Chapter 303

Chapter 303: Chapter 303

The northern frontier of the Empire, deep within the frozen wilderness.

In a valley sheltered from the wind, a campfire crackled merrily.

Fist-sized chunks of meat roasted over the flames, sizzling as fat dripped from their surfaces and filling the air with an irresistible aroma.

"Nom, nom—"

Esdeath held a huge meat skewer in each hand and alternated between them with shameless enthusiasm.

Her pretty face was flushed from the heat, her lips faintly glossy with grease, and she looked as though she were having the time of her life.

She polished off both skewers in only a few bites, then immediately stretched a hand toward Kiriya.

"Two more."

The gesture was so natural that anyone watching might have assumed this was her own home.

"You really don’t consider yourself a guest anymore, do you?"

Kiriya rolled his eyes, though his hands still obediently passed over another two freshly grilled skewers.

"Hehe. Of course not. I belong to you now, remember?"

Esdeath accepted them with a grin.

"I have to keep myself nice and full so I’ll have plenty of energy. That way you can enjoy yourself as much as you want, right... Goshujin-sama~?"

"Hiss—!"

Hearing the future Ice Queen—even if she was still the younger, not-yet-fully-developed version—call him Goshujin-sama in such a sweet, teasing voice was enough to make Kiriya feel like he had hit the jackpot of jackpots.

Of course, that was not the only reason for his rather dramatic reaction.

Beside him, a slender elven hand had seized the soft flesh at his waist and was currently twisting it through what felt like three hundred and sixty degrees, then seven hundred and twenty, then back again.

The experience was indescribable.

Ryuu did not say anything.

She did not need to.

Her eyes communicated her accusation perfectly.

’This is all your fault!’

After defeating Esdeath earlier, Kiriya had casually teased her with a single question.

"You said that because you were stronger, I had to submit to you. Well, now you’ve lost and I’m stronger than you. So what are you supposed to do?"

He had only been joking.

Kiriya had even been looking forward to seeing the infamous future sadistic general blush and become flustered for once.

Instead...

Esdeath had completely ignored the script in his head and thrown a straight fastball so hard it stunned all three of them.

"Then I’ll submit to you. From now on, I belong to you. You can do whatever you want with me."

Jeanne and Ryuu had both been speechless.

Neither had ever imagined that a beautiful young woman could openly declare things like I belong to you and you can do whatever you want with me without so much as a trace of embarrassment.

Esdeath had said it as naturally as though she were stating the weather.

And after making that declaration, she simply began following them.

No matter how Jeanne or Ryuu tried to persuade her otherwise, she refused to leave.

That was exactly why Ryuu blamed Kiriya.

There were already enough girls around him, yet he still had to run his mouth and say something like that.

Clearly, he had ulterior motives!

Kiriya gave her the most wronged expression he could manage.

"This really isn’t my fault. She’s the one insisting on following us."

"Heh..."

Ryuu gave him a deeply contemptuous look and left him to interpret it himself.

Jeanne noticed the silent exchange but chose not to comment. Instead, she handed Esdeath several more skewers.

"Are you really sure about this? You’re free to leave whenever you want. None of us would hold it against you."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

Esdeath swallowed another two chunks of meat and frowned, visibly offended.

"Do you think I’m someone who can’t accept losing?"

She lifted her chin proudly.

"I, Esdeath, always keep my word. Once I say I’ll do something, I do it."

"No, that isn’t what we mean."

Ryuu placed a hand on Kiriya’s shoulder.

"The problem is on our side. We have no intention of controlling you, nor do we have any right to interfere with your freedom."

"Oh."

Esdeath nodded.

"Then I freely choose to stay with you."

And with that settled, she happily took another bite of roasted meat.

First-Class Danger Beast meat was already delicious by nature.

Once seasoned with the spices Kiriya had specifically bought in Orario, however, its flavor rose several levels higher than anything Esdeath normally cooked for herself.

One bite made her feel as though her tongue might melt from happiness.

"Why do you insist on following us?"

Ryuu’s voice gradually cooled.

"Because I like that guy."

Esdeath continued eating as she pointed directly at Kiriya.

"He’s strong, he’s handsome, and..."

She bit into another piece of meat.

"Mm. He’s a good cook too. Why would I let him go?"

At first, Esdeath’s interest had largely been simple physical attraction.

Now, however, something slightly deeper had begun developing.

People of the northern frontier tended to be straightforward, following their feelings without bothering to hide them.

If they liked something, they liked it.

If they wanted someone, they wanted them.

There was no reason to pretend otherwise.

"You..."

Faced with Esdeath charging straight ahead without shame, hesitation, or even the slightest concern for propriety, a hopelessly awkward elf like Ryuu had absolutely no defense.

She could only attempt to flank the issue.

"Stop dreaming. He already has lovers."

Ryuu’s expression hardened.

"More than one."

"Heh. So what?"

Esdeath did not care in the slightest.

She was hardly blind.

Did they really think she could not tell how these two girls felt about Kiriya?

"With your personality, would you really accept sharing the man you love with other women?" Jeanne asked cautiously.

"Hahaha! Of course I wouldn’t!"

Esdeath declared loudly.

"This is only temporary."

She pointed at Kiriya with absolute confidence.

"I’ll stay beside him, use him as my goal, and keep getting stronger. Someday, I’ll become stronger than everyone else and steal him away completely!"

Then she glanced dismissively toward Jeanne and Ryuu.

"As for the rest of you, you can go find somewhere else to stay."

Her declaration was firm and powerful, leaving absolutely no doubt about her determination.

"What?"

Ryuu and Jeanne turned toward Kiriya at exactly the same time.

Their expressions conveyed an identical message.

’This woman cannot be allowed to stay. Send her away. Immediately!’

Before Kiriya could say anything, Esdeath cut in.

"What’s wrong?"

A mocking curve appeared on her lips.

"Don’t have confidence in your own strength?"

Her gaze sharpened.

"Or do you not even have the determination to protect your own man?"

"..."

Jeanne and Ryuu said nothing.

They simply stared at Esdeath, their gazes carrying enough pressure to feel like mountains.

Love was a battlefield too!

And the enemy had just openly declared war.

Winner takes all.

Loser walks away with nothing.

"I accept your challenge!"

Jeanne and Ryuu spoke at exactly the same time.

In the name of love—they absolutely refused to lose!

Kiriya stared at the three girls, who had somehow become fired up all on their own, then weakly raised one hand.

"Um... does my opinion count for anything here?"

He was supposed to be the person they were fighting over, damn it.

Esdeath looked directly at him.

"If you’re stronger than me, then naturally I’ll behave and listen to you."

Her smile slowly widened.

"But if I become stronger than you, then you won’t have anything to complain about either."

She leaned forward slightly.

"So use everything you have and keep getting stronger."

"Because once I surpass you..."

Esdeath slowly licked her lips.

"You’re going to have a very, very bad time."

Her mind had already begun filling with all sorts of creatively unpleasant little tools for her future interrogation games.

She had not yet joined the military and evolved into the fully realized sadistic Ice Queen she would one day become, but the tendency had clearly been there from birth.

She had already taught herself plenty without anyone’s help.

"..."

Kiriya stared at her.

Well, damn.

Apparently, whether his future held romance or a dungeon full of restraints depended entirely on whether his fists stayed harder than Esdeath’s.

For some reason, that thought fired him up too.

Pressure created motivation, after all.

With a monster like Esdeath chasing him from behind, maybe he really would become stronger even faster.

"Don’t worry, Esdeath."

Kiriya grinned.

"I’m never giving you that chance."

"Hehe."

Esdeath smiled back, brilliant as an ice-blue rose blooming in the snow.

"We’ll see about that!"

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