"Shirakawa-kun... you really are such a gentle person."
Walking side by side with Shirakawa on the path back to the village, the girl who would one day be hailed as the Maiden of the Sword gazed at him with open, unguarded admiration shining in her eyes.
She hadn't admitted what her friend had said.
But she hadn't denied it either.
After only two brief encounters, this otherworldly visitor had already left a profound impression on Lianne Vivette: reliable, gentle, attentive, powerful—
The most perfect man she had ever met.
Bar none.
"Eh?"
Being suddenly described as yasashii (gentle), Shirakawa's face twitched with awkward confusion. Gentle? Him?
Not even close.
He was just an unapologetic perv.
When it came to cute girls with good personalities and top-tier looks, he simply had a high patience threshold. After all, he had a grand dream to chase.
Who could possibly say no to a crystalline harem paradise?
But then…
Seeing that radiant girl beside him—eyes sparkling like stars, her lips curved in a gentle smile—Shirakawa decided:
Yeah... this misunderstanding is worth maintaining.
"I don't think I'm particularly gentle," he said with a relaxed smile. "It's just that I happen to have some power right now, so I figured I'd do what I can—what I want to do."
"That's all there is to it."
This trip to the Goblin Slayer world had been fruitful. His current class, Holy Sword Wielder, only needed another 5,000 experience points before reaching max level.
Not bad at all.
And more importantly, it hadn't even taken that much effort.
After altering the original course of events by rescuing Sylvie, today's objective was more or less complete.
He hadn't left yet simply because the world anchor point made transferring convenient. As for this dark, grim world—he figured he could explore a bit more over the weekend.
With that in mind, Shirakawa halted for a moment and glanced at the girl walking timidly beside him.
He hadn't forgotten their private chat in the dimensional group. With a teasing smile, he spoke up:
"So, Bronze-ranked Adventurer… my reward—"
"Could it be..."
"Mn—!"
Before he could finish the sentence, the future Sword Maiden suddenly stepped in, placing trembling hands on Shirakawa's shoulders.
The height gap forced Lianne Vivette to tiptoe slightly.
And then—her soft, pink, dewy lips gently brushed the cheek of the boy who made her heart race.
But Shirakawa slightly turned his head at the last moment.
And as their lips touched, a spark—like an electric current—shot through her. Her heart fluttered wildly as she slowly closed her eyes, arms slipping around Shirakawa's neck.
This… this was enough.
For an adventurer like her, there was no knowing whether tomorrow or tragedy would arrive first. So in this moment—
She didn't want to let the opportunity pass her by.
"Shirakawa-kun… I think my heart is racing a little too fast…"
"Oh?"
"Let me check for you!"
---
"Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, our village would've been wiped out by those damn goblins…"
As the village elder expressed his heartfelt gratitude, Catherine—newbie mage—stood awkwardly nearby, unsure how to respond. To her, this whole ordeal felt less like an emergency and more like—
A countryside picnic?
They hadn't even gotten a chance to attack. Every goblin had been wiped out by Shirakawa-senpai before she could do a thing.
And now, the elderly village chief was giving her all the credit.
"No, you're thanking the wrong person, sir!" Catherine waved her hands hastily, flustered. "Even though I came here with Lianne and Shirakawa-senpai, I didn't actually help."
"Shirakawa-senpai's too strong. He took care of everything before we could even step in."
"You should be thanking him!"
That said, Catherine wasn't exactly upset. When her bestie had gone off chasing after Shirakawa's retreating figure, she knew better than to third-wheel the moment.
She wasn't that clueless.
But she hadn't expected Viviette and Shirakawa-senpai to be gone so long, even now they hadn't returned. Facing the villagers' warmth—
It was getting hard to hold her ground.
Just then, she spotted two familiar figures approaching from afar. As if salvation had arrived, she pointed quickly:
"That's Shirakawa-senpai! He's the one you should thank!"
The villagers—including a little girl with short purple hair among the crowd—all turned to look at the approaching pair with reverent eyes.
These people, living in a twisted and dark world, each held baskets of freshly picked fruit and local specialties. Though they lived modestly and had just suffered goblin attacks—
They were still offering their most treasured goods to show their gratitude.
"Thank you, Adventurer-sama, for saving our village." The old chief bowed deeply. Though his expression was grateful, there was a bitter helplessness hidden behind it.
Because even though they'd been saved...
They had nothing of real value to offer.
"This is what we could prepare for you," the old man said. "Though it might not be much…"
Under their collective gaze, Shirakawa glanced at the baskets—simple but sincere gifts filled with heart and effort.
In worlds like this, ordinary people struggled just to survive.
Sometimes, the value of a gift lies not in its price, but in the willingness to give.
He smiled. "Thanks, but this is a lot. I'll take a bit back with me—and the rest?"
"How about we cook it up for lunch?"
[Reputation +1]
---
Catherine walked over to her friend, eyes wide as she examined Lianne Viviette.
Her cheeks still held a delicate, rosy flush. And more importantly—
Her leather armor looked slightly disheveled.
Judging by the time they'd been gone, Catherine's eyes went wide. Her voice trembled, more from curiosity than dismay.
"You guys... already...?"
"No!!"
Without hesitation, Viviette denied it forcefully—even though her heart was still racing wildly. Under her friend's skeptical gaze—
She finally muttered in a barely audible voice:
"It was just... just a touch…"
"...Huh?"