Chapter 12 : Steps To Break The Rebellion (Part 5)

In front of me, laid out on a table, were the magic items—three rings in total: two silver and one gold.

"The first two are the Twin Rings of Elements," Yeshi began, gesturing toward the silver ones. "One lets you shoot fireballs three times a day and unleash a raging flamethrower once. The other allows you to summon a tidal wave twice a day."

She was explaining even though I didn't really need it. The game's official website had already detailed every magic item, their uses, limitations, and ranks. But, of course, I couldn't exactly tell her that.

"And the gold one," she continued, "creates a potent magic barrier that shields you from incoming attacks—once a day."

I nodded and picked up the rings, slipping the two silver ones onto the index and middle fingers of my left hand. The gold ring, I placed on the index finger of my right hand.

Yeshi then snapped her fingers, and from the weapon vault, a sword in its scabbard came flying into her grasp. It was a red-bladed weapon, exuding a faint heat. She handed it to me.

"Take this," she said as I caught the sword. "This is La Flare, a blade capable of breathing fire. It also grants immunity to fire-based attacks—unless your opponent is stronger than you, in which case it only provides resistance. Additionally, it can cut through resistances and even immunities."

Three B-rank items and one S-rank item—not a bad combo. Still, nowhere near enough to damage Lynda. Even with all of this, I wouldn't be able to burn a single strand of her hair. Piercing her skin was impossible unless I had a weapon with durability negation like the rebels used. And even then, I'd need regeneration negation as well—otherwise, even if I managed to cut her, she'd just heal back instantly.

Not to mention her absurd resistances. Instant death, mind control, mana suppression—you name it, she resists it. The only reason the rebels managed to kill her in the game was because they caught her off guard. They used a dagger that bound the wielder's fate to the target, ensuring that both died together.

But that trick won't work now. Because I already told Lynda about it.

"You okay? You're not reacting," Yeshi said, looking directly into my eyes.

What should I tell her? I'll just say something else.

"Nothing… I was just mesmerized by your beauty. Your lush, long green hair, those emerald eyes, your alluring voice—etc., etc.," I said, watching as her eyes widened slightly. A faint blush crept onto her face just as I drew the sword from its scabbard, flames erupting along the blade.

"Really? Am I your latest victim?" Yeshi asked in an annoyed tone.

"Victim? No! I'm merely a worshipper of beauty. I can't help but be captivated whenever I see a beautiful woman. After all, I love women of all shapes and sizes," I said, sheathing the sword once more.

"So, a pig… just like every other man," she replied with a disgusted look.

"I don't mind. Pigs are among the cleanest animals, after all," I shot back with a smirk.

"Whatever. Let's head to the training grounds and see how good you are in a fight without your gun—or as you like to call it, the Wrath of God," she said, motioning toward the battlefield near the armory. I nodded and followed her.

This was going to be very educational. I needed to learn how to use these magic items properly. I couldn't always rely on my gun, not with only seventeen bullets left.

Only seventeen…

My grip tightened around the sword as we took our positions, standing a few steps apart, facing each other.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you too much," she said with a teasing smirk. "Nor will I ruin that pretty face of yours. And don't mind if I accidentally cut off an arm or a leg—we can always get you a new one." She unsheathed her own weapon from behind her back.

"I don't know how to feel about that," I muttered. I couldn't even imagine the pain of losing a limb.

Then, the wind picked up, ruffling our clothes and hair. The sky darkened, thunder crackling in the distance.

"Just look at the weather—how wonderful! This is going to make our training session even more fun!" Yeshi exclaimed, spreading her arms wide as she gazed up at the sky. "I thank the gods for this!"

Her eyes gleamed with excitement, her face practically glowing with euphoria. Then, she slowly lowered her head, locking her gaze onto me.

"Well then, shall we begin?"

At that exact moment, a raindrop fell from the sky.

Without hesitation, I charged at her, swinging my sword. She blocked it with her own, the clash of metal ringing through the air. Taking the opportunity, I quickly aimed my left palm and fired a fireball at her. The explosion sent her skidding a few feet back.

"Not bad," she said, grinning. "Now it's my turn to be on the offensive!"

In an instant, she vanished from my sight.

Crap—she's fast!

Before I could react, she reappeared right in front of me, her sword thrusting straight toward my stomach. Instinct kicked in—I activated the protection barrier just in time. A shimmering force field flared to life between us, stopping her blade mere inches from piercing me.

"Too bad, you can't use that again," she said as the impact pushed her back a few steps.

Without wasting a second, she leaped into the sky and conjured a massive black magic sphere. Dark-element magic, I assumed. Which I countered immediately, hurling my second fireball straight at it. The collision erupted in an explosion of smoke and a shockwave that sent me skidding backward.

But I wasn't done yet. As I was pushed back, I unleashed a stream of fire from my sword with my right hand, a roaring flamethrower aimed directly at her.

At the same time, I raised my left hand and sent a tidal wave crashing down below.

"Geez, nice try," Yeshi said with a smile, mud and dirt smeared all over her armor and face. "You actually managed to get me all muddy and wet—more than I already was."

That was some weird phrasing, not gonna lie.

Before she could say anything else, I hurled my last fireball at her. She took it head-on, the impact covering her in smoke. But as it slowly faded, she stood there completely unharmed.

"Thanks," she said casually. "I was feeling cold."

Then, without warning, she leaped at me. I quickly fired my last attack—a tidal wave aimed right at her.

Unfortunately, she cut through the entire torrent like it was nothing.

The last thing I saw was a super-solid uppercut slamming into me.

....

"Looks like you've finally woken up... You have no idea how much restraint it took for me not to do all sorts of horrible things to you while you were so vulnerable," a voice said as my senses slowly returned.

I turned toward the source of the voice. At first, my vision was blurry, but as it cleared, I saw none other than Lynda herself, sitting beside me.

"Where am I?"

"Your room, duh. Don't tell me dear Captain Yeshi's uppercut actually made you lose your memory?" Lynda gasped dramatically, though I could easily tell she was just putting on an act.

"Jeez, drop the acting and get to the main point."

"Well, the main point is that I came here to check on you—to make sure Yeshi followed my orders correctly and only knocked you out, nothing beyond that. Besides, I need you in my plan-making discussion, based on the information that old man gave me," she said.

"I see... Though, was it really necessary for her to knock me out? It still stings a bit, you know," I said.

"I needed to see how good you are without that gun of yours, and I have to say... I'd rate you a three out of ten. Very poor performance," Lynda said, putting on a disappointed look.

"You know," I sighed, "I really wonder how you manage to talk so normally and casually one moment, like a regular person, and then the next, you're a cold-blooded murderous psycho... and on top of that, a newly obsessed, crazed lover."

Lynda didn't respond immediately. Instead, she placed a finger on her lips, her expression unreadable. "I'll tell you once we're done with the rebellion. After that, as I said, I'll force my will upon you... You'll resist, I'll break you, and if necessary, I'll tear you apart and kill you… etc., etc.," she said nonchalantly.

Then, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to my forehead. When she pulled back, her eyes had turned dark and hollow. "Remember, I don't want to see or hear about you being too friendly with another whore. You won't touch them. No more jokes, no more teasing other women. Do you understand?"

I nodded vigorously.

"Good boy. Come soon. Oh, and I must say—you've got quite a big thing down there. I heard the maids were quite surprised when they undressed you and put you in bed," Lynda said with a smirk.

The whaaaat?

It was only then that I realized I was completely naked under the blanket. My eyes widened as I peeked under it.

"Just get the hell out of here!" I snapped, face burning.

Lynda only laughed as she left.

Seriously, what is wrong with this woman? Does she have multiple personality disorder on top of being a yandere or what? How can a person switch modes and tones like that so effortlessly?!

Though… at last, hearing this cleared up one of my insecurities. Even in another world, "Little John" is still considered on the bigger spectrum—which was something, considering how exaggerated things tend to be in hentai.

I quickly got up and dressed myself in one of the many ready-made outfits Lynda had ordered for me after my magic evaluation. The clothes were slightly oversized, just as I had requested.

After that, I took my gun and strapped it to my back. Thanks to the loose fit of my outfit, it was easy to conceal.

"Hey…"

A familiar voice suddenly called out, snapping me out of my thoughts. I recognized it immediately—it was Emilia.

"Hey, Emilia. What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm here to give you this," she said, handing me a silver leg ring.

I examined it closely.

I recognized it immediately—a one-time-use, high-level teleportation item. It allowed the user to travel to any pre-written location and came in pairs. If one person teleported, the other would be pulled along as well.

An A-rank item. Not the most special thing out there, but still quite rare.

"This is something… Where's the other half?" I asked.

"With me," she answered.

"With you?" I repeated, slightly confused.

"Yes. Once we're done with the rebellion, let's run away," she said before turning and walking out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

....

A/N : Now, the next chapter will be from Lynda's point of view, followed by Emilia's, to dive deeper into their thoughts and why they fell in love with Sitri. This will provide more depth, as looking only from Sitri's perspective wouldn't make the story as engaging. Plus, otherwise, the relationship will feel incomplete and forced due to the limited point of view.