Romance (4)
It had been about an hour since I'd caused a massive accident and gotten thoroughly punished by Lord. I wanted to cheat my way out or throw a tantrum, but he shut that down cold. Anyone else, maybe—but it was Lord. The ones who grasp the principles of the heavens and wield violet magic. Even the Destruction King Hector was a step below him, and that one step was a chasm.
As I'd said a million times, no matter how much I raged, if Lord just swung his sword—whoosh—it was game over. My head would fly off, tumbling through the sky, and I'd end up a cold corpse without putting up a real fight. Defense? Useless. He sliced through space itself like tofu. My tough body probably wouldn't mean squat.
"Yeah, yeah. It must've been tough, huh? Don't do it again."
At least the punishment didn't drag on. Whether Lord felt bad for me or not, he'd only given me an hour. The second it ended, I headed straight to Ellie, who'd been watching worriedly from the side, and buried myself in her arms.
The moment my face hit that soft chest, she started patting my back. My sunken mood lifted right away.
I could stay like this forever.
Ellie had said before—if I wanted, she'd let me touch her chest legally anytime. But groping outright would prick even my conscience(?), so I figured hugging like this in moments like these was fine. Does it really not prick my conscience? Not one bit. It's fresh and thrilling every time. How could I give up this sensation?
For once, my Wild Instinct stayed quiet. Or maybe it was egging me on—telling me to bury myself here and find some peace.
"But you gotta know it's partly your fault too, Sivar. We said no breaking stuff recklessly, right?"
Ellie pleaded while holding me to her chest. I just tilted my head up to peek at her face. That beaming smile and those golden eyes, shining like they could draw you in. With the fluffy pillow, she radiated saintly compassion.
But separate from that compassion, I felt a bit wronged this time. Even I hadn't expected the Death Beam to fire off.
"Wronged."
"Wronged? What's wronged about it?"
"Not. On purpose."
"Even if it wasn't on purpose, you still caused an accident. No matter the mistake, you gotta apologize for breaking someone else's stuff."
Ellie gently stroked my head while mildly scolding me. Like she said, not every mistake gets forgiven. And hadn't Lord always said? If you mess up but apologize and reflect, he'll cut you some slack.
But whether because I'd gained romance or because smashing things felt so natural, it was hard to even realize it. Weirder still, the bigger the destruction, the more numb I got. Breaking small stuff actually made me feel more self-conscious.
Is it because smashing trees was daily life in the forest?
Back in the forest, I'd shattered trees and rocks constantly. Prey was always huge, after all. And fighting Porori? The area around us got wrecked all the time. When Berserk kicked in, it was a wasteland.
Usually, massive destruction meant a massive fight—and maybe that's why I didn't register it.
"Got it? Next time you break something, apologize."
"Yeah."
"Good boy, our Sivar. Want anything? Something yummy?"
Ellie rubbed her cheek against my face like crazy while asking. That shoved my face even deeper between her breasts. After a beat of fluster from her affection and the squishy feel, I mumbled my request—face still buried, so it came out slurred.
"Candy."
"Absolutely not."
I'd asked Ellie, so why was Lord answering? Not just strict—he shut it down flat. Ellie looked like she agreed it was a no-go, so candy was off the table.
"And Ellie. Aren't you too soft on Sivar? Spoiling him like this could lead to bad habits."
"I know that. That's why you punished him, right, President? But after punishment, you gotta comfort him like this."
No idea why, but it sounded like mom and dad arguing. They bickered plenty over my "upbringing." Lord had lived his whole life as a wild man—no kid-rearing experience. And I wasn't some normal kid; I was a full-grown adult. Not mentally stunted, just... socially deficient (a lot). So yeah, I probably seemed childish.
Humans are social animals for a reason.
Lacking social skills basically means you're half-baked as a person. And I fit that bill. Being numb to destruction meant they had no choice but to argue.
"Comforting's fine, but..."
Neither Lord nor Ellie this time. I turned toward the voice. Kara looked displeased for some reason, hands on hips in clear annoyance.
"Isn't that hug a bit much? Someone might think he's for real."
Seemed my blatant nestling into Ellie's chest bugged her.
"What's wrong with it? I like it, Sivar likes it—end of story, right?"
But Ellie fired back way bolder than Kara expected. Even pressing my head down subtly. Her no-fucks-given personality shone through.
Kara's face twisted in complication.
"...President. Say something."
"Ahem."
Kara appealed to Lord, but he just cleared his throat and stared off at distant mountains.
"...Sivar grew up alone without parents. But saying he lived in the forest from infancy doesn't add up. So maybe it's him rediscovering lost memories or something. Just my theory."
"......"
Kara gaped at Lord's explanation—logical yet absurd. I did have parents, and I hadn't been in the forest since infancy. Honestly, this was just instinct. Wild Instinct or whatever—pure male programming. Unavoidable.
"...Whatever. He'll manage. Just hope he doesn't pounce on someone."
Kara finally threw up her hands, giving up deep thought. But not zero worry—she glanced at me nestled in Ellie's chest, then met Ellie's eyes with a concerned tone.
"You sure you can handle it later? He's clueless now, but he might realize his urges someday."
"I can handle it. I brought him here, so taking responsibility's obvious."
"If that's the case, no issue, but..."
Kara scratched her cheek. Ellie had brought up responsibility with her before too. Probing deeper would just get awkward, so best to let it slide.
"Fine. I'll help a bit too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I taught him how to use his power, so I'm partly responsible. I'll stick around and help."
"Thanks, sis."
Warm and fuzzy on the surface. I'd get to hug Ellie's chest guilt-free from now on.
But one nagging thing.
Wasn't Kara there back then too?
After blacking out from the Hector fight and waking up. Ellie had boldly declared I could touch her chest anytime. I'd felt her strong sense of responsibility then—but the only one who'd heard was Luna.
So Kara was ripe for misunderstanding. Gotta hear people out to the end.
"Kara-sis's chest is big too, so she'll help a ton. Got it, Sivar?"
"...?"
Ellie stroked my head for agreement while Kara tilted her head. That confirmed it—Kara was thinking of a totally different "responsibility."
Telling her now wouldn't help...
Misunderstanding could clear up slowly. I'd just keep quiet. Like I said, no conscience pricked. If ditching it meant happiness, I'd gladly indulge. But gotta watch out for Kara. Luna'd spill the details later.
Wonder what Kara's feels like?
Curiosity won—I stared at Kara's chest. Plenty big, even if not quite Ellie's level.
"Oh. She's back?"
"Yeah."
"What'd they say?"
"Good news—they're going ahead with training. But if it happens again, it'll be trouble for them too, so they want you to hold back."
"At least that's something."
Perfect timing—Luna returned, missing my stare. I figured that was enough and pulled my face away. The gloom from Lord's scolding was fully gone. Back to normal now.
"Everyone's here, so let's discuss. Sivar used red mana, right?"
With Luna gathered too, Lord brought up today's incident—my red mana.
"As I mentioned before, when the gods created the world, the first thing to appear was the rainbow. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. As the world's original colors, they hold profound meaning."
Like the demon stripped of all color, in Soul World, "color" was huge. Losing it was like losing life. Why demons desperately reclaimed it.
"Most of us have blue mana. But it doesn't start blue. Some regress to green; others evolve to indigo."
"Gloria said you use indigo mana, President..."
Luna ventured carefully. She trailed off, but it was basically a request. Lord read it and silently raised his hand for us to see.
Hummm—
Violet mana rippled in his hand—deeper than blue. The color only those who comprehend heavenly principles could wield. Luna and the others stared in awe. First time seeing it myself, I gawked too.
"Few evolve to indigo like me. Maybe three including myself. All tied to the 'stars.'"
"So, has anyone reached purple?"
"Yes. One who doesn't just wield the heavens—but places them beneath their feet."
I knew who. The monster in the East. Rarely met early, but pops up mid-game out of nowhere. Not a current worry, but tricky and bitchy personality—watch out.
"Purple mana is for gods and equivalents. Call them primordial beings."
"Primordials... So demons can use it too?"
"If they have purple, sure. A blue demon used blue mana."
Lord explained, glancing at me. Red mana—opposite of purple. If purple symbolized primordials, red meant base creatures. Red demons? Dime a dozen beasts. Barely any intellect, so unless thrashing wildly, they couldn't even use mana properly.
"But red... Theoretically the basest color, yet not entirely. It'd be the first used by anything worth calling human."
"What do you mean?"
"Heard of the hypothesis that humanity evolved from apes? Still debated between scientists and theologians."
"...No?"
Luna blinked cluelessly. The rest seemed to know. Kara, Gulrak faithful, would've read up; Ellie was a bookworm. Not that Luna was dumb—the world's public education was just pathetically outdated.
Common sense to me, novel to her.
She has zero interest in stuff she doesn't care about.
Lord explained patiently, mindful of Luna.
"Theory that humanity slowly evolved from apes, mana color shifting accordingly. Theologians say we started as humans, mana evolving with civilization."
"Both sound plausible..."
"Hence the endless debate. But Sivar's less ape, more..."
Lord trailed off, eyeing me. In that debate, I fit creationism perfectly.
"Sivar looks just like us. And he's cute too."
"...Dunno about cute, but yeah, same as us."
Lord chuckled at Ellie's reply. Cute over handsome? Kinda embarrassing.
"Theoretically, Sivar backs the theologians... But honestly, no clue. Gods probably know."
"Talk to the gods? So..."
"Head to the Holy Kingdom Byzantine. Tough now, but I'll send you when possible."
Holy Kingdom Byzantine. Religion is its core. Unlike nations picking one faith, it honors all three gods. A must-visit.
"That's the rough conclusion. Sivar."
"Yeah."
"Try not to use mana if possible. Body enhancement's fine—no flashy stuff."
"Eh."
Hated that. I got it, but ditching romance? How do you hold back a hand Death Beam?
Even Lord couldn't demand that.
"Cause a fuss, and we'll both suffer. Nod while I'm asking nicely."
"Yeah."
But power levels the field. Romance takes a backseat. I'd sneak it in the forest when bored. Had to vent somehow.
Knock knock knock—
Just as talk wrapped up, a tapping came—not door, but window. I turned—Porori perched outside, acorn tucked in his side.
Slide—
Polite "knock," then he hopped in, bounding over.
"What're you talking about? Include me."
He plopped naturally on Ellie's lap, popping the acorn in his mouth and leaning into her chest. Ellie stroked his head and tail gently, speaking in her soft voice.
"Talking about Sivar. Oh yeah, Ratatosk—you knew his mana was red, right?"
"Huh? Didn't know till now? I figured you did."
Crunch crunch—
Porori munched away. Where'd he snag such a huge acorn?
"Ratatosk, know what red mana means?"
"Just that it's insanely strong. Especially that beam from his mouth."
"...Mouth?"
Ellie blinked at "mouth beam." We all did—even me.
I'd learned about hand Death Beam yesterday. Mouth beam? News to me.
"You didn't know...? Makes sense. He used it when his eyes got redder—right before passing out."
"...Not even a dragon shoots mana from its mouth?"
"Dragons do breath. Not beams. He really human...?"
Kara gawked; Luna pondered seriously. Lord sank into thought.
"Impressive. You do it too, Ratatosk?"
"Nah. Just him."
Our airhead Ellie just went "oh, okay."
Meanwhile, mouth laser news got me hyped. Death Beam was romantic enough—mouth laser? Uncontainable.
"Hey."
"Yeah? What?"
"Real?"
Double-checking: did lasers really come from my mouth? Porori, no biggie, crunched and confirmed casually.
"Real deal. Why doubt me? Test it later."
"Yeah...!"
"Not here, though. One slip and everything's toast."
My mouth! Lasers! How do I hold back!
I sparkled at the revelation. With engraving learned, maybe controllable.
"If."
"...?"
As I buzzed, thoughtful Lord spoke. Same tone, but the vibe? Different. Like suppressed aura threatening me. Instinct screamed it.
"In the forest. If noise."
"......"
Word. By. Word. Indescribable pressure. Beyond Hector—terrifying. The intimidation only violet mana users could unleash.
Lord eyed my spooked self, then dropped the finisher.
"I'll punish again. Got it?"
"......"
"Answer."
"Yeah..."
Guess romance was on hold awhile.
"...That old man's scary as hell."
Totally agreed. I hung my head glumly.
...Wait.
A spark hit me. If I caused trouble, Lord punishes—then Ellie comforts? She'd wrap me warmly post-punishment; I'd hug for "mental recovery."
That thought made me eye Ellie holding Porori. Her madonna smile. Porori hogging the bounty now—but soon mine.
...Perfect.
Two birds, one stone.