Several days after the Lila Village incident.
I had finished my report to the Adventurers Guild and was looking for the next request when Lily caught me and dragged me into a room at an inn.
It seemed to be the inn she was using. The room was tidy.
I told her the Great Goddess Church had a branch in this town too, so she should just stay there, but she said she didn't want to trouble them. Come to think of it, Lily held a fairly important post.
Sitting across from her at the table, I listened to her various reports.
"-That is the situation, Lord Haruya."
"Well, good that all the villagers are safe."
The villagers freed from the parasite called Ragion remembered almost nothing of being controlled. Thanks to that, explaining things was difficult, and checking for any other parasites was a great deal of trouble.
So for the aftermath, we used Lily's position to have the knight order handle it.
It seemed priests had also been sent from the Church, and proper treatment had been carried out.
I got my reward, but this didn't feel... like the end.
"...So, why report to me specially?"
"I believe you have noticed."
"No, no idea at all."
"Then allow me to explain."
Maybe I should have said clearly that I didn't want to understand...
Lily straightened and spoke.
"About the shift in monster ecology - it is actually being discussed even among the Church's upper ranks. A high-tier parasite calling itself Ragion... should never have appeared in such a peaceful land."
Parasites were rare to begin with. And at that scale, no less.
A final-dungeon-class monster showing up in a starter village was bewildering. But the fact that there wasn't more panic meant...
"The big shots know too?"
"Yes. The royal family and the Guild's upper ranks are aware. ...It has only been half a year since the Demon King fell. Information on monster threats is being shared. To avoid needless panic, it has not been officially announced yet."
"Peace just started, after all."
"A gag order shall be placed on Lila Village. But you cannot lock people's mouths shut. Word shall spread in time."
The investigation request for Lila Village.
It should have been simple, yet it needed a Silver-Iron rank escort, now that I thought about it. Was that why Lily was working as an adventurer?
As if sensing my question, Lily answered at once.
"The Church believes the current situation may be due to the absence of the Hero of Light. With the Demon King as a shackle gone, monsters may be fighting for supremacy."
I couldn't help looking away.
It was coming together. Lily working solo as an adventurer was to independently investigate monster ecology and to search for the Hero. Or Hero candidates.
Then Lily wore a frighteningly lovely smile.
"I have a consultation."
"No."
"My, my. I have not said anything yet?"
"No."
"Lord Haruya, let us form an adventuring party. I would greatly appreciate it if you searched for the Hero together with me."
"I said no!?"
This is bad, bad, bad!
She's got her eye on me because of Lila Village!
Maybe because she understood my wish was real, the pressure to make me be the Hero had eased, but she had definitely decided I was someone she had to secure!
Peace being threatened is bad, but whether I want to run around with Lily all the time is another matter!
Lily kept her lovely smile as she spoke.
"As an adventurer I am still unskilled. Having a capable adventurer beside me would reassure me."
"I'm sure there are other capable adventurers..."
"Capable adventurers who know about this matter. ...You would receive Church support?"
"I said no!"
In my past life I got dragged in by Church support and went through hell!
Back then I was thrilled about the beautiful girl Lily assigned to me. Within three days I regretted it. I have no intention of repeating history!
Hmph, I'll show her the me who came back from death isn't the same as before!
"But, you know, I want to fool around every day."
Lily's face went blank.
"See, I get worked up way easier than other people. I have to take care of it every day. But I couldn't do that with a strait-laced priestess3 hanging around, right?"
"..."
"Doesn't your art make you get worked up too, Lily? I might peek to use you as material, you know?"
I grinned vulgarly and made a stroking gesture1 with my hand.
Fuhahaha! How's that, I'm different from before!
Gross, right? Disgusting, right? Then just leave already!
Lily rose smoothly from her seat.
"Indeed..."
Yes, go, go! Please just go...
But against my expectation, Lily smiled seductively.
"Shall we show each other?"
Did I mishear that...?
"Show each other...?"
"A lewd show-and-tell, Lord Haruya."
"Huh? Huh? Hu...?"
"If pressure builds, we show each other and take care of it2. More efficient than doing it alone, do you not think?"
With a teasing face, Lily traced her slender fingers along her lower belly.
At that far too lewd proposal and face, I slid off my chair.
"Wh-wh-wh-what..."
"A lewd show-and-tell... Do you not think it would feel wonderful...?"
Lily sent a heated look toward me where my legs had given out.
Doing that kind of show-and-tell with Lily... th-th-that kind of... that kind of...
I want to, want to, want to, want to, want to, want to, want to!
"Lord Haruya. Do you want to, or do you not want to? Which is it?"
Of course I want to do lewd show-and-tell with Lily!
In my past life as the Hero, Lily had by far the highest usage rate as fantasy material!?
A strict priestess and my instructor, and she was with me almost all the time, so of course she was perfect!
With that Lily! Beyond fantasy, show-and-tell!
That kind of thing!
"This is the era! It's the era of show-and-tell!"
I writhed on the floor, clawing at it.
A scream that seemed to wring out my soul leaked from my mouth. Honestly I wanted to do it right now, definitely wanted to do it together right now.
But, but, I can't say yes!!!!
"If so-"
"Th-there's no way it ends with show-and-tell!"
"Is that so."
"If I lay a hand on you, you'll make me take responsibility, won't you!?"
"If you run, I shall chase you to the ends of the earth."
At that reply I rolled on the floor groaning.
I want to, I want to do it, I want to mess around with Lily!
But what waits after that is responsibility, and the road to becoming the Hero!
"What utter scum you are."
At my pathetic display, Lily's face turned cold.
She gave up, huh. Th-thank goodness... I'll regret this like crazy later, but... this is for the best...
As I felt relieved, Lily told me in a sweet voice.
"Once we deepen our bond at the end of adventure... I might allow it."
"Huh, wh-what?"
"No-responsibility fun4."
Lily brushed up her side hair, blushing.
With that Lily, no-responsibility fun.
Just those words made heat rush up so fast I couldn't stand right away, and just imagining it nearly finished me.
N-no... hold on, hold on, hold ooon!
Don't throw your life away for a moment of pleasure!
As I bit my lip hard enough to bleed, Lily leaned forward over the table.
Skin flashing here and there from her robes, she said as if seeing through me.
"Many times, you know?"
"Ma-many... many? Many times!?"
"Until you are satisfied... fun where you bear no responsibility at all, where only you feel good... many times."
With a face that seemed to invite me to hurry and claim her, Lily rubbed her lower belly with her fingertips.
I nodded up and down like a parrot.
Th-th-thaaat's... with Lily, with Lily...
Over and over and over... If I do it with Lily...
'-Lord Haruya... feel wonderful as much as you like... And become the light that guides the world. You will become it. You absolutely will.'
!? A vision of the future at the end!? N-no no no!
Don't fall for that giant honey trap! It's a treasure chest with limbs and fangs and wings growing out of it! It's way too obvious!
Gather all your reason!!!!
That's right, I'll coolly scold her that always sacrificing herself like that isn't good!!!!
Now, say it! My rational self!
"I'll form an adventuring party with Lily!"
My instincts, you idioooot!
Trivia:
1. Haruya's vision of Lily's voice cooing "become the light that guides the world" reveals that her seduction is a calculated honey trap aimed at steering him back into the Hero role, meaning she may already suspect or know his identity.
2. Lily's offer of "irresponsible creampie sex" is a precise psychological weapon: she weaponizes the one thing Haruya desires while stripping away the responsibility he fears, showing she understands his trauma from his past life better than he admits.
3. Haruya's final surrender to instinct despite full awareness of the trap proves his stated goal of a carefree life is a rationalization; his will collapses the instant pleasure is dangled, foreshadowing that his resolve is the real obstacle to his freedom.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ Japanese onomatopoeia for the rhythmic stroking motion of masturbation. Used here in casual, crude speech, it has a childish-yet-vulgar tone that is difficult to render directly in English.
2 ↩ A slang contraction blending オナニー (onanism/masturbation) and シコシコ. The playful wordplay makes the crude subject feel flippant rather than clinical.
3 ↩ Literally "the stiff/rigid priestess." The phrase plays on the double meaning of 固い (firm, upright, principled) and physical stiffness, layered with the respectful -さま suffix for ironic effect.
4 ↩ A censored form of 中出し (creampie/ejaculation inside). The circle censorship is a common convention in Japanese adult media, and the gapped word retains its explicit meaning while technically avoiding the full spelling.
Notes:
• Haruya - Solo adventurer in the trading city of Gran Neal, formerly the Holy Hero who defeated the Demon King Chronova. Maintains a bronze-rank adventurer status deliberately to avoid responsibility and attention. Slim-built young man in plain breast armor with a longsword and a large hip pouch of adventuring tools. Harbors a singular life goal of losing his virginity at a high-class brothel and building a harem, a dream he loudly declared at guild registration, earning him infamy among female adventurers while being well-liked by male adventurers for his candid lewd talk. Secretly a returnee from death who deliberately destroyed his hero-route reputation.