The Hero of the Staff, Dus · Oaks.
Before becoming a Hero, he was a local Demon Hunter in town, with his home in the nearby countryside. Like all Heroes, he possessed an obsession with exterminating demons, and even before his awakening, he had been taking on Goblin suppression quests.
His reason for wanting to wipe out demons was simple...
Women!
If he became a Demon Hunter with a real track record, he'd be worshiped by the ladies! In a world that idolized martial prowess, being able to fight meant being popular!
Earlier that afternoon, members of the Aldrich Church had arrived to contact him, mentioning that another Hero squad was heading to this region to resolve the local Goblin calamity.
As a Level 5 Hero, Dus was feeling pretty damn proud of himself. After all, he'd slaughtered hundreds of Goblins and over ten Hobgoblins—achievements he wouldn't have dared to dream of back when he was a regular Demon Hunter!
In this small town, even if all the Demon Hunters banded together, they might not be able to take down three Hobgoblins. Yet, he could handle over ten solo. In his old life, that would have been enough to land him the position of Guild Master.
Now, as an experienced Demon Hunter and the strongest—and only—Hero in town, he looked down a bit on those Heroes who spent their time hunting "trash slimes." When they arrived, he was definitely going to show them who was boss!
And as a man, the best way to flex his strength was simple—
Bring his women along!
Kings always had many wives; the stronger the man, the more women he could claim. Therefore, more women equaled more power!
"Lord Oaks, it's getting so late. When are the other Heroes going to get here?"
At the town entrance, Dus stood with over a dozen young girls, awaiting the arrival of the other four Heroes.
"No rush," Dus said with a dismissive wave. "I only came out here to show some hospitality. If they're too late, I'm going back to bed. I'm not babysitting them."
"Exactly! We have to show them how a real host acts! We'll wait a bit longer!"
"How else would everyone see how generous Lord Oaks is?!"
"Heh." Dus let out a short laugh.
An image played out in his mind:
Four Heroes, dressed like ragged adventurers, riding a shabby cart pulled by a mangy horse, rolling slowly down the main road.
Meanwhile, Dus would be standing at the gate with his flock of beautiful girls, watching from afar. When they finally hopped off their cart, Dus would stroll over, hands in his pockets.
"Yo. You four are the ones clearing slimes in the next village, right? I've heard the stories; you're not bad. But I should clear one thing up: my three teammates died fighting demons. I appreciate the offer to help, but Goblins aren't slimes. They aren't something kids can just kill. Be careful you don't end up dead."
Then, he'd turn to the girls behind him.
"These Heroes are exhausted from their journey. Take them somewhere to rest."
"..."
"Heh, hahaha..." Dus chuckled to himself, picturing the four Heroes obediently following the girls away.
First, he'd drop some "senior advice" on them, then he'd set up their accommodations... Wouldn't he naturally become their leader?
When they entered the forest, he'd show off his expert Goblin-slaying techniques. Wouldn't those slime-hunting Heroes practically get on their knees and call him "Big Brother"? He'd heard there were two girls in that squad. After seeing his moves, wouldn't their eyes sparkle with admiration? And if they were pretty...
Once the time was right, he'd kick the other two guys out of the party. The thought of that demon-slaying journey made his mouth curl into a smug, lustful grin.
"Lord Oaks! Look!" One of the girls pointed down the road.
In the distance, four figures dressed in white robes were slowly approaching the town.
"Ah, finally here, huh?" Dus stuck his hands in his pockets and took a few steps forward.
As they got closer, he raised his voice and shouted: "Yo! You four are the ones clearing slimes in the next village, right?"
The four figures paused, looking at each other in confusion.
"We are followers of the Aldrich Theocracy! We are here as scouts!" one of them shouted back.
"I've heard the stories, you guys are..." Dus stopped mid-sentence, blinking.
Followers? Scouts?
As they drew nearer, he realized all four of the white-robed figures were men. This was definitely not the "two males, two females" group he had been told about. These guys weren't the Heroes!
"Ahem. I am the Hero of the Staff, Dus · Oaks," Dus coughed, trying to ease the awkwardness.
"The Hero of the Staff?!"
"It really is Lord Staff Hero?!"
"Forgive our ignorance! Our respects to you, Lord Staff Hero!"
The followers' attitude turned instantly respectful. After all, they had initially thought he was some bandit waiting to rob them at the town entrance and were considering whether to draw their weapons.
Seeing the followers' reaction, Dus felt a surge of ego, his annoyance vanishing instantly.
"Right. How much longer until the other Heroes get here? I came out here to show some professional courtesy and welcome them, but they're making me wait!" Dus asked, sounding irritable.
"Please don't be angry, Lord Staff Hero! Her Holiness the Saintess and the three other Lord Heroes will arrive in ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" Dus crossed his arms impatiently. "Fine. I'll wait ten more minutes!"
Scouts, followers... he was genuinely curious to see what kind of pretentious rookies these were. And that title, "Her Holiness the Saintess," really piqued his interest.
That didn't sound like your average girl!
As a Hero, he was already an existence transcending humanity. Taking a religious Saintess as a mistress didn't seem like too much to ask, right?
A Saintess wouldn't be anything like the bottom-of-the-barrel girls standing behind him. This wait was starting to feel like it might actually pay off!
RUMBLE... RUMBLE... RUMBLE...
Finally, after nearly ten minutes, the sound of rhythmic hoofbeats and the heavy rolling of wheels drifted from down the road.
While Dus was still picturing a "mangy horse and a broken cart," a massive procession of white-robed followers carrying torches slowly came into view.
In the center of the throng, two pristine white stallions trotted elegantly, pulling an exquisite gold-and-white carriage.
Dus froze where he stood.
Where was the skin-and-bones nag? Where was the rickety wagon that would leave your backside bruised and your legs like jelly after a day's ride?!
What... what the hell was all this?!
Even the girls behind him felt a sudden surge of awe, instinctively clearing the town entrance and lining up along the side of the road.
The four scouts from earlier moved up to exchange a few words with the main group, and then the convoy continued its advance.
The carriages rolled straight into the town. Every follower that passed Dus gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment, but none of them showed any intention of stopping.
Ah... his grand "welcome" at the gate was being completely ignored!!
"Wait...! Hold on!" Dus suddenly shouted, rushing toward the carriage window. "Stop right there! What do you think you're doing?!"
He was the Hero of this town! Were the people in that carriage not even going to step down to greet him?!
But just then, under the flickering torchlight, he caught sight of a man's face through the carriage window.
It was a face as cold as solid ice, devoid of confusion, anger, annoyance, or any discernible emotion. It was as if the man had glanced at a piece of trash on the side of the road and simply looked past it.
Anyi stared at him blankly: "..."
Where did this idiot come from?
Anyi looked at Dus outside the window, momentarily confused, then shifted his gaze to the line of young women standing behind him.
...Ah!
Got it.
Usually, when welcoming esteemed guests, two rows of beautiful ladies stand along the roadside. And at the entrance, there's always a butler or valet in charge of reception.
So, this man must be that valet, right?
Having reached this conclusion, Anyi looked down at Dus and said, "Are the rooms ready? We're looking to turn in for the night."
Dus: "???"
The guest acting like the host?!
He hadn't even gotten his carefully prepared opening remarks out yet, and now his closing lines were being stolen by someone else!
"Lord Sword Hero! This is the local Hero of this town, Lord Staff Hero!" At that moment, a nearby follower shouted excitedly.
Anyi: "Ah. I thought he was the handyman sent to arrange our rooms."
"Who are you calling a handyman?!!" Dus exploded instantly.
"If I apologize, will it make you feel better?" Anyi asked deadpan.
"What?!" Dus was so fuming he was ready to pull out his staff and crack it over Anyi's head.
Just then, from the other carriage window opposite Anyi, Ariana poked her face out. Hearing that the man was the [Staff Hero], she leaned over curiously to take a look.
And right then, Dus saw her.
THUMP!
In that instant, Dus's knees hit the ground.
In his vision, a brilliant white radiance began to spread out from the carriage. His entire world turned into a field of white light, with pure white blossoms blooming across the earth, their petals dancing in the wind.
Beautiful... so beautiful...
Every pick-up line and flowery word he usually used felt pale and colorless now. In the end, his thoughts could only coalesce into that one word.
"Ah... ah..."
For some reason, Dus found himself choked up, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.
The lust he usually felt for women vanished instantly, wiped clean without a trace.
Mother, Mother!! An angel! I've met an angel!!
Ariana was full of question marks, her beautiful golden eyes wide with confusion. "Anyi, why is he crying?"
Anyi: "..."
Huh... Purified?
The [Saintess] title had the effect of instantly clearing an observer's lust toward Ariana. The deeper the obsession with beauty, the more thorough the cleansing. Anyi didn't harbor those kinds of thoughts toward Ariana, so he was barely affected.
But Dus? His mind was usually filled with nothing but filth. One look at Ariana and his head was cleared of all worldly distractions—he was just a hair's breadth away from shaving his head and joining a monastery.
Amitabha.
WHOOSH!
Anyi drew the curtain shut, gently nudging Ariana's head back inside.
Dus shuddered, suddenly snapping out of his "sage mode." He shook his head, scrambled to his feet, and wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve.
「Damn it! What the hell just happened to me?!」
Was she just a pretty woman? Why were tears streaming down his face like that?!
Just then, the other side of the carriage door opened.
Hearing the sound, Dus immediately struck a pose, hands back in his pockets.
"Ahem, you four are the ones clearing slimes in the next village, right? I've heard the stories; you're not bad. But I should clear one thing up beforehand—"
He was halfway through his prepped opening speech when a towering figure rounded the other side of the carriage. Broad-shouldered, bulging with muscle, and standing tall, Layton stepped forward, eclipsing the torchlight and looming over Dus.
A giant of a man, a head taller than Dus, emerged from behind the carriage.
"Clear what up?" Layton offered a friendly smile.
Truly, a friendly smile. He was a very amiable guy.
"Before... clear up..."
Dus's teeth chattered; he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. His tone did an abrupt 180-degree turn:
"Before clearing up... our town is full of good people! Since you're guests, get some good rest tonight! Ah... ah ha ha ha ha—!!"
...Wait!
No!
「I'm a Hero, for god's sake! Why am I scared of him?! He's just tall!」
Heroes all have attribute bonuses! What good does being tall do?! Damn it, if I swing my staff—
"CLANG!!"
A gust of wind ruffled Layton's short hair. A staff, white as jade, rested against his shoulder. The force of the impact shook the air, yet Layton didn't budge an inch.
Layton: "?"
Dus, covered in a cold sweat, retracted his staff: "That... um, I was just testing your strength! Like... a little 'man-to-man' reconnaissance!"
I... I can't beat him at all!!
What is up with this guy?!
That single strike with his staff had made Dus's own arm go numb!
"Man-to-man reconnaissance? Ah! I get it! You wanted to test my reaction speed, right? Hahahaha" Layton, completely oblivious to the man's unprovoked hostility, laughed heartily.
"Ah, right, right, right! Hahahaha" Dus laughed along with him.
But behind the boisterous laughter...
「It's over, I'm done for! I've been completely played!!」
He originally wanted to intimidate this group, but before they'd even stepped out of the carriage, his own morale had been crushed!
The girls behind him, catching sight of the tall, muscular Layton, were now gazing at him with eyes full of literal sparkles.
"The Lord Hero is so tall! So handsome!"
"Lord Hero! May I ask what kind of weapon you use?"
"Lord Hero, do you have a girlfriend? What kind of girls do you like?"
In an instant, the girls who were originally circling Dus flocked to Layton, chattering away with eyes full of flattery.
"Nice to meet you all! I am the Shield Hero, Layton · Shiklai! I'm 21, married, and have a 3-year-old daughter!" Layton laughed heartily as he introduced himself.
A flicker of disappointment passed through the girls' hearts.
Already married...
But thinking about it, it made sense. A Hero as amazing as him was bound to be snapped up early by another woman!
"Lord Shiklai, have you ever considered taking a second wife?"
"Lord Shiklai, do you need a nanny? I can help look after your kid!"
"Lord Shiklai, I... I can bear you another child!"
"Kyaaaaahhh!!" Hearing such a bold statement, some of the girls began to scream.
On the side, Dus was completely ignored.
And he felt a sudden, inexplicable surge of bitterness in his heart. They were clearly his women just moments ago! How did they end up surrounding someone else in the blink of an eye?! And isn't this development a bit too fast?! She already wants to have his baby?!
Not only was his rhythm thrown off by others, but now even the women he brought along to flex were about to be stolen away!
Painful!!
Too painful!!!
No!
He had to save face somehow!
"My Lord Heroes, the resting rooms are ready. Would you like to head to the inn now?" A follower stepped forward from the front, interrupting the rowdy girls.
"Great! Let's head over and settle down first!" Layton said. "I won't get back in the carriage; I've been sitting all day, I'll walk over."
With that, the carriage continued moving, and the group of girls who were originally following Dus all followed after Layton instead.
Dus was informed that the followers had arranged the best accommodation in town for the Heroes, and his own room was included, so they could walk over together.
Thus, as he walked behind, he gritted his teeth, racking his brain for a way to turn the tables.
「...Hmm?」
Looking at those "fickle" women, a bold idea suddenly struck him!
While he couldn't physically do anything to Anyi and Layton, since they were fellow Heroes... at the very least, he could make them lose face and ruin their reputation!
Soon, they arrived at the inn.
Ariana retreated to her room under the escort of the female followers, and Miruku—likely wanting to avoid people or perhaps just averse to the noise—vanished the moment the carriage door opened.
Anyi and Layton were at the front desk picking up their room keys when Dus, who had been lurking nearby, suddenly called out to them.
"Hey, you two! Since you're finally in our town, want to head out and have some real fun?" Dus flashed a malicious grin.
Anyi: "No..."
"You bet! I slept all day in that carriage! I'm wide awake!" Layton chirped excitedly. "Let's go! Where are we headed?"
"Heh." Dus smirked. "It's this late, so obviously, we're going where men belong."
Anyi: "..."
Ah. That kind of place.
With [Apathy Towards Lust] active, he had zero interest in those sorts of establishments. He'd spent the whole day awake and would much rather just get some sleep...
"Where men belong?! That's right!" Layton's eyes lit up. He threw his arms around both their shoulders. "Hell yeah! As men, we've got to check it out!"
So much for sleeping...
Dus: "Let's go! Move out!"
Perfect! They took the bait!!
...
They say a good wine doesn't fear a deep alley, but the tavern tucked deep in this winding alley was bustling at midnight, and it had nothing to do with how good the wine was.
Inside, women dressed in skimpy, revealing outfits navigated the floor with trays, slamming large mugs of ale down onto the tables. On the stairs, pairs and groups—one man and one woman, one man with several women, or groups of men and women—constantly shuffled up and down. As for the groups of drunken men stumbling upstairs with their arms draped over each other, well... they were surely just looking for a place to crash, right?
Probably.
"Hahaha! You sly dog! You really did bring us out for drinks!" Layton roared, slapping Dus on the shoulder.
"A place for men! Should have women! Should have booze!" Dus laughed back.
"Right, right, right! As men, we've got to drink! Hahaha!!" Layton slapped Anyi on the back next. "Young Anyi here doesn't look like much of a drinker, does he?"
Anyi: "..."
Back in his previous life, during his darkest days of grief, only alcohol had allowed him to briefly forget everything. Even though [Gluttony] could make alcohol ineffective, he just had to tell the System to let him get drunk, and it would oblige. Because of how it worked, the restrictions of [Gluttony] would lift, and he could drink as much as he wanted without any physical harm or side effects.
During that time, Anyi had essentially lived for the bottle. It was no exaggeration to say Anyi had consumed more alcohol than these two had drunk water in their entire lives.
"Yeah, I've never touched a drop," Anyi said flatly.
At least in this life, he hadn't.
"Lord Hero, you've arrived! Please, sit!"
A lithe waitress, face bright with a welcoming smile, hurried over the moment she spotted Dus.
"Three guests, is it? Shall it be the premium malt ale as usual today?"
"You know it!" Dus boomed.
Watching the waitress's practiced, familiar behavior, it was obvious Dus was a regular fixture here. The other patrons stole glances at Dus, their eyes flickering with dread, as if they were looking at a plague-bringer they dared not provoke.
Taverns have always been breeding grounds for violence, especially among the intoxicated; a simple "What are you looking at?" is often enough to get someone's brains bashed in. Dus wasn't exactly a powerhouse by build, but he loved showing off for women. In this tavern, he'd had his share of scuffles and had taken plenty of beatings.
But then, one day, he awakened the Hero System. Suddenly, every time he walked into this tavern, it was like the Sky God himself had descended. Anyone who had hit him before, anyone he didn't like, anyone who didn't like him—he'd beat them all into the dirt like dogs. Those thugs naturally wouldn't let it slide; they'd swarmed him with weapons, only for him to take them all down without even drawing his own gear.
That incident had only been a few days ago, but Dus had already cemented himself as the resident terror of the tavern.
Dus took the best seat in the house and patted the shoulders of the two men beside him, shouting loud enough for the whole room to hear:
"These two, just like me, are Heroes chosen by the Gods! You'd better serve them well!"
"Yes, sir~ Lord Heroes~!"
The waitresses immediately turned on the charm, swarming the three of them. Some brought drinks, some poured, and some even held glasses up to their lips, trying to feed them directly.
The men in the tavern glared with undisguised hostility. Before these three showed up, the women had been dancing around them! Now, the women at their tables had all abandoned them!
Layton, being a married man, wasn't about to act like some bashful kid unable to string a sentence together just because he was surrounded by women.
With [Apathy Towards Lust] active, he had zero romantic interest in these women, but he was certainly enjoying the atmosphere.
"Hahahaha! Drink! Everyone drink together! Don't worry about serving me!" Layton didn't just drink himself; he kept pushing mugs toward the waitresses.
Dus watched, impressed.
This guy is quite the operator! He looks like an upstanding guy, but he's already trying to get the women wasted? Ha! He's a real piece of work!
But this was exactly the trap he had laid!
「Heh, a married man out here acting like a debauched scoundrel... if word of this gets out... Ahahaha...」
Dus himself had always lived this kind of debauched lifestyle, so even if he were caught, it wouldn't really tarnish his image.
But for a "decent family man" to be caught here with tavern girls? How would his family react? How would his wife feel? And what about his children?
He'd lose face beyond repair!
Of course, Dus had no idea that Layton wasn't even from this region. He had jumped to the conclusion that Layton was just a villager from the next town over, completely unaware that Layton's home was hundreds of miles away in a major city within the Aldrich Theocracy.
Forget about drinking with tavern girls; even if he found eighteen mistresses in the countryside, his wife back in the capital wouldn't hear a word about it for years.
On the other side, Anyi was silently sipping his ale. Just like Layton, he was surrounded by a swarm of women. He caught the scent of their cheap perfume, felt the deliberate, lingering touches of soft skin, and had an endless display of "scenery" shimmering right before his eyes. His only thought was:
Can you guys please just let me go back to sleep?
THUMP!
Anyi's head hit the tabletop with a dull thud. It was like he'd suddenly short-circuited.
Everyone at the table froze.
What the hell?
He'd only had half a glass!
"Hahaha! Look at young Anyi! Half a glass and he's out! What a lightweight!" Layton pointed at the slumped Anyi and roared with laughter.
"This Sword Hero is seriously pathetic!" Dus joined in, raising his mug with a boisterous laugh.
"He just turned eighteen a few days ago! He's still just a kid! Probably hasn't had more than a few drops of booze in his life!" Layton joked.
Having downed drinks for years, Dus had seen this kind of thing plenty of times and didn't suspect a thing. He barked an order at the waitresses:
"Hey! You lot! Get this kid to a room and tuck him in!"
"Yes~ Lord Hero~!!"
With some difficulty, a few of the scantily-clad waitresses heaved Anyi up and began a heavy, swaying trek up the stairs.
The people around them couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed for the guy.
This guy... he's passed out like a dead pig already?
Only someone who has truly passed out would be that dead-weight heavy; otherwise, there's no way it would take so many people to drag him along.
But...
This was a skill Anyi had mastered during his decade-long path of vengeance.
Playing dead!
It was simple: you just imagine yourself as a puddle of sludge, letting every muscle in your body go completely slack. As long as you don't exert a single ounce of effort, you are guaranteed to be heavier than a dead pig!
Though, it wasn't exactly fair to the "sisters," or were they younger? It didn't matter, the women who were struggling so hard to haul him up. He was probably too heavy for them; the effort of lifting him was enough to drain them, which was why he hadn't heard them chatting on the way up.
Passing by other rooms, the soundproofing was predictably poor; anyone actually trying to stay here wouldn't be getting much sleep.
A few moments later, Anyi heard a door open, and he was gingerly placed onto a bed.
They helped him take off his boots.
Hmm, boots off; no problem.
Then, they unfastened his leather armor and stripped off his coat.
Hmm, coat off; no problem.
Finally, they began to undo the knot on his belt.
Hmm, pants off; wait!
Anyi kept his eyes squeezed shut, but even before he cracked them open to scan the dim room, he could sense it; the way the women were licking their lips.
In eyes filled with greed, a faint pink glow began to emerge, with pupils shaped like pulsing hearts.