– Matias’ POV –

  The northern forest near Lavender Town stretched before me, a familiar hunting ground. It had been a few months since I started venturing here alone.

  At first, hunting without Hazel's monster detection and Esta’s precise magic had been a nightmare.

  Hazel’s keen sense of smell could locate monsters before they got close, and Esta could wipe them out before they even realized they had been found. The remaining monsters would then be handled by Hazel and me.

  I knew they were stronger than me.

  Even without their displays of skill, I had proof.

  My Appraisal and Fake Status Detector skills told me their stats were fabricated.

  Esta concealed one element.

  Hazel… she hid three.

  I had no idea what their true abilities were.

  While I could inquire about their true status and elements, I refrained from doing so.

  They likely had valid reasons for concealing their real selves, likely tied to their pasts.

  If they wanted to keep their secrets, I wouldn’t force them to speak.

  I preferred them to share the truth willingly, but I know there’s no way they will reveal it to me by their own will.

  After all—I was no different from their previous masters.

  Because in the end, no matter how much I pretended otherwise…

  I loved forcing them to have sex with me.

  It all started with her.

  My ex.

  She was a mage, and we worked together to make a living as adventurers.

  I treated her with love and kindness, believing we were partners in both battle and life.

  But one day…

  I found her in the arms of another man.

  A noble.

  A damn noble from the Zieghart Kingdom.

  She didn’t even deny it.

  Didn’t even hesitate when she looked me in the eye and chose him over me.

  The audacity of her infidelity wounded me deeply.

  Eight years have passed, but I still hear her words.

  Still feel the burning shame of betrayal.

  Still taste the bitterness of my own helplessness.

  I wanted revenge.

  I wanted to hurt her.

  But…

  I couldn’t.

  Because no matter how much I hated her…

  No matter how much I wanted to destroy her the way she destroyed me…

  I still loved her.

  So instead, I bought a slave.

  It was six years ago when I met a wandering slave trader from the Liberia Holy Kingdom.

  Among the captivating beauty slaves he displayed, I noticed one—a brown cat girl with dead eyes.

  At a glance, she was no different from the others. But then, my skill revealed something strange.

  She was hiding her true status.

  She had three hidden elements.

  I didn’t know her past.

  At that time, I didn’t care.

  All I knew was that if the empire’s nobles got their hands on her, her future would be far worse than being my slave.

  They would strip her of everything.

  She would be tossed onto the battlefield, forced to slaughter her own kind.

  So I bought her.

  Not to save her.

  Not out of kindness.

  But because I told myself, "at least my hell will be better than theirs.”

  Guilt gnawed at me in the beginning.

  Every time I forced myself on her, something in me hesitated.

  But then—I’d remember my ex.

  I’d remember her voice, her betrayal, her choice.

  And I’d tell myself,

  <"This isn’t about pleasure.">

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  <"This isn’t about love.">

  <"This is revenge.”>

  I know I’m a despicable man.

  I couldn’t hurt my ex, so I hurt Hazel as a replacement.

  The more Hazel hated me, the more it satisfied me.

  I needed her hatred.

  Because in her hatred, I saw a reflection of myself.

  I orchestrated battles she shouldn’t have been able to survive.

  I was always lurking nearby, pretending to be nothing more than a spectator.

  But…

  I’m ready to intervene if she faced imminent danger.

  In her eyes, I may appear as nothing more than a scum spectator reveling in her struggles.

  But, the intensity of her hatred served my purpose.

  I wanted her to struggle.

  To fight.

  To hate me.

  Yet… she survived.

  Every single time.

  And with each victory, I began to wonder—was she really weaker than me?

  Or had she always been stronger, merely pretending otherwise?

  The enigma of her capabilities added an unforeseen layer to the complexities of our intertwined destinies.

  Then, two years ago, she made her first mistake.

  An Ogre King.

  A B-Rank monster. Too powerful for myself.

  She fought.

  She won.

  But she was dying.

  At that moment, I forgot about revenge.

  I didn’t care about the cost.

  I used every single healing potion I had without hesitation.

  From the outset, my goal was to shield her from the clutches of nobles.

  But if she died…

  What's the difference between me and those nobles?

  What was the point of all of this?

  The expense, equivalent to a year's worth of hunting, paled in significance to the relief I felt upon securing her safety.

  Maybe… ever since that moment…

  My love for my ex has began to fade.

  After that, I decided Hazel needed a partner, an additional support to avert future mishaps.

  But I couldn’t make it obvious that I cared.

  If I immediately bought another slave, it would seem like I was worried about her.

  And I refused to let her see that.

  So I waited for a while.

  It was during this period that fate led me to Esta, another unfortunate soul concealing her power.

  So I took her in.

  But even now, the memories of my ex refuse to fade.

  Even after all these years, I still can’t let her go.

  That’s why…

  Driven by an unsettling mix of emotions, a blend of lingering love and a thirst for revenge,

  I came to Zieghart Kingdom—to find her.

  To find him.

  The noble she chose over me.

  I don’t know where they are.

  I don’t even know his name.

  But I’ll find them.

  And when I do—I’ll take everything from them.

  Only then can I move on.

  Only then… will Hazel and Esta finally be free of me.

  Because deep down…

  I sense that fulfilling my goal might pave the way for the happiness of Hazel and Esta.

  I made a solemn vow to foster the joy they yearn for.

  Two years.

  Two years of searching.

  But no matter how far I traveled, I never found her.

  Then, in the heart of Lavender Town, I saw a man.

  A noble. Blonde hair. Yellow eyes.

  For a moment, my heart froze.

  Was it him…?

  But when I saw the woman at his side, my rage flared.

  It wasn’t her.

  It wasn’t my ex.

  Where was she!?

  The unanswered questions fuel my inner turmoil, intensifying the need for revenge.

  That frustration, that helplessness—it all boiled over.

  That’s why I snapped during the hunt.

  That very day, Hazel was sick.

  I knew she was sick.

  But I dragged her along anyway.

  Eventually Hazel made a small mistake, but narrowly averted by Esta's quick intervention.

  Then—

  I lost control.

  I lashed out at them in public.

  I never did that before.

  It was strange.

  Almost as if…

  I wanted them to see my weakness.

  Like some pathetic attempt to make them hate me more.

  Recognizing the need for solitude, I feigned a lack of funds to pay for our meals, providing a convenient excuse for me to have some time alone.

  Then, that boy—the one working at the guild—unexpectedly poke up.

  A child, no older than six, offered me a solution I never considered.

  I appraised him.

  No elemental affinity.

  Stats of a new G-Rank adventurer.

  I should have dismissed him.

  But… there was something in his eyes.

  Something kind.

  Hazel and Esta looked at him, and for the first time,

  I saw hope in their eyes.

  Surveying the surroundings, I observed a rare kindness among the adventurers here, a stark contrast to the corrupt guildmasters in the empire.

  The adventurers in this town were different from the empire’s filth.

  I looked at them—at their warmth, their camaraderie.

  I had never seen an adventurer’s guild like this before.

  And for the first time—

  I thought about leaving them here.

  Letting them stay.

  Letting them find happiness.

  But—

  I still had my revenge.

  And until I finished what I started, I couldn’t let them go.

  So, I made my choice.

  They could stay here.

  They could work here.

  They could find joy here.

  But every night, they would return to me.

  Because my revenge wasn’t finished.

  And until it was—

  They were still mine.