Aside from the villagers who already knew what was going on, the rest of the crowd looked absolutely stunned.
"Old Man Masi?! Why would he want to hurt us?"
"Exactly! Why?! Wasn't he the one in charge of clearing the Slimes? Why would he lure so many of them here?!"
"What's the deal?! We need an explanation!"
At that moment, one of the Slime Cleaners stepped forward.
"I'll tell you exactly what happened! It went like this..."
The worker laid out everything Masi had said and done, from start to finish, for everyone to hear. When the villagers heard that Masi hadn't just ordered the workers to hoard Slimes, but had actually planned to use them as food to poison the four Heroes, the crowd erupted in fury.
"Masi! You're a piece of work, you know that?!"
"Kick him out! Get him out of the village!"
"I can't believe it! I never thought you'd be that kind of person!"
Under the rain of insults from his fellow villagers, Masi's aged face flushed a deep, burning red. In a small village like this, reputation was everything. After a stunt like this, he'd never be able to hold his head up again for the rest of his life.
"What else was I supposed to do?!" Masi finally snapped, his neck straining as he bellowed back.
"Clearing Slimes has been my life's work! I need to eat, don't I? My workers need to eat too, right?! If the Great Heroes go around slaughtering every last Slime, what happens to the people who rely on them to survive?!"
Masi shifted his gaze, glaring with pure venom toward the group from the Theocracy.
"It's easy for you big shots! Standing there all high and mighty, talking about 'solving the disaster'! Do you even care if us little guys starve while you're 'solving' things?!
Ha, you wouldn't get it! You've never had to work a day in your lives! You've never had to worry about someone snatching the bread right out of your mouths! A bunch of pampered lords and ladies living in luxury, how could you possibly understand what I was trying to do?!"
"But! We hunt demons for the survival of all mankind!" Ariana blurted out, her voice trembling with emotion.
"All mankind?" Masi's brow twitched, his forehead wrinkles folding all the way up to his bald spot. "You're talking to a nobody like me about 'all mankind'? If the Slimes are gone, we can't even put food on the table! What's the point of 'all mankind' then?!"
As his words fell, a heavy silence took over the crowd.
True, he was acting out of self-interest, but just as he said, he didn't have the luxury of worrying about "all mankind." Losing his livelihood was the only disaster on his immediate horizon.
Layton, who had been listening to the whole exchange, gritted his teeth, desperate to say something. Finally, he spoke up.
"First off! I'm no 'pampered lord'! I was just an ordinary laborer, a porter!
And second!
I can't even begin to wrap my head around your selfishness!
Unlike you, making a living off Slimes, my family and I actually suffered because of demons! That's why I believe clearing them out is non-negotiable!
If I lost my job, I'd just find another one. Why would you hurt people just to protect your own position?!
I don't get it. I just don't get it!!"
Masi let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Ha! You don't get it? Of course you don't! You can just swap jobs whenever you like, but where are me and all my workers supposed to find work now?!
'For humanity'? 'Clearing demons is necessary'?! All you do is spout slogans while completely ignoring our reality!"
"Fine. Let's look at it from your 'reality' then."
Suddenly, a flat, emotionless voice drifted from among the believers.
The crowd of followers instinctively turned their heads and parted ways.
With every eye on him, Anyi walked to the front of the group and looked down at Masi.
"Let's start from the top and talk about what 'making a living' actually means.
'Making a living' is about survival. This is an agricultural village; for generations, most people here have lived off the land and remained self-sufficient.
So, do you really believe that losing your job as a Slime Cleaner means you can no longer survive or live your life?"
"I... well..." Masi stammered, caught off guard.
Anyi didn't give him room to breathe. "Of course you'd survive. The only real difference is that you'd have to leave your cozy office and head back into the grueling fields.
You'd go from a life where you can survive just by sitting around, to one where you actually have to plant your own crops to put food on the table.
It was a sweet deal, wasn't it? Sitting in an office, barking orders, collecting a government paycheck and food taxes from the other villagers.
The moment you're asked to go back to being a farmer, to live the same life as every other villager has for generations, you refuse.
Then you throw a tantrum like a toddler, coming up with these grand, pathetic excuses for your childish behavior. Even now, kneeling there, you still think you're in the right.
Is it right or wrong? I think everyone here can see the truth."
Masi broke into a cold sweat, his mind racing for a way to fire back. He finally blurted out, "I just wanted to keep my job! Is that a crime?!"
"No, it isn't. However...
Let's get our priorities straight here."
Anyi stepped forward, grabbed Masi by the collar, and locked eyes with him.
At that moment, a soul-shaking chill washed over Masi. Anyi's face seemed to loom over him, vast and overwhelming, while he felt like a pathetic ant cowering on the dirt.
"So, the survival of the entire human race doesn't even weigh as much as your little money-making scheme?
Forget all of mankind, you didn't give a damn about the lives, the property, or the food of this entire village. You absolute scumbag."
"Preach!" Layton shouted, energized.
The villagers and the followers erupted in fury once more!
"Exactly! The fate of the world isn't worth as much as your measly pocket change?!"
"If those Slimes had taken over, there wouldn't even be a village left for you to work in!"
"If the higher-ups look into this, hanging you wouldn't even be enough!"
"Scumbag! What a total scumbag!!"
This time, Anyi was genuinely pissed.
He'd noticed Masi trying to sabotage their work from the start, but since a Hero could technically eat Slime without dying, he hadn't bothered to call him out.
But when Masi intentionally hoarded Slimes and triggered a disaster that even he couldn't control? That was where Anyi drew the line.
If the Anyi from his previous life were standing here right now, the destruction of this village would have been a certainty.
Back when he first got the System in his past life, he didn't have such powerful area-of-effect abilities. He would have had to stand by and watch those Slimes tear the village apart.
The old saying goes, 'Every man for himself, or heaven and earth will destroy him.' It's normal for Masi to want to protect his own interests, but betting the entire village's life on it was his fatal mistake.
He was gambling the survival of everyone just to test the Heroes' capabilities.
If Anyi hadn't been there, any other Hero would have been powerless against a disaster of that scale.
By nightfall, the Village Chief decided on Masi's punishment.
For now, he would be held for a few days to assist the Theocracy with the Slime investigation. After that, he'd be escorted to town, where the local nobility would decide whether he'd face execution or rot in a cell.
"The Sword Hero said that to end the Slime plague, we have to strike at the source. Do you know where the Slime spawning grounds are?"
Inside a small room, a follower interrogated Masi.
"In... in the forest. Over in that part of the woods," Masi muttered, sitting numbly in his chair and pointing toward a specific direction.
...
That night, the four Heroes were given the village's finest hospitality. When it came time to turn in, a wealthy local merchant offered up one of his private houses for their stay.
Before they went to bed, they received the results of Masi's interrogation. Once they woke up, their plan was to head deeper into the forest to continue the investigation.
While the other three had long since drifted off, Anyi lay in his room, staring up at the ceiling.
[Creature: Royal Slime
Whoa! Lord Hero has spotted a Royal Slime! Impressive!
The Royal Slime is a Class 3 monster—think of it as the 'Big Mama' (or Papa? Or both?) responsible for the endless stream of ordinary Slimes in the forest!
If a Lv1 Hero runs into it, please GTFO of the Slime King's attack range immediately!
Unlike your run-of-the-mill Slime, the Royal Slime is highly aggressive, massive, and will actively devour any animals in its vicinity.
Recommended Solo Level: Lv10
Recommended Average Party Level: Lv5
If you're under-leveled, Lord Hero, seriously—just run!!]
Technically, the Royal Slime wasn't even the strongest variant among Slimes; it was just called a "Royal" because of its ability to split into massive numbers.
Still, for a rookie Hero, a Royal Slime was the stuff of nightmares.
In truth, Anyi's squad wasn't exactly ready to charge into the woods and raid a Royal Slime.
But things were already in motion. Anyi couldn't just randomly step in and shut down the investigation without a good reason. He couldn't exactly blurt out, "Hey, let's stop searching, there's a super strong demon in there," could he?
Youngsters usually need to hit a wall—hard—before they realize this world isn't a linear game.
The progression isn't just [Kill Mobs → Find Boss → Kill Boss].
It's more like [Kill Mobs → Find Boss → Switch Mobs to Grind XP → Find Boss → Decide based on Level whether to keep grinding or raid the Boss].
In the early stages, the System doesn't actually want you pushing straight into the heart of demon territory; the priority is clearing minor disasters along the borders.
The Bestiary tells Heroes to run for a reason—it doesn't want them taking suicidal gambles against a Boss.
Of course, this very first mini-Boss had already claimed the lives of plenty of Heroes in the past.
Whether it was a Slime, a Goblin, an Imp, or a Skeleton Soldier, their Class 3 counterparts were notorious "noob-killers."
Think of it as a natural selection process, right?
It filtered out the reckless ones, leaving behind the cautious veterans who could survive until the late game.
As a side note: whenever a Hero dies, a new one is instantly born among humanity to take their place.
Take Anyi's squad, for example. In the history books of later generations, they would be known as the "First Generation" because they were the ones chosen alongside the [Holy Hero].
If a First Gen Hero dies, their successor becomes a Second Gen, then Third, Fourth, and so on.
Right now, they hadn't realized it yet, but the number of Heroes is fixed—and so are their classes. When a Hero falls, the next one to awaken a System will possess the exact same abilities.
They'd probably catch on soon, though, during this first wave of Boss raids.
Lost in these stray thoughts, Anyi finally drifted into a heavy sleep.
Since being reborn, the biggest difference from his previous life was...
He slept like a log!
Maybe being around his family again allowed the constant mental tension from his past life to finally snap.
The next morning.
They say smell is the longest-lasting form of memory; once you've caught a scent, you never forget it.
And so...
Even before Anyi opened his eyes, he knew exactly who was lying next to him.
He peeked to see Ariana sleeping peacefully beside him and wondered, Why does this girl keep crawling into my bed?
Is this what people call a "relapse"?
"Hey, isn't your [Apathy Towards Lust] supposed to be turned on?" Anyi thought.
He silently closed his eyes again.
Forget it. I'll just pretend I'm still asleep.
"..."
Wait, no. If someone came to wake them up right now and saw this, it would be a disaster.
It wasn't like Heroes falling in love would cause some world-ending catastrophe. It was just that he didn't want people constantly "creating opportunities" for them to be alone.
He could already see it: he and Ariana standing together while everyone else tactically retreats to give them "space."
The mere thought made Anyi feel exhausted. It felt like this girl was becoming permanently tethered to him.
"Hey, Your Highness the Saintess. Wake up."
Anyi poked Ariana's cheek with his finger. It was soft, squishy, and incredibly tender.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up."
POKE. POKE again. And again. This was actually kind of fun. POKE, POKE, POKE.
"Mngh..."
After a moment, Ariana finally blinked her eyes open, rubbing them sleepily.
"Morning, Anyi... yawn..." She let out a long yawn and promptly squeezed her eyes shut again.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up."
"Mmm... five more minutes..." Ariana mumbled, diving back under the covers and pulling the blanket over her head.
Anyi: "..."
She really makes herself right at home, doesn't she?
And she clearly had no intention of explaining herself. Though he had to admit, seeing the Saintess's sleeping face up close was a pretty nice view.
Anyi yanked the blanket back and pinched Ariana's cheek. "First, explain exactly why you're sleeping in my bed again."
"Mmph, mmph, mmph!!" Ariana cried out in pain, swatting at Anyi's hand. "OW, OW, OW!!"
Anyi let go. "Spill it."
Ariana rubbed her sore cheek and gave him a silly grin. "Because it's so warm!"
Anyi: "..."
Classic airhead logic.
"Besides, it's not like it's the first time," Ariana added, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.
She remembered Anyi telling her not to sleep in other people's rooms, so she figured sleeping in Anyi's room was totally fine!
Anyi: "Next time..."
Ariana: "Next time?"
"Next time, I'm locking the door," Anyi said flatly.
"Huh? Why? Isn't it way warmer sleeping together?" Ariana asked, genuinely confused.
She only came over because she slept so much better here!
Anyi sat cross-legged on the bed and took on a serious tone. "Listen closely, Your Highness. When a man and a woman share a room like this, it usually implies a... special relationship."
"Is being special bad?" Ariana asked curiously.
"It can be. But it's better if we aren't that 'special.' Because if people think we are, they'll start distancing themselves to give us space. For example, even if everyone is standing together, they might intentionally back off to leave the two of us alone just to be polite. They'll try to avoid us because of that 'special' relationship," Anyi explained.
Ariana seemed to get it, but also not really. "Mmm... but why? Even if we're a little special, we aren't asking them to leave us alone."
"That's because people try to be considerate," Anyi said.
"Oh..." Ariana nodded, still looking a bit dazed.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
Suddenly, there was a frantic banging on the door.
"Hey, hey, hey! Anyi, my man! You awake?!" Layton's voice yelled from outside. "We've got a major problem!! The Saintess is missing!"
"I'm right—mph, mmph!"
Ariana started to answer, but Anyi clamped his hand over her mouth.
Anyi: "Shh... don't say a word."
Great. We're screwed.
"Shh, stay here and don't make a sound," Anyi whispered into Ariana's ear.
Ariana nodded.
She didn't quite get why they were doing this, but it felt weirdly exciting!
Anyi let go of her, slid out of bed, and walked to the door. Without opening it, he called out through the wood:
"Don't come banging on my door this early for something like that. If you can't find her, why didn't you just ask in the Chat Group?
If she sees it, she'll reply. If she doesn't, she's probably still asleep. If there's nothing else, I'm going back to bed."
Out in the hallway, Layton slapped his forehead. "Oh, duh! Why didn't I think of that?!"
A message immediately popped up in the Chat Group:
[Shield Hero: Saintess!! Where are you?! The priests are freaking out because they can't find you!]
Anyi turned back to Ariana and gave her a sharp nod.
Ariana caught the signal. She didn't reply, pretending she was still dead to the world.
"Huh, that's weird," Layton muttered, scratching his head.
[Sword Hero: People don't just vanish into thin air. She probably just found somewhere else to crash.]
"True," Layton muttered. "I'll go check some other rooms then!"
With that, he stomped away from Anyi's door.
Anyi listened to the receding footsteps and finally let out a long sigh of relief.
The priests are worried, fine—but why are you in such a panic, Layton? It's not like a grown woman is just going to evaporate.
After a silent grumble, Anyi cracked the door open and scanned the hallway.
Once he was sure the coast was clear, he hurried back to the bedside and whispered to Ariana:
"Okay, move now while you still can. If they ask where you were, just say you switched rooms. If they say they looked for you, tell them you were buried under the covers and they must have missed you. Just... wing it."
"Mmm, alright," Ariana said. She didn't really get it, but she went along with it.
"And look, the fact that you slept here last night? That's a Secret. We keep it between us. No one else can know. And from now on, no more sneaking into my room to sleep, got it?" Anyi added.
"But it's so warm, and I sleep so well here," Ariana pouted, clearly reluctant.
"No," Anyi said, reaching out to pinch her cheek again.
"Mmph, mmph!! I got it, I got it!!"
"Now, get out of my room. Go anywhere, just make sure no one sees you coming out of here," Anyi said, letting go.
"Fine, fine!" Ariana nodded vigorously, rubbing her sore cheek with a dejected look.
Having said his piece, Anyi went back to the door and peered left and right one last time.
Once he was sure the coast was clear, he beckoned Ariana over.
Ariana nodded, covering her mouth as she crept toward the door like a little thief.
Anyi cracked the door open, ready to usher her out.
And then...
Miruku: "Oh."
Anyi: "Oh."
Ariana: "...Good morning, maybe?"
The moment Miruku saw Ariana stepping out of Anyi's room, she completely froze.
Anyi was equally stunned to see Miruku standing right there in the hallway.
The coast was clear just a second ago! When did she get there?!
"Uh... right! Sorry! I didn't see anything! Going to breakfast now, bye!!"
"Get back here!"
Anyi moved like a gust of wind, suddenly appearing at Miruku's side and grabbing her by the shoulder.
"Eeeek!!!" Miruku shrieked, her soul nearly leaving her body.
Luckily, she hadn't mastered her abilities yet and didn't have time to react; otherwise, even with 40 points in Agility, Anyi might have actually missed her.
"Let's go. We need to talk."
Anyi gripped Miruku's shoulder firmly, half-hauling her into the room.
Terrified out of her wits, Miruku could only mutter a frantic string of apologies: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!"
BOOM!
The door shut.
He pushed Miruku into a chair and silently bolted the door.
"Since you've seen us, I have no choice," Anyi said flatly.
Miruku's heart hammered against her ribs.
「 Wait... is he... is he going to kill me to keep me quiet?!」
In her mind, the room suddenly transformed into a pitch-black interrogation chamber filled with torture devices.
Anyi, dressed in all black, held a blood-stained longsword, licking the crimson from the blade with a sinister grin as he whispered to her:
"Heh heh heh... Since you've seen us, I have no choice! How do you want to die?"
In her fantasy, Miruku was tied to the chair, blindfolded, shouting: "Ugh, just get it over with! Give me a clean death!"
"Fine! I'll send you on your way right now!"
Anyi laughed as he plunged his sword into Miruku's heart.
Back in reality...
"AIEEEEAAAAAGH—!!!"
Miruku, sitting in the chair, suddenly let out a blood-curdling scream of pure terror.
Anyi: "?"
Ariana: "?"
What the hell is going on?
THUD!
Miruku suddenly threw herself off the chair and onto the floor, pressing her forehead against the wood in a full kowtow.
"No... please don't kill me! Just spare my life! I'll do anything!!" Miruku's voice trembled with desperate pleading.
Anyi: "..."
Ariana: "Anyi didn't say he was going to kill you, though."
"I haven't even said anything yet," Anyi muttered, shaking his head with a sigh. He walked over and crouched down in front of Miruku.
"Okay, first off, calm down. I just want you to keep a Secret, that's all."
"So... so you aren't going to silence me? You're not going to pierce my heart with one slash?" Miruku stammered, still frantic.
"Well, if you blab about what you saw, I won't rule it out," Anyi said flatly.
"Waaaaah!! Please, Lord Hero, have mercy on this lowly life!!"
Terrifying! He's definitely terrifying!!
Ariana stood to the side, covering her mouth as she giggled. "Hahaha—Anyi, stop teasing her! Miruku, it's okay, he's just being mean!"
As if catching sight of a literal lifeline, Miruku scurried over and hid behind Ariana, looking like a pathetic, tearful kitten that had just found its mother after being lost.
Tearful_Cat_Face.jpg
Anyi shrugged, deciding not to push the "villain" act any further.
"First, I need to clear up whatever misunderstanding you have about the Saintess and me. We're clean. It's not what you're thinking. The Saintess just thinks sleeping next to someone is warmer, so she crashed in my room...?"
Wait. Saying it like that makes it sound even worse.
The real question was: why didn't Ariana go to anyone else's room? Why was his the first stop?
"Anyi's body is really warm! It makes me feel so good!" Ariana suddenly chimed in.
Anyi: "..."
Stop phrasing it like that!!
Miruku's face turned bright red behind Ariana. She nodded frantically, her eyes darting everywhere. It was obvious she was imagining something incredibly inappropriate!
"Ahem. Regardless, there is no 'special relationship' between us. It's just that the Saintess's common sense is a bit... broken, which leads to this kind of unconventional behavior. Plus, we both have the [Apathy Towards Lust] skill, and she has her [Saintess] passive that makes it impossible for anyone to even feel that way about her. So, nothing is ever going to happen between us," Anyi explained.