[Physis' POV]
Once the direction was determined, things progressed rapidly. A swift and efficient assassination team was formed, consisting of ten members, including myself, Adilun, and Lucas. This team was meant to penetrate among the monsters and intercept the monsters of higher rank or higher.
The execution was scheduled for tomorrow. Although it seemed nearly impossible to sneak among countless monsters and cut the head of a higher-level monster, we had a powerful magician who could turn unreal into reality.
Thus, we were confident that we could handle the threatening monsters successfully.
If monsters suddenly died in a place where there were no enemies, it was obvious that chaos would arise. Confused, the monsters would retaliate against the ones attacking them.
Although the monsters were not highly intelligent, they possessed an innate characteristic of absolute obedience to their leader who leads them.
The Demon King must have realized this and established a command structure for the monsters. Only those who followed him would be spared, and he would consolidate the monster's forces.
Therefore, if the King's designated command system were to falter... the monsters would likely fall into disarray.
Since their leader had been killed, their aggression might turn towards the surrounding monsters.
As monsters inherently lacked a sense of collective consciousness...
The Demon King would probably need to reassert his dominance or issue new orders to regain control over them.
Though it might be considered an inefficient army, except for the King, most monsters had considerably lower intelligence. It was only natural for them.
In a way, we could be grateful for such traits in them. If monsters, excluding the King, possessed high intelligence... Well, the threat they posed would likely exceed what we were facing now.
Monsters were not born through natural means, except for extremely rare cases, which were excluded from this discussion.
They were born from the accumulation of negative emotions from humans. When the negative emotions in the world gathered at a particular point, monsters would be born. And an example of an extremely rare case was the monster I found during hunting competitions.
At that time, the mother monster, who absorbed the negative emotions from the surrounding humans, merely acted as a vessel to give birth to the monsters. It was not a normal process of animals mating and giving birth. So, such cases could be considered extremely rare.
Anyway, in the end, monsters possessed traits derived from human emotions. Therefore, their actions were largely instinctive, and they showed movements devoid of any sign of intelligence. Of course, this could make them even more threatening.
As they acted purely on instinct, the moment they sensed prey, they would rush forward without any hesitation, even if it meant risking their lives.
But thanks to Adilun, the situation was quite positive. We could aim for high-level and top-tier monsters while witnessing the monsters tearing each other apart.
That was why Adilun's expression in front of me was quite rather bright. She believed that her presence could be a significant help in this crisis.
Come to think of it, lately, I had been resolving most of the matters myself. Perhaps she felt the need to do something herself.
"I'm so glad. I think things have become a lot easier thanks to you."
"I'm happy that I could be of help."
Adilun said, putting a rather extravagant dessert into her mouth. Here, the Ice Wall was usually quite overflowing with extravagant food. It must have been because a lot of materials from Rodenov were poured here.
I couldn't tell if the dessert was sweet, or if it was the situation itself—her being pleased by the fact that she could be of help.
Although I wasn't entirely sure, seeing her happy made me feel good too. It was much better to see her smiling rather than feeling sad or anxious.
"The dessert here is really delicious. It feels worth the money spent."
"It's quite surprising for me too. I knew there were all kinds of entertainment here, but I never expected there to be master dessert makers as well."
"That… … Because there is a brothel."
Adilun began to speak somewhat embarrassedly.
"Most of the people living in brothels are women… … so they also need their own forms of enjoyment, right?"
"Well, enjoying something as much as eating is quite rare, after all..."
"Yes. Anyway, that's why we opened a dessert shop... well, it brings in quite a significant income."
"Uh, um..."
Honestly, the conversation topic suddenly shifted to the brothel, and both Adilun and I couldn't help but blush. Although I had been able to get rid of a strong desire the other day… … Since then, I have had a constant longing.
The longing to cross the line with her...
Perhaps it was the same with Adilun because I couldn't help but notice her eyes as she looked at me from time to time.
"Um, anyway, let's change the subject... So, we'll move as soon as the morning comes, right?"
"That's right. Although it might not seem like a significant blow due to the monsters' size, as the number of high-level and top-tier individuals decreases, various internal issues will likely arise between them."
"I'm feeling a bit nervous..."
"It'll be alright. Sir Lucas is with us, and I'm here too. Unless our presence is completely detected, we should be fine."
"I'll do my best."
"...Yes. Don't worry too much."
"Okay."
"Shall we start heading back? To our room. Since we've finished eating."
"Yes."
The reason I referred to it as "our room"… …It was because the knights around me, who clearly knew that the relationship between me and Adilun had improved, urged me and Adilun to share a room.
Of course, I didn't refuse, and neither did Adilun.
Not because we had any sinister intentions, but because I was concerned that she might spend the night worrying about unnecessary things.
...Truly.
* * *
"Um... Can I go wash up first?"
"Sure. Just don't make the same mistake as last time."
"Last time... Ah."
At that moment, a mischievous smile appeared on Adilun's face.
The attempt to seduce me seemed to have no intention of stopping even after coming this far, and the charm that was revealed quietly in a mischievous smile was a little dizzy.
"Should I not wrap myself in a towel this time?"
"...There's a limit to how much I can handle."
When I spoke a little firmly, Adilun pouted.
"You're telling me to do that?"
"Crossing the line would be six months, no, five months from now."
"When I think about it... it was ultimately a matter of trust between you and me, right? I trust you completely now. To the point where I won't be shaken by baseless rumors. Aren't you the same?"
I shook my head at Adilun. I could now trust her wholeheartedly. But this was not about trust between Adilun and me; it was about the mess within myself that I hadn't fully sorted out yet.
I still hadn't completely organized my inner self. The remnants of my flawed thinking before I became aware of my past life still lingered.
"I've trusted you since before. The issue now is whether I can trust myself completely."
"Hmm."
"I've been saying it for a while. I was afraid I might hurt you again..."
"I know."
Adilun interrupted my words. Her affectionate gaze was fixed on me.
"So I am waiting. but… … I didn't have as much patience as I thought. So, I want you to come to a conclusion quickly."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"And one more thing."
"...?"
"Starting a marriage based on trust is undoubtedly great, but it's also good to work towards a proper marriage while adapting to each other. Honestly, now I can accept even the violent side of you if you ever display it."
"… … You shouldn't say things like that carelessly. I definitely try to be rational in any situation, but there are times when things don't go my way, and I'm sure it will hurt you."
"I decide whether it hurts me or not. Is this what I'm going through?"
"What if the level of the wound is too much for you to accept?"
"When I said I trust you... it means I believe that you won't go that far, even in situations you can't control. Sometimes, I wonder if you underestimate yourself too much."
"I can't say for sure that I don't have that tendency."
"So don't worry too much. I… … Because I like the violent side of you that I sometimes see."
"Isn't that too far-fetched?"
"I said I trust you... and that includes believing that you won't harm me as much as you think. Even before you changed, Honestly, judging from the way you treated me before you changed, I don't think it would be strange if you would have beat me right away."
"Of course, I've done a lot of wrong to you..."
"Even so. People tend to easily forget their own mistakes, right? But you... you weren't like that. That's why I trust you. I trusted myself when I transformed and fully believed in myself, and I can trust you while being with you. Especially after last time... when we had that intimate encounter. Watching you maintain control until the end during that time made me trust you even more."
"That..."
"So, once this situation is over..."
As Adilun hinted at something, I could feel my heart beating faster and my breath becoming rough.
"Eat me."
"...Alright."
Seeing her smile brightly, I eventually surrendered to her.