'I recognize that gaze. This is jealousy... and lust.'

Amelia noticed the man's eyes moving to both her and Karteira's chest and thighs.

'This won't end well.'

Karteira looked at Orion's veins bulge out of his hand as he placed the cup back on its saucer.

Luckily, he won't have to move, as the man walked away... or so that was how it looked.

The shop's door opened with a very loud crashing sound, even ignoring the bell.

Loud footsteps approached the table they were eating at.

A bald, tall, and broad man stood in front of Orion. He had rather shabby leather clothes on his body that showed he was someone that fought often.

"Not from this city I guess. Hand over your girls, take that money, and scram."

The man made his demand, before slamming a small pouch on the table.

Amelia and Karteira kept eating as if undisturbed, but kept an eye on Orion, just in case.

"I'm not one to brag about my fortune, but your poor attempt at buying me is making you look pitiful. Before making another mistake, leave this store."

The whole shop fell in silence when they looked inside Orion's eyes.

Darkness.

There was not a single trace of his original grey colored pupils. They were similar to Stella, yet darker.

"Making another mistake? Me?"

He pointed at himself and laughed maniacally.

"I'll break your bones if you ask for it that much."

Orion sipped on his coffee.

"I can't even enjoy a single cup of coffee. *sigh*"

Amelia and Karteira felt incredibly bad for him.

"First, shut your mouth."

Orion stood up. Taygeta appeared out of nowhere, fired a 'Mute Arrow' at the man, and vanished before the normal customers noticed anything.

The bald man touched his mouth, surprised not to be able to make a single sound.

Walking behind Amelia, he stopped next to the big guy.

"...!"

"Going for a punch won't help you either."

Orion caught the punch with his own hand.

*Snap*

The man's eyes bulged out of his head, as a loud snapping sound echoed in the silence.

'Poor guy, that's why you don't approach us with that kind of attitude.'

Amelia thought, pitying the man.

"I knew there was still trash around, but I wasn't expecting to have one go for my women. You have guts, I give you that."

'His women.'

Those words made both Amelia and Karteira very happy.

Orion grabbed the pouch on the table and shoved it down the man's mouth.

"Out."

He grabbed the man by the collar and pushed him back. The big guy fell in the snow, spitting the pouch on the ground.

"...?"

In terror, he noticed at last that he might have went for someone too powerful. He wanted to apologize, but no noise came out of his mouth.

Orion walked through the portal, and stared down at the man with an intense darkness in his eyes.

'Snow.'

Orion opened his hand and watched snowflakes melt in it. He closed it and stared at the man on the ground.

"Strip."

"...!"

The man shook his head multiple times, trying to implore Orion for forgiveness.

"Lust... it is something I won't tolerate, especially toward people I treasure. Plead all you want, you won't be forgiven, for I am not justice."

"Now. Strip."

His words gave no way for refusal.

The man could only obey. Though he had one hand dislocated, he managed to remove all of his clothes besides his underwear. The frost wind of the south began to hurt his body.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"I said, strip. Don't make me repeat this once more."

"..."

With a defeated look in his eyes, the man removed his last piece of clothing in the middle of the street, in front of every onlookers.

"Pitiful."

Orion walked back into the portal and sat down on his chair to finish his coffee.

"How are you feeling?"

His eyes were still clouded in darkness.

"Awful."

Both Amelia and Karteira looked at each other, and nodded. They immediately grabbed his hands.

"Nothing would have happened anyway. We're strong enough to push these guys away."

"I know..."

They entertwined their fingers with his, slowly calming his bad mood.

*Inhale* *Exhale*

Orion closed his eyes for a second, calming his intense mood.

"How were the sweets?"

"Here. I've let a piece for you."

Amelia brought the fork with the last piece of cake to his mouth. He ate it without hesitation.

'It sure is a strawberry cake. Yet, it tastes sweeter than I was expected.'

"Me too! Here!"

Karteira panicked for a second, as she handed over the last macarons she kept for him.

"You like bitter stuff, so I thought a cherry flavored macaron would be interesting for you."

Approaching her fingers holding the macaron to his mouth, she wasn't expecting him to just eat it from her hand.

"Thanks."

He ate the cherry flavored macaron in silence.

'This is indeed bitter.'

He smiled after swallowing the food. Drinking the rest of his coffee, he stood up.

"Both are good in their own ways."

Voices returned to the shop, saying how incredible he was to have defended not only his friends, but his honor as a man.

No one thought of him as a monster for making the man outside suffer. Sure, maybe it was taken a bit too far, but he deserved it.

'I couldn't care less about those things. That was very childish of me. Maybe I should've just brought it to the wood and...'

He stopped in his tracks.

'Since when have I been thinking like a murderer?'

Arriving at the counter, he apologized for the trouble he brought to the shop, and paid for the full order, including the coffees, even though the clerk clearly wanted him not too.

Amelia and Karteira followed him outside with their bag in hands. Orion put his coat back on the moment he went outside.

"Wait here."

"Sure."

Orion walked around the corner, and stopped in front of the bald guy, who was slowly freezing to death, naked.

"Put your clothes back on. This is no place to die."

'There might've been children around. Doing that in town wasn't the best of ideas.'

Luckily for him, there was not much to see because of the snow falling from the sky.

"I'm sorry..."

The chalked blue lips of the man trembled.

"I know. I won't apologize for my actions, as you brought this on yourself. But I won't leave you in that state either."

Orion crouched in front of the guy, and placed his hand on his right shoulder.

Healing the dislocated hand and removing the frostbites was simple for him, so it ended quickly.

"Return home, and reflect on your actions. That's all I can tell you. Build more strength, make yourself useful to someone, and maybe you'll find a girl that likes you."

The man felt heat return to his body. With it, every words Orion spoke found a place in his heart.

"You won't be like me, or anyone else. Live your life, but don't be a criminal."

"If there's a next time, you won't be breathing at that point. Be careful."

He wasn't trying to intimidate the man, but he didn't know how to even reform a man to begin with, so whatever came to his mind left his mouth.

The man began to shed tears as he put his clothes back on.

"Thank you."

He grabbed his purse on the ground, and walked past Orion.

'Hmm.'

Orion looked inside the shop, and watched as the bald man bowed to the clerk. They talked for a minute, before the clerk made the man walk inside the staff area.

'I guess your first start is to become a real man.'

Closing his eyes, he turned back.

"What do you think?"

"It looks great on you! What about me?"

"Do I have to tell you? Of course, it's gorgeous."

"Hehe~"

His two girlfriends were having a moment together in front of the store, enjoying the fur coats he bought them.

With a smile on his face, he walked up to them.

"Just as expected, you look great in it."

Amelia was wearing a light pink coat with a hood covered with fur that stopped at her waist. It was plain, but it was keeping heat like she requested. Amelia wasn't particularly picky with clothing, but she liked looking good still.

Compared to Amelia's, Karteira's coat was light blue. It stopped below her knees, as she was easily affected by the cold. There was also room inside for her tail if she wrapped it around her body. She also had a hood, similar to Amelia.

Seeing their smile was enough for Orion. Even if he rarely bought gifts for them, he still wanted to make these very few gifts count.

'They gave me so much, and yet I can only give it back like this...'

He also wanted to indulge them more. He thought of taking each on date, he even wanted more. But his mind was still locked on Elliott.

Following in the steps of his parents would be a mistake in his case, as he would have no way to protect his child. He didn't know if it was even possible for him to conceive a child with a human or a fairy.

But in the case that it happened, he wouldn't allow neither Amelia nor Karteira to battle next to him. If they were to lose their life alongside his children, even if he had another life after this one, he would not forgive himself.

Even now, with Stella around, he felt conflicted.

He wasn't irresponsible. He couldn't authorize this from him. How many people would feel betrayed if he were to die?

That was the reason for his constant lack of interest in forging bonds with others.

But the current smiles on their faces.

'That's all I want from them. Just happiness.'

'Nothing is sure in life, I was reminded that with the hourglass. So until the bitter end, I will fight. For me, and for them.'

Orion turned around.

"Alright, we should be going. The road ahead is a long one."

"So, where are we going? Other than 'west', I have no real idea of our destination."

Karteira said, walking at his right side.

"Let me guess. Ryghs?"

"Yes."

Guessing the right place, Amelia walked at his left side and grabbed his arm, placing his hand in her coat's pocket.

"Aah!"

Feeling jealous, Karteira did the same.

"You two... how am I supposed to walk like this?"

His hands were in their coat's pocket, while their arm was wrapped around his. This was literally 'having a flower on both hands'.

As Orion tried his best to walk correctly, his companions displayed smiles of pure happiness.

Not long after, they had left Turric, following west.

At their current pace, it would obviously take more than three weeks to arrive, that's why, Orion had taken two days to walk with them as much as possible, and then he would warp to his destination.

His next target was Neon Ultis, Ruler and Apostle of Ryghs.

Later that day, on a snowy path.

"What about Croates?"

"Hmm?"

Orion rummaged through his memories of the Ceremony, and the ones about the various positions of the human cities around Triazils at Amelia's words.

"Oh, the city below Albriar. Right, I had forgotten. Let's stop there first then, just to have a look. If I can, I'll make it quick."

"Diminishing our enemy's strength as much as possible was our plan from the beginning anyway."

Amelia confirmed. It was the very beginning of their adventure after leaving Auro.

"It's on the way, right?"

"We need to go slightly north to get to it, but yes, it's on our path."

Answering Karteira, Orion explained.

"From what I learned, there is nothing of value in that city. Zero, none at all."

"We'll pop up, kill that guy, and bail out of the city."

"I can't have Nylon do every soldier extermination plan anyway."

He shrugged.

"Well, now that its decided."

'Let's go. Toward Croates.'

If only they knew what was currently happening in Croates.