V5.C15 Spoiled Irene, Leo’s fear

Irene stared in surprise at the might of a single spell. "...Was that Miledi's magic Heavensfall?"

Leo gave a nod of agreement. "Yeah, it's pretty easy to use if I ignore the magic usage... I still have more than half mana left."

"...You bastard, just how strong do you want to become? I also want the evil piece you gave to Eri and others."

"Does that mean…"

Irene released a deep sigh that tickled his ears.

"You really thought I would turn back after all this? Sorry to disappoint you but I'm sticking to you everywhere... because I love you. I love you so much. I just can't help myself… even after seeing you with other girls I couldn't come to hate you. Am I really weird?"

Her passionate confession touched his heart but the weird part left him at a loss.

"Then I'm also weird for loving a woman lik— Ouch, stop twisting my ear, it hurts."

Irene let go of the ear in her hand and smiled mischievously. "You need to convince my Uncle. Otherwise, I won't let you touch me."

"It's simple, I just have to say 'I'm taking your daughter away'. I don't think anyone in their right mind would oppose me after we annihilated the monster army."

Irene giggled, amused by his daring answer. She stuck out her tongue and licked his ears.

"How about we do it here? Taking a beautiful young maiden's first time in the middle of a war, doesn't it excite you?"

She said in a sultry tone and tightly pressed her twin peaks against him. Her face adopted a victorious grin when she checked his pink and red aura ready to devour her.

The sweet and tempting offer nearly pulled Leo to the dark side before he slapped his cheeks to stop the lustful desires.

"Damn you! Cease those thoughts until we go out of this Labyrinth."

Irene, finding her best attempt bearing no fruit, clicked her tongue twice.

"..."

"And I have one other condition. I wanna be a stay-at-home wife. I'll become the laziest woman alive."

He was tongue-tied at her demands. He did hear from Eri about Irene's laziness. But wasn't she too much, he thought.

"Fine... But before I give you the evil piece. I'll clarify that the piece will transform your body into something between a monster and a human, are you alright with that?"

"Yes, the others went through it already, I won't back away. Being a monster sounds tempting…"

His lips curled in a wry grin. "And what would you wish for the most to change in your body? Think carefully before you answer."

Irene closed her eyes and began thinking about it.

Meanwhile, Leo swept his gaze over the empty battlefield packed with craters with a look of admiration. This destruction was caused by his own hands.

'Miledi sure was strong. But my spell is way stronger.'

(...That's only because your mana is way higher than her. You really need to refine your control over it, but you just keep getting distracted.)

'What can I do? I'm just a healthy young man looking out for his wives.'

(.....)

Just like usual, he shut Jen up until she couldn't retort back.

"Leo, I decided. I don't want to change anything. Not to brag but I find myself perfect as I'm now... Is this really important?"

Leo nodded and landed on the ground near the magic circle of Ancient Magic.

"It was a pretty hectic ride."

Irene nuzzled her cheeks against his. "Yeah, we did learn a lot about Miledi. I don't think I can hate her anymore, on the contrary, I came to admire her strong character. If it's possible I'll try to befriend her."

He also had the same thought. "Take me when you go to meet her. I also want to learn her magic spells. They are pretty powerful."

"Of course. You want to add her too? I'm not against it, you know. I bet we will be able to do all kinds of miracles after obtaining all Ancient Magics."

He smiled bitterly at her question. Do I really look like a playboy now? Smiling bitterly, he answered, "No..."

"Your choice, I actually prefer to be part of a big family," Irene said and hopped off his back and dragged him to the magic circle. A blinding light enveloped the area and took them away with it.

The couple opened their eyes only to widen them even further. The sight before them was magnificent, to say the least. They stood on a circular platform floating in the air. There were three more circular platforms, each in a different direction. In the center of the room stood a shrine surrounded by seawater, only four pillars supported its wide ceilings. An altar lay in the center of the shrine with a complex magic circle carved on it.

"Did we clear it?" Irene asked, thinking back to Reisen Gorge labyrinth, it was only with someone like Leo she could clear the trap filled Labyrinth and gain the Ancient Magic.

"It was easy for us because we never cared about the Holy Church or its corruption. But imagine the effect it would have on some devout followers, will they be able to react to the attacks of an army? You know how normal people would even reach a hundred kilometers below the ocean then that fucking jelly monster. Normal people would easily get devoured, we only survived because of all the fire magic spells our party can use."

Irene gave a silent nod. The cruelty of the Holy Church would almost break anyone, not her though. She never believed in God or the Devils.

Leo picked her up and jumped down from the platform. He waited for Irene to get down only to receive two arms around his neck.

"Fufu."

Leo sighed, shaking his head. This girl really likes to act spoiled, he thought and carried her to the Altar and stopped in front of the Ancient Magic circle.

Before he could step inside, he sensed two presences behind him. "Hearst and Tio are here."

"Only Tio and Shizuku are left now."

He understood the meaning of her words and showed a bitter smile. At this rate, he might end up with a bigger harem than the Emperor himself. He really needed to reel in his feelings but he always turned soft facing any girl who had pure feelings for him.

"Master!" "Goshujin-sama!"

He turned back around to see Tio, her loose Kimono barely stopping the bouncing mountains from spilling out. He averted his gaze before it sunk deeper and gazed at Hearst smiling sweetly. Her figure reminded him of last night.

"Ouch!"

"Stop lusting for Hearst-chan when you are hugging me so close," Irene whined then looked at Tio with a smug face.

Tio's mouth opened in a round shape when she realized the atmosphere around Leo and Irene. Complex emotions swirled inside her heart. She truly felt happy for her fellow comrade. On the other hand, her mood took a dive for being the only one to be left out. she shook her head and showed a determined expression.

With a knowing look on her face, she said, "Goshujin-sama, I can't believe you are really neglecting this one. Now this one is the only single woman left in the party… Hah, but this neglecting play strangely turns this one on."

Leo had his senses focused on Tio. Though she tried to do her usual perverted act, the sadness in her eyes couldn't slip past his sharp senses.

He once again rebutted himself for being so soft. Staring into her golden eyes, his lips parted with a sigh.