...
{3rd Pov}
"You really are shameless," Flugel commented while looking toward Reid Astrea, who was currently drinking straight from an entire pot of booze without the slightest bit of restraint.
"The booze isn't going to buy itself," Reid replied immediately, sounding completely justified in his own mind. "And the last time I took some booze from these weaklings, I ended up getting an earful from Mother and the old man."
As he mentioned it, his expression crunched slightly with visible annoyance, as though being scolded for stealing money had been the true injustice in the situation.
"Not to mention," he continued while pointing at Flugel with the pot still in hand, "you're my servant anyway, so naturally I should be the one collecting payment for your work."
Then Reid nodded proudly to himself.
"I'm honestly a very merciful lord when you think about it."
The way he said it made it sound as though his explanation was perfectly reasonable and completely logical.
Unfortunately, nobody else in the room seemed convinced by that argument.
"So now I've been demoted to a servant?" Flugel said while staring at Reid Astrea with visible dissatisfaction. "What's next? Are you going to demote me into a pebble lying on the ground? Honestly, maybe I should just add your name to my revenge list already."
His tone was filled with pure exasperation at this point.
"Haha!" Reid laughed loudly without the slightest concern. "You're free to add me to whatever list you want! Honestly, having some challenges appear in my life would finally make things less boring."
Far from being intimidated, Reid actually sounded excited by the idea.
In fact, because Flugel was such a mysterious existence, Reid was genuinely interested in seeing him grow stronger over time and eventually challenge him seriously one day.
To Reid, that sounded entertaining.
'This bastard…' Flugel thought internally while feeling increasingly irritated.
At that moment, he finally understood something clearly.
No wonder Reid was the ancestor of the completely dysfunctional Astrea family.
He absolutely deserved that position.
Only someone with absolutely no common sense whatsoever could possibly become the ancestor of an entire bloodline filled with people who also lacked common sense.
Really, the similarities were impossible to ignore.
Birds of the same flock truly did fly together.
'Since I can currently use only magic and a limited number of Authorities, then there's only one option left for me,' Subaru thought seriously.
And that option was simple.
If the existing magic of Od Laguna was not enough for him anymore, then he would simply create new magic.
Magic from other worlds.
Magic based on completely different systems of knowledge and understanding.
At this point, he had already realized that relying purely on the powers available in this world would eventually limit him. So instead of remaining trapped within those limitations, he decided he would broaden the concept of magic itself.
It was time to get Ready Perfectly.
It was time for a training arc.
"Master! I solved that equation! Please teach me a new one!" his internal monologue about his upcoming plans was suddenly interrupted by Echidna, who approached him with a beautiful smile on her face.
At a glance, anyone would have mistaken her for an innocent young girl excited to learn something new.
But Subaru knew better.
Behind that elegant expression was the terrifying greed of the Witch of Greed herself.
Ever since he had decided to teach Echidna mathematical equations and concepts from another world, her attitude toward him had completely changed.
Originally, he had merely been an interesting person in her eyes.
Then he became someone important.
Then someone valuable.
And before he even realized it, he had somehow gone from being a mysterious man to becoming her official "Master" in her mind.
"You solved it already?" Flugel sighed while looking at Echidna with visible exhaustion.
Honestly, he was starting to feel grateful for his enhanced mental processing abilities. If his brain had not become thousands of times stronger than normal, there was absolutely no way he would have been able to keep up with Echidna's monstrous greed for knowledge.
The woman absorbed information at a terrifying pace.
'She already solved all of those… then maybe I should give her something more problematic this time,' he thought with frustration, his mind going towards those impossible unsolvable theories.
'Maybe the Three Body Problem? Or perhaps time travel paradoxes?'
Just as he was considering what kind of impossible problem he should throw at her next—
BOOM.
Someone suddenly kicked open the door of the pub.
The wooden entrance shattered violently as pieces of wood flew across the room, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"I heard Lugunica's genius swordsman is here!" a loud voice declared dramatically from the entrance.
The introduction itself sounded so absurdly cliché that Subaru almost wanted to sigh.
Naturally, he glanced toward the newcomer.
And the moment he saw the man his face froze completely.
'THE FUCK?!' Subaru screamed internally in utter shock.
Because the person standing there looked exactly like Ram.
No it really was Ram, but at the same time, it absolutely was not the Ram he knew.
This version had a heavily muscular body and the kind of shameless scumbag expression that immediately made him look like someone who would get arrested on sight.
‘Male Ram…?’ Flugel’s lips twitched uncontrollably as he stared at the newcomer.
At that moment, more than anything else, he wanted to completely abandon his carefully maintained Flugel persona and just start acting like himself again.
Maybe scream at the heavens.
Maybe complain directly to whatever god or cosmic entity had thrown him into this situation.
Because truly—
‘I would genuinely rather die than keep looking at this,’ he thought internally while immediately turning his gaze away as though trying to protect his own sanity.
He seriously wished he had bleach for his eyes right now.
“So you’re the famous Heavenly Sword?” the man said with a rough grunt as his attention shifted toward Reid Astrea.
Meanwhile, Reid was still casually drinking booze straight from an entire pot.
Apparently, the concept of moderation simply did not exist for him.
After loudly chugging the alcohol down his throat, Reid finally lowered the empty container and looked directly toward the two horned oni standing before him.
“Oh? Looks like there’s a new ant in town,” Reid Astrea said casually after glancing toward the oni.
The moment those words were spoken, the oni’s expression instantly turned cold, his eyes becoming sharp as if he were staring at a corpse.
However, Reid barely seemed interested.
Instead, he glanced between the oni and the booze he had been drinking, looking mildly annoyed at the interruption.
Then, without warning he casually grabbed a wooden spoon from a nearby desk.
And swung it.
That was all.
The movement was so simple that it almost looked lazy.
Yet in the very next moment, both horns of the Oni God were sliced cleanly apart before he could even react to what had happened.
One instant he had been standing there proudly like some invincible oni chad, and the next instant he had been reduced into just another powerless oni.
“…”
Silence filled between them.
Complete silence.
The tension was broken only when Reid casually grabbed another entire pot of booze and began chugging it down his throat as though he had been wandering through a desert for days.
“Since I don’t have horns anymore, how about we compete to see who can drink more booze?” the man said while making a confident gesture with his hand, as if losing both horns moments ago was merely a minor inconvenience.
Reid Astrea finally stopped drinking.
For the first time since the oni entered, genuine interest appeared on his face.
“Oh, now that’s what I’m talking about,” Reid grinned widely before adding, “But you’re paying for all the booze, okay?”
Although he phrased it like a question, Flugel could instantly tell it was absolutely a threat.
The kind where refusing would probably result in getting beaten up.
“Of course!” the oni laughed loudly without the slightest hesitation.
“Oh, by the way, you still haven’t told us who you are,” Echidna asked with visible interest as she observed the man carefully.
“Me?” the oni smiled proudly. “People used to call me the Oni God.”
“Used to?” Echidna repeated curiously.
“Yes,” the man replied while casually pointing toward his forehead where his horns had previously existed. “I doubt anyone would even call me an oni anymore.”
Without his horns, his body had already begun shifting into a low energy survival state, conserving mana instinctively due to the massive loss he had just suffered.
Meanwhile, although Flugel was deliberately looking away to avoid seeing the muscular male version of Ram for too long, he was still completely speechless internally at how absurd this entire situation had become.
“Aren’t you accepting this a little too easily?” Flugel finally asked, unable to hold back the most basic and reasonable question any longer.
After all, the man had just lost both of his horns in a single casual attack.
Most people would have broken mentally on the spot.
But instead—
“I came here wanting to fight the Heavenly Sword,” the self proclaimed Oni God replied proudly while crossing his arms. “But as you can clearly see, I’ve already understood the difference in pure strength between us.”
Despite admitting that fact openly, there was not even a hint of despair on his face.
Instead, his grin only widened further.
“But I’m not giving up!” he declared loudly. “If I can’t defeat him in a physical fight, then I’ll beat him in a drinking competition instead!”
Then he pointed dramatically toward Reid Astrea.
“Remember this, Reid Astrea! I, the Oni God, shall defeat you today!”
His grin stretched into something almost devilish as fighting spirit burned within his eyes despite the humiliating defeat he had just suffered.
Meanwhile, Reid looked entirely unimpressed.
“Oi,” he said impatiently while resting his chin on one hand, “if you’re done with all that dramatic weakling talk about never giving up or whatever, can we start already?”
For some reason, nearly every opponent Reid encountered eventually started making passionate speeches like this, acting as though sheer willpower alone would somehow change the fact that they were about to lose anyway.
And frankly he was getting tired of hearing it every single time.
‘Look at the confidence on that guy…’ Flugel thought while still deliberately looking away from the former Oni God.
Shaking his head slowly, he finally stood up from his seat.
“Echidna, tell me once this competition is over,” Flugel said while preparing to leave.
Echidna immediately nodded seriously.
“Understood, Master!”
At that moment, Flugel realized something terrifying.
He had somehow obtained a Shaula before even meeting Shaula.
‘I seriously just want to leave this place already,’ he thought internally while quickly heading outside.
Honestly, he would rather die than continue looking at a male version of Ram for much longer.
…
As expected, Reid Astrea utterly destroyed the Oni God in the drinking competition.
And not only that he also managed to completely erase whatever dignity and remaining money the poor oni still possessed.
Previously, the Oni God had everything.
Power.
Reputation.
Money.
But now?
Now he was hornless, broke, and humiliated all at once.
“What are you doing?! Wash it properly!” a maid shouted angrily toward the muscular oni who was currently standing near a pile of dirty dishes.
“I am washing them! I am washing them!” the former Oni God cried back miserably while scrubbing plates with obvious despair in his voice.
Unfortunately for him, after the drinking contest ended, he discovered that he did not possess nearly enough money to pay for the absurd amount of alcohol both he and Reid had consumed.
And considering they had practically emptied the entire town’s stock of booze in one sitting, the debt became catastrophic.
In the end, the only way for him to repay it was to start working at the pub itself.
And just like that the legend of the Oni God ended before it even truly began.
...
Flugel stared at the vast plain grassland stretching out before him while Echidna stood beside him holding a towel in her hands.
His eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Why exactly are you carrying a towel?” he asked while glancing toward her.
“Of course!” Echidna replied immediately in the sweetest and most honey coated tone imaginable. “It is to clean my master of any filth after he finishes his training!”
The way she said it made her sound like the perfect devoted disciple.
“You do realize I’m a magician, right?” Flugel pointed out with a deadpan expression.
“Lady Astrea told me that it’s the thought that counts!” Echidna answered proudly without missing a beat.
“…”
Flugel instantly felt a headache coming.
At this point, he genuinely wished he could somehow get back the Echidna he originally knew.
At least that version of Echidna was honest about being dangerous.
This younger Echidna, meanwhile, constantly acted like some adorable anime heroine while hiding terrifying intentions underneath that cute behavior.
And the worst part was that Subaru knew perfectly well it was all an act.
Every single bit of it.
Heck, there was a very real possibility that while smiling innocently right now, she was simultaneously imagining how to dissect his body and analyze his abilities in the most efficient way possible once she got the opportunity.
“Fine, I’ll teach you,” Flugel said with a sigh before looking toward Echidna seriously. “But stop calling me Master all the time. Just call me Flugel instead, okay?”
Then, after a brief pause, he added calmly, “After all, if the whole thing is fake anyway, then I’d rather you refer to me normally.”
Echidna remained silent for a moment.
Anger.
Hatred.
Those were among the few emotions truly familiar to the Witch known as Echidna.
But things like genuine sadness, happiness, or frustration were fundamentally different matters entirely.
At her core, she was the embodiment of Greed itself.
Knowledge.
Power.
Possibilities.
She desired all of them endlessly without limit.
Everything that existed within reach of understanding was something she wanted to claim for herself.
And because of that, most interactions she had with others were ultimately artificial to every extent, carefully constructed personas designed to help satisfy her greed.
“Very well, Sir Flugel,” she finally replied without blinking. “Then I shall return to the way I referred to you previously.”
Her expression remained perfectly calm and composed as she spoke.
‘How did someone like this even fall in love with me in the first place?’ Flugel wondered internally while looking at Echidna.
Even now, it still felt strange to think about.
After all, he already knew that Echidna would eventually mature over time and, somehow, genuinely fall in love with him. So deeply, in fact, that even the Echidna from the Castle of Dreams, who was emotionally very similar to her current younger self, would still become obsessed with Subaru in her own twisted and complicated way.
And yet, when looking at her now, it was hard to imagine.
This version of Echidna barely understood emotions beyond her own greed and desires.
‘So basically, I’m trying to teach love to someone who fundamentally doesn’t understand it… what is this? Some kind of rom com plotline?’ he thought while shaking his head internally.
At the moment, he was still maintaining the image of Flugel properly.
A mysterious sage who rarely spoke, but whose words carried enough weight that others naturally listened whenever he did.
Otherwise if he were acting normally, he would have already unleashed an endless stream of insults, sarcasm, anime references, and jokes that absolutely nobody in this world would understand.
Unfortunately, all those comments remained trapped inside his own mind.
‘Seriously… there are way too many losing heroines in my story,’ he lamented inwardly while making yet another reference that only he himself could understand.
To be continued...