"Ugh... my jaw's about to dislocate..." Lisbeth said, rubbing her chin and glaring at me as we waited for Ars in front of the store.
It really is too big.
No, really, it went in without even touching the corner of my mouth.
As expected, although they look like Earthlings, humans from another world, as far as I know, should be considered a separate race, distinct from humans.
Is this throat-penetrating operation, the kind I only see in R-rated comics, really possible?
Thinking about this to reassure Lisbeth, I soon saw Ars approaching me from afar, smiling. He had removed the bandages from his arm, and his physical condition seemed to have improved.
Lisbeth's expression lit up as soon as she saw Ars, but then faded, as if she remembered something.
She must have remembered what had just happened.
Believing the plan was going well, I couldn't help but smile.
"Hello, Liz. Shimo. How are everyone?"
"Oh, Ars. You look great. We're doing well here."
"Ars. How are you feeling?" After Ars's polite greeting, we entered a fairly large restaurant. It was one of the few restaurants in town that could accommodate me.
After ordering, I casually leaned against the table and asked Ars about his progress. He proudly boasted of his achievements.
"My Heroic Spirit has reached Level 3 this time. I was honestly afraid it wouldn't improve, but fortunately, it seems the time has come." A Level 3 Heroic Spirit, huh?
While I don't know the exact level yet, honestly, will it really make me stronger?
I think even if I reach level 3 as a Heroic Spirit, I'll probably only last about a minute before I'm exhausted again, like before?
"Excellent. I've also significantly increased my level with Shimo. While the exact amount hasn't been confirmed yet, I'm currently level 24."
Lisbeth took a private taxi named "I" and leveled up in the Cursed Mountains, leveling up five times in a row over the past week.
Considering the number of monsters and experience points found nearby, that's quite an impressive feat.
Als's surprised expression confirmed this.
"I actually leveled up five levels in a row... how amazing is that in just one week? Liz has already surpassed me in level."
If I'd been leveling up honestly, I wouldn't have pestered Lisbeth for a whole week. She would still be able to level up with me. I surreptitiously licked my tongue and turned to ask about the next goal. "Hmm. I want to hunt down the Hero Eater."
That guy's probably still slumped over. After that beating, you still want to pursue him?
"Als. It's too dangerous."
Look. Even Lisbeth was so scared she wanted to stop you. But Als's expression was utterly stern.
"No, I sensed during our previous meeting that a one-on-one fight might not work, but the three of us working together should be able to handle it. That experienced hero probably got ambushed while catching his breath after a solo attack, right?"
Still, he's not the type to be easily broken... Why does that guy always set himself such difficult goals?
"I heard from the adventurers at the training camp that a quest to capture a criminal has been announced, open to all guilds. The reward is 50 gold coins. "It looks like soldiers under the lord's command and mid- and higher-level guilds are searching the area around Ladia."
"Speaking of searching... how are we supposed to find this guy?" 50 gold coins is certainly an exaggeration.
It seems they sensed a crisis approaching, hence the high reward.
But the problem is, if we don't find him, all our efforts will be in vain.
Other guilds have been searching for over a week; that guy must have either fled far away or hidden, right?
"When I saw the view from the portal he escaped through..."
"Don't even think about any of those options. This time, nothing will work."
Just as Ars and I were about to analyze the quest clues, Lisbeth said with a stern expression, "I'm categorically against Ars taking on such a dangerous mission so soon after his recovery. Besides, finding the Hero Eater is enough to complete the quest. Since it's not a client, and a major guild has taken it on, why should we risk it?" Lisbeth's expression was filled with concern and irritation. Indeed, anyone would be worried if Ars, fresh from his recovery, were to rush into danger.
"...I just want to regain my confidence, Lisbeth." Ars looked at Lisbeth apologetically, then calmly and seriously stated his thoughts.
"Before becoming an adventurer, when I was chosen as a hero, I thought we would develop faster than anyone else and become famous. Not just in Radhia, but the entire kingdom would soon bear our names. But it's been a year since I became an adventurer. Because I've reached a dead end and can no longer cultivate, and because my power is almost ineffective against Poe.
"The Hero Eater, I've lost a lot of self-confidence."
"..." Lisbeth's anger subsided, and she listened to Ars's story with a serious expression.
"Even if we fail to catch the Hero Eater, the main thing is that we achieve something, and then, it seems, we can regain our confidence. Even though I know it's dangerous, I want to regain my confidence, overcome my obstacle, and become a person you can be proud of, for the sake of the people of my hometown and for Liz..."
"Ars..." Lisbeth's expression softened, a hint of emotion flickering across it. It seemed she partially understood why Ars was so worried.
But even so, what could she do against this Hero Eater?
It seemed to her that defeating the guy she thought she had already defeated was only the end of the first stage.
Then there was that black orb I passed through.
I didn't even know what it was; maybe it had other abilities.
Even trying to challenge it, just to gain confidence, still felt like a dangerous opponent...
"...I understand. But two days. You need two more days of rest. If the Hero Eater isn't defeated in two days, I won't stop you. And if we find it first, promise me you'll run away immediately if you encounter danger."
"I promise you. I won't risk my life. I won't let Liz worry."
Watching their conversation, she felt something sinister brewing within her.
In my heart, Lisbeth has always been a woman; how dare she?
Anger overwhelmed me.
I never thought I'd have such thoughts when looking at those two.
Since I've realized my desires, the feeling of guilt has become much less intense than before.
To become a man worthy of pride... Ha. Ars. Don't think Lisbeth will be your woman until then. I will take Lisbeth by any means necessary.
After reuniting with the returning Ars, I decided to rest for two more days and then track down the Hero Eater. I spent those two days gathering information at the guild headquarters and preparing for action in the shopping district.
Actually, one of the reasons I was making these preparations was because I didn't want Lisbeth and Ars to be alone.
In any case, living in the same dorm isn't a problem, but even so, I didn't want them to meet alone.
Two days passed like this: during the day, I rested and checked the equipment, and at night, I invited Lisbeth to my warehouse to satisfy my sexual desires with oral sex.
On the first day of the two-day event, she still seemed burdened and hesitant, but on the second day, she did it without hesitation, which greatly pleased me.
This time, however, she turned her face away to avoid being touched by sperm during ejaculation.
I suppose it was still a bit of a stretch.
Nevertheless, the fact that a woman with a lover would not refuse oral sex with a monster penis is quite astounding.
On Earth, where feminine skills are nonexistent, if a woman in her early twenties and her lover performed oral sex on an animal's genitals, she would probably faint.
"I wonder if the dimensional portal through which the Hero Eater escaped is nearby," Ars said, pointing to a map on a large table in the corner of the guild's dining hall.
The map circled several locations, identified by the barely discernible landscape beyond the dimensional portal through which the Hero Eater escaped.
The circled location Ars pointed to was completely inconsistent with the area where the dungeon once stood; it was located northwest of Radia.
Why is everything so different...?
"This place doesn't look like a dungeon at all. How could a portal lead to such a distant place?"
"Not usually... Rather, I've never heard of a portal appearing in this form except at the entrance to a dungeon. It can't be guaranteed that it's near the entrance. More importantly, judging by the background shown in the portal, this is the most suspicious location."
According to reports, other guilds targeting the Hero Eater are primarily searching the area around the former dungeon to the south.
But this is just a guess; the likelihood of them finding nothing is higher.
After all, the Hero Eater has been missing for almost ten days.
"You both remember what I said, right?" Lisbeth repeated her initial statement with a determined expression.
The purpose of the trip northwest is simply to complete tasks that can be completed nearby.
The search for the Hero Eater is only a secondary matter; if he is found and deemed dangerous, flee immediately and report to guild headquarters.
The search is limited to three days.
If the search turns up nothing, it will be called off.
These were the conditions Lisbeth set when authorizing the search.
"I know, Liz. Don't worry."
Ars had said something similar about the labyrinth...
"Good. Time to go." And so, carrying the two of them in their arms, they continued their mission, searching for P.Devourer of Heroes.