The Ultimate Lich King of the Multiverse

Bete no longer cared about saving face. He bore down on Ais Wallenstein with such force that it felt like he was trying to force an answer out of her.

Shamelessly comparing himself to Yoru, he wasn't expecting Ais to accept his feelings. What he wanted was to make her choose—between strength and weakness.

Bete could accept Ais falling for someone stronger than him, but he would never tolerate her falling for someone far weaker. He simply couldn't stomach someone so unworthy stealing her heart.

Ais, who had been quietly eating without showing much emotion this entire time, finally looked irritated. Her brows furrowed slightly as she spoke without lifting her head.

"Bete, are you drunk?"

"So annoying. Oi, Ais—choose already. Which male do you want to wag your tail for? Who do you want to let play with you?"

His vulgar words caused a wave of rowdy laughter to erupt throughout the tavern. Everyone watched with amused curiosity—this was rare, after all. Gossip involving the Loki Familia? Practically unheard of.

"…No matter who I choose to be my partner, I wouldn't choose someone like you, who says things like that!"

Ais's voice trembled with anger. Riveria, sitting nearby, also frowned deeply.

"Have you said enough? Shameless."

"Shut it, old hag. Stop acting all proper. If that punk said he loved you, would you accept it?"

"…!"

Riveria fell silent—and Bete grinned, clearly pleased with himself.

"That's what I thought… The way you hugged that kid earlier like you couldn't let go, I figured our old virgin here had finally figured out how to pick a man."

"Heh. But in the end, it's just not possible, is it? That guy's nothing more than a weak-ass Level 1 adventurer. He couldn't even stand his ground against a Minotaur. A guy like that has no right to stand next to you."

"And the same goes for Ais Wallenstein! A piece of trash like that has no right to be at your side either!"

Bete shouted, slamming the table. But before he could go any further, someone slapped him hard across the face.

It wasn't Riveria. It wasn't Ais either, even though both of them really wanted to do it.

No—someone else had beaten them to it.

"You can insult me all you want, but you don't have the right to insult Riveria."

A cold voice rang out.

Yoru, now standing at the Loki Familia's table, glared at Bete with eyes devoid of emotion. Bete, stunned, held his stinging cheek.

He'd been slapped? By him? In front of everyone? By the very man he'd just been mocking as weak trash?!

Furious, Bete surged to his feet, ready to tear Yoru apart on the spot—

—but then a sudden, piercing chill ran through his entire body. It gripped his soul.

W-what…?! My body… Why won't it move?!

He tried to speak—but no sound came out.

Face flushed with shock, Bete staggered, and then collapsed, slumping to the floor like someone who had drunk himself unconscious.

Yoru didn't spare him another glance.

Instead, he turned his gaze toward Riveria—who looked both flustered and overwhelmed—and spoke in a firm, unwavering voice:

"I love you. Be my woman."

Syr, who had been anxiously watching from her seat, gasped in shock when she heard those words.

Wait—so Yoru was the reason they were arguing earlier?

He's that guy?! The one Ais refused to let go of?!

And now he's confessing to Riveria—here, in public?!

What kind of crazy plot twist is this?!

The entire tavern fell into stunned silence.

People were still processing the fact that an unknown adventurer had just slapped a member of the Loki Familia…

And now—he had gone and confessed to Riveria Ljos Alf, the Nine Hells, the strongest mage in Orario?

It was the most outrageous thing they'd ever seen. Probably the wildest thing to happen in the past century—and certainly the boldest thing any of them had ever witnessed.

A nobody had just slapped a top adventurer and proposed to the greatest elven mage in public.

At first, everyone was stunned—but then, admiration welled up in their hearts. A Level 1 standing up for himself, not backing down from shame or mockery. A man who dared to speak his truth aloud.

And so, the cheering began.

"Say yes! Say yes!"

"Now that's a real man—I support you, brother!"

"Riveria-sama, can't you feel this man's sincerity?!"

"Enough. Quiet down. You all just want to see the Loki Familia become a laughingstock, don't you?"

A gruff voice rang out as a burly, bearded dwarf from the Loki Familia slammed his mug onto the table. The crowd immediately fell silent, cowed by his authority.

But the damage was done.

Riveria—who had already been stunned by Yoru's sudden confession—now looked even more shaken by the crowd's shouting.

For a moment, this timeless elf who had likely lived for centuries looked just like a helpless young girl, silently begging her comrades for support.

"Aren't you even a little moved, Riveria? I mean, it was a confession. And a romantic one, right in front of everyone!"

The voices came from two sisters sitting nearby—Tiona and Tione—with tanned skin and bright, teasing smiles.

Their playful remarks only made Riveria's face grow even redder.

"T-Tiona, Tione! You two… Don't tease me like this!"

Riveria's voice was helpless. Meanwhile, Yoru's gaze remained locked on her, unwavering.

"…Do you not want to? Is it for the same reason that guy said?"

Yoru flicked his gaze toward the unconscious Bete, lying on the ground like a dead pig.

"N-no… That's not it. Please don't misunderstand—I don't look down on you. None of us here would."

"After all, every one of us started from Level 1."

"There's nothing wrong with being weak. What is wrong—is being weak and choosing to stay that way."

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