“Ah heh—”
Jonah’s Ah-Engaging Double Peace!
The effect was amazing!
Lydia was thrown into confusion…!
“Uh, um. Uh-oh?”
Lydia could only stutter, like a fish gasping for air, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Lydia is usually pretty deadpan with her emotions. It’s not every day you see her this flustered.
…Which just means I’m getting bolder with my jokes! But hey, seeing a startled Lydia was worth it.
I poked Lydia’s side with my finger. Her skin was completely exposed due to her half-bikini armor.
Supposedly, it creates a barrier upon taking damage, but I guess that doesn’t count as an attack because I was free to touch.
A bit soft, isn’t it?
“Miss Lydia! I’m sure you’re envious of my epiphany, right? How about it? Do you think you can follow along?”
“…What?”
“Oh come on, are you going to keep pretending you don’t get it? You’re clearly understanding bits of it. But for the sake of our dear, bashful Miss Lydia, I’ll break it down further!”
Saying that, I tiptoed and whispered in Lydia’s ear.
“Miss Lydia, I’m saying you should try getting caught by me during your solo… self-love climax.”
I activated my sound-muffling walking technique. My presence dwindled to almost nothing, like an invisible curtain stretching between me and the world as I continued.
“…So, like this. You’ll be able to transform that shame of wanting to disappear from the world into a skill.”
“…….”
Lydia’s eyes were trembling. After pondering for a while, she finally spoke.
“…Is that really true?”
“Eh?”
“If I go through something truly embarrassing, then I can understand?”
“Uhh?”
I didn’t expect that response.
Of course, it’s an impossible scenario. Well, maybe it could be possible, but that’s not exactly how I acquired my skill.
I just pulled it from a gacha!
But? If I nod along here? Wouldn’t I get to see Lydia comforting herself?
To repay kindness with ingratitude, or to upgrade the unicorn dagger into a bijin dagger?
No, they’re basically the same thing. My thoughts were veering too far.
I shook my head, trying to dispel the rogue thoughts, but even that wasn’t easy.
“…Like this?”
Lydia made a V-sign with both hands, sticking her tongue out with a flat expression.
It’s not an Ah-Engaging face by any stretch, but that makes it even better. There’s a charm in its own right.
But seeing her seriously licking her own lips made me realize. Lydia genuinely admired this and wanted to adopt it herself.
It feels wrong to deceive her, no matter how I slice it.
“I think you’re lacking urgency. How about you try rolling your eyes back first?”
I inflected pain into the moment.
“Oh, I think I get it. Not making a sound, controlling my breath, and hiding my aura… those things aren’t too important after all. It’s about the image of hiding myself from the world. As if my very existence is being isolated somewhere else.”
And Lydia, in her own way, managed to achieve something too.
“???”
Of course, she wasn’t as skilled as me, but compared to her previous self, who showed everything without any shame, there was a clear change.
With a faint smile, Lydia ruffled my hair.
“Thanks, Jonah. This is way better than the stealth techniques I paid a fortune for in the guild.”
“Oops.”
“Yeah. It seems like sensation is crucial. I’ve already honed what I can, so what’s left is to use my innate talent and merge it with my aura.”
“Yea….”
“It might be tough for you, Jonah, but it’s still not even close to what I could buy with the money I’ve earned.”
“Is that so….”
“It’s all thanks to you, Jonah. I appreciate it.”
“…….”
Don’t look at me with those eyes…!
My conscience is spinning like a top, nearly on fire!
To hide my inner turmoil, I forced a smile.
“Since it’s a good opportunity, why don’t we practice sneaking our way to the Iron Wolf’s habitat?”
“That sounds good.”
Seeing Lydia nodding with sparkling eyes, my conscience pricked up again.
Ignoring it as best I could, I opened my mouth.
“Before that, can I ask you to lend me your hand for a moment, Miss Lydia?”
“Why?”
Lydia tilted her head, and without hesitation, she extended her hand. I placed the unicorn dagger on her palm.
Whoosh—!
The blade gleamed brightly. My discomfort eased just a bit.
With newfound composure, I dove deep into the dungeon.
*
I rushed in and jumped onto the massive body of the Iron Wolf. Then I shoved the dagger into the back of its neck.
Thwack!
“Yelp?!”
The dagger sliced through the thick hide with little resistance. Still, because the Iron Wolf was so massive, I failed to take it down in one go.
But that doesn’t mean it stands a chance of surviving.
Holding onto the jammed dagger tightly, I hopped off its back.
Scrape—
With my weight pulling down, I tore into its nape.
“……!”
With half its neck slashed, the Iron Wolf didn’t howl but instead gushed blood like a waterfall, stumbling around.
Before long, it collapsed to the ground.
I could see its feral gaze as I approached for the finishing blow. It was weak, sure, but the aggression was still very much alive. It’s not just any monster.
But that means the only thing it can do is glare.
With a grin, I tossed the unicorn dagger into the air, caught it by the blade, and hurled it straight at the Iron Wolf’s brow.
Splat… thunk!
The dagger sank effortlessly into its forehead. The fiery light in its eyes extinguished.
Nodding in satisfaction, I reached out, and the dagger trembled slightly before pulling itself from the corpse and returning to my hand.
It seems this is the first time Lydia is truly witnessing the performance of the unicorn dagger, staring wide-eyed in awe.
I raised the dagger proudly, showing off to her, who had been surprised so many times today.
“Gear luck is always right!… I finally understand your great intentions, Miss Lydia!”
“Ahem. …But isn’t this weapon a bit too good? What in the world is it made of?”
“Didn’t I mention before? It’s made from a unicorn’s horn.”
“If it’s this good, the restrictions must be quite severe too. …Wait a sec. Was that glow earlier when I placed it in your hand?”
“Hehe.”
I smirked, but all I got in return was a playful punch on the arm.
“Ow!”
“Dodging is useless.”
I dodged, but two more smacks landed. That’s just cruel.
Pouting, I started to dissect the Iron Wolf’s body. This time, the hide came off easily even without Lydia’s help.
I was careful, making sure not to damage it too much as I spoke.
“So, there are some limitations to the restrictions.”
“Limitations? Like, does the lifespan decrease with each swing?”
“That’s a cursed blade. This thing may be obsessed with purity, but it doesn’t seek lifespan or souls. In fact, it has the power to regenerate its user!”
Whoo—
The blade buzzed in protest. I swung it once, and it quieted down. Honestly, hitting it seems to be the trick.
Buzz…
Ignoring the timid protests of the dagger, I continued to peel off the hide.
“There aren’t any terrifying restrictions like that. …But it does choose its master.”
“Uh-oh, like a cursed sword?”
“Not at all. It just distinguishes between purity and impurity.”
“?”
“When I lose my purity, it turns into a black dual dagger.”
“Oh.”
As obvious as that is, the power of a biken is much weaker than that of a unicorn.
It feels like a 4-star weapon made with a 3-star material now, but once it morphs into dual biken, it’s like a 3-star weapon made with 3-star material.
“So, fear not, Miss Lydia! As long as my dagger stays white, it means I’m still pure!”
“…I’m not particularly curious about your purity, though.”
“Oh dear, I totally forgot. Miss Lydia, you dream of noble knight romance, right? You’re drawn to the lord’s husband rather than a pure knightly image!”
“Stop that slander…!”
Seeing Lydia tremble, I chuckled softly as I stuffed the processed hide into my backpack.
“Ugh. This should be enough to avoid clinging to the Iron Wolf anymore. Let’s dive deeper today.”
“Are you sure that’s okay? Even defeating the Iron Wolf would bring decent growth and a lot of money.”
“But defeating hobgoblins would bring way more cash and let us grow even further.”
“But it’ll be dangerous. Unlike the Iron Wolf that wanders alone, hobgoblins usually move in groups… large clans can have more than a hundred of them! I’ll help, but I can’t ensure we cover every danger perfectly.”
“Pardon? Miss Lydia, did you think I’m going to annihilate the hobgoblin clan head-on?”
“???”
Lydia looked at my blood-soaked backpack with an expression that seemed to question what sort of madness I was suggesting.
With one hand on my waist and another finger raised, I struck a pose.
“Whoa! Please don’t say such brutal things!”
“Yeah….”
“I just planned to comfortably assassinate them all, you know!”
“…….”
They die without suffering.
How peaceful is that?
