Drake returned to his room, his face still flushed red.
They had nearly been caught.
The thought alone made his stomach twist.
Before he could even sit down, Amelia suddenly burst out of the pendant, her cyan form even redder than his.
"D-Drake! T-That… that… you pervert!" she screamed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "That was—"
Drake sighed, already knowing where this was going.
"Yeah… that was sex."
"S-Sex?!"
The moment the word left his mouth, Amelia's entire ghostly form turned an even deeper shade of red.
"Kyaaaaaah!"
She immediately dove back into the pendant.
Drake stared at the pendant in silence.
Then he let out a long sigh.
"I need some fresh air…"
He rubbed his face before looking toward the pendant.
"System, let's go to Grimgar."
A faint glow surrounded his body.
In the next instant, Drake's form broke apart into countless particles of light and vanished from the room.
...
Three days had passed in this world since Drake had last visited.
For him, however, it had been more than two months.
Light gathered in the air near the place where he had been staying, and Drake's body gradually materialized.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he took a deep breath.
"Ah…"
Fresh air filled his lungs.
He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation.
Ah… so fresh.
After everything that had happened back home, this was exactly what he needed.
The pendant around his neck glowed.
Amelia emerged from it once again, though this time her face had returned to its normal cyan color.
She looked around, curiosity quickly replacing her embarrassment.
"Where… are we?"
"This is another world," Drake explained. "It's quite similar to yours, actually. There's magic here."
"Woah…"
Amelia's eyes widened.
She floated higher, slowly circling Drake as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings.
Then she looked down toward the town below.
"This place is amazing…"
Her gaze remained fixed on the buildings, streets, and people moving through the town.
"This town is beautiful…"
"Yeah, yeah. Come down here."
Drake waved a hand toward her.
"I have to visit someone quickly."
Amelia immediately returned to his side, hovering beside him.
"Someone?"
"Yeah."
Drake started walking toward the town.
...
Drake quickly made his way to Ortana, heading straight for Haruhiro's inn.
It had been quite a while since he'd last seen Shiraori.
"Who lives here?" Amelia asked, hovering beside him.
"Just a couple of friends," Drake replied simply.
He knocked on the door.
It opened almost immediately.
A sleepy-looking Ranta stood on the other side, his hair a mess and his eyes barely open.
"Who are you?" he asked groggily.
Drake stared at him for a moment.
"Ranta…"
Then he raised his hand and smacked him lightly on the head.
"Wake up."
"Ah…"
Ranta rubbed the growing bump on his head.
For a moment, he simply stared at Drake.
Then his eyes widened.
"Drake?! What are you doing here?! Didn't you leave on a journey three days ago?!"
"Yeah." Drake shrugged. "I'm back."
"Drake!"
Haruhiro's voice came from behind Ranta.
Drake looked past him and saw Haruhiro and Manato standing in the hallway, both dressed in training attire.
Drake raised a hand in greeting.
"Hey."
"You're back already?" Haruhiro asked, clearly surprised.
"Yeah. There were fewer monsters than I expected."
Before Haruhiro could respond, Drake suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around him from behind.
"D-Drake…"
Drake froze for a moment.
He immediately recognized the voice.
He turned his head.
Shiraori stood behind him, her face completely flushed.
"I… missed you…" she whispered, hiding her face against his chest.
Huh?
Her cheeks became even warmer.
His chest is so much bigger than last time…
Drake glanced down at her before gently lifting her chin, making her look at him.
"I missed you too."
He leaned down and kissed her.
Amelia's face immediately turned bright red.
"Another one?!"
She covered her face with both hands.
"How many girls do you k-kiss?! Y-You pervert!"
Drake pulled away from Shiraori, who immediately buried her face against his chest again.
His attention then shifted toward Yume.
She was staring at the two of them with an increasingly annoyed expression.
Drake smirked.
"Do you want a kiss too?"
"Shut up, ya cunt."
Yume immediately reached for her bow.
"Or the great Yume will shoot an arrow straight into ya forehead."
Drake chuckled.
"You know… that attitude of yours makes me—"
Thung!
The arrow flew.
Yume had actually shot him.
"Drake!" Shiraori shouted.
Drake's Supernatural Senses activated instantly.
His eyes tracked the incoming projectile.
He casually raised his hand.
Snap.
The arrow stopped between his fingers.
With almost no effort, Drake broke it cleanly in half.
He looked down at the two pieces in his hand.
"Wow…"
He glanced at Yume.
"You really shot it."
Yume's face immediately flushed.
"Y-Yume is sorry!"
She hurriedly lowered her bow.
"Yume's hand… slipped!"
Drake chuckled.
"Sure it did."
Shiraori continued clinging to his chest while Amelia hovered nearby, still red-faced and visibly scandalized.
Meanwhile, Haruhiro, Manato, and the others simply stared.
Nobody said a word.
Their eyes moved from the broken arrow…
to Drake…
then back to the broken arrow.
Haruhiro swallowed.
What kind of monster is he?
To be continued...
***
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This chapter was quite short, I know, but after so much time, I had to reread the entire novel because I honestly forgot half of what I quote.