"Alicia, I’m sorry. I can’t hold back."
"Huh?"
I laid her down on the waiting room bench, still cradling her in my arms. Alicia’s face was beet-red, her expression a mask of pure confusion.
Seeing her innocent reaction, a flicker of reason returned to me. I wondered if it was really all right to let this momentum carry me across the horizon—to whatever lay beyond a simple kiss.
But then... but then.
From deep within, an uncontrollable urge was seething, bubbling up like a rising tide. There was no stopping it.
So this was the Beast of Brave.
Damn that Sebas!
I thought back to the moment my heart was pierced and my head lopped off, back when I was practically a corpse. What did he mean by "Please do your best, Young Master"?
Which part was I supposed to be doing my best at? Was he telling me to push past that kiss and go further? Or was he telling me to suppress this endless, overflowing desire? Did restraining it make me a true member of House Brave?
My libido was as dense as the dragon-tier magic power swirling around me, and it felt ready to burst at any second. No, "about to burst" wasn't quite right—it had already started. It was a total misfire.
They say that at the moment of death, a living being truly realizes what it means to be alive. Maybe there was some truth to that. Every biological instinct I possessed was screaming at me to leave behind offspring.
I had always thought that that was what people meant by the Beast of Brave. But the thing I called the Beast was actually something else entirely. Beneath the rush of euphoria flooding my brain and the unbearable lust, there was a crucial secret hidden within the Brave bloodline.
"L-Laguna! Calm down! Stay! Stay!"
"Gah!"
Every time Alicia’s voice reached my ears and echoed through my skull, my mind cleared just enough to make me realize how much magic power was leaking out of me. I was losing control.
"W-What’s gotten into you?! I mean, doing anything more right here is... people are watching! Patricia is right there! It’s embarrassing!"
"Alicia, I’m trying to settle my heart, so please—stay quiet!"
Because Alicia’s very presence was at the root of this state that resembled a Magic Power Rampage, I barely managed to squeeze the words out.
"Ngh."
When I told her to be quiet, Alicia covered her mouth and held her breath. She was too cute. Too beautiful. Too enticing. It was impossible. I felt like I could live off the memory of her face in this moment for the rest of my life.
"Wow. Even with me standing right here, you're acting like a dog in heat. A total animal."
That voice cut through the air just as I was about to devour Alicia, driven by an instinct that felt like it would snap a steel collar. It was the voice of a total intruder, shattering the intimacy of the moment.
"Look at that face. You can't even 'wait.' You're just a pathetic little puppy."
Patricia was staring at us. She let out a sharp snort.
"Hmph. Jelasis made that exact same face during his first time. Trying so hard to be considerate, yet looking like he was about to lose it. It reeks of 'virgin.' It’s actually hilarious."
The moment I saw her smug expression—as if she were somehow more mature than us—and looked at her pint-sized body, everything changed.
"—Ugh, I’m totally turned off."
"Huh!?"
I felt my body temperature plummet. The wild torrent of magic power that had been surging through me vanished in an instant. Perhaps it was because Dragons found Spirits repulsive? No, "repulsive" wasn't the word. It was pure disgust.
"How annoying! What is wrong with you?! I’m the one who saved you!"
"I don't recall owing you anything."
I made sure to give that condescending woman a piece of my mind.
"I was basically dead, wasn't I? Which means I wasn't actually saved. Wahaha!"
To be fair, I admitted that I had died a pathetic dog’s death, but I wasn't about to ask her for help. I didn't think her interference would have changed the outcome anyway. Part of me felt that dying pathetically to clear my "aggro" and then resurrecting like this was actually the optimal play.
A Death Event, as they say.
If I had to be grateful for anything, it was that she had carried me this far and allowed me to reunite with Alicia.
"I should have just dumped you in the trash back there!"
"Man, why do humans feel the need to argue so much?"
"Listen to me, you Sage Time bastard!"
Ignoring Patricia as she threw a temper tantrum, I let out a long breath to steady myself and turned back to Alicia. I kept my gaze slightly averted so I wouldn't lose control again.
"A-Are you calm now?"
"Y-Yeah... Sorry about that. That was sudden."
We both looked away, our conversation stiff and awkward. It couldn't be helped; the Beast of Brave was to blame for everything.
"I-It startled me, but... um... if it’s not in a place like this... maybe at home..."
"Gah!"
Hearing her give me the green light to cross the Kiss Horizon nearly snapped my psyche again. At the last possible second, I caught sight of Patricia and managed to force my face back into a neutral expression.
"...Phew."
"Stop looking at me to wipe your brow. It’s creepy."
This was bad. Just hearing Alicia’s suggestive words was enough to make the impulses flare up again.
"Laguna, what happened to you?"
"Well, it's a bit awkward, but do you mind if I talk while looking at this girl instead of you?"
"It’s a strange request, but if it keeps the conversation going, then fine."
"I mind! Don't look at me!"
With Alicia’s permission secured, I decided to explain the situation.
"This is a very sensitive topic. Since ancient times, the reason the men of House Brave have sired children whenever they face a life-threatening crisis is—"
As I began to explain, my memories drifted back a short while.
Specifically, to the moment I had suffered that pathetic defeat at the hands of Belial.