Chapter 50
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: A Hero More Demonic Than Demons
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Maroon Village, the village chief's house—we grabbed a simple meal there.
Every time I sat down on the chair, the Aneros prodded my asshole, leaking precum everywhere.
It felt even more intense now that I'd started noticing the stimulation.
After breakfast, we left the chief's house and headed to Gulik's home.
Gulik could walk on his own now.
"Thank you, Hero!"
Gulik's parents "once again" expressed their gratitude to Ashy.
They'd saved their son from the brink of death, so they probably felt like even a hundred or a thousand thanks weren't enough.
Ashy scowled fiercely.
She'd clearly told them yesterday not to thank her, but this couple acted like her words had gone in one ear and out the other.
I gently wrapped my hand around hers—the one gripping my collar tightly.
Ashy relaxed her expression and shot the couple a glare.
"We have business to discuss."
There was only one reason we'd come to Maroon Village.
To awaken Gulik's potential and turn him into our bottomless gold mine.
We'd come here with the ambition to create a golden goose ourselves.
"What kind of talk?"
Gulik's parents guided us to the dining table.
In their cramped home doubling as kitchen and living room, they even brought out cups.
They brewed green tea just for us, floating tea leaves in it.
Ashy told them.
She wanted to support Gulik.
With those words, she emptied every coin she had.
50 million sol.
"This is...?"
"Seed money."
Ashy nodded her head.
A gesture inviting them to look inside, with a flick of her eyes.
Gulik's parents opened the pouch and checked the contents.
Seeing it stuffed full of gold coins, they quietly cinched the pouch shut.
They widened their eyes and looked up at us.
"From what I see, Gulik has talent. He'll make it huge as a merchant."
Ashy spouted nonsense like it was gospel.
She hawked her pitch while blabbing about a "guaranteed" future.
From Gulik's parents' perspective, it was hard to take at face value.
"G-Gulik, a merchant...?"
"Gulik's always dreamed of becoming a knight..."
Gulik wasn't home.
To celebrate his recovery, he'd gone out early that morning.
To meet his friends.
"Gulik suits being a merchant. His face screams it. You wouldn't dare doubt the word of a hero like me, right?"
"N-No, of course not. We believe you. We trust you, Hero."
She didn't swing a fist or anything, but Gulik's parents fidgeted nervously, eyes on Ashy.
The huge sum had them cowed.
"This is to support Gulik's talent and fund his first trading venture."
"...Hero, we don't understand what you see in Gulik that makes you think he'll succeed as a merchant. Honestly, our Gulik... he can't even count properly. And merchants need to be good with numbers..."
"Ah, that stuff doesn't matter."
What Gulik was like right now didn't matter.
It was just one step in the process, and as long as he lived, the destination was set.
Ashy, having seen the future, knew Gulik would make it big.
We'd saved the kid who was supposed to die here, so the present had shifted, and now it was time to head toward that fixed future.
"When Gulik starts his merchant group someday, Hero Ashy gets shares worth 50 million sol."
"...What if he fails? What if Gulik doesn't make it and we lose the 50 million sol...?"
"Why bother saying it? It's the life I saved, so he'll pay it back with that."
"Eek!"
50 million sol—enough money in this world to buy the heads of hundreds.
Hand over the cash and ask for a few hits? Done. Scum would swarm like bees, begging for the job.
Ashy laid it out.
If Gulik didn't make it and the 50 million went poof, she'd take back the life she'd saved.
It was practically a death sentence.
Gulik's parents stared at Ashy with tearful faces.
Begging for mercy, but no dice.
Ashy shoved back her chair and stood.
She downed the green tea in one gulp and wiped her mouth.
"Next time we meet, I'd like it to be as fellow merchant leaders."
"Hero..."
Ignoring the parents' whimpers, Ashy turned her back.
I shuffled after her, dragged along by my collar.
We stepped outside.
Villagers heading to the silver mine were visible.
"Hero, are you leaving?"
We went to the village stables and fetched the horses we'd ridden in on.
The chief approached and spoke.
"Yeah, gotta go."
We had to hunt down a demon in the Yuteron Barony.
That was the deal between Ashy and Baron Yuteron.
After that, we'd head to Alvheim.
Ashy wanted to wrap up the demon hunting as fast as possible.
Whether she could catch it or not?
That wasn't even a factor.
Ashy's mind skipped straight past "how."
Where would the demon be summoned?
That's all she pondered as she planned the next steps.
'That confidence she can catch any demon...'
Absorbing Drake's holy sword had awakened her holy sword's levels too.
Right now, most demons weren't even a match for Ashy.
Maybe single-digit rank demons or Demon King Baal would be obstacles.
Even those could be handled by awakening the holy sword further...
Judging by Ashy's attitude, solving the holy sword issue would seal the deal.
She could hunt down nearly any demon then.
"Where to?"
"Baria."
Ashy had her next destination locked in.
Yuteron Barony, Baria.
"It'll take about two days from here. Crossing the gorge isn't easy."
Saying that, the chief handed over a small backpack the size of his head.
Inside: two chunks of bread, two water skins, and some jerky.
"...The village isn't exactly flush, you see."
The chief scratched his head apologetically.
Ashy didn't bother responding.
She just took the pack and nodded.
"Thanks, Chief. We'll eat it on the way."
Standing in for the rude Ashy, I offered the thanks.
The chief shifted his gaze from Ashy to me.
"Thank you for saving Gulik. The village nearly vanished because of that black mage, but you heroes saved us."
"Just doing what heroes do."
I didn't do much, but it's the kind of thing heroes in this world handle routinely.
Smashing black mages' evil schemes and rescuing the common folk...
"Safe travels!"
The chief saw us off.
No crowd gathered.
They just watched from afar, as if coordinated.
'...Well, after the mess yesterday, yeah.'
Facing us would be awkward.
So the chief represented them, upholding bare-minimum courtesy.
Ashy mounted her horse.
I clambered up after her with a grunt.
I sat in front and waved.
Not at the chief, but the people behind him.
The Maroon villagers responded to my greeting.
Waving back or bowing energetically, we finished our boisterous farewell.
"Hmph."
Ashy gripped the reins and urged the horse on.
She'd been itching to leave, and now there was no hesitation.
Neigh-!
The horse bolted.
Maybe because we'd rested a full day, it felt light and swift.
Ashy handed me the reins.
As if it were natural, her hand snaked toward my crotch.
"Hngh."
Sulking back in the village, but the moment we're out, she's grinning and slipping her hand into my pants.
I couldn't do a thing.
Just gripped the reins and stared blankly ahead.
"Ugh..."
The Aneros made my ass throb.
With the horse galloping hard, the jolts hit even fiercer.
Chaos front and back.
I bit my lip, ignoring the mounting pleasure.
Ashy's touch grew more lewd by the second.
"Puppy, feels good?"
It'd be a lie to say it didn't.
My body loves it when Ashy touches me.
"Hold up."
Ashy halted the horse.
I hadn't even pulled the reins, but the horse understood her command and stopped.
"Smart horse."
I turned and glared at Ashy.
Asking why she'd stopped.
She explained.
"What if we face each other?"
"...Face each other?"
"Yeah. Puppy, dismount and climb back on facing me."
I got what she meant.
Like reverse cowgirl on a train seat—sit facing her.
"That's too dangerous."
I voiced my worry but followed her lead anyway.
Dismounted, then remounted facing her.
"Not dangerous. The horse can go slow."
Ashy pulled my calves, draping them behind her thighs.
Our legs crossed and intertwined.
"If you're that worried, just hold onto me."
Ashy said that and took the reins.
Teasing like she'd bolt any second.
Facing her like this, I had no choice.
Truly, cling to Ashy or nothing...
I hugged Ashy tight.
Couldn't block her view, so I huddled close as possible.
"Going."
Ashy buried her nose in my nape and inhaled deeply.
"Going, haah...?"
"No, 'going' doesn't mean like that!"
"Puppy smell turns me on so bad."
Watching her antics made me uneasy.
"Hyah!"
Ashy kicked the stirrup hard.
The horse whinnied and took off.
Slower than before.
The smart beast adjusted its pace on its own.
"Perfect."
Ashy wrapped her arms around my lower back and pulled tight.
Our lower bellies and crotches ground and pressed together.
"......"
The horse galloped without pause.
We took a break midway, then pushed toward our goal.
Along the way, a massive gorge loomed.
Just one rickety bridge spanning it...
"Dismount and walk."
"Whew."
We got off the horse.
Finally free from that perilous position.