After Alex teleported Hestia home, the goddess, experiencing teleportation for the first time, found herself in the main hall of her new home. Feeling dizzy and nauseous, Hestia tried not to fall, grabbing onto the first object she could find to steady herself. Looking around, Hestia realized she was home and that a group of girls was staring at her with open mouths. Hestia paid no attention to them—her thoughts were entirely occupied with Alex, who was being chased by the goddesses. Hephaestus, watching Hestia who had just appeared in the middle of the hall, noticed that something was wrong with her. Hephaestus began to think that the date had gone badly and that Hestia was now upset. Deciding to comfort her friend, Hephaestus approached Hestia.
"Hestia, there's no need to worry if the date didn't go well. You'll have another chance in the future," Hephaestus said, placing a hand on Hestia's shoulder.
"Huh? What are you talking about? Why do you think the date didn't go well? Everything was great!" Hestia asked, not understanding why Hephaestus said that.
"If the date went well, then why are you in such a state?" Hephaestus asked, looking at Hestia, who was beginning to recover.
"It's just that when I was in the gods' bath, I ran into Demeter, who let slip that I had a date," Hestia said, starting to grind her teeth.
"And that's all?" Hephaestus asked, clearly sensing there was more to the story.
"When I met Alex at the appointed place, we were ready to go on our romantic adventure," Hestia said, holding her blushing cheeks and twirling around. "But Demeter interfered, bringing along other goddesses and disrupting us," Hestia continued, stopping and grinding her teeth again.
"Well, as Alex said, gods have absolutely no tact and no sense of not meddling in others' lives," said Lili, who was listening to Hestia's story. Everyone familiar with such gods nodded in agreement.
"And what happened next?" Lili asked, also interested in the date, since she wanted to invite Alex out in the future but feared she would face the same interruptions as Hestia.
"After they surrounded Alex and started asking him questions, I was at a loss and didn't know what to do," Hestia said in a sad tone.
"Alex managed to break free from their grasp and escaped with me, and then...," Hestia continued, trailing off and mumbling with a red face.
"What happened then, Hestia?" Hephaestus asked, looking at Hestia, who was mumbling with a red face.
"Then... then we...," Hestia tried to say but still couldn't bring herself to mention something so embarrassing.
"Hestia-sama, you're a grown woman! Stop mumbling and tell us what happened next with Alex," Lili intervened, unable to contain her curiosity any longer.
Everyone nodded in agreement with Lili's words, as they were also very curious. Hestia, still mumbling and recalling that kiss on the tower, heard Lili's words, looked up, and saw everyone waiting for her to tell them what happened. A vein on Hestia's forehead bulged at these girls who wanted to know everything.
"Do you want to hear what we did? Fine, I'll tell you," Hestia began in an irritated tone, causing everyone to blush. "Alex and I kissed!" Hestia said loudly for everyone to hear.
"WHAT??" everyone in the room shouted in unison.
Seeing their surprised faces, Hestia smiled proudly, showing her victory. Hephaestus felt a bit disappointed but shook her head, understanding that she still had a chance. After all, strong men often had many wives. But for now, Hephaestus decided to be happy for her friend who had found love. Hestia noticed Hephaestus's initially gloomy expression that turned back to normal and decided to talk to her later when they were alone.
Back to Alex, who at that moment was looking at the fox girl and trying to remember who she was. In front of him stood a beautiful, slender girl with a shapely figure. She had long golden hair, a pair of fox ears on her head, and a tail that gently swayed behind her. A pair of sparkling green eyes, shining like emeralds, looked at Alex. She was dressed in a beautiful red kimono.
"Have you come here for services?" a melodious voice asked, addressing Alex.
"What services? Who are you? And where exactly am I?" Alex asked, still looking at the fox girl.
"This is a brothel, and I am a courtesan working here," the girl replied, continuing to look at Alex. She was fascinated by Alex's eyes, which she had never seen before—they were rainbow-colored.
"Well, this is just great. Next time, I won't throw a mana blade in a random direction," Alex began talking to himself, causing question marks to appear above the girl's head. While Alex was busy berating himself for messing up, the girl continued to look at her guest, not understanding how he ended up here in an instant and why he was now standing and talking to himself.
"Excuse me, sir, if you're not here for services, then why are you here?" the girl asked, snapping Alex out of his stupor.
"Do you want the short story or the long story?" Alex asked, shifting his gaze to the girl. His question confused her.
"What do you mean by short or long story?" the girl asked, with even more question marks appearing above her head.
"Alright, the short one. I was being chased, I escaped, and then I ended up here," Alex said, spreading his arms.
"Then you must have done something bad if you were being chased," the girl concluded, taking a few steps back.
"How did you come to that conclusion? I was being chased because they wanted to interrupt me spending time with a family member," Alex said, looking at the girl, who sighed with relief upon hearing his words. Seeing that the girl had calmed down, Alex's eye twitched at the thought that she was a bit slow.
"Well, since I ended up here, who are you?" Alex asked the most important question.
"I already told you, sir, that I am a courtesan in this brothel," the girl replied, making Alex's eye twitch again.
"I asked for your name, not your profession," Alex said with a sigh.
"My name is Haruhime," the girl introduced herself.
"Then, Haruhime, you can call me Alex," Alex said, looking around for a place to sit. "I'll stay here for a while until those goddesses stop searching for me," Alex said, sitting down on a tatami mat.
"Sir Alex, goddesses are chasing you?" Haruhime asked, hearing his words and not understanding how that was possible. Alex nodded with a wry smile.
"Then, while I'm hiding here, Haruhime, can you tell me how you ended up in such a place and where you are from?" Alex said, wanting to know the girl's story.
Haruhime, looking at the man before her, couldn't understand how he ended up here and why he decided to stay if he didn't need her services. She was very surprised by his behavior. Alex was unlike anyone she had met during her time working here. Haruhime watched Alex, who simply sat on the floor near the window, and her thoughts began to wander. A small thought appeared that maybe he was the hero who would rescue her from this place. But as soon as that thought crossed her mind, Haruhime sadly shook her head, remembering that she was just a courtesan and not worthy of being saved by a hero.
For some reason, she wanted to tell her story to the person who had accidentally appeared in her room. She felt an urge to trust him and tell him everything. Haruhime decided to sit opposite Alex and share her story.
"I am from the Far East and was part of a noble clan," Haruhime said, sitting down across from Alex.
"You are from the Far East too?" Alex asked, sticking to his story.
"Sir, are you also from my homeland?" Haruhime asked. Alex nodded. Seeing his confirmation, Haruhime smiled joyfully, having met someone from the same place.
"Where exactly are you from, sir?" Haruhime asked.
"I don't know. One day, I just woke up alone in a forest and have been traveling ever since," Alex said, slightly embellishing the truth.
"It must have been hard for you, not knowing where you come from," Haruhime said sadly.
"It doesn't matter. I have already found myself a new home and people I can call family," Alex said with a smile, looking out the window. Hearing his words, Haruhime could only smile sadly. Alex didn't notice her sad smile because he was looking at the moon shining in the sky at that moment.
"Enough about me. Now you should tell me your story," Alex said, shifting his gaze to the girl in front of him.
"I was part of a noble clan, but my life was not as rosy as it might seem. All the time I lived there, I felt like I was in a cage. The only thing that saved me was books and stories. My family worshipped the god Takemikazuchi. One day, I became friends with the children from his family, and we started secretly sneaking out at night to play," Haruhime began to recount her life in her old home. "Then I was accused of eating an offering to our god and was expelled from the family," Haruhime continued in a sad tone.
"When I was being expelled from my family, a hobbit merchant arrived and told my father he wanted to buy me. And my father sold me to this merchant without hesitation," Haruhime continued her story.
The longer Alex listened, the more he remembered the girl's story and the angrier he became. Alex never liked parents who so easily abandoned their children, especially selling them into slavery or worse. His fists clenched in anger. Haruhime, immersed in her sad story, didn't notice how Alex's face contorted with rage.
"Go on, don't be sad. It's all in the past now, and maybe someday, a moment will come when you find the happiness you desire," Alex said, trying to calm himself.
"You are very kind, sir, but I am just a courtesan. I don't think such a moment will come in my life," Haruhime said with a sad smile.
Alex, noticing that she was starting to feel sad again, decided to steer the conversation in another direction to distract her from her painful memories.
"You said you liked reading books and stories. What did you read about, and what stories did you enjoy?" Alex asked. Hearing his words, Haruhime's ears twitched, and she blushed a little, feeling shy about her interests.
"I liked stories about heroes," Haruhime said quietly, feeling embarrassed about her preferences. Hearing her words, Alex clicked his tongue involuntarily, which caught Haruhime's attention.
"Don't you like stories about heroes?" Haruhime asked, hearing Alex click his tongue.
"It's not that I don't like them. It's just that usually, the heroes in these stories are simple idiots who loudly proclaim they'll save everyone but end up committing genocide against another race, supposedly evil. And in the end, they get statues celebrating the person who committed genocide. Then they live happily ever after with their families, and everyone rejoices at the ending," Alex expressed his opinion about hero stories.
"Why do you say that, sir?" Haruhime asked, her head filling with question marks as she looked at Alex, who was expressing his opinion about heroes.
"If you look at it from an outsider's perspective, rather than from someone who reads the stories and always follows what the hero does, you can see that the Demon King and the Hero are essentially the same. The Demon King is the protector of his race, just as the Hero is the protector of humans; it's just two sides of the same coin. After the Hero wins, he becomes useless, and people forget about him," Alex said, sharing his viewpoint.
"Sir, are you saying that hero stories don't tell everything and only show the positive aspects of the hero's life?" Haruhime asked, starting to understand what Alex was getting at.
"You're a smart girl and quickly grasp what I'm saying. I'm not saying hero stories are bad, and I'm not saying the heroes themselves are bad. Everyone has their own concepts of good and evil. The Demon King wants to conquer the world and all that, but maybe he just wants to protect his people and make them prosperous, while the Hero in the story just wants to protect the innocent. There is no right or wrong in these stories; everyone has their own perspective," Alex said with a smile, looking at the girl in front of him.
"But heroes are good people who strive to protect everyone," Haruhime said, not wanting to accept Alex's point of view.
"You're right, heroes want to protect everyone. But why wouldn't the Demon King want to protect his people?" Alex said, looking at Haruhime, who opened and closed her mouth like a fish, unable to find an answer to his question.
"But heroes usually save people and princesses who have been kidnapped," Haruhime said, trying to justify heroes.
"You're right, heroes do save princesses. But why can't someone else save her? Because as soon as an ordinary guy saves a princess, he's immediately called a hero. But if the Demon King saves the princess, he's called a villain because everyone is already used to thinking of him as a villain," Alex said, laughing at the situation. Haruhime could only shake her head with a smile, realizing she had thought the same way.
While Alex and Haruhime were chatting about heroes and sharing their impressions, the door to the room opened, and a drunken man appeared, wanting to use the services. Entering the room, he didn't notice Alex sitting by the window. All his attention was focused on the girl, and he couldn't wait to fulfill his desires. A lecherous smile appeared on his face. He was ready to step in when he heard a cough that caught his attention. Hearing the cough that distracted him from his thoughts, he wanted to yell at the person who interrupted him. Turning with rage to the person who had disturbed him, his face instantly turned pale, and the alcohol that had given him courage left his body. Pointing with a trembling finger at the person who distracted him, he stammered:
"Y-y-you... why are you here?"
"Oh, you know me?" Alex asked, looking at the man with a playful smile.
"I-I-I didn't see anything," the visitor said and immediately fled, not forgetting to close the door.
"Do you know that man?" Haruhime asked, not understanding what had happened.
"Nope, I've never seen him before," Alex said, shrugging.
"Then why was he so scared of you?" Haruhime asked another question, because she saw that the man who had just entered turned very pale at the sight of Alex.
"I don't know, maybe he's shy," Alex said, laughing at the fleeing visitor.
Ignoring the random visitor, they continued chatting about everything that came to mind. They had no idea that the idiot who had just fled with a pale face was noticed by a group of Amazons who had been keeping an eye on Haruhime's room. The Amazons couldn't understand why he had fled and why he was so pale. Usually, they had to wait until Haruhime lost consciousness to carry her out of the room and create the illusion that she had completed her work.
"What are we going to do, Aisha?" one of the Amazons asked. For them, Aisha was like an older sister and always knew what to do.
"We need to check if Haruhime is safe," Aisha answered in a concerned tone, worried that something bad might have happened to Haruhime.
The group of Amazons approached Haruhime's room, and Aisha sharply opened the door, surprised to see another person there besides Haruhime.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Aisha asked, taking a defensive stance.
"Hmmm, and who are you? Haven't you been taught to knock before entering?" Alex asked, looking at the girl who had burst in and started asking questions. Alex took a closer look at the girl and was impressed by her beauty. She had beautiful tanned skin, a toned body, long black hair flowing down her back, and a pair of violet eyes. Glancing at her attire, Alex smirked, noticing that she wore clothing similar to that of dancers.
"I'll ask you again, who are you?" Aisha ignored the question.
"It doesn't matter who I am," Alex said, standing up, which made the Amazons tense.
Seeing Alex stand with a smile on his face, Aisha and the Amazons behind her were ready to attack at any moment. Alex stopped paying attention to them; all his focus was on Haruhime, who still didn't understand what was happening.
"Tell me, Haruhime, do you want to leave this place?" Alex asked, snapping Haruhime out of her stupor.
"What..." Aisha wanted to intervene, but her mouth was sealed by magic, and her body was immobilized with a light wave of Alex's hand.
"What do you mean by leave this place?" Haruhime asked, not understanding what Alex was talking about.
"I'm saying that I'll get you out of here. I'll save you, and you can live a free life without selling yourself," Alex said, continuing to look at Haruhime, who pondered his words.
"But I'm just a prostitute; I can't be saved anymore," Haruhime said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"If you say you can't be saved, then I'll do it differently," Alex said, his words causing even more tears from Haruhime as she thought he was rejecting her.
"I'll simply kidnap you, and you won't have a choice," Alex said, scooping Haruhime up in a princess carry and stepping one foot onto the window frame. "Right, don't wait for a hero to save you, because there's a Demon King who will kidnap a princess like you," Alex said, looking into Haruhime's green eyes.
Haruhime, hearing his words, was confused because she was no princess, just a courtesan. Aisha, who still couldn't move, recognized the person holding Haruhime and was shocked to see the one about whom various rumors had spread.
"Now hold on tight, my princess, for you are being kidnapped by the Demon King," Alex said, preparing to jump out the window. Haruhime, frightened by his movement, clung tightly to his neck. "Good evening, ladies, and don't think about pursuing us; it might end badly for you," Alex said, glancing back at the Amazons. His eyes gleamed, causing the Amazons to shiver. "And now, we're off," Alex said, leaping out the window with maniacal laughter.
The Amazons finally regained their ability to move and speak after Alex's magic dissipated. They were unsure of what to do, as their job was to protect Haruhime and ensure she didn't escape.
"Aisha, what are we going to do? Ishtar-sama ordered us not to let Haruhime leave," one Amazon said anxiously.
"What else can we do? If the rumors are true, I don't want to chase after that guy, and I'm glad Haruhime could leave this place," Aisha said with a sad smile.
"Then what will we tell Ishtar-sama? And you'll probably have more trouble from that hag Phryne," another Amazon said.
"We'll just say we don't know who kidnapped Haruhime and keep quiet about this situation," Aisha said, making a last-ditch effort to protect Haruhime.
While the Amazons were discussing Haruhime's abduction, Alex and his fox princess teleported home. Alex set Haruhime down on the floor and told her to follow him. Haruhime was still in shock, as too many events had happened that evening, all tied to the man in front of her who had just kidnapped her and called himself the Demon King. Haruhime was still contemplating whether to follow him or return, but seeing his kind smile, she decided her life might change for the better. After all, if a hero didn't save her, why couldn't the Demon King? Remembering her conversation with Alex, Haruhime decided to follow him. Entering the house behind her captor, she saw a black-haired girl almost knock him over and start shaking him like a tree. At that moment, Haruhime began to doubt if the man before her was really the Demon King he claimed to be.
To be continued...