Chapter 36: Way back home

At my provocation, they each drew weapons hidden on their persons.
Few people would bring weapons to a festival like this, so these guys were probably troublemakers by nature.
That meant I didn’t need to hold back against them.
Of course, I wouldn’t kill them, but I intended to leave them in a comparable state.

Insulting me, I can just dismiss it as a reflection of the other person’s character.
Even if Ahri is insulted, if she herself doesn’t say anything, there’s no reason for me to interfere.
But they messed with Set.
From that moment on, the option for me to show them mercy vanished.

“Now, won’t you show me the color of your blood?”

“Uh… still, don’t be too harsh—”
“If you’re the victim, shut up.”

“Sulking.”

Ahri, crumpled in the corner, seemed to say something, but it wasn’t particularly important.
Right now, I was contemplating how to deal with the men before me.
There was the option of cutting out their tongues so they could never spout nonsense again, or removing their testicles so they couldn’t father children.
Of course, doing both was also an option, but if they died, it would be meaningless.

True punishment is making them suffer for a long time, constantly reminding them of what they did wrong.
In that sense, I want to lean more towards emasculation.
It’s a means to instantly erase their value as men.
Even now, seeing how that part bulges out from their pants, there seems no need for restraint.

As the one rushing with a dagger swings his arm, I duck into his space and lightly strike his wrist.
I snatch the dagger dropped from his hand and trip him, making him fall to the floor.
And then, I plunge the dagger into that place on the idiot who doesn’t understand what just happened.

Only groans and silence filled the tavern.
If I had used my claws, I wouldn’t have even had to touch that guy’s arm, but I didn’t want to get blood on myself, so I took his dagger.
Seeing one of their comrades suffer something horrific, the ones who had been ready to jump me froze instantly.
One guy suddenly started drawing a map on his pants.

It was too vulgar to watch, so I kicked the castrated wreck whimpering at my feet towards his frozen companions.
Thrown into confusion, they all threw down their weapons and tried to flee, but I hadn’t given them permission to leave this place.

Were they stupid enough to forget I’d locked the door? I approached the ones desperately turning the handle.
The same guy who had insulted Set just moments ago was now clinging to the door, tears and snot streaming down his face.
He was filthy and repulsive, disgusting to look at, but finishing the task at hand was more important than my personal feelings right now.

“Where do you think you’re going? Surely you weren’t planning on just leaving after enjoying yourselves so thoroughly?”

“Eeek! Pl-pl-please, just spare my life!”

“Of course. I never wanted your smelly lives in the first place. The price I seek is…”

Stab.
With a fork and knife from the tabletop, I stabbed between the legs of the man begging for his life.
The man foamed at the mouth from the sudden pain and collapsed with a thud.
It’s a shame he fainted; otherwise, I could have made him take a little more responsibility for his words.

“…simply the only pride you people can muster. Unlike certain others out there.”

For example, like the one who erased half the universe to save the other half.
What I’ve done is extremely insignificant compared to them.
Well then, I should finish purging the rest.
I need to quickly dispose of this useless, combustible trash and eat with Set before the food gets cold.

To get straight to the point, we managed to eat our meal before it got cold.
However, the tavern owner gave me a silent, piercing look, questioning what I was going to do about the messy interior, so I had no choice but to agree to clean it up.
‘Ahri’, that is.

“Huh? Why do I have to clean this up when I didn’t do anything?”

“Shut your mouth, Malfoy. You’re doing this because you didn’t do anything. Or should I do it while I’m looking after Set?”

“No, that’s naturall—”
Glare.
“Naturally not! I’ll clean it all up!”

Seeing Ahri volunteer herself to clean, though she wasn’t my child, I felt like she’d grown up.
I briefly imagined what it would be like if Set had an older sister like her.
But right now, I wanted to focus on raising Set rather than marrying someone else, so that probably wouldn’t happen.

“By the way, who was that kid who took those… emasculated… no, those men away? She suddenly popped out of thin air, shoved the men into a hole, and disappeared in an instant.”

“There are times in this world when ignorance is far more helpful than knowing the truth. Even so, do you really want to know the truth?”

“I’ll just stay quietly crumpled up…”

No matter what I might ask Ahri to do, I would never introduce her to Zoe.
Ahri’s mind was still too fragile to handle Zoe’s self-paced nature.
It would be fortunate if her head didn’t suddenly explode.

You might wonder how I summoned Zoe. The answer is simple.
I simply used the immutable principle of equivalent exchange.
Thanks to that, I’ll have to make a cake about 1.414 times the usual size next time, but if it gave those men(?) a horrific time, it’s worth it.

Lost in thought, I realized Ahri had finished cleaning.
Come to think of it, tomorrow Ahri and I would part ways.
I would return to my home, and Ahri would embark on a journey to find her origins.
We would set off on our own paths with different goals.

Still, having spent the last month together doing various things before coming here, building both fond and frustrating attachments, the thought of parting felt a bit sad.
Ahri’s absence would likely feel quite significant for a while.

The next day, as Ahri packed her things to leave, I told her she could visit my home anytime she wanted.
Whether she happened to be passing near my house or needed a favor, she shouldn’t hesitate to rely on me.
Ahri nodded at my words.

“Thank… overwhelming thanks…!”

“This is a bit, embarrassing.”

Feeling burdened by Ahri’s excessive gratitude, I nudged her to hurry up and leave.
Ahri thanked me once more, then covered her face and tails with her cloak and set off down the road.
I simply wished her well in my heart, hoping she could achieve what she desired.

Best wishes. Have a wonderful journey.