Magical Princess Makina: Chapter 6 - The Colossal Forest and the Hero’s Power

The royal capital was found past the Forest of Monsters.

The great kingdom of Britannica existed almost in the very center of the vast island and its capital of Londomern was a fortress city surrounded by tall walls.

Once they left the forest, Makina and Tet knew they would finally get to see that walled city in all its glory…but they were wrong.

“Wh-what!?”

“What is going on?”

The forest path was supposed to lead them to a vast field full of travelers and traveling salesmen hoping to enter those famous white walls.

But they did not find that deep green land, those sturdy fortress walls, or a line of people at the gate.

Instead, they found a forest of massive trees that stood taller than a fortress’s walls.

“I’ve never heard a word about a forest like this in front of Londomern.”

“This map isn’t wrong. The road it shows is accurate, so this should lead to the royal capital.”

The great trees grew so thickly they cut off the light of the sun. Makina stared into the forest which was dark even in the middle of the day.

Tet repeatedly compared the surrounding terrain with their map and seemed taken aback by the great difference, but he could only conclude that they were indeed seeing the territory of Londomern before them.

As they stood there in confusion, a gray-haired man pulling an old horse laden with luggage exited the forest behind them and called out to them.

“I reckon y’all must be adventurers.”

They turned back and bowed in greeting.

He appeared to be a traveling salesman and his horse was carrying baskets of vegetables and bamboo products he likely intended to sell at the royal capital.

“From the looks on yer faces, ya’ll must not’ve heard.”

“N-no…”

“Old man, what is this? I had heard Londomern’s south road was a beautiful place with a vast field leading up to the white walls.”

“And ya heard right. This here’s south of the royal capital. …Thing is, yer information’s about half a year outta date. One day, those there trees started growin’ up all ‘round the city. They kept growin’ day by day till they’d overgrown the walls. In my village, they’re sayin’ this is the punishment fer goin’ to war with all the other kingdoms ‘round here.”

“Half a year…”

–About half a year before matched the time when that black-hooded mage appeared in Grandel.

But that was not all. That was also when veteran adventurers at Wells had begun to be captured by the Poison Frog with the Gelwess power.

It was the same time as when Coltra encountered a mysterious mage and committed so many rapes in the royal capital.

And it was when travelers in the Forest of Monsters had started falling victim to Nunna.

“Tet, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Yes, we must investigate.”

Either way, they had to pass through the forest to reach the royal capital.

But the old man told them the other adventurers and the kingdom’s soldiers that tried to do that had either fled for their lives or never returned at all.

However, it would take time to reach the northern entrance which had relatively few giant trees and remained the only usable entrance and exit. That was just how massive a city Londomern was.

They thanked the worried salesman and did not hesitate to walk right into the eerie forest.

“But, Princess.”

When he used that title, Makina turned toward Tet to ask him why he was still refusing to just use her name.

But that title meant he was speaking as her servant here.

“Solving the mystery of this forest would be the quickest route for us. …But while Britannica is a new kingdom with little history, it is an imperialist one that has grown rapidly through military invasions and war. They were even insolent enough to slight Grandel’s long history and demand we submit to them. I would prefer not to assist them.”

While Grandel had 600 years of history and tradition, Britannica had only been founded 50 years ago. But it had used its aggressive policies and powerful military might to grow into the island’s largest kingdom in only a few decades.

Of course such a powerful kingdom had demanded a small kingdom like Grandel become its vassal state. Makina and Tet knew just how arrogantly they had carried out the diplomacy. It was to the point that they had assumed they were under attack by a Britannican mage on that day when they lost their kingdom.

However…

“But the people of Londomern have done nothing wrong. The same goes for the people living in Britannica. These oddities have been cropping up all over the place. What if that tragedy did not end with Grandel and it happens again elsewhere? What if that man is still plotting something? Then it is our duty to stop him!”

It would take an incredible spell to create such an enormous forest in only half a year. This was well past anything Britannica could plan or control. It was highly unlikely that black-hooded man was one of Britannica’s court mages.

If nothing was done, other kingdoms might meet the same fate as Grandel and other people might fall victim to that mage.

There was no doubt in that homeless princess’s eyes. She would discover what that man was up to, free all of her kingdom’s people, and save Grandel. And she would protect the people of other kingdoms as well.

When he saw the resolve on her face, Tet could not protest any further. He could only clench his teeth and find satisfaction that his princess was showing signs of growing into a proper queen.

“Then let’s get going! I will follow you wherever you might go!”

“Yes! Let’s go, Tet!”

A gust of wind blew out from the dark forest and it felt like the breath of some ferocious beast.

Makina held her witch hat down and tightly gripped her magic staff.

Tet’s black hair and black cape fluttered and he reached for his sword.

Princess and knight set foot into the dark woods to reach the royal capital’s southern gate.

And then…

“He-…hel-…!”

“…? What is that?”

“Stand back, Princess. Something is coming!”

Tet took a step forward and drew his sword. Makina raised her staff behind him. They were both ready to act at a moment’s notice and they had taken their usual formation of vanguard and rear guard.

And their prospective target turned out to be…a boy running tearfully from the dark forest.

“H-hellllp! It’s gonna kill meeeeeeeeee!”

“!?”

“What!?”

He was about the same age as Makina and Tet. He was dressed like an adventurer and he had a short sword at his hip.

But other than the red lock of hair in his bangs, the black-haired boy looked like no more than an ordinary farm boy. And that included the sorrowful look on his face as he fled.

“Bweh!?”

He tripped over a root, failed to catch himself, collapsed headfirst to the ground…and slid right up to Makina’s feet.

“Ah! Polka dots!”

“Kyah!”

When the boy looked up, he happened to see “what lay within”.

Makina immediately held her skirt down to hide that and she blushed bright red.

Seeing his master’s response, Tet immediately pointed the tip of his sword toward the boy who had slid right past him.

“How dare you!”

“Wah! Wait, wait! Don’t kill me! It was an accident!”

The boy panicked at Tet’s killer intent and held out his palms while begging for his life.

The situation was a little different, but Makina felt like she had seen this somewhere before. Then someone else ran out from the forest.

“Wait, Seiji! Where do you think you’re going!? That spider wasn’t even all that big! Man, you’re pathetic.”

“S-sayaaaaaa! Thank goodness! I’m saved!”

This girl named Saya had a thick tome under one arm. She had blonde twintails and wore a miniskirt adventurer’s outfit. She tried to run over to the boy named Seiji who was about to be cut down by Tet, but…

“Kyah!?”

She too tripped over the thick tree root and fell toward Seiji.

“Wah!?”

Makina and Tet could only watch blankly as the girl tumbled end over end like some kind of joke.

“Ow, ow, ow,” muttered Saya while rubbing her bumped forehead. “Hm?” she added when she noticed the odd feeling below her.

“Eh heh heh. They’re so soft…”

Seiji enjoyed the feeling of the two ample mounds that had leaped into his hands. He also moved his fingers with a look of ecstasy to fully experience their size and softness.

“Wha-!?”

Saya’s face naturally grew bright red, her bright brown eyes angled upwards, and she immediately stood up. Then she slammed her thick magic book against Seiji’s face.

“What do you think you’re doing, you perverrrrrrrrt!!!”

“Bwehuhh!? Y-you’re the one that fell on me!”

It was like some kind of comedy skit. As Makina and Tet watched Seiji and Saya’s somewhat hackneyed exchange, they felt like they had seen this somewhere before but could not quite put their finger on it.

They exchanged a glance that said “What do we do about this?”

“I really am sorry for what this idiot did!”

“Oh, c’mon. I didn’t do anything wrong. It was all an accident.”

“You still need to apologize!”

“Geh!?”

Saya’s magic book once more slammed into Seiji’s head.

“Tch, you’re so violent…”

“What was that?”

“N-nothing at all~.”

“Now, now. Calm down, you two.”

“Are you two adventurers? If you know anything about this forest, would you mind sharing that with us?”

Makina and Tet had not expected to find anyone else here after being told no one returned alive.

And just as they prepared to ask why Seiji and Saya were here…

“Hm? Huh, huh?”

Saya’s large eyes turned toward Makina and Tet’s faces.

Makina blushed because other girls did not often observe her face that closely and Tet maintained a calm expression of indifference.

“D-do you need something?”

“Ah! A-are you Princess Makina!? And are you Black Knight Tet!?”

“Eh!?”

“You know us?”

“Hm? What’s this, Saya? Friends of yours?”

“How dumb are you, Seiji!? Have you already forgotten what your own ruler from half a year ago looked like!? I am ashamed to have someone like you serving Griffoth!”

“Griffoth? Wait, are you…!?”

“Yes, I am Saya Griffoth. It was only for three years, but my father served Grandel.”

Saya belonged to the House of Griffoth, a regional feudal lord. They had joined with the surrounding kingdoms and changed ruler countless times to protect their small territory and preserve their bloodline.

They had sworn loyalty to Grandel until half a year ago, but they had immediately given up on Grandel when it disappeared overnight and they currently served Britannica.

“My papa is such an ungrateful coward. He has no pride whatsoever. If Princess Makina is safe, that means Grandel has not been destroyed.”

“N-no, your father was only trying to protect his house. Please don’t let it bother you.”

“Ahh! I remember now! I saw her at a festival in Grandel! You were that super cute princess!”

Seiji belatedly remembered who Makina was and Saya loudly clicked her tongue.

“Again, I am Saya. And this idiot here is my servant Seiji. We were investigating this forest on my papa’s instructions because Britannica gave him an order.”

Ordering a regional feudal lord to investigate a problem like this was likely meant as a test of his loyalty. Saya was motivated because she wanted to help preserve her house, but Seiji did not look all that interested.

In fact, he seemed more focused on showing off to the princess he had run across by accident.

“And I am Saya’s destined partner who destiny has chosen as a child of destiny!”

“How many times are you going to say destiny? We’re just childhood friends. …You really are dumb.”

She insulted him at the end, but Makina noted the red in Saya’s cheeks when he called himself her “destined partner”.

“I belong to the lamentable bloodline that has managed the House of Griffoth’s horses for generations! But I was the chosen one!”

“Just give your name already. And all you do is laze around not doing your job.”

Despite Saya’s comment, the boy continued moving in the theatrical way of a jester and showed of the back of his left hand to Makina and Tet.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess. I am none other than Seiji, the man loved by a goddess! I am known as the Hero!”

“The Hero?”

“W-wait!”

Tet drew a blank on that title, but Makina was shocked.

Because as flippant and silly as Seiji was being, the back of his hand contained a symbol very similar to Gelwess’s.

“That symbol!”

“This idiot started making a huge fuss one day about how he had gained the Hero’s power and had seen a goddess in a dream. When he first mentioned it, I thought he had finally lost his mind.”

“Wait, that’s what you thought, Sayaya!?”

“Don’t call me Sayaya. It’s creepy.”

“What!? No need to be so mean!”

“Gelwess. That symbol was on Nunna and the Poison Frog I fought.”

While Seiji and Saya continued their comedy skit, the look in Makina and Tet’s eyes grew deadly serious.

But they were unsure what to make of this symbol that was designed differently from the sex magic symbol they had seen on their enemies or on their own lower stomach.

“Excuse me. Could I see that more closely!?”

“Woohoo! A-a princess is totally asking to touch my hand! Ohh, her hand is smooth~. And warm…”

“What are you doing!?”

“Ouchies!!!”

When Seiji held Makina’s hand back and rubbed it in far too familiar a way, Saya slammed her magic book shut on his face.

“M-my nose!”

“You really are indiscriminate when it comes to girls, aren’t you!? That is the princess of Grandel! Neither of us should be speaking with her in anything but the most formal of settings!”

Saya was aware of their different social statuses and scolded Seiji for his rude behavior.

But Makina had no intention of insisting on formality from them. In fact, she found herself very interested in Seiji’s symbol and in the boy himself. Oddly enough, her interest had grown from the moment she had touched his left hand.

“N-no, don’t worry about that, Saya!” she said.

“We are no more than adventurers at the moment,” added Tet. “We do intend to restore Grandel, but that formality is unneeded here.”

“R-really?”

“See, violent girl!? Real nobility is openhearted!”

“Shut up, you idiot!”

Those two got into another scuffle, but both pairs decided to work together as adventurers to make their way through the forest.

Makina and Tet were curious about the symbol on the self-proclaimed Hero’s hand, but since he said he did not know any details himself, they decided to continue on as a group.

“Sigh~… You really are cool, Sir Tet. You’re the hot swordsman who was appointed as a royal knight at an unusually young age! You’re secretly quite popular in our territory too!”

“Really? Isn’t that great, Tet!?”

“I would prefer to be known for my work as a knight, not my looks…”

The master was pleased to hear such good things about her servant. The servant himself may have been embarrassed or not interested in his popularity with the opposite sex because he did not seem delighted.

Seiji walked behind those three, holding his aching nose and giving a bitter glare at his master who was praising Tet so much.

“Tch. Even his response is perfect. I’m good looking too, you know? Well, maybe not that much, but I’m average looking. No, I’m better than average, I think. I mean, I’m definitely not ugly…r-right? Huh? Now I’m not so sure.”

“N-no one said anything about you being ugly, Seiji. …You’re pretty attractive yourself.”

“Eh? Did you say something?”

“N-no, I did not, you idiot! You moron! Quit walking so slow! We need to get going”

“Hey, don’t go on ahead alone like that!”

Saya blushed and began walking much faster.

Makina and Tet had clearly heard her positive words about Seiji, but the words must not have reached the boy himself. Even though she had been speaking fairly loudly.

The regional noble girl who could not be honest with herself stomped off and the servant boy who claimed to have the power of the Hero chased after her. Even dense Tet understood their relationship.

Yet he muttered “glad that isn’t me” in a way that showed he was still oblivious when it came to him and Makina.

At the same time, he remained wary of their surroundings. Large broad-leaf trees towered above them like giants. Even leaning your head back to look straight up was not enough to see the tops because the blue sky and sun hid them from view.

Just the roots exposed from the dirt were far thicker than the logs or fallen trees found in a normal forest.

“Without any landmarks, it would be easy to get lost in here.”

“Madam Saya, is this the right way?”

“Our other party members went on ahead of us. …And the only reason we’re not with them is because Seiji got scared and ran off. I only turned around to bring him back.”

“I-I couldn’t help it! I’m afraid of spiders!”

The House of Griffoth had apparently gathered a larger investigation team after receiving their command from Britannica.

Makina was just about to ask who the others were when…

“Graaaaaaaahh!”

“Hahhhhhhhh!”

A monster’s cry echoed through the forest and a high-pitched and noble voice joined it.

The three other than Seiji immediately readied their weapons.

“That was Solaris’s voice!”

Saya ran toward the party member she had called Solaris.

Makina and Tet followed and Seiji began running too, but he got his feet tangled on another root and took another spectacular tumble.

“Bweh! W-wait!”

Makina and Tet quickly put on the brakes, but Saya ignored him and ran off.

After prioritizing her other party member’s apparent distress over dense Seiji, she found three adventurers battling countless goblins.

“Gshahhh!”

“Hahh!”

One goblin raised his club, but a sharp spear jab pierced him before the attack could be made.

A tall girl slayed goblin after goblin with her navy blue ponytail swinging behind her.

“Duck, Solaris! Frozen Lance!”

“Lady Saya!”

Saya had returned after pursuing Seiji to the forest entrance. Upon hearing that girl’s voice, blue-haired Solaris immediately ducked down.

Saya’s magic grazed past her head and the lance of ice skewered the goblin who was aiming a crossbow at Solaris from her blind spot.

The goblin tried to launch a bolt as he died, but a swordsman finished him off with a slash from one of his two swords.

And that dual-wielding boy moved on to confront the next goblin.

“Don’t let your guard down, Sol! If Lady Saya had not saved you just now…!”

“Heh. I am well aware of that, Rick!”

The boy cut down the goblins with his two swords as he fought alongside spear-wielding Solaris. His orange hair stood out, but he himself did not have an aura as bright and energetic as the sun. If anything, his face was more calm and composed.

And that showed in his fighting style as well. He watched the goblins’ movements, dodged their attacks, and cut them down with counterattacks. Even a royal knight like Tet took note of his talent and experience with the blade.

Then a few goblins made a surprise attack on Swordsman Rick and Spearwoman Solaris from the giant tree overhead.

“Up above you! Solaris! Rick!”

Saya opened her thick magic book and prepared to defeat the goblins with magic again, but she could only use one spell at a time and her ice lance could only defeat one of them at a time.

Meanwhile, the goblins were dropping down. But even when they knew the attack was coming from above, there were too many for Solaris’s spear and Rick’s two swords to handle from the ground.

That was when arrows joined Saya’s Frozen Lance in defeating the goblins. The arrows whistled through the air, pierced the goblins’ brains, and killed them one after another.

“Thanks, Kyna!”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from me and Sol’s little sister!”

“Sholarish! Rick! You’re shupposed to be the big shishter and big brother, so you really need to shtop getting tunnel vision and shtaying in one shpot! You’ll worry Shaya!”

A girl scolded her party members in a cute and lisping voice. Brown-haired Kyna was just as short as the goblins, but she used her tiny body to its fullest to pull back the bowstring and loose arrows.

Spearwoman Solaris, dual-wielding Rick, and archer Kyna seemed to be siblings and they had all found their own specialty as an adventurer.

Saya, Makina, and Tet joined the fray with those three.

As for the boy with the Mark of the Hero on the back of his hand…Seiji was having 

a hard time fighting a mini-goblin about the size of a 5-year-old human child.

“I give, I give, I give! Ow, ow, ow!”

“Hissss!”

He was flailing around the arm holding his short sword, but he could not reach the tiny goblin that had climbed up onto his back.

However, the mini-goblin lacked the strength to deliver a finishing blow, so he could only tug at Seiji’s red bangs. He must not have had any other way to fight.

It almost looked like a villager playing with a small child. He was not in any danger and (more importantly) it was embarrassing, so Saya ignored him and focused on slaying the other goblins.

“Grooooarrrrr!”

“Wh-what?”

Saya, her three party members, and their dead weight were enough to handle these goblins…or so Saya thought.

But something else emerged from the dark forest as if to prove her wrong.

A dreadful roar rumbled in her gut and marching footsteps shook the ground. It was soon revealed what they were.

“Oh, no! That is a boss goblin, Lady Saya!”

“And it has more normal goblins with it!”

“Th-their weaponsh and equipment are far shtronger than the othersh!”

As an archer, Kyna had excellent vision. Her emerald eyes saw swords and armor that had likely been taken from the adventurers and soldiers who lost their lives in this forest.

The goblins were equipped like a proper army.

The monster army may have contained more than 100 goblins and it was led by a giant boss goblin. That goblin king was more than three meters tall, so the surrounding trees did not seem quite so overlarge around him. His size seemed to rival even the orcs they had heard stories and rumors of.

“Frozen! Frozen! Frozen Lance!”

Saya opened her magic book and desperately fired magic toward the goblin army. Kyna loosed arrows with a tense expression.

But their attacks were slow and weak, so they could not make a dent in that army. Solaris and Rick were putting up a valiant fight, but they had not even finished taking out the normal goblins from before. If this army led by the boss goblin reached them now…

“This is too much for us to handle! Run away, every-…”

They had no idea where to run to in this forest and it was unlikely they could lose this army, but Saya prioritized her party members’ lives and tried to order a retreat. But then…

“Frozen Blast!”

Ice lances poured down like rain.

All the green was dyed white.

“Eh?”

Saya’s quiet voice rang awfully loud.

That was because the goblins’ marching feet, roars, and even heartbeats had been silenced instantly by Makina’s magic.

“Tet.”

“As you wish.”

The monsters, the leaves, and everything else were encased in ice and it even felt like time itself had been frozen.

A black wind raced across that icy forest.

More than 100 pillars of ice stood there and they all contained a goblin. He cut past them and even used them as footing to leap to the eye level of the boss goblin who sat there with mouth agape.

“…!? R-roar!”

“Too slow.”

It took the boss goblin some time to accept the reality before his eyes. He was surprised to see the black swordsman jump up before his eyes and he immediately raised his club made from a giant tree.

But before he could swing it down, Tet drew his sword, sliced through the boss goblin’s artery, and stopped the slash perfectly in the center of his throat.

“Gah!”

The goblin king was shocked. His neck had been sliced halfway through, red blood was hemorrhaging out and he could not breath with his windpipe cut.

But the life force of a monster prevented him from dying immediately and he attempted to crush Tet in his giant left hand.

“Nhhhhn!”

But Tet gave a cry while swinging his sword back along the path it had taken through half the throat and extracting the blade.

And instead of eliminating his momentum, he made a full rotation in midair.

His sword entered the throat from the opposite side and he used his full strength to swing it on through.

It was just like felling a large tree, even if his exact method was a little crude for that. The boss goblin’s head fell from his body.

The giant body turned to specks of light and vanished. There was no rumble of the body falling, so only the soft sound of Tet alighting on the ground reached Saya and the others’ ears.

“Thank you, Tet! You killed him instantly!”

“No, no. You slayed far more than me, Princess. And I only managed that because your ice magic created a foothold for me. I need a lot more training before I can jump that high on my own.”

Could he really jump more than three meters into the air if he trained more? Saya, Solaris, Rick, and Kyna were so astonished their jaws dropped and they could not even ask such an obvious question. This was their first time seeing first rate adventurers like Makina and Tet.

Meanwhile…

“You pack a pretty good punch, you know that?”

“Grr…grar grar!”

Seiji lay sprawled out on the ground alongside the mini-goblin. Refreshing pain and exhaustion filled his body while he bumped his fist against the mini-goblin’s with a smile. That was their toast to this strange friendship between human and monster.

“Heh heh… I’m glad I could meet a formidable foe like you.”

“Grar…”

They did not understand each other’s language, but men knew how to speak with their fists. They seemed to be confirming that fact here.

“You will be my lifelong friend and rival!”

“Grar!”

A few minutes later, Saya slayed the mini-goblin with her magic.

Seiji wept out loud at the death of his lifelong friend and rival.

Thanks to Makina and Tet’s crucial contribution, Saya and the other Griffoth adventurers survived the goblin army attack.

“How could you do that to my rival!” complained Seiji, but Saya silenced him with a fist and introduced her subordinates.

The older girl with a spear was Solaris, the oldest sister. The dual-wielding boy named Rick was her younger brother. And the archer girl named Kyna was the youngest sibling. Their family had served the House of Griffoth for generations and (unlike Seiji) they were truly reliable.

“Grandel Princess Makina and Black Knight Tet Chrom? I never expected to meet you here. It is quite an honor.”

Solaris had a polite and dignified feel to her, so Makina was charmed by her even as a fellow girl.

The way her dark blue ponytail had swung wildly as she wielded her spear had looked like a warrior woman to Makina.

“Nice to meet you, Sir Rick. I am Tet. You clearly have great skill with the blade. I would love to spar with you if we have a chance.”

“No! Um! I-I am nowhere near the, uh, level to warrant such kind words from a royal knight.”

Rick shook hands with Tet but was too nervous to get the words out right. His hair was bright orange, but he seemed like a very shy boy.

“Shaya, are you hurt? You are our mashter and your papa would be mad if we let shomething happen to you!”

“Hee hee. I’m fine, Kyna. Thanks.”

Kyna clearly had great resolve as a servant to vow to protect her master despite having such a tiny body.

And her adorableness made Saya grin and tousle the bright brown hair on that small head.

“Hold on just a second, everyone. Aren’t we forgetting someone? You’re supposed to introduce the Hero first.”

“You already introduced yourself…in as stupid a way as possible.”

“I’m not stupid. And why isn’t anyone worried about me!?”

“I was worried about you, Seiji.”

“Thank you, Solaris! You’re like a big sister to everyone here! If only I were a little boy cute enough to dress up as a girl! Then this could segue into some hot ‘older girl/little boy’ action!”

“I was equally worried I might get some split ends in my hair.”

“Then you weren’t worried at all! Your hair’s as smooth as can be!”

Solaris laughed at Seiji’s comical conversation, Saya smiled bitterly in obvious exasperation, Rick laughed quietly, and Kyna seemed to be enjoying Seiji’s responses.

“Your party seems to get along well.”

“Eh? Oh, yes. We’re all childhood friends after all. And my house’s territory is small, so I live in a mansion instead of a castle… We all ended up friends regardless of social status. The four of us and the one idiot.”

“You could’ve just said ‘the five of us’!”

“Oh? I never said the idiot was you, Seiji. But it sounds like you know what you are.”

“D-dammit! You couldn’t get away with this if you weren’t part of the privileged class!”

It seemed Saya was right about social status not being a barrier between them. They spoke casually together, they were all friends, and they seemed as close as siblings.

Makina felt a little envious.

It may never have been an option since she was the princess of a kingdom with plenty of history and tradition behind it, but she wished she could have that kind of casual relationship with Tet.

“Princess!”

Tet’s face suddenly paled as he calmly watched Makina, Saya, and the others.

She looked over at him in confusion just in time to see a goblin wielding a rusty machete drop down from a tree overhead.

“Eh?”

There had apparently been a single survivor. Oh, no, she thought with a chill down her spine. She had relaxed after assuming the battle was over, so she might not be able to fully dodge this.

Tet and Rick immediately began to draw their swords. And Solaris her spear. But while the reach of their weapons was an advantage in normal battles, that created a few seconds of lag before they could ready an attack now.

The same was true of Saya opening her magic book and Kyna nocking an arrow.

“Ouuuuuuuutta the wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!”

So the one who shoved Makina away, drew his short sword, and immediately slashed at the falling goblin was Seiji.

“Brave Burn!”

“Gh…gyaaaaahhhh!?”

The self-styled Hero who was mocked by his friends loudly spoke some magic words and the emblem on his left hand glowed.

The short sword in his right hand only managed a shallow cut on the goblin, but the monster was enveloped in bright light and disappeared.

The machete fell powerlessly to the ground instead of slicing Makina’s head open.

“Agh!”

Seiji had saved Makina with a slash made while half leaping toward her. And his attack barely counted as a slash since he had not put his hips into it and he had ended up diving face first into the ground again.

“Ow…”

“A-are you okay, Seiji!? Th-thank you so much!”

Seiji lay collapsed on his back like a frog squished below a carriage’s wheel and Makina ran over to him.

Her heart was pounding, although she was unsure if it was due to the attack or the relief of being saved.

“Heh heh… I’m a Hero, remember!? Protecting princesses is what I do! It’s my duty…or my destiny?”

“Ah ha ha…”

When she laughed bitterly and reached out her right hand, he reached out his left hand since his short sword was in his right hand, so she grabbed that left hand and helped him up.

The Hero’s symbol on that hand was still glowing a little and she felt something warm flowing into her from it.

“Seiji, you idiot! But…good job. You were actually useful for once.”

“Badass, wasn’t I? I’m completely OP, aren’t I? Don’t be afraid to fall in love. Oh, but who to choose!? The blonde twintailed tsundere noble or the blonde long-haired busty princess! It’s a real love triangle! But a real Hero…no, a real man goes for the harem end!”

“There are times when I swear you’re talking in another language altogether.”

“Shame here, Sholarish.”

Not even saving a princess’s life was enough to slow down that boy named Seiji.

Tet was appalled that he had nearly allowed Makina to be harmed and required Seiji’s assistance, but he was also surprised by the Hero’s power.

“Was that the Hero’s power?”

The mark on the back of Seiji’s left hand had glowed when he defeated that goblin. And even though he had only really grazed the monster, his short sword’s attack had annihilated it. No amount of training with a sword could reproduce that feat.

“…”

Seiji grinned like an idiot while surrounded by girls who were either praising him or insulting him.

And Rick had an odd look on his face as he watched on.

Then the giant forest gave the adventurers a further trial. As if it refused to give them any time to rest. As if it had a will of its own that refused to let anyone return alive.

That will manifested in the form of plant vines. The vines crawled along the trees and ground like snakes to approach Makina and the others.

“Kh! What is this!? My spear can’t stop them!”

“Kyah!”

“Princess!”

“Waaahhhh! Help meeeeee!”

“Seiji!”

“Th-the vinesh are grabbing me!”

“E-everyone!”

Rick’s shout echoed through the forest. Everyone tried to resist the vines, but there was nothing they could do with so many of those swift tentacles tangled around them.

The vines swung them around and threw them all in different directions.

He had first become aware of that a few days after leaving from his home of Griffoth.

They had only just abandoned Grandel and joined Britannica, so the king did not trust them. So his childhood friend Saya had explained that now was the time to get to the bottom of the mysterious forest hat had appeared near the south gate. It would make her father happy and it would bring peace to their people.

“Rick, I’m relying on your skill with those swords! After all, that idiot Seiji doesn’t even try to practice with that short sword of his.”

She was relying on him. Just how happy and proud had that made him feel as a servant, as a childhood friend, and as a man? He felt rewarded for his daily sword training to master the two-sword style.

And yet…

“Hm? Seiji?”

It happened when they were staying in the city of Wells. They had spent the night in a small hot spring inn with one room for the boys and one for the girls.

Seiji’s snoring always made it hard to sleep, so the unusual stillness of that night had actually woken him up.

“Huh?”

Seiji should have been sleeping in the bed next to him, but he was no longer there. The room’s door was cracked open as well. The boy must have gone somewhere in the night, so he decided to go look for him.

It had not taken long to search the entire small inn, but there was one place he had not checked.

The inn was supposedly a little-known place with an excellent hot spring, but the magic engine meant to draw up the spring water was broken. It was supposed to be fixed in a few days’ time, but they were not staying that long.

“Surely not.”

But he could not think of anywhere else, so he would have to head out into the city after this. He wanted to eliminate every other option first, so he stepped into the silent changing room despite not expecting to find the boy there.

“Nh♥ Ah♥”

“Eh?”

His feet came to a stop and his heart raced.

And when his brain realized who that voice belonged to, he felt like he was going to dump all his stomach’s contents on the floor.

“Rick, I’m relying on your skill with those swords!”

No. This could not be. He must have misheard. Because otherwise…

With that in mind, he left the changing room, walked through the room full of shower stalls, and cracked the door enough to peek into the open-air bath.

“Ah♥ Wait♥ Seiji♥ I can’t hold in my voice♥”

“Let it out. I love your horny voice, Saya! I want to hear it more~♥”

“Nh♥ G-god♥ You really are an idiot♥ You’re just the worst…oh, god yes♥”

Inside the deep stone basin of the currently-dry bath, his best friend and his master were naked and thrusting their hips together. They were doing it doggy style and quite roughly.

“Ah♥ Hyah♥ Hh♥ Nh♥ Ahh♥”

“Your chest really has grown, Saya. Hell yeah~♥ They’re so soft~.”

“Wait♥ C’mon♥ I didn’t ask for them to get so big♥ Hyah♥ Wait♥ Don’t grope them like that♥”

Rick had been with her since he was born. He had watched as she grew up. And he had indeed felt some unforgivable feelings when puberty hit and she grew more feminine.

He knew it was wrong, but he had even pleasured himself while picturing her chest, legs, and hips. His older sister Solaris had almost caught him a few times when he was cleaning up the milky fluid afterwards.

But this was not his imagination. He was seeing the actual weight of those twin mounds in front of him.

…All while Seiji massaged them in his hands.

“Ah♥ Ah♥ Ahn♥ Yes♥ I’m cumming♥ I’m cumming♥ Seiji♥ Ahh♥ Ahhhh♥♥♥”

“So am I! Kh, Saya, ahhh♥”

He could not bear to watch, but he did not need to watch to hear Seiji and Saya’s voices and breaths.

No matter how long they had known each other and no matter how close of friends they were, the daughter of a feudal lord and the child of one of their servants could never be together. That was why he had calmly watched and decided to help her in any way he could. He had spent over a dozen years believing that her beautiful eyes would turn his way if he continued working as her faithful servant.

“Nh, ahhhhhhhh!♥ Hnhhh♥ Wait♥ What if I get pregnant?♥”

“Then I’ll take responsibility, obviously. We’re talking about the Hero’s kid. The House of Griffoth would be guaranteed a thousand years of peace♥”

“You’re such an idiot♥ You really, really are♥”

His beloved master, the girl he longed for, was having sex with his best friend and had just been cummed inside.

Rick suppressed his voice and wept.

“Again! This is valuable info. How can we let this one-in-a-million chance get away from us!?”

“Are you still going on about that, stupid Seiji!? Just get walking!”

The day after Rick saw his best friend and his master going at it, everyone was acting the same as always as they left the hot spring inn.

Seiji was his usual silly self and Saya scolded him like always. He wanted to go the volcano mine because there was word of a rare mineral being found there, but she bluntly refused because her father had given them more than enough funds for traveling.

Everything was the same as the day before, the day before that, several years ago, and even ten years ago. Their conversation was so unchanged that Rick felt like he was going to spew his breakfast out onto the main street of Wells.

“…”

How long had this been going on for? Why Seiji? Why not him?

Those questions had been circling through his mind ever since he had seen it the night before, so he had not gotten a wink of sleep.

He was carrying most of their travel luggage and that made his footing unsteady.

“Ish everything okay, Rick?”

“Eh? Y-yes. I’m fine, Kyna.”

“Rick ish having trouble with all the luggage! I’ll help carry shome.”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ve got it. …Thanks, though.”

He gently tousled his little sister’s brown hair for trying to help him out despite being so tiny.

She smiled happily and he felt like that cheered him up a little.

“Are you okay, Rick? Don’t force yourself, okay?”

“Ah…”

Saya turned back with her blonde twintails swaying and focused her light chestnut eyes on him.

Normally, that would have made his heart race. He would have wanted those beautiful eyes, face, and voice directed at him forever.

But now it only reminded him of her lustful expression from last night and the passionate look she had given Seiji. After hearing her cry out as a woman instead of a master or childhood friend, he could not look her in the eye.

“Y-yeah…”

“C’mon, Seiji, you carry some too! You always have Rick do all the work around here!”

“I’m no good at physical labor~. And we’re all in trouble if the Hero is too exhausted to act when it counts.”

“You never do anything useful!”

“Ow, my ass!”

Saya kicked Seiji in the rear. That was all normal.

So why did Rick feel such a tightness in his chest?

“I-it’s fine. I mean, I offered to carry all the luggage as a form of training.”

“Really? Well, if you say so, but you’re a valuable fighter, Rick, so tell us if you’re not feeling well.”

“Sure… Th-thanks, Lady Saya.”

“Hee hee. You can just call me Saya like you used to.”

“No, I couldn’t!”

“That’s right, Rick~. This violent girl is no lady.”

“How am I violent!?”

“Cause of stuff like this!”

After seeing her slap him with her magic book, who would imagine they had shared such a passionate time in that dry open-air bath the night before?

…Or maybe they could behave like this because of that intimacy.

Seiji showed no restraint or hesitation no matter who he was talking to. Some people simply saw that as rude, but his borderless personality had a way of drawing people in. Rick was one of those people.

But Rick was a different sort of person. He rarely demanded anything. That avoided any friction with others, but it also prevented him from building deeper relationships. There was no one in the Griffoth territory he could really talk with outside of this party here.

He had thought that was fine. He had thought his sisters Solaris and Kyna, his childhood friend and master Saya, and his best friend Seiji were all he needed to be happy.

“…ick, Rick. Rick!”

“Eh?”

He suddenly realized someone was calling his name. Kyna was tugging on his clothes, but he had been too lost in thought to notice. He realized that was dangerous when carrying so much luggage.

“Wh-what is it, Kyna?”

“Sholarish ish gone! She was right behind me a shecond ago.”

“Eh? Is Solaris gone again?”

“Oh, god… Curse that silly beauty. She’s so useful in a fight, but her sense of direction is impressively bad.”

Saya and Seiji noticed too. The oldest of the group and Rick’s older sister had apparently gotten lost.

But this was not unusual. In fact, it happened all the time. She always got lost at least once in a large town or city.

They all sighed and began searching for her like usual.

“Let’s meet up at the city entrance in half an hour. If you find her, do not let her out of your sight.”

“Yesh, ma’am!”

“This is no job for a Hero, dammit.”

“Sol…”

The four of them split up and jogged around Wells.

“Pant, pant… Where did she go?”

Still carrying everyone’s luggage and with the straps digging into his shoulders, Rick worked up a sweat running around, but he did not see his older sister in any of the major stores or roads.

He did not need to worry about her safety. She was powerful and brave. He could look up to her as a sister and a warrior. She was skilled enough to defeat the average thug or monster without batting an eye.

Her strong personality had helped draw him out of his shell of shyness since he was little.

“I guess I should head back.”

She might not be in this region and it was about time to meet up.

While hoping one of the others had found her, he took a narrow back alley as a shortcut to the city entrance. And…

“You fool. This is not the place for this.”

“Sol?”

He did not overlook the quiet voice he heard. Just like his little sister Kyna had good eyes, he had good ears.

He ran toward his older sister’s voice, unaware this would lead to a second tragedy.

“Sol! What are you doing here? Everyone is looking for-…”

Just as he started to turn a corner in the dark back alley, the sight before him brought him to a halt.

“Ah♥ Hyah♥ Nh♥ Ah♥ Seiji♥”

“Solaris♥ Big sis♥ It feels so good♥ Big sister pussy is the best♥”

His older sister and his best friend were bottomless even though they were outdoors. They were in a deserted back alley, but it was still the middle of the day.

Nevertheless, the aroused male and female embraced each other and thrust their hips toward each other.

“Ah♥ Be gentler♥ Ah♥ Slower♥”

“A big sis that gets lost and causes so much trouble needs to be punished. Take this! My dick feels great, doesn’t it?♥”

“Ahh♥ Nhhh♥ So rough♥ Yes♥ It does feel great♥ Seiji♥ Your dick is so good♥”

Rick peered around the corner while the lewd sound of slapping flesh echoed around him.

The usual brave and noble look was nowhere to be found on his sister’s face. He had never before seen her with the pleasure-melted face of a woman before.

Seiji lifted one of her legs in his hand and rubbed her thigh while pounding inside her.

They exchanged countless kisses, she let him bare her breasts, and he massaged those mounds which were bigger than Saya’s. He even sucked at the nipples like a baby.

But she did not seem at all bothered by it. In fact, when Seiji buried his face between her giant boobs, she lovingly stroked his head and offered all of her tall but curvy body to him.

Rick had heard from Saya that his older sister claimed she liked men who were taller and stronger than her. He and Seiji had teased her by saying that meant she would be single forever. She had been mad at them, but he missed those days.

And yet now she was spreading her legs for Seiji who was shorter and weaker than her.

“You get so damn cute when you have sex, Solaris. Is that because you’re so sensitive? I can feel your body’s reaction to my dick~♥”

“Y-you fool♥ I am not cute…♥ Hyah♥ Nh♥ And don’t act like I like this♥ Kyahn♥”

Rick had never before seen that expression on her face or those bared breasts or pussy and he had never heard those cute almost puppy-ish moans, but this was undeniably her there.

“Nh♥ Seiji♥ I’m cumming♥ I’m really cumming♥ I love it♥ I love it so much♥ Nhh♥ Seiji♥ I love you♥”

“I love you too, Solaris! I’m so lucky to have a hot and busty big sis who’s willing to spoil her little brother like this♥”

No. She’s my sister. Stop that.

But Rick had no right to run out and punch the other boy. He was her brother, not her lover.

“Big sis! I’m cumming, big sis! I’ll knock you up with my little brother cum! Kh, ohhh♥”

“Ah♥ Hyaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh♥♥♥♥♥”

He simply stood there and stared at the stains on the wall while listening to their cries in that moment of mutual ecstasy.

His sister was her own person. She was free to love whoever she wished. A brother had no right to take issue with his family’s love life. If anything, an old friend like Seiji was for the best. It could have been some dirty man they had never even met before.

“Nh, ahhhhhhhh!♥ Hnhhh♥ Wait♥ What if I get pregnant?♥”

“Then I’ll take responsibility, obviously. We’re talking about the Hero’s kid. The House of Griffoth would be guaranteed a thousand years of peace♥”

“You’re such an idiot♥ You really, really are♥”

“…!”

He recalled what he had heard when Seiji was doing it with Saya the night before, but he forced down that memory and the accompanying dark feelings and silently left the back alley.

Once back at the city entrance, he met up with Saya and Kyna.

And finally, Seiji returned with Solaris whose cheeks were flushed. Seiji acted like nothing was amiss.

“Where were you all this time, Solaris?”

“S-sorry, Lady Saya!”

“How did you find her, Sheiji!”

“Heh. Well, Kyna, my beautiful woman sensor can always locate a cute girl no matter how far away she is!”

“Y-you fool, Seiji! Wh-what are you saying!?”

“Ha, ha ha… A-anyway, I’m glad you found Sol. Yeah…real glad…yeah…”

Rick could only force a laugh at Seiji’s comment.

His older sister blushed at being called beautiful and cute and she even gave Seiji an adoring look, but Rick pretended not to notice as he set off with the others once more.

His awful imagination and agonizing thoughts refused to stop even when they were spending the night in Banilanda’s Pub.

The way Saya punished Seiji’s quips with a fist and the way Solaris casually brushed him off when he asked for help were the usual sights. The conversation was the same as always.

But it was so painful now that he knew it was all a lie. The fact that he could not get over this only made him feel worse.

“Anyway, it’s apparently true! There’s a magical place full of hot and sexy bunnies in the basement here! What guy wouldn’t love that!? Let’s check it out, Rick!”

“Eh? No, I…”

“Go exploring on your own, Stupid Seiji! But don’t you dare cause any trouble for the pub!”

“Dammit! You’ll regret this! I won’t tell you even if I get all the bunny girls to surround me for some puff-puff time!”

Seiji seemed even more wild with some alcohol in him – or maybe he was always like this – so he ran off with tears in his eyes.

Kyna had already returned to the girl’s room and Solaris was passed out on the table after drinking too much.

“God, that idiot…”

That left only Rick and Saya to talk to each other from opposite sides of the table on the first floor of Banilanda’s pub.

“I-I think I’ll head back to the room soon too.”

“Hey, Rick.”

His heart leaped in his chest. But this was not the butterflies in his stomach he used to feel. It was a complicated ache that was somehow dull and piercing at the same time.

“Is something worrying you? You’ve been acting weird recently.”

“…”

I saw you and Seiji the other night. How long have you been in that kind of relationship? Did you know Seiji is in an adult relationship with my older sister too? The truth is, I love y-

…There was no way he could say any of that or question her about anything. He was simply afraid. He was afraid to ask about the fact that the relationships he thought he knew had transformed into something else entirely without his knowledge. And he was afraid of having what remained fall apart.

“This is my first time taking such a long journey, so I’m just tired. I’ve never left Griffoth territory before, remember? Sorry if I worried you, Sa-…Lady Saya.”

That was a lie. But he felt like he had to tell that lie if he was going to remain with his childhood friends. So he disguised his thoughts.

He had always had trouble speaking his mind (or speaking at all) with anyone other than this group. And today, he chose to hide his thoughts from his most beloved childhood friend.

The pub was noisy and he had excellent hearing, yet he felt like he had leaped inside a dark and silent hole.

“I see. I hope that is all it is, but don’t push yourself too hard. We need your skill as a swordsman.”

He felt like that meant he was only good for his skill with a sword. He knew she did not actually mean it like that, but he still wanted to smash his half-empty glass against the table.

“Then we probably should get back to our rooms. C’mon, get up, Solaris.”

“Hm? Nmh, I couldn’t eat another bite…”

“Honestly, you servants take a lot of work. Fine, then.”

Saya smiled and lent Solaris her shoulder. Rick thought she looked just like the ideal master in that moment.

It just so happened that she did not see him as the ideal guy.

Saya took passed-out Solaris to the girl’s room where Kyna was sleeping.

After that, Rick returned to the boy’s room on the second floor. He guessed Seiji was searching for that bunny girl floor that probably did not even exist.

Yet when he started to open the door to the boy’s room…

“Ah♥ Ahn♥ Sheiji♥ Nh♥ Your penish♥ It feelsh sho good♥ Sheiji♥”

“C’mon, Kyna, I told you to call me ‘big brother’ when we’re alone, didn’t I?♥”

“Oh, right♥ Big brother♥ Big brother♥ Hyah♥ Pound my little pusshy even more♥”

On the bed Rick had been given when they checked in (“This bed’s yours, Rick!”), his best friend and his little sister were naked and having sex in the missionary position.

This was the third time, so he was not even that surprised anymore. He had not wanted to imagine it, but he had kind of expected it. He only felt something bitter spreading through his mouth.

“Ah~♥ I could cum inside this oppai loli little sister pussy forever! I should get Solaris to join us next time so I can do both sisters at once♥”

“You’re ushing thoshe weird foreign wordsh again, but I bet they mean shomething dirty♥ And that shishter thing shoundsh kind of exshiting♥ …But you shouldn’t mention another girl’sh name in bed, big brother♥”

“Oh, what a grownup thing to say. Sounds like your boobs weren’t the only thing to grow♥ But the real test comes from your big bro’s dick♥ Let’s see how grownup your body is♥”

“Hyahhhh♥ Nh♥ Hh♥ Ahh♥”

It was true Kyna’s body was more feminine than Rick remembered it as he peeked in through the cracked door.

She was the youngest, she always wore baggy clothes, and he had bathed her when she was even younger, so he had never really thought of her as a member of the opposite sex. But she would not be an innocent little thing forever. It was hard to imagine with how short she still was, but she was starting to grow into a woman.

The size of her boobs was proof enough of that. When Seiji massaged and sucked at those, she would moan, her legs trembled, and she gained an expression very different from an innocent little girl.

“Ahn♥ Ahh♥ I’m♥ Big♥ Big brother♥ Big brotherrr♥ I’m cumming♥ I’m cummiiiiiiiiing♥”

She was not referring to Rick there. She was not even thinking about her blood-related brother. But she was having sex, so that was hardly surprising.

“Kyna. Ah, ahh! I’m cumming too! I’ll knock you up♥ I’ll make you a mama! Then you can let me drink your milk♥”

Rick felt like he finally understood what Seiji had meant when he said, “What’s wrong with seeing a motherly side to a younger girl!? I want Kyna to be my mommy!”

Not that understanding it helped in any way.

“Oh, ahhhhh!”

“Ah♥ Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh♥♥♥♥”

Their bodies trembled, they thrust their hips together, and it was all too obvious that his best friend’s genes were flowing into his little sister’s womb.

“Phew. You’re the best, Kyna♥ Now, let’s clean up before Rick gets back.”

“No♥ I want more♥ Pleashe do me more♥ Today ish my turn with you and we have plenty of time left♥”

“Well, if you insist~♥ I’ve got a real demanding little sister here, huh? And don’t forget to call me big brother, okay?”

Rick softly shut the door. It sounded like everyone but him was in a relationship together and they even had a system set up for taking turns. He silently leaned back against the hallway wall, crouched down, and wept.

“Saya always was a little careless…”

Her job had probably been to keep him busy until Seiji and Kyna had finished. Whether it was simple carelessness or she was worried about Solaris, returning to the girl’s room had been a mistake.

She was usually so reliable and then she would get careless. She was not perfect, but she was a master well worth supporting.

He had always loved that childhood friend. And his love and loyalty for her had not changed.

He did not really remember what happened after that. He had wiped away his tears, returned to the pub, drank himself unconscious, and caught a cold sleeping on the floor.

He remembered all that when he “woke up”.

“…Ah…”

When he woke up, he found he was not on the floor of Banilanda’s Pub or in an inn somewhere. He was in a forest full of large trees and thick fog.

To protect Griffoth, everyone had joined with Saya to investigate the mysterious giant trees outside the royal capital’s south gate.

He held his aching head and slowly stood up.

“Where is everyone?”

He looked around, but there was no one there. They must have been taken elsewhere after the vines captured them.

Grandel Princess Makina and Black Knight Tet had fought off that goblin army, so they were probably fine. And the others (except Seiji) were capable of defending themselves to an extent.

“They don’t even need me,” he muttered while walking through the fog.

For a while now, he had been thinking they would probably actually prefer not having him around.

They only needed him for his sword fighting skill, so they could just hire someone stronger, like that Tet. He was sick of having them pretend to be nice to him. He could not stand being stuck on the outskirts of Seiji’s harem any longer.

Maybe it was because he had remembered the events of the journey in his dream and maybe it was because he had seen the overwhelming skill demonstrated by Makina and Tet, but he was feeling entirely worthless and he came to a stop in the middle of the forest.

“Grrrrr!”

“…! Black Dogs!”

He had been so lost in thought he had missed the footsteps and breathing of the monsters. There were already five monster dogs with red glowing eyes surrounding him.

He immediately grabbed his swords. His body was aching, but he could still move. He had not lost either sword, so he could defeat this many.

(Yes, but…)

He lowered his arms. He could no longer find any reason to fight or continue on this journey, so he stopped moving even with his life at risk.

“I might as well just…”

He stood there. If he did nothing, they would devour him, but he was kind of okay with that. If he did that, he would be freed from these agonizing thoughts and bitter feelings.

“Hahhhhhhhhhhhh!!”

But then he heard a few sounds: two racing feet, a sword unsheathed, and a warrior’s cry. He looked up without thinking.

“Bow wow!”

“Gah!?”

“Gow!”

“Ah…”

The monsters were cut down in no time. Blood sprayed and flesh flew.

Just as he had given up on everything because his worries about his relationship with his party had pushed him to the edge of despair, a knight with flowing black cape and black hair appeared before him.

“…Nh…”

When Makina awoke, she found no one else around.

“!”

She immediately raised the staff in her hand and got up. She crouched on one knee and cautiously viewed the fog around her.

She never could have imagined moving so nimbly in her days as a princess in the royal palace. She had learned how to move like an adventurer over the course of her journey.

But after confirming there were no enemies or other threats around, she lowered her staff and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Looks like it’s just me.”

She stood up and looked around, but there was still no sign of anyone else.

She must have gotten separated from Tet, Saya, Seiji, and the three siblings.

There were monsters like goblins here and the plants themselves could be their enemy. She was fortunate to not have taken any damage, but this was still a dangerous situation.

“I need to find the others.”

She used those words to distract herself from the loneliness. She used magic power to light up the end of her staff and walked through the thick fog.

But the further she traveled, the whiter her vision grew thanks to the fog. She could not see anyone, any monsters, or even the tops of the trees.

She started to worry that moving around like this would only make it harder to regroup with the others, but then…

“––––!?”

She just about dropped her staff and her eyes widened in surprise.

She saw a hooded mage up ahead.

“…”

The person carried a magic staff much like her own and they wore a white hood. Their long robe flipped around beyond the fog as they ran deeper into the forest as if fleeing.

“Wait!”

She pursued without thinking. Since she had no proof, she could not carelessly fire any magic, but she could not let them get away. It seemed unlikely that anyone other than their group would be in this dangerous forest and she could not figure out why they had run away.

If it was her sworn enemy – that man – then she had no hope of winning, but that was no reason to stop running.

But…

“Kyah!?”

“Dwah!? G-gyahh!? Don’t kill meee!”

A boy stepped out from behind a large tree and she ran into him.

They toppled to the ground together and it was unclear how it happened, but Seiji ended up on his back and Makina ended up straddling his face.

“Fgh!? Wh-what!?”

His face was entirely inside her miniskirt and pressed against her polka dot panties, plump thighs, butt, and crotch, so he was breathing quite heavily.

Those breaths tickled her private parts, her vulva touched his lips through the panties like they were engaging in some facesitting, and the sex curse started to react.

“Kyahhh! S-Seiji!?”

She quickly got up and stepped away from him while blushing.

She felt bad for crushing his face with her crotch, but it had been embarrassing for her as well and Seiji himself looked pretty happy about it.

“Eh heh heh… Sorry, these highly improbable falls seem to be a side effect of the whole Hero thing! And when it happens with a princess, what more proof do you need that I’m the Hero! This kinda thing only happens to the protagonist! I don’t care if I die now! …Wait, scratch that! I don’t wanna die!”

He seemed unhurt and his usual self.

After her brief moment of worrying for him, she recalled her real purpose here.

“Ah!”

She looked up and stared into the fog, but there was no sign of the hooded mage. They had apparently moved too far away to be seen.

She really wished she could have found a clue here, but she had let it slip away.

Still, she was glad to have found someone she knew.

“A-are you okay, Seiji? I’m glad you weren’t hurt.”

“I’m not just okay, I’m A-OK! I can’t believe the great Princess Makina is actually worried about me! But I am doing just dandy!”

Just like when they had first met, Seiji reached out his left hand and helped her up.

He put on a fake-looking smile that he must have thought made him look dashing.

Makina smiled bitterly and just about suggested they look for the others, but then she felt warmth coming from his left hand again. It warmed her heart and, when she looked up, part of her really did find him to be quite handsome.

“…?”

She started to question this odd feeling inside her, but then raindrops started falling on their heads.

“Brr!”

“We’re going to catch a cold if we stay out here.”

Searching in the rain would only rob them of the strength they needed if they were attacked.

Luckily, the two of them found a large hollow in a nearby giant tree where the bark had stripped off and the inside had worn away.

Inside the cave-like tree hollow, the two of them listened to the rain and stared at the campfire while sitting close enough together for their shoulders to touch.

The magically-fueled fire was dim and warm, so it would not drain too much of Makina’s magic power.

“I hope the others are okay.”

“I-I’m sure they are, Princess Makina. Saya, Rick, and the others are all way stronger than me. And that Tet guy seems crazy strong!”

“Hee hee. That’s true. I’m also sure Tet and the others are okay.”

When she turned her small face toward him and smiled, her fluffy blonde hair swayed. That was enough to fill the hollow with a nice scent.

That scent just about melted away Seiji’s rational mind. As a horseman’s son, he squirmed nervously.

“U-um… Princess Makina, are you and Tet an item?”

“Eh!? No, no. Not at all! W-we are princess and knight! A-although it is true we have known each other a long time and shared this journey together.”

She blushed and denied it.

She did hope that would happen eventually, but they could not overcome this harsh journey if they indulged in such things. More importantly, Makina did not want any change to their current relationship because her unique circumstances made her fear any change would be for the worse.

But that pure behavior only shook Seiji’s heart further.

She was part of the privileged class like Saya, but she did not act haughty at all. Her kind and gentle personality filled the boy with lust.

“…”

“S-Seiji?”

He placed his arm around her shoulders in the narrow hollow. She blushed and considered pushing his arm away, but she found her body did not move. Any desire to reject him was gradually overpowered by a very different desire. That warmth she had felt from his left hand was growing inside her.

“U-um…I was pretty cool when I saved you from that goblin earlier, right?”

“Eh? W-well, yes… I am glad you saved me.”

“You have the Hero’s power to thank for that. Speaking of which, you looked interested in my Hero’s power earlier, didn’t you?”

“W-well, yes. But I thought you said you didn’t know anything more.”

“Yes, but the Hero needs to help out any princesses in need he encounters!” He held out the back of his left hand to show off the mark there. “Here, maybe it will help if I show you what it looks like when I activate it: Brave Burn!”

“Eh!?”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, it glowed and its light entered her eyes.

The feeling growing inside her seemed to burst, a cloud covered her thoughts…and the sex curse throbbed wildly.

“M-Makina… A-are you okay?”

She “honestly” answered him with a vacant look in her eyes.

“Y-yes… I am feel just fine, Seiji…no, my Hero.”

Heat gradually filled her eyes and then the sex curse’s effects caused pink hearts to appear there. The arousal usually did not hit her this early in the day, but she turned a melted expression his way.

“Wait, what the hell? I knew girls started falling for me after I became the Hero, but that was ridiculously fast!”

Seiji clenched his fist and rejoiced at her changed behavior.

“Well, whatever. It’s happening again and that’s all that matters! Do one nice thing for them and it’s not long until they’re head over heels for you! Being the Hero kicks ass! I bet I could go for a harem end with all the cute girls in the world like this!”

“Ah♥”

He said some things she did not entirely understand, but when she gave him a heated look, he pushed her onto her back in the tree hollow. But she felt no desire at all to resist or use magic to stop him. In fact, she only felt her love for him growing as his left hand held her shoulder.

His assertiveness seemed so manly to her and she sighed as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“M-Makina… My cute Makina, let’s kiss♥. You want to do that, right!?”

“Yes♥ My beloved Hero♥”

She let him do as he wished and they exchanged a kiss. Her small pink lips seemed entirely swallowed by his mouth.

They had barely met, yet they tangled tongues and she did not question it at all. She did not feel any reason to resist and they stared passionately at each other like lovers as they kissed.

“Nh♥ Kiss♥ Kiss♥ Smack♥ Nh, ah♥”

“Shit~♥ I’m making out with a legit princess here. I am so fucking hard right now… Sorry about this, Saya, Solaris, and Kyna, but I’m becoming a man again today! This busty blonde princess needs some superior Hero genes in her belly♥”

“Yes♥ Fill my belly with your genes, Seiji♥”

When she responded with her cheeks tinged with an aroused flush and when she gave him the look of a girl super horny for his dick, his male instincts kicked into overdrive.

They continued their wild kiss in which they greedily swapped saliva, but he also groped her large tits which were starting to grow sweaty.

“They’re huge! These might be even bigger than Solaris’s. Being a princess and this hot is like cheating♥”

“Ah♥ Ahn♥ Seiji♥ Not just my boobs♥ Kiss me♥ More♥ Please kiss me more♥”

“Well, if you insist♥ So you love this horny stuff even though you’re a princess!? Do you love little old me that much?”

“Yes♥ I love you♥ Nh♥ Kiss♥ Slurp♥ Lick♥ I love you♥ I love you, my Hero♥”

He pulled down her dirndl to expose her bare breasts and teased the nipples with his fingers while grabbing the entire mounds in his palms.

He squeezed so hard she felt more pain than pleasure and, when she tried to breathe in and ease the pain, his awkward tongue entered her mouth.

Seiji was honestly not her type in the looks department. She had not been attracted to him. And his caress here was the ineptest she had experienced thus far. She had only felt somewhat thankful that he had rescued her. Even with the sex curse’s throbbing, she had not been interested.

Yet that small feeling of thanks seemed amplified by the Mark of the Hero’s light. It had eventually transformed into adoration and even love, so now his slightest touch made her moan.

“Sigh~ I’m so damn glad I was chosen as the Hero! I was just about stuck as the son of a horseman, but the Hero’s power changed all that!”

That amplification was one aspect of the Hero’s power called Brave Burn. It could not create something out of nothing, but it could amplify something a hundred or even a thousand-fold.

It could cause the slightest scratch to kill an enemy and it could turn a small positive feeling into deepfelt love.

And by amplifying the tiny bravery inside the user, they could overcome their fears and encourage their comrades in desperate situations. That was the legendary power of the Hero.

But right now, it was functioning more like an aphrodisiac.

When she had first touched Seiji’s left hand, the power’s passive effect had entered her and any emotions she felt regarding him were gradually amplified afterwards.

When combined with her sex curse, her princess pussy was already soaking wet.

“My beloved, Hero♥ Please have your way with my body♥”

She and Seiji were embracing in the cramped, steamy, and hot tree hollow, so she was soaked with sweat.

And her hot and sweaty body filled the hollow with a feminine aroma.

She turned her sweaty face and heated eyes toward her “beloved Seiji” and the noble princess offered everything to the Hero boy.

It had started raining, so Tet and Rick had taken shelter below a large tree’s leaves while worried about the others.

But Tet was most worried about Rick who hung his head with a dark look on his face.

“With the skill you displayed earlier, you should have been able to defeat them with ease.”

He spoke up out of the camaraderie he felt with this fellow swordsman who had also sworn his loyalty to a female master.

When those Black Dogs had surrounded Rick, the boy had given up on fighting instead of raising his sword. He was not injured, so it had looked like he was offering his life to them.

Rick responded with some heavy words.

“I’m not sure what my purpose in life is anymore.”

He had only just met Tet, so he did not explain about the physical relationships between his party members. But he did reveal that he had feelings beyond loyalty for his master and that he doubted his beloved master would ever look only at him.

He explained to Tet how he felt so pathetic trapped in that position between servant and man.

“I…don’t know what to do anymore! I knew that Lady Saya…that Saya, Sol, and Kyna would eventually find someone else! But now I feel like I’ve been left all alone!”

“I see…”

Tet crossed his arms and listened to the other boy’s worries.

After deeply contemplating it in silence, he slowly began to speak.

“I apologize for talking about myself, but I too know that the Princess will eventually marry someone else. I have served her all this time knowing that.”

After they revived their home kingdom, Makina would find an appropriate partner for a Princess of Grandel.

He had been aware of that before Grandel fell. He had sometimes joked that she would be happier dedicating herself to her magic research, but as a princess with her beauty and capability, he knew she would have many suitors.

And if she was married to someone else someday, he intended to celebrate it as her knight and continue to swear his loyalty to her. But after spending so much time with her growing up, it would not be an entirely pleasant thing for him.

“Tet, um, so how would you describe your feelings for Princess Makina?”

“I love her. Both as a knight and as a man.”

“…!”

He looked Rick in the eye and answered without hesitation. The look in his eyes was like being struck by lightning for Rick.

This was Tet’s first time ever speaking these hidden feelings out loud.

“Even if that day does eventually come, I intend to support her for the rest of my life. I will protect her happiness and I will be her sword and shield. That is the life I have decided to live. That is everything to me and that how I define living as a knight.”

“Incredible…”

“I am not incredible. It will feel like agony if she is married to another man, but I still will not leave her side. It was with that resolve that I left on this journey.”

“Tet…”

“There may not be a definite answer. I am always worried I am making the wrong decision. But I…no, we must continue to swing our swords while wishing happiness for the person we carry in our heart. As long as I strive for that, I do not see how I could be wrong.”

“…!”

Hearing about Tet’s resolve seemed to lessen the dark feelings inside Rick.

Even if his master was taken by someone else and even if his sisters were both sleeping with his best friend, his love and loyalty for them would remain unchanged.

If Saya truly did love Seiji and that brought her happiness, he would have to accept it. It was okay if it was painful and felt like agony. Even Tet, who was known as the Black Knight, was prepared to do that.

Seiji was his best friend, but he could not forgive him for this. He wanted to hit him and yell at him over and over. But even if that happened, he felt certain he would still see Seiji as an important party member.

He carried that contradiction inside him and he still did not know what was right, but the bonds he had formed in that group of five from Griffoth were with him for life.

“Oh, and Sir Rick. This probably goes without saying, but keep everything I have said here secret. Feelings of love for your master can get a knight banished, after all. …Although I am the only Grandel knight left at this point.”

“Ha ha. I want you to keep what I told you a secret too. Let’s just call it a secret between men.”

Rick was so happy he had made a male friend other than Seiji for the first time in his life.

But his entire body froze when his acute hearing picked up on something.

“…Ah…!”

“What is it, Sir Rick?”

“N-nothing! I-it’s nothing…”

He could not tell Tet this. There was no way he could.

Tet had listened to his problems and then told him about his love for Princess Makina, so he did not have the heart to convey this exceedingly cruel reality to the knight boy. He did not want to fill his new friend with that gut-wrenching feeling he had felt.

How could he tell Tet he had heard Makina’s lusty moans and Seiji’s aroused voice mixed in with the rain?

A Hero and a Princess made love in the large hollow of a tree.

However, this was not a scene of storybook pure love where the Hero defeated the Demon King at the end of a long journey and returned home to marry the Princess.

The Hero’s power of Brave Burn had boosted her affection for him and the sex curse of Gelwess made sure she readily spread her legs.

There was no rationality or purity here. This was the animalistic sex of two horny people greedily devouring each other’s lust.

“Ah♥ Nhh♥ You won’t leave my boobs alone, will you? ♥ Men really do like those things, don’t they?♥ Are Heroes no exception there?♥”

Her large breasts held their shape even as she lay on her back and they were massaged while the nipples were sucked.

He sucked hard enough to leave red marks that seemed to expand her smallish areolae.

“Heroes love ‘em more than anyone! And yours are so big, soft, and warm~♥ When I die, I want it to be between these boobs! You like it when I grope your titties, don’t you?♥”

“Nh♥ Yes♥ I love it♥ So do it more…ah♥ Ahh♥ Nh♥ I love it♥ I love you♥”

The princess’s cries and the boy’s heavy breathing echoed through the cramped tree hollow.

It was raining outside, so the sweat vaporized by their body heat mixed with the dampness to create a lewd steam. The aroused scents of their bodies only turned them on even more.

“Makina… I love you too♥ I’ll definitely make you happy! I mean, I’m the Hero!”

“Yes♥ Nh♥ Kiss, nhh♥ Kiss♥ My Hero♥ Ah♥ Smack♥ Kiss♥ Lick♥”

Seiji stole her youthful lips, their tongues tangled together, and they swapped saliva. The entire time they kissed, his hands were on her boobs and butt and a sexual stain formed on her polka dot underwear.

The fact that his position as Hero let him enjoy this busty blonde princess’s body, taste her sweet fluids, and soon have sex with her had his penis close to bursting already.

He stripped off his pants, lifted the princess’s skirt, and breathed heavily as he reached for her panties.

“Ah♥”

When he stripped off her underwear, grabbed her plump thighs, and spread her legs, her wet pussy was revealed within the tree hollow. But she did not even think of hiding it and let her beloved Hero see everything.

“Holy shit! You’re already soaked. Grandel sure has a horny princess♥”

He said that while inserting a finger and stirring her up inside. An obscenely wet sound surrounded them and she produced even more love juices.

“Ahn♥ Nh♥ Ah♥ I-I’m sorry♥ But your every touch makes my body throb, my Hero♥”

“Well, who can blame you? No girl can resist the Hero’s charm! A harem just seems to form around me all on its own~♥”

It was not actually happening “all on its own”. His Brave Burn power was causing it.

But the pleasure from his fingering kept her from thinking about what he said. Seiji really did look like the world’s most handsome Hero in front of her and she instinctually desired his seed in her womb.

“Ah♥ I’m cumming♥ I’m cumming♥ I’m…hee!♥”

“Then cum! I wanna hear a princess’s cries of pleasure as she cums from her beloved Hero’s fingering. Don’t be shy, Makina♥”

“Ah♥ I’m♥ Cummiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing♥♥♥”

She squirted quite intensely, her sensitive body and tits trembled, and her hips convulsed in climax.

The princess’s feminine-smelling pussy juices got all over Seiji’s hand, legs, and penis. His youthful lust was at its limit, so he pressed his erection against her pussy so soon after it finished squirting.

“Pant, pant! Okay, time to taste that princess pussy♥”

“Ah♥ Yes♥ Enter me♥ Ah, ahhhhhhhh♥♥♥”

Normally, these two never would have spoken, much less had sex, but thanks to the Hero’s power and the sex curse, their minds and bodies became one.

“Ah, shit, ahhhh!”

As soon as he entered her, Seiji let out a pathetic cry and came inside her. His semen squirted out.

The fact that a horseman’s son was having sex with a princess and the pleasure of a vagina even better than Saya, Solaris, and Kyna’s kept him from lasting even ten seconds.

“S-sorry, I came…”

“Hee hee. You’re so adorable, my Hero♥ But don’t worry♥ I’m not going anywhere♥ Please keep cumming inside my pussy until I carry your child inside me♥”

“M-Makina♥ You’re a goddamn angel! Okay, if that’s what you want!”

“Ah♥ Ahh♥ Yes♥ Nhh♥ Ahhh♥”

She did not tease him for being premature and she squeezed his cock inside her.

That combination of kindness and lewdness meant an instant recovery for Seiji’s arousal and erection. Then his average-sized penis began thrusting with an intensity that suggested he really was trying to knock her up.

“Makina, Makina! Cum! Cum like crazy from my huge cock♥”

“Nh♥ Hyah♥ Ahhn♥ Ah♥ Ah♥ Ahhh♥♥♥”

His size was not worth describing as “huge” and his hip technique was the worst of all the men she had slept with before. He may have been as bad at it as Nero when she had taken his virginity.

But the Hero’s charm and the sex curse’s effects produced plenty of pleasure-producing chemicals in her brain. While he did her in the missionary position, she wrapped her arms and legs around him in the so-called “I Love You Hold” while she focused on the sensation of his dick inside her.

“I’m cumming! I’m cumming inside you again! Have my baby♥ Then I’ll be king of Grandel, won’t I?♥”

“Ah♥ Ahh♥ I’m cumming too♥ I’m cumming♥ …Y-yes♥ Give me your baby, my Hero♥ Give me an heir♥ And you can be king, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh♥♥♥♥♥♥”

A second ejaculation squirted into her and her throbbing womb trembled in pleasure.

Normally, a princess would be married to a man blessed with a proper lineage and personality. That man would eventually be king and would help guide Grandel by her side.

But thanks to the Hero’s power he had suddenly gained one day, a horseman’s son’s milky fluid now surrounded the princess’s egg cells.

“For real~?♥ You mean I’ve got such a great cock you’re gonna crown me king for it!? I want three kids.”

Seiji kissed her while still penetrating her. He felt more pleasure than ever before and he felt all-powerful as a man.

He had always lazed around instead of helping with his parents’ work, but now he had fucked his three childhood friends (one his master and two who were sisters) and even a princess.

He could not have been happier to have become the Hero as he stripped the rest of the clothes off his heated body.

“God, it’s hot… But we haven’t fucked nearly enough yet, have we?♥ C’mon, Makina. I learned this with Solaris, but it feels so damn good to have sex out in the open.”

“Ah♥ Okay♥”

His penis remained hard even after pulling it out of her.

Her eyes sparkled at the sight and he guided her out into the rain outside the tree hollow.

She did not even consider brushing off the hand pulling her outside and the two naked lovers prepared to have sex outdoors deep within the forest of giant trees where their party members’ thoughts could not reach them.

Their clothes were wet from the fog and the rain, so they had stripped them all off and left them in the tree hollow to dry.

But Seiji and Makina had left the heat of the magical fire and stepped outside while entirely in the nude.

They had left their short sword and magic staff within reach, but they really should not have been doing anything like this in such a dangerous forest. Rationally, they both knew they needed to regroup with the others as soon as possible.

But their aroused desires flowed out in the depths of their minds to cloud their thoughts and they could not stop themselves from having sex outside.

“Pant, pant! Ahh, Makina, this feels so damn good, Makina♥”

When she placed her hands on one of the large trees and stuck her peach-shaped butt out toward Seiji, the horny Hero grabbed her hips and penetrated her all at once.

“Ah♥ Ahhh♥ Nhh♥ Hah♥ Yes♥ It feels so good, Seiji♥ Ahn♥ Ahh♥”

As he took her from behind, the carnal slapping of flesh echoed through the quiet forest to reach Rick’s distant ears.

But they were unaware of that and had no way of knowing it, so they raised their voices in pleasure.

His penis head rubbed at her vaginal walls and they squeezed back. That tightness and thrusting joined with the chill of the rain hitting their bodies and the warmth of their skin contact sent a tingle up their spines while they moaned together.

“Nh♥ Ah♥ Hyah♥ Ahn♥ Kh♥ Ahh♥”

In the liberating outdoors and with nothing but giant trees around them, a horseman’s son and a princess had bareback sex in the rain.

The situation alone was enough for Seiji’s dick to expand with arousal. When he grabbed her giant tits from behind as they jiggled with each thrust and sank his fingers into them, she cried out in wordless pleasure.

And like he was caressing her entire body, he rubbed her collarbones, touched her huge boobs, teased her nipples, rubbed down the faintly visible contours of her ribs, stuck a finger in her navel, and rubbed around over her womb.

“Ah~♥ This is like a dream come true! I’m so happy it kinda scares me♥”

Steam rose from her heated white skin as the raindrops hit it. That steam contained an aroused female scent that further stimulated his male instincts and accelerated his hips.

Her legs and hips trembled and grew weak, so her hands slipped down the tree and ended up on the grass instead.

But even after she took the pose of a dog, Seiji did not stop. In fact, he thrust even harder once he realized he was fucking a proper princess like they were animals.

“Ah♥ Ahh♥ My Hero♥ Seiji♥ Nhh♥ It’s♥ Ahh♥ So deep♥ Yes♥”

“You like it, huh? Sounds about right for a slut princess who spread her legs like three seconds after meeting me! Sounds like your pussy needs some punishment from the Hero’s holy sword♥”

“Ahhhhhh♥ So deep♥ Ahhhhhhhhhhn♥♥♥”

Even his insulting jokes sounded loving to her. The combined effects of Brave Burn and Gelwess smashed any resistance she might have felt.

Seiji leaned over her and thrust his hips like a dog in heat.

The princess moaned while pounded from behind like an animal and he sometimes grabbed her jiggling tits. Her erect nipples brushed against the top of the tall grass below, so each time her curvy body shook, it felt like the grass was caressing her.

“Shit, I’m cumming. I’m cumming, Makina♥ And I’ll only ever cum inside you! So take it and have my child~~♥”

“Hyahhhn♥ Ah, yes♥ Cum♥ Your cum♥ I want your cuuuuuum♥♥ Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh♥♥♥♥♥”

She let out an even louder cry as his third load of thick semen was pumped inside her.

He was inside her even deeper than when they did it missionary style, so his desire was sent to the deepest part of her womb. Her hips shook wildly, but he held them tight and filled her with his cum.

“Ahh, ahhh! Makina♥”

“S-Seiji♥ Nhh♥”

Her arms and legs shook as he came inside her, so she had trouble staying on all fours and collapsed under his weight.

She ended up sprawled out on the ground and her boobs were squished by their combined weight, but he did not pull out and he resumed thrusting.

“Ah♥ Ohh♥ Wait♥ I♥ I just came♥ I’m cumming again♥ I really am♥ Ohh♥”

His penis pumped in and out of her while she lay face down on the ground.

It could be easy to forget with straitlaced Tet by her side, but she and Seiji were both horny teenagers. Once they let their teenage bodies and lusts take over, it was only natural for them to keep going for multiple rounds.

“Fuck, your pussy feels great with that mixture of your pussy juices and my cum♥ I’ve never fucked a pussy this good! I’m worried Saya and Solaris won’t be enough to satisfy me after this♥”

He placed his nude weight on top of her and thrust his hips with his youthful vigor.

Her vagina was already messy with both their fluids and it only grew more obscenely wet to lubricate his rod and provide the greatest sexual pleasure.

The rain intensified along with his thrusting. His hips pounded against her plump ass and she could only moan between breaths.

“Nhh♥ Ahh♥ Hyah♥ Ahh♥ Ahhhn♥ Oh♥ I’m cumming♥ I’m cummiiiiing♥”

Her womb throbbed from the sex curse and it responded to the prospect of further semen despite having so much already. It trembled in joy at being a receptacle for Seiji’s male desire.

And while that happened, Seiji grabbed her blonde head and intense pleasure flowed from his left hand.

“Here’s a trick I learned: Brave Burn! I’d thought the Hero’s power only worked in battle, but for some reason, girls like it when I use it during sex♥ Brave Burn! Brave Burn♥”

No, the pleasure was not flowing from his hand. The Mark of the Hero glowing on the back of his hand was amplifying the pleasure already inside her.

But the effect was massive.

“Oh♥ Ohh♥ Ohhh♥ Gh♥ Hgyh♥ Ohhh♥ Ahh♥ Hyahhhn♥”

Each time Seiji shouted the name of his power, the pleasure and love inside her grew further. It filled her body beyond the limit and her body jerked like someone injected with a powerful drug.

But she could not move while pinned below Seiji, so she just kind of flopped there like a fish out of water.

Then his balls throbbed again and she could tell he was rapidly producing more sperm for her. His hips accelerated toward his fourth ejaculation while her eyes nearly rolled back in her head.

“Makina, I’m cumming! I’m cumming, cumming, cumming! I’m cumming, Makina♥”

“Ah♥ Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh♥♥♥♥♥♥”

Brave Burn had also amplified his virility, so he ejaculated the thickest semen so far despite it being his fourth time. There was so much of it that it glopped out from their union and fell to the forest floor with the rain.

“Ah♥ Ahah♥ Nh, ohhh♥”

And while the princess lay naked in the grass with a boy she had barely met ejaculating inside her, she gained the melted smile of a drug addict and adored the warmth of the semen filling her womb.

She heard the voice soon after the rain had washed Seiji’s semen from her body.

It was the roar of a monster other than a goblin or Black Dog. That prevented her from reigniting her lust and Seiji was in the so-called “sage mode”, so they both got dressed and went to check out the possible battle they had heard.

“B-but, Makina, should we really be running around the forest based on nothing but a voice!?”

“Don’t worry, Seiji! I have this Summon Bell!”

Relying only on the distant roars to run through the complex arrangement of giant trees would indeed be dangerous.

But the small bell’s ring was gradually growing.

That was the Magitool she had received from Nero’s mother as thanks for rescuing the boy from the Forest of Monsters.

Tet had an identical one and they would resonate and ring as they approached when removed from their bags.

The bell’s ring would tell her where Tet was – and thus where the battlefield was.

“Princess!”

“Seiji!”

Tet and Saya turned around and spoke up when they noticed them approaching.

All the others were already there, so now everyone was back together.

But they had another problem to face before they could celebrate.

“Roarrrrrr!”

A mark resembling a human face had appeared on the trunk of one especially tall and thick tree and it roared with a hideous voice.

The giant tree monster used its many branches and vines like tentacles to attack the humans who had wandered into the forest.

“Frozen! Frozen Lance!”

Saya opened her magic book and launched some ice magic while Kyna sniped with her bow. Solaris’s spear defended against the tree tentacles attacking those two while Tet and Rick’s swords sliced through them.

Once Makina and Seiji joined in, it was 7-to-1, but it did not look like they were doing much damage to the giant tree monster.

“Is this the forest’s boss!?”

“Be careful, Lady Saya! It was probably this thing that separated us before!”

“My bow ishn’t working at all!”

They were all astonished by the monster’s strength. They could not let their guard down about a single one of the tentacles, but they could not defeat it unless they focused on the monster itself. However, the monster was a giant tree, so not even a few dozen axes would be enough to bring it down.

“Sh-shit. I don’t think we can beat this monster! I can’t get close! Protect me, Rick!”

“Wait!”

If Seiji used his Brave Burn power, he might be able to win if he could scratch the monster.

But getting an attack in with his short sword would require getting very close. The self-proclaimed Hero did not have the skill or courage for that.

Rick wielded his two swords and sounded hesitant when his best friend decided to rely on him.

Seiji had slept with Saya, his sisters, and even Grandel’s princess. When he had shown up with Makina, Rick had not known what to say.

“Princess!”

“Okay!”

But Tet knew nothing of that awkwardness, so he immediately turned to his master.

And Makina regained the look of a fighting adventurer despite having been filled with Seiji’s seed just a moment ago.

She raised her staff high and active some new magic she had gained from Seiji’s…from the Hero’s semen.

“Crimson Volcanic Inferno!”

Her internal magic power had grown dozens of times larger since her journey had begun and she transformed it into fire here.

A scorching fireball resembling a small sun evaporated the rain and then flew toward the boss monster.

“Groarrrrrrr!!!”

The monster’s cry of pain echoed through the forest as the explosive flames enveloped it. As strong as it was, it was still a tree. Its weakness to fire had been blatantly obvious.

“Wow…”

When she saw the burning face tree, Saya was once again painfully aware of the gap between her and Makina’s skill. The difficulty and power of the magic they used was like comparing an adult to a baby. They were both mages, but Princess Makina was at such a higher level that Saya felt jealous.

Their social statuses were similarly different and she knew Seiji could never ignore someone like that, so she looked up in sudden realization.

“H-hold on, Seiji! Why were you so late getting-…”

Her harsher side returned as she approached Seiji who was hiding behind Rick’s back.

And then…

“Sayaya!”

“Eh?”

Several vines extended from the giant burning tree. The burning tentacles had ends as sharp as spears and they approached Saya as swift as arrows.

Saya, Makina, and the others could not react in time. This was the final resistance of the monster they had assumed was already defeated. It caught them by surprise and the only one who could react…was Rick.

“Hahhhh!”

He cut in between Saya and the tentacles and cut them down with his swords.

But a few of them slipped between his two swords and sliced into his body.

“Gwah!”

“Rick!”

“Rick!!”

His sisters screamed his name.

He had been deeply cut and skewered all across his body, he dropped his swords, and blood gushed from his wounds.

“Rick!”

Saya grew pale when she saw him collapse to the ground.

And the one to get after her…was Seiji.

“What are you doing, Saya! Use recovery magic! I’ll amplify it with my Brave Burn! Hurry!”

He shouted at Saya to calm her after she panicked.

But Seiji’s legs were trembling too. Even so, he was trying to combine his Hero’s power with Saya’s magic to heal Rick.

“Don’t…bother.”

“Rick!? What are you talking about!?”

Rick coughed up blood, weakly grabbed Seiji’s arm, and rejected the offer.

“Don’t bother…with me. This is…more convenient…anyway.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Rick!” shouted Saya. “Without you, I…we can’t go on!”

“Saya, I always lo-…cough! But I…!”

“…!”

A partial confession spilled out between his labored breathing while Saya opened her magic book and activated some healing magic.

Saya, Seiji, Solaris, and Kyna all gathered worriedly around and continued calling out to him.

Seeing them all there brought some slight relief to his face and then he passed out.

“Take care of this, everyone.”

“Seiji?”

The fatal wounds had been closed with magic, so Saya could heal the rest of them on her own.

Seiji looked down at Rick’s teary and unconscious face and stood up with a look of resolve.

Meanwhile, Makina and Tet were worried about Rick, but they had a good reason not to run over with the others.

“Groarrrr!”

“Princess, stand back!”

“Is it regenerating!?”

The surrounding trees withered away while the supposedly burning tree’s wounds closed up and its burnt bark regenerated.

It was likely absorbing the entire forest’s life energy through its roots. The monster would return as powerful as before and possibly even more powerful.

At this rate, they might all be injured as badly as Rick. The entire group could be wiped out.

Makina and Tet intercepted the vines that swung toward them while attempting to make headway toward the tree.

Then the Hero walked between the two of them.

“Seiji!? Watch out!”

“This is my fault.”

“…!”

He made his way toward the regenerating tree monster. His arms and legs were shaking and his teeth chattering, but he held his short sword in his hand.

However, this was far too dangerous given his skill level. Makina tried to stop him, but it was Tet who stopped her.

“I will clear a path for you. Do not stop your advance.”

“Thanks, man!”

Tet knew how Rick felt. The boy had shared his worries with him. So Tet wielded his sword to settle things here.

“Let’s go!”

“W-waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!”

Seiji ran forward with his voice cracking and his body trembling.

Tet moved out ahead with even greater speed and cut down the approaching tentacles one after another.

Makina fired magic to support them.

“Rick!”

As the other two covered for him, Seiji scolded his terrified body for trembling and ran straight for the giant tree.

On the way, his life flashed before his eyes. He recalled meeting Saya, meeting Rick and his sisters, and the days he spent with those four.

Once he thought about it, Rick’s feelings for Saya were obvious enough. And with Rick’s good ears, he would have realized Seiji had stolen his sisters. How would that have made the boy feel?

But he had ignored all that and focused only on the pleasure the Mark of the Hero had provided him.

“So I have to do this! I have to!”

He gathered his courage. His armor and body were torn again and again by the tentacles, but he still rushed within range of his short sword.

And he stabbed the blade between the monster’s eyes.

“Brave Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrn!!!”

He released all of his Hero’s power.

The monster resisted it by absorbing all the forest’s life energy. But the legendary Hero’s power purified the monster faster than it could heal. The slight nick in the tree face’s brow split the entire giant tree vertically.

“Ggyaaaaaaaaahhh!”

The tree turned to particles of light and vanished away. Seiji stood blankly in front of where the monster had been erased from the world.

“Heh…heh heh. See? Even I can do incredible things.”

He looked back to view his party members.

It looked like Rick would recover from his wounds. They were serious, but not fatal. He could tell that from the relieved looks on Saya and the others’ faces.

Makina also gave a relieved look…but Tet’s face froze.

“Sir Seiji!”

Makina noticed a moment later and screamed.

A thick wooden spear flew in from behind Seiji and pierced his hip.

“Ah…?”

The tree monster had made one final attack just before being fully annihilated. The wooden tentacle stabbed through Seiji before disappearing along with the monster.

But Seiji coughed up blood and collapsed.

Makina ran over…but then she was overcome by a strange feeling.

“Eh?”

Time seemed to stop. All color and sound vanished from the world and her surroundings were filled with the color white.

“I had a feeling this would not work.”

Seiji froze in place just before hitting the ground. Tet, Saya, and the others were equally motionless. They did not even seem to be breathing. …The world had come to a stop.

The only people who could move were Makina herself and a female knight floating translucent in the air like a ghost.

“Inheriting my blood is not enough; you must have a noble soul as well. He showed some hint of that at the very end, but with this wound, I doubt his lower body will ever move again.”

“Wha-!?”

Paralysis of the lower body. Makina’s heart skipped a beat when she realized what that meant.

Something like steam rose from Seiji’s body and the softly speaking and dignified woman turned toward shocked Makina.

“Oh, a descendant of Lord Grandel. He was of much assistance to me. But now is not the time for you to be trapped by something like that. There is not much time left.”

Makina had so many questions and doubts, but before she could ask about any of it, the woman rose toward the heavens like a wisp of smoke.

“Search for the one who is truly qualified to be Hero. Something must be done about that man.”

“W-wait!”

Then time started back up.

She reached out a hand, but the woman was already gone.

Everything had vanished, leaving only the grassy plain and the blue sky they had originally expected to find here. Seiji lay there bleeding and everything was wrapped in silence.

Tet called out to Makina and Seiji’s party members hurried over to him. Injured Rick had regained consciousness, so even he crawled over in order to save Seiji.

“S-Seiji!”

Makina quickly came back to her senses and ran over to stop Seiji’s bleeding. But the loving feelings for him had already vanished from her heart.

Just like the Mark of the Hero had vanished from the back of his left hand.

A colossal forest had blocked the way to the south gate of Britannica’s royal capital of Londomern, but now it had entirely vanished. A man in a black hood stood atop the south gate’s tall wall and looked down on the boys and girls who had accomplished that.

However, he was focused on the “mist” that was rising toward the heavens and moving north.

“Must you get in my way again, Jeanne?”

He held a magic staff and his head was covered by a hood, but what little of his face was visible showed a scar and sharp eyes that now viewed Makina and the others.

However, he soon pulled the hood further down over his eyes to hide that face. He held a small crystal in his left hand, but he hid it up his sleeve.

“Well, no matter. The experiment itself was a success. Just you wait. I have a lesson for you. A lesson for this entire world that betrayed me!”

A gust of wind blew through and he was gone.