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Working hard and enjoying a meal is truly special.

Anyone who has experienced the difference between eating a meal after sweating it out with hard work and merely clicking a few times on their phone while lounging at home can understand this.

Luke felt the same way.

From the moment he started hunting goblins, his belly grumbled, only calming down when dinner time finally came.

Luke’s jaw moved without a moment’s pause.

“Umami!”

The first dish he had here was a tomahawk steak.

The visuals were familiar, reminiscent of the Earth, but unlike the pricey food back home, here it was something he could eat anytime.

Being the type to savor his favorite dish until the end, Luke purposely gobbled up the pesky vegetables first, gripping the bone handle of the steak to enjoy it last.

There seemed to be some commotion nearby, but it was trivial for Luke.

The meat right before his eyes looked far too appetizing for him to focus on anything else.

“Itadakimasu~”

At that moment—

Thud.

Something struck Luke’s arm, sending the meat in his hand flying through the air.

It felt like a scene in slow motion, as if played back by a high-speed camera, and finally—

Thud.

The meat surrendered itself to the dust on the floor.

Beside him, Luna watched the entire sequence unfold.

“Ah…”

She had tried to get away before something like this happened, but it was already too late.

The expression Luke had just moments ago was pure happiness, but now, what would it be?

Turning to look, she caught sight of Luke kneeling next to the fallen meat, his face filled with sorrow as he stared down.

“Ah… aaah…”

Luke, slumped on the ground, sighed.

‘My, my meat…’

In an instant, a flashback raced through Luke’s mind of everything leading up to this moment.

The kind goblin that sacrificed itself for his delicious meal, helping him eat his fill.

The golden goblin that had forced him to stuff himself, claiming that wasn’t enough.

Finally, the cold meat lying before him.

What had he done wrong to deserve such a grueling twist of fate?

Thud. Splat.

“Lu, Luke?”

Luna was taken aback by Luke suddenly shedding tears.

Was it really worth crying over some fallen food?

Or was there some backstory she didn’t know about?

Honestly, she couldn’t relate, so she just stood there, fumbling for words.

“You damn filthy trickster, you’ve got some strength!”

“You too!”

Yet, the culprits responsible for this calamity were still obliviously bickering beside them.

Though they had just met and didn’t have much trust, Luke had saved her life, and Luna couldn’t just sit by while those fools made him unhappy.

“Fuck.”

Just as Luna was about to cast her magic, a voice from below froze her in place.

“Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!”

Luke kept spouting curses.

Though Luna didn’t know much about him yet, having witnessed how he dealt with mercenaries, his current demeanor was terrifying.

Those men could likely handle her on their own, but the sight of Luke sent chills down her spine, and she instinctively took a step back.

As soon as Luna stepped back, Luke rose from his seat.

Quietly, he approached the men, having left the table.

Luna felt a bit relieved that he hadn’t drawn his sword.

Arriving behind the men who were still engaged in their brawl, Luke placed his hands on their heads.

“Etiquette.”

Bang!

The head of the man on the left smashed into the table.

“W-What are you?!”

The man on the right was shocked by the sudden attack.

“I’m.”

Bang!

He too met the same fate as the man before him.

“Creating.”

The reason Luke hadn’t drawn his sword was simple.

‘You all should feel the same pain the meat suffered.’

The cold meat that had turned into a lifeless corpse.

Already covered in dust, it didn’t obey the three-second rule.

Death was merely a luxury; Luke had just now come to understand what he had never grasped in all the revenge stories he had read.

“You all have absolutely no etiquette for public spaces.”

Luke raised the men up by their hair, forcing their faces to collide.

“Ugh!”

“Ughk!”

With just a stat of 16 for strength, all he did was draw some blood from their noses, but after once, twice, and three times, their noses lost their shape, and a few teeth could be seen flying out.

“What do you think is the most brutal punishment for a man?”

Even with those two in his hands, they wouldn’t be able to answer.

“N-Nah…”

“O-Oh no…”

Having caught off guard and with their faces in shambles, there was no way they could respond.

What could be the harshest punishment for men? Luke thought and thought.

A shot to the balls is a common weakness among all men. Crushing them brings immense pain.

But, even that wasn’t the worst.

“For those without a mother, a penalty to remove their hair.”

A baldness penalty.

A man’s life and confidence stem from his hair.

Luke was currently holding the man on the left, whose head was full and luscious.

His natural curls were so fluffy it was delightful to grasp.

The man on Luke’s right had a short sports cut.

It seemed easy to manage, but he wouldn’t need to care for it anymore, so he should be grateful to Luke.

“Luna. Bring me fire.”

“W-What? Fire…?”

“Yeah. Anything will do, as long as it’s fire.”

“I understand.”

Following Luke’s orders, Luna asked a server if they had any fire.

“Uh, we do have matches.”

“Then could you bring some oil too?”

“The only oil we have is for lighting lanterns…”

“Just bring that quickly!”

“Y-Yes!”

At Luna’s firm command, the server rushed into the kitchen, and before long, he returned with matches and oil for the lantern.

“Luke, here are the matches and oil.”

“You have good sense, Luna.”

“Thank you.”

Without hesitation, Luke unscrewed the cap of the oil and poured it over the men’s heads.

“Sa-save me…”

“Please…”

“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”

In a world overflowing with belligerent adventurers, the Empire was vast, but it was too big for that.

Because of that, the Empire itself often turns a blind eye to trivial squabbles among adventurers, as long as murder doesn’t occur.

“But, you know, if you seek forgiveness, I’ll let you know how to do it.”

Was this perhaps Luke’s final mercy?

Luna, who had witnessed his fury from behind, thought it was odd for him to show mercy to such men.

“Zabatu-shiyain…”

“Zesaru-nain…”

The terrified men grabbed Luke’s pant legs, mumbling apologies with trembling voices.

“Wrong, wrrooonnggg!”

Bang!

They hit their heads against the fallen meat.

“What the hell are you apologizing to the wrong person?!”

Can’t you see the cold meat right there?!

It’s not me that’s dead, so why apologize to me?

These guys showed no sign of remorse whatsoever.

“Oh, baldness god, forgive these sinners.”

Though an atheist, that’s when you typically reach out to a deity, right?

Swish.

A burning match fell onto their heads, and before them, two Super Saiyans ignited in flames.

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Aaaahhhhh!”

The ones who had just been crying out from pain now writhed in agony.

They tried to pat out the flames with their hands and rolled around desperately.

“Not a chance!! Aaaahhhhh!”

Flames rapidly consumed Luke’s oil-drenched heads.

Luna, who had been watching the scene unfold, made a silent vow to never oppose Luke.

*

“Hehe~♪”

Luke hummed a cheerful tune beside her.

He looked in high spirits, completely shedding the menacing aura he had just displayed, and the reason was straightforward: he could enjoy a newly made meal for free.

The server had been grateful for stopping the chaos in the establishment, but Luna had seen the fear in his eyes.

And those two men, with their burned heads.

They saved their lives, but their scalps were left singed, leaving not a single strand of hair.

In the meantime, Luke decided to pocket some money from the duo.

Thanks to that, they arrived at the inn in high spirits.

Luke gazed around the unfamiliar inn with fascination.

“Welcome.”

“One room, please.”

When Luke requested just a single room, Luna panicked.

“W-Wait, what?!”

“Why are you so flustered?”

“N-No, it’s just nothing…”

Was it really worth wasting money to get two rooms?

Luke thought so, but Luna had different concerns.

‘Ugh… it’s our first time…’

She was a slave, and he was her master.

With a man and woman sharing a room, things would surely get complicated, especially between a slave and her master.

‘The night watch…’

Thus, Luna and Luke made their way to the room together.

Nervous and stiff, a remark from Luke caught her ears.

“Sleep well.”

With that, Luke fell asleep within a minute.

“······?”

Luna couldn’t believe what was happening.

Is he actually asleep?

Not pretending?

When she crawled over to his side, she found him breathing gently—he was truly asleep.

She felt relieved, yet simultaneously, she felt her pride sting a bit.

Objectively speaking, even when comparing humans and beastmen, Luna was an attractive woman.

In terms of body and looks, she didn’t fall short anywhere, which was why she had been captured as a slave.

If she had been unattractive, she would have been killed on the spot.

And Luna knew her appearance well enough to feel even more pride stung.

“······Goodnight.”

In a slightly sulky tone, she voiced her complaints and rebellion to Luke.

She wondered if he might be a homosexual.

Thinking like that, Luna snuggled in beside Luke to get some sleep.

 

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