The ill-mannered jerk noble, full of himself, stood right before my eyes.
At this very moment, I had someone far more important clinging to me.
This side of her... I never knew existed.
The thing is, she is very restrictive — and sometimes, very demanding.
But even with that, she is kind-hearted deep inside.
The stocker noble slowly walked backward.
From the stance he was taking — a slim and straight-standing side —
he slowly extended his arm, aiming at my head.
While that happened, I cracked my fingers one by one, making it all count.
I cracked my neck to the left. My left eyebrow raised, and my right one dropped.
Just as with the eyebrows, my right eye opened wide, and my left one was half-open.
Then I cracked my neck again and did the same thing in reverse —
just to give off that intimidating feel.
The noble kid — just as he pointed at me —
I told Zia to hide behind him.
"What do you mean hide behind him? That's not gonna happen."
I just convinced her by saying:
"I will join you later. Just hide behind him now."
The noble kid laughed.
"Wow! So if you're planning to run… well, I'll reconsider sparing you with only one leg or one hand. Maybe two."
He was so full of himself, he barely sensed the mana I had.
When one's mana increases beyond human capacity in interpretation,
our mind completely ignores its existence.
She walked — unrushed — to his side.
After that, she stood behind him but still as far as she could…
as a means of limiting any contact.
He looked at her and smirked, looking happy.
Yeah!! Very happy!!
He screamed—
"Haaaaa!!"
The veins of happiness surged blood in him.
His hands got red, and he made a magic wand out of burning rage flames.
"Slender Attack: Narrow Flames!"
A very thin, straight flame shot — almost the wand's size — three, actually, overlapping one another.
Surprisingly, all three of them were heading straight to my eyes,
and the third one was fired at the bone area in the middle of my eyebrows.
In seconds, everything slowed down.
The sound of the strangers walking all over the city...
The breeze of the summer, fast as light… slowed.
I ate them all.
Yes... I ate the explosion. Swallowed it like a drink. I sipped it.
It's one of my artifact bodies: Gluttony.
As it entered my mouth, I closed it and held my breath — deep and hard.
When he saw me holding my breath,
he was so confused.
I just walked straight to where he was standing,
and hopefully, since I didn't digest the attack,
I bounced it out from my stomach — merging the attacks into one.
The moment he noticed it, he set a barrier.
It was more instinct-driven; I'm not sure he even knew he set it.
After I attacked, I used Ground Changer and swapped the ground
with another cobblestone ground.
The explosion was so big it disintegrated the surroundings.
Everyone was shocked — how it happened, why, and when.
So I activated my other artifact body in my mind —
Hypnosis — making him never spit a word about what happened.
He was in another world — where I was God to his eyes.
He trembled in fear.
His legs waved like spaghetti.
His eyes blinked… abnormally.
I just looked down on him.
He apologized again and again,
hitting his hand and face against the ground until it bled hard.
"Say a single word about this… and you're dead."
"Hu-tut-tu-buuh-huhuhu…"
So I left him like that.
I grabbed Zia's hand and walked out.
The nerve of him to think he could beat me with such a sloppy technique.
So indecisive...
I've fought against demons and even joined the war between demon invasions.
Such a shame.
Now the question is…
How do I make her forget about this?
I can't use hypnosis on her — I'm sure it won't work.
I have a bit of emotional connection to her, and that stops it.
Besides… I helped her out because she helped me out.
And she will help — she won't stop.
Now...
What do I do?
What do I do?
Why did I act like a man…?
I should have acted like a boy…
"It's okay. I can most certainly see you are strong."
She said that while her face turned red —
as hard as pure blood.
Is she stunned by how powerful I am..
Well of course it's natural reaction...
A student she thought is kinda a lonely bully who was considered weak is now showing her how powerful he is...
"Yeah… I have my secrets I don't wanna talk about, you know?
But I believe you.
At least you're more trustworthy."
She lit up.
"I trust you too. Let's go to the restaurant I told you about.
We'll talk about it there."
"Sure."
I must think of what to say.
I can't just blabber about everything.
I must tell her what I should… and what I shouldn't.
That's the one and only thing I wanna think about.
I must slip through this with zero information leaking.
She's still clinging hard to my arm...
But why?
I thought she already used me by now.
I thought she wanted me to act like a man — so I could stop that noble stalker.
"Woohoo! Isn't that Zia?"
"Yeah, talk about surprise."
"You two — you sure she is— oh yeah, she is… Guys, come over here…"
"Can't believe it…"
I guess there's more to the bullies' core.
The ones in the academy are all here,
and she wanted to appear with me — so they wouldn't mess with me.
I knew she was a kind-hearted person.
"So you wanted to help me out… huh?"
"Nah. It was a coincidence."
"If you say so."
So that stalker must have got info about her… from her friends.
But why is he madly in love with her?
No… he's obsessed.
It can't be just normal.
He must have had a story with her.
We'll find out.
The bullies all acted as if they didn't see me —
turning their faces, some covering it.
Her family's influence is so big, it could ruin a whole family's reputation
by a spelling mistake in their name —
let alone getting tangled up in h
er mess.
We got to the restaurant after a long walk.
She already had a place prepared — just for the two of us.
Only two to sit.
Before I reached her, someone said:
"Why is the fury bitch here? And you?"
That voice...