Her silver hair fell to her waist - translucent, bright as spun silk. At first glance she looked fleeting, delicate, like she might vanish if you breathed too hard. Then you saw the eyes. Hard will, pure and unblinking. One look at that face and you knew: this girl was not going to be easy to handle. Trust me, I knew.
Small and slender, she still had that girlish cast, like she'd simply refused to grow up. Holy staff in hand, the priestess Lily Arsiana tilted her head at me. Curiosity flickered across her face. "Might we have met somewhere before, I wonder?"
"W-well, that is-" I stammered. And then my brain checked out. Words just abandoned me.
What was she doing in Gran Neal? Of all places, the Adventurers Guild? My throat constricted. I couldn't get air.
Lily just waited, eyes pinning me, expecting an answer right now. I had nothing. I never had anything with her. However meek and fragile she appeared, I'd never once managed to hold my head up in front of this girl.
I could hear her again, cool and instructive. 'Lord Haruya, you are not conducting yourself as a Hero should.'
Another memory, unwavering. 'Lord Haruya, you must always be a Hero.'
Then, relentless. 'Lord Haruya, has your training finished? Then it is time to train again. Should your strength fail, I shall restore you with my arts.'
And gentle. Absolute. 'Lord Haruya? What is it? You feel as though you might break? Do not worry. A Hero never breaks.'
The Great Goddess Church had dispatched Lily to bring a Hero back into the world. She spotted my potential and drilled me hard in everything a Hero ought to be. And that training went way beyond sword and sorcery. She corrected my manners, my speech, my daily habits - down to the smallest detail.
"You shall drill knife and fork until you handle them without fault. For a full day, Lord Haruya," she had instructed me.
"Your shoes show scuffs. Your hair lies in disarray. We shall start again from waking, Lord Haruya," she had corrected me.
"Please smile, Lord Haruya. Smile," she had reminded me.
"Lord Haruya, you must be a Hero," She impressed that upon me again and again until the words echoed on their own.
Be a Hero. Be a Hero. Be a Hero. The refrain hammered inside my skull. Then Lily stared straight at me.
"Hah?" My breath caught. Why was she eyeing me with such suspicion?
No time to dredge up old trauma. Lily herself taught me to remain calm and unruffled even when cornered. Maybe this was my chance to finally repay that lesson - by using it to survive her.
"It's just that priests are rare around here," I said. I forced a casual tone. Tried to, anyway.
"Is it truly that rare?" Lily asked. Her gaze sharpened, that quiet, elegant doubt threading through her voice.
"This town's morals leave something to be desired," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. Classic deflection. "Besides, a priestess of the Great Goddess Church? That caught my attention, so I remembered your name."
"I have not disclosed that I am a priestess of the Great Goddess Church, though," Lily let her eyes narrow a fraction. Her voice stayed perfectly even, restrained, with that moderate, elegant reserve. "How did you know?"
"I, I saw your pendant, so..," I scrambled.
"I am not wearing a Great Goddess Church pendant," Lily said plainly. Flat. Checkmate.
I fell silent. When I tried to slip away, Lily stepped forward and blocked my path. "May I ask your name, please?"
"A name? It's just an ordinary name you'd find anywhere," I said, evasive. Smooth, Haruya. Real smooth.
"Would you please tell me your name?" Lily pressed. No room for argument left in that tone. My stomach knotted itself into a pretzel.
Only I retained memories from before I became a Returnee from death1. Acquaintances from my hometown remembered nothing about my time as a Hero. That held true even after I arrived in this town.
Even so, what if she remembered, however faintly? The thought pricked at me. And curiosity gnawed at me too - why was Lily working as an adventurer in Gran Neal, of all places, home to the Brothel district?
"I'll take some of your time. Shall we talk at that table over there?" Lily said. Her tone made the matter settled, whether I wanted it or not.
Yep. Lily was still Lily. That much had not changed one bit.
"Yaay! An invitation from a girl makes me so happy!" I tossed out the line, light and joking. Cold sweat poured down my back and refused to stop.
Help me, Goddess Flora, I prayed inwardly. Pray to her and she might well descend right here. And save me, Demon King Chronova. Chronova and I had killed each other, hadn't we? That made us strong foes and friends all at once.
While I clung to that dark power inside, a nearby female adventurer called to Lily. "You there, you'd best stay away from that guy."
"Do you know him?" Lily asked, turning with polite attention.
"Know him? He's famous around here, and, mumble mumble," the female adventurer whispered, leaning to Lily's ear.
Lily gave a quiet nod. Her expression smoothed into a blank mask. "So he was scum, then."
What a fresh reaction, I thought, wincing. Straight to the point. Classic Lily.
Disgust from a former comrade stung - a little. Yet I spotted my opening. Thank you, random lady. I owe you one.
"Wheee! It's the scum, Haruya Arden! I keep a sharp eye out for beautiful harem candidates!" I declared. I bent my hips back and forth and snapped one eye shut in a wink. Full sleazeball. Commit to the bit.
"Me? A harem candidate?" Lily lifted a brow, politely surprised.
"Yeah, yeah! I've had my eye on you since you came to town! I investigated everything!" I leaned in, laying on the swagger like my life depended on it - because it kind of did.
Jeers erupted across the guild. Female adventurers shouted, "Scum," "Trash," "Cut it off."
I told myself, men and women never connect without an encounter. This counts as an encounter, right? Right?
Besides, desperation drove me. I had to smash any Hero flag to pieces. I threw away shame and reputation the moment I resolved to build a harem. No take-backs now.
"So there are people like this as well," Lily said. Contempt edged her look.
Good. Good. I latched onto it. One more push and she'd see exactly how scummy I could be. Keep going, Haruya. You're nailing the worst impression ever.
"Besides, you cannot blame me for finding you too cute, you know?" I said with a grin. Greasy. Perfect.
"Are you trying to stir a protective instinct? Female priestesses do seem to draw attention from men," Lily said, voice even and cool.
"Hm? What's up all of a sudden?" I asked, playing dumb.
"It is true that priestesses excel in support magic and do not surpass others in pure combat," Lily said, calm, instructive. "Even so, do you understand why men rarely address us with rude remarks?"
"I, I dunno. Because everyone respects you, one way or another?" I said.
"Because I can use a spell that kills your seed2," Lily said. Her face stayed innocent as she announced she would end my entire bloodline.
Act or not, my mood hit rock bottom for real. "Ah, yes, I'm sorry..," I muttered. Instant apology.
The threat terrified me. Push any further and Lily would actually cast it. She looked fragile, a girl lacking assertiveness. Inside, she was iron. Once she said she would do something, she followed through without fail. No bluff. Ever.
Male adventurers nearby had already started backing away, cowed by that pressure too. You lot feel it now? I thought. I lived under this pressure constantly. Day in, day out. Just remembering it turns my stomach.
Well, she's lost interest in me completely now, I figured. After one last glance my way, Lily turned toward the Guidance board and reached for the request form she had eyed earlier.
The Beautiful Guild Receptionist drew near and stopped her. "Lady Lily, you cannot take that quest."
"And why is that?" Lily asked. She tilted her head, cute puzzlement showing.
"Because Lady Lily holds Ash-rank3," the Beautiful Guild Receptionist said, professional in tone. "We ask those without achievements or trust to refrain. Do you belong to an adventuring party?"
"No, I am solo," Lily said, quiet.
So Lily was travelling alone too. I wondered - was there some reason she couldn't work solo? Could she be searching for the absent Hero?
While I fretted in secret, the Beautiful Guild Receptionist addressed Lily, trouble flickering across her face. "If an adventurer of Silver-Iron rank accompanies you, you can take it, though."
"So if someone strong goes with me, I can accept the quest?" Lily asked. Her eyes brightened a touch.
"Yes. If their skill matches Silver-Iron rank, no problem arises," the Beautiful Guild Receptionist said. "However, with the division of rewards, I doubt many would pair with an Ash-rank."
This flow looked bad, I thought. Very bad. Like, oh-no-she's-going-to-pick-me bad.
The Beautiful Guild Receptionist cast a slight glance my way, as though the words caught in her throat. "For example, Lord Haruya stands around Bronze rank, but his skill and achievements match Silver-Iron rank. He seemed about to take the same quest as Lady Lily."
Lily fixed her gaze on me at once, as if she could not believe this scumbag matched Silver-Iron level. She'd only heard I was scum. I could see the math failing to math in her head. This was going to end badly - I just knew it.
"Yaaay! I'm working hard to build my harem!" I cried. I bent my hips back and forth at high speed. Maximum scum. Turbo sleaze.
Viewed plainly, I looked nothing like a skilled adventurer. More like a small fry who'd get cocky and die in no time. The Beautiful Guild Receptionist pressed a temple. "He behaves like that, but his work and skill prove genuine. In just half a year he rose to a level on par with Silver-Iron rank. No one has achieved this since the guild's founding."
Stop. Don't praise me. Don't laud me. Just call me scum, I thought, begging internally. You're ruining my perfect scumbag camouflage!
Ugh, had I pushed too hard because I wanted to live it up at a high-class brothel? I just wanted to lose my virginity quickly and pleasantly, that's all. Was that so wrong?
Lily showed interest. "A remarkable feat, you say?" she asked the Beautiful Guild Receptionist.
"Yes, the first such feat since the guild's founding," the Beautiful Guild Receptionist said. "If the Demon King still lived, well, this man would not look out of place as a Hero candidate. Even if he behaves like that..."
I stretched the skin under my nose and thrust my hips back and forth, back and forth. Little lady, get close to me and you'll get bent over too, I was thinking. Yeah. Peak performance. Someone please kill me.
Lily never moved a single eyebrow, even after that lecherous display. With the same strict bearing she showed before I became a Returnee from death, she declared, "Please accompany me, Lord Haruya."
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ Returnee from death: the protagonist died and returned to the world, a literal resurrection/time-loop return rather than simple survival.
2 ↩ Literally a spell to kill one's seed, meaning a contraceptive or sterilizing curse. The deadpan delivery contrasts with Lily's innocent appearance.
3 ↩ Ash-rank, the lowest tier in the guild's adventurer ranking system, indicating a beginner with no established record.
Notes:
• Lily Arsiana - Priestess of the Great Goddess Church with waist-length translucent silver hair and a slender, small frame. A devout, strong-willed follower whose loyalty to the Hero borders on fanaticism, she possesses strength exceeding Silver-Iron rank and wields a holy staff with healing magic. Orphaned by an evil dragon, she formerly educated Haruya.
• 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.
• Demon King Chronova - A powerful demon lord who fell from grace while serving Goddess Flora. Attempted to plunge the world into darkness. Bound his soul to the Dark Temple to drag the hero down with him in death. Speaks with archaic, grandiose diction. Ruler of the Dark Temple who wears high priest-like garments. Possesses defensive and offensive magic including Chronowall and Chronosfang. Dignified yet easily flustered, particularly by the intruder's nudity. Values formality and tradition.
• Haruya Arden - Former Holy Hero who defeated the Demon King and was resurrected after dying in a mutual kill, he now abandons the role for a modest life and a harem. Blunt, pragmatic, and self-deprecating, he hides his Silver-Iron rank combat skills while acting incompetent to avoid attention. Mentally scarred by Lily Arsiana's strict childhood training.