I stared at the bandit leader's body for a moment, confirming that he was definitely dead—or at least, it seemed that way.
I mean, with his body in that state, he had to be dead… right?
Though, it wouldn't exactly be impossible for him to suddenly rise from the dead, would it?
Suddenly, a sharp wave of exhaustion crashed over me.
A tremendous amount of energy burst from within, like a dam breaking after holding back too much for too long.
My limbs trembled, shoulders hunched forward, and sweat clung to my skin like glue.
The backlash from using both Resonant Link and Limit Break had finally caught up with me.
I clenched my teeth, gasping for air, each breath feeling heavier than the last.
My body throbbed as if every nerve had been lit on fire.
And just then… I heard shuffling.
Movement.
The surrounding bandits—who had been deathly silent up until now—were suddenly backing away.
Their confidence had evaporated like mist under sunlight.
"Th-The leader… got killed…! The leader's dead!"
The cry rang out like a shockwave, slicing through the air and igniting panic.
I watched as chaos spread among them like wildfire.
Just moments ago, they were cocky, puffed-up bastards full of bloodlust.
Now they looked like rats scurrying in a maze with the exits sealed shut.
It was like someone had hit the delete button on their bravado.
Gone. Erased completely.
"D-Don't retreat, damn it! Th-They're still outnumbered!" one of them barked desperately. "We can still win this…! We just gotta cut down that bitch with the sword, then take out the mage, and finally kill that bastard!"
"Y-Yeah, I mean… even if they're dead, their bodies are still warm, right?"
There it was.
That twisted glint in their eyes.
Even trembling, teeth chattering from fear, they still clung to that depraved urge for pleasure.
Monsters in human skin.
"With all these beasts around us, they don't stand a chance!"
"R-Right…"
They tried to hold on to that last bit of confidence, even if it was barely hanging by a thread.
And that's when it hit me.
The wolves… and the other beasts scattered around us—the same ones that had once moved with the bandit leader's command—were now still.
Too still. But their attention had clearly shifted.
Not to me. Not to the goddess.
But to the bandits.
A low, menacing growl tore through the silence.
Grrrr...
The wolves' fangs were bared, eyes narrowed, glowing faintly with murderous intent.
Their claws scraped against the dirt as they slowly stalked forward.
They were no longer under anyone's control.
"H-Hey… w-why are they acting weird all of a sudden? Why're they staring at us like that?!"
"Idiots," the Goddess said coldly, her voice echoing with a touch of contempt. "The one with the Beast Tamer's blessing is dead. That means the beasts are no longer bound to his will. And since they were conscious while being controlled, they now remember everything... And they're furious."
"W-Wha…?!"
Of course. That made sense.
The bandits, now pale and wide-eyed, began to panic.
"T-This is bad! We need to get out of here! Run!"
But the wolves—and the rest of the beasts—had already begun closing in.
Their formation was tight, a circle of snarling teeth and rage. There was no escape.
"W-What the fuck do we do now?!"
And then—like a cruel twist of fate—another voice pierced the air.
"Hm…~ Isn't this getting interesting?"
The tone was playful. Amused.
A figure emerged from the trees, stepping out into the light.
Her voice echoed with an odd mix of curiosity and excitement. "The wolves are surrounding them? What the hell happened here?"
She was… odd.
She wore what looked like armor, but honestly, calling it armor was giving it too much credit.
It was more like she was wearing a metallic bra as a breastplate—just enough to cover her tits.
Nothing else.
Her toned midriff was completely exposed, her navel glinting in the soft light, and below that, she wore a short skirt that fluttered slightly with each step.
That was it.
No thigh guards. No arm plates. No protection.
What was even the point of wearing armor like that?
It was so blatantly impractical it bordered on ridiculous—yet somehow, she carried herself like it didn't matter.
In one hand, she held a long sword. In the other, a small targe shield.
She looked like an adventurer, but not one who'd come with a party.
She was alone.
And she didn't look worried at all.
"T-Those are the bastards that came to our village and terrorized us! P-Please, help us, madam adventurer!"
"Fufufu...~ Don't worry," she replied with a smirk. "I was paid to drive them away, so I'll do just that."
The tension in the air snapped like a wire. The moment the bandits realized who she was, their faces stiffened in synchronized dread.
"Wait… isn't that…?"
"Y-Yeah… That solo adventurer. The one who never joins parties," another whispered, the tremble in his voice barely hidden. "I've heard tons of rumors… High-ranking guilds tried again and again to recruit her, but she rejected every single one of them. Not even a second of hesitation."
One of them froze mid-sentence, eyes widening like they'd just seen a ghost.
"Alicia Redspire!"
That name.
It struck something in my memory, like a bell tolling from deep within.
Ah—right. I'd heard it before. From a bard passing through our village. A song, half exaggerated, half whispered like a secret.
A lone adventurer, who walked the path of battle without companions. A woman who, by sheer will and ferocity, managed to slay a giant beast alone—something that even full squads of adventurers couldn't hope to do.
She wasn't just famous. She was legendary.
An A-rank adventurer.
A rank that was supposed to be unattainable by any one person. And yet, she'd reached it—no, blazed her way to it—within just a single year.
Alicia Redspire.
That name carved itself into my mind.
"What the fuck is she doing here?!" one of the bandits screamed in disbelief.
"Huhu…" Alicia chuckled again, voice calm but chilling. "I came, of course, to subjugate you all. Though, from the looks of it, I won't have to lift a finger."
The moment she spoke, the air turned heavier.
The growls from the beasts echoed like low thunder. The wolves and other creatures had completely encircled the bandits, their muscles tense, bodies crouched, and eyes glimmering with a hunger that wasn't born from instinct alone—but vengeance.
Then, like a string pulled too tight, they snapped.
The wolves lunged in unison.
"AHGGGHHHH...!"
"No—AHHHHHH!"
"N-NGHHAAAA...! A-AHH! Please...! HELP ME! AHHH!"
"AHHHHHHH!"
Screams of pain tore through the battlefield, jagged and raw.
The beasts tore into flesh, teeth sinking into limbs, throats, bellies—wherever they could sink their fangs.
Blood sprayed like a fountain, painting the ground in crimson arcs.
Wolves clamped their jaws down hard, thrashing and ripping.
Larger beasts bulldozed into the chaos, flattening men beneath their massive weight, kicking, stomping, tearing with claws that could shear bone.
The ground churned under the violence. Intestines spilled like wet ropes. Flesh flew, torn by fang and claw. Bones cracked. Skulls burst.
The air was thick with gore—
It was sickening, metallic, and hot.
It was… too much.
I couldn't keep watching.
My stomach churned, bile rising up my throat. I turned away, clenching my jaw, forcing myself not to throw up.
And then… silence.
The howling stopped.
The tearing ceased.
Only the soft rustle of paws against dirt remained.
The massacre was over.
The remaining beasts began to retreat, disappearing into the trees like phantoms, their duty fulfilled.
One wolf lingered behind. Its eyes met mine.
It held a severed arm between its bloodstained jaws.
And yet, it didn't snarl.
It didn't growl.
It simply… stared.
Then, after a long moment, it nodded.
As if to say, You're safe now.
And with that, it turned and vanished into the forest with the others.
The threat had passed. Completely.
Even the beasts, once feared, had returned to the natural order.
I exhaled, my chest rising and falling with shaky breaths.
Relief washed over me like a slow tide.
I had truly thought the beasts would turn on us once their master was dead… but they didn't.
They chose mercy.
And then, gradually, the villagers began to emerge from their hiding places.
Doors creaked open.
Feet stepped cautiously onto the blood-soaked soil.
The once silent homes were alive again.
The people… they were clapping.
Cheering.
Voices lifted into the sky.
Were they cheering… for me?
I didn't expect that.
Not at all.
And yet… hearing their applause, feeling their gratitude—it didn't feel so bad.
Warmth stirred in my chest.
But then—suddenly—my legs gave out. The world tilted sideways.
Ah.
This isn't good.
My head spun violently, and I felt the weight of exhaustion slam into me like a hammer.
I swayed, the edges of my vision darkening like ink spreading through water.
And then—darkness took me.
***
When I finally came to, I felt something soft pressed against my side.
A strange warmth.
I blinked slowly, adjusting to the dim light.
I turned my head—and saw Cecilia beside me.
Her chest pressed softly against me, her arms wrapped gently around my body.
She was sleeping.
And in that moment, she looked so peaceful. So… incredibly cute.
"Oh, you're awake. Are you alright? You suddenly collapsed back there," came a voice from somewhere near the bed.
I turned my head.
Sitting at the edge of the mattress was the Goddess, watching me calmly.
"I see…" I murmured, my voice a little hoarse. "I think I'm fine."
Carefully, I reached over and gently pried Cecilia's arm off me, her grip still loose from sleep, and slowly pushed myself upright.
I took a glance around.
The room was unfamiliar—modest but warm.
Wooden walls, a single window letting in light. We were on a bed. A real one.
"This is the elder's room," the Goddess said softly. "He offered us a place to rest for a while. But since there was only one room available… we're all a bit cramped in here."
"I see…" I muttered again, still taking it all in.
"We won," I said, my voice barely louder than a whisper.
"...Yes," she responded, her tone quiet but firm.
Even now, it felt surreal—unbelievable—that we had actually won against something like that.
My body was sore, my mind still reeling. Every muscle ached like I'd been dragged through hell.
Any other circumstance—just one misstep and one wrong move—and I would've been snapped like a twig. Crushed beneath the weight of overwhelming force.
But somehow… we didn't fall.
We endured.
And we won.
That alone... was enough.
As I sat there trying to steady my breathing, I felt her gaze on me. The Goddess was watching me closely—too closely.
Her expression was laced with worry, her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to speak but was holding herself back. It was the same kind of look a mother hen might give her injured chick.
It was full of concern, yet unsure if reaching out would make things better or worse.
"You don't have to worry," I said softly, looking directly at her. "I'm really fine."
"Really?" she asked, as if she wanted to believe it, but couldn't quite bring herself to accept it without hearing it again.
"Yes," I nodded, offering a faint smile.
"I see… That's good then," she replied, her lips curling into a small, relieved smile of her own.
It was subtle, but that smile… it really did suit her.
She looked genuinely beautiful in that moment.
Not just because she was a literal goddess—but because she was her. Gentle, lovely, kind…
And during all the days I'd spent with her—through the quiet moments, the chaos, and even the naughty things we did together—I found myself growing more attached to her.
Bit by bit, I was falling for her.
Then something flickered in my memory.
Back during our Resonant Link… when our status connected, even just briefly, I'd caught a glimpse of her status. Along with that, her name had appeared in my mind.
I saw it.
But somehow… I didn't want to know it like that.
Not as some random line on a stat screen. Not from a system message.
I wanted to hear it from her. Her own lips. Her voice.
So, I asked.
I slowly reached out, my hand moving gently until it touched hers.
The moment I made contact, her body jolted ever so slightly—just a twitch, really—but enough for me to feel it.
Her fingers shifted, and she turned to look over her shoulder at me with wide eyes, as if she wasn't expecting it at all.
"Can I ask you for your name?"
Back then, she told me she didn't want to reveal it. That humans had no business knowing the true name of a goddess.
But right now, in this moment… I needed to know. Not out of curiosity, but something deeper.
Even though I already knew it.
I wanted to hear it from her.
To feel the weight of it from her own voice.
When I asked, she quickly looked away from me, her cheeks turning ever so slightly—but unmistakably—red. And even though she avoided my eyes, I caught the faint blush coloring the tips of her ears.
"…Aisha," she said, barely above a whisper.
Her voice was soft, delicate—almost like a gentle breeze brushing against my skin. There was warmth in it. Something sacred.
The moment she said it, my heart slammed against my chest.
Aisha.
What a lovely name.
And strangely… perfectly fitting.
It was her.
Aisha.