Chapter 5

Walking through the dingy alleyways of the slum, an unpleasant smell assaulted my nose.

Clearly, there must be a rotting corpse somewhere in the corner. Peeking between the abandoned buildings, I saw a mutilated corpse, beaten and slashed, decaying away.

Judging by the maggots, flies, and dried bloodstains on the ground, it seemed the organs had been removed too. Probably someone who couldn’t pay off their gambling debt ended up like this. It might seem cruel, but that’s just the way things are in a slum like this. It’s not prejudice—it’s a reasonable deduction.

“Airi.”

“Yes, Master? Why are you calling your cute disciple?”

“Don’t look.”

“At what?”

“Your handsome Master’s face.”

I covered Airi’s face with the long sleeve of my robe. It’s not good for her education to see a corpse at her age. Besides, this isn’t just any corpse—it’s half-rotted, swarming with maggots and flies. A normal person would faint at the sight of such a gruesome scene. How could I possibly show her that?

“I see your face every day, Master. The face that says you’re tired of everything in the world.”

“Are you calling your Master ugly right now, you foolish disciple?”

“I said your face looks tired of everything. I didn’t say you’re ugly.”

“What?”

Her unexpected response caught me off guard. It’s true that Werner from *Draghinty Fantasy 1* was a pretty boy, and even in *Draghinty Fantasy 2*, though a bit gloomy, he was still a handsome young man.

That’s why he had so many female fans. If you searched for *Draghinty Fantasy Series* comics on H-manga, you’d find all sorts of ridiculous pairings between Werner and the protagonist of *Draghinty Fantasy 1*. Why on earth would anyone pair a guy with a family with Werner? Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit.

Not to mention the countless comics pairing him with various female characters. Of course, the ones with Airi and Camelian Peony were overwhelmingly popular. Especially the ones where Airi ends up dominating him.

And of course, the community was no exception…

**Title:** Hassan) Airi x Werner – The Promise of That Day

**Content:** (Basically a comic where Werner and Airi promise to throw a fancy party for her next birthday.)

ㄴ But Airi turned that party into Werner’s funeral instead.

ㄴ Yeah, it’s the 49th day memorial before the birthday.

ㄴ Sob sob, thank you, Sensei…

ㄴ Honestly, from Werner’s perspective, wouldn’t he prefer Camelian, who took care of him when he was young, over the troublemaker who killed him?

ㄴㄴ Nah, next is Kakas.

ㄴㄴ Arrested at the elf city residence.

**Title:** Doesn’t Big Bro Werner look hot?

ㄴ Are you serious?

ㄴ Oh, f***.

ㄴ What’s with the armband, you idiot?

ㄴㄴ Going to play games.

ㄴ Real talk.

**Title:** But why did Werner get so haggard in *Draghinty Fantasy 2* compared to *1*?

ㄴ Well, *2* takes place 19 years after *1*, so of course.

ㄴ He’s been raising his cute disciple and dealing with that troublemaker, so of course he aged.

ㄴㄴ Sucked dry by her energy?

ㄴㄴㄴ You crazy b****, what are you on about?

ㄴ It’s because of the stress from raising his disciple.

ㄴ Honestly, raising a kid since he was in school would age anyone.

ㄴ Parenting stress.

Thinking about it, he’s really pitiful. Never even held a woman’s hand, just spent his life taking care of others until he died.

“Master, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just lost in thought for a moment.”

“What were you thinking about? Did you finally realize how cute your disciple is?”

“No, I was thinking about how much of a nuisance you are.”

At that, Airi puffed out her cheeks and started pounding my chest with her fists. She must’ve inherited her father’s strength because each punch made my ribs ache and my organs shake. A few more hits like that, and I might die from internal bleeding before my skull cracks.

“Haah, disciple… your Master is in a lot of pain.”

“That’s why I’m hitting you!”

I patted Airi’s head a few times, and only then did she stop hitting me. But damn, it really hurt. Maybe I should teach her how to wield a giant hammer in heavy armor instead of magic or swordsmanship. This gorilla of a girl, seriously.

“So, what were you saying? Your Master was too lost in thought to hear properly.”

“Oh, that?”

Airi suddenly giggled and poked my cheek.

“I said your face is my type.”

“Wha… what?”

“You’re happy, right? Right?”

Surely, she’s joking. At this point in the story, Airi’s still mischievous. She can’t be serious.

Of course, anyone would be happy if a pretty girl like her said they were her type. But if she really did like me and we started dating, it’d be a huge problem. Even if Airi’s just become an adult, the ethical issues remain.

Thinking about how Werner’s comrades from *Draghinty Fantasy 1* would react makes it even more complicated.

Based on their personalities, if I announced I was dating a girl 12 years younger whom I’d raised since she was 5, they’d probably react like this:

“Oh my, youngest~ You’ve even seduced the leader’s daughter. You’ve got quite the talent. I didn’t raise you like this… Guess you’ll have to die, huh?”

“…My mistake. Werner, at the very least, I’ll take your life with my sword.”

“Hahaha, youngest~ First you made my daughter cry, and now the leader’s daughter? Hahaha, you’ve got some guts, huh? Hahaha.”

“Youngest… It’s my fault for raising you wrong. So I’ll take responsibility and cut off your head with my axe, then follow you in death.”

“Hahahaha! Our youngest has grown so much. Here, choose: the left one makes you bleed from every hole in your body, and the right one melts all your internal organs.”

They’d probably react like that. I’m absolutely certain. Even in fan comics pairing Airi and Werner, the reactions from those around them were mostly like that. Traditionally, you’d have to get beaten up to get their approval. But in reality, it wouldn’t stop at just a beating—it’d end with me being physically torn apart.

And if Airi’s father, the protagonist of *Draghinty Fantasy 1*, found out, things would get even more brutal.

“Youngest… I’m disappointed… But I can’t ignore your struggles. So at least I’ll make it painless for you.”

Hmm… No matter how I think about it, it’s nothing but ruin. There’s no way out of this. So no matter what, I have to shut Airi’s mouth.

“Airi, can your Master ask you for a favor?”

“Lewd favors are a no-go, Master.”

As if I’d do that. I still want to live. If I made such a request, her father would chop me into pieces.

“It’s not that kind of favor, you idiot disciple. Can you refrain from saying such things in front of Sister Camelian or other adults?”

“Why?”

“If you want your Master to live even one more day, do as I say. Especially in letters to your father—never write anything like that.”

That doting monster of a father would definitely come to chop me up. Well, if his beloved youngest begged for my life, he might stop at just dismembering me and gouging out my eyes.

“Then it’s already too late.”

“What?”

“I actually sent a letter to my father yesterday saying your face is my type.”

“Airi, you little b****…”

I swallowed the curse that almost slipped out and tried to calm the situation.

Airi’s father, though he doesn’t show it, is a doting father.

And I’m 12 years older than Airi.

Moreover, I’ve been raising her since she was 5.

And now she’s told her father that my face is her type.

= A pervert who grooms a child deserves execution.

That’s the simple conclusion.

“No way…”

The protagonist of *Draghinty Fantasy 1* also cares for Werner as his youngest, so if I explain properly, it might end with just losing an arm. Surely, that’s how it’ll go.

“Airi… my disciple.”

“Yes, Master?”

“If you had to choose between losing your left arm or your right arm, which would you pick? I’m ambidextrous, you see.”

Before Airi’s father arrives, I need to seriously consider which arm to lose.

“The left arm would be better.”

“Why the left?”

“I’ve seen it a few times. At night, when you secretly use your right hand to…”

“Let’s stop there.”

Damn, she knew about that. Wait, does that mean…

“Did you write about that in the letter too?”

“Yes, I wrote it yesterday!”

“Airi, I don’t need to worry about which arm to lose anymore.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll probably lose both.”

Airi solved my dilemma. If both arms are going to be cut off, there’s no need to worry about which one to lose. Better to just cut them off—Alexander the Great-style problem-solving.

As we walked and talked, we arrived at the fence’s house. Airi grabbed the door handle and said:

“If both your arms get cut off, I’ll feed you, Master!”

“Wow, that’s so touching, thank you.”

Since I can’t punch Airi, I’ll have to take out my frustration properly today.

And I’ll have to think carefully about how to negotiate with Airi’s father to spare at least one arm.

While I’m at it, I’ll say goodbye to my arm with a kiss.