He noticed, almost by instinct, Aqua's trembling, the sweat permeating her goddess clothes which, instead of making her smell bad, had the opposite effect. As she shot forward like a bullet toward its target, Inox kept his cool.
"Four enemies in total, two men and two women, probably a group of adventurers," he quickly analyzed those who were hiding. "I can handle them; it wouldn't be a problem as long as Aqua heals me."
Then, he focused his gaze on the girl. She knelt, one knee touching the ground, the other forward, and extended a hand that shone with the morning light. She muttered something he couldn't quite catch before lowering her head.
"Heal."
The goddess's voice rang out before the Japanese boy's body quickly returned to normal. Bones, tendons, wounds—everything vanished in a spectacle of divine healing.
"This idiot..." Aqua muttered. He patted her right shoulder. "I... just," the girl lowered her voice as she touched the boy's chin.
"Kazuma is fine now, right? Lady Aqua, there's no need to worr—" Inox was about to speak, looking up at the sky, when a movement from the girl stopped him.
"You damn bastard, you took the wine Inox gave me!!!" The shrill sound of the girl's voice reverberated all around. Aqua grabbed the boy by the hair and began shoving him forcefully into the dirt. "You wretched NEET!!! I was looking for that wine all night!!!"
The prince raised an eyebrow, frowned, and shook his head slightly before smiling. "Hahahaha!!!" He let out a burst of laughter while clutching his stomach. And here I thought she was worried about her companion, he thought.
"Wake up!!!" Aqua shook the Japanese boy again, who was slowly opening his eyes.
"But..." Inox focused on Kazuma for a moment. What did you do to get beaten up like this? he asked himself.
A few moments later in the cabin within Inox's territory.
"So, that's how it is..." the prince let out a held breath. The boy, Kazuma, who was sitting in the chair with his head bowed and a sandwich in front of him, made a faint noise with his mouth.
He had brought the two of them to his cabin—after all, the house would finish being built today. He gave Aqua some wine he had saved up, and she retired to a room on the first floor while he and Kazuma talked on the ground floor.
"You're impulsive. Why would you insult unknown adventurers? If it weren't for Lady Aqua, you might be dead right now." He patted the table with a hint of exhaustion.
The Japanese boy frowned, slowly raising his head before letting out a snort. "Bah! Aqua? If it weren't for her, I'd be surrounded by wealth and beautiful girls right now..." he spat.
Inox raised an eyebrow. "I don't know your history with Aqua, but you are here now, Kazuma. You've been acting strangely since the party's last battle."
The Japanese boy turned his head and looked up to observe him. He opened his mouth a couple of times like a fish out of water before clicking his tongue. "Tell me, Inox, aren't you afraid?" His eyes narrowed, inspecting the features of the man in front of him.
In response, the prince gave a half-smile. "Who knows, maybe I am. We're all afraid; sometimes I just ignore it."
Kazuma shook his head, then pointed at the man's nose. "You like Aqua, don't you? That's why you act so gentle with her." He also cracked a smile.
"What the hell, man? You come and ask me if I'm afraid, then you ask me about Aqua for no apparent reason. There's a spare room upstairs; go get some rest." The prince turned around, ready to cook his breakfast.
"No one would be so nice to a girl that... stupid and useless without some hidden ulterior motive." Kazuma let out a sigh before heading up the stairs, ready to go to sleep.
"Huh?" A moment passed. The prince gritted his teeth with a frown. "Arrogant, talking to me in that tone..." he muttered before shaking his head and going back to what he was doing.
Inox finished his breakfast and returned to work. The laborers under Rosco arrived to finish building the new house.
He grabbed the large pot and kept dragging it. In the center of the farming territory, a 10-by-10-meter space had been designated, in which a hole one meter in diameter had been dug to a depth of five meters in the center.
Once again, continuing with his previous steps, Inox cut open the side of the pot. He took out the mixture of fertile soil and fertilizer that had formed into a solid block from the pot's compression, and with some effort, he placed it inside the hole.
"That finishes it..." He let out a heavy sigh. Forgetting that he still had 20 seeds left in his system storage, he let out a light chuckle as he sat on the plowed field.
"The day will come. I should look for Darkness and Dust so they can come over," he said, watching as Rosco and his crew finished the job.
Finally, he paid the money, and they left, though Rosco couldn't help but take a second look at his cultivable territory, which had over twenty plant sprouts and one larger sprout right in the center.
"Mister Inox, your crops are growing very fast," he dropped a quick comment before taking his leave.
The prince frowned, but quickly forgot about it and went back to the cabin.
He was about to call Aqua and Kazuma to help him cook when he heard a faint sob.
His ears perked up. With cautious eyes, he thought about calling out, before curiosity got the better of him.
He slowly walked up the wooden stairs without making much noise. He followed the direction the sound was coming from, approaching slowly with a curious expression.
The door was slightly ajar. So, he peeked his head in, pushing it slowly without making a sound. It's not right to spy on others, but... he felt there was something interesting in there.
Aqua was inside the room, sitting on a bed, hugging a large bottle of wine against her chest. Her head was bowed, and her arms trembled slightly as she let out soft sobs.
Her face couldn't be seen, but the front of her dress was completely soaked, her hair slightly messy, and the wine bottle empty.
The prince looked from one side to the other repeatedly before opening his mouth. But, pursing his lips, he slowly backed away and headed to another room down the hall. Looking through the gap in the door, he saw Kazuma sleeping like a log.
Did she hear Kazuma's words this morning? was the first thing that came to his mind. A slight, stabbing pain hit his chest as a warm, spicy fire burned his windpipe.
He took a deep breath before attempting to head toward Aqua's door, but right at that moment.
Knockknock
The sound of someone knocking on the front door was heard.
Sorry I haven't posted in a while—I've been having some issues with my arms, but things are getting better, so there will be more updates :3