NOVEL NEXT Chapter 3 - The Hero's Reward
“Did you take down this Behemoth… by yourself?”
The question came from an experienced adventurer with a long white beard—a defining feature of his seasoned appearance.
In my previous life, I couldn’t discern his strength. But now, it was unmistakable.
This man was strong.
The aura he exuded was on a completely different level compared to ordinary adventurers.
“Yes. I defeated it,” I replied.
“Hooh…”
The man alternated his gaze between me and the Behemoth several times before pulling out a sheet of paper from his pocket.
It was a guild-issued Behemoth extermination request.
“Then the reward should go to you, not me,” he said.
“No, I don’t need any reward—”
“Those who defeat the target are entitled to the reward.”
I didn’t have much of a choice as he practically shoved the request form into my hands.
His name, as written on the request, was Ron.
I had never heard of him in my previous life.
As we spoke, the Behemoth’s body turned to ash and disappeared.
In its place, a palm-sized crystal sphere materialized.
Ron picked it up and casually tossed it to me.
“Here, the Behemoth’s magic core. Submit this along with the request form to the guild in the royal capital, and you’ll receive a hefty reward.”
“Thank you, Ron,” I said.
“How do you know my name? Ah, the request form, of course,” Ron said, seemingly satisfied with his own explanation.
“And your name?”
“Deus!”
“I’ll remember that.”
Ron unsheathed his sword—a magnificent blade far superior to the Prism Gulliver.
There was no doubt it was a high-level Sacred Weapon.
“Since I’m at it, take this as well.”
To my surprise, Ron handed me an additional gift—not the sword itself, but the Sphere attached to it.
“This is… the Dark Lord’s Sphere?”
It was a B-rank Sphere, an incredibly valuable item that wasn’t given away lightly.
“Oh? You recognize it,” Ron said, raising an eyebrow.
“Ah, yes. I mean, sort of… But are you sure about this? Something so valuable…”
“No problem. I’ve decided to retire after this. Now that the fight’s over, I won’t have any use for it.”
From the sidelines, Reina gasped, “That’s amazing!”
The villagers, including my parents, were utterly dumbfounded.
“Thank you, Ron. I’ll take good care of it.”
“Good to hear, but just so you know, using that Sphere won’t be easy. It’s B-rank, after all,” Ron warned.
I immediately understood what he meant.
“Rank restrictions, right? A Sacred Weapon can only equip a Sphere of the same rank or lower,” I explained.
“Exactly. That Sphere is B-rank, so you’ll need a B-rank or higher Sacred Weapon to use it.”
In other words, the Prism Gulliver I had couldn’t equip the Dark Lord’s Sphere.
“Then how about we trade this Prism Gulliver for your amazing sword…”
I casually threw out an unreasonable suggestion.
From a distance, the chief cried, “That’s MY weapon!” but I ignored him.
“Ha! You’ve got guts, kid! I’d love to, but this sword holds too much sentimental value,” Ron said with a hearty laugh as he turned and began walking toward the royal capital.
“Deus, you’ll make a fine adventurer. Don’t let yourself stagnate in a small village—come to the capital. I believe you could surpass even me someday.”
“I’ll do my best!”
I had only told the chief I’d become an adventurer as a formality.
In truth, I had no intention of doing so.
This was my second chance at life, and with my revenge complete, I wanted to explore other possibilities.
But—
(Now that I’ve received this Sphere, maybe I’ll give adventuring another shot.)
In my previous life, I became an adventurer out of hatred for monsters.
I hadn’t spent my time idly like most adventurers, but instead devoted myself to eradicating every monster I could.
In this life, I wanted to take a more relaxed approach.
Maybe even form bonds with other adventurers.
Following Ron’s example and going solo could be appealing too.
Though my plans weren’t set in stone, I made the decision to become an adventurer once again.
◇
Under normal circumstances, today would have been a day of celebration.
The villagers would have thrown a party to honor me for saving them from the Behemoth.
But this time, that wasn’t possible.
Zeke had died on the same day.
Instead of a celebration, I received only words of gratitude from the villagers.
“Deus, your father and I are heading over to Zeke’s house,” my mother said after we finished dinner.
Apparently, they planned to stay with Zeke’s parents for the night.
“I guess I’ll go to bed, then,” I said, moving to my room.
I changed into my sleepwear and leaned the Prism Gulliver against the wall.
The weapon, a reward from the chief, stood next to the Dark Lord’s Sphere I’d placed on my desk.
“Deus, are you there?”
Just as I got into the rickety bed, I heard a voice from the entrance.
It’s Reina.
“I’m here. In my room.
Since it’s a small house, my voice can be heard from my room all the way to the entrance.
It must be partly because it’s old
“Are you going to bed already?”
When Reina came into the room, she sat down on the bedside.
“I was planning to, but what’s going on?”
I sit up and take a seat next to Reina.
“What’s the matter… I just wanted to talk to you one last time.
“Last?
“Because Deus, you’re leaving the village for the royal capital tomorrow, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
I am supposed to go to the royal capital alone.
Unlike in her previous life, the village hasn’t been destroyed, so Reina is said to be staying in the village
“That’s why, um, I wanted to convey my feelings…”
Reina blushed and looked down
“You like me, don’t you?”
“Huh!? Y-yeah, but how do you know…?”
“If you watch, you’ll understand.
Of course it’s a lie
In my past life, I didn’t realize it until I was confessed to
“I see… I’m easy to read, huh? So, if it’s okay with you, um, would you be my boyfriend…?”
“Sorry, Reina, I can’t do that.
I firmly refused.
“I guess I’m just not good enough, huh?”
Sorry, said Reina, forcing a smile.
Tears are welling up in my eyes.
“I didn’t mean it that way.
“Huh?”
I patted Reina’s head.
“Being an adventurer is a dangerous job where you never know when you’ll die, so I have no intention of becoming romantically involved with anyone. There’s no guarantee of coming back alive, and I can’t take responsibility for someone else.”
“I see…”
“So find someone else.”
“Yeah… I understand, I’ll do that.”
I let out a sigh of relief and pat my chest
However, Reina’s words had more to them
“Then, let’s be lovers until we become adventurers.”
“Until before becoming an adventurer?
“Until we leave the village, right? That’s fine, isn’t it?”
There was no reason to refuse.
“If that’s the case, then it’s fine.”
“Yes!
Reina stood up happily, then turned around and looked at me
“I really think that these kinds of things should take time, but since we’re parting ways tomorrow, there’s no helping it.”
“What do you mean? — Whoa!
Suddenly, Reina lunged at me.
Hug me and then push me down onto the bed
“What are you doing, Reina?
“Romantic things! I’ll do everything! I don’t want my first time to be with anyone but Deus!”
I had no right to refuse.
When Reina forcefully kissed me, she intertwined her tongue without a word.
“Mm… Deus… mm…”
I got excited too because I was kissed.
“Reina…
I laid Reina on her back and straddled her.
Take off her clothes, remove her underwear, and run your tongue over her body
Licking from the abdomen up to the neck
Among other things, I savored the chest.
“Ah… yes, yes, Deus…”
I can hear Reina’s charming voice.
While savoring that voice, I will escalate it even further.
I also took off my clothes, and then――
“Ahh! Deus! I love you! I love you! I’ve always loved you! Ahhh!”
Reina and I spent an enchanting night together.