Oukoku e Tsuzuku Michi

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Lucy’s eyes change color.
They go from a brilliant blue to a blazing red.

The air crackles.
Her pupils widen like that of a dead man’s and encroach on me.
Space dissolves into a viscous fluid and coils around me.

「Ah……ggh……」

Celia, who was hanging onto my waist, collapses sideways in the same posture, tenses up and wets her pants.

It is not easy to scare someone with just your eyes.
Those eyes of hers are truly out-of-this-world.
They are not the eyes of a human.
It’s probably more appropriate to call those eyes magic that humans cannot withstand.

I am also gradually becoming unable to move my limbs.
Lucy is emitting a fierce bloodlust, and if I were to pass out, she would likely devour Celia and I.

I quietly close my eyes and reminisce about the warm memories of living with Lucy.

I am bathing in Lucy’s stare and murderous intent.

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In other words, she is looking at me.

If I extend my hand out, she should be within my reach.

What a happy feeling.

I open my eyes again.
Her gaze and determination to kill hasn’t changed.

I walk forward with a smile.
Every step I take, the pressure of her eyes increases, my limbs freeze, and my joy overflows.

「Of course.
I want to be close to Lucy, that’s why I came here.
That’s why I’ve lived up to this point.
That’s why I was born.」

My life goal and steeled resolve is equivalent to the value of my life.
As long as I don’t die instantly, I will not stop moving.

I embrace Lucy and steal her lips.
The pressure vanishes in a flash, and the sticky air reverts to its original colorless state.

「You’re such an idiot.
You could have just lived as you pleased after working your way up to become king.
Now you’ve just shouldered an enormous burden.」

Using the sarcastic remark as a breather, Lucy proceeds to press her lips on mine.
Naturally her tongue slides into my mouth and tangles with mine for a naughty kiss.

「It’s not a burden at all.
I’m a hundred times happier with Lucy.」

My toddler-like way of speaking makes me blush.

I want to impress Lucy, but at the same time I’m so used to her seeing my uncool side that I end up acting like a child.

「So……you will come with me? Of course I’ll keep this house safe and sound.
I’m the king after all.
I’ll make a law that says anyone who messes with you will be executed along with their family, and the women will become my lovers.」

Lucy giggles, then stares long and hard at the house.

Because of how long it was left vacant, dust has piled up inside.
Cleaning has to be done first.
As I was thinking of where to start, Lucy mutters nonchalantly.

「Let’s burn it down.」

「Huh?」

I unconsciously let out a hysteric sound.
I ask if I just misheard her or if she was referring to disposing the accumulated garbage inside.

「The house, let’s burn it down.」

I didn’t mishear her.
Lucy clearly said she wanted to burn the house.

The collection of memories of Lucy and I……no, that house was important to Lucy from the time we met.
This house has likely been protected by her for decades if not centuries.

「It’s important to me.
It’s a really important house……a precious, precious and meaningful house.
Perhaps even more so than my life.」

「If so, don’t say that you’re going to burn it! It’s a precious house to me too……there’s no reason to-」

A finger is placed on my lips.

「This house is the only thing I have left.
This is supposed to be the place where my past, my memories, and this aimless self are supposed to end up……no, I should say ended up.」

Lucy takes a torch from Celia, who is still hunched over and gasping for air, lights it on fire and……tosses it casually at the house like it was a piece of fruit.

「Uuk!」

My body steps forward automatically, but Lucy grabs me by the collar.

The flame of the torch instantly licks up the household belongings, spreads along the floor, and gradually climbs up the wall until it reaches the roof.
It’s too late to stop it now.
Our house is going to burn down.

Lucy pokes my miserable face and smiles.
She keeps her blue eyes red.

「It’s Aegir’s fault.」

「That’s a bit extreme.」

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When I slump my shoulders dejectedly, she cackles.
She doesn’t direct her gaze at the burning house.

「This is the past.
As someone without a future, it is a precious place……but now I’m interested for the first time in hundreds of years to walk forward.
You pushed me, that’s why it’s your fault this happened.」

The house has already turned into a giant pillar of flame.
Nobody can tell what was originally there.

Lucy rummages through my bag, finding at the bottom the tattered……cloak, which she gave to me, stifles a laugh, and chucks it into the fire without hesitation.

「The promise and the memories are no more.
Let us walk together into the future.」

The cloak which held up to so much punishment over the years is reduced to cinders and disappears in the conflagration.
Whether it was because of the raging fire or Lucy’s will, I don’t know.

I let Celia walk up to the fire to dry her pants and stare into empty space as I reflect on all our past memories.

When Lucy teased me, I slipped a frog in the back of her shirt for revenge.
If I recall, I was hung on the edge of the eaves for an entire day.

I tried cooking in the kitchen, but ended up creating a mysterious substance.
Lucy said she didn’t want it and I had to eat both portions.
I got a stomach ache.

She woke me up and told me to get rid of an annoying mouse that ran under the floorboards.
Once I crawled through the dust and eventually eliminated the pest, she gave me a kiss which made me happy for the whole day.

The bed we made love in all day long……I remember one time I tried to decorate the room with a flower, but she said it felt more like a funeral and sulked for a while.

All of those memories are now engulfed by the flames.
But I have no regrets.
I don’t have to.

Lucy is burning the house so she can leave the forest.
She is going to come with me.
She is going to live with me.

Then how can the tears that flow from my eyes be anything other than tears of joy?

The woman I love is going to be by my side, what good is it to look back?
I’m going to make Lucy happy from now on.
That will make me happy too.
It’s that simple.

A flood of emotions rush through me as I embrace Lucy’s shoulder.

「……and one more thing.
Ei!」

Lucy mutters and plants a hot kiss――or rather, throws a powerful punch at my face.
I immediately put my guard up, but my body was still sent into the air and flew backwards 10 meters.
Her punch had enough strength to tear the head off an average man.

「Guh, why? Hysteria……?」

Nonna once shattered a vase she cherished by mistake and she clutched onto me, crying.
Is this the same kind of thing?

「I didn’t want to ruin the mood so I let it go before, but that kiss earlier tasted and smelled unpleasant.」

「No way, I made sure my oral care was perfect!」

Knowing that I would get a kiss and possibly get my dick sucked, I swallowed ten whole lemons before coming.
When I tested my breath on my hand, all I could smell was the intense fragrance of citrus.
And frankly, it stinks.

「I also thought the lemon scent was a bit much……but that’s not what I meant.
Isn’t that right, Brynhildr?」

Lucy smirks and looks at a certain part of the forest.
It doesn’t appear to be a friendly smile.

「A bonfire in the middle of the forest is quite the nuisance.
I guess you’re done with the house where you lived with ‘him’?」

Brynhildr emerges with a blatant display of scorn and hostility.

Accompanying her as usual is Siegfried, but this time he isn’t in a position to protect her, he is far behind her.

Although he doesn’t have an expression, it feels as if he is somewhat bewildered and looks as if he does a bow when he makes eye contact with Lucy.

「I wonder why she doesn’t seem very charming, even though she has such a cute appearance…… right, Aegir?」

Lucy playfully bites my ear.
When I inevitably let out a pathetic groan of pleasure, Brynhildr pounces.