I exited the room where that creep Bajar was with a sense of discomfort. Waves of regret and emptiness washed over me, hitting me like a tidal wave about what I had just done.

Of course, I’m not a fool.

I’m not here to spout nonsense about revenge being meaningless or that one should forgive their enemies to break the chain of hatred.

If someone messes with you, it’s only natural to pay them back.

Especially when they dared to mess with my people.

So, revenge itself was all good.

It was definitely perfect up to that point.

– Uuuooohhh!!!
– Oh, God no♡

That moaning sound.

A middle-aged guy in his forties desperately begging me to stop now that he had reached his limit.

Those images tainted my mind.

I couldn’t help but wonder if this was how one would feel facing Cthulhu.

“…Ugh.”

Nausea suddenly rose within me.

Why is that?

Revenge is supposed to be a satisfying act, yet it felt like I was the one being tortured.

Lady Rubia had taken two syringe doses. I was all set to return a hundred doses worth, brewing my own delightful torture drugs.

And yet here I was, with fifty doses left over.

Maybe I had overestimated my tolerance.

I thought I had gotten used to corpses, but seeing a middle-aged man begging and hanging on while leaking bodily fluids from every hole, I felt utterly powerless.

‘This is insane.’

Isn’t it called the White Bear Effect?

The more I tried not to think about it, the more it kept coming back to haunt me.

So I was trudging along with a rotten expression when… I met a familiar face.

“How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?”

With that, Lady Rubia nodded.

I had used the stigma to treat her and kept her lying down for her recovery. Apparently, she had just woken up.

As I was looking at her, I finally spoke up.

“By the way, do you want to go see Bajar?”

Thinking about it, Lady Rubia had been the one most affected by Bajar. It seemed a bit odd to take revenge on him without including her.

‘He must be with those three right now.’

Siel, Lucy, and Lien.

They had rarely asked me for anything, claiming they needed to punish that guy too.

As a decent modern person, I thought that torturing someone in such a pitiful state was a bit much…

– “He tried to take something precious, so he deserves a fitting punishment.”

Siel spoke firmly.

– “If the Empire’s Swordmaster suddenly goes missing, it’s bound to cause a scene. We need a cover-up. What if I possess his body with another soul?”

Lucy even suggested a reasonable idea.

There were tons of souls wanting a living body.

It would be possible to select one suitable for this act and have it mimic Bajar, but…

It seems the original owner’s identity needed to be completely shattered first.

So, those two were all fired up.

In the middle was Lien, squirrelly in her position. Seeing them both going all out would make her feel awkward if she didn’t join in.

Anyway, those three had to be busy preparing the groundwork for possession right now.

Lady Rubia, having been tortured by that guy, would undoubtedly want to unleash her pent-up resentment too.

So I thought I’d go back, turn that doorknob, and let them have at it……

But then I shut it again.

Quickly, before the gruesome scene painted in red could enter Lady Rubia’s view.

‘…Is it just me, or does Lien seem the most fired up?’

Hearing their laughter, it was evident they had gone completely berserk.

It was a grotesque sight that would be hard for me to watch.

If the already timid Lady Rubia saw that, she would definitely faint.

“…Um.”

As I subtly blocked the door, she seemed to be trying to say something to me.

“Uh… I understand your feelings, but honestly, it’s better not to see this.”

I sincerely advised, but looking at Lady Rubia’s face, it seemed she wasn’t asking me to keep her out.

What on earth was she trying to say?

I continued to watch as she averted her gaze from me for a while and then finally spoke up with a flushed face.

“Th-thank you.”

Thank you for saving me.

Knowing how dangerous it was, she was thanking me despite knowing the risks that could cost her everything.

A heartwarming moment.

But still… I hardened my expression and replied.

“That’s actually something I should be saying.”

This time, I was in no position to receive thanks; rather, I owed her one.

Why did a knight directly under the royal family come looking for her out of the blue?

The only possibility I could think of was—

The potion business.

It was undoubtedly related to the proposal I made her. It was clear she got caught in it.

So really, she had no reason to blame me.

Even when she was being tortured, she held on for everyone’s sake.

She had even urged me to abandon her and escape out of fear that I might get captured by the Empire.

How could I just brush this situation aside?

I told Lady Rubia that she was really precious to me.

Even if I’d be discovered by the Empire or caught, I would do anything for her life.

That’s only natural.

So the next time she finds herself in danger, she should forget about the situation and just ask for my help.

After my little speech was over……

“……”

“……”

An incredibly awkward silence reigned, almost suffocating. We couldn’t meet each other’s eyes for a long while.

Naturally, regret welled up within me.

‘Did I go too far?’

Instead of me apologizing, she was the one thanking me. My sudden outpouring confused me, and I just blurted it all out.

Wasn’t that a bit too heavy of a statement?

But once those words were out, I couldn’t just take them back.

Just as I was flustered and unsure of what to do…

“Um, speaking of that… was that call you sent back then?”

Lady Rubia suddenly tried to change the subject.

She stumbled over her words, making it super awkward.

“Call?”

I was just as eager to change the atmosphere, so I continued the conversation.

Listening to her, it seemed that while trying to fool Bajar and send him back, the communication device rang unexpectedly, causing her some distress.

However, I hadn’t sent any communications.

I checked with those three just to be sure, but they said they never contacted her either.

“How strange. Informants usually have set times to make contact. Was it just some advertisement?”

Lady Rubia muttered.

I pondered for a moment and then started gathering the wreckage of the destroyed communication device.

‘Well, it’s not that important, but…’

This would be a good chance to see if I could repair the Holy Sword or if I should just leave it all to the dwarves.

With that in mind, I recalled the mini-game from the previous work.

I pieced together the broken debris. It didn’t require any complicated equipment.

I still wasn’t quite used to this, but this body had already far surpassed the realm of the ordinary.

Hammering could easily be substituted with punch after all. Fire could be handled with a simple spell.

In less than thirty minutes, the communication device regained its former shape. I even restored the enchantments engraved on it, so it should operate properly.

I decided to test it by playing the missed messages.

[Hello, dear customer Rubia! We are contacting you because there is an issue with the product you ordered.]

An ordered product?

Did I buy some supplies for the training grounds or something?

While I was mulling over that…

“……!”

Lady Rubia’s face turned pale.

Wide-eyed and sweating, she leapt towards me.

Suddenly, in this unexpected situation, I couldn’t dodge in time, knowing that if I miscalculated my strength, Lady Rubia could get hurt too.

And just like that, something soft pressed against my face, completely obstructing my view and cutting off my breath.

I couldn’t see what it was, but the sensation informed me all too well.

Naturally, my face turned red with panic.

“Wh-what’s the stop button?!”

Yet seemingly oblivious to that, Lady Rubia brandished the device she had snatched from me.

I wanted to ask her what she was doing, but…

No, I was about to ask her.

Just then, I got an answer to my question, but it came from an unexpectedly clear voice.

[Unfortunately, the adult-sized diapers in the color white for customer Rubia’s order are out of stock. Please choose between the blue or pink options…]

The sound of the communication device shattering resonated through the room.

But it was far too late.

Lady Rubia, who had been shredding me earlier, stood up awkwardly.

In an embarrassing eye contact moment.

I didn’t say a word, yet she stammered, likely trying to offer an explanation.

“Weirdly enough, there are such absurd pranks. Keeping up with the Empire’s trends is really tough. Hehe…”

Smiling while crying.

I tried to muster a “Oh, I totally believe you” kind of face, but it seems I failed.

Lady Rubia, in all her glory, was now a blushing mess standing in front of me.

Blushing, she couldn’t bear to make eye contact and fled but then…

– Clunk, bang!

She crashed hard.

Her frantic escape didn’t help, as the now-clumsy red tomato had to come back to me for treatment.

…What should I say?

She really wasn’t acting her age in many ways.