Standing outside Lia's room, Mel, Lia's maid, glanced at her watch. After a moment, she nodded and knocked on the door.
No answer came. She waited a few seconds, then knocked again,louder this time. Still, nothing.
Finally, she didn't wait any longer and opened the door. Walking toward Lia's bed, she ignored the photos on the wall of a certain black-haired boy. She looked at the sleeping girl, who seemed to be having a happy dream, and spoke:
"Milady, it's time to wake up."
Lia's Dream:
Lia was praying in a temple when a god, appearing as an old man, responded to her heartfelt prayers:
"Say, child, what do you want?"
"Old man! Give me a weapon to defeat that evil demon, Rio! He's doing all kinds of perverted things to innocent young maidens! I must punish him!"
"Y-yeah, take this Divine Hunter then; it will grant you unparalleled strength. Every demon will be defeated instantly by its power."
After giving the artifact to Lia, the old man vanished as if fleeing,or maybe he really was running.
Lia held the divine weapon and felt its incredible power; joy filled her entirely.
"Just you wait, vile demon! I'll make you beg for forgiveness! I'll take ten times the revenge for all the crimes you've committed! Hahaha…"
Suddenly, Mel appeared in the prayer hall, dressed as a high-ranking priestess.
"What happened, Mel?"
"Milady, demons are kidnapping young maidens from the church again."
"Heh, so those vile demons are back. Let's go,I'll beat them into pulp today."
"Milady… they've already left, though."
"Eh? But you just said,"
"Their leader, the demon king Rio, seems to have found the holy pants of Milady; thus, they retreated."
Lia woke up in shock.
"Wha-what! Who stole my pants!?"
Mel replied calmly:
"Nobody, Milady."
Realizing she'd screamed something embarrassing, Lia's face turned bright red.
"F-forget wh-what you heard…"
Adjusting her glasses, Mel said, "Yes, Milady. I will alert the guards to keep an eye out and ensure no one steals your pants."
"I said forget it! Why would they guard my pants? Now go out already!"
Lia hurriedly pushed Mel out and slammed the door, her face redder than ever. She looked at the photo on the wall and muttered unconsciously:
"Pervert Rio…"
Fade's POV:
In his dorm room, Fade was playing games on his mobile. Today had been unlucky,he hadn't gotten anything from the dungeon. His mood was sour, having parted with Kira earlier than usual.
Without realizing it, he spent the entire night playing and didn't sleep.
Looking at the time, he sighed:
Tsk, didn't even notice it… it's already morning. I wonder when I'll get strong enough to make the sun rise and set at my will.
Deciding to sleep, he lay down on the bed and drifted immediately into dreamland. His sleeping talent was legendary,he could sleep anytime for as long as he wanted.
Unfortunately, luck didn't extend to dreams.
Fade's Dream:
Fade found himself sitting in a cafe-like place. Seeing others eating, he decided to do the same. He poured a cold drink into a glass.
Just as he lifted it, a voice shook him to the core:
"One glass for me too."
"Wh-when did you ca,"
"Oh, I just arrived."
"O-okay."
Hands shaking, Fade poured another glass.
Why am I feeling this emotion!? Even though I promised myself not to fear anything after defeating those bullies!
"Hey, I heard you were eyeing Lia. Do you believe I won't gouge out those eyes of yours?"
Fade's heart stopped for a moment.
"I-I-…"
[Ding! Host suffering trauma detected. Proceeding to wake host from trauma!]
Fade bolted upright, panting heavily. Using mana, he calmed his body, stopping the trembling.
"Damn it! That nightmare again!"
He sat on the sofa, breathing a sigh of relief.
Ever since I met that guy Rio, these nightmares haven't stopped… even though I've long stopped looking at Lia, sigh~
Link's POV:
At Rex's mansion, in his private training hall, Link looked at the practice dummies. With a casual punch, cracks appeared. He didn't even touch them directly,the air pressure from his fist caused it. Yet, he was not satisfied.
Not enough. I need to focus on speed too.
Link remembered fighting a certain classmate, whose speed, precision, and strength were all off the charts, even within the same rank. He recalled the attack that had cut his hand in half,vividly feeling the pressure from mana compression.
Even after analyzing it several times, I'm not sure I can fully defend against it yet.
Despite finishing the fight exhausted, Rio still escaped teachers' notice. The more Link thought of him, the more mysterious he seemed.
But Link wasn't about to admit defeat. Confident in his talent, he knew he could win with enough effort.
Let's upgrade to stronger dummies,or maybe I'll visit a dungeon. Just you wait, Rio. I'll beat you black and blue!
Rio's POV:
Hmm… why does it feel like someone's talking about me behind my back?
Shaking his head, Rio dismissed the thought and focused ahead. A huge mountain appeared, covered in snow and far denser with trees than the previous one. His mood turned serious.
The card in his hand glowed brighter, the arrow pointing upward,the mountain's peak was clearly his destination.
Ever since those trees betrayed me last time, I've become extremely cautious. I just hope this mountain doesn't blow me to pieces.
Without Rio knowing, his presence had left a deep impression on several characters, subtly influencing events. Yet the main plot remained on course, proceeding without delay,at least for now.