Before she could move, space folded. He appeared directly before her. Not inches away, not close enough for a dramatic embrace. A comfortable distance, exactly like always.
Several meters away, Lexa sat atop a floating crimson sword, watching everything with an expression that perfectly blended relief and exhaustion. She simply shook her head.
"...Honestly. Only Master could calm her this quickly."
The next instant, Vexion launched herself forward. Her arms wrapped tightly around Dante's neck. He laughed softly.
"You're still such a big baby."
His hands naturally settled around her waist. Then, as naturally as breathing, they slid lower, resting against the soft curve of her hips before gently cupping her backside.
No hesitation. No embarrassment. No romance. Simply habit. His fingers slowly squeezed once, then idly stroked her through the fabric of her dress. Possessive. Casual. Completely shameless.
Vexion froze. Then her body relaxed completely. Tears quietly rolled down her cheeks. She gently rubbed the tip of her nose against his, closing her eyes.
'Master's touch. Master's scent. Master's heartbeat. It's really him.'
She hadn't realized until now just how terrified she'd been. Terrified that perhaps the real Dante never would have arrived.
Dante noticed the tears.
"...Oi. Stop crying."
She only hugged him tighter. He sighed dramatically.
"You're making me look like some kind of pervert. I'm standing here grabbing your ass, and you're crying tears of joy."
He glanced around.
"Anyone watching is definitely going to assume I'm the weird one."
Lexa answered immediately.
"You are the weird one."
She pointed toward the stunned Mythical Being standing in the distance.
"And perhaps, just perhaps, recognize that the enemy you punched through a mountain is still standing over there."
Dante didn't even bother looking. He continued lazily stroking Vexion's backside. Not urgently.
Not lustfully. Simply comfortingly, exactly the way he always did.
Nobody else understood. Not Lexa or the Mythical Being.
Not even Vexion herself.
Only Dante treated her this way. Only Dante's hands carried this strange mixture of shamelessness and gentleness. He never reached for her face.
Never dramatically held her cheeks. Never whispered sweet words.
Instead, he simply reminded her, without saying a single sentence, 'you're mine.'
And for Vexion, nothing in the world could have been more reassuring.
She buried her face against his chest, listening to the heartbeat she loved most. A brilliant smile slowly spread across her face. Between quiet giggles she whispered,
"...You're forgiven. And I missed Master too."
Dante blinked.
"...Forgiven? I never apologized."
He paused.
Then nodded matter-of-factly.
"...Though I suppose I did miss having your ass in my hands." Another pause. "...I also miss looking at myself from time to time."
Lexa buried her face in one hand.
"...Hopeless."
Vexion laughed. Not the restrained laugh of a noble lady. Not the cheerful laugh she'd shown others.
A genuine, carefree laugh, the kind only Dante could ever draw from her. She looked up into his eyes.
Then, without another word, she leaned forward, gently capturing the lips of the only man she had ever truly loved.
The battlefield, still scarred by Vexion's rampage, had fallen into an uneasy silence. Its source was now quietly indulging in the one thing she had wanted more than anything else. Her Master.
Unfortunately, not everyone shared her happiness.
Several hundred meters away, the demon watched with an expression that had become increasingly difficult to maintain.
Weeks ago, he had approached Vexion.
Admired her.
Desired her.
Been rejected.
Humiliated.
Today he had finally gathered the courage to challenge her again. Instead, she hadn't even acknowledged his existence. She had casually blown him away with a single burst of force before returning to this.
Laughing. Blushing. Melting into another man's embrace while said man shamelessly explored every curve of her backside as though the surrounding battlefield didn't exist.
The demon's fists slowly tightened.
'She's humiliating me again.'
Unfortunately, he could do nothing. Two Mythical Beings now stood within the area. Even remaining nearby was dangerous. If either of them unleashed a true Mythical-tier skill, the collateral damage alone would likely kill him. No attack aimed at him would even be necessary. He had no choice but to endure it.
Not far away, Lexa quietly glanced toward the demon. She understood exactly what he was feeling. Unfortunately for him, understanding didn't mean sympathy.
Silence finally broke. Floating calmly in the air, the wizard looked directly toward Dante.
"I'm going to assume you're Dante."
He was ignored. Entirely. Dante and Vexion were still kissing. If anything, the interruption only seemed to encourage Dante's wandering hands. Vexion let out another quiet giggle as she leaned further into him, completely oblivious to everyone else. To her, nothing else existed. Only him.
Lexa eventually sighed. She looked toward the demon instead.
"Your name?"
The demon answered cautiously.
"...Hexes."
Lexa nodded. She casually drew her sword.
"Vexion. Mind if I handle him? He did attack you."
Vexion slowly turned her head.
"Hm?"
Lexa continued.
"The same one. The man who kept staring at your body. The one who tried recruiting you."
Recognition slowly appeared across Vexion's face.
"...Him?"
She blinked. Then smiled.
"No." She stepped away from Dante. "I'll kill him myself."
Hexes' face immediately turned pale.
Dante merely chuckled before slipping both hands back into his pockets.
"Go ahead."
He had absolutely no intention of interfering. Only then did he finally turn toward the floating wizard.
'System. Anything?'
[Yes, Master. After reviewing the academy archives and library records, I now possess a considerably more complete understanding of the Wizard Race.]
Dante nodded once.
'Good.'
He looked back toward the man floating above him.
"So — Mr. Wizard. What's your problem?"
The wizard's expression hardened.
"My name is Lazarus."
He pointed toward the broken corpse lying in the crater below.
"That is my problem."
Dante followed his finger. He nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
....
Then, with complete sincerity,
....
"I'll spank her."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Lazarus blinked. "...What?"
Dante folded his arms.
"I said I'll spank my subordinate. I'm actually stricter than people think."
Lazarus stared at him.
"..."
"...My brother is dead. And your punishment is spanking her?"
Dante frowned.
"You're surprisingly difficult to satisfy."
Lazarus felt a vein pulse against his forehead.
"You call that punishment?!"
Dante looked genuinely confused.
"Have you ever tried spanking Vexion? It's surprisingly difficult."
Lexa quietly covered her face. 'Master, please stop helping.'
Vexion, meanwhile, actually looked disappointed.
"...Master, I don't think I deserve one this time."
Dante waved dismissively.
"We'll negotiate later."
Lazarus finally laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because he had reached the point where anger became absurd.
"I've met many fools. But you might actually be the greatest one."
He raised his Grimoire. Pages began turning by themselves.
"Bolt."
CRACK!!
Lightning descended from the heavens. Dante's body distorted into rippling space. The bolt passed harmlessly through him before exploding against the mountainside.
BOOOOOOOM!!
Stone erupted. Trees vanished. Smoke swallowed everything. Lazarus frowned.
"...A Space user."
Another page turned.
"Dimensional Lock."
The surrounding space suddenly froze. Reality itself felt heavier. Dante's expression immediately soured.
"...For fuck's sake."
His body flickered once, twice
"...That's annoying."
A grin spread across Lazarus's face.
"So I was right. You rely heavily upon spatial movement."
CRACK.
Then stabilized.
The sound came from directly beside him. Lazarus's eyes widened. 'Impossible'.
Dante stood there, one fist already halfway through its swing.
"Your spell's still a bit weak."
BOOOOOOOM!!
The punch landed squarely against Lazarus's jaw. His barrier shattered instantly. The impact launched him through three massive trees before he skipped across the mountainside like a stone across water.
Only after he disappeared over the distant ridge did the shockwave finally arrive.
The surrounding forest exploded outward beneath the delayed force.