I can’t wait to go to this Immortal Continent. The best way to grow is to overcome adversity time and time again. Lucia’s relaxed for far too long since she entered the legendary realm. Hmm? She deserves it? Maybe, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is there’s a higher peak for her to climb. How can she be a true legend if only the people in a pocket realm know her name? True, I didn’t know there was another world that was greater than this one. But now that I know, a new goal has been acquired. I’ll make her into a legend of the Immortal Continent. It’s a completely selfless goal, purely for Lucia’s sake. Ignore the fact that I can also grow stronger by eating swords from the Immortal Continent. I’ll be able to surpass Lucia—before, I was limited by her strength, but now, I’m able to grow on my own. If I enter a higher realm before her, I’ll be able to bully, err, educate her properly! I’ll finally overcome the frustrations that’ve built up this past year.

“Think of the predators, Durandal,” Lucia said with a flustered expression. “What’ll happen to them if I go to the Immortal Continent? No one will take care of them!”

“You don’t do anything to take care of them anyway!” Reena shouted before shrinking back as Lucia glared at her. It was true—Lucia made Reena clean up after and feed the predators. If anything, Lucia occasionally gave the predators head pats, but that was it.

“We’re going to the Immortal Continent.” This is nonnegotiable. I’ll never surpass Lucia if I’m stuck here. It’s my duty to help Lucia grow!

“I don’t want to,” Lucia said, shaking her head rapidly. Her hair flew up from the motion. “You can’t make me! I want to enjoy a nice cozy life and die of old age once I’m a great-grandmother!”

It’s a good thing I have a trump card. I fixed my expression and spoke with my most serious voice, “Lucia.”

Lucia flinched. “You’re going to tell me something I don’t want to hear, aren’t you?”

“I’m sterile.”

Lucia stared me in the eyes. Then her gaze lowered to my crotch. Then it went back to my eyes. “Really?”

“Weapon spirits are sterile.”

Lucia avoided my gaze. “I wonder where I can find a sperm donor….”

If it weren’t for the fact that she could beat me to death, I would’ve smacked her. “Lucia. There’s a way for me to become unsterile.”

Lucia’ eyes narrowed into slits. “Let me guess. You have to become stronger, right?”

…She became smarter. Or maybe she was always this smart. But that doesn’t change anything; she won’t be able to resist the temptation once I agree. “That’s right. And the only way for me to become stronger is to enter the Immortal Continent.” Though, I’m not sure if it’s true or not.

Lucia sighed as her tail drooped to the ground. “I guess I can adjust my dreams to not include children,” she muttered. Then she nodded to herself. Her tail perked up as she smiled at me. “That’s okay. Even if you’re sterile, I won’t abandon you.”

Alright. That settles it. We’re going to the Immortal Continent whether she wants to or not. “Ilya. How do we get there?”

“Don’t tell him!” Lucia shouted and tackled Ilya to the ground before she could say anything. Thankfully, there was someone else.

“The invaders should have an item that allows them to return once the month is up,” Cain Thunderfire said. “And they have an item that allows them to leave by breaking it. I’ve seen one use one to escape from me. They act like instant-teleportation buttons, but they leave this dimension instead.” A round item appeared in his palm. “Like this.”

Oh, I found a lot of those from the interspacial rings of the people I cleaned up outside of Lucia’s lakeside home. There were easily forty to fifty of them. None of them got out alive. Why didn’t I spare anyone? Simple; dead men tell no tales. Lucia probably won’t be too happy if she finds out I killed everyone because despite being a murderer herself, she thinks she’s a good person. That’s why I framed Mrs. Wuffletush and had her maim all the corpses. Lucia loves the predators a lot and will forgive them for anything. To quote her, “A squirrel will never betray you unless someone offers them acorns! But no one carries more acorns around than I do.”

Lucia stared at the orb in Cain’s palm. Her tail flashed, and the orb disappeared. “Oh darn. It disappeared. What a shame.”

“That’s okay,” Cain said. “I have plenty more.”

“As do I. Mrs. Wuffletush killed a lot of the invaders in the field of spirit seeds. I collected all the loot on their bodies.” I collected the spirit seeds as well, so no greedy intruder would ruin Lucia’s home while she was gone.

Lucia’s eyes widened. “A, a weapon spirit should listen to his master, right? That’s what weapon spirits do, right!? Put down that orb, Durandal!”

“This orb?” The one in my palm? I wonder what would happen if I applied a teensy bit of pressure to it.

Beads of sweat formed on Lucia’s brow. “Durandal…. You’re, you’re not angry at me, right? Let’s discuss this peacefully, okay?”

“Me, upset with you? What would make you think that?” I’m not a vindictive person. I don’t hold grudges…, usually. “By any chance, have you done anything that would make me upset with you?”

A dry laugh escaped from Lucia’s lips as she scratched her head. “Err, no? Right?” She glanced at Ilya, who looked away, before turning towards Reena, who also looked away. She bit her lower lip as she stared at Cain, and he looked away as well. “Puppers…?”

Puppers’ flat voice came out of her socks. “You didn’t do anything to wrong Durandal. Nothing at all.”

“See?” Lucia asked me, her eyes lighting up as her tail twitched.

Why do I enjoy seeing her desperate expression so much? Well, I do feel a bit bad for her. Almost. Right, this was for her own good. I walked over to Lucia with a smile, offering the orb. “Take it.” She stared at it before slowly reaching out to grab it. Without give her a chance to resist, I raised my palm and smashed it against hers, crushing the orb between us.

Lucia’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as her body turned transparent. Before she disappeared, she reached over and grabbed Ilya’s arm.

Ilya screamed, “Lucia!?”

I didn’t see what happened next because my vision turned black.