[14th Round] Reject!
“Sir Alex! Please let Sieg go! I’m not delighted by this womanizer’s behavior myself, but to save this world, you definitely need his power!”
“Tsk. I won’t forgive him next time.”
Alex released him and tidied up his apron. He then stepped aside a little, inviting them to come in.
The Snow Woman also urged them kindly.
“Come in! You should have a taste of Alex’s amazing cooking!”
“Ahem!” The Sword King coughed as he looked away. It was as if he didn’t just nearly kill Sieg.
Did the Snow Woman’s words really just embarrass that savage?
“They look cute together, almost like they’re newlyweds,” Ssosia commented with a joyful expression, like a mother watching the last episode of a romantic melodrama.
“How can none of this embarrass you? Just looking at them makes me feel disgusted.”
I couldn’t get used to it. He was far too different from the Alex I knew.
There were even nights when I dreamed of cutting through his back between the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae with the Holy Sword once I had become stronger.
“Enough! I’m sick and tired of hearing you talk about your first 1st round. I think you’re even worse than him at this point.”
“How so?”
From the very beginning, I always acted rationally. The only difference between then and now was my strength.
Ssosia didn’t rebuke it. Instead, she looked at the Snow Woman.
“I thought she was just a weird girl, but she turned out to be an incredible woman. She changed that man without even lifting a finger. I need to follow her example.”
“Don’t even try.”
The day I became a rag sobbing into my pillow would never come.
“I don’t want such changes either, but they made me curious what you were like in your first round. There should be records in your personal file…”
“Don’t even think about it. I’m warning you.”
“Don’t make such a face. I’ll look at it secretly and beyond your knowledge anyway.”
“Hey!”
While we had a marital quarrel, Alex, still in his apron, continued neatly slicing fruits and vegetables into similar shapes on the cutting board.
I hoped he didn’t raise his Sword Mastery to G-rank for that…
Alex pounded meat with his firm fist to soften it while kneading the dough with his other hand. His actions, techniques, and skills were all professional, and he was so relaxed while cooking that he even started humming a melody!
The sight made me think he should be called the King of Cooking instead.
After preparing all the dishes, Alex sat down next to his armless wife and began to feed her.
She still had as huge of an appetite as before.
After eating, he wiped the corners of her lips with a napkin and removed the leftover food from the plates.
He looked more like a nurse than a husband.
Judging by the “Happiness” trait in his Status, it was safe to say he actually found such an annoying job delightful and worthwhile.
It was almost as if we were from completely different worlds.
“Are you jealous, my useless husband?”
“No.”
“You’re jealous, aren’t you? Be honest. I can feed you if you want.”
“Leave me alone!”
“Don’t be shy…”
“I witnessed everything, Drug Hero! My niece looked so envious as she watched the Snow Woman—”
“Stop talking, auntie! Please!”
“Heeheeheehee!”
After Alex finished eating, Lanuvel told them about the purpose of their visit in Sieg’s stead, who remained anxious.
“Sir Alex, Lady Snow Woman, the Demon Lord has risen. This world is doomed with Sieg alone, considering there’s more lust than justice in him! I ask you to join our journey!”
I couldn’t help but worry.
Sieg still couldn’t get past the primary education course, where even the skills of the Dumpling Kingdom’s Knight A were weak. They could never pose a threat to me.
But G-rank Sword Mastery?
If he merged the effect of his job with it, then he could currently wield the G-rank Divinity!
Alex could storm the Demon Lord’s castle by himself right now.
Objectively speaking, my clones would never be able to defeat the black bear of the Fantasy World with their skills.
And it wasn’t just in Sieg’s classroom.
Events developed in the same way in all other dimensions.
The moment Lanuvel thought the Hero they had summoned was unreliable, she would immediately go to Alex and make the same request that she just made.
That was why this conversation was so important.
If Alex joined the Hero’s journey, it would be no different from having a G-rank monster become a part of their party in all classes. They would also have a beautiful and convenient Snow Woman to transport them wherever they wished!
Those two would make any hero’s journey a hundred times easier.
“I refuse.”
But Alex’s answer wasn’t at all what I expected.
“Huh? Why?!” Lanuvel’s eyes widened, unable to believe her ears.
Alex, carefully stroking the Snow Woman’s small head with his huge hand, replied, “I don’t want her to be alone.”
“You can take your wife with you! Think of it as a family trip—”
“I love the Snow Woman too much to take her on a tedious journey that won’t even have an easily accessible flush toilet, Miss Lanuvel.”
Flush toilets again?
“Traveling without flush toilets also has its own romance! Imagine going to the fields to pick flowers, only to stumble upon a monster! Doesn’t the very thought of it make your blood boil?”
Lanuvel tried to convince Alex, but he wasn’t that simple of a man.
“I don’t want to put my wife in such danger or allow any other men to embarrass or humiliate her,” He glared at Sieg.
Due to the B-ranked Hero’s misbehavior, the chances of the couple joining his group became even lower.
“Think carefully about it, Sir Alex! Even places without flush toilets are still a part of Fantasy and are worthy of equal love. If you ignore our world just because of that reason, the resurrected Demon Lord—”
“Did I hear that right? Has my owner awakened?” The Snow Woman intervened in the conversation just as she was about to doze off.
Alex reluctantly replied. “I think so.”
“Let’s meet him, Alex!”
They didn’t have to!
“I know you’re excited to meet your owner, but you’re not ready yet. You smell.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. That’s why you’ll need to take a bath first.”
“Okay! You’ll bathe with me, won’t you?”
“If that’s what you want.”
The results of his two millennia of taking care of a harpy were becoming apparent.
Due to Alex’s ingenuity, the Snow Woman forgot about her desire.
By tomorrow, she’d probably return to her normal life, her birdbrain already having forgotten that I was resurrected.
Alex turned to Lanuvel with a serious expression and gave them a warning.
“You heard her. Her owner is the Demon Lord. If she takes his side, as she did 2,000 years ago, I’ll be left with no choice but to become your enemy. You need to make sure they never meet.”
“Alex! Let’s take a bath already! Faster!”
“For your own sake, I hope you heard and understood my words.”
Defeated, Sieg and Lanuvel returned from Alex’s luxurious mansion to the royal palace.
But they didn’t return empty-handed.
“Sieg, don’t be so upset.”
“I’m not upset. On the contrary, I’m glad the traitorous bastard refused! He used to appreciate male friendship before he got married and became all strange!”
As he cursed, Lanuvel waved a piece of paper as she again pretended to be cute.
“We got a recommendation from Alex, at least.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen such an outcome…”
“For the past millennia, Alex didn’t only look after Lady Snow Woman. He also taught swordsmanship to a lot of people, who are now scattered across the continents. The valuable items in his house were bought using the money he earned from that job.”
‘Alex’s apprentice… I’m guessing it’s a man.’
Sieg seemed to have the same thought.
After all, there had never been even just one female knight on the training grounds of the royal palace before because Alex often beat his students too much and shouted profanities at them, as befitting his savage attitude.
“No, he recommended a female.”
“Are you serious? No, I won’t get my hopes high. She’s probably a masculine brute.”
Sieg’s face brightened up a little for a moment but soon darkened again.
“What are you talking about? As evident from what you just experienced, Alex doesn’t like it when other men are around his wife. That’s why all of his students are women.”
“Oh!”
“And I have great news for you. The student Alex recommended is incredibly beautiful! I never thought such coincidences can actually happen until now!”
“Who is it, Lanuvel?”
She laughed.
“Princess Sylvia.”
The B-rank Hero screamed with joy, kneeling and bowing towards Alex’s house.
***
Up to this point, the development of events was similar in all dimensions.
Lanuvel’s summoned hero would visit Alex’s house, have their proposal refused, and gain a recommendation to reach out to Princess Sylvia.
Some tried to molest the Snow Woman, only to be beaten up by her stern husband as he taught them a lesson, forcing them to undergo regression.
Most of them met Sylvia without any problems, however.
“This is a request from the legendary Sword King Alex, so there’s nothing I can do about it. I do owe him, after all…”
Since history had changed, Sylvia could no longer control the spirits, causing her to become a swordswoman instead.
She chose a human as her teacher instead of an elf, which I found unusual, but it was understandable. After all, anyone who managed to live for two thousand years as a married man could no longer be labeled as an ordinary human.
However, she didn’t have the same talent her teacher had.
▷ Race: Arch-Elf
▷ Level: 425
▷ Job: Swordswoman (Beauty = Sword Mastery ↑)
▷ Skills: Sword Mastery Z, Elegance A, Charm A, Dexterity B, Evasion B…
▷ Status: Good
Her job’s effect was like the physical damage version of witches’ effect, but they didn’t have the same rarity.
Not all women who could wield a sword could become a swordswoman.
They had to train their Sword Mastery and maintain their beauty through the passage of time, ultimately requiring them to keep up with those who only focused on their swordsmanship and with the ladies who cared about nothing else but their appearances.
In other words, her job couldn’t be achieved through effort alone.
“Sylvia.”
“Sir Hero Sieg, I only agreed to become your companion because of Sir Alex’s request, so please don’t address me like you’re my boyfriend. You’re making me cringe.”
“This can’t be…”
His longtime lover’s behavior shocked him to his core.
That’s why I told him before that there was nothing good about regression.
“How long will you be watching that womanizer, cruel hubby?” Ssosia asked, hinting that she had lost all interest in Sieg.
She sounded like she wanted us to return to the Demon Lord’s castle at once and have me personally cook something for her.
My Cooking skill was currently at F-rank.
“You’re mistaken. There’s no need to think of me as a wife who misses her husband’s love.”
“But you admitted that yourself, my dear niece…”
“A-ahh! Crap! Stop meddling, auntie!”
“Hihihi!”
Ssosia’s remark was correct.
Though Alex and his G-rank Sword Mastery and Divinity had been eliminated from the game, the heroes now had Sylvia the Swordswoman in their party, ultimately increasing their overall strength.
As the Demon Lord, I shouldn’t be wasting time.
“Follow me, Ssosia.”
After parting with Sieg’s group, I returned to Alex and the Snow Woman’s mansion with my clones.
“You really are despicable and cowardly, dear husband! Leave Alex and the Snow Woman alone with their peaceful and serene life! They didn’t do anything wrong against you!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You want to take the Snow Woman away from Alex, don’t you?”
“Huh? What for?”
I didn’t even think of touching the one who voluntarily fed and drank the chicken for free in my stead.
“What do you mean what for?”
“Why do you look so surprised? You’re making me nauseous.”
“Stop exaggerating! I’m just really curious about what you’re up to!”
“Just watch.”
Alex and the Snow Woman were lovers, but they didn’t hang out all day.
Thanks to her husband, the Snow Woman managed to get out of her clothes and was now enjoying a warm bath. Alex watched her for a while before turning to wash the dishes.
But he didn’t leave the Snow Woman unguarded.
“I’ll leave her to you.”
“Yes, teacher.”
“Don’t worry about Lady Snow Woman.”
“We’ll look after her.”
The beauties quietly approached like ghosts, bowed to him, and answered.
They were all Alex’s students.
Swordswoman Sylvia was just the tip of the iceberg.
Leaving the Snow Woman to the students, Alex returned to the kitchen and began to wash the dishes.
And, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, he spoke.
“How much longer are you planning on watching me, True Hero?”
True Hero! He called me, the Second Demon Lord, the True Hero. I almost shed tears of joy.
Since he gave me such a title, I couldn’t stop myself but answer.
I sat down at the table and showed him the smile of the Righteous Hero as a small gift.
“You really started glowing brighter after you got married, Alex. Being an economic husband must be truly amazing. Still, won’t that chick— your lovely wife love you even more if you became the CEO of a well-known corporation?”
The MAX-Class Demon Lord could give him such a position.
[14th Round] Reject!
“Sir Alex! Please let Sieg go! I’m not delighted by this womanizer’s behavior myself, but to save this world, you definitely need his power!”
“Tsk. I won’t forgive him next time.”
Alex released him and tidied up his apron. He then stepped aside a little, inviting them to come in.
The Snow Woman also urged them kindly.
“Come in! You should have a taste of Alex’s amazing cooking!”
“Ahem!” The Sword King coughed as he looked away. It was as if he didn’t just nearly kill Sieg.
Did the Snow Woman’s words really just embarrass that savage?
“They look cute together, almost like they’re newlyweds,” Ssosia commented with a joyful expression, like a mother watching the last episode of a romantic melodrama.
“How can none of this embarrass you? Just looking at them makes me feel disgusted.”
I couldn’t get used to it. He was far too different from the Alex I knew.
There were even nights when I dreamed of cutting through his back between the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae with the Holy Sword once I had become stronger.
“Enough! I’m sick and tired of hearing you talk about your first 1st round. I think you’re even worse than him at this point.”
“How so?”
From the very beginning, I always acted rationally. The only difference between then and now was my strength.
Ssosia didn’t rebuke it. Instead, she looked at the Snow Woman.
“I thought she was just a weird girl, but she turned out to be an incredible woman. She changed that man without even lifting a finger. I need to follow her example.”
“Don’t even try.”
The day I became a rag sobbing into my pillow would never come.
“I don’t want such changes either, but they made me curious what you were like in your first round. There should be records in your personal file…”
“Don’t even think about it. I’m warning you.”
“Don’t make such a face. I’ll look at it secretly and beyond your knowledge anyway.”
“Hey!”
While we had a marital quarrel, Alex, still in his apron, continued neatly slicing fruits and vegetables into similar shapes on the cutting board.
I hoped he didn’t raise his Sword Mastery to G-rank for that…
Alex pounded meat with his firm fist to soften it while kneading the dough with his other hand. His actions, techniques, and skills were all professional, and he was so relaxed while cooking that he even started humming a melody!
The sight made me think he should be called the King of Cooking instead.
After preparing all the dishes, Alex sat down next to his armless wife and began to feed her.
She still had as huge of an appetite as before.
After eating, he wiped the corners of her lips with a napkin and removed the leftover food from the plates.
He looked more like a nurse than a husband.
Judging by the “Happiness” trait in his Status, it was safe to say he actually found such an annoying job delightful and worthwhile.
It was almost as if we were from completely different worlds.
“Are you jealous, my useless husband?”
“No.”
“You’re jealous, aren’t you? Be honest. I can feed you if you want.”
“Leave me alone!”
“Don’t be shy…”
“I witnessed everything, Drug Hero! My niece looked so envious as she watched the Snow Woman—”
“Stop talking, auntie! Please!”
“Heeheeheehee!”
After Alex finished eating, Lanuvel told them about the purpose of their visit in Sieg’s stead, who remained anxious.
“Sir Alex, Lady Snow Woman, the Demon Lord has risen. This world is doomed with Sieg alone, considering there’s more lust than justice in him! I ask you to join our journey!”
I couldn’t help but worry.
Sieg still couldn’t get past the primary education course, where even the skills of the Dumpling Kingdom’s Knight A were weak. They could never pose a threat to me.
But G-rank Sword Mastery?
If he merged the effect of his job with it, then he could currently wield the G-rank Divinity!
Alex could storm the Demon Lord’s castle by himself right now.
Objectively speaking, my clones would never be able to defeat the black bear of the Fantasy World with their skills.
And it wasn’t just in Sieg’s classroom.
Events developed in the same way in all other dimensions.
The moment Lanuvel thought the Hero they had summoned was unreliable, she would immediately go to Alex and make the same request that she just made.
That was why this conversation was so important.
If Alex joined the Hero’s journey, it would be no different from having a G-rank monster become a part of their party in all classes. They would also have a beautiful and convenient Snow Woman to transport them wherever they wished!
Those two would make any hero’s journey a hundred times easier.
“I refuse.”
But Alex’s answer wasn’t at all what I expected.
“Huh? Why?!” Lanuvel’s eyes widened, unable to believe her ears.
Alex, carefully stroking the Snow Woman’s small head with his huge hand, replied, “I don’t want her to be alone.”
“You can take your wife with you! Think of it as a family trip—”
“I love the Snow Woman too much to take her on a tedious journey that won’t even have an easily accessible flush toilet, Miss Lanuvel.”
Flush toilets again?
“Traveling without flush toilets also has its own romance! Imagine going to the fields to pick flowers, only to stumble upon a monster! Doesn’t the very thought of it make your blood boil?”
Lanuvel tried to convince Alex, but he wasn’t that simple of a man.
“I don’t want to put my wife in such danger or allow any other men to embarrass or humiliate her,” He glared at Sieg.
Due to the B-ranked Hero’s misbehavior, the chances of the couple joining his group became even lower.
“Think carefully about it, Sir Alex! Even places without flush toilets are still a part of Fantasy and are worthy of equal love. If you ignore our world just because of that reason, the resurrected Demon Lord—”
“Did I hear that right? Has my owner awakened?” The Snow Woman intervened in the conversation just as she was about to doze off.
Alex reluctantly replied. “I think so.”
“Let’s meet him, Alex!”
They didn’t have to!
“I know you’re excited to meet your owner, but you’re not ready yet. You smell.”
“Really?!”
“Yes. That’s why you’ll need to take a bath first.”
“Okay! You’ll bathe with me, won’t you?”
“If that’s what you want.”
The results of his two millennia of taking care of a harpy were becoming apparent.
Due to Alex’s ingenuity, the Snow Woman forgot about her desire.
By tomorrow, she’d probably return to her normal life, her birdbrain already having forgotten that I was resurrected.
Alex turned to Lanuvel with a serious expression and gave them a warning.
“You heard her. Her owner is the Demon Lord. If she takes his side, as she did 2,000 years ago, I’ll be left with no choice but to become your enemy. You need to make sure they never meet.”
“Alex! Let’s take a bath already! Faster!”
“For your own sake, I hope you heard and understood my words.”
Defeated, Sieg and Lanuvel returned from Alex’s luxurious mansion to the royal palace.
But they didn’t return empty-handed.
“Sieg, don’t be so upset.”
“I’m not upset. On the contrary, I’m glad the traitorous bastard refused! He used to appreciate male friendship before he got married and became all strange!”
As he cursed, Lanuvel waved a piece of paper as she again pretended to be cute.
“We got a recommendation from Alex, at least.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen such an outcome…”
“For the past millennia, Alex didn’t only look after Lady Snow Woman. He also taught swordsmanship to a lot of people, who are now scattered across the continents. The valuable items in his house were bought using the money he earned from that job.”
‘Alex’s apprentice… I’m guessing it’s a man.’
Sieg seemed to have the same thought.
After all, there had never been even just one female knight on the training grounds of the royal palace before because Alex often beat his students too much and shouted profanities at them, as befitting his savage attitude.
“No, he recommended a female.”
“Are you serious? No, I won’t get my hopes high. She’s probably a masculine brute.”
Sieg’s face brightened up a little for a moment but soon darkened again.
“What are you talking about? As evident from what you just experienced, Alex doesn’t like it when other men are around his wife. That’s why all of his students are women.”
“Oh!”
“And I have great news for you. The student Alex recommended is incredibly beautiful! I never thought such coincidences can actually happen until now!”
“Who is it, Lanuvel?”
She laughed.
“Princess Sylvia.”
The B-rank Hero screamed with joy, kneeling and bowing towards Alex’s house.
***
Up to this point, the development of events was similar in all dimensions.
Lanuvel’s summoned hero would visit Alex’s house, have their proposal refused, and gain a recommendation to reach out to Princess Sylvia.
Some tried to molest the Snow Woman, only to be beaten up by her stern husband as he taught them a lesson, forcing them to undergo regression.
Most of them met Sylvia without any problems, however.
“This is a request from the legendary Sword King Alex, so there’s nothing I can do about it. I do owe him, after all…”
Since history had changed, Sylvia could no longer control the spirits, causing her to become a swordswoman instead.
She chose a human as her teacher instead of an elf, which I found unusual, but it was understandable. After all, anyone who managed to live for two thousand years as a married man could no longer be labeled as an ordinary human.
However, she didn’t have the same talent her teacher had.
▷ Race: Arch-Elf
▷ Level: 425
▷ Job: Swordswoman (Beauty = Sword Mastery ↑)
▷ Skills: Sword Mastery Z, Elegance A, Charm A, Dexterity B, Evasion B…
▷ Status: Good
Her job’s effect was like the physical damage version of witches’ effect, but they didn’t have the same rarity.
Not all women who could wield a sword could become a swordswoman.
They had to train their Sword Mastery and maintain their beauty through the passage of time, ultimately requiring them to keep up with those who only focused on their swordsmanship and with the ladies who cared about nothing else but their appearances.
In other words, her job couldn’t be achieved through effort alone.
“Sylvia.”
“Sir Hero Sieg, I only agreed to become your companion because of Sir Alex’s request, so please don’t address me like you’re my boyfriend. You’re making me cringe.”
“This can’t be…”
His longtime lover’s behavior shocked him to his core.
That’s why I told him before that there was nothing good about regression.
“How long will you be watching that womanizer, cruel hubby?” Ssosia asked, hinting that she had lost all interest in Sieg.
She sounded like she wanted us to return to the Demon Lord’s castle at once and have me personally cook something for her.
My Cooking skill was currently at F-rank.
“You’re mistaken. There’s no need to think of me as a wife who misses her husband’s love.”
“But you admitted that yourself, my dear niece…”
“A-ahh! Crap! Stop meddling, auntie!”
“Hihihi!”
Ssosia’s remark was correct.
Though Alex and his G-rank Sword Mastery and Divinity had been eliminated from the game, the heroes now had Sylvia the Swordswoman in their party, ultimately increasing their overall strength.
As the Demon Lord, I shouldn’t be wasting time.
“Follow me, Ssosia.”
After parting with Sieg’s group, I returned to Alex and the Snow Woman’s mansion with my clones.
“You really are despicable and cowardly, dear husband! Leave Alex and the Snow Woman alone with their peaceful and serene life! They didn’t do anything wrong against you!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You want to take the Snow Woman away from Alex, don’t you?”
“Huh? What for?”
I didn’t even think of touching the one who voluntarily fed and drank the chicken for free in my stead.
“What do you mean what for?”
“Why do you look so surprised? You’re making me nauseous.”
“Stop exaggerating! I’m just really curious about what you’re up to!”
“Just watch.”
Alex and the Snow Woman were lovers, but they didn’t hang out all day.
Thanks to her husband, the Snow Woman managed to get out of her clothes and was now enjoying a warm bath. Alex watched her for a while before turning to wash the dishes.
But he didn’t leave the Snow Woman unguarded.
“I’ll leave her to you.”
“Yes, teacher.”
“Don’t worry about Lady Snow Woman.”
“We’ll look after her.”
The beauties quietly approached like ghosts, bowed to him, and answered.
They were all Alex’s students.
Swordswoman Sylvia was just the tip of the iceberg.
Leaving the Snow Woman to the students, Alex returned to the kitchen and began to wash the dishes.
And, as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening, he spoke.
“How much longer are you planning on watching me, True Hero?”
True Hero! He called me, the Second Demon Lord, the True Hero. I almost shed tears of joy.
Since he gave me such a title, I couldn’t stop myself but answer.
I sat down at the table and showed him the smile of the Righteous Hero as a small gift.
“You really started glowing brighter after you got married, Alex. Being an economic husband must be truly amazing. Still, won’t that chick— your lovely wife love you even more if you became the CEO of a well-known corporation?”
The MAX-Class Demon Lord could give him such a position.
