It is a rare occurrence. Having a Level of 63 is considered high among humans. Furthermore, I am a Valkyrie, which is said to be the pinnacle of female combat classes.
And yet, I can't even lay a finger on the woman in front of me.
"Good, very good. Seraria, was it? Your swordsmanship is likely superior to mine."
Standing before me is a woman named Derieu, who looks younger than me, is shorter, and wears a beautiful white dress.
Standing before me is a woman named Derieu, wearing a beautiful white dress.
She looks younger than me, is shorter, and wears a beautiful white dress.
Despite holding the same training sword as me, she uses a style of swordsmanship I have never seen.
She's holding the same training sword as me and using a swordsmanship I don't recognize.
Superior...? My swordsmanship...?
Every single one of my strikes was effortlessly deflected.
Her beautiful blue eyes and cream-colored hair didn't even have a single strand sticking to her face from sweat.
The difference in ability was overwhelming.
"You look like you don't understand. It's just that my status is higher. In pure swordsmanship, I am inferior to you."
"So being a Demon King is no joke...?"
"Of course. There's no need to hide it."
I met Derieu after coming to this dungeon. Apparently, she invaded the dungeon after the fairies and was captured by Yuki...
For some reason, she was sleeping in his bed, so I brought her here to get the full story, and since she claimed to be a Demon King, we decided to spar.
"May I ask your Level? I am a Level 63 Valkyrie."
"Very well. Though, thanks to losing to Yuki, it has been a while since I checked my own status. My Level is 412."
"That... is truly outrageous."
Derieu doesn't seem like she's lying.
And in fact, she's effortlessly evading all of my attacks.
With a gap of 350 levels, the difference in specific stats must be even wider.
"How on earth did my husband win against her...?"
I mutter this while looking toward my husband, who is watching us.
"Don't bother asking him, Seraria. You've spoken with Yuki a lot before, haven't you?"
"Yes, I have."
"The nature is different. You and I, for better or worse, have combat at the forefront of our minds. Yuki, however, sets the stage so that things never reach that point. Since you call him your husband, you should understand that much, no?"
"I know. But can he really face someone as off-the-charts as you?"
"Well, he did beat me. Or rather, that slime over there did."
"A slime?"
Derieu shifts her gaze to the side, where a strange-looking slime is resting in Aslin's hands.
"Pikii~"
"It's so soft~"
"Aslin, I want to hug it too!!"
Yes, there are two angels right there.
"...Phew. Derieu, may I have one last strike?"
"Fine. I shall face you with everything I have."
I step in with all my might and swing the training sword with every ounce of strength. Derieu catches the blade with her bare hand and stops a counter-fist right in front of my face.
"...Complete defeat."
"It was a good attack."
"Do you specialize in hand-to-hand combat?"
"Indeed. My fists suit me best."
We both lower our arms.
"Seraria-neechan and Derieu-neechan were both amazing!!"
"It was incredible!!"
"Thank you, Aslin."
"U-Umu."
I pick Aslin up and nuzzle her.
Ah, this is so healing. Derieu is also stroking Filia's head.
Right. Even if she is a Demon King, she isn't a bad person. Because there's no such thing as a bad person who dotes on these angels!!
On the other hand, I'll kill any lowlife who feels lust toward them.
"Aslin, is there anything you want?"
"Hmm, I have everyone here, so I don't want for anything. But, there is something I want to be."
"What do you want to be?"
"The same as Seraria-nee! I'm going to be Onii-chan's bride!! And I'm going to have babies!!"
"Oh my. That is a very wonderful goal."
"HEY!!"
"What is it, dear? There is no way I'd give this adorable Aslin away to some random stranger. Well, if Aslin insisted, I might consider it if they could beat me first."
"That's impossible."
"Exactly. But Aslin said she wants to be your wife. That is a magnificent answer. Now Aslin and I will be together forever!!"
"I will also be Nii-sama's bride!!"
"Oh, Filia too!! This is wonderful, we'll all be together!!"
I hold them both in my arms and rub my cheeks against theirs. Ah, bliss.
"Look, I hate to break up the mood, but I've got a question. Can I ask?"
"What is it?"
"What?"
"Levels make you stronger as they go up, right?"
"Yes. There are individual differences, but I've never heard of someone getting weaker."
"I agree with Seraria."
"But, setting Seraria aside—and Kiyu too—Derieu's skin is soft to the touch. It was definitely soft when you were clinging to me in the futon."
"What? Did you develop feelings for me? Shall we head to the bed now?"
"Maybe next time. What I'm asking is: you just stopped Seraria's full-power attack with your bare hand, even if it was a training sword, right?"
"Yes, and?"
"So why did that soft skin catch it without a scratch?"
"That would be because of Defense, would it not?"
"Hmm? If it's soft, it should still take the impact properly, right? Even if it's hard, impact still goes through, so in terms of damage, strength varies but stamina should still decrease. Did yours decrease?"
"No, not at all?"
""???""
Both my husband and Derieu tilt their heads in confusion.
"I see. You want to know about the realm of the gods?"
"Domain of the Gods?"
"Yes. The numbers shown in levels are a complete quantification of a person's strength. But even if your defense increases, your softness doesn't change. Long ago, a scholar with the same question researched it, but in the end, it remained unsolved. It's beyond human understanding. They called it the divine realm."
"Hmm..."
"But even if they didn't get an answer, they learned something in the process."
"Like what?"
"The 'Absurd Gap.' In other words, when there is an absolute deficiency in numbers—like between Derieu and me—you simply aren't affected. That is why the legendary heroes of the past could win against massive armies without a scratch. In my country, we have a Royal Guard Captain over Level 100. Let's see... if an attack comes from someone with an Attack Power equivalent to Level 20 or lower, he can win without taking any damage at all."
"Twenty, huh. I'm not sure if that's convenient or underwhelming."
"Well, most soldiers in the Kingdom of Roshure are in their late 20s, so they can at least deal a tiny bit of damage. Still, someone like him can go on a rampage. You don't fight by relying on defense alone, after all."
"I see. So, taking everything into account, they're even stronger than they look."
My husband nods as if deep in thought.
Fufu, he looks good with that expression.
It was worth ignoring my damn father's opinions to become Yuki's bride.
National interest? Don't be ridiculous.
I created this entire situation solely so I could become my husband's wife.
