After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 101
Chapter 101: Childhood Friend at Work
“Hah!”
With each spirited shout typical of a young girl, thick trunks as wide as an adult torso were cut in half and fell one after another.
“We should have done it like this from the beginning. Peeling the bark was a bit boring, you know?”
Having already felled dozens of trees, my childhood friend turned towards me with a smug expression, holding a specially crafted silver axe that gleamed in her hand. Around her lay the fallen trees, already numbering in the dozens.
“Sorry for making you act like a lumberjack, ‘Hero Reborn’.”
As I apologized, Gretel puffed out her thin chest.
“This suits me better! I’m not suited for waiting around in the back. I always have to be at the forefront.”
Although her tone was haughty, what she said was entirely correct. Since tree felling was always exposed to the danger of monster attacks, it was not feasible to have ordinary lumberjack men chop them down slowly. While it was safest to have wind mages lined up and cut them from a distance like the other day, they didn’t all possess as much magical power as Gretel or Beato. Therefore, the number of trees that could be felled in a day was limited.
So, it made sense for Gretel, with her overwhelming magical power and physical abilities, to wield the axe herself. With a swing of the axe infused with light attribute magic, even the thickest trunks would be cleanly cut in two. With just thirty minutes of enthusiastic swinging, she could fell a hundred trees or more.
Additionally, this method allowed for efficient extermination of monsters as well. While chasing them down and defeating them was troublesome, if they were to attack while seeing her dramatically clearing the forest, it would save a lot of effort. Although she wasn’t particularly skilled in combat with an axe, as long as it was close combat, regardless of the weapon, she was almost invincible. Dealing with enemies who used magic could be troublesome, but in this area on the outskirts of the forest, there weren’t any formidable enemies to worry about.
“And this axe is designed for use by magic users. Since it’s been made on the assumption that a magic user will wield it, it’s only natural to think that this method is the best from the beginning, right? Lutz believes in my close combat abilities, that’s why I love it!”
Well, that’s actually true. I had envisioned putting her on the front line since I began planning the development. So, I had the kingdom’s best blacksmith make a special axe made entirely of magic silver, as normal steel axes wouldn’t allow Gretel’s high-quality light magic to pass through sufficiently. Although it was only natural that she would figure out my intentions when an incredibly expensive custom-made axe appeared out of nowhere, I had also anticipated her forgiving me like this. Although I had a tremendous resistance to putting my fiancée in the most dangerous position, she seemed to take it positively, as if saying “My partner believes in my strength.”
“But, felling this many trees has significantly drained my magic power.”
“Good job. Take a rest for today.”
“That won’t do, right? Come on, Lutz, there’s something you should be doing now, right?”
With an eerie pressure radiating from her, Gretel dragged me into a small tent used for supplies. Well, there’s no helping it. I guess I have to do it.
As I touched her cheek, she closed her eyelids. As I slowly touched her lips while wrapping my arms around her neck, her arm wrapped around my back tightened. As our lips instinctively parted from each other’s, her arm around my back tightened more and more… She’s finally learned to hold back, so she doesn’t faint, but it’s still uncertain how long we should keep kissing. In the end, I just have to wait for her to be satisfied and release her lips.
“Phew… Lutz’s magic power is still delicious. I feel like I could easily cut down another two hundred trees.”
“Just be careful not to overdo it.”
Yeah, since there aren’t any other S-class light attribute magic users here, it’s fine for now, but if I flaunt my infinite magical power too openly, people might notice that there’s something secret about it.
“I’ll do that. It’ll take time to maintain the area we cleared today, right? So, I’ll go help escort the people who will be transporting lumber and doing landscaping work!”
The girl’s eyes sparkled silver, and her voice was lively.
“It sounds fun. It’s the perfect job for Gretel.”
“Yeah, it feels good to be praised for having a role that suits me. But what makes me happiest is being able to have you all to myself here and now, Lutz.”
As Gretel blushed and said that, she seemed unusually lovely. Indeed, with Beato and Ayaka staying in the royal capital and all the older sisters of the Dark Clan happily pregnant, there were no other women here in Baden who would cuddle up to me. Even though I turned fifteen and reached adulthood, and the mating duties were openly allowed, I hadn’t received any new mating orders from Beato… So, recently, there hadn’t been any chances to “do it,” and I found myself getting unnecessarily excited by Gretel’s physical affection. I feel like such a monkey.
“I wish I could indulge you… But if we did it before marriage, Beato would scold us. So, please be patient!”
Please, I beg you, don’t tease me. It’s really tough for me.