Book 3: Epilogue: The assassin exchanges kisses

The carriage we were riding was headed not to the Tuatha Dé domain, but to the royal capital.

Because I had to explain in person what happened with the demon.

I had already sent them a letter using a carrier pigeon.

In the report, I wrote a detailed description of the demon and how I defeated him.

Since it wasn’t something to hide, I also wrote about the【Demon Slayer】spell, and I blurred out the part about【Railgun】.

As for the details of how I got【Demon Slayer】, I wrote that it was given to me by a goddess in a dream.

Said goddess’s features and appearance I included in it were a detailed description of the goddess who sent me into this world.

As doubtful as it was, she was a goddess. There was a good chance that there was some kind of lore that remained, and if so, it would add credibility to my story.

I wanted to popularize【Demon Slayer】, so it was convenient for me to make it a god-sent magic spell.

It’d be easier to spread if it gained such prestige.

Besides, it would also serve as bait.

Hopefully, I would catch what I wanted with it.

On the way, we stopped by a large city.

We could’ve slept in the carriage, but we were treated as VIPs, and they took care to ensure that we were as comfortable as possible.

Each of us was given a special room in the best inn of the city.

I ate a delicious meal that was worthy of the inn’s rank and washed myself with plenty of hot water.

We entrusted our clothes to the staff and borrowed some comfy loungewear.

It seemed that they would wash the clothes we put in their care and return them to us by the time we left.

After eating, I went back to my room. Even Tarte, who was my servant, was generously given a private room.

I heard a knock on my door, and when I replied, Tarte came into the room.

Perhaps was it due to her thin loungewear that was easy to move in, but it made me more conscious of Tarte’s attractive body than usual.

[Lugh-sama, um… Good evening.] (Tarte)

[Have you decided on a reward?] (Lugh)

[Yes, that is what I came to tell you.] (Tarte)

Tarte had such a sweet scent, it made me feel dizzy.

This was the side effect of【Beastification】.

After transforming, her condition would be off-balance for a day.

The aftereffect of her sexual urge caused her sense of reason to relax, and it made her emit a sweet scent and pheromones that attracted men.

I decided that I would never leave Tarte alone with another guy on the days she used【Beastification】.

When she used it during practice, she also tested it against my father and Ronaha, but they both said that they got hit by Tarte’s pheromones, and that they were lusting after her.

In other words, any man would want to assault Tarte. Her body was in danger.

However, it appeared that I was the only man Tarte wanted to assault herself.

I could call it a blessing in disguise. If she indiscriminately attacked any man, I would have no choice but to seal her【Beastification】.

If the men were the ones who assaulted her, Tarte could just fight back, but if it was the other way around, it would lead to the worst-case scenario.

And now, I was alone with Tarte.

Dia was in the next room, working on her new magic.

Earleir today, Tarte said that she wanted to be alone with me before asking for her reward, and Dia chose to respect her wish.

Tarte was fidgeting and twiddling her fingers in front of her chest.

Just looking at her made my throat dry and my heart bounce like crazy.

Crap, Tarte’s scent and pheromones are gonna do me in.

[I won’t get mad at you even if you ask for something strange, and there’s no need to panic. So just tell me at your own pace.] (Lugh)

[Y… Yes.] (Tarte)

…Just what in the world was she going to ask me that would make her this flustered?

My thoughts were getting hazy. This was bad news.

I waited for Tarte to speak up.

I was tempted to rush her, but that would make her shrink back in fear, so I waited patiently.

After a couple of minutes or so, Tarte made up her mind and opened her mouth.

[Please kiss me, Lugh-sama!] (Tarte)

Her face was so flushed I felt sorry for her, and she said that while bawling her eyes out.

I was taken aback.

A kiss?

What a letdown. I thought she was going to ask for more than that.

Thanks to that, I returned to my senses.

But… such a request was typical of Tarte and adorable.

[Sure, I don’t mind.] (Lugh)

I stood up, held Tarte in my arms, and pressed my lips against hers.

[Hmm! Hmmm…] (Tarte)

Tarte reacted to it.

I couldn’t help but find that lovely.

She looked even more adorable than usual.

Sure, I could feel that she was overflowing with pheromones due to the side effect of【Beastification】, but more than that, I could feel something overflowing from inside my heart.

My feelings for Tarte were welling up in me. I didn’t just want to kiss her, I wanted to go to the next stage with her.

But…

[There.] (Lugh)

[Fhank you vewy mush…] (Tarte)

Her speech was slurred.

She was staring at me with glassy eyes.

I was convinced that even if I tried to go even further with her, she would accept.

And surely Dia wouldn’t blame us for that.

But that much was good enough for now.

It was too early for Tarte to go any further than that.

She had her own pace.

[No need to thank me. It was your reward, and I enjoyed kissing you myself. But it would be a shame if your reward ended with this alone, so let’s go shopping tomorrow before our departure. I’ll buy you a present.] (Lugh)

[I-I can’t accept…! A kiss from you is already plenty enough, but this would be too much!] (Tarte)

[I want to give you a present. You should be a little more fashionable, Tarte. Especially when you’re so pretty.] (Lugh)

[P…Pretty…?] (Tarte)

Tarte overheated.

She had really interesting reactions.

Tomorrow, I’d try to find some accessories to make her even cuter.

But for now, I needed a break not just for my body, but also for my mind.

If I went to the royal capital, things would get bothersome.

Tarte, Dia, and I needed to let our tired bodies and minds recover from that battle with the demon while we still had the chance.

The following day, we used the time we had left before departing to go shopping.

Dia was teasing Tarte.

She could read the mood, and Tarte didn’t seem to seriously dislike it either.

Dia considered Tarte her best friend and cherished her accordingly.

[So what did you ask of Lugh?] (Dia)

[I-It’s a secret!] (Tarte)

Tarte was busy blushing and grinning from remembering what happened the day before, and she seemed to be somewhat happy.

She really wanted to brag, and she was likely delighted to be asked about it.

And in the end, Tarte replied in a whisper that she asked me for a kiss, and Dia expressed how happy she was for her with a smile.

It was fun watching the two of them like that.

A large market was open today, and it was crowded too.

There were many stalls, and I stopped in front of a stall selling silverware.

The craftsman had good taste and skills. This would bring out Tarte’s charm and last a long time.

When I talked to the shop owner, he said that he worked at a famous workshop. Since he couldn’t display his creations in the store yet, he sold what he made in practice on his days off and bought materials for his job and his studies while watching the reactions of his customers.

He was eager to learn, and if he had such good taste and skills, it wouldn’t be long before his creations were displayed in his workshop.

[Tarte, which one of those do you think is the prettiest?] (Lugh)

[Let’s see… I think I like this white flower hair ornament.] (Tarte)

[I knew you’d say that, even though there are flashier accessories.] (Dia)

As Dia stated, Tarte chose a small white flower hair ornament among many others that were brighter in color, larger, uniquely shaped, and more decorated.

[I thought this one was more graceful, prettier, and nicer.] (Tarte)

I took another look at the hair ornament Tarte had chosen.

It was a silver hair ornament with a pretty flower made of ceramic.

The decoration was minimal, but the sense of style was shining through. It was precisely because the decoration was minimal that the dainty white flower stood out.

It was a fine article.

This hair ornament was just like Tarte. She wasn’t a showy girl, but she was cute and comforting.

[Owner, I’ll take that.] (Lugh)

[That a present? Would you like me to put a ribbon on the wrapping?] (Stall owner)

[No, leave it as it is. I’ll use it right here.] (Lugh)

I purchased the hair accessory and tied it to Tarte’s hair.

The casual cuteness suited her very well.

[Thank you very much. I’ll take good care of it.] (Tarte)

Tarte stroked the hair ornament lovingly.

[Glad that you will. …And Dia, don’t be so sulky.] (Lugh)

[I’m not sulking. And don’t think I’m sad just because you didn’t praise me for my efforts even if it didn’t compare to what Tarte accomplished, or because you gave her two rewards while you didn’t even give me a single one.] (Dia)

Despite her claims, she deliberately showed how much she was sulking.

[I’m also preparing a gift for you, Dia. This one requires more time before it’s ready, though.] (Lugh)

[Oh, I see. I’m looking forward to it. But if you forget it, I’ll be very angry.] (Dia)

[How could I forget? I love you too much for that.] (Lugh)

I nodded.

I knew she would be really happy with my gift.

It took me some time to arrange the materials. Before we came here, Maha had informed me that she had gotten them, so it would probably arrive by the time we returned to Tuatha Dé.

When we returned to the meeting place at the appointed time, next to our carriage was another one made by a top-notch blacksmith, and one size larger.

And pulling it was a monster that possessed the hard skin of a rhinoceros and large muscles.

…Through the information network of the Balor Trading Company, I knew that there was a territory that had successfully trained monsters and harnessed their power.

But this was my first time seeing the real thing.

I could see it at a glance. The stamina and strength of that rhino were several times greater than those of a horse, and it could get you to your destination several times faster than a carriage.

The door of that rhino-monster-drawn carriage opened.

A man who was obviously dressed as a noble came out.

[Lord Holy Knight, you have done a great job in defeating the demon. The royal castle is already ready to honor your efforts. A grand banquet has been prepared for you. Please ride in Sleipnir, my carriage.] (Nobleman)

The nobleman respectfully thanked me.

I knew who he was. The Marquis of Grand Valen.

From the perspective of a baron’s son like me, he was far higher in the hierarchy.

Moreover, this man was quite capable.

You could tell how strong he was by observing his behavior, but he was one of the best in the country at what he did.

Someone of his position and caliber came all the way to pick me up?

And in such a large and special carriage?

What’s more, he was giving me credit for killing a demon?

It wasn’t normal for the royal castle to conclude that I had killed a demon based on my letter alone.

Something was definitely up.

[Marquis Grand Valen, you have my gratitude. Let’s go, Tarte, Dia.] (Lugh)

[Yes, my lord.] (Tarte)

[Carriages like this are a bit scary.] (Dia)

…Now, what gimmick did they use?

Was it a spy who could evade my enemy detection?

Or was there a system in place to confirm the death of demons?

There were several other mysteries.

I didn’t understand why he even prepared this special carriage to try and bring us to the royal capital as soon as possible.

He was a marquis, and he undoubtedly came to take us to the royal capital, but his reasons for that were unknown.

There so many things I didn’t understand.

One thing I did know was that if I didn’t step in, I would never see the big picture.

It was one mystery after another.

However, I couldn’t get desperate here.

I would solve the mysteries one by one.

What could be waiting for me in the castle?

I boarded the carriage, thinking of every possible situation.

From here on out, if I made one wrong decision, I would be out of the game in one shot.

But on the other hand, if I handled it well, I could proceed with the task given to me by the Goddess.

That was the hunch I had.

Extra LN illustrations (Didn’t know where to put them) :