Chapter Two: The Demon Lord Bonds with His Family

A couple of years before being summoned—

Anima visited a desolate town. He saw people here and there, aimlessly

wandering along the dirt road. Usually the townspeople would flee the

moment they spotted him, desperately trying to save their lives, but he was

using an oversized hood to cover his face. In doing so, he made himself stand

out, but it was better than showing his face.

I have to get this over with before I'm discovered. He had two goals in

mind when visiting the town: One was to get a drink, and the other was to

annihilate the local criminal organization known as the Anima Confederacy.

"Anima Confederacy" my ass. What a joke.

As the name implied, it was supposed to be a crime syndicate Anima

had built. He, however, had no recollection of creating anything of the sort.

Simply put, they'd stolen his name to further their criminal activities.

Throwing the Demon Lord's name around was enough to coerce victims

into giving up their possessions without a fight; the group was raking in

money without even lifting a finger. What awoke Anima's wrath, though,

was that their activities damaged his reputation even further. Due to the

Confederacy's wrongdoings, people became even more terrified of him,

which made fulfilling his dreams of a happy family incrementally more

difficult.

That wasn't to say the group didn't have value, though. By destroying

the Confederacy and clearing up the misunderstanding, he'd surely be

heralded as a hero. The tales of his good deeds would overwrite the terrifying

rumors that surrounded him.

At least, that was his hope when he'd decided to put a stop to their

wrongdoings. There was the issue of him having no idea who was behind the

Confederacy or even where they were based, but he planned to ask around

while treating himself to a drink at the bar.

After entering a beat-down bar, Anima sat down at the counter and

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nodded at the bartender, saying, "Pour me a drink." He couldn't see well in

his oversized hood, but the bar was completely silent, signifying that there

were no other guests.

It wasn't like he'd expected anyone else to be there; no person had the

freedom to have a drink at the bar while the Anima Confederacy was on the

prowl. He had to act quickly in order to save the town.

"What sort?" the bartender answered coarsely.

He couldn't see the bartender, but judging by his voice, he was older.

Anima had to be extremely careful not to reveal his identity, lest the old man

drop dead from a heart attack.

"Your cheapest booze."

If the rumors were to be believed, Anima had hoarded an unimaginable

wealth from his countless pillages, when in reality, he was dirt poor.

"Coming right up," the bartender replied before putting a glass down in

front of Anima, who reached out to it before freezing in place.

Oh, no. I can't drink this.

In order to drink from a glass, he had to raise this face. That would've

immediately blown his cover. On the other hand, not drinking it would look

suspicious.

"Hm? Don't you want the drink?"

Too late. He grinded his gears for a moment and came up with a

solution.

"Damn, I dropped some coins."

He deliberately dropped some coins on the floor, then crouched down

with the glass in his hand. Hidden under the counter, he could finally enjoy

the drink he'd ordered.

Ahhh… this is so good. I'm sure it'd taste better if I drank it with my

significant other…

After a few seconds, he put his empty glass back on the counter and

stood back up, thinking it was about time for him to ask about the

Confederacy.

"Eeeeep!"

The bartender suddenly screamed and jumped over the counter. Despite

tripping over a chair, he scurried out of the bar.

"What happened?!"

Thinking that the Anima Confederacy might have shown itself, Anima

scanned the bar, but he was all alone, meaning the bartender got scared of

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him and ran…

Did he recognize me?

If he had, he would've ran without making Anima's drink. He couldn't

have seen Anima's face from behind the counter, so the mystery of why he'd

fled the bar remained unsolved.

"Gyahahaha! You're done for! Time for you to kick the bucket, oh-soheinous Anima!" While Anima was busy racking his brain, a behemoth of a

man entered the bar, his triumphant laughter reverberating through the empty

establishment. "You shouldn't've drunk that poisoned booze, moron!"

"Poisoned booze?"

The puzzled look on Anima's face made the gigantic man even more

obnoxious.

"Yeah, you heard right! Thanks to my inescapable information network,

predicting your actions is easy as taking candy from a baby! But hey, don't

be so mad at me! I was against killing our precious piggy bank! Hahaha, do

you have any idea how much money you've made us?! But you see, some

people knew you were comin' and wanted to see you dead, and I'm not some

dumbass who'd turn down such a generous bounty! Killing you will turn me

into this land's hero, too! I'll be mankind's grand savior and be swimmin' in

money until the day I die! So drop dead for me, will ya?! And that ain't even

the best part! I don't even have to get my hands dirty! You won't last much

longer with the strongest poison known to man—direct from the poison

scorpion only found in the Desert of Perish—flowing through your veins!"

Certain of his victory, the man had become rather talkative. By the end

of his long-winded speech, two things were certain: he was a member of the

Anima Confederacy, and he, along with the town, had planned to poison

Anima.

"Poison scorpion, you say? Is that the gluey demon? The one that you

bite into and it fills your whole mouth with that gooey, umm…"

"Exactly! It's gooey when—Wait, what?" Blood drained from the burly

man's face. "You ate one? Did you seriously eat a poison scorpion?!"

"What else is there to eat in the Desert of Perish?"

At the height of his century-long training, Anima had crossed the

dreaded Desert of Perish. It was rumored that not a single person had come

back once they'd set foot into that merciless, desolate hellscape.

During his time there, his diet had consisted solely of poison scorpions.

He had consumed countless venomous demons beforehand, which had made

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him virtually immune to poisoning. Forget killing him, eating them didn't

even upset his stomach. There was no way a bit of poison scorpion toxin,

which had been diluted in alcohol, would so much as faze him.

"Y-You monster! D-Do you not feel anything? Not even a little bit

dizzy?!"

"Nothing."

"No, that can't be right! It has to work! I've got an endless arsenal of

spells, and just one will be enough to blow you to smithereens after you've

been weakened by my poison! I mean, it's gotta be working, right? Right?! I

know you're just acting tough!"

"I'm telling you, it didn't work!"

Anima grabbed a chair and threw it at the man, who blasted through the

wall and landed outside the bar. There was a crowd around the ruined wall

and passed-out man, waiting there to witness the Demon Lord's death

firsthand. They were petrified to see Anima standing there, fit as a fiddle.

"Aaahhhhhhhhhh!"

"H-He's alive! Anima is aliiiiiive!"

"R-Ruuuuuuuuuun!"

"H-Hide the women and children! Quickly!"

"There's no point! He'll just burn the whole place down! We have to

flee the town!"

"Wait, don't run!" Anima cried. "Listen to me! I came here to defeat the

—"

"Ahhhhh! He's coming after us!"

"Mommyyy! Mommyyyyy!"

"D-Don't cry!" he begged. "I'm not scary! L-Look, peek-a-boo!"

"Gyahhhhhhhhhh!"

"Nooooo! My baby! Not my baby!"

"Mommyyyyyyyyyy!"

"N-No! Please, listen to me!" He was desperate to explain himself, but

nobody would lend an ear to his pleas. "This is all a big misunderstanding!

I'm not scary…"

◆◆◆

Anima slowly opened his eyes at the warm, gentle rays of the sun

seeping in through the small window. He could hear the lively chirp of birds

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from outside as he moved his sleepy eyes from the wooden ceiling to the

portrait hanging on the wall.

"It was a dream…"

It was, but everything he saw had happened in the past. In the end, no

one had listened to a word he'd said. Later, rumor spread that he had forcibly

taken over the town, which had become completely deserted despite him not

having done anything.

He'd been devastated back then, but none of it mattered any longer.

He'd found a family, after all. Every day for the rest of his life would be full

of happiness and love.

"Hm?"

To cheer himself up, he wanted to take a peek at the face of his beloved

while she slept, but Luina was nowhere to be found. Luckily, though, she

wasn't the only one he considered beloved.

Anima lifted the blanket to find Marie clinging to his waist. The warmth

of her body seeped through his clothes, soothing his very soul. Seeing her

adorable sleeping face filled his heart with happiness.

In his old world, there wasn't a single person who would love him. His

new one, however, had at least two, and he would be visiting the town with

them later in the day. He was so excited that he had barely gotten any sleep,

but that was the least of his concerns.

I wonder if the people of this world are going to accept me…

There were no terrifying rumors about him circulating, but he had a

naturally menacing look, and horns on the sides of his head. He could play

off the horns by saying they were the side effect of a magic stone, but the

same couldn't be said of his look. Luina and Marie loved him, but there was

no guarantee that others would feel the same. If they were to consider him a

scary monster, it could easily hurt his loved ones as well.

"Did you hear? She married a monster!"

"Your daddy is scary, Marie!"

He could already hear the hurtful comments thrown their way. He

couldn't let his family suffer because of him, so for the sake of their safety,

he decided that he'd wear his hood. There was still plenty of time before they

planned to set out, though.

I should get up soon.

Luina was already awake, probably busy with housework. If he wanted

to lessen her burden, he had to get up as well.

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"Marie, it's time to wake up," he whispered while staring at the ceiling.

She didn't seem ready to get up, but Anima didn't want to leave her

alone. She'd definitely be scared to wake up in an empty room. It wasn't

impossible that she'd panic and try climbing out the window to look for

Anima and Luina, or even just roll off the bed, but waking her from such a

peaceful sleep didn't sit well with him. All he could do was whisper to her.

"Mm… Not yemhhh…"

Her adorable voice made Anima smile.

"But the sun is already up. Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

"Nooo… I don't wannaaa…"

She wouldn't let go of Anima's waist even though she'd spent the entire

day prior running around.

She's clinging to me…

He was happy to find himself in such a situation, but staying in bed for

too long would make him break his promise. He could have been a bit more

stern, but he was afraid of making Marie cry. The only solution was to make

Marie want to get up on her own, and luckily, he had just the tool to do so.

"We're going on a trip today."

Marie had been very excited about going to the town, and sure enough,

she seemed to take an interest in Anima's statement.

"Today? A trip?"

She slowly raised her head, then rested her chin on Anima's chest and

carefully examined his face.

"Mishter, who are you?"

Anima's world ceased to exist. Blood froze in his veins and his stomach

contorted.

No. This can't be happening.

His beloved daughter didn't call him "Daddy". In a single night, he'd

been demoted from loving father to random stranger. He was nothing more

than a passerby on the streets.

While Anima drowned in despair, Marie rubbed her eyes. When she

opened them again, her face lit up with excitement.

"Ah! Daddy!"

"Yes, I'm here! Daddy is here for you!"

Anima's frown instantly disappeared. Marie was still half asleep, hence

she hadn't recognized him as her daddy. By spending more time with her, she

would surely get to a point where she would recognize him first thing in the

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morning.

"Daddy! Daddy's here!"

"I'm here! Daddy's right here! Tell me, who loves Daddy the most?"

"Meee! Who loves me the most?"

"Me!"

While playing with Anima she glanced to the side.

"Where's Mommy?" she asked.

"Hmm, where could she be? If only there was someone who could help

me look for Mommy…"

"I will!"

The two left the bedroom in high spirits. They made their way toward

the kitchen, but Luina was nowhere to be found.

"Mommy's not here…"

"Maybe she's outside."

"Ousside! Lessgo!"

"Yep, let's go, Marie!"

They made their way out of the house, which stood proudly beneath the

endless blue sky and was surrounded by a beautiful, emerald-green lawn. On

the left-hand side of the house lay the field and the well, and on the right was

a small barn. The main entrance connected to the gate with a paved road,

after which a dirt road, surrounded on both sides by a thick, lively forest, led

to the town. A gentle breeze shook the forest's leaves before passing by

Anima and Marie.

"Maybe Mommy's here!" Marie lead Anima to the garden, where Luina

was in the middle of hanging the laundry to dry. "Found Mommy! Daddy,

look! Mommy's there!"

"Oh, so she is! Good job finding her!"

"Do I get pets?"

Marie looked at Anima with sparkles in her eyes. She wanted him to pet

her head, but he'd never done that for anyone before. If worse came to worst,

he could accidentally hurt her if he wasn't careful.

"You won't pet me…?"

"Of course I will, silly. Well done!"

Seeing tears build up in the corners of her eyes, he couldn't hesitate any

longer. He placed his hand on her soft, fluffy hair and softly moved it from

side to side.

"Ehehe!"

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Marie's happy chuckle confirmed that Anima had successfully pet his

very first head. It made him feel a bit more like a parent.

"I'm glad to see you two getting along this early in the morning!"

Luina smiled gently as she watched the heartwarming scene. She was

drenched in sweat despite the chilly morning air, and her hair, tied behind her

so it wouldn't get in her way while she was working, waved in the breeze.

Anima found her beautiful with her hair down, but she was incredibly

cute with it tied up as well. Realizing that such a gorgeous woman was his

wife made him the happiest man in the world.

"G'morning, Mommy!"

"Good morning, Marie. Good morning to you too, Anima."

"Ah, good morning. You're up early; have you been working this whole

time?"

"With small breaks here and there, yes. I made breakfast, then came out

here to hang the laundry. Thanks to your help, I'm already done with

everything!"

"What exactly did I help with?"

"You see, when Myuke is out, I always have Marie around and have to

play with her while doing the chores. I worry she might run off somewhere,

so I always want to have her by my side, but with you here to look out for

her, I don't have to worry about that."

It seemed like Luina was also worried about something happening to

Marie while she wasn't looking. Anima's intuition was spot on. He wanted to

keep that up and be a father Marie could be proud of, but he also had to

become a model husband.

"I'll do anything to ease the burden on you. Is there anything I can help

with?"

"Think you could help Marie wash her face while I get the table ready?

Do you know how to use the well?"

"I do! You heave-ho and it pops up!" Marie pulled Anima to the well.

"C'mon, it's there!"

Once there, Anima tugged on the rope, raising the bucket of water with

ease.

"Whoaaa! Wow, Daddy! You're so strong!"

"I sure am!"

"You'll beat the bad guys!"

"You bet I will!"

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The enemy of his beloved daughter was his enemy as well; he'd destroy

anyone for her sake. He washed his face while swearing to protect her at all

costs, then the two went back into the house for breakfast.

The table had multiple small bowls of salad on it, and there was a big

wooden bowl filled with a steamy red soup in the center. The soup didn't

have any discernible aroma beyond its slightly acidic scent, but that,

combined with how tasty it looked, was enough to whet Anima's appetite.

"I made tomato soup this morning!"

"It looks great. Can I start eating?"

"Of course! Please, dig in!"

"Daddy, you 'member what to do?"

"Hmm, I wonder. Think you can watch to see if I do it correctly? Thank

you for the meal!"

"Daddy's smart! Watch me too! Thank you for the meal!"

"Good girl! Well done."

Anima gently pet Marie's head. She showed him a delighted smile, then

excitedly looked at Luina.

"Mommy! Daddy's amazing! He's so strong! He went heave-ho and the

bucket flied!"

"Wow, he must be really strong! I'm sure he'll have no trouble carrying

you!"

Marie's astonished look quickly transformed into a radiant smile.

"Carry?! When?! I wanna be carried!"

"We'll go after breakfast."

"Yaaay!" she cheered while happily eating her salad.

Watching her eat only made Anima hungrier, but just as he was about to

dig in, there was knocking on the door.

"Oh, we have a visitor," Luina said.

"Is it Myuke?" Anima asked her.

"Myuke wouldn't knock. Let me take a look."

"I'll go with you."

There was no way a demon would have the decency to knock, but one

could have been trying to break the door down. Anima had confirmed the day

before that demons from his new world were exceptionally weak, so it

wouldn't have been strange if they didn't have the power to blow open the

door with a single strike.

He considered that possibility while he and Luina made their way to the

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door, the knocking continuing until she opened it.

"Ah, Luina! Thank goodness you're safe!"

An older man smiled at her as she opened the door. Between his

strikingly good build, his expensive-looking attire, his well-kept amber hair,

and the deep crimson earring twinkling in his right ear, it was obvious that he

was a man of high status.

"Lord Merkalt…" Luina's entire body stiffened the moment she spotted

him.

"No need for formalities. Please, call me Malshan," he said with a smile,

not taking his eyes off Luina. "Are you okay? Were you hurt? I heard they

spotted goblins in the forest, so I came as quickly as I could."

"We did run into a goblin, but none of us got injured."

"I'm relieved to hear that, but there's no guarantee you'll be so lucky

next time. Are you not worried what could happen to the children if another

goblin were to venture out here?"

His honeyed words had a sinister undertone. He was clearly trying to

fan the flames of terror, but it had no effect on Luina whatsoever.

"I have no reason to be worried; not with Anima by my side."

Malshan furrowed his brows.

"Who is this 'Anima'?"

"Him."

Luina stepped to the side. Malshan glanced at Anima as if he'd only just

realized someone else had been standing there, then disregarded the other

man's existence once more, returning his attention to Luina as he continued

speaking.

"How long do you think you'll be able to afford that Hunter? If you

marry me, you'll have the strongest Hunters in the land protecting you and

the children!"

He couldn't hide his evil words behind a smile. He looked down on

Luina for not having the money and status he had.

"Thank you for your concern, but I didn't hire him. Besides, I've told

you before that I will never leave this house behind."

"But wouldn't it be better for you and the children to leave this frugal

life behind and live with me in my mansion? Should you become my wife,

I'll take care of the children as well, of course! They'll lead lives of glamour

and luxury! The same goes for you, Luina! Just say the word and I'll buy you

any clothes, any cosmetics, any jewelry! Anything you so much as lay your

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eyes on!"

"I wouldn't want to trouble you with all that."

"What must I do to make you my wife?" he asked, his eyes twitching at

Luina's flat-out rejection. Though he was trying to act collected, his voice

was filled with frustration.

"I believe that there must be a more suitable partner for you out there,

Lord Merkalt. Please, forget about me. I wish you luck in finding that special

someone."

Her words caused Malshan to tremble with rage.

"What's wrong with—"

Anima slammed the door on him. Just witnessing their exchange was

enough for him to understand that Malshan wasn't going to budge. He

couldn't let someone like that disturb their harmony any longer.

"Let's get back to breakfast," he said.

Malshan, however, couldn't have that, and threw open the door. He

glared at Anima, his eyes burning with anger.

"Hey, don't just barge into others' homes uninvited."

"Who do you think you're speaking to, peasant?!"

Anima glared back at the arrogantly huffing Malshan.

"I don't know who you are, but don't you dare lay a finger on my wife."

"W-Wait, what? Your… wife?"

"You heard me; Luina and I are married. Now scurry off, and don't ever

come back. You won't leave unscathed if I catch you prowling around."

Finished with intimidating him, Anima closed the door again.

"Daddy'll beat him?"

"I will if he comes here again."

"So strong!"

"You bet. Your daddy is the strongest in the world. I could defeat that

wimp with a single strike."

Marie's eyes shone as Anima spoke with unshakable confidence, but

Luina didn't take it well.

"D-Don't. Make sure to never attack Lord Merkalt. He's a mercenary

hired by the state itself."

"A 'mercenary'?"

"His duty is to fight the demons and keep the citizens safe. Attacking a

mercenary is the same as declaring war on the country."

Killing Malshan would weaken the country and turn its citizens against

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Anima. He would be hated and hunted by countless people, just like he was

back in his world.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything that could inconvenience you."

"I'm more worried about you…"

"About me?"

"Lord Merkalt is famous for holding the Crimson Dragon stone."

"Is that strong?"

"'Strong' is putting it lightly," Luina said with a timid nod. "Of all the

familiars the Harbinger summoned, the Crimson Dragon was the most

powerful—simply breaking through its scales cost dozens of lives. His

strength doesn't end at the stones he possesses, either; his talent in magic far

surpasses mine. What am I saying? We're not even comparable. There's no

one in this country who could topple him."

A magic stone's power was proportional to the power of the demon it

had come from. The more mana its user poured into it, the more of the fallen

demon's power they could use. In other words, Malshan, one of the world's

best sorcerers, was about as powerful as a Crimson Dragon.

That being said, Anima had spent the last hundred years of his life

fighting only the most powerful creatures from his world. Adding another to

his list didn't bother him at all, but he didn't want to upset Luina.

"Don't worry. I won't pick a fight with him."

Anima didn't want to resort to needless violence. All he wanted was a

quiet, peaceful life with his wife and children.

"You promise? If anything happened to you, I…"

Just the thought of anything happening to Anima made her heart ache.

"I promise. The time it would take to fight that man would be better

spent with you two."

Luina was relieved to hear the calm return to Anima's voice.

◆◆◆

Anima, keeping his head down so as not to draw attention to himself,

walked through the bustling streets of Garaat's shopping district with his wife

at his side and his daughter in his arms. His ears picked up nothing but lively

chatter and happy giggles from people enjoying the beautiful day at the

dozens of various shops; not a single scream was thrown his way yet.

"Can you see anyone running for their lives or frozen in terror?" Anima

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stopped and asked Luina.

His head was in full view. He'd had his trusty hood on when they'd left

the house, but Marie had pulled it off halfway to the town. When he tried to

put it back on, she took it as an invitation to play with him and pulled it back

down. He'd been afraid of frightening her by violently pulling his hood up, so

he'd let her enjoy the sweet taste of victory and kept his face revealed.

"No one is afraid of you," Luina assured him. "There's nothing for you

to be worried about."

"No, there clearly is," Anima protested. "Like my horns… and my mean

look…"

"You may look different than the people around you, but you're not

scary. How could anyone be scared of your soft smile?"

"Wait, my smile?"

"Oh, yes. You've been smiling so brightly while you've been carrying

Marie around. It's a smile only the kindest of people can wear—a smile I

love dearly."

"Luina…"

He suddenly wanted to hug Luina, but he couldn't with Marie in his

arms. He wasn't even sure if Luina would find hugging in public

embarrassing, and there was the danger of hugging her too tightly. The last

thing he wanted to do was hurt her, so he decided to start with holding her

hand.

Flustered over his own thoughts, he turned towards Luina.

"Say, Luina…"

"What is it?"

"Don't you think it's, umm, cold today?"

"Huh? Well, I suppose it is. It's been getting warmer lately, but today is

chillier than yesterday. Why? Are you cold?"

"No. My body is very resilient; I don't feel cold. But I can't let you be

cold either, so I would at least like to keep your hands warm."

It was an incredibly roundabout way to ask, but Luina smiled in

response.

"Oh my, would you look at that?! My hands have goosebumps all of a

sudden! Do you think maybe you could warm them up, Anima?"

"L-Leave it to me!"

With great care, he took hold of Luina's hand. The tender warmth it

radiated gently enveloped his soul.

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"H-How is it? Do you feel warmer now?"

"I suppose I do, but I'd like to be a bit warmer."

She answered him sweetly, like she was pampering him.

"'A bit warmer'?"

Anima was lost. Holding both her hands would warm her up faster, but

he couldn't do that while holding Marie. He began searching desperately for

what to do, when his own hand suddenly felt warmer than it ever had before.

Luina had entwined her slender fingers with his.

"Holding hands like this will make me warmer."

"I-I see."

She was right; it was certainly warm. In fact, it was burning hot. He was

practically spewing steam from his ears due to his nerves.

"Daddy, c'mon! Come! On!"

While the happy couple was busy talking, Marie, who must have grown

bored, wrapped her arms around Anima's neck and shouted into his ear. His

heart was racing—in a pleasant way—while holding hands with Luina and in

high spirits, he answered Marie with a joyful voice.

"All right, here we go!"

"Let's go, Daddy! Let's gooo!"

Hand in hand, they started walking again, but were quickly stopped.

"Well, I'll be. If it isn't Luina!" a well-built woman shouted in their

direction. She was standing in front of a fruit stall, waving at them.

"Is she a friend of yours?" Anima asked.

"Yes. Most of the people here have known me since I was about Marie's

age. My parents brought me here a lot for shopping. Can we go over and say

hello?"

"Of course we can."

They approached the fruit stall.

"It's nice to see you," Luina said to the older woman as they approached

the stall. "It's been a while."

"It really has!" The woman let out a hearty laugh as Luina bowed. "I

was getting worried; I haven't seen you around lately at all. Are you eating

well? Get any thinner and you'll collapse, y'know. Wait right here! I'll set

you up with some beautiful fruits!"

"N-No, I couldn't possibly accept all that!"

"What's this about? Don't be shy; you're like a daughter to me! Now,

tell me, what can I get for you?"

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"Wooow! So red! That apple looks yummy!"

"You've got a good eye, little lady! My apples are always sweet and

juicy! I'll pack you a lot, so make sure you eat 'em—Well, what have we

here?"

There was a curious glint in her eyes as they stopped on Anima, holding

Marie in his arms. He began to grow nervous that she was afraid of him, but

before his anxiety could take over, she flashed a cheeky smile.

"Oh, I see how it is! Finally caught yourself a man, did you?" Luina

went as red as the apples on display at the stall. The lady was clearly puzzled

by her silence. "W-Wait, don't tell me you really did?! I was just joking,

but… You there, how do you and Luina know each other?"

"I'm her husband."

"Her husband? You got married?! Why didn't you say anything?!"

"We just got married yesterday…"

"Yesterday?! This calls for a celebration! Oh, but all I have is fruit.

Okay, take everything you see here! You like your girls with some meat on

them, don't you? I'll get Luina nice and plump for you!"

"Her plumpness is irrelevant. I fell in love with her gentle eyes."

"Golly, did you hear that, Luina? He's head over heels for you! How

about you? Do you love him?"

"She was just telling me that she loves my smile."

"Oh my, you two lovebirds! I can still remember teeny little Luina in

her daddy's arms, but you've already grown up to be a bride!"

"I'm sure she was an adorable little girl."

"Pl-Please stop… You're embarrassing me…"

"I'll let you in on a little secret, young man. She might be resisting, but

deep down, she's happy to hear you say things like that. It's just how girls

are."

"I see. I love you, Luina."

"You meanie…" Luina said, bashfully looking at the ground as a result

of Anima putting the advice he'd just received into practice. Her off-handed

remark hit him with the force of a thousand suns.

"D-Do you hate me now?!"

"I-I don't! I'm happy, really! It's just embarrassing. You'd be

embarrassed if I said that to you, too."

"I would not," Anima sighed. "Try it. I promise you, I won't get

embarrassed."

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After fidgeting for a bit, she started talking in the tiniest of whispers.

"I love you, Anima…"

"Y-You don't say…"

"See! I told you it's embarrassing!"

"No, not at all."

"It is! Very much so! You should see your face! It's as red as a tomato!"

"It's still not as red as yours."

"Th-Then how about this?! I love you, my darling. You bring meaning

to my life."

"…"

Anima could feel the blood rushing to his face, and his words stuck in

his throat. It wasn't embarrassment he was feeling, but bashfulness. More

than that, though, he felt happiness.

"See? You're even redder now!"

"Okay, I give up. Victory is yours."

While Anima blissfully repeated Luina's words in his mind, a man came

out from the storage shed behind the stall. He was clearly confused to see the

lady holding a big bag of fruits.

"Wh-What are you doing, woman?!" he yelled. "Are you selling all

that?!"

"Selling it? Are you out of your mind? I'm giving it away!"

"'G-Giving it away'?! You're the one who's out of their mind! You

trying to make us go bankrupt?!"

"Now's not the time to be stingy, old man! Our little Luina got

married!"

"What?! Luina got married?!"

Hearing the man's surprised shout, a number of women from the

neighboring stalls made their way over.

"You got married, Luina?"

"I'm so happy for you!"

As news of Luina's marriage spread through the shopping district, more

and more people gathered around her and Anima. They weren't scared of

him; everyone was happy for them. They all congratulated the newlyweds

and showered them with presents. From the fruit dealer to the butcher, the

baker to the florist, the tailor to the shoemaker, they received gifts from

several of the other vendors. Luina couldn't do anything but stand in place,

wearing a worried expression.

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"I-I'm really grateful for your gifts," she said, "but I can't bring all this

home!"

"Then I'll lend you this!" someone proclaimed as they brought out a

wagon.

It would have been rude to refuse such kindness, so Luina had no choice

but to accept all their gifts.

"They sure do care about you," Anima said as he piled the gifts onto the

cart. He wanted to tell the whole world how incredible his wife was.

While appreciating the pure bliss he found himself in, by the time they'd

finished packing all the gifts, the sky above them had been obstructed by

thick, dark clouds.

"It's gotten rather cloudy, hasn't it?" Luina noted.

"Let's get home before it starts raining," Anima suggested. "Marie,

would you like to hold hands with Mommy on the way home, or would you

rather sit on my arms?"

"Will you carry me?"

Anima smiled at Marie, who had been clinging to his leg.

"Of course I will. I love you, Marie. I'll carry you whenever you want!"

"Me too! I love you too, Daddy!"

After petting Marie's head, they set off, with Anima pulling the giftfilled cart behind him. He may have had more to carry, but being accepted by

the townsfolk and receiving so many blessings made his steps felt lighter than

ever before.

◆◆◆

"Hyah! Sho cold!"

Marie was enjoying being carried down the dirt road, muddy from the

downpour that started soon after the clouds rolled in. They had hurried home

to save the drying laundry, but the rain slowly began to let up, and by the

time they got back to the house, it had completely stopped.

"All done?" Marie asked.

"Looks like it was just a passing shower," Luina told her.

"I'm glad it stopped raining," Anima said, "but the laundry is soaked.

Are we just going to leave it hanging here?"

"I'll wring everything out. If we leave it all hanging, it should be dry by

evening."

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"Wringing them out all by yourself sounds difficult. Let me help you."

"Could you bring the gifts inside instead? Leave the food in the kitchen,

and put the rest in one of the free rooms."

"Of course, but what should I do with the bread? It got all wet."

"We can still use it for cooking. Ah, once you're finished with the gifts,

would you be so kind as to give Marie a bath? We don't want her to catch a

cold."

"You don't even have to ask. I'll do anything for you."

Carefully, one at a time, Anima began carrying everything inside. He

wanted to make sure none of their precious wedding gifts got damaged.

"Go, Daddy! Go!"

"Just watch! Daddy will be done in a heartbeat!"

With Marie cheering him on from the side, he quickly carried all the

gifts inside then took her to the dressing room.

"Ngh, rghhh… It won't come off! It won't come off!"

Marie stomped her feet. She'd had no problem getting undressed the day

before, but her clothes were damp, so they must've been sticking to her.

"Here, let me help." He tried to pull off Marie's socks, which covered

everything from her thighs down, but they refused to budge, instead letting

out a tearing sound. They seemed to have gotten caught on something. "Huh?

Wait, this isn't a skirt?"

At first glance, it looked just like a skirt and socks, but taking a closer

look revealed that they were a single piece, made like a normal pair of pants.

"Get it oooff! Hurryyy!"

"Okay, okay. Just calm down a little."

After Marie calmed down, he managed to pull off her skirt-like pants.

He wasn't sure just how long her socks were, but they came off alongside the

skirt. The socks in his own world were shorter, but they might have been a

common occurrence in hers. Either way, he'd gotten a full grasp on the

structure of that piece of clothing, so he finished taking off her bottoms.

"Hands in the air; let me take your top off. Who can cheer for Daddy?"

"Meee!" He pulled off her top as well. Stark naked, Marie excitedly

opened the door to the bathroom and invited Anima inside. "Daddy, Daddy!

Come quick!"

"Give me a second."

His answer felt a bit soulless. Taking off Marie clothes had been more

exhausting than the time he'd fought an army of hundred all alone, but he

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quickly took off his clothes and entered the bathroom with her. He expected

the bath water to have completely cooled off—it didn't get changed every

day, so it was the same water from the day prior—but it felt reasonably warm

when he tested it with his hand.

"How's the water?" Luina asked through the window. She seemed to

have warmed the bath before taking care of the laundry.

"A little more and it'll be perfect!"

"Okay, then I'll keep the flame up for a little bit longer."

"Daddy! Up! Up!" Marie jumped at Anima. Avoiding the danger of her

hitting herself on the side of the bath, Anima quickly caught her and raised

her up to the window. She pushed her face against it and stared at Luina.

"Mommy, come! Bath!"

"Me? Do you not like bathing with Daddy?"

"I want both!"

Luina seemed troubled by Marie's request. They may have been

married, but they'd only met recently. Even having held hands earlier wasn't

remotely comparable to seeing each other naked. It wouldn't have been

strange for her to be embarrassed about undressing in front of Anima. As

such, he had a proposal.

"Marie is right; we can't have you catch a cold. I'll close my eyes and

cover my ears, so don't worry. Get in."

"You don't have to do that. Closing your eyes and covering your ears

would make it seem like I hate you, but I don't. I love you, and there's

nothing embarrassing about getting naked in front of the person you love."

"Luina…"

"Mommy, come!"

"Hop into the bath, Marie. I don't want you to catch a cold. I'll be there

in a minute."

After urging the frolicking little girl on to get into the bath, Luina

walked away from the window. Anima got into the warm water with Marie

and they waited restlessly for Luina's arrival.

"Hampfwh!"

Bored of just sitting in the tub, Marie started swinging her legs. For

someone of Anima's size, the tub didn't feel overly large, but little Marie

must have felt like she was in the ocean.

"Sorry for the wait!"

While Anima was busy looking out for Marie, Luina, completely naked,

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entered the bathroom. Her arms and legs were relatively thin, but she had

wide hips and beautiful, full breasts.

"P-Please don't ogle me so much…"

"Sorry. You're just so beautiful, I couldn't help myself."

"There you go again… Why are you always complimenting me?"

"Because I love you, and I really do think you're beautiful."

"S-See? You're complimenting me again. Now I have to compliment

you, or it will seem like I don't love you. I find you attractive as well; your

muscles are incredible."

"Your big breasts are incredible too."

Anima returned the praise, to which Luina immediately hid her breasts.

He simply wanted to compliment her looks without any hidden meanings, but

he only made the situation much more awkward than it should have been.

"Anima… You lecher!"

"I-I'm not! I didn't mean it like that, I swear!"

"I know. Don't worry, I believe you." Luina chuckled at his desperate

denial as she picked up a bucket, filled it with bathwater, and poured it on

herself. "Isn't this a bit too hot?!"

"Is it? It doesn't feel that hot to me."

Due to his high resistance against… pretty much everything, his opinion

on the matter didn't count for much. If Luina said the water was too hot, she

probably was right.

"Ah, oops! I spaced out and totally forgot to extinguish the flame!"

"Why were you spaced out?"

"Because I was nervous about getting into the bath with you…"

"Oh. Sorry."

"I-It wasn't your fault. Let's take a bath together every day from now

on, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

"Mm-hmm, I'm sure. We're married, after all. Besides, Marie loves

taking baths with every—"

Luina suddenly cut herself off.

"It'sh a bit… too hot…"

Marie laid her head down at the edge of the tub with her tongue out.

"Marie?"

"M-Marie?! Are you okay?!"

Anima hurriedly stood up to help her.

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"Hyah!"

As her eyes floated over Anima's waist, Luina's face flushed and she

collapsed on the spot.

"L-Luina?! Are you okay? Marie! Marie, answer me!"

With his daughter and his wife having both turned bright red, Anima

was more panicked than he'd ever been before.

◆◆◆

Listening to the raindrops tap against the window of a villa in Garaat,

Malshan made himself comfortable on a sofa, then glared at the man in front

of him.

"I wish I could offer you something more extravagant, Sir."

To his dismay, the owner of the house, Krain, brownnosed him while

serving him a cup of high-quality tea in a beautiful porcelain cup.

"Not like I expect anything from you."

Malshan was one of the few people who could speak to Krain, the

richest man in the city after the Scarlett family's downfall, in such a rude,

arrogant manner.

Krain had the entire Hunters' Guild—along with all the Hunters in the

city—under his thumb. He not only had incredible wealth, but almost

unrivaled power as well. He could easily bar anyone who went against his

will from hiring Hunters, which was akin to a death sentence in Garaat, a

town unable to efficiently scout and destroy demon habitats. Not even the

mayor himself could afford to disobey him.

However, his wealth and influence paled in comparison to that of

Malshan, the head of the Merkalt family, who could easily afford to maintain

a grandiose mansion in the royal capital. Krain had only climbed to his

current position as a result of keeping himself on Malshan's good side. He

was fully aware of what would happen if he were to enrage Malshan, so he

had no choice but to continue to lick his boots.

"May I ask what brought you here today, Sir?"

His timid question triggered a menacing glint in Malshan's eyes.

"Do you take me for some sort of fool?"

"W-With all due respect, Sir, I don't quite understand—"

"Don't play games with me. I know you lied in your report. What I

don't know is why, even with full knowledge of my plans, the idea to do such

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a thing would so much as cross your mind."

All the blood drained from his face the moment Malshan touched the

crimson stone embedded in his earring.

"I-I didn't lie!" Krain pleaded. "Just as I stated in my report last night, I

sowed the seeds of fear in Lady Luina!"

The night before, Malshan had received Krain's report through a magic

stone used for contacting others. He'd had no reason to doubt the report, as

Krain didn't have the guts to lie to him, which was exactly why, the next

morning, he'd confidently stridden up to Luina's house with the intention of

making her an offer she couldn't refuse.

"Luina married a white-haired man called Anima."

"Wh-What? She married that man?"

"So you did know about it, you cretin!"

"N-Not at all! I had no idea about the marriage; I-I merely saw him

through the eyes of my summoned goblin! That man suddenly appeared after

a bright, red flash and pulverized the goblin with a single strike!"

Malshan furrowed his brow.

"He 'suddenly appeared'?"

"E-Exactly so! I don't believe there were any flaws in my plan. I made

all the necessary preparations and ensured there wouldn't be Hunters nearby,

but I couldn't possibly have accounted for a man appearing out of thin air!

Even so, I firmly believe that Luina felt true terror before he showed up, so I

fulfilled my duty, Lord Malshan!"

Krain was desperately trying to save his own skin, but Malshan wasn't

listening to his paltry excuses.

I see, he thought. She used the Harbinger stone in her desperation.

The Merkalt and Scarlett families had a long history; they were on good

terms for centuries. After the Harbinger crisis three hundred years prior, in

order to protect the world from such a disaster ever occurring again, the

Scarletts took possession of the Harbinger stone while the Merkalts took the

Crimson Dragon stone.

Malshan, however, was not happy with what his ancestors had agreed

to. Theirs was the more useful of the two magic stones, but the Scarletts' was

much more valuable. The Crimson Dragon stone may have held unrivaled

power, but the Harbinger stone was able to summon a permanent familiar; he

couldn't accept that, despite having lost their nobility, they held a more

valuable stone than he did.

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The Scarletts were heralded as heroes, as the great family who felled the

horrendous Harbinger. Even Luina's father, born over two centuries after the

incident, was treated as a savior, and his passing on the battlefield only

boosted their reputation.

Malshan was bitter about their possession of the world's most valuable

magic stone, as well as their spotless, unshakable reputation. As such, he

wanted the Harbinger stone for himself. With the stone in his hands, he could

carve his family's name into history as legendary heroes.

His plan was simple: summon a familiar and order it to die by his

sword. In doing so, he would be seen as the savior of the world and showered

with as much praise as the Scarletts were, if not more.

It would have been child's play to rob them of the stone, but he couldn't

be accused of theft if he wanted to be known as a hero. Assassinating Luina

was out of the question as well; if anyone learned that he was behind such a

heinous act, half the world would turn against him. His only option was to

marry the girl and take the stone for himself through peaceful means, but

he'd hit a roadblock.

When he'd proposed for the first time three years prior, Luina's father

had rejected him on the basis that Luina was too young to marry. The

following year, her mother had rejected him on the basis that Luina was to

choose her future husband for herself, and the year after that, Luina had

rejected him on the basis that she was busy raising the children and didn't

want his servants to attend to them.

Malshan hated children—especially orphans, who he viewed as outright

foul and filthy—but Luina cared for them more than anything else. If she was

afraid that her precious children could die at any moment, she'd be on the

lookout for a powerful man who could protect them, and it just so happened

that there was no one more powerful than him.

With that plan in mind, he decided to have one of his pawns, Krain,

devise an attack. A slimy, greedy coward such as Krain, who was too afraid

to fight demons as a Hunter and wanted to gain money and power with as

little effort as possible, was perfect for the job, and everything seemed to

have gone according to plan. Until, that is, Malshan had presented himself to

Luina as the perfect marriage candidate only to learn that she was already

married.

After turning Malshan down countless times, she'd had the audacity to

marry some nobody. In the face of such humiliation, intolerable to someone

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such as him, he made his way to Krain's house in order to hand down a

punishment befitting his lies.

Things had changed after hearing the report, however. Malshan needed

more information about a certain something, meaning Krain was still

valuable to him. Finding a new, trustworthy pawn would have been a waste.

"I beg your pardon, Sir," Krain said timidly. "May I ask what will

happen to me now?"

"You failed your task; Luina is not afraid of the demons," Malshan

replied, and Krain went whiter than a ghost. "That said, I must acknowledge

that your failure was the result of unforeseen circumstances. I must also

applaud your ability to carry out your attack without being spotted by anyone.

That is no easy feat, and as such, I will give you an opportunity to redeem

yourself."

"You… will?"

"Indeed. Your reward will be plentiful—much more than I offered for

your last mission. That is, of course, assuming you don't fail yet again."

"U-Understood!"

Malshan made sure that Krain, who was nodding feebly, clearly

understood that he had failed his mission. Someone with a strong sense of

justice would get in the way of his plan to become the most highly respected

person in all the land; a spineless pawn was the perfect tool for disposing of

such obstacles. He provided his pawns with all the money, magic stones, and

other resources they needed to carry out their duties, and they were more than

happy to do so in pursuit of the hefty rewards he offered.

Yet two years earlier, when he'd ordered one of his pawns to kill the

head of the Scarlett family, they refused. It didn't matter if they'd found

killing a living hero dishonorable or if they were afraid of being killed

themselves instead, the only thing that mattered was that a puppet went

against its master. A puppeteer had no use for a faulty puppet, and the one to

dispose of that puppet was his then-brand-new plaything, Krain. Having been

on the other side, Krain knew firsthand the cruel fate that awaited those who

betrayed Malshan.

"Wh-What do I have to do, Sir?" Krain watched nervously as Malshan

reached into his pocket, but that nervousness was quickly replaced by greed

when Malshan tossed a necklace with a jet-black magic stone pendant onto

the table in between them. "Th-That stone is—!"

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Inexperienced eyes would never have been able to discern the exact type

of magic stone with a single glance, but Krain was nothing if not

experienced. He had a fondness for extremely rare and valuable stones, and

the one presented to him was just that.

"I'll provide you with this magic stone in order to fulfill your new duty.

Use it wisely, and dispose of the white-haired man named Anima."

After hearing the dreadful order, the glint in Krain's eyes faded. A bead

of cold sweat rolled down his cheek and he raised his eyes.

"W-With all due respect, Sir, that man brushed off my goblin's surprise

attack as if it were nothing. His assassination may not go as smoothly as Lord

Scarlett's…"

"That is precisely why I have provided you with that magic stone."

"C-Certainly, using that magic stone would make killing him trivial, but

doing so in public would no doubt get me sent to prison for life."

"Then your task is simple: be smart, and don't get caught."

"B-But, Sir…"

Malshan glared at the fidgeting Krain.

"Know your place! You've gotten a bit ahead of yourself, wouldn't you

say? I hope you haven't forgotten who it was that turned your sorry life

around and gave you enough money and power to last a lifetime!"

"N-Not at all! I will make good use of the precious magic stone you've

so kindly bestowed upon me and kill Anima!"

Krain answered him in a strong voice, trying to overcome his fear, but

Malshan would have preferred that he failed his task. In order to become a

hero passed down through history, he needed Anima to go on a rampage

before putting an end to him.

That was the case if Anima were powerful, at least. If the familiar

summoned by the mighty Harbinger stone were to fall to a spineless coward

like Krain, getting his hands on the stone was clearly not worth the trouble.

At the same time, Krain's failure would prove Anima's strength, in which

case Malshan had to get his hands on the Harbinger stone as quickly as

possible.

The only people who knew about the existence of the stone were the

descendants of the families who had taken part in the fight against them three

centuries prior. Consequently, Krain didn't know about it, but ordering a

magic stone collector to retrieve it for him would be like asking a street rat to

return a stolen loaf of bread.

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"You have one week to carry out your duty. If you don't report your

success within that time frame, I'll consider you a defector. Be sure you

remember that."

By the time Malshan finished his business and left the house, the rain

had completely let up.