When recalling the journey from back then, Diego always felt uncontrollably delighted. For him, those were among the few precious good memories in that cruel world.
And this is a story that took place during the conquest of the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors.
At this point, Diego was still several months away from going missing...
——Around the northern highlands, the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors——
"Diego Brando, it's all over. Don't even think about escaping the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors."
"『Memory Shackle Magic』."
The moment when long-distance travelers are most prone to accidents is right when they're about to reach home.
Just as he was on the verge of completing the conquest of the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors, a few soft words reached Diego's ears. Immediately after, a mental magic took effect on him rapidly.
Drip... drip...
Thud!
"Hey! Dio!!"
"Hm? What—"
A large volume of nosebleed gushed out. Diego collapsed straight to the ground, his vision quickly losing focus as his thoughts and consciousness gradually blurred.
Damn it, I, Dio... got a bit too careless...
Why didn't I notice... that the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors... still had an unnamed great demon hidden inside...
What exactly... is the effect of that guy's magic...
"Orc face! Orc face!"
"To think there was still a great demon hidden here. Heroine-san, take Mabel and Frieren and retreat first. That one specializes in mental magic—I'll be the one to kill it!"
That's right... as expected of Sui. In emergencies, you always make the right call...
That great demon... can only be handled by Sui. Only the jewel on your forehead... can block that guy's mental magic.
As long as Sui is here, that thing is no threat...
Wait, Sui?
...Who is that?
That was Diego's final active thought before losing consciousness.
A long while later, Diego suddenly opened his eyes and awoke from his coma.
In an instant, his gaze locked onto the four people resting by the campfire. Without hesitation, he drew the Split Soul Katana from his waist to guard in front of him, leaped back a great distance, and cautiously observed the surroundings from the corner of his eye.
After a long period of exploration, Diego's party members were already exhausted. After Sui killed the demon that had secretly ambushed Diego, Frieren lit a campfire, and they discussed taking turns standing watch to rest.
"The moment you open your eyes you're already like that... Orc face, your wariness is way too high. Were you a cat in your past life or something?" Sui, who was on night watch, teased.
"...Where is this?" Diego kept his head lowered, making his expression unreadable.
Though Sui was puzzled why Diego didn't retort like usual, she still explained: "We're still inside the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors. This place is huge, and all the surrounding walls are indestructible mirrors. With Orc face—you passed out—we couldn't find a way out at all.
To avoid accidentally triggering any traps in the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors, we decided to wait until you woke up and then rely on your dinosaur-sharp sense of smell to follow the path we came from and leave.
Since Orc face is awake now, once Frieren and the others finish resting, we'll head out immediately."
...I can't remember.
Didn't I just wipe out the entire Zenin family?
Could I have been captured by the imperial guards and thrown into some prison called the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors?
Seeing Diego keep his head down, pinching his chin in thought and completely ignoring her, Sui asked irritably: "Hey, Orc face, are you even listening?"
"I'm listening. Just keep talking."
No good—I can't remember at all.
With no leads, Diego could only lift his head again to gather information from his surroundings.
First: who exactly are these four women in front of me, and why does this awake elf woman know me?
Did I lose my memory?
No, that's not right—my memories aren't missing any parts.
There are two elf women, one from the ice tribe, and one ordinary human woman.
They don't... seem like enemies.
Then, from what the blonde elf woman said, they appear to be my teammates, and we're conquering some ruin.
I must have fallen into a trap or an enemy's mental magic, causing me to faint for a while.
But...
You say you're my, Dio's, teammate?
How is that possible?!!!
As long as I remain Diego Brando for even one day, I will never rely on anyone—how could I possibly seek others' strength?!!!
This woman is full of lies. Her words can't be trusted. I have to extract the correct parts from them.
Orc face, dinosaur... she knows my abilities!
His deep blue eyes flashed. Sui's threat level rose sharply in Diego's mind.
I know who I am—I'm 『Diego Brando』, the one who 『slaughtered the Zenin family』, the main force in the war against demons...
A 『criminal』!
"...That's the situation. How do you feel, Orc face? Any discomfort after getting hit by that weird magic?" While Diego was thinking, Sui smiled brightly at him and laid out the full process of killing the demon.
"...Feels fine. No discomfort." Diego's voice sank lower.
For now, he could only play along with her words to gather intel. After all, there were elves among them—he still didn't know their strength levels.
If it came to the worst and his cover was blown...
『I just have to kill them all』!!
[Dio, you have to be a good boy.]
...Better avoid meaningless slaughter for now. First get out of this mirror-filled hellhole, then plan the next step.
Sniff sniff... sniff sniff...
"Before they wake up, I'll go scout the exit route first." Having made up his mind, Diego stood and followed the path that carried his own scent outward.
Sui nodded, her voice gentle: "Be careful out there."
After Diego left, Sui's expression instantly changed. She silently watched his retreating back and furrowed her brows.
Orc face... lost his memory?
Over these five years of adventuring, Sui understood Diego far more deeply—multiplied several times—than he imagined.
Though the soul inside this body had always been Diego Brando from start to finish, the memories of the night of clan extermination clearly weren't enough to sustain the persona Diego had maintained throughout the Demon King conquest. Just a few reactions were enough for Sui to notice the abnormality.
Combined with the fact that the demon specialized in mental magic, the answer quickly surfaced in Sui's mind.
She set up a powerful barrier magic around Frieren, Mabel, and Alicia, then followed the path Diego had taken.
...
Tap tap tap...
Heavy footsteps echoed through the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors. Diego advanced with a cold face, constantly dashing toward the outer areas.
"Damn tail—stop following behind me, Dio!"
Damn it—I can't shake this one at all.
This is the trouble of a kid piloting an adult body: stats through the roof, but operation completely unable to keep up.
That sharp perception did let him easily detect Sui's pursuit.
But his clumsy control over the body, combined with the maze-like environment, let Sui catch up effortlessly.
If it were anyone else, it wouldn't matter—with Diego's terrifying physical strength, even without technique, sheer brute force would make it impossible for anyone to keep up with his speed in actual combat.
But this is Sui—the teammate Diego chose even under his extremely picky standards for party members.
For a moment, Diego found himself completely unable to shake this "weak woman" whose physical stats were several times lower than his.
(The mythic-grade demon slain by an ultra-long Star Break Slash—the Storm Dragon of the Demon Cloud: Yes, children, I have no objections.)
But don't forget: the thing a maze never lacks is traps. The chase ultimately ended when Diego stepped on a mechanism while fleeing.
Click!
"What?!" Diego snapped his gaze downward to the mirror he'd triggered.
Bzzzt!
Several poison arrows coated in deadly toxin shot out from gaps between mirrors in all directions, heading straight for Diego's head.
"?!"
If this were Diego during the Demon King conquest, he could easily dodge every attack.
But inside the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors—this trap had been specially set by demons for Diego's party. Only Diego with memories solely from before the night of clan extermination—and completely unaware of the current situation—couldn't manage it.
"Watch out!" Sui shoved Diego aside, becoming the primary target of the poison arrows. She swung her greatsword to block the volley from one side.
Squelch! Squelch! Squelch!
The poison arrows pierced her body, yet Sui felt no pain.
The one she'd pushed away had once again entered the poison arrows' attack range—and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
"Haa... haa..." Diego's eyes were bloodshot, still clutching a mass of arrows in his hands.
In that instant, moving at speeds imperceptible to the eye, he snatched the tails of the poison arrows one by one, intercepting most of the volley from the other side.
Panic flickered in Sui's usually calm-as-water eyes. She anxiously helped Diego up, her tone frantic: "Are you an idiot? We were clearly warned when entering the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors that there was a mechanism here and told to avoid it—yet you stepped right on it!"
"I already told you not to follow me." Diego ignored Sui. Head lowered, panting heavily, three poison arrows protruded from his shoulder. He simply repeated the same words: "You actually... you actually... wanted to make me, Dio, owe you a debt! I won't let you succeed..."
"So why did you come save me? You lost your memory—didn't you already see me as an enemy?"
Right—Orc face lost his memory. No wonder he didn't know about the mechanism here...
No, can't think about that now. I need to hurry and get Heroine-san!
"Don't get cocky, you damn elf. How would I know why I protected you? My body just moved on its own..." Midway through, he cut off with a hiss of pain—because Diego had forcibly yanked out the arrows with his bare hand.
After catching his breath, Diego stood again and continued the unfinished sentence as he walked away: "...I don't see you as an enemy. Along this path, besides my own scent from coming in, there are only traces of you four."
"But that doesn't mean I, Dio, trust you!"
Drip...
Diego's face grew redder and redder. Poisoned blood kept flowing from his shoulder—the symptoms of toxin activation.
"Don't move—you're sweating a lot. You've been poisoned. Come back with me. Heroine-san is a monk; she can detoxify you."
Hearing the word "hero," Diego's escape speed seemed to increase. Without looking back: "Huff... Instead of worrying about me, you should worry more about how you're going to get out yourself..."
But after only a few steps, he collapsed to the ground. His breathing grew heavier, body temperature rose, and his hands unconsciously tried to strip off his upper clothing.
Compared to Diego during the Demon King conquest, the only advantage of Diego from the night of clan extermination was that he hadn't yet endured Serie's beatings and remained unaware of Mahoraga's influence on his mind. He would thus use Mahoraga without hesitation to heal wounds and adapt to toxins.
In the blink of an eye, Mahoraga healed the external injuries and began adapting one by one to this mixed toxin.
The only fortunate thing was that Diego had taken the arrows. This mixed toxin contained several venoms that would cause instant death upon even a scratch. If anyone else had been hit, they would have died from the poison long ago.
Suck...
"(Spit)... Orc face, being poisoned hurts a lot, right?" Sui gave a comforting faint smile. At some point she had come to Diego's side, helped remove his upper clothing, and used her tiger-like fangs to bite open a small incision before sucking out and spitting the poisoned blood.
"If you don't want to lose your chastity, get lost while I, Dio, still have my sanity..." Diego murmured dazedly in Sui's arms. "Listen... don't touch me... The last one that hasn't adapted to... seems not to be poison, but aphro..."
In his muddled mind, only one thought remained:
Why hasn't Mahoraga adapted to this negative status yet?
Meanwhile, inside Diego's body, Mahoraga stared blankly at the aphrodisiac mixed in. Is this poison or medicine?
"Hey hey hey, little Mahoraga bro—are you curious what this is? It's obviously medicine. Stop overthinking—just ignore it."
"Let cute little Brando-kun enjoy himself properly."
A cheeky loli voice reached Mahoraga's ears.
Mahoraga nodded blankly: Poison is poison, medicine is medicine. Poison harms me—I must adapt. Medicine saves me—no need to bother.
(ps: The judgment mechanism can refer to a certain drug originally used for heart disease that ended up treating erectile dysfunction. In other words, demons consider this something that makes humans pant and heat up—thus poison. Mahoraga considers it medicine.)
"Idiot! How could I possibly leave you behind."
Sui took a deep breath. Her eyes shimmered with overflowing affection as she pressed the jewel on her forehead against Diego's.
At the same time, she untied her hair tie and removed her magic armor piece by piece.
Perhaps because Diego's consciousness was unclear at the moment, she could finally reveal her true feelings openly. Eyes full of tenderness, a smile on her lips:
"Seriously... I hope this works on you."
"Idiot... dummy..."
"Orc face is still Orc face... You really are better off as that narcissistic, arrogant jerk..."
I never want to see that cold facade again.
The jewel's effect: forcibly block mental-type magic!
The instant their foreheads touched, the jewel burst into dazzling light. The shackles in Diego's mind shattered under that radiance, and his sealed memories were unsealed.
[I have no taste at all...he's clearly very handsome...]
[I warned you, elf...]
[Stalking isn't exactly a virtue, Miss Elf...]
[That guy is still following me... enough already. Now I owe her again...]
[You... why did you save me?]
[Legend says there are only seven Cosmic Stones in the world. By chance I obtained an extra~large one. I broke it down and carved it into a ring based on your characteristics. This is my, Dio's, sincerity...]
[It might be too late now, but... allow me, Dio, to formally invite you: join my, Dio's, party. Conquer the Demon King together with me...]
[...Right. What's your name again?]
[Be ko no Dio's woman!]
"...Sui?"
Great—my familiar Orc face is back...
Chuu...
The only response to Diego was Sui's burning red lips—and a heart pounding with restless emotion.
...
Sui's breath came in shallow, trembling gasps against Diego's lips, her words barely a whisper between kisses. "Haa… haa… Dio… I like you… I like you so much…"
Diego's mouth curved into a slow, predatory smile. He pulled back just enough to look at her—really look—his gaze dragging down the flushed curve of her neck, over the delicate points of her collarbones, lingering on the small, flat swell of her breasts beneath the torn fabric of her tunic.
"Like?" he echoed, voice low and rough. His thumb brushed the corner of her mouth, smearing the wetness of their earlier kiss. "That's cute, Sui. But what I feel for you…" He leaned in again, lips grazing the shell of her pointed ear. "…is far beyond something as tame as 'like.'"
He kissed her again slower this time. Deeper. His tongue slid against hers in a lazy, deliberate stroke, coaxing a soft, needy sound from the back of her throat.
"Mmmh…"
One large hand slid up her side, fingers catching the hem of her tunic and dragging it upward inch by torturous inch. Cool night air kissed the newly bared skin of her stomach. Sui shivered, arching slightly into his touch.
Diego broke the kiss to trail his lips down the column of her throat open-mouthed, hot, sucking lightly at her pulse until a faint bruise bloomed beneath his mouth. His hand continued its path, pushing fabric higher until her small breasts were fully exposed pale, delicate, nipples already peaked and flushed a dusky rose.
He paused.
"Look at these," he murmured, voice thick with dark appreciation. His thumb circled one tight bud slowly, watching it harden further under the teasing pressure. "So small… so sensitive…" He pinched lightly. Sui gasped, hips jerking.
"Nn…!"
He lowered his head and took the neglected nipple into his mouth hot, wet suction followed by the slow drag of his tongue. Sui's fingers dug into his shoulders, a high, trembling whine escaping her.
"Ahh… Dio…"
He lavished the same attention on the other side sucking harder, teeth grazing just enough to sting until both peaks were swollen and glistening, flushed dark against her pale skin.
Only then did he pull back, admiring the sight of her chest heaving, lips parted, eyes glassy with want.
"Beautiful," he rasped.
Sui's hands shook as she reached for the ties of his trousers. Diego caught her wrists, pinning them gently above her head with one hand.
"Not yet."
He kissed his way down her sternum, tongue dipping into the shallow dip between her breasts, then lower tracing the delicate line of her ribs, swirling around her navel. Sui squirmed, thighs pressing together instinctively.
"Dio… please…"
He hooked his fingers into the waistband of her shorts and dragged them down agonizingly slow until she was bare beneath him. The scent of her arousal hit him like a drug. He groaned low in his throat.
"Fuck… you're soaked."
He spread her thighs wider with his shoulders, settling between them. His breath ghosted over her slick folds.
"Look at this pretty little cunt," he murmured, dragging one finger through her wetness, circling her clit with feather-light touches. Sui's hips bucked.
"Nnngh…!"
He leaned in and licked a slow, broad stripe from her entrance to her clit.
Sui cried out sharply, back bowing off the ground.
"Ahhn…!"
He did it again slower savoring the taste of her, the way her thighs trembled around his head. Then he sealed his lips around her clit and sucked gentle at first, then harder tongue flicking in quick, merciless circles.
"Slurp… schlick… mmm…"
Sui's hands flew to his hair, gripping tight.
"Dio… Dio… too much ahh…!"
He growled against her, the vibration sending another jolt through her core. One finger slid inside her then two curling upward to stroke that sensitive spot while his mouth worked her clit relentlessly.
Wet, filthy sounds filled the air.
"Schlick… schlick… slurp…"
Sui's moans grew higher, more desperate.
"I'm… gonna… Dio…!"
He sucked harder.
She came with a broken cry… hips jerking, walls fluttering around his fingers, slick gushing against his tongue.
"Ahhh…!"
Diego didn't stop until she was whimpering from overstimulation, thighs shaking violently around his head.
Only then did he pull back lips and chin glistening eyes dark and hungry.
He rose to his knees, shoving his trousers down. His cock sprang free thick, flushed dark, already leaking at the tip.
Sui's breath hitched at the sight.
He gripped himself, stroking once, twice spreading the precum over the head.
"Open your mouth."
She obeyed instantly lips parting, tongue peeking out.
Diego guided the head past her lips slow letting her taste herself on him. Sui moaned around the intrusion, eyes fluttering closed.
He fed her more inch by inch until he hit the back of her throat. She gagged softly.
"Gllk…"
"Relax," he murmured, stroking her cheek. "Breathe through your nose."
She did humming around him as he began to thrust shallow at first, then deeper fucking her mouth with slow, controlled strokes.
"Gluck… gluck… slurp…"
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes again. One hand cupped his balls, rolling them gently while the other braced against his thigh.
Diego groaned low, guttural.
"Fuck good girl… suck it just like that "
He pulled out with a wet pop strings of saliva connecting her lips to his cock then flipped her onto her stomach once more.
"Ass up."
Sui obeyed knees spread, back arched, presenting herself.
Diego knelt behind her rubbed the head of his cock through her soaked folds then pushed in slow inch by torturous inch until he was buried to the hilt.
They both groaned.
"Nnngh… so tight…"
He gave her a moment… then began to move… long, deep strokes that dragged against every sensitive spot inside her.
"Plap… plap… plap…"
Sui's moans were muffled against the ground.
"Ah… ah… Dio… deeper…!"
He obliged hooking one arm beneath her hips, lifting her slightly so he could pound even harder.
The new angle had her seeing stars.
"Plap… plap… plap…!"
"Dio… gonna… again…!"
He reached around fingers finding her clit rubbing fast, tight circles.
"Come for me," he growled against her ear. "Come on my cock now."
She shattered screaming his name walls clamping down so hard it dragged him over the edge with her.
Diego thrust deep once, twice then buried himself to the hilt with a guttural roar, spilling thick and hot inside her.
They collapsed together heavy breathing, sweat-slick skin, hearts hammering.
After long moments he eased out watching the thick drip of his release leak from her swollen entrance.
He gathered her close lips brushing her temple.
And in the quiet after, neither moved content to stay tangled together beneath the stars
....
The day after Sui helped Diego detoxify...
"Oh, Frieren, Mabel, Alicia you're awake?"
Early morning. Househusband Diego took cooking utensils and ingredients out of Ugly Treasure and began preparing breakfast for everyone.
"Because I'm a good girl, I woke up super early—where's breakfast—?" Mabel, drawn by the aroma, casually tossed aside Freeze God Sword and hurried to the table, picked up a bowl, and started eating happily. "Yay! I'm first!"
"Mm... awake." Frieren's voice was full of exhaustion. She rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Sleeping inside the Tower of a Thousand Mirrors gave me nightmares. Last night I dreamed of a female ghost wailing. It felt so real... so scary..."
"What a coincidence—I think I heard it too." Alicia chimed in, then looked around. "Eh? Where's Elf-san?"
Hearing Frieren and Alicia's words, Mabel tried to recall for a moment. Besides delicious food in her dreams, she remembered nothing and said blankly: "Did I? I slept really well though!"
"But isn't Elf-san in Dio's arms?" Mabel pointed toward Sui, who was limply nestled in Diego's embrace, being forcibly fed in a spoiling play. She suddenly realized: "Eh eh eh eh eh?! Elf-san!! Jumped into Dio's arms?! So sneaky!! I want in too!!"
"It's almost noon already, Mabel..." Even covering her face, Sui couldn't hide her happiness and joy.
Ugh... I should've set up soundproofing magic yesterday too.
She sighed, then her expression shifted to smug excitement: "Heh heh heh... You're still stuck at that stage, cute little Mabel..."
That's right—this is the composure of the legal wife after claiming her first time!
Looking at Sui's face, Frieren felt something was different but couldn't pinpoint it. She asked curiously: "Does Elga seem... different somehow?"
They're both elves, yet they're complete opposites.
"Hm? She seems... prettier? Her aura changed too..." Alicia carefully looked Sui up and down before replying.
"Wow, you're right!"
Mabel was still completely out of it.
"Ahem—I, Dio, have an announcement. Good news: we can finally relax for a bit. No traveling for now—three days of rest!"
"Yay!" ×4