Chapter 78

I obtained the Philosopher's Stone and the Jewel of Light to regain my youth.

I would have Edgar investigate the statue of evil intentions, and all I had to do was earn some money.

With 6 million left, since Puchi Eri has been selling over 500,000 a day, it seemed like I could save up in about two weeks.

Thus, on a spring night,

After returning from Yamata to the forest mansion, I confirmed my love with Liricia without any worries.

"Here I go, Liricia!"

"Master—!"

Liricia called out in a voice filled with emotion, forgetting her shyness.

As I released my Holy Wave, white wings spread from her gentle back.

We overlapped our heated skin and embraced each other tenderly.

As we calmed our ragged breathing, I stroked her head, and her silver hair felt soft and pleasant against my fingers.

She smiled and buried her face in my chest.

"Thank you so much, Master."

"Don't worry. I'll cleanse your sins as much as I can."

"Yes—n—"

We kissed, our lips entwining deeply.

---

Suddenly, the intercom on the bedside table vibrated.

I glanced at it; it was glowing red, a sign of danger.

—An attack!?

I hurriedly picked up the intercom and called out.

"What's wrong, Kō!?"

"There are monsters in the garden, Master!"

"Garden?"

Looking out the window, I saw large, round eyes staring back at me.

It was a white horse, looking apologetically and even bowing.

"Kyaa!"

Liricia screamed and covered her large chest.

I put on a bathrobe and grabbed the sword leaning against the bed.

Pulling out the black-bladed sword from its sheath, I observed it.

"A horse...? No, a Pegasus?"

Upon closer inspection, I saw folded wings on the white horse's back.

Classified as a monster but called a holy beast due to its sacred power.

Naturally, it wouldn't be affected by my Holy Wave; it might even be invigorated.

The white horse nodded, as if understanding my mutterings.

It said something, but the soundproofing prevented me from hearing it.

Since I didn't sense any danger, I slowly left the bedroom and headed for the front door.

Under the starry sky, the horse approached with wide eyes.

Then it spoke.

"Is this Holy Wave emanating from you!?"

"Yes, I'm the one. Are you a Pegasus?"

"Yes. Please, help my child!"

"Child?"

The Pegasus turned, and I saw another white horse with wings lying on the ground, its body stained red.

—Injured?

I shouted towards the house.

"Liricia, come out. It's injured!"

"Yes, Master!"

Liricia came out in a bathrobe, her wings fluttering.

"There, it's lying down."

Pointing, Liricia instantly flew to the fallen foal and knelt down, placing her hands on it.

"—Full Recovery."

The foal was enveloped in golden light, and its injuries healed.

I asked the relieved Pegasus.

"Why are you here, Pegasus?"

"We were fleeing from humans who attacked us, and my child was injured... I thought it was the end, but then I found this sanctuary and came here."

"From humans?"

"Yes... but, to think that such a vast Holy Wave could come from a human, you must be a hero, sir?"

"I'm not a hero. I'm a former hero."

At that moment, the foal groaned.

The mare looked up in alarm and ran to the foal.

"Are you okay? Ciel?"

"Yes... Mom. It doesn't hurt anymore... I'm hungry."

The foal stood on its thin legs.

The mare spread her wings and gently enveloped the foal.

"Oh, thank goodness. Thank you so much. My name is Mirene, and this is Ciel."

"I'm Alec, and this is Liricia."

Mirene looked at Liricia with large, round eyes.

"You must be an angel. Your wings are beautiful."

"Thank you, Mirene."

"Mom, I'm hungry..."

"Oh dear. It's already dark. Can you wait until tomorrow?"

"Yes..."

The foal, Ciel, weakly lowered its head.

—I felt sorry for it.

But what do Pegasi eat...?

I remembered the hay rolls still leaning against the house.

"I don't know what they eat, but if it's hay, there are rolls leaning against the side of the house. You can eat them."

"Really!? Thank you so much!"

"Yay, hay!"

"Follow me."

I led the excited Ciel and the calm Mirene to the side of the mansion.

Ciel ran up to the large hay roll and started eating.

Mirene said apologetically.

"Thank you for letting us come at night and even providing food."

"No, don't worry about it. We help each other in times of need. It would be good to have some water too. Wait a moment."

I went back into the house and to the bedroom.

I picked up the intercom and spoke.

"Kō, can you set up a water trough and a Puchi Eri bucket in the garden? And if possible, build a stable."

Currently, the ecosystem of this forest is changing, and the Adventurer's Guild is suspicious.

If no measures are taken, the mansion might be discovered.

I planned to gather many holy beasts and get the area recognized as a sanctuary.

For that, it would be better to have facilities for the holy beasts.

However, Kō denied it.

"It's not possible. The area beyond the entrance tiles is outside the dungeon."

"What? That's a problem... Wait, how do you have the fence and moat?"

"They are connected to the house."

"Then, can you set up a water trough and a Puchi Eri bucket at the entrance?"

"Hmm, I'll try."

"Thanks."

When I went back outside, a large bucket and a medium-sized bucket were blocking the entrance.

"That's quite obstructive..."

I decided to deal with it later, stepped over the buckets, and went to the side of the mansion.

The Pegasus mother and child were eating the hay leaning against the wall with great enthusiasm.

I called out casually.

"If you get thirsty, there's water at the entrance. I've also left a potion for the child, so feel free to use it."

The foal continued to eat the hay voraciously, but Mirene stopped eating and bowed to me.

"Thank you, Alec. I'm sorry for the trouble. We'll leave as soon as it's light tomorrow..."

"No, you can stay here if you want."

"Eh?"

"If you have somewhere to go, that's different... But I would appreciate it if you stayed."

"Is that so? We were looking for a place to hide, so it would be a great help... But we might bring trouble."

"It's fine. I consider it a necessary expense."

Moreover, to get the area recognized as a sanctuary, I needed many holy beasts.

I told them about the water and sleeping arrangements, and if any pursuers came, they could run into the house. Then I returned to the mansion.

In the bedroom, Liricia was sitting on the bed, her wings fluttering happily.

"What's wrong, Liricia?"

"I can't stop feeling happy about Master's kindness. You're amazing."

She looked at me with admiring, violet eyes.

Feeling a bit troubled, I sat next to her.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Liricia... I'm not a hero anymore. I only act for my own benefit."

"I understand... But I feel that the world becomes beautiful when Master acts on his own will... I'm happy."

As I leaned in, Liricia's white wings enveloped me.

The soothing comfort and the softness of the wings felt pleasant.

I wrapped my arm around her slender shoulder and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, Liricia."

"Kyaa... Yes, Master!"

Then we started to make love again.

—In the middle, I realized I had forgotten to close the curtains, so I hurriedly closed them.

◇ ◇ ◇

In the morning in the forest,

I was having breakfast in the mansion's dining room.

Liricia was sitting next to me, and Tety and Sophisia were across the table.

We were talking about the events in Yamata.

"Edgar and the princess, that's great."

"Yes, it ended without anyone getting hurt, and Master's glory was wonderful."

"Again, that's not true. I didn't do anything... Well, now it's just the statue of the evil deity and the money."

Tety, who was eating a sandwich with meat and vegetables, said.

"The money is fine! We made over 1.2 million goats yesterday!"

"1.2 million!? Did you sell 60 bottles? That's impressive. ...Does it mean our reputation is growing?"

"Yup! Recently, some people bought 12 or 24 bottles at a time, but yesterday, someone bought 48 bottles!"

Tety said with a joyful smile.

However, Liricia's hand, which was holding a spoon, stopped.

"12 bottles at a time...? That could be..."

"Is something wrong, Liricia?"

"I have a bad feeling... 12 bottles could be a unit of distribution."

"That means they're being sent somewhere."

"Yes... If they're for personal or group use, it's fine, but there's a possibility of resale."

"Resale. If it's too bad, we might need to take action."

"It might be good to have Edgar investigate when he's free."

Liricia nodded seriously.

—Even if it's for resale, if they're buying 1 million goats each time, it's hard to say.

I thought the remaining 6 million had become 5 million.

If I wait until I earn 5 million and then take action, it might be fine.

While eating bread and thinking about this, Sophisia, with her blue hair, said.

"By the way, I heard the neighing of a horse outside the grounds this morning. Is it Alec's horse?"

"No, last night, a Pegasus mother and child came here, mistaking it for a sanctuary."

"Pegasus!"

Tety and Sophisia were surprised and wide-eyed.

"A white horse with wings, that!?"

"Amazing, a holy beast Pegasus. I've only seen one at a church ceremony."

Sophisia was impressed, but Tety was visibly excited, her emerald eyes shining with curiosity.

"Can I ride on its back!?"

"That's a bit too much. Besides, they seem to have had a long journey and need to rest."

"Okay, I understand! But can I just meet them!? I want to talk to them!"

"Sure, I think that's fine... Just don't bother them too much. Make sure to greet them properly."

"Okay!"

Tety ran out with a sandwich in hand, her elf ears moving happily.

—Indeed, having a sandwich ready to go is practical.

As I was impressed, a loud splash came from the front door, followed by a scream.

I clapped my hands and said.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. There's a water trough and a potion bucket at the entrance."

"Too late, Master—Tety, are you okay?"

Liricia stood up and headed to the front door.

From the entrance, Tety's crying could be heard clearly.

"What is this!?"

After that, there was a commotion with Tety taking a bath and changing clothes.

—Expanding the grounds is necessary.

But I thought it was admirable that Tety ate the wet sandwich to the end without throwing it away.

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