lydia so startled was enough for me.
I poked the stuttering Lydiaâs side with my index finger, touching the part where her skin was clearly exposed due to her half-bikini armor.
Supposedly, there was a barrier that automatically unfolded when attacked, but this didnât seem to count as an attack, so I touched it as is.
It was a bit soft.
âMiss Lydia, Miss Lydia. You were envious of my enlightenment, werenât you? How about it? Do you think you can copy that?â
ââŠâŠWhat?â
âHey, are you going to keep pretending you donât know? You know what I was talking about. But for Miss Lydia, a virtuous maiden full of shyness, Iâll explain it so itâs easier to understand!â
Saying so, I stood on my tiptoes and whispered into Lydiaâs ear, âIt means, Miss Lydia, try getting caught while youâre masturbating alone and just reaching your climax.â
I activated Sound-Eating Footsteps. My presence disappeared. Within the sensation, as if an invisible curtain had spread between the world and me, I continued.
ââŠThen like this, youâll be able to sublimate the shame of wanting to disappear from the world into a skill.â
ââŠâŠâ
Lydiaâs eyes trembled faintly. After pondering for a long while, she opened her mouth.
ââŠIs that true?â
âPardon?â
âCan you really awaken it after experiencing something extremely embarrassing?â
âEung?â
I didnât expect it to turn out this way.
Of course, it was impossible. No, maybe it was possible, but I didnât gain this skill that way.
I just pulled it from a gacha!
But⊠if I nodded here⊠maybe I would see Lydia pleasuring herself?
Should I repay kindness with enmity or upgrade the unicorn dagger to a bicorn dagger?
No, were those the same thing? My thoughts started to lean too much in one direction.
I shook my head vigorously, trying to drive away the unholy thoughts, but even that wasnât easy.
ââŠIs this how?â
Lydia made a V sign with each hand and stuck out her tongue while keeping her expressionless face.
It was too expressionless to call it an ahegao, but thatâs what made it better. It had its own charm.
But I realized when I saw her flicking her tongue sincerely that Lydia was genuinely amazed, and she wanted to learn it herself.
Even I felt guilty about deceiving her like this.
âYou seem to lack the desperation. Why donât you try rolling your eyes upwards first?â
And I managed to push through that painful task.
âOh, I think I get it. Not making a sound, controlling my breath, hiding my energy⊠none of that was really important. Itâs about the image of hiding myself from the world. Itâs like my very existence is isolated somewhere else.â
And Lydia, in her own way, achieved something, too.
â???â
Of course, it wasnât as good as mine, but it was a definite change compared to how she used to announce her presence openly.
Lydia gently smiled and stroked the top of my head.
âThank you, Jonah. This is much better than the stealth techniques I paid a fortune for at the guild.â
âUhâŠâ
âYes, it seems that sensation is important, after all. Iâve honed my skills as much as I can, so whatâs left is probably integrating it with innate talent and aura.â
âYepâŠâ
âIt might be difficult for me to pull it off like Jonah, but still, itâs incomparable to the skills Iâve learned so far with money.â
âI⊠seeâŠâ
âItâs all thanks to you, Jonah. Thank you.â
ââŠâŠâ
Donât look at me with those eyesâŠ!
My triangle of conscience was spinning so fast that it was on fire!
I forced a smile to hide my inner scream.
âSince we have this opportunity, how about we practice sneaking all the way to the Iron Wolfâs habitat?â
âThat sounds good.â
Looking at Lydia, who nodded with sparkling eyes, my conscience was pricked sharply again.
I forced myself to ignore it and opened my mouth.
âBefore that, just a moment, Miss Lydia. Could you give me your hand?â
âWhy?â
Lydia tilted her head curiously and obediently extended her hand. I placed the unicorn dagger in her palm.
Whoosh!
The blade shone brightly, easing the unease in my heart slightly.
Only then did I regain my composure and delve deeper into the dungeon.
I rushed in and climbed atop the massive body of the Iron Wolf, then thrust the dagger into its nape.
Pwook!
âYelp?!â
The blade sliced through its thick hide with little resistance. However, due to the Iron Wolfâs large size and the short length of the blade, I failed to kill it in one blow.
But that didnât mean the Iron Wolf had a chance of surviving.
Firmly grasping the dagger still embedded in its pelt, I leapt off its back.
Schltâ
Pulling with all my weight, I ripped through the nape of its neck.
ââŠâŠ!â
The Iron Wolf, with half of its neck sliced, staggered. Instead of crying out, blood spewed like a waterfall.
Not long after, it collapsed to the ground.
Its gaze remained fiercely hostile, too dangerous to approach and deliver the final blow. Though its body lacked strength, the hostility burned intensely. They werenât called monsters for nothing.
But that fierce look was all it could muster.
Smirking, I lightly tossed the unicorn dagger into the air, caught it by the blade, and then hurled it straight at the Iron Wolfâs forehead.
ShwoookâŠPhwk!
The dagger easily embedded itself. The light faded from its smoldering eyes.
Nodding in satisfaction, I extended my hand, and the dagger trembled before pulling itself out of the corpse and returning to my grasp.
This was the first time Lydia had witnessed the true capabilities of the unicorn dagger, so she stood behind me, her mouth agape.
I proudly raised the dagger towards her, noting her surprise, which seemed more frequent than usual today.
âOvergearing is always the answer! I finally understand what you meant, Miss Lydia!â
âAhem. But isnât this weapon too powerful? What on earth is it made of to allow such feats?â
âDidnât I tell you before? Itâs made from a unicornâs horn.â
âIf itâs this powerful, Iâd expect there to be some tough restrictionsâwaitâŠDonât tell me the reason it glowed when I touched it earlier isâŠ?â
âHehe.â
I smiled at her, but all I received in return was a flick on the forehead.
âHyap!â
âThereâs no use trying to dodge.â
When I attempted to dodge, I got hit two more times. Hmph, meanie.
Pouting, I began to butcher the body of the Iron Wolf. This time, the skin peeled off easily without Lydiaâs help.
Being careful not to damage the pelt because it cut a little too well, I spoke.
âThere are restrictions, so to speak. Thereâs a limit to its use.â
âA limit? Donât tell me your lifespan decreases with each swing?â
âThatâs a cursed sword. This one might be obsessed with purity, but it doesnât desire oneâs lifespan or soul. Rather, it has the power to heal its user.â
Vwoong-!
The dagger convulsed at the mention of a cursed sword. A single strike quieted it down again. Some things only get fixed when hit.
VwoongâŠ
Ignoring the daggerâs timid resistance, I continued to strip off the skin.
âThere arenât any scary restrictions⊠instead, itâs selective about its owner.â
âAn ego sword?â
âNo way. It just means it distinguishes whether one is a virgin or not.â
â?â
âThey say that if Iâm no longer a virgin, it will split in half and become a black twin dagger.â
âAh.â
Though it might seem obvious, the power held by a bicorn was significantly weaker than that of a unicorn.
If this weapon currently felt like a 4-star weapon made from 3-star materials, the moment it became a bicorn twin dagger, it would be akin to a 3-star weapon made from the same quality materials.
âSo, rest assured, Miss Lydia! As long as my dagger remains white, it means Iâm still pure!â
ââŠIâm not particularly curious about Jonahâs purity.â
âOops. I forgot. Miss Lydia, you dream of true knightly romance! Youâre more drawn to a lordâs spouse than to a noble virgin!â
âLies and slanderâŠ!â
Lydia trembled, and with a giggle, I crammed the treated leather into my backpack.
âEutcha. With this, there shouldnât be any need to cling to the Iron Wolves. Letâs venture deeper today.â
âAre you sure? Just catching Iron Wolves would be enough for growth, and weâd make a lot of money.â
âBut if we catch Hobgoblins, we can make even more money and grow even more.â
âBut itâll be dangerous. Unlike Iron Wolves, who roam alone, Hobgoblins live in large tribes, with over a hundred individuals together. Iâll help, but we might not be able to handle all the dangers perfectly.â
âHuh? Miss Lydia, did you really think I was planning to eradicate a Hobgoblin tribe head-on?â fđ«eđweđnđšđel.đ°đŒđŠ
â???â
Lydia stared at the blood-soaked backpack as if she was hearing nonsense.
I placed one hand on my waist and raised the other in front of me, index finger pointing upward, striking a pose.
âUgh! Please donât say such cruel things!â
âOkayâŠ.â
âI was just planning to assassinate them like normal!â
ââŠâŠâ
To die without pain.
Could there be a more peaceful end?