The damn bastard, that piece of shit.

Explain to me or to him, whatever, what kind of contract requires a kiss to complete? I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else.

Might as well write that it requires going at it for three days and three nights straight. This isn't some adult game scene!

…Wait, maybe it really is. Damn it.

Next time I see that perverted, scumbag, dead-fat-pig, I’ll make sure he gets a taste of the ultimate humiliation.

The one stroke of luck in all this misfortune is that this boy named Adam, doesn’t have a lover, a pure, devoted romantic at heart, can’t stand even a hint of infidelity.

If I’d done something like that, my career as a hero—no, my life as a man would have ended right then and there.

…Seems like it’s already over, in every sense. Damn it. Damn it all!

While I was wrestling with my thoughts, Adam recovered from his frozen state after the kiss. He stared wide-eyed behind me and shouted hoarsely:

“Sylvia, watch out!”

Sylvia… who? Oh, right. That’s me.

Yes, yes, okay, okay, I know. That thing that won’t stay dead no matter how many times it’s killed is back for another round.

But I’ve pretty much figured out its secret by now.

I finished the healing magic, gently laid Adam down, picked up my sword, and turned toward the beast.

Here it comes. It had already reformed a mouth and charged at me, screaming “Eeeya!”

Honestly, if it weren’t for this thing, I wouldn’t have been forced to find a contractor immediately.

Since you’ve put me in this situation, you better take responsibility properly.

Slice!

A flash of cold light swept through, and the beast was split in two again. I didn’t stop, continuing to swing my sword.

Slice, slice, slice, slice, slice!

After some meticulous chopping, the originally terrifying beast was reduced to a small meatball. None of the other severed pieces moved anymore only this little sphere was still trying to regenerate.

I observed it for a moment, then crushed it into even smaller fragments. Finally, not a single piece of meat tried to regenerate.

The principle was simple. A small piece of flesh on this thing was embedded with a very high-level rune, granting it a peculiar form of immortality. But as long as that specific part was destroyed, its life could be ended completely.

That rune was seriously high-level, I’d only seen something similar once while fighting the Demon King.

Maybe there’s some hidden plot here? But honestly, I only played one route of the game before kicking the bucket, so I’m not too sure about the details.

Whatever. The world is full of secrets, and this one definitely has nothing to do with me.

I threw away the blood-stained sword and glanced at Adam.

This unlucky guy’s injuries were already healed, but he was still lying on the ground, looking at me with an inexplicably intense gaze.

I walked toward him, and with every step I took, he trembled.

What’s with that? So rude.

Time to use my favorite tactic: perspective-taking.

Gathering herbs, encountering a mysterious spirit, witnessing her chop up a monster with terrifying strength, struggling with all his might, and then getting kissed out of nowhere…

Ugh… yeah, he probably should be scared.

I put on my best customer-service smile and said:

“Sorry for startling you.”

Adam scrambled up in a panic. His face flushed, his gaze shifting nervously, avoiding eye contact with me.

“N-not at all, you saved my life again. J-just now, you asked me…”

He trailed off, stammering. Ugh, I hate it when people beat around the bush.

Did I say something strange earlier? I don’t think so.

He’s probably still reeling from the shock of the kiss, he’s at that age when hormones run wild.

I instinctively covered my lips and explained:

“I’m sorry, things happened too suddenly, and I didn’t have time to explain.

“Just now, my magic was depleted, and I couldn’t fight anymore, so I had to form a contract with you immediately. The only contract I had on hand required a kiss to complete, so I had to do something rather rude.

“Please forget about it.”

The flush faded from Adam’s face, replaced by a gloomy expression. After a moment of silence, he said:

“I see. I understand. I swear I won’t mention this to anyone—I’ll take it to my grave. Is there a way to break the contract?”

…Why does everything have to be “taken to the grave”?

It’s fine, really. Even if you told everyone, printed a million copies, and showed it to the whole world even to people from other worlds, I’d at most just beat you up and call it a day.

Come to think of it, every word this kid says is so serious, lacking any of the energy typical of someone his age. What a heavy person.

Might as well mess with him a little for fun.

“Do you hate it that much?”

“Of course not! But I know how valuable a spirit contract is. You prepared it for someone important, right? It shouldn’t be wasted on me.”

Wow, even more serious than the last line. My plan to repay kindness needs someone exactly like you.

“I do have someone I want to meet, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll appear in this kind of forest. So, I’ve already planned to spend a few days in town to ask around.

“If it’s convenient, would you be willing to take me there?”

Adam finally smiled—just a few pixels’ worth. Is being a tool really that satisfying?

He nodded and said:

“Sure. I live at the potion shop in the northwest part of town. When you decide to break the contract and leave, you can find me there.”

Ohh, very cooperative.

But what I need isn’t just a magic battery.

First, I know nothing about the town and need a guide.

Second, a revenge battle isn’t something that can be finished in one go. If possible, I’d like to find a base of operations along the way.

A local would be helpful in both regards.

“Thank you! By the way, you run a potion shop? No wonder you were gathering herbs in the forest. Judging by the materials, are you making something like a mana recovery potion?”

“Yes. Well then, I’ll take my leave now.”

I was trying to find common ground to build rapport, but not only did he not engage, he even picked up his little medicine box and tried to leave.

Is this guy’s emotional intelligence in the negatives?

I stopped him and said:

“I don’t know the way out of the forest. Plus, I have a terrible sense of direction, once I’m in an unfamiliar town, I’ll probably get lost.”

“Is that so? I think I have a map with me. Let me get it for you—”

Looks like beating around the bush won’t work.

I cut him off with a smile:

“What I mean is, can I come to your place for a visit now?”

…

Adam’s medicine box fell to the ground, and his expression went blank for a moment.

Seriously, was that really necessary?

…

I followed Adam out of the forest and arrived at the town as the sun began to set.

Along the way, Adam seemed intent on keeping a distance of at least one meter from me, turning into a navigation robot that only said things like “turn left,” “go straight,” “turn right,” and “thank you.”

But under my relentless chatter, even this robot had no choice but to spill quite a bit of information. Of course, I carefully worded my questions to pretend I was already familiar with the time and place.

The current time is September of the year 1122, exactly one year after my death. Let’s call it “One Year After My Death.”

The town I’m in is called Silverleaf Town.

This place is located in the northeast of the Kingdom of Aethera, surrounded by forests on three sides. Because it’s remote, poor, and easy to defend but hard to attack, the town wasn’t heavily invaded by demons and made it through the human-demon war relatively smoothly.

Most importantly, I know this place.

The fire mage from the hero’s party, my former good buddy and current mortal enemy the one who roasted me to a crisp Gray Wilson, was born and raised here.

That guy is a bit of a cynic and probably won’t climb the ranks. There’s a good chance he’s back in his hometown, lazing around for the rest of his life.

Even the heavens are supporting my revenge plan. Hehehehe…

Adam suddenly spoke up, interrupting my thoughts.

“Sylvia, this is the place.”

“It’s lovely.”

And I meant it.

In front of us was a crooked two-story wooden house.

The outer walls of the house were covered with memory vines that changed color with the seasons, and wind chimes hung under the porch.

These decorations didn’t cost much but were very effective, exuding a sense of life and business savvy that felt completely at odds with Adam’s personality.

Adam made a face like he was constipated and said:

“Um, my younger sister probably isn’t home right now. But if she is, she might say something strange… please don’t take it to heart—”

Before he could even finish setting up this flag, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen bounced up to me.

So cute.

She ignored Adam and said to me:

“Welcome! What can I help you with, customer?”

“Hello there. I’m not here to buy medicine, I’m a friend of Adam’s.”

The girl’s expression changed. Her eyes darted between Adam and me several times before she finally said in horror:

“Brother… did you finally succeed in brewing a hypnotic potion?”