“Should we burn it?”

McClart nodded, turning away after confirming the last intruder had been killed.

A deep hole had been dug beforehand and contained several bodies already piled on top of each other. The new body rolled down with a heavy thud and landed among the others. The smell spread as oil, prepared in advance, was poured over the bodies.

Leaving it to his subordinates, McClart stepped away and unfolded a map. It was marked with red X’s at irregular intervals. He added a new X where he stood, then checked the positions of the markings. Judging from the rough outline, he seemed to be tracing a path through the mountains where they were now stationed.

They must be thinking the same thing. They must believe that the target is hiding somewhere, wandering these mountains. Surely they can’t imagine that the one who betrayed the gods would dare to live openly with his head held high. Even less could they imagine that the gods would simply allow such defiance.

Rumors were circulating that the heretic—unseen by anyone—had already received divine punishment and fallen into hell. Perhaps many wanted to believe it, which led some groups to take these words seriously.

On top of that, McClart had instructed his subordinates to spread the rumor even further. With any luck, it might eventually be accepted as truth. If that happened, the number of troublesome intruders might decrease a little.

“The area you mentioned has been cleared.”

Another subordinate approached and handed him a report. McClart glanced at it before raising his eyes to the sky; the day was already fading into dusk.

Even if he left immediately, it would be evening by the time he got home, which meant he’d probably miss watching the sunset with Vienny today. He had expected to be late and had already told her, but he still wanted to return as early as possible.

On top of that, removing the scent of blood and lingering smoke from himself would take additional time. McClart frowned, clicking his tongue softly. He worried that, in his absence, Ivelis might have been fussy.

Ivelis, growing plumper by the day, now weighed over three times what she had at birth. For Vienny, who was delicate and frail to begin with, managing the visibly growing Ivelis on her own must have become increasingly challenging.

Even during pregnancy, Vienny had barely gained weight and remained thin after giving birth. Though Corinne and Moiria insisted she was at a normal weight, McClart couldn’t agree. How could that be considered normal? She still looked so fragile, as if she could be crushed with one hand.

And it wasn’t just her physical strength he worried about. From pregnancy to childbirth and even now, Vienny had remained emotionally fragile.

Although her mood had stabilised somewhat, there were still days when her emotions swung up and down dozens of times. Her irritability had increased and her depression had deepened. McClart had stayed by her side for days, fearing that she might impulsively throw herself into the sea.

Vienny probably had no idea how much he had struggled internally, clinging to a shred of reason to avoid physically restraining her. Thankfully, he’d managed to gently encourage her to lean on him and be more open about her feelings. In some ways, it had helped.

The more openly she expressed her irritation, the more relieved McClart felt. If it had been her old self, he couldn’t imagine how much she would have kept bottled up inside.

On second thought, worrying about Ivelis being fussy wasn’t the real issue. Was Vienny feeling lonely? Was she getting lost in troubling thoughts, making herself feel even more depressed? With her vivid imagination, she often worried herself with far-fetched scenarios that made no sense.

“What about the building?”

Just as he was about to be overwhelmed by endless worries, reason pulled McClart back to the present. Despite his worries, there was work to be done – work directly related to their safety.

“Proceed with the construction as planned.”

“It will take a while, as we haven’t paved the road yet.”

“That’s fine. Prioritize security above all.”

McClart’s gaze was fixed on a particular point on the map, near the top of the mountain. It had taken almost a year just to choose the right spot. Though their current residence hadn’t been exposed, it was always wise to be prepared for emergencies – just in case they had to relocate.

After considering several possible locations, he had settled on a quiet spot near the top of the mountain. As Vienny loved sunsets, he hoped they wouldn’t have to move unless absolutely necessary, but he needed to make sure everything was in place if a move ever became unavoidable.

“We’ve found a nearby stream where you can wash.”

With that, McClart immediately set off.

If he didn’t wash the blood off soon, its scent would linger for a long time. Though he planned to clean up and change clothes at a designated rest spot, he needed to deal with the blood immediately.

He had only taken a few steps before suddenly stopping, his brow furrowing in irritation.

“P-please spare me!”

A man burst out of the bushes, stumbling in terror. He looked like a simple woodcutter or hunter. With tears streaming down his face, he begged for mercy, claiming he was only passing through.

McClart looked down at the man bowing at his feet, his gaze indifferent. He let out a deep sigh. There were moments like this when he found it truly inconvenient to have lost his powers. If he still had them, he wouldn’t have had to waste time listening to this nonsense – he could have just wiped it all away.

It felt a bit ironic to use the term “purification” now, given the circumstances.

“Just passing by?”

“Y-yes! Please, spare me! My wife and daughter are waiting for me at home!”

The man’s voice was desperate. The crease between McClart’s brows deepened. Under his cold gaze, the man’s rambling faltered, leaving him trembling.

“Tsk.”

McClart missed Vienny and Ivelis. He had seen them that morning, yet the longing he felt was as if he hadn’t seen them in a week.

He had spent considerable time keeping Vienny in bed yesterday, and he should have given her a massage today. Even if he did it tomorrow, he worried that delaying it might cause her muscle pain. She had become much more delicate after childbirth, and it was essential to care for her well.

“I-I swear, I won’t say anything to anyone!”

The man knelt, bowing low and shouting desperately.

“Please, spare me, sir!”

McClart turned away, irritation clear on his face. His movements were relaxed, showing not a hint of caution.

The man’s eyes flickered nervously, tracking McClart’s back. The distance between them wasn’t far—a single leap could easily close the gap.

Without warning, a blade glistened in the man’s hand. At the same moment, McClart’s arm moved. The knife, aimed squarely at the man’s neck, struck his armour with a loud clang, knocking it off course.

McClart ducked and grabbed the man’s head with one hand, forcing it down. With overwhelming force, the man’s face slammed into the floor.

“Guh!”

With one hand pressing down on the back of the man’s head, McClart drove his sword into the man’s shoulder. The blade partially pierced through, embedding itself into the ground. McClart twisted the sword in a half-circle, causing the man to thrash and scream in agony. Blood gushed from the wound, but McClart’s expression remained completely unmoved.

The man flailed, trying in vain to resist, but a nearby subordinate twisted his arm behind his back, pinning him down effortlessly.

“A wife and a daughter, huh…”

McClart muttered coldly, grabbing a handful of the man’s hair and lifting his head. The man’s face contorted in pain as he glared at McClart with hatred.

“You filthy… you’re going to hell… ugh!”

“What do you know?”

“The gods will never forgive scum like you…!”

McClart slammed the man’s head down violently, cutting off his cry in mid-sentence. Blood trickled down the man’s forehead as McClart pulled his head back up and spoke coldly.

“Seems you have no learning ability whatsoever.”

His lips twisted into a crooked smile. The servants of the gods were so foolish—just as he once had been.

McClart narrowed his eyes, the faint trace of a smile appearing.

“To protect my world, I will burn His world over and over again if needed.”

“You insane… heretic!”

“So, if you want to protect His world, then tell me what you know.”

Hatred filled the man’s face, though a hint of fear crept in. There was a flicker of madness in the eyes of the heretic inquisitor, once blessed with the god’s blue divine power.

“So I won’t have to burn it all down.”

The man, nearly overcome by fear and pressure, almost spoke without meaning to, but managed to press his lips tightly shut. He wasn’t about to give up anything easily.

McClart sighed in frustration. Glancing up at the sky, he muttered to himself.

“This will take longer.”

He really wanted to get back as soon as possible.

***

After the parrot, which had been noisily flying around the house, finally settled back on its perch, McClart still hadn’t returned. His work seemed to be taking an unusually long time.

Vienny, sitting by the windowsill and gazing out endlessly, let out a sigh, feeling a bit worried.

Lately, he had begun coming back from his outings with a faint scent of blood lingering on him.

It seemed he had tried to mask it, but traces of the scent lingered. Vienny wasn’t unaware of what that scent implied. Even amid their peaceful life together, she hadn’t forgotten what he had sacrificed.

Today’s extended outing was undoubtedly more of the same kind of work.

“Tomorrow, I need to go out again.”

Perhaps with tomorrow in mind, McClart had kept Vienny in bed all day yesterday, as if to make up for the time he’d been away. As always, he had driven her to tears.

Though he had softened in her everyday life, in bed he remained as dominant and demanding as ever. Whenever his blue eyes gleamed as he gently held her down, she felt a thrill that was almost frightening. He even seemed to have perfected his control, holding himself back as he brought Vienny to her own climax.

“It was the same yesterday.

After reaching her climax several times, Vienny, who had barely managed to take him from behind, finally gave up.

When her trembling arms could no longer support her, her upper body collapsed and her head sank onto the bed. Panting, Vienny rubbed her forehead against the blankets, her voice trembling with exhaustion.

“It’s… too much… hmm…”

Tears streaming down her face, she let out a sob, and he whispered in her ear, almost like a sigh.

“Hold on.”

Crouching over her from behind, he whispered into her ear, then began to kiss her from her neck down her spine.

Her hips, lifted into the air, were held firmly by one of his strong arms.

Every time his big hand slipped between the bed and her br*asts, caressing her, all she could do was gasp for breath.

“You can take it, can’t you?”

Occasionally a soft moan escaped through clenched teeth from the pain. Each time, as if in response to her voice, his p*nis, surrounded by her inner walls, twitched and throbbed.

Even as she whimpered in a tearful voice that she couldn’t take it, that she couldn’t stand it, she gasped and moaned, overwhelmed by the tight sensation of the p*nis rubbing against her inner walls. Unconsciously, her p*ssy tightened around his p*nis.

“I can’t… I can’t do it.”

As she whimpered repeatedly with a sob in her voice, McClart whispered in a deeply resonant tone.

“Still afraid it’ll tear?”

She shook her head instinctively, almost out of habit, as the hard tip of his p*nis repeatedly struck the deep in her p*ssy.

Eventually she lost all awareness of what she was doing. She was too overcome with pleasure to do anything but moan and gasp.

With each thrust that came down from above, she gripped the helpless blanket, doing so again and again.”

“Mac, Mac…”

The more she repeated his name like a chant, the more intense his lower body thrusts became from behind.

Would she suffocate from the excitement rising to her throat? Would she lose her mind completely?

As fear crept in, tears streamed down her cheeks, soaking them. Sweat trickled down her arched back, but she couldn’t tell if it was her own or McClart’s as he pressed against her from behind.

“Ugh!”

Finally, at the end of what felt like an eternity of intense stimulation, her vision went completely white.

With a final scream, her thighs shook and McClart thrust his hard p*nis deep into her, his body shaking. Their bodies were pressed together so tightly that she could feel his t*sticles rubbing against her wetness beneath.

She felt his sperm fill her abdomen again, though she couldn’t tell how many times. There was so much that it couldn’t all fit, overflowing and seeping out through the narrow entrance.

As she felt the fluid flow down her thighs, Vienny whimpered, her voice breaking into a sob.

“It’s… it’s really too much…”

Whether he heard her or not, McClart took a long breath and slowly pulled his hips back.

As she felt the sensation of his p*nis sliding out, rubbing against every fold of her inner walls, she let out a groan and collapsed completely onto the bed.