Chapter 19: S-Rank Hero Dominic

"My name's Dominic, the one and only S-rank hero. Nice to meet ya, elf girl."

The Earth Dragon had been effortlessly slain—by this silver-haired, flippant-looking hero named Dominic who now stood before me. He was the advance-party hero the guildmaster had mentioned.

And now, he was holding his hand out to me as I lay on the ground.

Thanks to the healing magic from the woman called Maria, I had recovered enough to move.

I didn’t like this man—not after he kicked Kazuya aside. But considering he’d saved both Kazuya and me from the Earth Dragon, and that I’d been healed because of him, I couldn’t just ignore or brush off his outstretched hand.

Taking Dominic’s hand, I introduced myself. He’d given his name, so this was basic courtesy.

"I’m Miki Claire. Thank you for saving us. I owe you one."

Dominic pulled me up—and then, using that momentum, yanked me into a tight embrace. He ran his fingers through my blonde hair without hesitation, squeezing me hard. A shiver ran down my spine, and my stomach churned.

I never knew being hugged by a man other than Kazuya could feel so disgusting.

"Stop it! Let me go!"

The moment I resisted, Dominic immediately raised both hands and released me.

"Hey, don’t get so mad. Just a little skinship, y’know?"

Touching a woman’s hair as "skinship"? Any way you looked at it, that was just asking to be hated.

This guy was messed up. My guard shot up even higher.

"Anyway, Miki-chan, you’re in a party with that guy, right? So that means he’s the newbie hero everyone’s been talking about?"

He glanced at Kazuya, who was still lying unconscious. Unlike me, Kazuya hadn’t been healed—he was still sprawled out where he’d been thrown earlier.

"!!"

I tried to run to Kazuya, but Dominic grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.

"Hey hey, where do you think you’re going in the middle of our conversation? That’s pretty rude, Miki-chan. Anyway, here’s the deal—I like you. Ditch that weakling hero and join my party instead."

What the hell was this guy saying? He barely even knew me—this was our first meeting! No, that wasn’t even the issue. The way he treated Kazuya, the way he treated me—it all pissed me off. I hated him!

"Hey, Dominic! We’re right here! Haven’t you gone far enough already?"

Glancing behind Dominic, I saw the woman called Monica—who looked about 19—letting out an exasperated protest, as if to say, Here we go again.

"Shut it, Monica. I can tell—Miki-chan’s strong. A versatile, top-tier mage who could wipe the floor with all three of you combined. Plus, she’s a gorgeous elf. There’s no way I’m letting her slip away."

What the hell kind of arrogant nonsense was that?

Still, for him to recognize my strength as a mage at a glance, despite this being our first meeting… He wasn’t S-rank for nothing. His judgment was sharp, at least.

But I still hated him. Even if I owed him for saving us, there was no way I’d ever like him.

I glared at Dominic.

"So whaddya say, Miki-chan? Come with me. Don’t worry—even if you hate it now, you’ll be begging for me soon enough."

Completely unfazed by my glare, he threw an arm around my shoulder with forced familiarity. His grip was firm—contrary to his lighthearted tone, it carried an unshakable resolve, like he’d never let go. It scared me.

"Kazuya!"

Without thinking, I called Kazuya’s name, pleading for help.

"Calling him’s useless. This dungeon’s got more ahead, so let’s go together, yeah?"

Gentle yet unrelenting, he tried to drag me away.

"Hey—let go of her—"

At that moment, I heard a faint voice.

But whether Dominic didn’t hear it or simply ignored it, he didn’t stop—dragging me away with him.

"Hey!! I said get your filthy hands off her!!"

This time, the voice was loud—hoarse, but unmistakable.

Kazuya!!

I turned toward the sound and saw him, barely standing, his body battered and broken.

Dominic let out an exasperated sigh.

"Coulda let you off if you’d just stayed down. Why’d you have to get up? The hell d’you want?"

He pulled me closer against him, as if to taunt Kazuya.

"You bastard!!!"

Kazuya charged forward.

But in his wounded state, his movements were sluggish, his strength a shadow of what it usually was. His battle cry rang hollow.

"Thanks for the freebie. Here—take this!"

Dominic threw a casual punch. Kazuya didn’t even try to dodge. The blow landed square on his face, sending him flying.

"Kazuya!!"

"Pfft. Thought you’d at least put up a fight, but nah. Guess this is all a B-rank’s got. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of Miki-chan for ya. Hang in there, hero."

He waved mockingly—but then, Kazuya stood up again.

"Oh? Finally growin’ a spine?"

Dominic grinned, amused.

"Let go… of Miki!!"

Kazuya rushed at him once more.

The result was the same—another brutal punch sent him crashing to the ground.

"Pathetic. Hey, what was your name again? Kazuya? Whatever. You’re weak. Like, laughably weak. You wouldn’t stand a chance against the Demon King’s generals, let alone the Demon King himself. Go train until you’re at least strong enough to trade blows with one of ’em. Otherwise, I’ll have to clean up the whole mess, and that’s just annoying. So do me a favor and get stronger. Later."

Dominic turned toward the dungeon’s inner gate—but Kazuya stood up. Again.

I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. Part of me begged for him to save me. The other part just wanted him to stay down so he wouldn’t get hurt anymore.

"Kazuya!—Kazuyaaa!!"

I could only scream his name.

Even though I didn’t know what to wish for, I couldn’t stop myself.

"Give… Miki back!!"

"…You still don’t get it after all this? Ugh, fine. Next time, I’ll kill you."

Dominic’s gaze turned murderous as he drew his sword.

Normally, heroes killing each other was unthinkable—but with Dominic, I believed he’d do it.

Kazuya took a deep breath—and roared.

"Miki is MY woman!! I won’t hand her over to ANYONE!!!"

The moment those words left his mouth, his body erupted in a golden aura. Lightning crackled—

—and the next instant, Dominic was sent flying backward.

I found myself pressed against Kazuya’s chest.

I didn’t understand what had just happened.

But… but… I could feel it.

I was back where I belonged.

"Miki! Put up the barrier!"

At Kazuya’s command, I immediately cast it—the same barrier I always used before sleeping, the one that only lets him through.

Dominic was already back on his feet, storming toward us.

"You little shit!! How dare a B-rank trash like you—!"

He swung his sword at the barrier—but it didn’t even tremble.

This spell was stationary, immovable—its inconvenience traded for absolute defense.

After several useless strikes, Dominic finally gave up.

"Listen good, Kazuya. I won’t forget this. You don’t deserve Miki. You don’t even understand her strength—or her beauty. She’s meant for me. And I will make her mine."

"Miki is MY woman! I won’t let ANYONE take her!! I’ll get stronger—strong enough to crush even YOU!"

Kazuya’s declaration echoed through the dungeon.

"Ha! If getting stronger were that easy, nobody’d struggle. Remember this."

With that bitter retort, Dominic turned away—vanishing into the depths of the dungeon with the three women in tow.

I cast a healing spell on Kazuya.

With the highest-tier recovery magic, his wounds closed up before my eyes. Once he was at least able to move, we silently collected Kazuya’s sword and the Earth Dragon’s horn, then used an item to escape the dungeon before Dominic could return.

When Kazuya declared I was his woman, I didn’t have the mental composure to either laugh it off or face it head-on. My emotions were a tangled mess, and I was completely overwhelmed—I needed to sort through my thoughts.

After that, both Kazuya and I were utterly exhausted, physically and mentally. We returned to the inn, skipped dinner, and collapsed into sleep like lifeless husks.

The next morning, I woke up early after a long-overdue deep sleep in a proper bed. When I glanced at the neighboring bed, Kazuya was gone. Maybe he went out for a walk? Lost in thought, I changed clothes and let my mind wander.

Yesterday had been the worst. We lost to the Earth Dragon, nearly got taken by Dominic, and Kazuya encountered his first higher-ranked hero. Every single part of it was awful.

But I never imagined that was what an S-rank hero would be like.

And after interacting with Dominic, I realized something—or rather, something I’d vaguely sensed for a while now became clear.

The difference between Kazuya and other men.

With Dominic, my dislike was already established, so the disgust hit harder—but even with other men, I doubted I’d ever feel the way I do about Kazuya.

Now, I don’t mind at all when Kazuya pats my head or hugs me. In fact…

Kazuya is my best friend—honest, dependable, and a little cute in his own way.

Yesterday, I saw the strength of his resolve. Even when he was battered and broken, he kept getting back up to save me—from the Earth Dragon, from Dominic. He pushed himself to his limits to protect me.

I must have called Kazuya’s name so many times yesterday.

For me, Kazuya’s presence was undeniably changing.

——

Kazuya had become irreplaceable to me.

——

…Yeah, I’ll admit it.

I’m starting to be drawn to Kazuya as a man. That feeling is growing, taking up more and more of my heart. I don’t know if I can confidently say I like him that way yet, but it’s not just as a male best friend anymore. As a woman, I’m becoming aware of him—I have to acknowledge that.

Even being called his woman didn’t feel so bad. I can’t fully accept it, but it’s not like I’m revolted or want to scream in refusal or anything…

When Kazuya hugs me, I feel safe, comforted. It’s almost like… I’ve found where I truly belong.

Gazing up at the sky, I reached out with both hands as if seeking something and murmured without thinking—

“Kazuya…”

Right at that moment, the door opened—and Kazuya returned.