After coming up to the surfaceâŠwith a sly smile as if nothing had happened, I waved to Ellie and Lydia and then turned around.
For some reason, Lemon and Apple were standing side by side in the âat easeâ posture, filled with tension.
Whatâs this? Are they asking for a belly punch?
Tak, tak.
I feigned punching their stomachs for no reason. Then, twisting their bodies and making strange noises, Lemon and Apple reacted.
âAah! Thatâs a no-go zoneâŠâ
âSir Jonah is sneakyâŠâ
âNo, isnât it just the stomach?â
âHave you not considered that it might not be the stomach?â
âItâs covered by clothes. Maybe itâs lower than what Sir Jonah thinksâŠâ
âNonsense.â
Flap.
With a snort at Appleâs nonsense, I simultaneously lifted the hem of their clothes.
As one would expect, all that was visible was a flawless, white belly without a trace of fat.
They donât have muscles like Ellie, nor the firmness of Lydia. They just have a thin and delicate feel.
Of course, that didnât mean I would spare them.
âAyy!â
Slap! Slap!
Jonahâs stomach slap! The effect was tremendousâŠ
âKyah?!â
âHeeit!â
Could it be that they never expected to be suddenly hit directly in the stomach? The two cringed with a shrill scream.
In Pangrave, a world where gender roles are reversed and womenâs exposure is tolerated, such a reaction is rare.
Well. Thinking about it the other way, if some woman suddenly lifted my clothes and hit my stomach, I might make a similar soundâŠor maybe not. Yeah.
I would have just made surprised noises like âWow! Heuk!â Not such a sharp shriek.
âHmm. Whatâs with that sexy sound. Donât tell me you feel aroused when you get hit?â
âNo, not at all! What are you talking about!â
âWhat kind of talk is this in a public placeâŠ!â
The two of them cover their bellies and scream shrilly.
Could it be that they are unaware that such reactions draw more attention?
Chuckling, I lightly slapped both of their buttocks.
Bang!
âHeeyang!â
âWhy, why againâŠ.â
Words spoken in grievance. Yet, thereâs a peculiarly heightened tone in their voices that sounded as if they didnât seem to entirely dislike it.
After all, in this world, it might be understandable if a woman hits a manâs buttocks, but a man hitting a womanâs buttocks can be taken as a joke.
Especially since I appear as young as a child. Thinking weirdly in this situation would be the odd thing.
âŠLemon and Apple do seem a bit odd though.
âHeeâŠhee. Heehee.â
âThe threads of fate, even a foot-wiper can be a power wielderâŠheehee.â
The two gazing blankly into space, giggling foolishly. Having seen them tied up in the Labyrinth whenever I run into them, I had suspectedâŠand indeed, they clearly have a peculiar fetish.
I sighed deeply and took the lead.
âAhâŠitâs settled, so come quickly. I need to go to Eden.â
âAh! You canât go alone!â
âWe will protect you.â
ââŠ?â
For a moment, I hesitated, wondering what I had just heard.
âProtect?â
âYes!â
âSir Jonah must not get hurt!â
âYou guys?â
âWhat, what is the problem?â
âIf you tell us, we will correct it.â
âMe?â
ââŠAh.â
âThatâs too meanâŠâ
Only then did they realize the reality and their shoulders sagged heavily. The reason is simple. I am stronger than the combination of Lemon and AppleâŠ!
âDo you understand the difference in our strength?â
ââŠâŠâ
ââŠâŠâ
I shrugged once and then slowed down a bit, walking side by side with them and said,
âI roughly understand what youâre thinking. Youâve already owed your life twice, so it seems like you want to do somethingâŠbut letâs skip the unnecessary. Just continue as you were.â
âAh. Now that I think about itâŠâ
âShh. Keep it down, Lemon.â
Lemon seemed to have realized something and was about to mutter when Apple stopped her. Well, itâs probably not that important.
âLast time, Miss Eve had to cover for the price of our life, but since she used up all her extra money, this time we might have to rob a store if thereâs no other way.â
âThat, thatâs right!â
âIf we mess up, the Boss might go bankrupt!â
ââŠNo. Are you planning to cling to Miss Eve to the point of bankruptcy? Arenât you ashamed as an adult?â
Lemon and Apple, rolling their eyes and keeping their mouths shut. After all, what can you expect from novice adventurers who had just cleared their thug life and are trying to live earnestly by entering the Labyrinth?
âFine. I wasnât planning to ask for money this time either. Just keep one thing in mind.â
âWhatever you say, just say it.â
âI will definitely keep it!â
âItâs nothing. Just keep everything that happened today a secret.â
âEverything meansâŠâ
âWhat do you mean by âeverythingâ?â
âLiterally everything. Who captured you, how you were rescued, the enemies we fought today, the outcomes, and so on. Everything.â
Upon hearing this, Lemon and Apple both nodded in unison.
âI understand. I swear it.â
âEven if I die, Iâll keep todayâs events secret from the Boss too.â
âThatâs the right attitude. But itâs okay to make an exception for Miss Eve.â
âEh. Why is that?â
âAs expected, the Boss and youâŠ.â
Lemon blinked dumbly, while Apple smirked meaningfully. Whatever they were imagining, it was clearly wrong.
âWhat do you mean why, you fool. Remember the promise I made with Miss Eve last time?â
âUh⊠is it showing the Dagger every time we meet?â
âIt was about proving whether we still have the V card!â
âNeither, you idiots! Is that all you have in your heads?!â
Smack!
I struck both Lemon and Apple on the head simultaneously. The sound resonated unusually loud, though it didnât seem like I hit them hard.
âUgh.â
âKkeung.â
And the twin elves acting as if the impact was great, clutched their foreheads and groaned.
âUhâŠuh?â
This was not what I intended?
Confused, I looked down at my hand. Naturally, my forearm looked slender, almost delicate, and my skin was pale as if it had never seen sunlight, soft without a single callus to greet me.
In other words, nothing special had changed. If I had to point out a differenceâŠ
âAha?â
It must be the Labyrinthâs growth reward.
This time, instead of dealing with various minor monsters, didnât I defeat the Floor Guardian alone? There was also the single Mentor class member of The One Who Devours the TwilightâŠCena, who I killed with my own hands.
Pure combat experience, the achievement of being the first to summon a Floor Guardian, and even the boss solo kill achievement.
All of this combined must have contributed to my growth, and with the power of Basilieus I gained this time, the growth rate has inflated even more.
It wouldnât be strange to say that my physical abilities have increased dramatically without me knowing.
ââŠDid it hurt a lot? Iâm having a bit of trouble controlling my strength right now. Sorry.â
âItâs okay now.â
âRather than my head, Iâm fine with you hitting my butt whenever you think of it.â
âWhat?â
ââŠActually, it seems like Apple is the most dangerous, so Iâm running away!â
âHehehe. Do you think being a lemon makes you any different? I know youâll be the first to join in when the chance comes.â
Lemon, shocked, and Apple, who no longer hides her preferences.
As usual, the sight of them brought a sigh of relief.
âHaah⊠You seem fine, so thatâs good. Letâs just go.â
âLetâs, letâs go together!â
âIâm not into neglect play!â
Hurriedly, with the two in tow, we headed towards Eden.
Jingle.
As the door opens, a clear bell rings.
Items displayed haphazardly without any unity. The smell of grass wafting from pots placed here and there, and from a small back room, a sinister(not)-looking, old, narrowed-eye elf, coming to greet us with a dripping dagger.
âOh? I thought a rare guest had come after such a long time, but itâs Mr. Jonah? Nice to see you. What brings you here today? Surely Lemon and Apple havenât done anything wrong?â
Tsk! An interruption(X)
Pleased to see you(O)
Even now, the blood-stained dagger dripping dark red blood as if it had been soaked in someone, and the few splatters on the always smiling merchantâs face are incredibly worrisomeâŠbut surely itâs nothing serious.
She forced a smile and shook her head. Lemon and Apple also gasped and followed suit, shaking their heads.
âOf course not. I came to share some good news.â
âItâs, itâs a secret! Itâs a blade that only spares lives!â
âStupid Lemon! At times like this, you should just say itâs okay! Do you want to be the Bossâs next prey?!â
Eve, breathing as if slandered. I cautiously asked her, shifting the topic.
âMiss Eve. What exactly is that dagger? It keeps dripping blood, which is a bit scaryâŠ.
âItâs nothing serious. I was just tending to a good child that came in.â
âA good child, you sayâŠ?â
âOf course, itâs a Mandragora.â
ââŠâŠâ
Talking as if sheâs just casually sacrificed something. Well, since a Mandragoraâs fluid is red too, that must be why there are traces left.
Well, Eve is originally like that, so itâs expected, but itâs a bit disheartening nonetheless.
I chuckled and naturally sank into the sofa.
âMiss Eve. I have something important to discuss. Do you have a moment?â freewebnoveâ.com
âIf Sir Jonah says itâs that important, Iâll have to make time.â
Letâs hear what you have to say (X)
Is it a proposal?! (O)
Hmm. Today, as usual, I casually ignored my malfunctioning internal translator. Instead, I materialized Basilieus with the meager platypus tear-like amount of divine power that had recovered.
Whoosh!
A crude ash tree crown is placed upon my head, glowing faintly green.
Clang!
Eve, realizing whose power it was, opens her eyes wide and drops her dagger. Then, with a trembling voice, she stammers on.
âF-for it to actually be a proposalâŠ!â
Did the Floor Guardian of the first floor actually exist!(X)
For the power of the World Tree to appear now!(X)
ââŠ?â
Something seems off?