“So that means the Skyship won’t be fixed until tomorrow at the earliest, huh.”

After listening to Shinra’s report on the damage to the Skyship, Albel pinched his chin and gave a small nod.

“Yeah. The barrier’s crucial for a Skyship, so we can’t use it again until it’s fully repaired.”

“So in other words, we’re free to do whatever we want until tomorrow.”

Albel blinked. What should he do to kill time?

“You could put it that way.”

Shinra shrugged.

“Then I’ll go walk around the city for a bit. You two wanna come?”

Albel decided to head out into the city. He’d never really taken a good look at a human city before. Who knew, maybe he’d find something fun to pass the time.

“I’ll pass. If you wanna go, Yurei, go ahead. Don’t worry about me.”

Shinra shook her head. Her body had always been weak, so she’d long since committed to the principle of “if you don’t have to move, don’t.” Window-shopping was absolutely off the table.

“I’m not going either. I’ll stay here with Milady.”

Yurei Amamiya suddenly remembered what she’d said earlier about streaking if Albel suddenly showed up. Her cheeks instantly flushed bright red.

“That won’t do. Weren’t you going streaking, Yurei?”

Shinra clearly saw right through what Yurei was thinking and, picking exactly the pot that shouldn’t be opened, teased her with a smile.

“Milady, please don’t make fun of me anymore…”

Yurei ducked her head shyly. Her mistress really had terrible taste in jokes.

“Streaking?!”

The moment Albel heard the word “streaking,” his face lit up with wild excitement. He loved watching people streak. Yurei Amamiya was going to streak?

Thinking that, he gave Yurei’s figure a careful once-over. He hadn’t really noticed when she’d been in her combat suit, but judging from the shape of her underwear earlier, this girl who looked like she didn’t have much of a chest was hiding some serious volume.

“You perv, get out of here, now!”

Alicia saw Albel pressing for details about Yurei’s “streaking” comment and immediately scowled. She grabbed him by the ear and dragged him out of the room.

Alusa could only cover her mouth and snicker as she watched Albel groan in pain, face twisted in agony, then followed them out.

“Ow, ow, that hurts! You dare pull my ear like that? Aren’t you afraid I’ll get back at you?”

Albel rubbed his reddening ear in pain. This idiot Holy Maiden really didn’t hold back. He put on a vicious look, trying to scare Alicia.

“Hmph. Go on then, get back at me.”

Contrary to Albel’s expectations, Alicia planted her fists on her hips, puffed out her full chest, and glared up at him with a fearless look.

Tch. Gone one day and this girl’s gotten bold. She’s not even scared of me anymore.

Seeing Alicia’s attitude, Albel felt amused. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. She wanted to flip the script on him? Keep dreaming.

“You said it yourself. Don’t blame me when I really do get back at you.”

Albel had already found himself a perfect excuse for what he was about to do, and dug a nice little pit for Alicia to fall into.

“Yeah, I said it. Come on, get your revenge.”

Just as he expected, Alicia jumped right in. Albel had a lot of faith in her IQ—faith that she’d do exactly this.

“Then I won’t hold back.”

Albel’s gaze dropped straight to Alicia’s chest. Without hesitation, he spread his wicked claws and lunged in, grabbing the two towering mounds with both hands and kneading them thoroughly.

“W–what are you doing?!”

Alicia never imagined Albel would suddenly ambush her chest. She froze on the spot, so shocked she didn’t even react on instinct.

“So soft…”

Palming Alicia’s breasts, Albel let out a heartfelt sigh. Since yesterday he’d been stuck with Lucia the whole time and hadn’t gotten a single cheap touch in. He’d been pent up to the breaking point. This Holy Maiden might be airheaded, but her body was top-tier. The perfect shape of her chest, the feel in his hands—it was that familiar sensation he knew so well.

Alusa’s face flushed red as she watched Albel’s hands at work. She hurriedly turned her head away. Were these two just going to pretend she didn’t exist?

“Mm… y-you pervert, you total creep!”

With Albel’s hands ravaging her chest, Alicia went dazed for a moment, even letting out a breathy, confused moan. Thankfully she didn’t completely lose her senses. She finally snapped back to herself, slapped Albel across the face, then covered her chest with both arms, cheeks burning.

“I’ve been holding back for too long. Had to get a handful in first.”

Even though Alicia had smacked him, the groping had felt great. Albel grinned, totally satisfied.

“I’m gonna kill you, you perv! You’ve been back two seconds and you’re already bullying me!”

Alicia puffed out her cheeks, seeing Albel’s smug expression and getting more and more furious. She charged forward to hit him again, but Albel had already bolted.

Watching the bickering pair, Alusa’s expression turned complicated. She could only give a bitter smile and shake her head as she started to follow. But after taking just one step, her body trembled violently. A look of extreme pain twisted her features, and beads of sweat rolled down her face.

“Mm…”

Alusa did her best to stifle any sound. She yanked up her sleeve, revealing her pale arm. A terrifying black brand was rapidly spreading along it, already reaching her elbow.

“Damn… I’m out of time?”

She tugged the sleeve back down, gritted her teeth, wiped the sweat from her face, and muttered under her breath.

“Alusa, what’re you doing? Al’s about to get away—hurry up and help me catch him!”

Alicia couldn’t catch Albel by herself. Realizing that, she turned back and shouted to Alusa for help.

“I’m coming, I’m coming!”

Hearing Alicia call her, Alusa hurriedly forced herself back under control, answered, and ran toward Alicia.

By the time Alicia and Alusa chased Albel downstairs and out, a few black feathers flickered into existence at the doorway of the room they’d just left. A second later, Verdandi’s figure slowly descended from midair.

“What are you hiding, exactly?”

Verdandi tilted her head as she watched the direction Alusa had gone, murmuring to herself in a flat tone.

“Forget it. As long as it doesn’t hurt my brother, I don’t have to care.”

Her figure vanished again. The few black feathers that drifted down shattered on the floor and disappeared, as if they’d never been there.

Meanwhile, on the main street of Qatar City—

“Boom!”

In a room off to the side of the street, a violent explosion suddenly went off. The shockwave shattered the windows, and several jets of flame blasted outward.

People on the street quickly ducked away. No one dared rush in to fight the fire. They only watched from a distance, thinking it was probably a gas explosion.

“Waaah…”

A little boy ran out of the burning house, crying as he slapped at the flames licking his clothes.

The nearby residents hurried to him, patting out the fire on his body, then carrying him away from the danger.

“Mom! Mom’s still inside!”

The boy sobbed and pointed toward the burning house, shouting at the top of his lungs. But the blaze inside was far too intense now; nobody dared go in.

A few residents ran home to grab basins and buckets of water to fight the fire, but the flames were too strong. That little bit of water was nothing but a drop in the bucket.

Just when everyone was at a loss, the door of the burning house suddenly swung open from the inside. A long–haired woman, charred black from head to toe, slowly walked out.

The residents rushed forward, ready to beat out the flames still burning on her body—but they all froze before they could reach her. The fire on the woman’s body was… going out on its own.

When the last flames died and the burned cloth fell away, exposing patches of skin, the onlookers’ faces twisted into stunned horror.

The woman’s body was covered in thick black-and-red markings that looked like magical runes, with glowing light pulsing through them like blood. Her face was traced over as well; two lines under her eyes ran down like tears to her neck. With that twisted expression, she looked like a demon.

She just stood there by the roadside, motionless.

The boy cried and tried to run to her, but the residents around him held him back.

A few braver souls stepped forward, wanting to see what was wrong with the woman. But before they could get close, a chill lanced through their bellies. Looking down, they saw that at some point, tentacle-like appendages had extended from the woman’s body and pierced right through them.

“Ahhh!”

“A monster!”

“Run!”

The crowd screamed as they saw four tentacles sprouting from the woman’s body and three residents skewered where they stood. Panic exploded, and people scattered in all directions.

“Mom…”

Once everyone had fled, no one was left to look after the little boy. He kept crying, calling for his mom as he walked step by step toward the woman.

Just then, Albel burst out of the inn and happened to see the scene on the street. He froze in place.

What the hell is this? A gas explosion?

“Ha! Got you, you damn perv. I’m gonna beat you to death!”

Alicia ran out of the inn, saw Albel standing there, and immediately jumped onto his back. She grabbed both his ears and twisted hard.

“Cut it out. Look—over there!”

Albel smacked her lightly on the head, then pointed at the little boy slowly approaching the tentacled woman and shouted.

“W-what’s going on… We have to save him!”

Alicia stared, stunned, then quickly snapped out of it. She drew the Holy Sword and rushed toward the boy.

“Idiot, that’s dangerous!”

Albel gritted his teeth as she charged in without a second thought. Could this girl try using her brain before acting? He had no choice but to run after her.

By now, the boy had reached the tentacled woman. He reached out his small hand, trying to touch his blood-soaked “mom.” The woman’s lifeless eyes slowly shifted to him, and one of her tentacles extended, inching toward his face.

“Holy Light Shield!”

The moment the tentacle shot forward, Alicia reached the boy’s side and raised the Holy Sword, summoning a glowing barrier to shield the crying child.

Seeing Alicia, the woman’s other three tentacles immediately thrust toward her. Alicia tried to dodge, but it was far too late.

Swick.

A second later, the three tentacles punched clean through Albel’s body as he shielded Alicia.

“S-so this… is what pain feels like…”

Pushing Alicia aside, Albel clenched his teeth against the agony and wrapped his hand around the hilt of the Holy Sword. With the last of his strength, he reversed his grip and drove the golden blade straight into the tentacled woman’s body.

Struck by a Holy Sword that could purify all corruption, the tentacled woman instantly dissolved into a beam of light and vanished. With the tentacles gone, Albel’s body lost its support and slowly toppled over.

“A-Al…?”

Alicia watched his body slump into her arms, his blood splashing across her face. Her eyes went wide and empty, as if she couldn’t believe what was happening.

PS: At this point, some of you might be wondering about the male lead’s passive effect: “Albel won’t be chosen as a target of attacks.”

That means the enemy’s skills can’t *select* Albel as their target.

However, any attack that hits him by accident, or cases where Albel actively moves into the trajectory of an attack aimed at someone else, can still damage him.