We used the portal to return to the village, and when we got back, all the original villagers—including Sadeena—seemed to be busy rekindling old friendships. Filo had gone to the neighboring town to tell Melty all about our heroic exploits in Zeltoble. I just hoped she didn’t go blabbering about things best left unsaid.

“So, little Rock, I guess your real name is little Naofumi, then?”

“I see you’re sticking with the ‘little.’”

Like always, Sadeena was overly familiar with me and talked to me like I was a child.

“So, little Naofumi, tell me . . . How far have you gone with little Raphtalia?”

“Gone?”

“Sadeena!”

What was “gone” supposed to mean there? Raphtalia didn’t like obscene jokes or topics related to that kind of stuff, and I was sure Sadeena knew that, too, since they were so close. In that case, she must have been asking how far away from here we had traveled.

“We went all the way to another world on the other side of the dimensional rifts. That katana that Raphtalia has is one of that world’s . . . I guess it would be like one of the seven star heroes’ weapons in this world.”

“Oh my . . .”

Sadeena looked hard at Raphtalia.

“Wh . . . what?!”

“Is that true? Have you really only gone that far with little Naofumi?”

“Y . . . yes!”

“What’s going on here, Bubba Shield?”

Keel called out to me. She was in a happy mood after being reunited with her fellow villagers.

“It’s nothing, Keel.”

“Oh really?”

“Just tales of Raphtalia’s heroic exploits is all.”

“Yes, your interpretation is just fine, Mr. Naofumi.”

Huh? What was up with that wording? That almost made it sound like my first guess had been the correct.

“Well, in that case . . . you won’t mind if I take little Naofumi for myself then, right, little Raphtalia?”

“What are you saying?!”

“What the hell, woman!”

“Huh? I’m totally serious about making little Naofumi mine, you know.”

Sadeena replied slowly in a flirtatious manner and then hooked her arm around mine. Stop that! I wanted to throw up. I tried to pull my arm away from her, but it felt useless as she just kept trying to hook her arm back around mine over and over. Damn it! This woman was persistent!

“Don’t you want a girl like me to tend to your every need?”

“Sadeena . . . Are you being serious?”

“I sure am.”

Sadeena responded without hesitation. Damn it.

“Huh? You mean you like bubba? You’re not the only one! Everyone in the village loves bubba, you know!”

“I’m a tyrannical moneygrubber! I’m not interested in making friends, and I’m not anybody’s bubba!”

“Could you have come up with a line any less convincing?!”