Hans's body started turning soft and elastic, its color shifting from human skin tone to a translucent green.
In an instant he no longer looked human—more like a mass of jelly—and he kept swelling.
It didn't matter, though. No matter how he expanded, the golden flames stayed wrapped around him, devouring his body as fuel.
"Guaaah—!"
In no time, Hans had ballooned to about the size of the villa in Axel. The golden fire grew with him, blazing even hotter.
"Th-that's way too big," Yunyun gaped.
"Shichen, the facilities here…!" Aqua cried.
"It's fine. I've got it."
Shichen boxed Hans's huge body inside a barrier and lifted it into the air. The golden fire roared within; Hans's toxic green mass flickered in and out of view.
"AAAA—! S-stop! Spare me!" Hans finally couldn't withstand the holy flames and began to wail.
Holy Fire counters all things corrupt—and poison is no exception.
Shichen watched coolly as Hans was burned away. There was no way he'd let this one go. The guy killed like drinking water, felt no remorse, a true heretic and a Demon King general through and through.
If Shichen hadn't promised Wiz to confirm Hans's inhumane deeds, he wouldn't have bothered talking at all. That was Wiz's price for sharing intel on Hans. She might be a Demon King general herself, but she'd never harmed humans and stayed neutral—so she stood by comrades only so long as they didn't hurt people. She'd been human once, after all.
However strong Hans was, he was still a slime—and against holy fire he had no defense. His massive green bulk kept shrinking, as if evaporating.
At last, inside the barrier, he turned to ash and was gone—nothing left behind.
"That's… it?" Darkness asked, dumbfounded.
"What else did you want?" Shichen smiled, dispelling the barrier and calling back the holy fire.
"Amazing! That's Shichen for you!" Aqua squealed, leaping into his arms.
"No need to worry now, right?" He patted her back.
"Mm-hmm! I knew you were the best."
"Heh. Finish purifying the springs, then we'll report to the guild."
"Okay~" Aqua skipped off to cleanse the water.
"Yunyun, still worried about me?" Shichen turned to the girl who'd been smiling quietly at his side.
"I know you're amazing, Shichen, but I just can't help worrying," Yunyun murmured, lips pursed.
"Yeah? Fair enough." He nodded. Trust and worry aren't opposites. Worry doesn't mean doubt.
"Do you… not want me to worry?" Yunyun asked.
"Of course I do. It makes me happy that you care."
"Really?"
"Come here." He beckoned.
"What is it?" She stepped over, obediently.
"Let me hold you for a bit. It's been a while." He pulled Yunyun into a hug, feeling her warmth and breathing in her scent.
"Shichen… Darkness and the others are still here…" she stammered, face burning.
"It's fine."
"Mm…"
"How is that fair! I want a hug too!" Darkness said, envious.
"Haven't you had enough?" Shichen shot her a look. The other day he'd held her all afternoon—at one point standing, face to face, her arms cinched around his waist.
"Of course it's not enough!"
"Then deal with it. It's Yunyun's turn."
"Ugh… well, that's not bad either… huff—huff—"
"…"
Before long, once Aqua finished purifying the springs, Shichen took the three of them to report at the town's Adventurers' Guild. Their adventurer cards recorded it clearly: Hans had died by Shichen's hand, and Shichen received the bounty.
Hans's bounty was far higher than the Headless Knight's—which made sense. A remorseless killer commands a high price.
Just like that, Shichen became famous in town. A guild receptionist even let slip that he was the one who'd taken down the Headless Knight. The local adventurers were in awe. Taking out a Demon King general—that's hero-level stuff.
After two days of adulation, Shichen led the group back to Axel. With his new fame, the Axis Church tried even harder to recruit him. The moment he went outside, a crowd of Axis devotees would swarm him. Somehow word got out that he was a "lolicon," so the ones surrounding him were all cute little girls.
Nope. He was not a lolicon.
So they couldn't stay there. Besides, the springs were mostly unusable for now—Aqua's purification meant there wasn't much point hanging around.
There was no need for compensation either; Hans had been eliminated so quickly he hadn't fully contaminated the springs, so Aqua didn't need to do a total cleanse. Given a little time, they'd recover. And since a Demon King general had been poisoning them, some damage was understandable.
On the way back, Shichen used teleportation—no patience for a carriage. Too slow. He was eager to get home and claim Aqua's "reward."
Back at the villa, he sensed no one inside—Kazuma wasn't home. Probably out to clear his head; dying once will do that to you. Shichen didn't dwell on it.
"Finally home!"
"Home really is the best!"
"I think so too."
The moment they were in, Aqua and the others collapsed onto the sofa with relief. Frieren, full of energy, bounced straight into Shichen's room—obviously to flop on the bed and read manga. Fine by him, as long as she was happy.
"Dammit! Why didn't you call me to fight the Demon King general?" Megumin pouted; she'd been stewing for two days, insisting that if she'd used Explosion, Hans would've been a joke.
She hadn't thought about how the blast would wreck the hot-spring facilities—or that if she blew Hans to bits, the fragments would scatter and contaminate the springs even more.
"Small fry like that didn't need you to lift a finger," Shichen said, rubbing her hair.
"True… that's true," Megumin nodded, mollified.
"Hehe—are you all going to keep resting, or come shop with me? I'll cook a feast tonight to celebrate."
"M-me! I want to go with you," Yunyun shot her hand up.
"Me too!" Megumin followed suit.
"You go. I just want to rest," Aqua waved them off.
"I'm out too," Darkness said. "I'll head home first and drop off some gifts."
"Alright."
So Shichen took Megumin and Yunyun to buy groceries—naturally getting called "lolicon" all along the way. After dinner, the girls sat with rounded bellies, too full to move, and Shichen kindly carried each of them back to her room. They'd soaked in the springs earlier, so no baths needed that night.
Aqua was last. When Shichen brought her to her room and turned to leave, she grabbed his hand.
"Shichen, you still haven't taken your reward," she said suddenly.
"No rush. Tomorrow."
"No. You've helped me so much—I have to give it to you now."
"It was just protecting the springs. Hardly worth making a fuss."
"It matters a lot to me," Aqua said earnestly.
"…Anything I want?"
"Of course."
"Then… can I have you?" he whispered at her ear.
Aqua smiled. "I knew it."
"Huh?"
"I'm a goddess. It'd be weirder if you didn't want me."
"And you?"
"If it's you… it's okay," she said shyly, cheeks flushed and irresistibly pretty.
"Really?"
"I—I like you too, Shichen…"
"In that case—" He laughed softly and pulled her into his arms.
"Wait—can you take me into the water?"
"The water?"
"I'm the water goddess. Something like this… obviously should be in water."
"No problem."
It was a small request—easy to grant. He took her beneath the sea off Arcanletia. The two of them were inside a barrier, sealed off from the ocean; sea creatures couldn't see them.
"This is… incredible," Aqua breathed, eyes shining.
"Now's not the time to admire the scenery," Shichen murmured, drawing her close and kissing her.
"Mm…"
In the undisturbed deep, everything was a dark, endless blue as sea life drifted by. After a long while, clothes slipped within the barrier, a feathered robe floated, and the water around them seemed to glow.
Aqua was so pure, so perfect—flawless. It was like a moon had risen beneath the sea.
"W-will it hurt?" Aqua asked, voice trembling a little.
"I'll be gentle," Shichen said, breath heavy.
"Oh… m—mm—it hurts—!"
~~~
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