The World's Strongest People Like Me Too Much
I just wanted to nerd out over magic in peace.
That was literally all I did. I reincarnated into this fantasy world, kept my head down, studied like a maniac, and poured every waking second into magic research. No grand ambitions, no world-saving nonsense, no harem flags. Just pure, unfiltered magic otaku life.
So why the hell is everyone trying to chain me to them?
“You only have one master, right? It’s me, isn’t it? Yeah?”
The woman currently pinning me against the wall with one hand was the Archmage of the Eternal Tower, Serena von Aveline. Her silver hair cascaded like moonlight, and her eyes glowed with an intensity that made my spine tingle. She was smiling, but that smile was the kind that said refuse and I’ll turn you into a very pretty statue.
I swallowed hard.
“Uh… yeah. Totally. Only you, Master.”
Her grip loosened, but the obsessive sparkle in her eyes only grew brighter. She leaned in until our noses almost touched.
“Good boy. If anyone else tries to take you, I’ll erase them from existence. Even if it’s a god.”
She’s not joking. She actually did that last month.
I forced a smile and prayed for the sweet release of death. Or at least a bathroom break. Anything to escape this suffocating affection.
But of course, the universe had other plans.
The door to the research lab burst open with a bang that rattled every potion bottle on the shelves. A towering man in black armor strode in, cape billowing dramatically even though there wasn’t any wind. Duke Cedric von Kalen. The Strongest Sword of the Empire. Also known as the guy who once split a mountain in half because he was “having a bad day.”
He looked at me with the expression of a man who’d just discovered the meaning of life.
“Juno. Become my son-in-law. I’ll give you the duchy, all its wealth, every territory under my banner. Whatever you want. Just say yes.”
I stared at him. Then at Serena, whose smile had frozen into something terrifying. Then back at the duke.
“I’m… sorry?”
“You heard me.” He dropped to one knee like this was some kind of proposal scene from a romance novel. “My daughter is the empire’s greatest treasure, but even she isn’t worthy of you. Still, I beg you. Marry into my family. I’ll even change my name if that’s what it takes.”
What the actual hell is happening right now?
Serena’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Duke. I suggest you leave before I turn your precious sword into a very expensive paperweight.”
The duke didn’t even flinch. “Archmage. You may be strong, but I will not yield. Juno belongs with us. With family.”
They started glaring at each other so hard I could practically see sparks flying. I slowly backed away toward the emergency escape window I’d installed last week for exactly this kind of situation.
Unfortunately, I only made it three steps before a soft, velvety voice froze me in place.
“Where do you think you’re going after saving me, human?”
The temperature in the room plummeted. A woman with hair like flowing obsidian and eyes the color of fresh blood stepped out of a rift in space itself. Lilith, the Queen of the Abyss. Former final boss of the Jin Realm. The same demon sovereign I’d accidentally rescued from eternal imprisonment three months ago because I was curious about the sealing magic.
Big mistake.
She wrapped her arms around me from behind, pressing her cheek against my shoulder like a possessive cat. Her voice was sweet enough to give someone diabetes.
“You belong to me alone. I will bind your hands and feet, lock you in the deepest part of my palace, and keep you by my side for eternity. No one else gets to have you.”
The duke drew his sword. Serena raised her staff. Lilith’s shadow tentacles began writhing across the floor.
And I, the guy who just wanted to read ancient grimoires in peace, stood trapped between three of the strongest beings in the world while they fought over who got to kidnap me first.
…Someone please just let me go. I only want to do magic otaku stuff.
I let out a long, suffering sigh.
This was going to be another long day.