Will I End Up As a Hero or a Demon King (WN)

Chapter 138

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Chapter 138 – Push

I want to run up the stairs, but all I can do is breathe heavily as I make my way to the fourth floor and open the door to my room.

“I’m home! I have a souvenir for you!”

Riste was sitting on the sofa, as usual, looking out the window.

The room was luxurious, and she looked like a noblewoman as she sat there.

As always, it was a picturesque scene.

“Welcome back. Is that… a monster?”

“Yes, yes! It’s the crab that came out the first time Riste and I had dinner! I think it was!”

“That’s the one you were so worried about.”

I feel like Riste is making fun of me, but when I see her smiling, I don’t feel bad.

“I’m serious. I couldn’t really taste it then, but when I had it for lunch today, it was really delicious. It was freshly caught about an hour ago, so let’s have it for dinner after I take a bath.”

“Oh, about that, I’m sorry about today. I just got back and didn’t have time to get the bath ready.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I appreciate you doing it for me.”

Riste seemed to understand my habit of taking a bath before dinner, and for the past few days, she has filled the tub with hot water when she returns from work.

I was truly grateful, but she did it out of kindness, and if she was busy, there was nothing I could do.

“If you’ve brought back a monster, you’ll probably have to prepare it, so why don’t we have dinner first? I’m looking forward to eating that crab, too.”

“Hmm, you’re right. I might be sweating while I’m eating, but please forgive me.”

Having decided that, I thought I’d take off my clothes first, and on the way to the bathroom, I suddenly had an idea.

“Ah, Riste. Is it possible to let the crab cool down a bit? I think it would be sweeter and tastier that way. It won’t fit in the fridge’s magic tool at this size.”

“It’s just to chill it, not to freeze it. I understand. It’s fine.”

Okay, it looks like it will be even tastier now.

I want to be able to do it myself easily in the future, but still, there will probably be monsters that possess Ice Magic somewhere.

If that’s the case, it will be enough to get it from the monster, so I ran into the bathroom while watching Riste turn into mist, and while taking off my equipment, I also cleaned my dismantling knife thoroughly.

When I got out of the bath, still a little sweaty, I saw that Riste was in the middle of cooling down the crab with her hands.

“It should be cold enough that it doesn’t freeze, but what do you think?”

“Let’s see… yeah, it’s hard to tell just by looking at it!”

The shell was cold to the touch, but it was hard to tell if the meat inside was cold as well.

There was no other choice, so I took off one of its legs and peeled off the shell with the dismantling knife.

Then I pulled out the plump flesh.

“Ahh, it’s so delicious… It’s really cold, thank you! Would you like to try some, Riste?”

“Then I’ll have some too…”

Riste bites into the half-eaten crab meat.

At first, I was embarrassed when she did this, but for some reason, Riste wants to eat the half-eaten crab meat, so I’ve gotten used to it.

“It tastes better than the crab I ate at the restaurant.”

“Fufufu, maybe the freshness of the crab and the fact that it’s been refrigerated contributes to the taste.”

From there, I was eager to get started.

I used the large shell with the miso as a plate and piled the peeled meat on top to make it easier to eat.

The crab is about 50 cm long, so there is a lot of meat.

Even though I had eaten some at lunch, I was already drooling.

“What is this brown stuff?”

“That’s the miso. Is it the crab’s intestines or brain? I’m not really sure, but in Japan, where I lived, it was a food that people who liked it really liked to eat as a snack with alcohol. Some people even drink alcohol from the shell.”

“I see… they didn’t serve it in that restaurant, did they?”

“It’s a food that people’s tastes tend to be divided over. Maybe it was thrown away in this world, but… it didn’t seem poisonous, so why not try it?”

“I see. Then, please.”

“Yes. Yes? Please?”

“Yes, please.”

“For what?”

Riste started to say something I didn’t understand.

I knew it was a long shot, but I couldn’t help but ask for confirmation.

“Well…”

When I saw Riste open his little mouth and say “Aaaahh,” my ‘son’ and I were convinced.

This is a bit dangerous, isn’t it?

The crisis management center in my brain sounded the alarm, “It’s dangerous, it’s dangerous.”

“(What should I do… should I avoid it by putting the crab miso on the crab meat? No, no, that’s not manly. More than anything, my true feelings don’t want that…)”

――Gulp.

I could hear myself swallowing.

I put the crab miso on my finger and hesitantly put it in Riste’s mouth.

“Aaff…”

My body tingles with electricity as her tongue moves around, making me wonder if she’s really tasting the crab miso.

“It’s delicious. I like it.”

I can’t help but lean forward when I hear Riste’s words, which she says with a smile.

With the state of emergency in effect, it seems unlikely that I’ll be able to stand upright for a while.

“(Even though I’m an old man inside, for a boy at such a sensitive age, what am I doing…)”

Knock, knock, knock…

“I brought your food.”

“Ri-Riste, please, I’ll peel the shell. I can’t move here.”

“Fufu, I got it. Please take care of it.”

I was definitely being made fun of.

Even as I thought that, my heart was pounding with excitement, and I continued to stare at my finger for a while.

▽ ▼ ▽ ▼ ▽

The meal was already very luxurious, but with two large crabs on the side, it was even more delicious and enjoyable than usual.

I couldn’t help but drink two glasses of wine, even though I knew there would be more hunting tomorrow.

It sounds terrible to put it into words, but I think it was a very satisfying last supper.

On the way out, perhaps inspired by my words, Riste was in a hurry to pour wine into the crab shell, but that would be a fun memory.

“Well, I’m going to take a bath. Please pick up the plates when they come.”

“Okay. Oh, before you go and have a bath, I have a request.”

“Hmm?”

“Since tonight is the last night, could you show me the Earth items again?”

“Is that the bag? Then I’ll go and fill the bath first, so wait a moment.”

As soon as I activate the magic tool in the bathroom, I channel the magic into the storage room.

Then, while rummaging through my bag, I take the opportunity to leave behind a leather pouch full of coins.

When I first arrived in Malta, I was suffering from a serious case of poverty, so I gratefully accepted the cash, but lately, I’ve started to have a little more money, and to be honest, it’s getting a little heavy.

Besides, I’ve already told the old gentleman that starting tomorrow, I’ll be moving into a room with a bath, but of the lowest class, at a cost of 30,000 beeke per night.

This room was a special treat for my stay with Riste, and it’s not a room a beginner like me should stay in.

When that happens, the money starts accumulating even faster, so I can’t help but think about what to do.

“(Whether or not to use Yagov-san’s letter… it all depends on the B-rank hunting grounds now…)”

In a few days, I’ll be able to reach my minimum goal at Lake Voice.

If my tour of Malta’s hunting grounds ends here, there’s no need to use the letter.

From here, I’ll head north to the D-rank hunting grounds.

However, if I manage to get through the B-rank hunting grounds, I might extend my stay in Malta.

If that happens, I will definitely want to use the function to leave rewards with the guild, so I need to try it at least once to see how it works.

While I was handing the bag to Riste, Horio-san’s words went through my mind, and my thoughts began to turn.

“(I don’t want to die… but if I get the chance, I want to make the most of it…)”

Then, I found myself in the bathroom.

The new sword I had just bought was leaning against the wall in front of me.

I looked at the sword, which shone brightly in the light of the bathtub while I was naked.

So far, it’s only been used once to cut through a mud crab.

It’s a pity that this wonderful sword that Paisa-san made with such care has never been used because of my stinginess.

“I want to use it… If it was made with such care, you would want to use it, right?”

I want someone to push me.

I want someone to tell me that I’ll be okay.

But I’m a solo adventurer, so I don’t have anyone like that.

It’s probably weird to talk about this with Riste.

So, sadly, I ask the sword for an answer―even though I know there won’t be one, I can’t help but ask for another reason.

“Next time, Rigar will come down, so why don’t you ask her?”

“Eh?”

I turned around at the sound of a voice and saw Riste staring at me at the entrance to the bathroom.

“Gyaaah!”

I grabbed my sword and instinctively covered my privates.

It’s dangerous, but it’s also very dangerous to show something so crude.

I wish she’d at least called out from behind the door.

“Since you looked worried earlier, I thought that if you’re interested in strength and fighting, she’ll surely be able to help you, don’t you think?”

“I see… she is the goddess of war. Yes, I’ll try. Thank you, Riste.”

“I just want to help you, Loki-kun. Then please take your time.”

“…..”

I cleaned my equipment, washed my head and body, and soaked in the bathtub, but I couldn’t get Riste’s words out of my head.

“Just want to help me, huh…”

She’s always there when I come back to my room, and if she has time, she’ll even prepare the bath for me.

If I’m in trouble, she’ll tell me, and even now, even though I haven’t said anything, she’s come to check on me out of concern.

“Hah… Riste is so nice… Someone like that…”

I desperately try to stop the words that have slipped out.

“(What a fool. How many times do I have to do this before I’m satisfied? I like Felin, I like Riste, I’m attracted to Feeril and Ria. I don’t think I have the right to call myself a good husband with such a lack of self-control.)”

I can’t help but put my head in the bathwater to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling.

“(But there’s no man who wouldn’t be attracted to such beautiful women…even if they were gods.)”

Such thoughts came out of my mouth as bubbles and disappeared into the bathtub.

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