At this point, the tube top she wore was already badly damaged, and even her shorts had been torn apart. She could only barely cover herself with her hands to avoid the embarrassment of exposing too much.
Yet her skin remained as smooth and flawless as jade. Under the sunlight, it carried a faint sheen, as though nothing had happened at all, with no trace of injury anywhere.
Rather than that, the contrast between her damaged clothing and her delicate, slightly youthful appearance created a different sort of appeal.
It was a unique mix of wildness and fragility, a beauty born from the destruction of battle.
It even made Ash feel like some villain bullying a girl... Though she had started it first, so there was no reason to feel guilty, but...
"You... What kind of look is that?"
Ariel was both embarrassed and angry. Her face turned red from anger and shame.
The girl was clearly worn out as well. She was breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling. Her originally refined face was twisted by anger.
Though she used one hand to cover the torn part of her clothes, she still raised the corner of her mouth and glared at Ash with a fierce look.
"If you've got the guts, come down here! I'll dig your eyes out!"
Her voice echoed across the silent ruins. Even now, she carried the air of a Demon King who could not be challenged.
Or rather, that only made people want to challenge her more.
Of course, Ash considered himself a gentleman. At most, he just wanted to tease her a little.
"What are you thinking? Why would I give up my advantage and fight you on the ground? If you've got the ability, come up here."
He replied with some frustration to Ariel's provocation. He no longer had the same mocking attitude as before.
"What? That expression..."
Ariel immediately noticed the change in him. She frowned slightly, confusion appearing in her eyes.
"Thinking about it carefully, although you bullied my pet, it wasn't something worth killing you over. The lesson just now should be enough. If you honestly admit your mistake and apologize, I can let this end here," Ash spoke seriously.
There was no longer the sharpness from battle in his eyes. Instead, he seemed much calmer.
In his view, this conflict could have been avoided. It only happened because Ariel misunderstood what Kumoko was doing, and because he had accidentally set off her explosive personality.
After all, she was a Demon King, much stronger than the Queen Taratects. She was probably the owner of those spiders and likely knew many useful things. Unless necessary, turning her into an enemy felt like a loss.
Especially since he had a vague feeling that there might be someone behind her.
"Me? Admit I was wrong?"
Ariel looked like she had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.
"You and that weird spider attacked me first! Provoked me first! Now you've beaten me up, and you're asking me to apologize to you?"
Her voice rose with anger.
Every word seemed forced out through clenched teeth as the fire in her chest flared up again.
At least from Ariel's perspective, she was the victim. She had been attacked by Ash and Kumoko for no reason, and now she was being asked to apologize. It made no sense.
"Uh... You're the one who got attacked?"
"Of course!"
"Wait, let's sort this out."
The more she spoke, the more confused Ash became. He raised a hand, signaling her to stop.
"Wasn't it you who bullied my spider first?"
"I wanted to have a proper talk with her! She's the one who provoked me!"
Ariel raised her voice.
The moment she remembered Kumoko's behavior, her anger became difficult to suppress again.
"Provoked you?"
Thinking about all the strange things Kumoko did from time to time, Ash couldn't help rubbing his forehead.
"Isn't it possible she simply couldn't understand what you were saying?"
"Uh..."
That question immediately left Ariel speechless.
She froze and finally began thinking about an issue she had completely overlooked.
After Ash pointed it out, Ariel finally realized she had forgotten that Kumoko had only recently left the labyrinth.
She was still a young spider who had only been born not long ago and had very little experience communicating with the outside world.
Because Kumoko had displayed such great strength, Ariel subconsciously treated her as some ancient being that had existed for years.
That was why she used normal conversation methods and interpreted those rude and strange actions as provocation.
'Wait... If I think about it that way, is it actually my fault?'
Ariel's expression changed several times.
Part of her didn't want to admit she was wrong.
On the other hand, the facts seemed to be heading in exactly that direction.
Which made her feel like she had been beaten up for a misunderstanding.
Although she possessed the title "Gluttony" and could restore HP and heal injuries by eating anything, allowing her to appear completely unharmed right now, the truth was that Ash's chain of attacks had seriously injured her body.
The battle had started because of a misunderstanding.
If it continued, that clearly wasn't very wise, especially against a strong opponent.
To begin with, she specialized in close combat.
The other side stayed in the air, could launch aerial attacks, and could even suppress her jumping ability.
There was no way to fight that.
The countering was simply too obvious.
This made her hesitate.
The anger in her heart gradually gave way to reason.
Yet ending things here also felt like she was getting the short end of the stick.
Ash noticed Ariel's hesitation and uncertainty.
Smiling slightly, he descended from the sky and landed lightly in front of her.
Seeing this, Ariel instinctively took a step back and looked at him cautiously.
Her eyes were still full of wariness.
"No need to be nervous. I'm the injured one, after all. And I'm a professional mage. Close combat isn't my specialty, so... consider this a show of sincerity?"
Ash smiled and took off his shirt, exposing the wounds on his body.
They had recovered somewhat, but still looked severe.
The healing magic in this world was highly advanced. Unlike in his own world, where it could only heal external injuries, it could even cure illnesses.
However, his injuries were unusual, so they still needed time to heal completely.
"What's this?"
Ariel was surprised.
Even though he was a mage and carrying injuries, he had still displayed that level of combat power.
Her caution toward him increased further.
After a moment, she nodded slowly and probed, "Aren't you afraid I'll take the chance to kill you?"
'Actually, I'm a melee mage. Even up close, it's not a problem at all.'
He didn't say that.
To avoid unnecessary conflict, he simply spread his hands openly, "I believe you're not that kind of person."
"You're a demon, yet you're acting like some hot-blooded young hero?"
Ariel looked at him and curled her lips into a mocking smile.
"Same answer as before. Can't demons be passionate too?"
"Then what about all those hits I took? And my subordinates were all killed by you, weren't they?"
Ariel's expression darkened.
Although she was beginning to understand the misunderstanding, she still couldn't let go of the lives that had been lost.
"Don't put it that way. That's partly your own fault for restricting people from leaving."
"Hah?"
Ariel's gaze sharpened.
The look was fierce enough to kill.
Ash quietly cleared his throat and changed his wording.
"Cough! What I mean is, it's easy to make enemies and hard to get rid of them. Looking at you... it seems like you've got troubles of your own too, right?"
"And whose fault is that? It's all because of your spider!"
"I really don't know anything about that. Anyway, let's make peace first. When we get back, I'll properly educate her."
Ash smiled brightly and extended his hand toward her.
He looked completely defenseless.
That finally made Ariel waver.
They had already fought.
And Ash was standing right in front of her.
But she knew better than anyone that this guy was nowhere near as simple as he appeared.
He wasn't really the type of hot-blooded youth who would casually place his life in someone else's hands.
Ariel was certain of that.
Still, the sincerity he was showing was obvious.
In the sky, she was clearly not his opponent.
Even on the ground, he still had overwhelming mobility and freedom to dodge in three dimensions.
Meanwhile, she could only stay on the ground and take hits.
Even if Gluttony kept her alive, it was hard to imagine any way to kill him.
After fully realizing that, she let out a long sigh.
'What a ridiculous monster. How could someone like this even be killed?'
There were only risks in becoming his enemy and no benefits whatsoever.
Once she understood that, Ariel no longer wanted to provoke such a powerful opponent.
With mixed feelings, she slowly reached out her hand.
"If you can get rid of those people chattering nonstop inside my hea—huh?"
While Ariel's thoughts remained tangled and complicated, she slowly extended her hand.
At the same time, Ash opened his mouth, about to say something to ease the atmosphere.
Then he froze.
The torn black cloth that had been held in place by pressure suddenly slipped down naturally like a feather as she stretched out her arm.
For an instant, it felt as though time had stopped.
The whole world seemed to fall silent.
Neither of them made a sound.
Ash's gaze uncontrollably fell upon skin that seemed like fresh winter snow illuminated by the evening light, carrying a faint glow.
His eyes stayed there for a long moment.
Only then did he suddenly come back to himself and quietly look away.
"Today's sunset is really white... Uh, I mean, really dazzling."
'I'll just pretend I didn't see anything. That's what kindness is, right?'
Ash tilted his head upward at a forty-five-degree angle and stared at the distant sunset.
He sincerely hoped this little incident could simply be ignored.
But...
"Y-you bastard... Was this... your plan too?"
When Ariel finally came back to her senses, her face instantly turned bright red.
Her clenched fingers had gone pale from the force she was using to suppress her anger.
A Demon King had been put in this situation.
Her reason was almost burned away.
"You... Did you set me up?"
"What kind of person do you think I am? Would I really have thoughts like that?"
Ash waved both hands repeatedly with an innocent look.
His eyes were full of sincerity as he tried to explain that it was just an accident.
"More importantly, why do you think I'm some kind of pervert? Would I really ruin my reputation just to enjoy a better view?"
"'Enjoy a better view'?"
Ariel paused for a moment before understanding what he meant.
The anger inside her reignited even harder.
"Ah, speaking of which..."
"DIE!"
Before Ash could change the subject again, Ariel, nearly dizzy with rage, kicked the ground.
The earth exploded.
A powerful shockwave rushed toward him.
Ash had no choice but to dodge.
He lightly stepped on the ground, instantly canceling the outward force with repulsion.
But Ariel didn't stop after missing.
She opened her mouth, and another beam shot out.
Ash immediately relied on his quick reactions, sidestepping the deadly beam aimed at his face.
The beam grazed his cheek.
The wind it created scraped across his skin like a blade, leaving behind a slight sting.
He didn't dare linger.
The next moment, he launched himself upward like a rocket and quickly escaped into the blue sky.
When Ariel saw him evade again, she angrily hurled all kinds of magic and breath attacks at him from the ground.
Colorful magic lights filled the sky like fireworks.
Yet every beam carried deadly power.
She attacked without restraint, wanting only to drag Ash down from the sky and teach him a proper lesson.
As she vented her embarrassment and anger, the images of the Queen Taratect subordinates he had killed surfaced in her mind.
They had all been her followers.
Now they were dead because of a sudden battle.
Yet not only had she failed to avenge them, she was being toyed with by the enemy and even forced to consider reconciliation.
The guilt and pain inside her grew heavier.
"Please forgive me. Just like Dustin, I abandoned you for the sake of efficiency. I'm sorry... I'm such a useless parent that I can't even avenge my children..."
Though she continued venting her frustration, it could never reach its target.
Her voice gradually grew quieter.
As she whispered her apology, she unconsciously offered a sincere prayer to the Goddess.
She hoped the Goddess would grant peace after death to those followers who had died.
Even though she knew better than anyone how empty and powerless that wish was.
But since she couldn't bring down that hateful figure in the sky, praying was all she could do.
———
When the sun finally sank below the horizon, the several moons of this world appeared one after another like shining jewels in the night sky.
Their gentle moonlight spread across the devastated land.
After venting for a long time, Ariel's emotions gradually faded away.
At last, she calmed down.
The anger in her eyes had disappeared, replaced by exhaustion and complicated feelings.
Ash quietly observed from the sky for a while.
Once he saw that Ariel had calmed down, he silently descended.
Without a scratch on him, he casually walked over to Ariel, removed his coat, and draped it over her shoulders.
Then, as though dealing with a child, he patted her head and said earnestly, "You're still a girl. It's better not to dress so revealingly out in the wilderness. Something dangerous could happen... especially if you attract strange people."
Concern filled his eyes.
His voice was gentle and sincere, without any of the hostility from before.
To Ariel, however, it sounded extremely irritating, "Weren't my clothes destroyed by you? Besides, I don't think there's anyone in this world stranger than you."
Ariel slapped his hand away and coldly shot back.
Still, despite what she said, she accepted the coat and wrapped it around herself.
It wasn't because she had any special feelings toward Ash.
She simply had no choice.
She couldn't use spatial magic.
There was no way for her to get new clothes from somewhere else.
In this situation, if she didn't wear Ash's coat, was she supposed to run around naked?
Ash didn't care about Ariel's cold attitude.
Standing nearby, his gaze unintentionally landed on her.
At the moment, Ariel was basically left with only her stockings and shoes.
Wearing his coat gave her a different sort of appeal.
From every perspective, the sight was extremely tempting.
It even carried a difficult-to-describe sense of sexiness.
But staring would be rude.
And given how badly things had started between them, he quickly looked away and turned toward the town.
"Anyway, let's head back first and talk with... hmm, Shiro."
"Shiro?"
Ariel looked confused.
"My spider. I just came up with the name."
"Because she's white all over? Isn't that way too casual?"
"If I ever get serious, even I'd be afraid of myself."
He actually thought about it for a moment and only came up with Elizabeth I. In fact, he felt that might suit her better.
But Kumoko probably wouldn't accept it.
"What does that even mean?"
Ariel clicked her tongue, not understanding.
Still, she didn't care much and asked, "By the way, how long have you known each other? Why are you only naming her now?"
"Back in the Great Elroe Labyrinth, there wasn't any need for names~"
Ash answered casually.
Then, without much explanation, he immediately took Ariel with him and teleported back to the lord's mansion.
———
When they returned to the mansion's reception hall, which was also the place they had originally teleported to, Kumoko was nowhere to be seen.
She had probably gone outside.
Only Sophia and her mother remained in the reception hall.
"Oh my? This child is?"
The lady was already used to Ash's spatial abilities.
Instead, she stared in surprise at Ariel, who was less poorly dressed and more nearly unclothed.
Then she looked toward Ash.
A knowing smile appeared on her face.
She clasped her hands beside her cheeks, tilted her head, and said, "Youth really is wonderful. But no matter what, you should be a little more careful in the wilderness. What if someone saw you? That would be dangerous."
"No... She ran into bandits, and I happened to pass by and save her."
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