"Okay, bitch! If that's how you want this to go, then very fucking well!" Azrael cracked his knuckles, then his neck. "I may be damn average-looking, but what I did for you was beyond hospitable. Despite our differences, I took you home, gave you proper shelter, and took care of you! Even a fucking pig knows when it's being treated well!"
At being compared to a pig, Kaya sprang off the couch and straightened. She returned to her fierce expression, but Azrael barely noticed.
Azrael's gaze dropped to the swell of her chest, no bra at all. The simple shirt turned into a work of art, one he admired from the bottom of his heart. The pants were too big on her, so they'd slipped down a little, revealing the alluring lines of her crotch.
She's sexy, so what? I'm not putting up with a disrespectful bitch.
"You call stealing my dungeon reward 'treating me well,' huh?" Kaya shot back.
A wild sneer tugged at Azrael's mouth. "Skill issue."
Saying it felt particularly good, because he'd heard those exact two words a thousand times at school. At school, even students and teachers told him that with his average stats and skills, he'd never make it big. There was some truth to it, too. Azrael's stats had never gone up, no matter how hard he tried.
But now? He was different.
He could say those words now and mean them.
"If it weren't a skill issue, you'd be back home with a new skill. Instead, you're trapped with me, and now I've lost interest in you. As someone wise once said, women are better with their lips sealed. No wonder he was married!"
Mary whispered, "Was that your father?"
"Yeah. But I never understood it. Now I do. That's part of growing up. I'm gonna make it big." Azrael shook his head with a self-satisfied air Mary couldn't find words for.
Mary's gaze slid to the alien woman. Kaya was about to snap at him too, but... she was holding back. She must have realized the importance of Azrael's skill.
It wasn't clear whether other worlds dealt with the same issues as Earth. In Earth's case, Lords expanded their domains beyond Earth and pulled dungeons into their domains. What about the world Kaya came from? Just learning that was worth keeping her around a little longer.
Instead, Azrael had a different plan. "Get out of my house."
Mary raised her voice. "Wait, Azrael!"
Clenching her hands, Kaya bowed her head low. "I apologize for calling you a monkey. I spoke on impulse. You're a man with boundless potential, and those crude, insulting words should never have left my mouth."
As the alien woman pulled a complete 180, Azrael narrowed his eyes.
It's hot, having her treat me like some kind of master, but she has a reason. It has to be my skill, and the fact that I conquered the dungeon.
Azrael raised his voice. "Fucking hell, man! I did all this to show you I'm independent, and you don't give a fuck. All you see is my powers? How boring. Fine. Let's talk about your world, then!"
"My world?" Kaya whispered, stunned.
Azrael waved a hand. "Yeah. I found a way to your world through a dungeon. I became its owner, and I can take it back to my domain. Happy?"
Her eyes shone when she heard that. "Can you really take back the dungeon?!"
Azrael nodded. "Yeah. So you'll cooperate with me. What's your world like?"
"I will cooperate with you gladly, Master Azrael. I am Kaya of the Beastblood Clan!" Kaya dropped to one knee and lowered her head even deeper.
At her side, she clutched a spear, careful not to leave a dent in Azrael's floor.
"My world has been ravaged by dungeons for centuries. Thirteen of our 20 continents have already fallen, cracked off from Acqtine. This expansion can only be stopped by deactivating every dungeon across the remaining continents. So far, no one has managed it…"
For a moment, Kaya had thought Azrael was from another continent, part of a delegation with good news, or a solution to the dungeons. Never in her wildest dreams would Kaya have expected him to be from another world with exactly the power she needed.
"Please accept my apology again, Master Azrael. Sincerely."
Scratching his neck, Azrael tried to look nonchalant. "Apology accepted. I didn't expect your world to be that complicated, so I need to think about it. Stay here and watch anime. I'll be back."
"Yes!" Kaya replied like a knight.
You're so boring, he thought, glancing at her before heading upstairs.
Silent and shocked, Mary followed.
—
"I don't understand, Azrael! You can be a hero for her and her world's residents. Isn't that what you want? Just imagine how many women would court you!" Mary said as soon as Azrael's door closed.
It felt unreal. She was pushing Azrael toward a harem.
Azrael clenched his hands and let it all out. "I'm disappointed, Mary! I laid out so many traps and showed her the best of myself, but all she cares about is my skill! Fuck that. I know I can be a hero to her, and to others in her world, but I want women who see value in everything I have to offer, not just a single skill! I want them to be as selfish as I am!"
"…I feel proud for some reason?" Mary tilted her head, confused.
"And she's so damn easy. Like Frankie!"
"Frankie?"
"F-Rank dungeon. Anyway, I don't even have to bother with her! I might as well open a door to a new dungeon and conquer it!" Azrael said.
A new system window popped up in front of him.
[You're unable to open a new door to a new dungeon.]
[To open a new door to a new dungeon, you must conquer a new dungeon or develop your current dungeon to Rank E.]
"…what? I'll actually cry!"
"Want a handkerchief? I have a few." Mary summoned a black, gothic-style handkerchief.
His eyes narrowed. "Why does it look so cool?"
"Because it's my handkerchief."
He snatched it, then sighed. "I'm stuck with her. I'll look into her world and that dungeon. The Death Seesaws Dungeon is easy to develop, since I only need to throw monsters or humans inside. It shouldn't be hard to find resources for my dungeon over there, if her world is already crawling with them."
"Yes. Good luck!"
"Thanks! You're so supportive today, Mary!"
"It's because I can't bear to see you so sad and disappointed!"
"My little angel!"
"Mm."