Sweet Little Secrets
The southern reaches of the continent. A desolate place where few travelers ever passed. There, a pack of monsters was racing toward some unknown destination. The small villages nearby had already been destroyed by these creatures. More than a hundred people had lost their lives, and not a single survivor remained. Having devoured so many, the monsters were now searching for their next offering.
Kyaaaak! Kyaaak!
At last, the monsters reached a nearby village. The moment they spotted human structures, they let out piercing shrieks. Soon they would taste tender human flesh and the metallic tang of blood. Even mindless beings had clear preferences when it came to flavor.
…Kirrk?
But what awaited the monsters was not a village full of people. The residents had already evacuated, leaving the place completely empty. Only silence and stillness remained. And a strange, pale purple mist.
The violet fog gradually enveloped the monsters. With every breath they took, it flowed deeper into their bodies.
Kirrk!?
The low-grade monsters reacted first. They glanced around wildly before suddenly shrieking and thrashing in panic, swinging their claws and baring their fangs as though some terrifying illusion had appeared right before them. The mid-grade monsters soon followed, their bodies bristling with tension.
In that instant, a figure leaped into the midst of the monsters. The sword in her hand swung without mercy.
Kieeeek!! Kieeek!
Krrrk!!
The very monsters that had once fed on human screams now let out death cries of their own. They could neither resist nor flee. In the blink of an eye, every last one of them was slaughtered where they stood.
“Haa…”
Having wiped out the monsters in a single moment, Iris looked around. Everything seemed fine. No strange visions appeared before her eyes. The poison spreading through the air had no effect on her. Normally, inhaling this toxin would have induced hallucinations. Even as a Hero, she was still far from complete. Breathing in the Poison Hero Ester’s toxin should have affected her. Yet whether it was thanks to the antidote or something else, she felt no discomfort at all.
Ester, true to her title as the Poison Hero, excelled not only in creating poisons but also in crafting antidotes. That very skill had allowed her to achieve remarkable results during the great battle before the regression.
“I’m finished, Senior.”
At Iris’s call, the poison lingering in the air flowed away. In the distance stood something writhing like a pitch-black shadow. The violet toxin seemed to be sucked toward it before vanishing completely.
“Are you okay, youngest?”
Ester emerged and cautiously examined Iris. She circled around her, even reaching out to touch her here and there. Though she had made the antidote herself, she had only done so a few times. Just two days ago, it hadn’t worked perfectly, and Iris had experienced hallucinations. Since Ester had only ever used poison and never cared much about curing it, this was inevitable.
“I’m really fine, Senior.”
Iris moved her body lightly to show there was no problem. No hallucinations, no paralysis. Even against such a potent toxin, the antidote worked immediately. It was truly a skill worthy of the Poison Hero.
“It’s a shame, though. If we had found them a little sooner, we could have saved more people.”
“This area is too vast. Neither you nor I can find every single one.”
“Still, it can’t be helped. The fewer lives lost, the weaker the enemies we face become. That’s why they’re always looking for openings like this.”
Iris accepted the torch Ester handed her and set the monsters’ corpses ablaze so they could never rise again.
Crackle! Pop!
The stench of burning monster flesh filled the air. No matter how many times she smelled it, before or after the regression, Iris could never get used to it. She let out a retching sound, and Ester patted her back. No, “patted” was too gentle a word. It was more like thumping.
“You okay, youngest?”
“I-I’m fine. It’s just a little gross, that’s all. You don’t have to hit my back. Actually, if you keep doing that, I really will throw up. Stop it, stop! Ow! That hurts!!”
After finishing with the corpses, the two left the area. They planned to sweep the surroundings once more to check for any remaining monsters or hidden Demon God Worshippers. A Fragment of the Demon God might appear, but they weren’t too worried. At its current level, even Ester could escape if needed. And if that proved impossible, their master and grandmaster would arrive soon enough.
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any enemies nearby. No presences could be felt, nor did the foul stench of monsters linger.
“Youngest. Looks like there’s nothing left. Let’s head back.”
“I’m certain there are no more monsters around. But let’s stay a little longer.”
“Why? I want to see Master as soon as possible.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying we should stay a bit more. Are you planning to go back and interrupt them?”
At Iris’s words, Ester blinked her eyes blankly for a moment, clearly not understanding. Then she let out a soft “Aah!” and nodded.
“Sorry. I forgot.”
“I understand. I know how much you like Master, Senior.”
“N-No, that’s not it!”
“It’s not? Then you don’t like Master? You dislike him?”
“Aaaah! No! That’s not it either!”
Ester stomped her feet and shook her head vigorously. Iris couldn’t help but burst into laughter at how adorable her senior looked.
“D-Don’t laugh! Stop laughing, youngest!”
“Sorry, Senior. It’s just because I like you so much.”
“Y-You like me? I… seem weird?”
“If we’re talking about being weird, I’m weirder than you, Senior. So don’t worry.”
Ester’s strengths lay in stealth and the precise use of poison. Yet in the moments when Namgung Hyeon and the other disciples had been in danger, the Poison Hero had abandoned all her strengths and fought desperately. She had bought time for everyone to escape, only to perish in a blaze of glory. In her final moments, she had even detonated all her poison to deal severe damage to the enemy.
Iris, who remembered Ester’s end, naturally felt guilty toward her. That was why she had grown close to her the moment they met.
“Youngest.”
“Yes, Senior Ester.”
“Do you know what Master and Grandmaster are doing?”
“They mentioned a few days ago that there was something they absolutely had to take care of.”
“Hmm… I feel like that’s not the whole story.”
“If you’re curious, go ask them.”
“No. I don’t want to disturb Master. I’ll ask later.”
Ester fell silent for a moment after saying that.
“By the way, youngest.”
She called out to Iris with another question.
“Master and Grandmaster seem a little strange.”
“What do you mean by strange, Senior?”
“I don’t know. I can’t really put it into words. But it’s strange. They look strange.”
“Hmm… Senior Ester. Then I’ll ask them for you.”
“Okay.”
“You like Master, right?”
“Yeah! I like him. I like him a lot. I like him so much.”
“I see. Then what about Grandmaster?”
It was a rather sudden question. Asking about Cheon Yeon-hwa right after Namgung Hyeon. While the other Heroes might be different, Ester was a demon who had always been shy. She hadn’t encountered Cheon Yeon-hwa much either. Strictly speaking, it was hard to say whether she liked her or not. But Ester felt she couldn’t answer that way. After a brief moment of thought, she spoke.
“I like her. She’s a good person. Master said she was his benefactor.”
“So in the end, both Master and Grandmaster are good people?”
“I suppose so? But why are you asking, youngest?”
“Because if two good people are together, whatever they do must be good, right? Don’t you think?”
“Uh… Is that how it works?”
“That’s how it works. Or am I wrong?”
If Iris was wrong, that would mean either Namgung Hyeon or Cheon Yeon-hwa was a bad person. For Ester, who was the very embodiment of timidity, saying something like that was impossible.
“No! You’re not wrong, youngest! I like them both! Whatever they do, I like it!”
“Right? I knew you’d answer that way.”
Iris smiled and clapped her hands. “Snack time!”
Despite being taller than Iris, with a larger chest and hips, Ester’s favorite thing was candy. It was unexpected both in the past and now.
“Hiyang!”
When Iris offered the candy, Ester immediately snatched it up. Just as she was about to peel off the wrapper, Iris clicked her tongue.
“Senior. Don’t you remember what Master said? One at a time.”
“A-Aah…”
“How many did you take just now?”
“O-One. I only took one!!”
“How many did you take?”
“…T-Two…”
Since Iris knew the exact number of candies, no matter how quickly Ester grabbed them, she was bound to be caught. Ester, who hadn’t realized that and had excitedly taken two, was now in trouble.
“Give one back right now. Master will scold you.”
“Okay…”
Ester drooped her shoulders and placed the candy back on Iris’s hand. Iris pretended to put the candy away in her pocket, then—
“Aaaah!!”
“…?”
—showed the candy to Ester again.
“What should we do, Senior? I dropped the candy.”
“Huh?”
“Oh no, I can’t find it. I guess there’s no choice. If Master asks why one candy is missing, I’ll have to tell him I dropped it.”
As she spoke, Iris smiled faintly. Realizing what Iris was up to, Ester’s face lit up with a bright “Heehee?!”
“I-If you dropped it, then there’s nothing we can do!”
“Right? Nothing we can do.”
The candy that had been in Iris’s hand immediately went into Ester’s mouth. She happily sucked on two candies at once, her expression one of pure bliss. Yet her appearance was that of a strikingly voluptuous demon woman. It was a rather mismatched sight, but since it was Ester, it somehow felt natural. She looked so happy as she ate the candy that Iris almost wondered if she herself had saved the entire world.
“…Youngest.”
Ester, still sucking on the candies, called out to Iris.
“Yes, Senior.”
“You’re really a good person.”
“Am I? Why?”
“Yeah! You let me eat two candies! Master said it was absolutely not allowed, but you still did it!”
“It’s nothing. Just keep it a secret from Master. If he finds out, we’ll both get bonked on the head right away.”
“Hik!”
“And it’ll probably be two hits each. Two for me, two for you.”
“Hiiiiiik!!”
At Iris’s words, Ester frantically covered her head with both hands.