Defeat tasted like rancid mayonnaise.
It wasn't the defeat itself that bothered him—at least, that was what the young man told himself. It was the shame of it. It was the fact that he had let himself go, spilling his seed like a rutting beast until it stained his trouser legs.
He took a bite of the sandwich, feeling the gritty texture of sand crunch between his teeth. Perhaps the nauseating, sour tang of the dressing would help drown out the lingering thoughts of his humiliation.
Noah sat slumped against a damp brick wall in the bowels of a dark alley. The cheap sandwich in his hand was only half-eaten. The fleeting euphoria of touching Catherine's thigh just moments ago had completely evaporated, leaving behind only a hollowness that gnawed at his heart.
"Dammit..."
He muttered to the shadows. By now, the girls in the city were probably gathering in groups, laughing at the Former Hero who lay sprawled in the middle of the arena. He hadn't joined a guild, had no money, and was now burying his head to sleep in a pile of straw like a stray dog.
Just as Noah prepared to toss the crust of bread away, several shadows cast over him.
"Found him! It's that big bro!"
A group of burly townsmen rushed toward him. Their eyes held no disdain; instead, they sparkled with the raw adoration of children meeting a war legend.
"That move you pulled when you dove in... absolute madness!" one man gestured excitedly, handing over a bag of fruit with trembling hands. "I saw it with my own two eyes! Those pale, silk legs clamped tight around your neck! I swear I saw Lady Catherine blush!"
"Yeah! You're a goddamn icon, bro!" another added, slapping Noah's shoulder familiarly. "Aside from the Duke, only you would dare to do something like that... You're our hope, man! Please, have lots of kids. Maybe your bloodline of bravery will finally let the men of this city raise their heads high!"
Their cheers sounded like the buzzing of annoying gnats to Noah. These praises didn't make him feel any better. They only emphasized just how twisted this world was.
How did he end up in this state? He was supposed to be the beacon of light, not a wretch lost in lust. Or perhaps it was because he had already fulfilled his mission of defeating the Demon Lord... Noah could only think back to old, hazy memories.
"Yeah... thanks," Noah accepted the items dismissively and waved them off. "I'm going to sleep. Scram."
Before leaving, the townsmen still smiled at him with deep respect.
Catherine's slender silhouette... Suddenly, an image of Catherine in a white apron with a smile floated into his mind. It was as if this vast universe had shrunk down until only that monumental, heaving pair of breasts remained. Noah felt a wave of self-loathing for having a brain filled with such filth.
Day after day, the townsfolk stopped by to greet him. Noah began to absorb and accept this new, twisted role more and more.
"Amazing. I've never seen women moan like that before," one man said to another.
"That's because you suck... No wonder your wife at home always has such a sour face," the other man sneered.
"Actually... I've seen it. Catherine's forbidden sanctuary," Noah interjected. He intentionally elevated the boring conversation into a sacred tale, proclaiming that he was not just an ordinary man, but a conqueror who had accessed a forbidden woman that many wouldn't even dare to dream of.
One of the men cried out immediately, "Hey, for real?! When!?"
Noah smirked, his eyes devoid of emotion yet hiding a serious intent. "Actually... down there, it's a pinkish-white color. That's all I can say."
Deep down, Noah still dreamed of Aurelia. If he had this power back in the old days, would he have dared to use it on her? Probably not... because back then, he was both too naive and too driven.
When the crowd finally dispersed, Noah let out a long sigh. Before he knew it, he had boasted several times already. He swept the scattered straw into a pile and laid an old cloth over it, preparing to force himself to sleep and escape reality.
However, the moment his back touched the ground, someone's toe nudged him gently.
Noah opened his eyes to find an old man, completely concealed in a black cloak, standing over him.
"Get up..." The old man's voice was a wet rasp, dredging up from the depths of a rotted throat. "This is my spot... You're taking my bed."
Noah was in no mood to argue. He clicked his tongue in annoyance but obediently shifted his weight to sleep in another corner.
The old man slumped down in his place, reached into his shirt, and pulled out a cloudy, cracked crystal ball, placing it in front of him while eyeing the bread crust in Noah's hand.
"Swill looks more appetizing than this..." The old man scoffed. "I didn't realize the Conqueror of the Demon Lord would have such rock-bottom tastes... or is your taste in women just as low?"
Noah stiffened, his brows knitting together instantly. "What are you talking about, old man?"
"Have you forgotten? By now, your friends are probably enjoying themselves in that old world, leaving you to suffer here alone... How pathetic."
The mention of the Hero's Party falling from a stranger's lips chased Noah's drowsiness away. He sprang up, his right hand moving instinctively toward his sword hilt. Not in this world... not in this city... No one should know about the other world.
"Who are you... and what are you talking about? I have no friends in this upper world."
The old man chuckled in his throat, a gurgling sound like boiling mud bubbling in a windpipe. "I wasn't referring to this place... My apologies for offending you."
"You are a smart man... and strong... Why do you sit here begging for love like this?" The old man turned slowly to face him. "Why beg... when you can seize it? Just a snap of a finger... and those women would be helpless to resist... Why not taste your own raw, primal desire? Have you ever seen a rat struggling in desperation? Their fresh blood flowing out is the most exquisite taste."
"What did you say..." Noah's voice dropped low, his eyes hardening. "I'm not scum like that... Even if I've quit being a Hero, I will never harm a woman."
"A Hero, is it?" The old man sneered beneath his hood. "This world is rotten... Those women are just poisonous flowers... I do miss the days when I used to hear their screams as they were being ravished..."
For some reason, Noah felt deeply repulsed and disgusted by the saliva drooling from the old man's twisted teeth.
Suddenly, the crystal ball in the old man's hand glowed with a pulsating green light. The reflection on the glass surface revealed the true face hidden beneath—warty green skin, sharp, twisted yellow teeth, and hideous, bulging eyes.
A Goblin!
The young man suddenly felt ice-cold. It felt as if unseen, greasy hands were brushing all over his body; revulsion surged through him.
"You didn't cross worlds to be a protector, Noah..." The reflection in the crystal ball grinned so wide its gums receded. "You have stepped onto a new path... Enjoy it."
Rage exploded like a bursting dam. Noah leaped to his feet, his patience at an end. His sword was unsheathed with a loud clang, the blade aiming to sever the creature's throat.
"You bastard!" He gritted his teeth, the sword point leveled at the cloaked figure. "I will never follow in your footsteps! And if you're a minion of that Lord Alistair or whatever... I'll crush your army into pulp with my own hands again!"
The old man laughed heartily, unafraid. "Have you forgotten your own prayer? ...You know nothing... The women you adore are sluts... disgusting... and harbor dark secrets you cannot imagine!"
"I don't believe a word you say!" Despite his words, the young man's heart began to waver.
"Oh, you seem interested... You want to know, don't you? Beneath those beautiful roses, behind the roots that dig deep into the rotting soil... what exactly do they grow from?"
Noah raised his sword high. He felt a pang of fear at what the old man would say next, but before the blade could strike down...
"Noah! Is that you!"
A familiar shout cut through the tension, shattering the atmosphere.
Noah froze, whipping his head around to see Christina standing with her hands on her hips at the alley's entrance. He quickly turned back to his enemy... but the old man's figure had vanished into thin air, leaving behind only emptiness and a faint stench.
Christina stomped over, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him mercilessly.
"Come here right now! Why are you still in a place like this!"
"Wait! Christina! Just now, that thing..."
Noah tried to point to where the old goblin had been sitting, but Christina's immense strength dragged him stumbling out of the alley immediately. And for whatever reason, Christina's touch snapped his sanity back to normal.
____
"This is..." Noah's jaw dropped.
After being dragged through several streets, the sight before him was an unremarkable two-story house, raising a multitude of questions in the young man's mind. Surely she wasn't finding him a place to stay? Suddenly, Noah felt a strange sense of depression.
"My own house," the confident voice of the woman in iron armor made Noah's eyes widen.
"That means..." Noah blurted out.
"From today onwards, you will be living here," her beautiful, sharp face declared clearly.
"How is that even possible? What about your husband and children?" Noah asked probingly, wanting to see some reaction from Christina.
However, she replied in a flat tone that carried a hidden meaning. "My husband and children are no longer here... Do you despise a failed mother like me?"
With her tone and posture shifting into somethin
g lithe and dangerously seductive, Noah couldn't utter a single excuse. His throat went dry, and he swallowed with difficulty...