A real corrupter

- Was that really necessary? - asks Kai, bruises from the beating still visible.

- You should consider yourself lucky. If not for the mercy you showed the guards, my subordinates would have executed you on the spot. I, on the other hand, will not be so lenient if you disrespect me again - a gallant man states, gazing at the party with a serious expression.

- Why did you invite us as your guests? We tried to steal from you - Pietra asks, cautiously.

- It’s a simple matter of curiosity. One that I may reward with clemency.

His blue eyes, partially obscured by the bangs of his beautifully styled short brown hair, meticulously analyze everyone around him. His fit physique is dressed in a red suit complemented by a black tie, creating a striking contrast with his tanned skin as he poses as the egocentric leader of the stylish group from before.

- What have you done to Asai and Lirika? - Nicholas shows concern for his companions.

- Only those who are interesting shall be guests of Roberto Ignacio. Which is not their case. For now, you should not worry about your allies, as their safety relies on you.

They are all seated at a table in an elegant dining room of a mansion. The decor rivals that of a royal castle, featuring luxurious furniture that creates a contrast to the usual atmosphere of Vatogus. Despite the handcrafted drawers, ornate cutlery, and beautiful wallpaper, what stands out the most is a large painting of the owner, half-naked, on the wall.

- He speaks in the third person. Angering him would be bad - Kai whispers to the others.

- What a narcissist…

- Pietra!

- By the ignorant look at the imminent danger you face, I assume you fools have no idea of what you did. Not only did you steal from Roberto Ignacio, you also armed my enemies.

- Please, elaborate.

- The crates you took from me were filled with guns of multiple calibers. Thanks to you, Vatogus will be painted red when those rats try to usurp the city from me.

- Oh…

- Wait, does that mean Gadreas managed to escape? - Nicholas wonders.

- Surprisingly, yes. That cockroach is way too hard to eliminate.

- If those guns were as disgusting as the one Kai found, I would be more worried about his own safety than anything else.

- Pietra, shut up!

- What do you mean, lady? Are you implying the products I spend a fortune on are defective?! - Roberto frowns and stands in anger.

- No.

Kai sighs in relief.

- I’m guaranteeing you they are the worst garbage I've ever seen. Whoever made it should apologize and die.

- We are dead - Kai sobs uncontrollably.

- I see.

Roberto sits down, thoughtful.

- It was all part of the bigger plot to sabotage my enemies all along! Of course! No one would have such a death wish to deceive or mock Roberto Ignacio in his face! - his tone now is far more friendly.

- What?

- Hahaha! Diabolical! I love it!

- He is so self-centered, he assumed that both the firearms being horrible and us robbing him were for his own sake… - Nicholas mumbles.

- Shh, his craziness saved our necks. Let’s leave it like that - Kai warns.

- So I was right to spare you, assuming we shared our origin. Only people from the same world as me would have such a brilliant plan!

- You are from the same place as us, then - Pietra speaks.

- Indeed. As you already know, my name is Roberto Ignacio. Just like you, I was blessed by a goddess and sent here to have a new life.

- Were you also blessed by Rasnati? - Kai questions.

- No. The incarnation of beauty itself blessed me: My only love, Aferi.

- There is more than one?

- Correct. Didn’t the goddess who summoned you here explain everything?

- Well… - Pietra averts her eyes.

- Figures! That is why Aferi is the best among all. Always guiding me with her love! Always so caring and gentle!

- Wait a second. Guides you? You mean you can hear her voice or something?

- Obviously. She whispers in my ears all the time.

Pietra looks at the others.

- Either he is crazier than he seems, or those swords did something to our connection with Rasnati, like we suspected.

- Probably both - Kai suggests.

- Swords, you say? - Roberto asks, curious.

The gang explains their situation to him. Intrigued, he snaps his fingers, summoning a maid who brings him the swords, confiscated beforehand. She gently places them on the table before bowing and leaving the room. Unfortunately, after a quick inspection, he is unable to identify any issues with the weapons. However, he gives the trio a direction.

- There is a corrupter settled on an island a few days from here, a nerd that gathers all kinds of information. Her name is Suzuki. Visit her and tell her I sent you. She likely will have the answers you need.

- About that. Can you please explain to us what a corrupter is and why our lives are constantly in danger? - Kai requests.

- Hmm, you are newcomers? One more reason to meet Suzuki. Basically, those who came from another world are labeled as corrupters.

- And you guys just took the nickname or...?

- It's propaganda disseminated by the king. He fears us because of our powers. You may not have realized it yet because of your condition with these odd swords, but the goddesses' blessings are strong, quite strong indeed. It’s something he can’t control, so he chooses to annihilate us.

- Is that maybe the reason why we were summoned here? Perhaps the king is a tyrant and-

Kai's reasoning is interrupted by Roberto.

- There is also the fact that I captured his wife’s heart, and now she is one of my maids, but he is a grown man. He should understand I’m better for her - Roberto casually mentions.

- You did what?!

Kai was about to jump on Roberto. Nicholas stopped him.

- He is the reason I got stabbed. I want my revenge! - Kai whispers to him.

- Calm down, man. I’m angry too, but this is not the place.

Pietra, different from her friends, is silent. She clenches her fist as Roberto keeps bragging about himself.

- Aferi has told me to spread love in this apathetic world. With her guidance and blessings, I do that by showing the most charming people I find what a real man is, before inviting them to live with me. Obviously, none have declined so far. Not only that, when I finally exterminate the insects from Vatogus, I’m turning the city into a paradise of passion. Exactly like Aferi wants! - a sadistic grin forms on his face.

Kai and Nicholas look at him in disbelief as he holds a maniacal laugh.

- The nickname “corrupters” is making a lot of sense all of a sudden.

- You don’t say. This freak is using the power of a goddess to make a harem and is transforming Vatogus in his personal amusement park. People will definitely think we are capable of corrupting them!

Pietra bites her lips, doing her best to hold her anger.

- Uuh… Mr. Roberto, your plan seems admirable and all, but we gotta go. We are thankful for your help, although we still need to figure out what our goddess wants from us, so… - Kai tries to sneak out.

- Not so fast, pretty boy~ - he says in a flirtatious tone.

- Jesus Christ… - he gulps.

- The goddesses request we don’t get in the way of each other. However, I’m feeling like making an exception. I bet you will look marvelous in a bunny suit.

- KYAH! - Kai screams like a little girl.

Nicholas, trying to get in the way to help his friend, is pushed aside by the perverted man, crashing into the furniture. Meanwhile, Pietra notices the connection between Kai and Roberto shifting. Once yellow-toned, the thread turns dark as a putrid aura slowly comes out of Ignacio's end, desiring to deprave the other side. Somehow, she knew that if the blight reached Kai, he would be consumed by it, becoming a puppet or something worse. In a moment of desperation, Pietra quickly grabs one of the swords and tries to cut the connection. To her surprise, the thread splits in half, and both involved simultaneously lose their balance.

- All the suffering you caused… Disgusting… Just because you are powerful you think you can do whatever you want?! Vanish! Rot! Perish! Disappear!

Consumed by her emotions, Pietra pushes the disoriented scum down and gets on top of him, striking his face repeatedly with the hilt of her sword. A satisfied smile crept on her face as she punished someone who deserved way worse, and she was ready to end him right there.

- Enough!

Suddenly, she is pulled away from him. Looking at her surroundings, she realizes she is at a cosplay convention. A familiar face gazes at her with concern.

- Giovanni…?

As memories flood back, she remembers what happened. After witnessing someone being harassed by a suspicious individual, she jumped in and punched the culprit a few times before her friends were able to stop her.

Ultimately, it turned out that the suspicious person was a famous cosplayer, and they were kicked out of the event despite their attempts to explain the situation.

- Aaaaah! The meet and greet with Sophie-chan, I’m so sorry, my angel princess! - Kai cries out loud.

- Sorry… - Pietra apologizes.

- Don’t worry. He doesn’t blame you - Giovanni sits by her side, offering her a drink.

She thanks him and accepts it.

- This is so unfair. I just wanted to do the right thing.

- Justice with your own hands won’t make things right.

- Everyone saw it, and no one did anything. Even the security!

- Sophie-chan! Can you hear me?! My heart burns with my passion for you! - Kai screams out of his lungs.

Ignoring his whining, they continue.

- If the law of man fails us, we leave vengeance for God.

- Please, Giovanni… You know I don’t have faith…

- Even so. What if you killed her by accident?

- It wouldn’t be an accident.

- Pietra…

- The world wouldn’t miss someone like her.

- If you kill a killer-

- I wouldn’t stop at one - she promptly interrupts him, predicting what he was going to say.

- Let me finish, silly. If you kill a killer, the world loses a good person.

- What’s that supposed to mean?

- I understand you. I truly do. But killing is wrong, even if justified. Taking someone’s life will change you forever, always for the worse.

- Even if you are right, there will be less evil too.

- We live in a reality taken by sin. There will always be evil, no matter how much we fight against it. On the other hand, good is something we should preserve and cherish. Do not let this wicked world take goodness away from you. Do you understand me?

- Your logic sucks.

Giovanni sighs deeply.

- At least remember we appreciate living in this crappy reality with you, okay? Leave the turning bad and hurting people to our table top sessions.

She chuckles.

- Okay.

- Triple-winged heart! Triple-winged heart! I won’t miss it next time! I promise you, Sophie-chan! - Kai makes heart shapes with his hands.

- You done there, brother?

- Uh, yeah… I was just kinda messing around. Is Pietra feeling better?

She smiles, thankful for his concern.

- Yeah, I am.

- Awesome. I’ll call Nicholas to see if his training is over. Let’s eat something.

Closing her eyes, Pietra breathes deeply, feeling the warm wind from that afternoon. As she slowly goes back to her senses, she finds herself embraced by both Kai and Nicholas.

- Pia, please. Stop. - his shaky voice as he tightens the hugs, demonstrates how much Nicholas is worried about her.

Still on top of him, Pietra sees Roberto knocked out, his face slightly disfigured. Her hands, painted with his blood, tremble.

- Is he…?

- No.

- Then I will-

- Pietra. It’s okay. Don’t do this - Kai hugs her tighter as well.

Overwhelmed by their affection, she accepts defeat and embraces them back.

- Okay…