NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4 - Departure and Revenge
“Deus, the carriage we arranged is here”
my mother’s voice called from beyond the door.
It was time to head to the royal capital.
“You heard her, didn’t you? This is the end.”
“Ugh… I’m going to miss you so much…”
Even as morning came, Reina and I were still being affectionate.
To be precise, Reina had been the one persistently clinging to me, showering me with kisses all over and pleading for more with her sweet, seductive voice.
I was merely responding to her advances.
“If you’ll miss me that much, why don’t you come to the capital with me?”
“No way! I love this village! You should stay instead, Deus!”
“If I stayed, I wouldn’t be able to work as an adventurer, would I?”
Adventurers make a living by completing quests from the Adventurer’s Guild.
Since this village doesn’t have a guild, I’d be reduced to a loafer here.
“Then promise you’ll come back at least once a month!”
“I can’t guarantee that frequency, but I’ll try to return once or twice a year.”
“Yay!”
Even after that, Reina clung to me, delaying the departure of the carriage.
The entire village came to see me off on my journey.
Even Zeke’s parents were there, though their expressions were complicated.
It was only natural, as their son had recently passed away.
(A strange sense of guilt is creeping up on me.)
I don’t regret taking revenge on Zeke.
However, I do feel sorry for his parents.
“Do your best out there, Deus,”
the village chief spoke on everyone’s behalf.
Beside him stood Reina, looking at me like an abandoned puppy.
“Thank you, Chief. Everyone, I’ll be off!”
Waving to everyone, I started to board the carriage.
But at that moment—
“Wait, Deus!”
An angry voice, out of place in this scene, rang out.
The voice’s owner approached from afar.
“Zeke?!”
I couldn’t believe my eyes, but there was no mistake.
Though his entire body was battered and torn, it was undoubtedly Zeke.
His bloodshot eyes glared at me with intensity.
“Zeke! You’re alive!”
“Thank goodness! Truly, thank goodness!”
Zeke’s parents ran to him and embraced him tightly.
The villagers’ expressions softened as they murmured, “How wonderful.”
“Wonderful? Hardly!”
Zeke roared, silencing everyone.
“What’s the meaning of this?”
“I was… pushed off a cliff by him—by Deus!”
“Whaaat?!”
A ripple of shock spread through the crowd.
I remained silent, assessing how to respond.
“What are you saying, Zeke?”
His mother asked, supporting his weight.
“Yesterday, he and I climbed that cliff over there. When we reached the top, Deus suddenly kicked me off!”
“Is this true?!”
Zeke’s mother turned to glare at me, and my parents looked at me with faces full of disbelief.
“That’s ridiculous. Why would I push Zeke off a cliff?”
I brushed it off with a laugh.
“That’s right! Deus and Zeke are best friends!”
Reina chimed in, and many villagers nodded in agreement.
In this small village, everyone knows everything about each other.
Of course, that includes me and Reina…
“You probably lost your memory from the fall, Zeke. You were attacked by a wyvern and fell.”
I delivered the line smoothly.
(It’s clear from everyone’s reactions that I have the upper hand.)
Everyone believed my words.
When you think about it logically, it was only natural.
There was no grudge or enmity between Zeke and me in this lifetime.
“I’m telling the truth! It was him! Deus pushed me off the cliff!”
“Zeke, calm down.”
“That’s right. There’s no way Deus would do something like that,” Zeke’s parents said, doubting their son’s claims.
“Why won’t anyone believe me?! That guy over there—Deus—is a demon! A monster! He kicked me off the cliff!”
Zeke was screaming nonsense.
No matter how desperately he pleaded, his words didn’t resonate with anyone.
“Zeke, perhaps you should rest at home for a bit,” the village chief said kindly, extending a hand.
“Don’t touch me, old man!”
Zeke pushed him away and glared at him fiercely.
“What’s with that look, boy?!”
The village chief was furious.
Though he was kind to minors, he had little tolerance for adults stepping out of line.
Even with Zeke in his current state, he didn’t hold back.
“Zeke, apologize to the chief!”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up! Mom, you don’t believe me either! Why won’t anyone believe me?!”
Zeke was on the verge of a panic attack.
“Zeke, listen. Deus protected everyone in the village from a Behemoth yesterday,” Reina said, explaining what had happened.
Perhaps because the words came from the girl he liked, Zeke seemed to calm down and listen.
“He defeated a Behemoth…? Deus did?”
“Yes. And when he returned to the village, he looked so sad. If he really had pushed you off the cliff, he couldn’t have had that expression.”
“Deus looked… sad?”
Zeke was beginning to calm down.
(So he’s still alive after all that. Might as well finish the job and crush him emotionally.)
I walked over to Reina and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“Reina, I appreciate your feelings, but your words might have the opposite effect,” I said.
“Huh?”
“After all, you’re my woman. It makes your statements seem biased.”
With that, I pulled Reina in and kissed her in front of everyone.
I claimed her lips, entangling my tongue with hers, all while making sure Zeke could see.
“Deus…”
Reina blushed but embraced me, wrapping her arms around my neck and returning the kiss passionately.
“No… this can’t be… Reina and Deus… Noooooooo!”
Zeke collapsed in tears.
(Enjoy the despair, Zeke. Betrayed by your best friend and losing the girl you like—let that hopelessness sink in.)
“Deus, I’m so sorry. He didn’t mean any harm,” Zeke’s mother said apologetically.
“My apologies as well, Chief. I’ll make sure he learns his lesson and comes to apologize properly,” his father added.
Zeke’s parents, looking defeated, carried their dazed son back home.
“Well then, it’s time for me to head to the royal capital.”
“Oh, right! We must give you a proper send-off!”
“Deus, don’t die out there, okay? Come back to me! I’ll be waiting!”
“Of course.”
After exchanging one last kiss with Reina, I climbed into the carriage.