The cold wind chilled Rolls to the bone. In that moment between life and death, a flurry of thoughts raced through his mind.
'This is too sudden.'
'Sylphie… Norn… I still haven't…'
The monstrous snake's maw grew closer and closer to his face, its fangs now just inches away.
And then, it split apart.
In mid-air, before Rolls's horrified and regretful eyes, in a manner that guaranteed absolute death, it instantly shattered into more than a dozen pieces, scattering in front of his face like food scraps tossed into a kitchen trash can.
At the same time, he felt a gust of wind blow past his cheek.
A ribbon of light lingered in the air.
Hot blood spewed from the snake's corpse, splashing onto his face. Only then did the surrounding cries of alarm spread like a tidal wave.
Rolls had no time to heed the concerned shouts of the others. He turned his head to look at the figure that seemed to have suddenly 'squeezed out' of the air beside him.
"Are you alright!!"
He had heard that voice every few days for the past six months.
The wind just now hadn't come from anywhere in the snow-covered forest.
It had been brought along by someone.
"Dad!!"
Sylphie's frantic cry grew closer. Rolls looked at the incredibly dead forest snake on the ground, then up at the anxious-looking Alan. He was stunned for a long moment before snapping out of his daze.
"Thank you… you were a huge help."
As the adrenaline rush faded, Rolls was overcome with fear. His legs went weak, and he was about to collapse, but Alan caught him.
Alan checked Rolls from top to bottom, and only after confirming he was alright did he let out a soft breath. At the same time, Sylphie and Rudeus had already run over, trudging through the snow.
When Sylphie saw the snake's corpse on the ground, she instantly understood what had happened. Her lip trembled, and she threw herself into Rolls's arms, while her other hand tightly gripped Alan's sleeve.
Rolls, still shaken, patted Sylphie's head and comforted her in a low voice.
Alan watched this scene and sighed in relief. Looking at the small hand on his sleeve, he couldn't help but smile.
'Glad I made it in time.'
Paul also flashed over, his expression annoyed.
"Are you okay!? I was watching for movement on the other side, damn it."
"A close call, but no harm done."
Paul sighed in relief. Looking at the pieces of the forest snake on the snow, which looked almost ready to be cooked, his mouth twitched.
"Your Soundless Tachi is getting more and more refined. That was fast."
"Just lucky."
"How did you react so fast? You noticed it before I did."
"I've been maintaining my perception. Didn't you say there might be demonic beasts, Uncle?"
"You kid. You're quite thorough."
Alan patted the head of Sylphie, who had turned and was now hugging him. He exchanged a helpless smile with Rolls and the head-scratching Rudeus.
—
The preparations for the hunt took a full five days. Almost the entire forest was securely enclosed. Alan also learned the specific hunting method:
The area was divided by the nets. Torches would be thrown into the woods to awaken some of the hibernating demonic beasts, which would then be hunted with bows and arrows from behind the nets. This was an effective way to reduce the population of weaker monsters that relied on their excellent reproductive capabilities to survive. As for ranked monsters like the Terminator Boar, there were very few in the forest, and their black fur was too conspicuous in the snow. If they did encounter one, they could simply leave early.
No, they didn't even need to leave.
Because almost all the boars in this forest had been eaten by Chef Alan.
On the surface, this seemed like a good thing, but in reality, Alan's actions had eliminated the natural enemy of the weaker monsters in the forest. According to Paul and Rolls's estimates, there would probably be thirty percent more this year than last.
Swarms of weak monsters were more dangerous to the winter crops and ordinary villagers than a single powerful monster.
Thus, the netting needed to be done more carefully.
Five days later, snow began to fall again. The group left the forest and returned to their homes.
The day the snow stopped would be the day of the hunt.
—
"Honey! You're back!"
"I missed you so much, Zenith~"
As Rudeus and Alan simultaneously covered their faces, Paul, like an excited dog, lost his cool composure from outside the moment he got home. He eagerly rushed to Zenith and pressed his face against her belly.
Zenith, long accustomed to their public displays of affection in front of the children, simply smiled at Alan and Rudeus, then gave Paul a playful flick on the forehead.
"You missed me, so why didn't you come back?"
Paul looked up at Zenith with a grin.
"The forest is too far, it's not convenient to go back and forth… We pushed in deeper this year, and Rolls almost had an accident. I had to stay there and watch."
"Alright, time for dinner~"
Lilia happened to be bringing food out from the kitchen. She smiled at the returned Rudeus and Alan, then began setting the plates.
Dinner was very warm and pleasant.
The only thing was, Alan's gaze kept sweeping back and forth between Paul, who was fawning all over Zenith, and Lilia, who was sitting quietly with a serene expression, a knowing smile on his face.
—
The soundproofing in the Greyrat house was not good.
Especially for a Water God Style swordsman who had honed his five senses.
The first night.
Zenith and Paul were flirting in the next room. In the middle of the night, some strange sounds started.
Different from the usual moans, it sounded more like someone smacking their lips while eating.
After just a short while, Zenith seemed to get tired. She bantered with Paul for a bit, and then the room went quiet.
Half an hour later, the sound of a door opening came from the next room.
Paul went to the bathroom for a very long time.
The second night.
Again, the sound of a midnight snack. This time, Zenith seemed to be trying to please him, but it died down after a short while.
Paul again went to the bathroom after Zenith fell asleep.
But this time, he also took a hot bath.
The third night.
The nights in Buena Village were exceptionally quiet in winter. The soft sound of falling snow outside the window was clearly audible.
The same thing happened in the next room.
And tonight, there was also the sound of curtains being drawn. Perhaps when the snow stopped and they could go hunt monsters, Paul would be able to vent his excess energy.
The snow fell for a week.
So, things naturally spiraled out of control—from the fourth night onwards, when Alan went to the bathroom, he would find Lilia, wrapped in her clothes, boiling water in the kitchen late at night, then returning to her room to bathe.
It was as if the winter made a single room exceptionally cold.
And every night, a door would open in the next room.
Finally, on the seventh night.
After the door next door opened, the sound of the master of the house's footsteps was not heard for a long time. A little later, Alan, lying in bed, heard an unusual sound.
A faint conversation, transmitted through the wall to Alan's ears. It was very soft, very faint, so much so that even Alan, a Water God Saint, couldn't hear it clearly.
But, without a doubt, it was not the sleep-talking of the sleeping Zenith next door.
Alan got up, opened the door, and stepped silently into the hallway.
The sound could be picked up now. The source was the maid's room at the end of the second-floor hallway.
"…You… you've been holding it in for a long time too, huh."
"…Nonsense… I haven't."
"Oh, really?"
"Ah… yes… ahh… no…"
"Do you like it?"
"…"
The faint sound of a bedframe hitting a wall.
"Ahh… I… I like it."
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