Chapter 7: The Hero’s Return①
The turmoil surrounding the Sealed Domain and, by extension, the Sealed Labyrinth, which stemmed from the unsealing of the Affirmative Sword, came to a complete resolution thanks to Yamada’s selfless efforts, disregarding his own safety.
What follows is the tale of Yamada’s return from his battle with Ainika, the One Who Loathes All Life. However, he had sustained deep wounds and lost consciousness, and this story takes place a few days after that incident.
As he awoke, a pleasant languor washed over him. Just yesterday, he had engaged with four obedient women, releasing a considerable amount of his essence among them. This was, indeed, a catharsis for him—Prince Ryuguin.
Among the women he had shared his bed with, two had already awakened and were preparing breakfast, while the other two remained in the dream world, using Ryuguin’s arm as a pillow.
“Wake up.”
With a hint of annoyance, the Hero pushed the two women aside. They quickly sprang up, exclaiming, “Ah! We’re so sorry!”
“Honestly. You two really—”
He ran his fingers through his hair and let out a deliberately exaggerated sigh.
“Even if our activities were enjoyable, how can you both sleep in later than me? I am the Hero, the savior of humanity! Even a child knows that. Yet here you are, completely disregarding your respect for me, lost in thoughts of our activities. Are you two not human, but rather some kind of female cats?”
He posed stylishly on the bed, much like a male idol featured in a fashion magazine. Just then, breakfast was brought in.
“Take a lesson from them. Yes, you two did well.”
With a dazzling smile, he stood up and kissed the cheeks of the two who had prepared breakfast, gently patting their heads. As he did so, he grabbed a lock of hair and brought it to his face, inhaling deeply.
“You smell delightful.”
When he complimented one of the women, her cheeks flushed.
“Thank you so much! Eek! I’ve been praised by the Hero!!”
The woman next to her chimed in, “Wow! I’m so jealous! Hero-sama! That’s not fair! It’s not fair! I helped make breakfast too!”
She grabbed Ryuguin’s arm, insisting that she deserved praise as well.
“Haha! You’re right! My apologies, you did great too. I’m a fair and just person, after all!”
With that, Ryuguin embraced her and buried his face in her neck. He stuck out his tongue and shook his head slightly, savoring her skin.
“How does it taste? My reward!!”
No one pointed out that he was the one doing the tasting. Instead, the two women who had just been scolded for oversleeping joined in unison to apologize.
“Hero-sama, we sincerely apologize! So please, please, show us mercy…”
Upon hearing their pleading voices, Ryuguin’s expression transformed, reminiscent of someone quenching a parched throat with ice-cold beer.
“Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! Ahhh! This is it!! This is exactly what I’ve been seeking!!”
From this point, Ryuguin began to heat up. He spread his arms wide and shouted melodiously.
“Being a Hero comes with excessive stress! God is watching over me!! This is truly the God-given Soul Cleansing!!”
He turned to the four women, expecting agreement, and they each showered him with praise.
“Truly, you are the Hero-sama!”
“No one can imitate you!”
“The Hero who protects the nation is none other than Prince Ryuguin!”
“Indeed, your presence is like that of the Hero of the Ages! Yes, indeed!”
The chorus of admiration continued, and Ryuguin did not miss the last remark.
“What did you just say?”
“Uh, I said, ‘like the Hero of the Ages’—”
With a pretentious expression, Ryuguin opened his mouth slowly, reminiscent of a quiz show host.
“That’s it! You!”
“Huh? Huh?”
“The Hero of the Ages, Prince Ryuguin! What a magnificent sound that is!”
At that moment, sensing his excitement, all four women erupted into thunderous applause for Ryuguin.
“By the way, have you all heard my story yet?”
“Huh? What story?”
One of the women asked in response to Ryuguin’s inquiry.
“What? You don’t know?”
He let out a grandiose sigh, as if disappointed.
“It might be difficult for someone from this backward world to understand, but—”
He took on a larger-than-life demeanor. The women, not finding it annoying, overly flattered him, eager to please and receive his praise.
“Well, fine. I’ll enlighten you. Information holds value akin to gold. In the world I came from, there’s a saying: ‘Those who control information control the game.’ We place great importance on the value of information.”
“Wow, amazing! Wow! That’s incredible! So impressive!” the four women exclaimed in succession. This further boosted Ryuguin’s spirits, and he continued his lecture.
“Therefore, from now on, you must strive to acquire information as quickly as possible. However, this time is special. I’ll tell you what happened.”
“Please tell us! We beg you!”
His excitement was soaring, as if he were climbing a waterfall and reaching the end of a rainbow. With movements reminiscent of the early 2000s dance craze, he struck what he deemed the coolest pose (in Ryuguin’s opinion) and began to speak.
“That is, I have successfully conquered the Sealed Labyrinth!”