Kōichi released her and placed both hands on Darkness's shoulders, fixing her with an intense gaze.
"Lalatina, listen carefully. As long as it's you and it makes you happy, even if you run off tomorrow and let a bunch of cabbages batter you black and blue, I'll stand there laughing, then carry you home afterward. I don't want some perfect doll. I want the real, living you, even if you're a little broken. So stop worrying about whether you deserve me."
Darkness stared at him in astonishment.
She had never imagined that the urges she found most shameful, the ones that even gave her father endless headaches, could be described by Kōichi as part of what made her lovable.
The crushing guilt that had weighed on her heart for so long vanished in an instant.
"Ugh... Kōichi-sama..."
Unable to contain herself any longer, Darkness let out a tearful whimper and cast aside all her defenses, going limp against Kōichi's chest.
"You truly are a wicked man... Bullying me in such a cruel way... Being accepted completely like this makes me... makes me even happier than being surrounded by a hundred Beastmen. I'm so happy I could die..."
The cold moonlight stretched their shadows far across the ground.
Kōichi gazed at the face in his arms, made especially vulnerable by emotion, and slowly lowered his head. As if sensing what was about to happen, Darkness's sapphire eyes widened slightly before trembling shut, her thick eyelashes fluttering beneath the moonlight.
The instant his warm lips touched her slightly chilled ones, brilliant fireworks exploded inside Darkness's mind.
This was not the savage bite of a monster or the usual roughhousing between companions. It was a deep kiss between lovers, filled with tenderness and possessiveness.
"Mmm..."
Darkness let out a barely audible moan. The kiss seemed to drain every ounce of strength from her body, leaving her clinging weakly to Kōichi's shoulders.
Only after a long while did Kōichi pull back. Looking at the Knight who seemed ready to melt into a puddle, he wiped the corner of his mouth with a mischievous grin.
"There. The contract is sealed."
"K-K-K-Kōichi-sama!"
Darkness sprang backward like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
She covered her lips with both hands, steam practically erupting from the top of her head as the blue ribbon behind her hair whipped wildly with the motion.
"I-I just... That was... I'm not going back to the mansion tonight! I'm going home to my father! No, I'm going back to my room and burying myself! Waaaaah! This is too embarrassing!"
The Crusader who could withstand a dragon's breath on the battlefield now fled like a little girl whose skirt had been flipped up. Without even daring to look back, she dragged her heavy armor down the silent street at a speed that rivaled a Thief's, vanishing around the corner in an instant.
Kōichi remained where he was, watching her retreat, and could not help laughing softly.
Apparently, even the toughest tank with the highest defense would suffer a complete breakdown when faced with sincere feelings, true damage that ignored all defenses.
Whistling cheerfully, Kōichi turned and headed back toward the mansion. Just as he reached the familiar front gate, he ran into Kazuma Satou approaching from the opposite direction.
Kazuma wore an exceedingly rare, almost sickeningly fulfilled smile. He fiddled with a damaged red pointed hat in one hand while humming some cheerful, unfamiliar tune.
Their eyes met.
Kōichi noticed the traces of red magical dust on Kazuma's collar, along with the smug expression that practically declared, "I'm finally a winner, too."
Kazuma, meanwhile, immediately spotted the lingering smile on Kōichi's lips and the relaxed composure of someone who had just enjoyed a romantic evening.
Both men stopped at the foot of the mansion steps.
"Well, looks like tonight's Explosion Magic packed quite a punch, Kazuma."
Kōichi raised an eyebrow, his voice teasing.
"Hmph. Same to you. You managed to crack open a female Knight as hard as an iron plate. You really are a degenerate."
Kazuma chuckled and rubbed his nose. For once, there was no jealousy in his eyes, only the silent understanding shared between kindred spirits.
The two exchanged knowing smiles, and neither asked for further details.
In this Fantasy World filled with disastrous adventures and shameless daily chaos, perhaps rare moments of warmth like this were the greatest comfort they had to keep them going.
"Come on. Want to have a drink inside? That idiot Aqua still doesn't seem to be back."
"Exactly what I had in mind. Let's enjoy the peace while that troublemaker is gone."
Inside the mansion's living room, the coals in the fireplace crackled softly.
Kōichi and Kazuma reclined on the luxurious leather sofa, each holding a glass of expensive red wine as they casually discussed the extremely rude subject of how to make their ill-tempered teammates behave themselves.
Just as they were settling into the conversation, the mansion's heavy double doors were kicked violently open, accompanied by singing so cheerful that it sounded almost eerie.
"I'm back! Praise Aqua-sama! Praise the beautiful and brilliant Goddess of Water! La la la~"
Aqua swaggered inside with the confident stride of someone who feared neither gods nor men. For once, she was free of mud and wine stains. Instead, she practically sparkled, radiating the wild arrogance of someone who had just won the lottery.
Most conspicuous of all was the egg she clutched tightly against her chest. It was roughly the size of a football, pure white, and covered in mysterious patterns.
Kōichi and Kazuma exchanged a glance, each seeing the same dreadful premonition in the other's eyes.
"Hey, Aqua."
Kazuma set down his glass and stared at the egg, the corner of his eye twitching.
"Don't tell me you spent a fortune on that."
Aqua raised her chin smugly and gave the egg a firm pat, producing a solid thump.
"Hmph! You two mortals do nothing but lose yourselves in petty romance! Listen carefully. This Goddess met a down-on-his-luck traveling merchant at the tavern tonight. He desperately needed money for his journey, so he reluctantly sold me this legendary dragon egg! And as for the price... I only paid thirty million Eris~"
Pfft!
Kōichi nearly sprayed the wine in his mouth all over Aqua's face.
He shot to his feet and rushed over in a few quick strides, staring at what looked suspiciously like an oversized ostrich egg.
"You spent thirty million... on this?"
Kōichi sucked in a breath as though suffering from a terrible toothache.
"Aqua, do you have some fundamental misunderstanding of what a dragon is? Or do you simply not understand the word 'scammer'?"
"Huh?! Are you questioning the judgment of a Goddess?!"
Aqua glared at Kōichi indignantly and hugged the egg even tighter.
"That merchant told me this is a one-of-a-kind egg laid by a Frost Dragon from the Far North! All I have to do is nurture it every day with a Goddess's magic. Once it hatches, it'll become my most loyal mount! Then I'll ride a dragon back to Heaven and see whether those people still dare to laugh at me! Thirty million Eris for the chance to become a dragon Knight! No matter how you look at it, I got an incredible bargain!"