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After the events that transpired yesterday, Jack and Anna were rescued by Henrietta and the other survivors, including Annabelle, Baihe, and Kevin. Hector survived, alongside the other trio of guild masters. However, Sara’s corpse was nowhere to be seen. Some speculated she had been snatched away by monsters, and investigations trying to find her had been started by members of her guild.

Jack had woken up only a few hours after Anna saved him from death. Once he was found to be healthy, alongside his sister, Henrietta gave him a ride. They were brought back to his home with Baihe, Annabelle, and Kevin. Not everyone saw what happened there, but they were devastated yet at the same time relieved.

They discussed what happened until everyone went to sleep, leaving Jack and Henrietta alone through the entire night. The two talked about what had happened, about the grim future, and about their hopes and dreams.

“Hahh… Even when I went to train as hard as I could to become stronger and protect you and Anna, I still ended up failing miserably, being beaten down like a dog.” Jack started to doubt himself. “Anna died… somehow she came back to life, maybe thanks to the constellations that seem to love her a lot... But I doubt that’ll happen again. I don’t know what to do, even as hard as I try, things keep getting worse and worse. Everything looks so bleak and hopeless…”

“Jack…” Henrietta felt heartbroken to see the man she admired being so let down. She could understand his pain because she often thought the same as well.

Yet, unlike Jack, she was the type of person who was always smiling and looking into the future with a bright personality. While Jack… Once he got into this mood, he would only sink deeper into his own self-loathing.

Henrietta filled herself with bravery, blushing a bit as she held Jack’s hand tightly and glanced at him in the eyes.

“Jack, that’s not right! S-Stop it!” She said angrily.

“H-Huh? Henrietta?!” Jack felt surprised.

“You’re not useless, and you’re not weak! You're very strong and dependable. You’re probably the only man I can trust now,” Henrietta said. “Those monsters went even beyond what we could do... Yeah, maybe you got beaten, but you forced them into a corner, and for a while, I think you were evenly matched! You’re not weak; I think you might be the strongest hunter in the city! If only someone had supported you... If only I could have been there, we could have beaten them. We have grown stronger, and you’ve grown stronger! You’re walking the correct path; your efforts are not being wasted. It was thanks to your strength that everybody’s life was saved. Your sister included, and mine. Except Sara… But that was my fault, not yours.”

“…” Jack fell into silence, his cold hand slowly warming up in Henrietta’s hand.

For a second, she noticed Jack’s pale face growing slightly redder.

Was he blushing?

Henrietta couldn’t believe it.

The only time she ever saw him like that was when he was being cheered up by his sister.

“Please don’t lose hope, Jack, because if you do, then everything, even Anna, will crumble apart. You’re our hope. You’re my hope,” Henrietta sighed, blushing. “You’re… you’re really important to me. I owe you so much. I-I feel so bad when you say those things. You’re not useless, and the future is not hopeless either. We suffer setbacks all the time, yet we always come back, don't we?”

“But that’s…”

“No buts!” Henrietta said. “I want you to, at least once, trust me... Please trust me when I say things will get better. I will... we will do everything we can to make it that way.”

“Fine…” Jack sighed, getting a bit tired of her yet also finding her slightly childish optimism endearing. “I’ll trust you, Henrietta.”

“See? It wasn’t that hard." Henrietta giggled. “Huh?”

She noticed how Jack still kept holding her hand, even more tightly than before.

“You’re also… perhaps the only person I can trust the most right now…” Jack sighed. “Thank you for being by my side and also protecting my sister and everyone else in my absence. I also owe you my life.”

“J-Jack… H-Hahah, there’s no need to thank me…” Henrietta blushed. “Anna is like my sister as well. I did the very least I could do. I love her like she’s my family.”

“You’re such a gentle woman…” Jack said. “I often can’t believe how much you care for me and my family…”

“W-Well that’s… that’s because I…” Henrietta started getting more embarrassed, but her heart was already filled with bravery. “I-I, well, I love you, Jack…”

“I know,” Jack smiled back with a slightly cocky smirk.

“E-Eh?! You knew already?!” Henrietta cried.

“Haha, sorry, it was quite obvious. Did you think I was oblivious or dense? I’m not. I’m quite good at catching people’s intentions and feelings,” Jack smiled.

“T-Then why didn’t you… push me away?” Henrietta felt surprised.

“I didn’t feel like it." Jack sighed. “I also enjoy your company and your endearing self. You’re one of the few people that make my day better.”

“J-Jack…”

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Their faces grew closer and closer, and before they could even realize it, their lips were about to touch. Jack’s heart was beating fast, and Henrietta’s soft, beautiful lips were so close. He couldn’t hold back anymore. He had to admit it—she was an irresistible woman.

“Honestly, I think it’s fine." He sighed, his handsome face growing much closer to Henrietta as he kissed her passionately, pushing her down onto the couch.

“Hmm~?!” Henrietta was surprised but didn’t push Jack away. In fact, after the surprise, she felt bliss. His warm lips made her stomach fill with butterflies.

She embraced him in a tight hug as both continued kissing, showering one another with love—a love they needed so much in these harsh, grim times.

“Hahh… J-Jack…” Henrietta moaned as their lips separated.

“For a while now, you’ve won my heart,” Jack smiled. “You’re also precious to me, Henrietta.”

“I’m so happy…” Henrietta started crying out of happiness.

Jack couldn’t resist her adorable voice and her beautiful eyes. The two continued kissing and hugging one another, caressing each other, feeling each other’s warmth. It made them feel whole for once, and it made them feel happier.

However, kissing like this was bound to bring some bystanders...

“Ohohoo…”

Anna appeared right outside of her bedroom, rubbing her chin while smirking. Naturally, she interrupted their lovey-dovey time together.

“Uwaah?! A-Anna?!” Henrietta panicked, lowering her shirt, which had been lifted by Jack, who was cautiously grabbing in some rather forbidden areas.

“Eh? You’re awake!” Jack quickly tried to play as if he were composed, although he felt genuinely happy that his sister was awake.

"Oh, please, don’t mind me; continue!” Anna laughed. She was actually enjoying the romantic scene; it was like watching a K-drama for her.

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(Anna’s POV)

They were really going at it! I felt bad for interrupting them, but there was nothing I could do now.

“Anna!” My brother quickly pretended everything was fine as he ran to my side and hugged me tightly. “Are you okay? Really?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I groaned. “There’s a lot to talk about, but where’s everyone else?”

“Ah, they must be sleeping too. It’s quite early in the morning,” Henrietta said.

“Annabelle stayed in Baihe’s room for now, and Kevin’s in the other empty room,” my brother said. “Everyone’s alright… We barely survived.”

“Ugh… Barely… I really hate that word.” I sighed. “But there’s nothing we can do. At the very least, things have been peaceful for now, right?”

“Yeah, the castle is really far away, outside the sky right above the stronghold, but it has been menacingly floating over there," my brother said. “We don’t know when it’ll begin doing something else.”

“We have to use this time to rest and recover before going there. If possible, it would be better if we went there before those demons dare attack the city,” Henrietta said. “The government has already sent a few Elite Hunters to our city, so we’ll eventually make a large team and raid that place. We must destroy it while it's still brewing.”

“I suppose you’re right,” I nodded. “I would assume the Dawn of a New World is in there… Their leader, Annabelle’s brother, is the one who has created some sort of pact with Beelzebub, another of those apostles of death.”

“Is that so?” Henrietta nodded. “How do you know that, though?”

“We confronted him before. Remember when I told you about how he tried to turn his sister into a monster and all that? Well, I was able to see his demon, and it said it was Beelzebub,” I told them. “I don’t know what they’re exactly planning, but all of these weird demons are gathering here and trying to constantly get in our way to make this world theirs. It’s an otherworldly invasion much more aggressive than just the Dungeon Breaks.”

“I see…” my brother clenched his fists. “I need to get stronger…”

“You’ve gotten a lot stronger already! Take it easy for now,” Henrietta said, trying to calm him down.

“I agree, big brother, calm down,” I said, patting his shoulder. “Let’s just chill for a bit, talk things out, wait for everyone else to wake up, and then let’s plan what we must do. We’ve already gone through enough stress."

“R-Right…” my brother nodded, sitting at Henrietta’s side. “Anna… I know that... your heart… What happened?”

“Well, I’ll have to explain... Can we eat something first, though? I’m starving…” I groaned.

“Then allow me to make some breakfast! I’m sure the smell will make the others wake up,” Henrietta nodded, cheerfully lifting the mood.

Like that, while stuffing myself with pancakes, toast, cereal, and coffee, I explained to my brother and Henrietta what happened. Baihe, Kevin, and Annabelle eventually woke up and joined us. Baihe and Annabelle were especially emotional, crying while hugging me, but once everyone calmed down, I explained things. I decided to only explain a part of the truth and not go into too many details.

“I knew it…” my brother said. “So the Constellations gifted you a special item for defeating Bael, huh? Henrietta, did you get anything similar?”

“I did get some sort of title and a new skill from my sponsor, but nothing like an item.” Said Henrietta.

“And that item... became your heart? Wow…” Baihe was shocked. "Well, I’m happy you’re alive, Anna.” She smiled sweetly, holding my arm tightly.

“Me too…!” Annabelle nodded, rubbing her face on my shoulder.

I felt suffocated by these two.

“A-Anyways! I gained some powers and all,” I said, quickly standing up so those two could let go of me. “But I’m fine, so don’t worry~! I think I want to rest for a bit and take a few naps to recover. After that, I was thinking of going shopping for some clothes and anything Annabelle and Baihe could want to fill their bedrooms a bit more.”

“Bedrooms?” Annabelle asked.

“You’ll be staying where Kevin temporarily slept from now on, so you don’t have to feel like crawling back to that asshole.” I smiled.

“Anna…!” she got really happy again. “I-Is it really okay?” she asked my brother.

“Oh? Well, I don’t really mind,” my brother said. “If my sister trusts you and if Henrietta confirms that you’ve helped everyone out, then I don’t have any objections.”

"I don’t know what to say," Annabelle said, embarrassed.

“Well, that’s that then, right? Sis, let’s go back home…” Kevin said, glaring at my brother angrily.

My brother and Henrietta were sitting next to one another, and Henrietta wasn’t letting go of my brother’s hand, so it was quite clear to Kevin that something suspicious had happened.

“But wouldn’t it be better to stay for a bit longer, Kevin? Come on, let’s go buy groceries for now if you want some fresh air,” Henrietta smiled.

“Ugh, fine…” Kevin sighed.

Like that, our normal daily lives resumed, but only for a few days. The main quest of going into that castle and stopping those bastards was still our top priority.

And of course, I also need to do my Job Change trial ASAP.

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Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Stronghold, a mysterious figure lurked around the ruins. It resembled the pale body of a woman, with a thin waist and tight black clothing.

Her body looked pale, and of course, she was headless. However, the open, fleshy neck exuded a phantasmal aura from within.

The woman kneeled on the floor, grabbing the flesh of the monsters left behind and then absorbing them.

FLUOSH!

Her head slowly started growing, from bones to muscles to blood vessels, skin, eyes, everything. Long silver hair grew from her head, extending down majestically, alongside two sharp red eyes.

However, those eyes were no longer those of this body’s original owner.

“Fufufu~ At long last, the pact is complete. With my incarnation’s death, I get to walk among these pathetic mortals once more…” she smiled menacingly.

As she stood up, her presence exuded an aura of pure nether and death energy, spreading endlessly across the ruins.

Graves started popping out of the floor as countless undead started emerging one after another.

“Foolish Aesir, your incarnation’s end is near," she cackled. “No, this entire world’s end is near. May the dead walk once more among the living!”

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