Chapter 116

“Hero, my Hero…”

Gilbert tried to think rationally. As he knelt before the Well of Origin, masturbating.

Thanks to his tireless efforts repairing the broken fragments, golden light once again flowed from the essence.

“Haah…”

Gilbert gazed down into the well with unfocused red eyes.

Each time he shook the threatening object in his grip, viscous liquid splattered in all directions. His already spent member was coated with strands of milky semen.

‘Last time…’

The guy he’d encountered inside the World Tree had definitely said it. That he had emerged from within the well.

‘Wasn’t he a member of the heterodox cult?’

At the time, Gilbert had barely registered the words through his uncontrollable rage, but now he replayed them in his mind.

“H-Hero! You seemed to recognize the Hero. You might not believe me, but I’m also a Hero! Probably!”

‘Why…’

Had the light begun to shine from the well after his appearance?

What if he really was a Hero? Even if not the Hero Gilbert knew, what if he belonged to the same heroic order?

The mocking voices of Salvanel and Levian calling him an idiot echoed in his ears like auditory hallucinations. His large hand tightly gripped his fully erect manhood.

What if he’d kicked away an opportunity to reunite with his Hero through a momentary mistake?

‘No, no!’

Tap-tap-tap-tap, Gilbert’s hand movements quickened. He needed to release soon. Then perhaps the anxiety dominating his entire body would dissipate somewhat.

“My Hero…”

Gilbert breathed heavily as he chewed on the affectionate word. Firmly gripping his substantial member, he thrust his hips forward. He rubbed his reddened glans wildly against the well wall.

“I want to do it together. Feel good, together…”

Gilbert threw his head back and exhaled a hot breath. The muscles on his abdomen clearly visible as they twitched and convulsed.

It was a lonely climax, as always.

His red pupils stared at the streaming semen. The whitish clumps slowly sank into the golden-glowing water of the well.

‘…I should wash up.’

Gilbert thought as he roughly gathered his long hair. The well was a sacred place where one could never immerse their body.

Quite a contradictory belief for someone who had just ejaculated into its waters.

Gilbert raised his body, easily exceeding 2 meters in height. He moved in his natural state, with robust muscles fully exposed. The sizeable object hanging between his thighs swung heavily with each step.

Not far beyond the fortress enclosing the World Tree was a body of water. It was a secret location completely devoid of human habitation.

“…”

The moment he left the well chamber, Gilbert glanced sharply to the side.

An unidentifiable scent wafted through the woody, earthy smells. He’d been too focused on his solitary pleasure to notice it earlier.

His wariness soon gave way to stunned recognition. It was a smell from his memory.

Gilbert slowly approached the wall. He extended his massive hand and abruptly pulled away the leaf covering that hung like a blanket.

Dark brown hair, cream-colored skin, pointed ears…

It was the self-proclaimed Hero he’d seen before. He was fast asleep, showing no signs of waking.

A large hand slightly lifted the thick bangs. Indeed, he was far less handsome than his Hero.

“Mm…”

When Egru stirred with a groan, Gilbert startled and withdrew his hand. Instead of touching him further, he sniffed the modest genital scent.

His sturdy nose bridge gradually moved upward. He continued his thorough scent exploration, pushing up the clothes to examine the navel, nipples, armpits…

Lick. He even tasted briefly with his tongue, but found no suspicious odors at all.

After carefully observing Egru, Gilbert shook his head.

No matter how he looked at him, he bore no resemblance to his Hero, not even in the bridge of his nose. His Hero was far too beautiful to compare with such a scrawny fellow.

But there was clearly some connection between the two. He needed to uncover what it was. Through intimidation, torture, or any brutal method necessary.

‘But still…’

Was he mentally unstable? Why had he returned?

After jumping off a cliff to save his life.

Gilbert recalled the pale buttocks that had irritatingly dodged him previously. Anyway, it was fortunate he’d returned of his own accord.

Looking at him again, he didn’t seem like a heretic. If he were, he wouldn’t be sleeping so peacefully.

Of course, that group often engaged in deranged suicidal behaviors.

Due to their stealthy infiltrations and pest-like meddling, heretics were disposed of immediately upon discovery. Not a single one was allowed to leave the World Tree alive.

‘Whatever he is, he’s definitely a pervert.’

Gilbert crossed his log-like arms in a pretense of covering himself. His mountain-like body remained fully exposed, but he made the gesture anyway. He had decided to devote his entire being to his Hero.

Momentary anger flashed in his red eyes. Had this self-proclaimed Hero secretly been voyeuristically watching him pleasure himself?

Gilbert clenched his fist with a crack, then slowly relaxed it.

‘Not yet…’

He needed to wait and see. This might be the only key connecting him to his Hero.

As Gilbert fell into an endlessly fluctuating emotional whirlpool, Egru slept peacefully before him, his tiny chest rising and falling with soft breaths.

‘I should hear what he has to say when he wakes up.’

Gilbert immediately shook Egru. He had no patience to wait for a half-wit who wasn’t even his Hero to wake naturally.

“Huh?”

Feeling his entire body shaking, Egru opened his eyes in a half-asleep state.

“Get up.”

“Gah…!”

Gilbert grabbed the ankle of the startled Egru, who tried to flee, and dragged him back.

Egru struggled and tried to pull his foot away, but it didn’t budge, as if caught in a trap.

“Ah, ahh…”

“Why did you come back? After such a dramatic escape, shouldn’t you be thanking the gods and staying far away?”

“Um, th-that’s touching me…”

The red eyes within the tangled hair glanced down. His robust member was rubbing against the cream-colored ankle.

“Do you want to die?”

“N-no! I’m sorry! But that’s not why I’m here…!”

Egru looked up at Gilbert with frightened eyes and spoke.

“Please listen to me! I’m begging you!”

Gilbert stared down at Egru for a while. Egru repeatedly swallowed, his insignificant Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

“P-please listen…”

“Speak.”

“Huh?”

“I’m listening, aren’t I?”

“Oh! Oh, yes! Thank you! Just a moment…!”

Wanting to change position, Egru tugged at his ankle.

But Gilbert’s hand didn’t release him. A drop of fluid gathered at the tip of his reddened glans and fell with a plop. It trickled down Egru’s ankle in a snail-like spiral.

‘Just in case…’

It would be disastrous if he ran away again, wiggling his white buttocks.

He wasn’t foolish enough to lose a clue that had rolled in by itself. As Gilbert applied pressure to his grip on the ankle, Egru’s timid resistance finally ceased, seemingly resigned.

“I, well…”

As if trying to shake off sleepiness, Egru slapped his own cheeks.

“I need to f-fix the World Tree.”

“I’ve already fixed it.”

Gilbert coldly retorted.

“N-not yet.”

“What?”

The amber eyes trembled under the aggressive glare but didn’t look away.

Egru moistened his lips once and said,

“There’s a r-relic we need. For that, I need your help.”

“What do you mean?”

“We need to leave the World Tree and go on a journey…”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

Gilbert growled softly. It was a deep rumble, like scraping the bottom of a cave.

“You’re making up lies to deceive me. This is a ploy to lure me outside.”

“N-no! Absolutely not…!”

“Listen carefully. I will never leave the World Tree. My role is to guard this place until my Hero returns.”

Gilbert stood up and left, deeming it not worth listening to. He was going to retrieve the axe from inside the well chamber.

His confidence that the elf wasn’t a heretic began to crumble. He might be planning to trap him while pretending to be innocent. He could even be a subordinate of the old wizard.

“Gilbert! I-is Gilbert your name?”

After taking just a couple of steps, a shout came from behind.

Gilbert neither answered nor stopped. Even heretics knew information like his name. His thick hand soon picked up the axe leaning against the wall.

“If we completely restore the World Tree!”

As Gilbert came out, Egru shouted once more.

“Y-your Hero might return!”

Hesitation. Gilbert momentarily paused, lost in thought. The black tail extending from near his coccyx thumped the ground repeatedly as if pondering.

“…The World Tree is in danger, so no.”

“D-danger? Does it have something to do with the p-pile of bones in the flower garden?”

Only then did Egru notice the axe and inhaled sharply. After standing quietly for a while, Gilbert walked past Egru. Though somewhat frightened, Egru didn’t lose sight of the massive figure from behind.

“Then if we eliminate the danger, c-could you leave with me?”

Gilbert silently proceeded into the dim corridor. Despite receiving no answer, Egru saw a glimmer of hope.

<system>

[Gilbert Kuel]’s current affection level: 0

At least it didn’t start at a negative number like last time.